Burns Night

Robert Burns, the beloved 18th century bard of Scotland, is remembered this night with celebrations in his homeland and around the world. A typical Burns Night celebration includes: bagpiping, haggis (and Burns' "Address to the Haggis"...you can see a lively one here), recitations of his poetry, and whiskey. The tradition began when some of Burns friends gathered to dine and remember him five years after his death. Although he was a prolific poet and lyricist with over 500 titles to his credit, Americans might know him best as the author of "Auld Lang Syne". But it was his love for Scotland that shone forth in his writing. Here is his poem, "My Heart's in the Highlands", with some pictures from our visit last year to the Scottish Highlands. And it's quite true...we left a little of our hearts there.

My Heart's in the Highlands

Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North, 
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth; 
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, 
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love. 

Chorus.-My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here, 
My heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer; 
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe, 
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Farewell to the mountains, high-cover'd with snow, 
Farewell to the straths and green vallies below; 
Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods, 
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods. 
My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Citrus

For the Christmas season, I filled a large ironstone bowl with clementines as a centerpiece for the kitchen table. It was an edible centerpiece, and I enjoyed watching people help themselves to some citrus and linger around the table in conversation. We devoured that bowl, refilled it, emptied it again, and refilled it once again. One thing's for certain...no one in this household is getting scurvy this winter!