Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Bend Over, Laddie

Thought for the day:  The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley.  [Robert Burns]

Last Friday, the 25th, was Robert Burns Day, a worldwide drunken celebration of Scotland's favorite son and poet. So, yeah, that would have been a logical time to write a post about him and the annual poetry-reading, whiskey-swilling celebration of his birthday, but as he wrote, sometimes our plans gang a-gley.

Since I opted to participate in False Start Friday last week, why not talk about Burns today, eh?

A lot of people only associate the prolific Burns with Auld Lang Syne, but the truth is, he wrote a LOT of poems. I know, because I have a book filled with every single one he ever wrote. My grandfather's book. A true Scotsman he was, too. He could recite Burns' poetry like a Shakespearean actor, and the more libations he had, the more dramatic his recitation.

Even Pop's before-meal grace came from Burns:

Some hae meat, and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.

You know what the traditional meat is at the Burns Day celebrations? Something called haggis, a sausage-like dish containing what Scots call the pluck of a sheep: its heart, liver and lungs. (Takes a bit of pluck to eat it, too!) When all the ingredients are combined, they're traditionally sewn into the sheep's stomach for cooking, with the windpipe hanging over the side of the pot. Yum, huh? Modern recipes, however, may call for tongue instead of lung, and sausage casing instead of sheep's stomach. But I've even heard of instances where the sausage ingredients are shaped and cooked in a likeness of Burns' head and served on a huge platter. Talk about a following, huh?


Burns wrote poetry about all kinds of things. This, he allegedly wrote after observing a woman in church looking up the text during the sermon:

Fair maid, you need not take the hint,
Nor idle texts pursue;
'Twas guilty sinners that he meant---
Not angels such as you.



Rather than inundate you with more of Bobby Burns' poetry, let me address the question that niggles at many a fair maiden's mind... exactly what do those Scotsmen wear under their kilts???

Well, here ya go. The little ditty in this video will answer that question quite nicely. Cute pics, too. FYI, the illustrator is a very talented young autistic man, who has been drawing since he was a young child.





Now that you're smiling, how about one more short video? (Where do I get these things, you ask? Why, I pull 'em out of my... um, ear... of course.)



                                         Okay, lads and lassies, that'll be aboot it for noo.

                                               May He who gives the rain to pour,
                                               And wings the blast to blaw,
                                               Protect thee frae the driving show'r,
                                              The bitter frost and snaw.

                               Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.


[A photo of my grandmother's cousin Ian. Had I been born with the proper accoutrements, that would have been my name, too.]

50 comments:

  1. Gimme some whiskey, minus the haggis. Perhaps, after comsuming half a dozen whiskies, I'll actually try the haggis......
    Nice photo of Cousin Ian.
    Kilts are not worn here in Texas. Too damn windy......

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    1. I'm with you, Jon. A wee spot of whiskey to warm the innards is a good thing, but I'm not too keen to EAT a bunch of innards.

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  2. who doesn't love a man in a kilt??? you tricked me...i had to go back a post to find your bloghop post...but i forgive :D

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    1. Sorry about that. I'm glad the kilted lad made up for it.

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  3. Hi Susan .. all I can say is Jeremy is an amazing cartoonist - and somehow we should all learn to recognise that some people have challenges, but are way more talented than we 'normal' people are ...

    Both videos are such fun ... and I'm glad you were born you - though grandmother's cousin made a great photo .. love that he lives on ...

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. Oh, goody! I'm glad you had time to look at the videos. I really like both of them, but know most people who stop by are in a hurry to pop out so they can visit a bunch of other blogs. I'm glad you could bide a while. (Darn! I should've brought out the biscuits!)

      Thanks. I'm glad I was born me, too. Cheers!

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  4. Wouldn't be a good idea for me to try wearing a kilt. I can see all sorts of bad stuff happening.

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    1. Aye, laddie, but I'm betting yer lass would like it. (Um, the kilt that is, not the bad stuff...)

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  5. Fun post. I don't think I've ever seen someone in person wearing a kilt.

    I don't like the sound of haggis.

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    1. Thanks. Glad you liked it.

      (Haggis tastes as bad as it sounds.)

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  6. My first husband has Scottish heritage so he can wear the clan kilt if he wants to and so can my sons. Unfortunately, I don't remember which tartan is the right one.
    I would never eat haggis, not even if you (anyone) paid me.

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    1. I'm sure if you wanted to find out, it wouldn't be difficult to find out which is the proper tartan. I don't blame you about the haggis. It' s been many many years since I ate any, but I can still remember the smell. I dinna like it!

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  7. I tell ye Susan, they just don't make ditties like they used to.

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  8. Dear Ianness .... OMG those Scotsmen. My husband lived up to his true Scottish heritage.....wore his kilt a lot too. Ha. Add to the fact that he was a Sagittarius and life with him was merry.
    A fun post.

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    1. Oh, and so ye know firsthand the fire and devilment of a Scotsman. I'm also Sagittarian... how aboot that? Merry, indeed!

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  9. I work at a small private college in central KY. A couple of weeks ago, a man randomly walked into our offices wearing a kilt, asked directions to the library, and walked out. I thought it was kinda cool, seeing as though we rarely see kilts here! These are the reasons that I want to travel the world!!

