Hello All,

Today was Robert Burns 251st birthday and I celebrated it by having dinner at Harry’s in Manhattan, much like some poets did in times past alone and with a fine whisky Oban 14 year. There was no Haggis on the menu so I had to make do with their fantastic Black Angus Meat Loaf.

This was taken outside the Little Apple Brewery where I had a 14 YO Oban for half the price!


My favorite.

Tam O'Shanter (simply meaning "Tom from the village of Shanter") This is considered his great folklore masterpiece, a chilling & fantastic story in which Burns describes his friend Tam O'Shanter, whom, being the worse for drink makes his way home on horseback, astride "Meg" his trusty stead. The tale describes Tam's thoughts as he travels the road on a wet & wild night. On passing the Auld Kirk (old church) at Alloway, he believes he has witnessed the Devil himself, hosting a wild party within the sacred building, together with witches & ghosts. The story is vivid in imagery and serves to remind the reader of the effects of over-indulgence in alcohol. (The "Auld Kirk" at Alloway still stands today, just a short distance from the cottage in which Burns was born. The little graveyard is the resting-place of Burns' father, William)

http://www.robertburns.org/

http://burns.visitscotland.com/