Robert Burns and Seamus Heaney

Friday, 25th January

Well there was certainly “a blast o’ Januar wind “ today ( to quote our birthday boy Robert Burns). I was nearly blown over going down the path this morning and was glad to get home out of the cold. Thank goodness for central heating and double glazing, though I know we should be more conscious of the environment. Imagine how cold it must have been in Burns’s time, especially if you were poor, like him. In one of his most tender love poems/songs he tells his love he'll shelter her from “The Cauld Blast”.

I was asked if I would sing at a Burns lunch at the “Disability Resource Centre” on Thursday at the Community Centre, as I had been there to see my niece, who is disabled because of a tumour on the brain. First time I had sung solo since John died, but Helen went with me and I took along copies of songs and asked everyone to sing along as they were well known and cheery ones. When I see Catherine and others like her who are quite young and so helpless, it makes me feel so humble.

I was delighted to read in the Scotsman that another of my favourite poets, Seamus Heaney, has written a poem in praise of Burns and in his style. I remember reading one of his poems "Mid-Term Break" to an S3 class and some of the girls burst into tears and I think some of the boys were struggling . Like Burns, some of his poems could be very moving.

Arthur came along to have breakfast with me this morning and brought his guitar to let me hear the songs he’s singing at a Burns Supper tomorrow night. John would have enjoyed hearing them. He was pleased that I had managed to sing again,as were the girls when I told them, but I couldn’t go back to doing it on a regular basis.