DATES IN
HISTORY
16 February
1855
The emigration ship Tornado sailed from Glasgow’s Broomielaw with 5oo
settlers bound for Melbourne, Australia.
16
February 1965
A Westminster government report was published, based on the research of Dr
Richard Beeching, with plans to cut the British Railway network by half. The
report led to the closure of a large part of the Scottish rail system.
16 February
2006
The Scottish National Party won a council by-election in Glasgow for the
first time in eight years when William McAllister was elected as councillor
for Milton. He polled 49.6% of the poll to Labour’s 40%. The by-election was
caused by the resignation of Labour’s Gary Gray, who stood down in a row
over expenses.
17 February
1818
The ‘lost’ grave of Robert I, King of Scots, The Bruce, (1306-1329), was
uncovered by workmen at Dunfermline Abbey.
18 February
1995
Scotland caused a major upset in the Five Nations Rugby Championship by
beating France 23-21 at Parc des Princes.
19
February 2006
Andrew Murray won his first ATP final against former world no 1 Leyton
Hewitt, Australia, in the SAP Open in San Jose, California, USA (2-6, 6-1,
7-6). In the semi-final the 18-year-old Dunblane teenager had defeated world
no 3 Andy Roddick and his ATP win saw him rise to no 47 in the world tennis
rankings.
22 February
2005
Edinburgh citizens voted three to one against road tolls in a referendum on
congestion charges of £2 per day proposed by Edinburgh City Council. 133,678
people voted against the proposals, compared to 45,965 in favour.
See Dates in History in our
Features Section
SCOTTISH QUOTATIONS
I like to have quotations ready for every occasions - they
give one's ideas so pat and save one the trouble of finding
expression adequate to one's feeling.
Robert Burns
We continue our new Feature in this section of the
Flag - Scottish Quotations - statements in prose and verse which reflect
all aspects of Scottish life and outlook from the 1st century to the present day.
New
quotes added every week. The
quotations are not restricted to native Scots but include observations
from abroad which help us, in the words of our National Bard, Robert
Burns, "To see oursels as others see us"
|
This
week’s quotations are inspired by St Monans-born writer Christopher
Rush’s beautifully written book ‘To Travel Hopefully’ (Profile Books
2005). The book followed the tragic death of his wife, Patricia,
from cancer in 1993 and the decision, as therapy. By the depressed
author to follow in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson and walk
in the Cévennes. On 22 September 1994, 116 years to the day when RLS
set off on his journey, Christopher Rush did likewise, also
accompanied by a donkey. The book is a compelling read, following
one man’s journey from grief to recovery, from defeat to victory.
‘It is difficult to convey the praise this book deserves’ wrote
journalist Ian Bell in the Sunday Herald – he was right. |
Robert Burns
(1759-1796)
Tho’ll
break my heart, thou warbling bird,
That wantons thro’ the flowering thorn:
Thou minds me o’ departed joys,
Departed never to return.
(Ye Banks and
Braes 1787)
Christopher
Rush
So poetry
has to be the healer now. Seeing as there is no God
(To Travel
Hopefully 2005)
A human
being is just another seed drifting on the wind. It was an Edinburgh
east wind that carried Stevenson to the mountains of southern France.
(To Travel
Hopefully 2005)
Robert Louis
Balfour Stevenson (1850-1894)
A voyage
is a piece of autobiography at best.
(Travels with
a Donkey 1879)
For my
part I travel not to go anywhere but to go. I travel for travel’s sake.
The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life
more nearly, to come down off their featherbed of civilisation and find
the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints.
William
Wordsworth (1770-1850)
Behold
her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! For the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.
Will no
one tell me what she sings?-
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago.
