Burns Night

Hope you can, Marmight? [hopeful emoticon]

May be able to come - not booked my passage south yet...........!

So for Sunday 25th January we have a list of

Elegran
Elizabeth1 (plus cottage cheese and biscuits)
Thatbags
Marelli (clutching trifle)
Jane10
Baubles
Besottedgran if she can make it

Still space for from 1 to 3 more.

rubysong, when we celebrated Burns' birthday at Elegran's a couple of years ago, baubles read the 'address to the haggis' It was a whopper - Elegran had bought it and it was delicious!

If Besottedgran's coming, we could give her a lift as well, perhaps?

We went to several Burns Nights when we lived in Scotland and our dessert was Cranachan. I think it was flavoured cream with raspberries and oatmeal. I hope you enjoy your celebration all of you who go to the lunch. Will you have some of Rabbie's poetry to add to the atmosphere? (You may gather I am envious of you. Sadly Cornwall is too far away to join you.)

Shall I make the trifle? I shall clutch it to me in Elizabeth1's car (won't have the top down, though, will we)?

I can bring cottage cheeses and oat cakes and I can pick you up marelli

Since the hunters at MacSweens are very good at catching and packaging haggis we don't have to go out and hunt them for ourselves any more. Just as well - running round icy hillsides is no fun. The art of getting them to change direction could be lost to future generations.

For puzzled Southrons - haggis have two long legs on one side and two short ones on the other, for running across hillsides without falling over. The trick for catching them is to make them turn round and run the other way, with the short legs on the downhill side. They fall onto their backs, then you can just pick them up.

Jane10 What we did last time was that everyone brought something - co-ordinated with me first for safety! There was too much food, of course, but that is a usual hazard. The kitchen was full of people mashing neeps and so on - grans are not capable of keeping out of the kitchen and acting like guests.

We had:-

Scotch broth (vegetarian) with home-made bread.
Smoked haddock flan
Haggis
Vegetarian haggis
Mashed potato
Neeps and carrots
Trifle
Scottish cheeses with oatcakes
Coffee and rocky road

A glass of fizz before the meal.
Wine and/or fruit juice
A dram (of course)

I may have missed out something, but I am sure someone will put me right.

In theory we also had a toast to the haggis, another to the laddies, and a reply from the laddies (well, from a gran on their behalf) In practise it was all a bit disorganised but it was great fun.

It sounds so nice. Its good to have something to look forward to in January. Elegran are you sure you`re OK with all these people in your house? I assume we all bring something or make a contribution? What exactly does DIY mean? Do we have to hunt and prepare the haggis?

Seven possibles since posting yesterday, I think this could be a goer. The 25th does seem most popular (sorry Marmight How about a preliminary "committee meeting" a couple of weeks earlier to make plans? In a nice coffee shop, of course, and maybe even taking advantage of the bargain Afternoon Teas that are around in January?)

I'd love to come along. Thank you Elegran.

I would be on for a Burns lunch on 25th if that's still OK

That would be lovely, Elegran, thank you! I'll take you up on the lift, Elizabeth1. Hope you can make it, Besottedgran. Fingers crossed!

Should love to meet up with you all again.

However I have an appointment beginning of January to decide if a small op is on the cards but hopefully - all being well - shall be able to join in festivities!

elegran sorry I cant make it, I would have loved to see you all but at the moment with DD back to work full time and the situation with my Father its too far from home and I couldnt be home if needed.

So Marelli, Thatbags and Elizabeth1 are OK for the 25th but Marmight will be away from about 24th (and not available 20th) ?

Elizabeth1 not available 24th.

(My dining table is now moved into a larger room, but doesn't seat any more people - it was 12 when we did the last Burns lunch, and quite a squash. 8 are a comfortable fit. 10 at a push)

Shall I go back to the drawing board then? The places in the post on the 11th of December could well be full up by now - but chez moi is not. I seem to remember that Sunday was bad for travelling though.

Lucky you! I shall raise a glass to you while tuck into my haggis and neaps!

At the moment you can count me in for whatever whenever

elegran my daughter has booked a treat for me and my twin sister at Stobo Castle on Saturday 24th however I'm sure she'll be going home either late Saturday or early Sunday. If you are offering up your home for a Burns celebration on Sunday 25th I would be very happy to come along and then I could drive anyone from Fife who is able to go. Being retired has many advantages - no need to rise early Monday morning unless I feel up to it. Or I have a 12 week old grandson who wants his granny to feed him say around 3.30am.

There is a bed here if you don't make the last train, Marelli

Marmight surely it's not beyond us to do something before you go way as well? You miss a lot.

May have to miss it again. Leaving for south and then Oz around 24th. (can't do 20th either).

I would love to join in with whatever's happening - and am easy with the choices (though would have to think of when the last train comes back to Fife (23.11, I think?)
Read out 'choice 3' to DH who commented "Not HIM again", when I said that the Consul General of the USA, Zoja D Bazarnic would be giving the reply to the Toast to the Lassies. My DH knows nothing of culture...!