The Twa Dogs

The Twa Dogs

'Twas in that place o' Scotland's isle,

That bears the name o' auld King Coil,

Upon a bonnie day in June,

When wearin' thro' the afternoon,

Twa dogs, that were na thrang at hame,

Forgather'd ance upon a time.

The first I'll name, they ca'd him Caesar,

Was keepit for His Honor's pleasure:

His hair, his size, his mouth, his lugs,

Shew'd he was nane o' Scotland's dogs;

But whalpit some place far abroad,

Whare sailors gang to fish for cod.

His locked, letter'd, braw brass collar

Shew'd him the gentleman an' scholar;

But though he was o' high degree,

The fient a pride, nae pride had he;

But wad hae spent an hour caressin,

Ev'n wi' al tinkler-gipsy's messin:

The tither was a ploughman's collie

A rhyming, ranting, raving billie,

Wha for his friend an' comrade had him,

And in freaks had Luath ca'd him,

After some dog in Highland Sang,

Was made lang syne, - Lord knows how lang.

He was a gash an' faithfu' tyke,

As ever lap a sheugh or dyke.

His honest, sonsie, baws'nt face

Aye gat him friends in ilka place;

His breast was white, his touzie back

Weel clad wi' coat o' glossy black;

His gawsie tail, wi' upward curl,

Hung owre his hurdie's wi' a swirl.

Nae doubt but they were fain o' ither,

And unco pack an' thick thegither;

Wi' social nose whiles snuff'd an' snowkit;

Whiles mice an' moudieworts they howkit;

Whiles scour'd awa' in lang excursion,

An' worry'd ither in diversion;

Until wi' daffin' weary grown

Upon a knowe they set them down.

An' there began a lang digression.

About the "lords o' the creation."

  We worked together to learn the first part of this long poem (full text here) about Caesar and Luath.  We discovered that Luath was named after Robert’s own collie dog.  In Gaelic, Luath means swift or nimble.  Robert named his dog after Cuchullin's hunting dog from the epic poem Ossian which tells the story of the life and battles of Fingal.

“Morning trembles with the beam of the east; it glimmers on Cromla's side. Over Lena is heard the horn of Swaran. The sons of the ocean gather around. Silent and sad they rise on the wave. The blast of Erin is behind their sails. White, as the mist of Morven, they float along the sea. "Call," said Fingal, "call my dogs, the long-bounding sons of the chase. Call white-breasted Bran, and the surly strength of Luath! Fillan, and Ryno;--but he is not here! My son rests on the bed of death. Fillan and Fergus! blow the horn, that the joy of the chase may arise; that the deer of Cromla may hear, and start at the lake of roes."

You can see a statue of Luath with his master in Dumfries and another in Boston, MA.  Sir Edwin Landseer was also inspired by this poem and painted the scene where Luath and Caesar have sat themselves down to discuss “the lords o’ the creation”. 

As part of her literacy goal for this topic Iona copied her verses out and illustrated them

Robert Burns - Resources

Bibliography

Burns for Bairns – Irving Miller

Kate O Shanter's Tale: And Other Poems – Matthew Fitt

Robert Burns: Selected Poems & Songs – Robert Burns (Folio Society)

A cook’s tour of Scotland – Sue Lawrence

Young Burns – Tony Bonning

The land o’ Burns – James Mackay

Tam o’ Shanter, a Tale by Robert Burns – illustrated by Alexander Goudie

Audio visual resources

The songs of Robert Burns (deluxe edition) – Eddi Reader

Grand tours of Scotland, episode 5, Burns to Butlins – Paul Murton by BBC

Burns in the USA – BBC Two

Websites

BBC Robert Burns homepage

Scottish poetry library - Robert Burns

Robert Burns world federation

Burns Supper

Burns night

Every year on Robert Burns birthday, the 25^th January, people around the world come together to celebrate his life and work.  Burns’ poetry is known and loved in all corners of the world, from Shanghai to Sydney, Rio to Moscow.  With the exception of Queen Victoria and Christopher Columbus, Burns has more statues dedicated to him around the world than any other non-religious figure.  He has had fans among the great and the good, President Abraham Lincoln, Bob Dylan and Michael Jackson among them!

