This is an image that definitely requires some explanation. I’m back in Scotland this week and am attending the annual Lanimer celebrations in my home town of Lanark. On Monday night, the townsfolk walk around half the town in a tradition which stretches back centuries. The idea is to ensure that the stones marking the boundary have not been moved by any unscrupulous landlords intent on stealing land from the townsfolk. What does this have to do with the picture, though? Well, it happens that one of the boundary stones is situated in the middle of the River Mouse (pronounced “moose”, by the way) so it is also traditional for all (or most) of the kids who take part to have a huge mud fight in the river, hence this image.
i often dipped my feet in the river mouse and they were good memories
I spent many afternoons in my youth failing to catch fish in the Mouse. You couldn’t beat being down by the river (either the Mouse or the Clyde) on a summer day.