After weeks of sawing floorboards, inhaling paint fumes and installing paneling while crouched down, the moment has finally arrived: the biggest jobs are done. New floors? Check. Walls freshly painted? Done. Of course, a few things still need finishing—one wall lamp still has to be connected, a little shelf isn’t hung yet and the guest room en-suite is crying out for attention… But that’ll all get sorted in time; for now, we need a break.
Time to Celebrate
The painting can start!
After all that DIY it’s time to dive back into social life. And guess what? This weekend the village hall is hosting a Ceilidh. For those unfamiliar: a Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is a traditional Scottish evening full of live music, dancing until you drop and socializing. The concept is simple: bring your own drinks, arrive on time to grab a couple of chairs and a free table and enjoy the evening. Sounds easy, right…?
Too Late…
But things go a bit differently because guess who show up fashionably late again? Yep, the two new Dutchies. The hall is already heaving, every chair taken, and the tables overflowing with drinks and snacks. Just as we resign ourselves to standing all night, we’re saved. From the side of the room, someone waves—it’s the owner of a nearby shop we met on a previous shopping spree. “Come sit with us!” she calls warmly.
Chairs are quickly pulled over, glasses handed out, and suddenly we’re surrounded by a group of locals who welcome us as if we’ve lived here for years. So warm. So relaxed. So typically Scottish.
Ready for the Dance Floor? Nope. Going Anyway? Aye.
Gerard and his new dance BFF
The first dance, the Gay Gordons, begins and nearly the entire hall leaps to their feet.
I shoot Gerard a pained look. ‘Shall we wait this one out?’
He grabs my arm and pulls me up. ‘No way. Whether we go now or later, we’ll look silly either way.’
And he’s right… While the Scots confidently whirl around the room— they learn Ceilidh dancing at school —we’re having a bit more trouble. Even though it’s not our first time, we cling to each other like a couple of half-drunk octopuses. We keep spinning in the wrong direction and tripping over our own feet (and other people’s), but we’re having the time of our live. We stumble through the first few rounds, but somewhere between The Dashing White Sergeant and the Virginia Reel, we lose all our self-consciousness. We’re beginners, and that’s perfectly okay!
Wooden clogs
At the end of the night, we hobble home with sore feet and huge smiles on our faces. Jamie is waiting for us at the door, gives us an inquisitive look, and sniffs our shoes as if trying to figure out what adventure we’ve been up to now.
We look at each other, satisfied.
‘They’ll probably recognize us straight away next time,’ Gerard says.
‘I think so too.’ I laugh. ‘As those two Dutch people with the rhythm of a pair of wooden clogs.’
Natascha Hoiting is a Dutch writer and entrepreneur. She is married to Gerard, and the proud owner of wee Jamie. Since 2008, they have had a second home in Scotland, but at the end of 2024, they traded Glasgow for the Scottish Highlands. Her love for this beautiful country is a major inspiration for both her work and her daily life. She is currently working on a series of thrillers set in Scotland and also organizes training programs for Dutch groups under the name SuccesBrein (Success Brain).