 This year, Burns celebrations around the world include:

• Burns Supper hosted by the Shanghai Scottish Societies - 23 January, Shanghai China
• Clans, Pipes & Drums Burns Supper and Dance - 24 January, Brisbane Australia
• Auckland Robert Burns Association's Burns Day Picnic - 24 January, Auckland New Zealand
• The Saint Andrew Society of Western Australia Burns Supper - 25 January, Perth Australia
• 8th Annual Burns Supper, hosted by the Scottish Government EU Office at the UK Ambassador's Residence - 26 January, Brussels Belgium
• Annual Burns Concert at Scotland House - 27 January, Brussels Belgium
• Burns Supper hosted by the Beijing Scottish Societies - 31 January, Beijing China

 Scotland.org recorded a very special version of Auld Lang Syne, featuring performances from people around the world.  More than 1200 people took part and it just goes to show the enduring appeal of Robert Burns work.  

 Burns Supper Running Order (mainly from the bbc website)

• Piping in the guests

A big-time Burns Night calls for a piper to welcome guests. If you don't want all that baggage, some traditional music will do nicely. For more formal events, the audience should stand to welcome arriving guests: the piper plays until the high table is ready to be seated, at which point a round of applause is due. At a more egalitarian gathering - with no high table - the chair can simply bang on the table to draw attention to the start of the evening's proceedings.

• Chairman's welcome

The Chair (host/organiser) warmly welcomes and introduces the assembled guests and the evening's entertainment.

• The Selkirk Grace

A short but important prayer read to usher in the meal, The Selkirk Grace is also known as Burns's Grace at Kirkcudbright. Although the text is often printed in English, it is usually recited in Scots.

                        Some hae meat and canna eat,

                        And some wad eat that want it,

                        But we hae meat and we can eat,

                        And sae the Lord be thankit.

Piping in the haggis

• Guests should normally stand to welcome the dinner's star attraction, which should be delivered on a silver platter by a procession comprising the chef, the piper and the person who will address the Haggis. A whisky-bearer should also arrive to ensure the toasts are well lubricated.

During the procession, guests clap in time to the music until the Haggis reaches its destination at the table. The music stops and everyone is seated in anticipation of the address To a Haggis.

• Address to the haggis

The honoured reader now seizes their moment of glory by offering a fluent and entertaining rendition of To a Haggis. The reader should have his knife poised at the ready. On cue (His knife see Rustic-labour dight), he cuts the casing along its length, making sure to spill out some of the tasty gore within (trenching its gushing entrails).

Warning: it is wise to have a small cut made in the haggis skin before it is piped in. Instances are recorded of top table guests being scalded by flying pieces of haggis when enthusiastic reciters omitted this precaution! Alternatively, the distribution of bits of haggis about the assembled company is regarded in some quarters as a part of the fun...

The recital ends with the reader raising the haggis in triumph during the final line Gie her a haggis!, which the guests greet with rapturous applause.

• Toast to the haggis

Prompted by the speaker, the audience now joins in the toast to the haggis. Raise a glass and shout: The haggis! Then it's time to serve the main course with its traditional companions, neeps and tatties. In larger events, the piper leads a procession carrying the opened haggis out to the kitchen for serving; audience members should clap as the procession departs.

• The meal

Served with some suitable background music, the sumptuous Bill o' Fare includes:-

• Starter - Traditional cock-a-leekie soup;

• Main course - Haggis, neeps & tatties (Haggis wi' bashit neeps an' champit tatties);

• Sweet - Clootie Dumpling (a pudding prepared in a linen cloth or cloot) or Typsy Laird (a Scottish sherry trifle);

• Cheeseboard with bannocks (oatcakes) and tea/coffee.

Variations do exist: beef lovers can serve the haggis, neeps & tatties as a starter with roast beef or steak pie as the main dish. Vegetarians can of course choose vegetarian haggis, while pescatarians could opt for a seafood main course such as Cullen Skink.

• The drink

Liberal lashings of wine or ale should be served with dinner and it's often customary to douse the haggis with a splash of whisky sauce, which, with true Scots understatement, is neat whisky.

After the meal, it's time for connoisseurs to compare notes on the wonderful selection of malts served by the generous chair.

• The first entertainment

The nervous first entertainer follows immediately after the meal. Often it will be a singer or musician performing Burns songs such as:-

• My Luve is Like a Red Red Rose;
• Rantin', Rovin' Robin;
• John Anderson, my jo; or
• Ae Fond Kiss, and Then We Sever.

Alternatively it could be a moving recital of a Burns poem, with perennial preference for:-

• Tam o' Shanter;
• Holy Willie's Prayer;
• To a Louse;
• Address to the Unco Guid; or
• For a' that and a' that.
• 
  
• The immortal memory

The keynote speaker takes the stage to deliver a spell-binding oratoration on the life of Robert Burns: his literary genius, his politics, his highs and lows, his human frailty and - most importantly - his nationalism. The speech must bridge the dangerous chasm between serious intent and sparkling wit, painting a colourful picture of Scotland's beloved Bard.

