Well, that’s “another year over… and a new one just begun” (as John Lennon would remind us, although I’m sure Monica will claim it as hers).
Munguin and I would like to thank all of you for your support during 2017 and we’re looking forward to another year of blogging. Most of all we look forward to reading what you say. The comments make the blog. We never forget that.
Here to celebrate 2018 are some lovely pictures of Devil’s Bridge in the Azalea and Rhododendron park at Kromlau in Saxony in various seasons.
MUNGUIN'S NEW REPUBLIC 
Happy New Year to all at Munquins’s New Republic. Daily visits to the site fair keep my spirits up!
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Good to hear, Clive. All the best for 2018.
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Happy New Year to you too, Tris, and of course to Mr. Munguin. The same goes for the rest of you too! I hope, as I am sure you all do, that the changes that are coming will be positive, or at least more positive than negative.
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P.S. Those photos are really lovely.
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Fantastic place. Would love to go there one day…
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And to you, Ed, and thanks for all your contributions. Bonne Année!
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Happy New Year to everyone and especially to Tris and Munguin for the best blog there is. Informative, witty, friendly and with lovely pictures – smashing.
So here’s hoping 2018 is a good one and a healthy one (esp for Tris’ mum).
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Happy New Year to you too PP… and thank you.
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Happy New Year to Tris, Munguin and all the friendly, well- informed and witty contributors to the blog which (almost !) always cheers me up each day.
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Happy New Year, Cairnallochy. We are really lucky with our contributors… or Munguinites, as Munguin likes to think of them!
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Happy new year Tris, Munguin and all readers of this blog. These are lovely pictures, and of somewhere I have not heard of before.
Thank you for producing a blog of such entertaining and informing quality last year. Yours is one of only 4 which I always read.
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Happy New Year, David.
The place sounds fascinating. The photos concentrate on the bridge, but of course in the right season the place must be a blaze of colours of Azaleas and Rhododendrons.
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Thank you Tris and his Lordship, it is the variety, the wit, the company that brings me here daily.
May we all get what we wish for and we wish our good fortune be shared to all.
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And thank you, Aucheron. And absolutely agree with your sentiments for all. Happy 2018!
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and the sanity – even Mr. Nikostratos seems to be occasionally imbued with some.
Good New Year to all.
Ian
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It’s come upon him … maybe this will be the year we convert him.
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and the sanity – even Mr. Niko Stratos seems to be occasionally imbued with some.
Good New Year to all.
Ian
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Apologies for the double entry and I can’t blame the wine this time!
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Happy New Year Ian… 🙂 Everyone is seeing double this time of year. 🙂
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Happy new year to one and all
Those that hate me (many)
And those that don’t (the few )
I like bridges not so much walls
For barriers or ships to sail away and keep people apart.
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Happy New Year to you, Niko and Taz (and Mrs Niko).
No one hates you, you daft sod. We just pretend so you don;t think we’re going soft in our old ages.
🙂
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Blowing a wee kiss in your direction, Niko – come home, all is forgiven! The hell with walls, and toots to politics.
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The spirit of the New Year, Ed!
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Happy New Year to His Munguinness, First Minister Tris, and all citizens of the New Republic. Let’s hope this year is another step towards a new republic of our own.
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LOL. Let’s hope so Alex… Have a good new year 2018.
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All the best for 2018 to all at Munguin Towers. I’ve never felt so uncertain, and to some extent uneasy, about what might happen in a year as I do about this one, and it’s good to have communities like this one to read and occasionally contribute to.
Good luck to everyone out there, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
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Happy 2018, East Neuker.
No one, probably least of all the people in charge, have even the vaguest idea of where this is going. We must be ready to take what good we can out of it, and fight whatever is bad. Given it’s the Tories in charge, I imagine a lot of it will be bad.
But the more they hurt us, the more they make us stronger.
Seat belts fastened.
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Everyone has covered the ground here, so a simple thanks for blogging in 2017 and all the best for 2018. You’re one of the handful, I’m sure, that many of us go to first.
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Happy 2018, Brian.
Thanks for your kind words.
🙂
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Happy New Year Munguin! Same to you too, Tris.
Thanks for the excellent work throughout 2017. I look forward to much more where that came from this year too.
Hugh
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Hi Hugh. Thanks for you kind words and good wishes. Munguin and I wish you a great 2018.
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My grandbairns dog died last night. I’m sitting here cuddling my wee terriorists, typing with one finger. Not a good start to the year.
Best wishes everyone.
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Sad news, Conan.
Thinking about the kids now. I remember losing my dog. He was old and sick, but how I loved him.
Send the kids Munguin’s love.
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Condolensces on your family’s loss Conan.
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Bliadhna Mhath Ùr, gu mo charaidean uile, tha saorsa a ‘tighinn. ( Happy New Year , to all my friends,freedom is coming) #Gaidhlig,,#Gaelic
slainte mhath!
