In another world at'' The Worlds''

[Jimmy]

What a great day at ''The Worlds'' on Saturday, the sun came out, Glasgow Green looked at its best, congratulations to the workers who had the Green looking great after weeks of rain and to the organisers of the championship, everything appeared to go like clockwork.

There was a carnival atmosphere with everyone enjoying themselves and many people availed themselves on visiting the Peoples Palace also on the Green, great museum to see, its the museum for the working class people of Glasgow featuring items like Billy Connolly's 'banana wellington boots' on display.

The history of the Green is fascinating like Bonnie Prince Charlie's army of 10,000 men camping there during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.

Anyway being a catholic, I went to the vigil mass at St.Alphonsus Church, at 4.30pm, just across the road from the Green and the ''Church of the Barras''.
I was going on the Waverley cruise on Sunday, so mass at this church suited me fine. I was greeted by a lady passkeeper who said to me '' welcome to Glasgow'', I have lived near Glasgow all my life and worked in Glasgow all my life and this wee nice lady thinks because I'm wearing a kilt and at the championship that I'm a teuchter from the highlands.
Next when I sat down on a pew before the mass started, two wee grannies asked me where I came from? God forbid me for telling lies in the chapel but if I had told them that I'm from about 20 minutes down the road they would have been gravely disappointed. I said the first thing that came into my mind and said that I was from Oban, I think that made them happy that there was a kilted teuchter from Oban sitting beside them at mass - strange town Glasgow.
So back to the pipe bands and the finale, then onto the city centre which is only five minutes walk from the Green, we decided to go for a drink before getting somewhere to eat and ended up in a Wotherspoons on Bothwell Street. Now here was what all kilties fear, a group of ten drunken women, yes the kilt was lifted twice by 2 of these fine female specimens on their way to the toilet, so it was thrill a minute here (I suppose I enjoyed it).

After that it was onto the King's Cafe for a fish tea where some of the bands where already enjoying their evening meal.

As we were up early for the Waverley on Sunday, it was early to bed, about 10.30pm.
Yup a great weekend

[English Bloke]

Missed you Jimmy. I was there from about 11:00 till 16:00 and sporting a dandelion on the off chance you spotted me but it was not to be. Did meet up with Alex though which was good. It was a fantastic day. Had a great time and the quality of music at all levels was fantastic...

[Jimmy]

Pity, we missed each other, I was given a dandelion by Mael Colmn two years ago in Edinburgh, I should have looked it out.
You seem to have had a great time by your photos and visiting Ferintosh must have rounded off a very enjoyable weekend

[OC Richard]

That all sounds fantastic Jimmy! I so wish I could have been there. I checked out air travel prices back around Christmas and the lowest fares I could find were well over $1000, so I had to give it a pass.

There's nothing like The Worlds! Not only the day on Glasgow Green but the entire week leading up to it, virtual Heaven for pipers, all the Piping Live! events.

There's a free pipe band concert every day at noon in George Square followed by a concert by a mixed-instrument band featuring pipes of all kinds in the afternoon. There are noon, afternoon, and evening concerts every day at The National Piping Centre. There are concerts every day at The College of Piping. And last but not least the informal but amazingly entertaining events at Todd's Bar.

I had to laugh at this bit!

I have lived near Glasgow all my life and worked in Glasgow all my life and this wee nice lady thinks because I'm wearing a kilt and at the championship that I'm a teuchter from the highlands.
...two wee grannies asked me where I came from? I think that made them happy that there was a kilted teuchter from Oban sitting beside them...

Because I had a very different experience with a Glaswegian "wee granny".

I was over there with the band in 2007 and we had just performed in George Square. It looked like this:



and afterwards I'm walking through the streets of Glasgow (heading towards the underground station) in that kit carrying my pipes and suddenly an old woman comes up and says in a demanding voice "Where are you FROM?"

"California."

"I THOUGHT so!" and she stalked off.

I suppose she thought I was an American tourist with fake prop pipes?? Or some such.

Now, had she seen me with the band ten mintues earlier, she would have thought it grand. "How lovely! Those lads all the way from Los Angeleez, and playing the pipes and all!"

Anyhow I couldn't make the trip this year, so I watched the BBC Live Streaming, which started at 1am California time. Brutal.

At band practice yesterday I found out that nearly every one of us had likewise been up through the night, cheering on our lads and lasses from LA.

[Jimmy]

Brilliant reply
I THOUGHT so!" and she stalked off

Perhaps next year you can enjoy the Worlds live in Glasgow