The speaker concludes with a heart-felt toast: To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns!

• The second entertainment

The chair introduces more celebration of Burns' work, preferably a poem or song to complement the earlier entertainment.

• Toast to the Lassies

The humorous highlight of any Burns Night comes in this toast, which is designed to praise the role of women in the world today. This should be done by selective quotation from Burns's works and should build towards a positive note. Particular reference to those present makes for a more meaningful toast. 

The toast concludes: To the Lassies!

• The final entertainment

The final course of the evening's entertainment comprises more Burns readings.

• Reply to the Toast to the Lassies

Revenge for the women present as they get their chance to reply.

In 2016 Jo Clifford became the first transgender woman to make a public Reply from the Lassies, at a Burns supper in Govan, the guests included Nicola Sturgeon.  You can enjoy her truly excellent speech here.

• Vote of thanks

The chair now climbs to his potentially unsteady feet to thank everyone who has contributed to a wonderful evening and to suggest that taxis will arrive shortly.

• Auld Lang Syne

The chair closes the proceedings by inviting guests to stand and belt out a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne. The company joins hands and sings as one, having made sure to brush up on those difficult later lines.  

 Our Burns Supper!

Our Burns supper was a lot of fun! Mary was an able Master of Ceremonies.  I cooked, read the Address to the Haggis and later on read Kate o’ Shanter’s Tale (bleeping all the rude bits!).

   Iona helped with decorations, buying our ingredients and cooking.  She also “piped” us into our supper with her guitar.  During the evening we performed our verses from The Twa Dogs and she also sang a song of her own.

We listened to Nicola Sturgeon give The Immortal Memory speech on YouTube.

 Natasha sang the Selkirk grace beautifully and led us all in singing Auld Lang Syne to end our evening.

Andy gave an address to the Lassies, complete with cheesy Burns jokes.

 Robert walks into a pub one evening, the landlord says “you’re bard!”

 Boris Johnson is being shown around a London hospital.  Towards the end of the visit, he is shown into a ward with a number people with no obvious signs of injury or disease.

He goes to greet the first patient and the chap replies: "Fair fa' your honest sonsie face, Great chieftain e' the puddin' race!  Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm; Weel are ye wordy o' a grace as lang's my arm."

Boris, being somewhat confused (easily done) goes to the next patient and greets him.
The patient replies: "Some hae meat, and canna eat, and some wad eat that want it, but we hae meat and can eat, and sae the Lord be thankit."

The third starts rattling off: "Wee sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie, O, what a panic's in thy breastie! Thou need na start awa sae hasty, wi bickering brattle! I wad be laith to rin an chase thee, wi murdering pattle!"
Boris turns to the doctor and asks: "Is this mental ward?"

"No" the doctor replies, "It's the Burns unit."

Teresa gave a very funny Reply from the Lassies, with only a little bit of gentle mocking of the smell, looks and size of your average Scottish chap.

 We toasted with beer, irn bru and very cheap whisky.  I’m sure Robert would have approved though as we were together as a family and enjoying ourselves.

Crombies the butcher and St Giles

                          

Today we took a trip into town to visit Crombies of Edinburgh, the award winning butcher on Broughton street. We had emailed to ask if we could visit and find out a bit more about our national dish, the haggis.  Sandie Crombie very kindly agreed to talk us through the finer points of haggis, he's quite the expert having made haggis now for sixty years.

 Haggis used to be made at the time that a sheep was slaughtered to use the pluck or offal quickly as it didn't keep.  The lung, heart and liver would have been minced and then had oatmeal, salt, pepper, stock, suet and spices added before being packed into the stomach and boiled.  These days they are more often made in an ox intestine casing.

 Over the weekend Iona practiced reading the first and last verse from The Address to The Haggis.  

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, 
Great chieftain o the puddin'-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye worthy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies:
But, if ye wish her gratefu prayer,
Gie her a Haggis

Sandie also treated us to his own recitation of the great poem, and explained that it gently poked fun at the upper crust.   You can see Sandie giving the address on this page, including a translation!
  Cola filmed Iona reading her verses (you can see the video here) and we sampled the haggis "Warm-reekin', rich!" which was everything a good haggis should aspire to be, spicy and delicious.  We bought a couple of packets of Cola's own invention, haggis scones which you should definitely try making at home!

