Burns Night was last Saturday and it was epic. There was poetry, a parade of the
haggis, tartan up the wazoo and endless bottles of whiskey. There was house cured smoked salmon,
Cullen skink made with Lula spice, heaps of neeps and tatties and piles of Walkers crisps. There was a Toast to the Lassies in the form of a power point presentation and the Toast to the Lads as an illustrated book. We sang
Auld Lang Syne around a bonfire. There was a toast to Lula.
The dinner started at 3pm and went, I am told, to 4am although Sam and I didn't make it that long. We aren't used to such extended revelry any more. It wasn't even midnight when I called for a cab and it took us all of Sunday to repair ourselves.
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| Tartan Boys (Roan stayed with Grandma for the evening) |
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| Cullen Skink with booklets of the readings etc beautifully made by Aggie |
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| Sam reciting the Address to the Haggis |
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| No dinner is complete without a Power Point presentation |
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| Eight bottles of whiskey for 20 people isn't too bad is it? Photo Courtesy of Forest Ray |
The Address to a Haggis really needs to be recited with a full Scottish brogue as it's written as such (excerpt):
But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.
When read properly it's nearly impossible for any non Scots to understand. To whit, my friend and fellow Burns Nighter Katharine sent me this :