We use cookies on our website. You are free to manage this via your browser settings at any time. To learn more about how we use our cookies click Read MoreAcceptRead more
Search
  • New
  • Art
    • All Art
    • Fine Art Prints
    • Stretched Canvas Prints
    • Scratch-It Maps
  • Clothing
    • T-Shirts
    • Baby & Kids Clothes
  • Bags & Cases
    • Suitcases
    • Totes
  • GK Collections
    • Butterflies & Bees
    • IRN-BRU
    • GK Odes
    • Love Scotland
    • Mapped Out
    • Pride & Joy
    • Scottish Wildlife
    • Scottish Breakfast
    • Scottish Thistles
    • Scotties, Westies & Doggy Pals
    • The Vault
    • Tunnock’s
  • Bargain Bundles
  • Homeware
    • Aprons
    • Candles
    • Cards
    • Clocks
    • Cork Pinboards
    • Cushions
    • Kitchen Storage Tins
    • Mugs & Coasters
    • Placemats
    • Plates
    • Serving Trays
    • Teapots
    • Tea Towels
    • Totes
  • Sale
  • Tunnock’s
  • Sign In

Customer reviews from trustpilot

Sign In or Create an account

Lost password ?

New client Register ?

Search
0 (£0.00)
Menu
  • New
  • Art
    • All Art
    • Fine Art Prints
    • Stretched Canvas Prints
    • Scratch-It Maps
  • Clothing
    • T-Shirts
    • Baby & Kids Clothes
  • Bags & Cases
    • Suitcases
    • Totes
  • GK Collections
    • Butterflies & Bees
    • IRN-BRU
    • GK Odes
    • Love Scotland
    • Mapped Out
    • Pride & Joy
    • Scottish Wildlife
    • Scottish Breakfast
    • Scottish Thistles
    • Scotties, Westies & Doggy Pals
    • The Vault
    • Tunnock’s
  • Bargain Bundles
  • Homeware
    • Aprons
    • Candles
    • Cards
    • Clocks
    • Cork Pinboards
    • Cushions
    • Kitchen Storage Tins
    • Mugs & Coasters
    • Placemats
    • Plates
    • Serving Trays
    • Teapots
    • Tea Towels
    • Totes
  • Sale
  • Tunnock’s

Scottie print detail in red
Musings

Scottish Trivia Part 1 – Football, Masala and The Big Yin

2017-08-08 / 773 / 0

The Bay City Rollers were a Seventies worldwide  sensation and the Tartan equivalent in their day of Take That or One Direction! Who doesn’t remember the fans going crazy with their long long Tartan scarves singing along to  “Bye Bye Baby” and “All of Me Loves All of You”. 

Scotland has always struggled in the football World Cup and didn’t manage to get past the first round in 1978.   But super–striker Archie Gemmill made us all super–proud and became the talk of the steamy with a cracking goal and a 3-2 win against Holland!

ladies and gents scottish apron by Gillian Kyle

‘Love Scotland’ Apron

Glasgow chef Ali Ahmed Aslam lays claim to creating Britain’s official favourite dish, and the staple of a million takeaways, Chicken Tikka Masala. The proprietor of the Shish Mahal restaurant in the west end of the city, was experimenting with condensed tomato soup, threw in some spices and culinary history was made!

In 1772 Scotland made it mandatory to drive on the left side of the road. It was more than 60 years until England and Wales followed suit in 1835.

In the 13th century, Scottish theologian John Duns Scotus was the pioneer of the Dunces Hat. This was a pointy hat that the class clowns, bullies and generallynaughty boys or girls had to put on while they stood in a corner to meditate over their misdemeanours. The original version of time out…

In Scotland in 1753 the law stating that young couples under 21 couldn’t marry without parental permission was repealed.  And so, at Gretna Green just over the Scottish border, young couples flocked from the south to be married under Scottish law. Bet they didn’t invite their parents!

Do you remember Taggart? The hard but sensitive detective from Glasgow’s Strathclyde Police Force gave us innumerable riveting crime thrillers plus lots of fun identifying local landmarks! With a cult following around the world and especially in Scandinavia, Taggart inspired a new generation of crime authorslike Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo.

We all love Peter Pan, who is cherished by children and adults worldwide for his wonderful adventures in Neverland. It is however not generally know that  Scottish Author J M Barrie created this boy based on his older brother, who sadly died aged 13 years.

Beautiful Lola Highland Cow serving tray by Gillian Kyle

‘Lola’ Serving Tray – for rain or shine!

Golfing originated in Scotland with the first written account of the game recorded in 1457. With the Old Course at  St Andrews dating back to the 16th century, golf has attracts millions of overseas golfing fans to our shores each year.

