Please correct me if I'm wrong!

[Penny Tray]

On the National Bard's birthday, I'm looking for a television tribute to watch this evening. My choice seems to be:-

Scottish Television - nothing!
Channel 4 - nothing!
Channel 5 - nothing!
BBC 1 - nothing!
BBC 2 - Fergusson - Burns' Forgotten Hero!

I'll watch the latter but it looks as if it's going to be a tribute to Fergusson as opposed to Burns.

[brian f]

That's not on. And Google have decided to honour Virginia Woolf as today's Google Doodle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Doodle

[Penny Tray]

I'll watch the latter but it looks as if it's going to be a tribute to Fergusson as opposed to Burns.

I wasn't wrong and whilst I'll maybe have to look at it again before making up my mind, I didn't think the content was very good.

Every cloud has a silver lining though and I saw an old pal walking along the Royal Mile!

[creamolafoam]

On the National Bard's birthday, I'm looking for a television tribute to watch this evening. My choice seems to be:-

Scottish Television - nothing!
Channel 4 - nothing!
Channel 5 - nothing!
BBC 1 - nothing!
BBC 2 - Fergusson - Burns' Forgotten Hero!

I'll watch the latter but it looks as if it's going to be a tribute to Fergusson as opposed to Burns.

BBC alba surely?

[Penny Tray]

Nothing on ALBA either.

[glenshena]

I watched BBC 2 hoping to hear something about Burns but it was all about Ferguson who I had never heard of and was not interested in. Very disappointing.

[Meg]

Big weekend in Alloway this weekend by the way - the Burns Alicht festival - but you are right PT - nothing on TV apart from a mention on BBC1 The One Show where some esteemed Bampot’s research from Glasgow Uni shows Burns was more of a plageriser than a poet and wants his name removed from some of his most famous poems. Jeezo......

[5siamese7]

The man was a genius and his poems will live forever. Obviously much of his work is based on what happened in his life. I imagine he did use anecdotes and stories that he heard to give him ideas. However I do believe that this great talent was his and he had no need to steal other people's work. It was a disgrace that there was no tribute to him on television. Anyway at least some of us enjoyed toasting his memory and of course some haggis.

[John Donnelly]

Not many people know this, but Robert Burns played golf.
Here is his Address to a Golf Ball.

(On a bad day)

Wee, dimpled, plastic-coated scunner,
I skite ye doon the course, twa hunner,
Hopin’ ye’ll be a good wee runner.
But true tae form, I dinnae ken why,
Ye bump and bounce and gae and lie,
Forbye the tee.

Ye aye decide tae tak yer ease,
Ahint some tussock, jist tae tease.
Jist wance, high oan a tuft, oh please,
Sit up where I can tak a swing,
Wi’ oany club tae mak ye wing,
Tae yon wee hole.

Ye’re sittin’ there amang the heather,
My golfing friend, he’s like a brither,
We’re searchin’ till we’ve nae mair tether.
For had we nae such understanding,
Discovering yer place o’ hiding,
Wid be a trial.

My head is still, my arm is straight,
I bend my wrists and trust tae fate,
Then dinnae let my hips rotate.
Aff tae the right, an awfy slice,
I widnae mind, but that wis twice;
Still oan the first.

And noo the bunker’s starin’ wide,
Afore the green, its big, high side,
Invites me there tae let ye bide,
Beneath the rim, deep in the sand,
Where wedge nor niblick in the hand,
Is oany guid.

Next is the burn, both wide and deep,
Wha’s sides ae’ stane and very steep,
Hae seen mony a golfer staun and weep.
Ow’r the hazards ye stoat and lie,
A club’s length jist the hole forbye;
An easy put.

The styver’s placed upon the green,
Ahint the place where ye hae been,
So I maun lift and mak ye clean.
I place ye back tae tak my stance;
Ye Gods o’ golf, for jist the wance,
Drap in the hole. ;

I grasp the trusty putter fast,
And line it up on surface grassed,
For a’ my airt, ye trundle past.
A triple bogey’s lookin’ rare,
There oan my card, I’m feeling sair.
That wis an eight.

(On a guid day)

I set ye up upon the tee,
And tak my club wi’ glintin’ ee;
This nicht, the course will humbled be.
Despite its repute tae be hard,
Wi’ pars and birdies oan my card,
I’ll sleep content.

The swing is smooth, ye fly before,
My breast is fu’ o’ pure eufore,
I couldnae really ask for more.
In perfect lie, oan grassy bed,
Ye wait for me tae bow my head,
And strike anew.

Another stroke, and jist as fair,
It taks ye flyin’ through the air,
Tae drop ye oan that flat, grass flair.
A put o’ nigh oan seven yard,
I’ve sunk a few, were jist as hard;
I check the lie.

It’s doon the hill and tae the right,
It’ll hae tae be a canny dight,
No’ too heavy, no’ too light.
Again I staun and bend my head,
And hope the line was rightly read;
Away ye go.

Ye’re rolling doon the hill too fast,
Slow doon, ye’re gaun tae run right past,
Noo that’s better, turned at last.
Ye’re followin’ a line that neat,
It looks that good, I think I’ll greet,
And in ye go.

I lift ye oot, and do exclaim,
‘Ye lay there lookin’ quite at hame,
D’ye think ye did it a’ alane?”
O’ a’ the ba’s that God created,
He truly had ye elevated,
Tae be their king.

With apologies to R.B.

[stivis]

The question is .Are you really surprised?

I think it was BBC favourite David Starkey , who was scathing on Burns.
I find him more interesting as a person than the poetry

In Love St Paisley there is hidden a Burns statue/ memorial. About 15 years a campaign was launched to clear the overgrown plants (the web site was Rescue Rabbie)..... the guy got pelters, the council want the whole thing removed forever

[John Donnelly]

On one occasion, Jeremy Paxman dismissed Burns as a writer of doggerel.
Always found him an arrogant prat.
JD.

[5siamese7]

Robert Burns wrote such wonderful and beautiful words and lets remember when he wrote this magic. JD that guff you wrote has nothing to do with Burns. As for Paxman who cares what he thinks. Regarding the BBC so what ,other channels in previous years have paid a tribute to Burns. This year nothing and it aint good enough.