Robert Burns.

Robert Burns was born at Alloway, Ayrshire on the 25th January 1759. We could always remember this at school because one of his poems read 'Our monarch's hindmost year but ane was five-and-twenty days begun,T'was then a blast of Januar win' blew handsel in on Robin.'
A hansel is a new year gift.
So this year was his 250th anniversary
He was a large part of my growing up years being only16miles from Alloway. My father was a member of some Burns Clubs and he was often asked to do one of the speeches at the Burns' Supper.
There are some set speeches such as The Immortal Memory - detailing what a wonderful poet and representative of the working classes, Burns was. Then there was The Lasses - reminding us of how wonderful the womenfolk are. Burns appreciated pretty girls and here is one of his love songs.

My love is like a red red rose
thats newly sprung in June,
My love is like a melody
thats sweetly played in tune.

So fair art thou my pretty lass
So deep in love am I.
And I will love thee still my lass
While the sands o' life shall run.

So fare thee weel my only love
and fare thee weel a while,
And I will come again my lass
Though t'were ten thousand mile.

As well as the traditional speeches, a Burns Supper consists of a traditional menu. The first course always consists of a haggis, accompanied by neeps (mashed swede- the yellow one) and mashed potatoes. The haggis is always 'piped' in by the bagpipes, then someone recites Burns' poem To a Haggis.

Because I was out on Sunday, we had out haggis on Monday, cooked by Romeo and enjoyed by me and the Dunadan.