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« September 18  |  October 18 »
Friday, October 16
View Article  FROM RUSSIA WITH STYLE!
by John Caskie SVP on Fri 16 Oct 2009 11:32 BST

FROM RUSSIA WITH STYLE!

 

Sunday 27th September along with Secretary D Smith and Librarian G Johnston we met members of the St Petersburg forum and three talented and mannerly students from the Russian state. Having arrived in Scotland the week earlier part of the student’s remit was to visit places of interest with a Burns theme and that had to include Dumfries, where we were more than happy to show them around. After the obligatory tour of the Globe we ventured onto the High Street past the Fountain and to the Mid Steeple before heading to the Burns Statue and across to Greyfriars Church, A stroll down the Vennel , along the Whitesands to Bank Street and to the ‘Song house of Scotland’ which of course was Burns first house in Dumfries. We headed  back  to the Globe for a lovely lunch provided by mine host Mrs Broon! After lunch we made for St Michaels Churchyard and the Mausoleum before visiting Burns House on Bank Street. We left the students and their ‘minders’ to meet them later in the evening at the Globe where they would give a display of their presentations which had won them the Scotland competitions in their homeland. Two of the students (I can’t remembers names….and however wouldn’t be able to spell them any way!) spoke on ‘Hogmanay in Scotland’ and the other on ‘The Stone of Destiny’ interspersed during their very informative and interesting presentations were the talented ‘weans’ from Sanquhar who are so brilliant in their portrayal of Burns works.

I had the extreme pleasure of presenting the Russian students with Books on Burns from the Howff Club during the evening.

RBWF Mike Duguid proposed a comprehensive vote of thanks and brought the evening to a close.

This was a most rewarding day, being able to show people from another country, all our small town has to offer and to be able to join with them in their amusing and amazing presentations of their view of life here in Scotland.

It was so noticeable on the night that the Russian students were in awe at the performances of the Sanquhar ‘weans’ who were equally in awe at the interpretations of Scot’s life by the Russians.

They came from Russia and hey! They came with Style!

 

JOHN M CASKIE

PRESIDENT BURNS HOWFF CLUB

30TH SEPTEMBER 2009

 
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View Article  BOLWLING! FOLK! (Sport and music) September (Part one)
by John Caskie SVP on Fri 16 Oct 2009 11:08 BST

BOWLING!  FOLK! (Sport and music) September (Part one)

 

Apologies to regular ‘Bloggers’ for the recent non activity by myself. There have been minor technical problems with the blog site and although I have had these scripts written couldn’t paste, however, here they are.

 

After the hectic but most enjoyable conference it was back to normality in September and looking forward to a ‘quieter’ month, Work commitments meant I had to miss the SSCBA meeting on Saturday 12th and also the ploughing match at Ellisland on Sunday 20th which I have heard had been a great success and a great family day out for all.

Sunday 13th September we at the Howff welcomed members of the Dumbarton Burns club for out annual bowling match; this took place at the Dumfries Bowling Club on Newall Terrace by kind permission of the Dumfries Bowling Club. After an enjoyable day’s bowls we retired to the Globe where a High Tea was served and I presented our visitors with the ‘Jack Trophy’. It was agreed however that the game ended in a ‘draw’. The mutual friendship of both clubs was very evident on the day and I personally look forward to attending and representing the Howff at the Dumbarton Burns Club’s St Andrew’s Night and Burns Supper later in my Presidential year.

 

Folk group Scocha have entertained at the Howff on many occasions, however, this year we invited the full band (5 piece) to appear at the Theatre Royal in Dumfries on 19th. The theatre

unfortunately wasn’t full to capacity but the 150 people who did attend all thoroughly enjoyed the vibrant performance of the guys, they included many Burns songs in their programme and the standing ovation at the end  assured them that after their first gig in Dumfries the audience hoped that it wouldn’t be their last! A small refreshment with some of the band members in the Globe afterwards rounded off a super night.

 

Although these were my only two ‘Burns themed events at the beginning of September, calling bingo numbers at the local hall’s prize bingo night, entertaining at the Lochfoot Women’s Rural 80th Birthday, the Greyhound Rescue fund raising ceilidh and the Kirkpatrick Juxta Church Harvest Supper and acting Quiz Master at the Lochar Inn Sports Quiz my ‘quieter’ month had all of a sudden got a bit busier than I first thought.

 

JOHN M CASKIE

PRESIDENT BURNS HOWFF CLUB

SEPTEMBER 26TH 2009

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