A toast to Rabbie Burns and Friendships!

Last week was a rollercoaster of toasts, terrific highs and some tears. It seems apt that we all raised our glasses to Rabbie Burns at the weekend and I wanted to share it with you dear readers and wish you all a Happy Burns Day!! This time last year I attended my first traditional Burns Supper. I was blown away and came home to write a post about Rabbie's "Genuis of writing about people" . This year, I decided to hold my own supper and with the help of Mum's cooking, Dad's musicianship, Craig's beautiful recitals, Lorna's housekeeping and Lynsey's organisational skills - we pulled off a wee Burns Nicht for over twenty folks!!

The focus of the poems I have explored this year has been relationships and friendships. Robert Burns was a man of love and passion. I think it says something about our nation that we have chosen a man of words - a poet, a wordsmith, a man of love and passion to be our national hero. Not a warrior, not a politician, a man of the people and a man of the heart. Any man that could write...

Had we never lov'd sae kindly, Had we never lov'd sae blindly, Never met - or never parted -- We had ne'er been broken-hearted.

is a genius in my book :)

The humorous highlight of any Burns Night comes in the toast to The Lassies which is designed to praise the role of women in the world today. Burns was a liberal and he loved lassies. He was a true romantic. This year has really pushed and challenged my thinking around femininity ; immersing myself in the predominantly male police service and managing an all girl team in the predominantly male 'tech' scene has been tough and I have learned alot. Also, Cassie and I held Women of Scotland last October and it was a really lovely experience, I've met some amazing lassies in 2010! Those of you who know me have witnessed my feelings of patriotism grow stronger so I would like to make a toast... to Burns, The Lassies and Friendships of 2011!

Thank you to everyone who came and showed off their splash of tartan!