Very professional, G, as always!

I play a simular medly on a chromatic harp, but my BT's are bad comparied to yours, nice job...!

Enjoyed it very much as I do all of your stuff, also the slide show.

Don S.

john c, i have a great book called "spikin doric" that you would really appreciate in the event that you should stray to far north, lol. if you want a few examples just post back. it's quite humorous.

yes, graham, i meant to complement your beautiful part of the world. btw, lochs look exactly like lakes.

Don, The Doric is spoken in the North EAST of Scotland in Aberdeenshire. It's almost like its own language in a way. As you head nearer to Inverness-shire the Aberdeen ' twang' disappears and you'll find Inverness folk ( Invernessians ) have their own accent. Much of it has gone sadly with so many incomers from Eastern Europe.
As you leave Inverness and head westwards then the accent changes again. The people of Skye, Lochalsh and all along the west coast have a lovely soft spoken lilt to their voice, almost musical. Up in the far north of Scotland The accent changes again, in Shetland, it's almost like another country, even the dances are faster there than on the mainland. For such a small country, Scotland has a heck of a lot of regional variations, not just in their accents but in cooking, lifestyle and dress wear.
I'm not sure if it's on youtube, but this funny monologue IS on spotify by the late Andy Stewart. Andy pokes gentle fun at the various accents of Scotland.

My great grandparents spoke Gaelic, and English when required. My grandfather understood Gaelic and went to the Gaelic services until they ended in '62. I do remember that my Mom's aunts and uncles all referred to the babies as "bonnie wee lambies". And they sang Gaelic lullabies, wish I remembered which ones. Ach weil.

I should start planning my Burns supper.

I've got baked haggis in the oven for tonights dinner. Yummmmmmm

you'd need to do a google & see what haggis is. It'd take too long for me to explain.
The traditional way to eat it is boiled with mashed potatos & turnip.
I've cooked up my own way of having haggis.
Fry some good fatty bacon with onion. Add the haggis and some ketchup some sliced pickled beets, soy sauce and cook for a few mins. Into a casserole dish and let it cool.
Cook some potatos carrots & turnip ( swedes ) and let them get cold. Spread over the top of the cold meat mixture and into the oven for about 30 mins till it browns.

My local has it on the menu all year. Only about 3 pounds 50. Big portions. Maybe Wed. nite, the wife is going to take me out...

Furry,

I googled it. I wonder how they would do shipped on dry ice to WV?

Alton Brown Haggis Video

No offense but I think I'll pass.

Don S.

Don,

I now present the award for the most hiliarious video of the day, ........ (drum roll), ............


It goes to........Curmudgeon!!!!!!!!

i'm waiting forrrrr grrrraham and georrrrge nelllllson to weigh in on this one. very hilarious, otherrrr don. thanks forrrr the chuckle.

graham, me wee mum was scot so i intend no offense, just clean fun.

please post your recipe.

It's one of those meals that a small amount goes a very long way. It's definately an aquired taste. You can get haggis in cans in certain parts of the US. Quite decent too from what I've heard.

Furry,

I don't want it from a can! Fresh from a Scottish grill!

seems that every race/nationality has a dish that calls for an 'acquired taste' such as chitterlings, norwegian krube, korean kimchee, finnish mooyaka, etc. i find it interesting that, once we acquire a taste for them, they become a sort of delicacy. i can't confirm this but i'm told that chop suey originated in san francisco and means leftovers. lol

* i spelled those dishes phonetically, cut me some slack.

Bob did you say Scottish Grill or GIRL hee hee hee

Definately not offended,but very amused at the poor attempt at the Scottish accent, it's as bad as some of us lot attempting American accents it just doesn't work. LOL LOL LOL LOL.
It's sad how some folk on youtube can be offended by the least little thing and seem hell bent on causing trouble with every post they make. Believe me I've blocked a number of users over the last three years.

Furry, don't know how far the Brit slang goes north but this conversation happened on the way home, fittingly in my Mini Cooper. I read way too much, like a book a day, and a lot of English books...

Wife.."Oh Dear, I want to look fit when we go to England"

Daughter (who's spent about a year in Kent) "Giggle..Giggle..."

Me.."Mom needs some new kit then..." Now we both are LOA'sO. A lot.

Wife is getting mad...and so the daughter tells her.."Mom fit means for you ..sexy!"

Wife "and kit....????"

Daughter.."well like clothes...gear..."

Now I have to take the wife shopping, I think I'm just sending the two of them and footing the bill..."!

You gotta excuse the wife. 1/2 Scots and 1/2 French. I gotta get her to Colonsay on a Wednesday. 27 of April, or we miss the weekly ferry. You can stay 6 hours though! I hope the other MacNeils appreciate it. I've got the MacDonalds to thank for burning our house and putting us on a boat, just like the Nicholsons did to the rest on Skye. Turns out they did us a favour. I hope we can get haggis in seaweed, there's no seaweed here!

Depends John. This time of year the Haggi tend to be scurrying round the waters edge, once April May comes in The wee b*ggers are up on the hills chasing the stags LOL LOL LOL
Their two left legs are shorter then their two right ones. That means they don't run around the hills lopsided Hah hah. In the year 1275, they gave the Scots a choice of oil or haggi, the oil will run out eventually, but the Scots will aye have their Haggis.
Anyone mad enough to read this and believe it had better get medical help quick

Nothing I've not heard before...the stories of the wild haggi. Some friends of mine, one in particular who's from the West Coast of Scotland has developed a thicker accent in Canada according to others. And he's an expert at the Burns Supper. Wee Willy, the ode and such. Ya canna unnerstand him 'e anglish let alone e bonnie auld scots my trusty frere.

I'm doing my best to harden my legs to walking for our trip. Not much progress, I'm gonna use a stick. Ach well...I'll see some sights anyway.

Once done in the highlands we are headed to France see if it's true that French Ragout makes you spew.

But, mark the rustic, haggis-fed;
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Grasp in his ample hands a flail
He'll make it whistle,
Stout legs and arms that never fail,
Proud as the thistle.

You powers that make mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill of fare.
Old Scotland wants no stinking ware,
That slops in dishes;
But if you grant her grateful prayer,
Give her a haggis!

john, i certainly hope you get to meet graham over in that beautiful part of the world. i know you want to walk it but consider one of those electric scooters in the event you tire out. they are reasonably priced, about 300 loonies, for an adequate model. that would keep you on the ice longer. please take lots of pics to share with us. if you jam with graham, get us some good audio on your digital recorder.

I'm supposed to go over to the shopping mall today for a 'stroll' It's -3F this morning so I'm waiting. A storm is coming and it's going up to 30F by supper. You should see all the Canuck seniors who use the mall as a way to walk without dealing with the snow. The plow went by during the night and the road is smooth now, but I can't get my feet cold or I have problems. Why did I ever think I needed to save all that money so I could have a good time and then find out I have these limitations. Always wanted to see Paris in the springtime, and we are almost there. I just need to get some mobility back. I finally have accepted the deafness. I have quit telling people I'm sorry for not getting what they say, why am I sorry? I've learned the art of quizzical facial expressions. The not feeling my fingertips or feet and the associated burning is driving me mad. Only about 10 percent of people who had my type of cancer make it a year, and I'm 2 months short of a year now, so I'm hoping things keep on the level. And I've people to visit in England, Scotland, the Netherlands and France. Very cool. I've got the tickets, the first hotel booked and all the maps and guidebooks.