Rabbie Burns, George Bush, and Church Bells

As it was the 250^th anniversary of Rabbie Burns’ birthday last Sunday, I thought I would give the great man a mention in my ramblings. Having been taught in Scottish schools in the 50s and 60s, I was one of those unfortunates who weren’t given lessons in Scottish history, literature, or culture –we were only colonists in this great British Empire after all, and should be indoctrinated in all things English.

The Scottish media carried innumerable stories about the Bard last week, and all that coverage reminded me of a story I’d heard back in 2005. The G8 Summit was being held in Gleneagles, Scotland, and George W. Bush, quite a man with words himself, went to visit patients in a nearby hospital. In one of the wards, he went round greeting the patients, asked them how they were getting on etc, and was answered by each one with such snippets as:-

“Fair fa your honest sonsie face, Great chieftain o the puddin race”, “Some hae meat an canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat an we can eat, So let the Lord be thankit.”, and “Wee sleekit, cowerin, timorous beasty”.

What he thought of it all was not mentioned, but I do know that he didn’t go around the White House saying that he’d been to the Serious Burns Unit.

Back to the present time, or maybe not. It was reported a couple of days ago that the timepiece at All Saints Church in Sudbury, Suffolk, which is nearly 130-years-old, recently began striking 13 times. George Orwell's famous parable on fascism and the erosion of freedom famously begins, of course, with Big Brother time striking 13. Could this be a sign of what our government is doing nowadays, with any privacy we had slowly being eroded?

Anyway, the report continues, “Neither the vicar or clock builders can get to the bottom of the inauspicious chime.” Well, I can understand the vicar trying to sort things, but the clock builders? I’m not sure that it would be safe for them to climb up there, given the amount of time that they seem to have been drawing their Old Age Pensions.

Fàilte! Welcome!

Boxing Day 2007

Fàilte gu sgriobhaidhean gòrach bho Donaidh--chaneil fhios cò air a bhios mi a-mach anns na seachdainnean tha romhainn, ach tha mi'n dòchas gun còrd e ruibh co-dhiù. Welcome to Donnie's ramblings--who knows what I'll be on about in the coming weeks, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway.

As yesterday was Christmas Day, we'd better remember that there are only 365 shopping days left till next Christmas -- not 364 as you might have thought, because next year happens to be one of those Leap ones. Imagine that -- just 365 days left in which to choose presents again, and to get stressed out into the bargain. Of course, in Scotland, we can relax over the next month by celebrating Hogmanay (New Year's Eve to the uninitiated), when those of the male species traditionally go first footing. If you're the first person across somebody's threshold in the New Year, and you have a lump of coal, a bit of cake, some liquid (edible, such as Johnnie Walker) with you, as well as being dark haired (like I am), then that house is supposed to have good fortune for the coming year, and of course, you will be made very welcome. If your genes haven't blessed you with the afore mentioned dark hair, do not fret -- you can always rub the lump of coal into those strands up top, or of course, buy a wig, which will have to be well glued on or stapled, because of the 80 miles per hour gales.

We then spend a couple of days visiting old friends, or being visited by them, or even meeting in the pub if there's one situated between our respective houses. I nearly wrote "respectable houses" -- a bit of a gaffe at this time of year. Normal service is resumed for a few days, that is until the 25th, when we tuck into our neeps and haggis in honour of our National Bard, Rabbie Burns. The above mentioned Johnnie Walker, or one of his associates, is always handy to have around on this date as well. Of course, you can eat haggis on any day of the year, but they taste better at this time, being in season and having been freshly caught. For us, therefore, that leaves only 11 months until Christmas, which is quite a relief. We used to have an Old New Year (if you can work that one out) on the 12th of January, but gave it up, as the other one carries on till then anyway.