A touch of Scotland in York

When we stopped off in York on our way up to Scotland this hotel sign caught my eye and made me wonder what the connection was to our National Bard. Don't know what it is but do know the city has a 'St.Andrews Society', a Scottish country dance club and a pipe band so there is obviously a strong Scottish connection

Burns night...

*The perfect supper setting?

It is Burns night tonight when our national bard's poems and songs will be celebrated the world over. Hard to believe it is a year since we had our first Burns Supper in France with friends at David and Jane's.

At the Burns Heritage Centre in Alloway just outside of Ayr there is this great painting of Rabbie with some great cronies...what a supper that would be!

Here is my homage to the great man (a steal on of his 'The Bonnie Lass o' Ballochmyle') to describe a particularily bad round of golf there.

The Grass O’Ballochmyle

That morn the dew lay oe’r the greens,

On every blade a pearl did hang.

The course I knew it could be mean,

Every hole, both short and lang.

T’wards every rough I boldly strade,

Yet did it wae a sense o’style.

A couldna seem to fin’ a ba’

Among the grass o’Ballochmyle

With careless swipes I onward swayed

A couldna seem to fin’ ma swing

There wis nae joy among the glade

Ma gemme it was an awfu thing.

Yet way friens today a couldna care

Ma cronies helped me raise a smile

No so mony miles frae Ayr

Among the grass o’Ballochmyle

Jim Craig,

*Footnote: The table setting is from a shop in Newmarket Street in Ayr 'Table Toppers' who always have wonderful window displays.

Changed days indeed...

At Abilly on Sunday an item on one of the stalls caught my eye as it featured Scotland's national bard - I had seen whisky advertised using the great man and could understand the marketing strategy but cigars and cigarillos? I'm sure he may very well have chewed on tobacco but would he make you want to smoke a particular brand?

The other thing that struck me was why the abbreviated (always think this word could be abbreviated by removing one of the 'b's) first name? Wouldn't have thought there would be any copyright issues!
Anyway apparently these 'Havana machine rolled' cigars and cigarillos were very popular in the 50's.

Don't think the old commercial for them would pass the censors (on many levels) nowadays!

 Wee sleekit thin tobaco beastie

Whit damage do you cause my breastie

Thou seem ta start away so tasty

with smoke and fire, the gentle crackle

I wad be lath ta quit this habit

but for me now it’s a battle. 

(With apologies to Mr.Burns)

'First-footing' through 'Burn's Country'...

 We are very lucky with the location of Pauline's mum's house here in Ayr, the house looks onto what was the old racecourse now an open space used as playing fields. For one of our local walks we cross this on into Belleisle park and golf course (avoiding golf balls). So it was a good one to have as our first walk of 2013.

Then we cross over to another park 'Rozelle'  and on into the village of Alloway. 

It seemed appropriate that we should be walking through Alloway on the first day of the year as this is the birthplace of  Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, the man who gave us 'Auld Lang Syne' among many others.

This is the thatched cottage in the village where he was born.

The 'Auld Kirk' in the village was immortalised in his poem 'Tam o'Shanter'

There is also a pretty little garden with a fine monument to him near the old bridge over the river Doon.

The auld Brig o'Doon was the bridge 'Tam' and his horse were chased over by the witches...

and just as they made the bridge,that the witches couldn't cross, one of them grabbed his horse, Maggie's tail...

For Nannie, far before the rest, 

Hard upon noble Maggie prest, 

And flew at Tam wi' furious ettle; 

But little wist she Maggie's mettle - 

Ae spring brought off her master hale, 

But left behind her ain gray tail; 

The carlin claught her by the rump, 

And left poor Maggie scarce a stump.

Here is a view  of the 'new'bridge over the river Doon.

 We then headed back through Belleisle park on our way back to Pauline's mum's house with the afternoon weather taking a turn for the better.

Church on Sunday...Auld Kirk Alloway

We are staying in Alloway this Sunday and crossing over the road to the 'Auld Kirk' which would have probably have remained just another anonymous old churchyard if it had not been for the 'Robert Burns connection'.The ruins date from the early 16th century but there is also evidence of an earlier 13th century building. The kirk stopped being used in 1690 when the parish was absorbed by the town of Ayr. After this, although it continued to be used as a place of worship and for a short time, a school, it fell into disrepair.(I know I'm repeating myself here but it's necessary) When Burns featured it in his poem 'Tam O'Shanter' it would gain a certain immortality  It was here Tam came upon witches dancing as he passed drunk on his horse on the way home and was chased over the nearby bridge by them.

"Kirk-Alloway was drawing nigh, Where ghaists and houlets nightly cry" - Rabbie Burns

I'm sure it must be an eerie place at night time. 

Our visit thankfully was during daylight hours but even then there was still a certain feel about the place.

It didn't help spotting the 'mortsafes'- a cast iron shield temporarily placed over coffins until the body decayed enough to discourage body-snatchers, who supplied fresh corpses to anatomists.

There are many interesting gravestones within the churchyard some depicting the craft of the occupant in some detail. Other simple stones tell sad tales of families loosing not one but as many as four or five very young children to the illnesses of the times, Yet still others show of people reaching,for the times, a ripe old age.

The most interesting headstone should be that of Rabbie's mother and father who are buried here but sadly it's not the original one - that was stolen - is nothing sacred!

Here is an interesting little video of the churchyard...

"Nae man can tether time or tide"

The above quotation is from our local hero (we are in Ayr in Scotland) and much loved poet, Robert Burns.
It's from his poem 'Tam o' Shanter' (more of this later) how true it is, it does not matter your position in life or  your wealth there is no way you can halt the march of time.

As we visit old haunts here in Ayr this becomes abundantly clear...

This building on Ayr's shore-front used to be 'The Pavilion' dance hall and it's where Pauline and I met on the 16th December 1972!! where have the years gone? As we reflect back we have packed a fair bit into them, being lucky enough to have had opportunities that others don't get. There are of course things we could have done better, roads we should or should not have gone down but even though looking back it seems to have flown by we know there is still a lot we can do and experience if we have the correct attitude to what is, after all, our 'one shot'.





This is the telephone box where I proposed to Pauline (after 8 months) in a pathetic " If we could get the money together and everything was ok what would you say if I asked you to marry me?"  Why were we in a phonebox?...it was a privacy thing. By the way, it is located by the gents toilets...big romantic or what!!!

Footnote: We didn't spend the 8 months on the shore-front or the phonebox!!