 Before we left Mr Crombie presented us with a gorgeous chieftain haggis to celebrate Burns night with (and a veggie haggis for the non carnivores in our tribe) which we are really looking forward to cooking.

St Giles Cathedral

After our stop at Crombies we made our way to the Royal Mile to visit St Giles Cathedral.  The cathedral was founded in 1124 and has amazing architecture and stained glass.  We were there to look at the Robert Burns window which was installed in 1985 after being designed by an Icelandic stained glass artist.  Made in three sections the bottom represents Robert's love of nature and respect for the earth, which being a farmer he was deeply attuned to.  The central section, his love of community, friends and his fellow man.  The top panel is about love and charity.  

Trip to Robert Burns museum January 2017

On the 16th of January (fortune smiling on us, we had a pretty nice day, dry and clear!) We set out on our first flexi school day trip.

 Granny and Teresa came along with us, which was really nice! We set out about 11am and drove over to Alloway.  On our way we listened to Eddie Reader singing the songs of Robert Burns to get us in the mood and provide some talking points as we drove.  Iona loved Charlie is my darling and we had to listen to that one twice.

 On our way we passed through lots of funny and slightly down at heel little towns.  We paused in Muirkirk, one of the ex mining communities along the way.  They had a fascinating layby with bits of sculpture (giant totem pole!?) and boards with historical and local information.  Naturally Teresa and I went to investigate with Iona.  It turns out Muirkirk has some Burns associations, a woman called Tibbie Pagan lived there and wrote many poems and songs.  Among them Ca' the Yowes tae the Knowes, later made famous by Burns, who had visited her in her cottage.  Reading her short biography it becomes plain that she was a woman who enjoyed good times, good poetry and good drink, so you can imagine Burns might have enjoyed her company.

 After leaving Muirkirk we made straight for the Burns museum in Alloway.   When we arrived we all felt weary, hungry and ready for a break so we had a bowl of soup and some drinks in the cafe there before having a look around the museum.

 Iona and Teresa filled in the "hunt the mousie" activity sheet provided, which was trickier than you might imagine.  We all admired the exhibits, ranging from original books of poetry and song to the plaster cast of Burns skull, made when they opened his grave to bury his wife Jean.  We saw the Cuttie stool, as used in churches in Burns time to shame the wayward sinner by having him or her sit on it at the front of the church while the minister spoke on their moral failings.

Iona really enjoyed the interactive exhibits, particularly the "make a movie" touchscreen which allowed her to place ghouls and goblins in an animated scene from Tam o' Shanter.  The museum was a bit dark, but overall very enjoyable.  Iona and I both wrote poems and placed them on the Trysting tree.  

While we were there we we also saw a temporary exhibition called Witches' Brouhaha, an installation by Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre.  It was sinister enough to really amuse Iona!  

After the museum we took a short walk to the Burns monument, Alloway Auld Kirk and the old Brig o' Doon (setting for the climax of Tam o' Shanter).  Mary did some sketching while Teresa, Iona and I admired the spooky graveyard, where Burns mother and father are buried.  The Kirk was a ruin even in Burns day and the legends of it being haunted certainly inspired him.

 The day was getting on and Iona was very tired, so after walking over the bridge and peeping out at the top of the monument we went to the hotel at the top of the road for ice creams all round.  

 Iona and Teresa walked along the poet's path to the cottage where Robert Burns was born.  We didn't have time to view the cottage on this trip but I'm sure we will be back.  We set off for home and made it back in one piece, it was quite a long way for a day trip and I think next time we'd all like to stay in the hotel, it was lovely!

Flexi schooling - The big why?

The Squid outside the Burns museum

We came to flexi schooling relatively late, Iona is in p4 and I had resisted the siren song of home school (playing gently with it's sweet hints of later mornings, exciting topic work and fun trips) even though my sister was a committed and successful home educator.

 In truth, I doubted myself too much.  I'm not clever enough, focused enough, patient enough... this refrain played out in my mind every time I considered it.  And I had good excuses reasons! My child is very social, she loves school, she'd miss her friends, blah blah blah.

Last year, after increasing worries over reading and progress in the classroom Iona asked one day if she could go to school on some days and stay home on others to learn.  Obviously she knew about home education having observed her cousin and tagged along on many adventures.  My own mind had been circling the same idea and I booked a meeting with our head teacher.

 After a discussion about how it might work and how a week in the life of our flexi school plan might look our had sent a letter to Education Scotland and we waited.  Just before the Christmas holidays began we got some good news, our plan had been approved and we were ready to start in January.