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    1. Maybe he was part of a group planning a Burns celebration at the school? At any rate, I'm sure it was quite a surprise.

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  10. ROF,L! That is indeed the most, um, creative, proposal I've ever seen. This post should keep me giggling for a while. Thanks!

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    1. Yeah, it's creative, all right. Glad to provide you with a few giggles.

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  11. Love that ditty. And the engagement ring was hysterical.
    I love me a Highlander in a kilt. And the way those Scots talk is oh-so-very-sexy. Tis a bri braw bricht day. Or however you say it. Just love it.

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    1. I love that ditty, too. A little too catchy, though. It keeps popping into my head and out my mouth...

      Oh yeah, I love a brogue. 'Tis a brau, bricht, meinlicht nicht tenicht, hooh hi!

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  12. Hey, any excuse to show men in kilts is fine with me. And I did drink a toast to Burns the other night with the whisky I bought in Scotland last year. Yeah, kind of amazing I still have some left. :P

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    1. Aye, we've been known to drink a toast or two, too. (I just have to remember to say it's in honor of Burns... that sounds sooo much better than saying we drink it because we like the bonny taste...)

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  13. This is one fine looking Highland Laddie.

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  14. Kilts and bagpipes are at play, can get cold on a chilly day. Always fun to see a poet and go ahead and say you pull them from your umm bum haha

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    1. Aye, and it does get cold in Scotland, too. Of course, they DO wear those thick woolen socks that stretch to the knee... but that doesn't offer much warmth for the... um... "wee-wee laddies".

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  15. Brilliant post! Being a Scot, I love haggis but the English supermarkets only sell it in January.
    "Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
    Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!"
    :-)

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    1. If you're a lover of haggis, then you must have true "pluck", lass. My grandparents loved it, too, but I only remember choking it down one time when I was a young girl. Is the haggis you buy at the market prepared the traditional way, or is it a more modern version?

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  16. I rather like haggis. But then I like black pudding and hog's pudding too! Cornish lads also wear kilts, very popular at weddings, even on a windy day. It is a matter of great pride to own one's own kilt- they are pricey things! Funny to think of you as an Ian :-)

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    1. So, you have a tough stomach, do ya? Is hog's pudding the same thing as head cheese? My hubby's not too keen on thinking of me as as Ian, either...

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  17. So I finally stopped laughing over your post title...and then I watched the videos. This was a very fun excursion to Scotland, indeed. Happy belated Robert Burns Day!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. 'Twas only a wee bit naughty. And a happy belated Robert Burns day to you, too.

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  18. I was going to leave a profound and deeply moving comment... and then I got sidetracked by men in kilts! It's the little things that make me happy...:)

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  19. Ian is the one who died on the battlefield in France two days after his 20th birthday.

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    1. I didn't know that. I'm glad you're such a good family historian.

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  20. I had a co-worker in South Carolina who showed up to work one day in a kilt. Very cool. I took his picture and put it in the company newsletter. :-)

    Have you ever been to the Greenville (SC) Scottish Games? http://gallabrae.com/ I was last year - so much fun. They had a British car show at the same time, so you know you'd enjoy it!

    Born without the proper accoutrements? My former (British) boss used to say, "without the dangly bits."

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    1. No, I haven't been to the Scottish Games in Greenville, but they're held here at Stone Mountain every year, too. LOTS of fun. (and kilts!)

      HA! I love the "dangly bits" turn of phrase. (I'll have to remember that one.)

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  21. Haggis is surprisingly delicious. I eat it as often as possible.

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    1. Maybe if I tried it in casings I'd like it better. I was probably inclined to dislike it as soon as I saw that piece of stomach hanging over the side of the pot...

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  22. Thanks for a great wake up Susan. I first heard the kilt song by the Chieftans some years ago. funny

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    1. Welcome back, Mr. C. Isn't that a chipper feel-good song? I'm glad it brightened your morning.

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  23. What a great post! I learned that a framed embroidered piece hanging in our family cabin since 1932 is Burns. In fact it's the blessing that your Pop said pre-meal.
    Thanks for sharing this!

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    1. Thanks! Glad ya liked it. Very neat that you have a vintage embroidery piece of that Burns prayer. Must be a bit of Scot blood in your lineage, too.

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  24. I live in Scotland but my wife won't let me wear a kilt because I'm English. I imagine it must be a very, er, freeing feeling to wear one as a true Scotsman!

    I like haggis. I never think about what it's made of. In fact, I still think of it as a little furry creature running around the Highlands. I'm sure there used to be a cartoon about it.

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    1. Are non-tartan kilts available? Your wife might not have a problem with you wearing one of them. Imagining haggis as a furry little critter might help, but I'm still not sure I can stomach... stomach.

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  25. Aye, I would've been a Robert, but I married an Ian! It's a strange and magic thing to be Scottish...

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    1. Aye, that it is. Neat that you married an Ian. That's one of my favorite names, but didn't even consider it for our sons. Doesn't go too well with that Polish last name of ours...

      (Glad you're feeling well enough to be blog-visiting again.)

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