Commemorating the bard

See you jimmy!

Last wednesday night was the birthday of Robert Burns - the national poet of Scotland. To celebrate I went to a Burns supper - an excuse to crack open the whiskey and get into an old fashioned scottish feast of haggis, neeps, tatties - and my favourite - the trifle!

The ritual was started by close friends of Burns a few years after his death in 1796 as a tribute to his memory. The basic format for the evening has remained unchanged since that time and begins when the chairman invites the company to receive the haggis.

Duncan and Gill cooked up a fantastic meal complete with haggis which was "introduced" by Al with the traditional Burns verse.

We all dressed up and took on scottish names. I was Gràinne, which translates as she who inspires terror. I had trouble on the night remembering others names (and the whiskey has made sure that I dont remember any of them now!), all except for fat bastard - but he was rather obvious (see the photos to see what I mean!).