Tag: Burns Supper

bookmark_borderWeekender

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Blimey, it’s almost over ALREADY!

A few beers on Friday night, and after dragging myself away from the pub I came home to find the remnants of a curry Louise had ordered, bonus! Admittedly after a few pints of Guinness and a spot of curry, Saturday was a little… windy.

Thankfully by the time Saturday evening rolled around I was no longer in danger of making the shipping forecast – MALIN. NORTHWEST 4 INCREASING 7 OR GALE 8. SMELLY. – and enjoyed a great evening out to mark the 21st birthday of Louise’s cousin, Sharon (OK, not really. She’s 53… um… 41?… no wait… 36??). It’s always a good night out, as that side of the family are very easy going and always up for a laugh. Dinner at the Princess Rose was good and the food was excellent as usual, if a little slow coming out. Mind you we didn’t really notice that much as they did a grand job plying us with booze and it was easily the busiest I’ve ever seen it. Of course the round of free drinks helped as well!

The entire restaurant joined us as we sang Happy Birthday to Sharon before we headed off and after a brisk walk, it was bloody cold on Saturday night, arrived en masse in the pub. More drinks, daft stories – when told of the price of a round the world air ticket, Sharon’s sister enquired “How much does the return cost?” – and then back to my parents house where we bumped into my Dad as we all returned home around the same time (yes, that’s right, he was on his way back from another Burns Supper).

Today, washed the car, watched a little football, did a little work and sorted out the Lou Lou Creations website. Many thanks to IanD for pointing me in the direction of Lightbox, a site I’ve bookmarked and will be using again! And to Donalda (no website, yet?!!) for pointing out the obvious mistake (I left a deliberate error on one page to test the error handling and forgot to correct it!). Only thing left for the site is to get better photos of the cards but all in good time.

I also finished a little pre-design work for a new project which should be interesting, more on that later. Once I’m allowed to talk about it.

How was your weekend?

bookmark_borderHere's tae Rabbie

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    Some hae meat and cannot eat.
    Some cannot eat that want it:
    But we hae meat and we can eat,
    Sae let the Lord be thankit.     1

Tonight we feasted on haggis, neaps and tatties in homage to the beloved scoundrel of Scotland George Galloway Robert Burns. It’s been a long time since I attend a Burns Supper, with all it’s traditions, songs and laughter they are great fun, so if you ever get an invite to you really should accept. These days they even allow the wummin to attend – previously they were men only affairs – although it’s fair to say that’s nothing to do Rabbie as he loved the ladies, fathering a few illegitimate children in his time, even whilst he was married (told you he was a scoundrel) – in fact his eldest child was greeted with the poem ‘Welcome to a Bastard Wean’.

    “Welcome! lily bonie, sweet, wee dochter,
    Tho’ ye come here a wee unsought for,
    And tho’ your comin’ I hae fought for,
    Baith kirk and queir;
    Yet, by my faith, ye’re no unwrought for
    That I shall swear!…
    Lord grant that thou may ay inherit
    Thy rnither’s person, grace, an’ merit,
    An’ thy poor, worthless daddie’s spirit,
    Without his failins,”    2

For those of you who’ve never tried haggis, I can confirm that it is delicious. The traditional ingredients are often said to compromise sheeps heart and liver, mixed with oatmeal and spices and cooked in a sheep’s stomach. These days the offal is usually replaced by a combination of lamb, beef and onion, and the casing is similar to that used in everyday sausages. Get one from a local butcher if you can.

    “His knife see rustic Labour dight,
    An cut you up wi ready slight,
    Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
    Like onie ditch;
    And then, O what a glorious sight,
    Warm-reekin, rich!”     3

If you are Scottish then you’ll know of Robert Burns as he was, at least in my day, part of the national curriculum. Who didn’t study Tam O’Shanter, the poem from which the Cutty Sark takes her name (and which was built and launched in my home town)?

    Her cutty sark, o Paisley harn,
    That while a lassie she had worn,
    In longitude tho sorely scanty,
    It was her best, and she was vauntie…
    Ah! little kend thy reverend grannie,
    That sark she coft for her wee Nannie,
    Wi twa pund Scots (’twas a’ her riches),
    Wad ever grac’d a dance of witches!     4

My Dad is an active member of the Burns circuit in Scotland – recently retired president of the Dumbarton Burns Club no less – and tonight is attending the Dumfries Society dinner in the wonderfully named Howff Club where, I presume, he’ll be having a gander at the recently acquired second page of Holy Willie’s Prayer. Now I like haggis, but you have to admire my father’s devotion. He’ll be attending around 6 or 7 Burns Suppers over the next two weeks, literally singing for his supper at some of them.

    “O Lord! yestreen, Thou kens, wi Meg –
    Thy pardon I sincerely beg –
    O, may’t ne’er be a livin plague
    To my dishonour!
    An I’ll ne’er lift a lawless leg
    Again upon her.”     5

So here’s to everyone celebrating tonight, may your past go before you and stand you in good stead. Slainte!

    “And there’s a hand my trusty fiere,
    And gie’s a hand o thine,
    And we’ll tak a right guid-willie waught,
    For auld lang syne.”     6
~

Notes:
With the exception of the extract from ‘Love-begotten Daughter’ the post follows the traditional Burns Supper speechs and songs. No, that was not by accident. For your further consumption:

  1. The Selkirk Grace
  2. Extract from Love-begotten Daughter
  3. Extract from “To a Haggis” (includes translation)
  4. Extract from Tam O’ Shanter (includes translation)
  5. Extract from Holy Willie’s Prayer
  6. Extract from Auld Lang Syne