A toast to Burns Night!

There was a full house in the Strand Centre to celebrate the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns.  Very few guests could claim any Scottish heritage but that did not prevent some of us from wearing some tartan – or drinking some whisky.  Amid the throng were plenty of u3a members.

Robert Burns is one of the most widely loved and admired poets around the world, and not just by Scots and their descendants.  Wherever his birth is celebrated, tradition insists that a piper parades into the hall to announce the entrance of the haggis.  The haggis is then addressed in the words of Robert Burns: Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!

And this is followed by a toast with a tot of whisky.

After everyone had enjoyed the haggis, and a dessert which paid its respects to the traditional Scottish dish of cranachan, we listened to a talk on the life of Burns, more of his poetry:

Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie, O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!

The evening ended with a quiz on all things Scottish, and the table decorations were auctioned to raise funds for the Strand Centre.

It was a most entertaining evening, and as usual, the staff and volunteers of the Strand Centre looked after everyone very well.  We were all pleased to give generously to the Strand Centre to help it continue its fine work for the people of Dawlish.

Thank you to Khim Sim for encouraging so many u3a members to get together with others in the community to enjoy this

John Vick