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| The arrival of the haggis |
Today is the birthday of the poet, Robert Burns, and all over Scotland and the rest of the world, people will be gathering to celebrate his life and poetry. My friend Gordon is Scottish and it's now become an annual tradition to invite him and his wife and son over for Burns Night.
I've written about how we celebrated in 2013 and 2014 and, last night, we followed pretty much the same running order. However, this year I decided to add a couple of Highland Games to the entertainment.
First up was Tossing the Caber. Balance the caber on your finger on the floor, then flick it up and see how far it can go. It was hard to tell who was most competitive, adults or children.
Next was Potting the Haggis.
I was only able to get baby haggis. Like all youngsters, they're very lively and each one quivered with anticipation on my hand, waiting for the moment it could launch itself towards the flower pot. The person who could get the most haggis in the pot was the winner.
What, you didn't know that haggis are small and furry creatures? Ha, ha! Neither did Gordon's 7-year-old son who was fascinated with the quivering ball of fluff on my hand. 'Is it real, is it real?' he kept asking from the safety of his mum's side. Of course, I eventually had to confess it was just a furry pom-pom which used to hang from a woolly hat but it did make us all laugh!
Next celebration will be St Patrick's Day. Now, where can I get a couple of leprechauns...
Enjoy what remains of the weekend. xx
Super idea to add some Highland Games! How funny, it sounds an absolute hoot. Have a great week, Julie xx
ReplyDeleteI thought about you today when I realised it was Burn's Night and wondered if you'd be celebrating in the usual manner! Sounds like fun, I love your haggis!
ReplyDeleteSounds as though you had a lot of fun! I like the idea of tossing the pencil - I mean caber! xx
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, what a lovely idea, the pencil tossing is just brill..
ReplyDeleteAmanda xx
Looks like you all had fun!xx
ReplyDeleteI love this. I've always been fascinated by the Burns celebrations. I enjoyed studying his work in my English major. I have never eaten haggis and I didn't know you could buy it packaged that way. I'm not sure what I thought it was like in the modern era, actually, but I'm glad I had a chance to see it.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about you on Sunday and wondering if you had had your usual Burns celebrations! The games you played looked so much fun, especially the haggis throwing. We enjoyed haggis, neeps and tatties to celebrate the Bard too and my daughter recited the first few lines of Tae A Haggis. Great fun!
ReplyDeleteMarianne x
So funny! Your haggis (pom pom!) reminded me of the episode "The Trouble With Tribbles" from Star Trek! You are younger than I am so you might not know that one!
ReplyDeleteI think I can try just about any food but I think I will leave haggis to the Scots. No offence to Mr. Burns! xx