We all know that a Mac is a raincoat and that it’s short for Macintosh – but did you know that it is named after Glasgow’s fabulous architect and designer, Charles Rennie Macintosh?  In 1824 Macintosh created one of the first waterproof fabrics by rubberising a sheet of fabric in his textile factory and the new raincoats were an overnight success.

Billy Connolly, appeared 15 times on the Parkinson show; a record. The Big Yin famously told a very typically naughty joke on his first appearance on the show and Parky, helpless with laughter  was unable tospeak for quite a few minutes!  I remember it well and as a family we were all helpless with laughter too. Billy quickly became and remains today a national treasure.

(The joke was the ‘Bicycle Joke’, in case you want to google it. Tee-hee!)

I’ll be back with more riveting Scottish stuff again soon! Till next time, 

Lorna

Tags: Gillian Kyle, Modern Scottish Gifts, Scotland, Scottish Traditions
Share Post

Related posts

Scottish Christmas presents by Gillian Kyle
Christmas
Read more

14 Best Scottish Gifts for £25 or Under

2019-12-06 / 1293 / 0
... Continue reading
Scottish kids t shirts from Gillian Kyle
Scotland
Read more

Wee G

2019-04-26 / 1140 / 0
... Continue reading
Uncategorised
Read more

Mother’s Day – it’s not about the presents

2019-03-20 / 1596 / 2
... Continue reading
Featured
Read more

20 Interesting Facts about Puffins

2018-11-09 / 1557 / 0
... Continue reading
Gillian Kyle Scottish Clocks Animation
Featured
Read more

Enjoy the happy gift of Scottish Time

2018-10-26 / 763 / 0
... Continue reading

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

Search

Categories

  • Architecture (4)
  • Art (25)
  • Baby Gifts (1)
  • Bonfire Night (1)
  • British Gifts (43)
  • Charity (1)
  • Charles Rennie Mackintosh (3)
  • Christmas (18)
  • Competitions (4)
  • Design (42)
  • Easter (1)
  • Fashion (1)
  • Featured (31)
  • Food (31)
  • General (12)
  • Gifts (52)
  • Graphic Design (2)
  • Graphics (20)
  • Halloween (1)
  • Holidays & Festivals (3)
  • Illustration (4)
  • Interactive (4)
  • IRN-BRU (2)
  • Miscellaneous (3)
  • Music (1)
  • Musings (39)
  • New Stuff (19)
  • People (16)
  • Places of Interest (8)
  • Press & PR (29)
  • Print & Canvases (1)
  • Robert Burns (5)
  • Scotland (68)
  • Scottish Brands (26)
  • Scottish Food & Drink (18)
  • Scottish Gifts (73)
  • Scottish infographics (7)
  • Scottish Thistle (3)
  • Sport (1)
  • Stockists (1)
  • Tunnocks (26)
  • Uncategorised (17)
  • Valentines Day (1)
  • Video (1)
  • Vintage (5)
  • Wildlife (7)
  • Work (2)
Trustpilot

Useful Links

  • My Account
  • Contact
  • Sign up (for more of all things Scottish)
  • Meet Gillian Kyle
  • Scottish Stories Blog
  • Delivery & Returns
  • FAQ
  • Cookies
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Trade Customer Login
  • Become a Trade Customer
  • Wholesale Ordering Form

Hello from Gillian Kyle

Thanks for visiting! I design colourful and fun Scottish gifts for you and your home. I love what I do and I hope you enjoy looking around just as much.


Hello from Gillian Kyle

Customer Reviews

Trustpilot

© Gillian Kyle 2019

We'd LOVE to share our newest Scottish art, designs and Scottish Stories Blogs with you as they are released. Sign up below for regular doses of all things Scottish...
We take your data seriously at Gillian Kyle - here's our Privacy Policy
We'd LOVE to share our newest Scottish art, designs and Scottish Stories Blogs with you as they are released. Sign up below for regular doses of all things Scottish...
We take your data seriously at Gillian Kyle - here's our Privacy Policy
We'd LOVE to share our newest Scottish art, designs and Scottish Stories Blogs with you as they are released. Sign up below for regular doses of all things Scottish...
We take your data seriously at Gillian Kyle - here's our Privacy Policy

Terms & Conditions

  • buy 1 full-price Scottish adult or child's T-shirt and get 50% off a second (full-price adult or child's t-shirt)
  • just add both tees to your basket and the discount will be applied at checkout - it's easy!
  • if  choosing t-shirts at different prices (for example 1 adult's and 1 child's), the more expensive t-shirt will be charged at full price and the discount applied to the less expensive t-shirt
  • this offer does not apply to already-discounted t-shirts
  • sorry, no other discount codes or discount coupons can be used offer ends at midnight on Sunday June 30th - don't miss out!