(The Solitary
Reaper)
Flagnote:
Wordsworth and his sister visited the Highlands in 1803 and Dorothy
reported seeing solitary reapers, According to the poet in 1807, the poem
was inspired by a sentence from Thomas Wilkinson’s manuscript ‘Tours to the
British Mountains’ –
‘Passed a
Female who was reaping alone: she sang in Erse as she bended over her
sickle; the sweetest human voice I ever heard: her strains were tenderly
melancholy; and felt delicious, long after they were heard no more.’
See
Scottish Quotations in our Features Section
SING
A SANG AT LEAST
(compiled by Peter D Wright)
"That I for poor auld
Scotland's sake
Some useful plan or book could make
Or sing a sang at least ........"
- Robert Burns
FLOWER OF SCOTLAND
Roy Williamson
Oh Flower of Scotland
When will we see your like again
That fought and died for your own wee hill and glen
And stood against them - proud Edward's armies
And sent them homeward to think again.
The hills are bare now
And autumn leaves lie think and still,
And land has been lost now that those so dearly held
That stood against them - proud Edward's armies
And sent them home to think again.
Those days are past now
And in the past they must remain.
But we can still rise now and be the nation again
That stood against them - proud Edward's armies
And sent them homeward to think again.
Footnote: The
best known song from the pen of the late Roy Williamson is the 300th
song in this feature. A national song but not a National Anthem it is
particularly popular with sporting crowds.
See the
SING A SANG AT LEAST in our
Features section
|
NEW FEATURE
Next
week we will replace ‘Sing a Sang at Least’ with a new song
collection – ‘The Blue Toon Song Book’ – which was
compiled for the
Peterhead Branch of the Scottish National Party in 2000 by Anne
Fowler. Our sincere thanks to Anne Fowler
for her permission, a few
years ago, to give a
wider audience to her fine collection. |
SCOTTISH FOOD, TRADITIONS
AND CUSTOMS
The Scots, as we have noted previously, are famous, indeed infamous, for
having a sweet tooth. This is sadly reflected in both dental and heart
problems but does not stop Scots 'soukin awa' on all types of sweeties.
The Border towns are particularly famous for having their own local
brand of sweets - Hawick for Hawick Balls; Jedburgh for Jeddart Snails;
Peebles and Galashiels for Soor Plooms; if we take back the town of
Berwick, then Berwick Cockles can be enjoyed again; and Moffat gives us
Moffat Toffee. Melrose, in the past, gave as Coltart's Candy (
pronounced Coolter ) which is still remembered in a song written by
Robert Coltat ( an early form of advertisement ! ) himself. The chorus
of 'Coulter's Candy' goes -
'Ally bally, ally bally bee,
Sittin' on yir mammy's knee,
Greetin' for anither bawbee,
Tae buy some Coulter's Candy.'
Melrose based Robert Coltart was a colourful travelling man whose famous
candy attracted bairn as if he was a Scottish Pied Piper. The candy was
aniseed-flavoured but the recipe and custom seem to have been lost following
Coltart's death in 1890. The recipe for Coltart's Candy might no longer
be available but we are able to provide a splendid recipe for Creamy
Toffee which will delight bairns of all ages!
Creamy Toffee
Ingredients: Half-pound sugar; quarter-pound margarine; 4
tablespoons syrup; 1 small tin condensed milk
Method:
Put sugar, margarine and syrup in pan, heat until melted, then add
condensed milk, bring to boil, stirring all the time. Keep stirring for
20 minutes after it comes to boil. Test ball in cold water and pour into
greased tin.
Footnote: A vast improvement in the dental
health of young children was reported earlier this month - perhaps the
Scottish diet is changing!
A KIST O
FERLIES
A Keek at the Guid Scots
Tung
By Peter & Marilyn Wright
(Note: All words underlined in
this section are RealAudio links)
Separatism
If there's a sword-like sang
That can cut Scotland clear
O a' the warld beside
Rax me the hilt o't here.
For there's nae jewal till
Frae the rest o earth it's free,
Wi the starry separateness
I'd fain to Scotland gie....
Gordon
Wright’s Scottish Photo
Library