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Excellent Gaelic, I can read it better than write it but share the wishes!
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Same to you and yours your ladyship…
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‘S math gu bheil ‘s tha an t-àm aice!!
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All the best for 2018. It could turn out to be a great year for Scotland.
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Hear hear, Dan.
And Happy 2018 to you.
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Best wishes for 2018 to all in the Republic. Keep up the good work President M and First Minister Tris!
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Well, to be honest I’m probably not quite that far up the scale… but thanks Lanark, and the best to you too for a great year.
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Sadly the TV was only on for a few minutes in the pub at the bells. Did I miss out on kilts, bag-pipes, country dance music, Highland dancing., Union Jacks, Jackie Baillie in a string-vest, Lord Foulkes in a mankini and Willy Rennie as normal, and other such depravities?
BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL and lots of love to Tris’s Mum. Tell her next year it will be my turn to finish off the Talisker tank!
Thanks a lot or your hard work on this forum – we all appreciate it, my friend!
PS : Wishing my chum Niko better health this year~
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OMG.
You have a fevered imagination, matey…
I’m trying NOT to picture Jackie in a string vest, and I’m definitely blotting a mankini-clad George ffoulkes out of my mind. EEEEEEK
I think it may be the first time though, that the words Willie, Rennie, and Normal have been used in the same sentence, so congratulations on that feat!
I’ll pass on the message to Mum, but you’ll have to beat her to it, and she runs fast when there’s a drink going…
Thanks for adding your comments in English and Gaelic to this wee blog. You know both Munguin and I appreciate it.
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Munguins Republic is a masterclass in sweet and reasonable people becoming upset. My spell checker tells me that I should replace Munguin with Penguin!
Anyway, the more folk that become upset at the status quo, the better.
Best wishes to every last one of you for 2018.
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Munguin says your spell checker needs a kick up the bahuchie. His name should be immediately added to it.
Anyway, a guid new year to you, Douglas and thanks for your encouragement.
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I have always liked what you do here. Perhaps we should have a crowdfunded campaign to have Munguin recognised as a proper word or summat?
Nah!
🙂
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Munguin says Munguin IS a proper word 🙂
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I am glad to report that “Munguin” is most certainly a proper noun.
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Certainly not a common one!!
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Bahoochie, surely, Tris. Don’t go makin’ an erse o’ things 🙂 A’ the best!
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LOL
Trust you!
🙂
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Many thanks to Munguin for all the hard work. His is a website that gets checked several times a day because it is so interesting, relevant and often hilarious.
Thanks – Mìle taing!
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Thank you for reading and contributing, Cat Agatha. Happy New Year to you.
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Tris, thanks for an entertaining year, and your contributors too of course. You all make me smile. I hope your mum is on her way to a full recovery. Greetings from a very cold Toronto.
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Hi Doug. You are very welcome. As you say, the contributors are hugely important. Mum is making progress, thanks.
I hope your weather improves soon. I know that it can get pretty severe there. However, you guys have a well organised country and you seem to cope with it better than we would.
Stay warm.
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I’ve been going down these comments liking everybody. This is because – as it turns out – I do. Thank you all for keeping me company. I think we’re all going to need all the moral support we can get this coming year, but at least there’s hope at the end of it!
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I like lots of the comments too but it won’t let me do it under my nom de plume! So sorry folks but I really do appreciate all your thought and contributions.
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I have the same problem but don’t want to inform Munguin in case sackings follow!
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Well I’ll try to ensure that Munguin doesn’t see your comment.
But if I get the push can I come and live up in the islands with you guys… I’m used to the servants’ quarters!
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Good old WordPress…
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I like to think of us as a bit of a family here, Ed.
Fingers crossed for a good ending to it!
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I visit Munguin’s Republic (original and new) almost every day and have left the occasional comment, but I don’t think I’ve ever expressed how much I appreciate the effort you put in to this excellent site. So, thank you.
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Thank you Ian. That is very much appreciated.
Happy New Year. 🙂
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Me too. Completely agree with you. The work that is put in around ‘Soppy Sunday’ alone is outstanding.
trispw is a bit of an energetic person. This is a truly imaginative and unique place for rebels to assemble.
?
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See that post above? It was supposed to be a reply to Ian Clark.
Perhaps everyone realised that. Perhaps a better editing facility would be a good addition in 2018. Let me know the cost and I’ll see what I can do. Absolutely no promises, but, well, your audience might also be willing to contribute.
Just saying trispw. It is a flaw in your data stream or summat.
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Oh, I know, it’s absolutely hopeless, but it’s just how WordPress seems to work.
Thanks for the offer of helping with the funding, but we’re not going down that route.
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I like Soppy Sunday. It wasn’t me that came up with that name, though. It was John Brownlie.
I love nature blogs. Actually, they are far more interesting than politics.
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