26 - 6

A very good afternoon for your auntie. The Beautiful Son and myself watching the rugby. I need him with me as he explains every touch of the ball to me, I don't get it otherwise. Scotland won and so did Ireland. I have a strict preference in who I support, it goes like this

Scotland - because I'm Scottish
Ireland - because my mammy is Irish
France - because I love France (and Chabal and Szarzewski aren't too shabby)
Wales - because they're Celtic

I cannot support any other teams, so give out to me if you like, I know I live in England but I can't and won't support them and if that makes me a bad person so be it.

But what a day for me, my fave 2 teams winning and Ireland still on for the grand slam. I have lost my voice, I have screamed and I mean screamed like the big fat girl I am all afternoon. If you've been with me for a while, you'll know I have an irrational prejudice against Italians, I can't help it, okay I don't want to help it, I hate the feckers.

I really hated them last year with that wee fecker and his drop goal 40 seconds from time, but today was glorious, 26-6 and Simon Danelli and his beautiful try. I am so happy.

Happy St Andrews Day

Murrayfield on 08.03.08.


This is my country,
The land that begat me,
These windy spaces
Are surely my own.
And those who toil here
In the sweat of their faces
Are flesh of my flesh
And bone of my bone.

Sir Alexander Gray


I would like to wish you a very Happy St Andrew's day. I love the fact that American's celebrate their 4th July and Irish people love their St Patrick's day. We should do more to celebrate our days and I beleive that in Scotland Nov 30th is now a discretionary bank Holiday.

This is my 8th St Andrews day not spent in Scotland. When I lived there I didn't think about my cultural identity much if at all, if on holiday I was asked what nationality I was I would say I was British, now I would always say I'm Scottish. Billy Connolly once said that the further away from Scotland people got the more Scottish they became and that is definitely true of me, I am trying so hard to keep my connection to my homeland. My children have lived more of their life in England than Scotland and I am pleased that they still sound Scottish, even Beautiful Baby Daughter who was only 3 and 1/2 when we moved here, but they are also proud of their Mother Country and very much see themselves as Scots.



I am so proud to be from my country and even if given a choice would always and forever choose to be a Scot. My tiny little country with only 5 million people in it has given so much to the world, not just pleasurable stuff like whisky and golf but really important life saving stuff like penicillin, anaesthetics and antisepsis. We also invented the telephone and the television, tarmac. the bicycle, we invented radar, the steam engine, sociology and even the adhesive postage stamp, I could go on but you'd think I was just showing off and that is the cardinal sin if you're Scottish, we hate people who blow their own trumpet, understating and self deprecating is our favourite kind of humour.On the subject of humour, I couldn't possibly leave out the man who makes me howl with laughter and who I have had on my CSL for the last 25 years could I ?



So today, if you are lucky enough to be in God's Own Country, take a look around and be grateful that you are in the place I love the most. My connection is primitive and instinctive, it's a deep and profound love and my beloved Scotland is my heart, mo chridhe. The chorus of Scotland the Brave is

Land of the purple heather
Land of the shining river
Land of my heart forever
Scotland the Brave

Alba an Aigh

15-9

Oh tis a good day to be Scottish in England.
All hail the mighty Chris.
Dan Parks didn't look too shabby either

Johnny who ?