"Thro' Each Nerve the Rapture Dart..."

Happy 252nd, my old friend, as we mark another year. This is always one of those days that sparks thoughts and images of the road. This one's no different, after an excellent Haggis lunch at the Loose Cannon. There is something about that Talisker that is so majestic and smile-inducing and nostalgic. A year and a half on from Skye, it is nice to have paid the bills such that a new chapter is almost at hand to permit further roaming about the globe as required.

Funny as well how this date coincided last year with some post-Odyssey fundraiser ridiculousness from nowhere, and now this time around there seems to be another random potential option worth exploring. Whether anything arises remains to be seen, but it was certainly pleasing to receive the email Monday all the same. Must get in the right frame of mind for it.

Where have the hours of this day actually gone? Need to keep up the Rabbie Burns poetry review (the quote in the title from By Allan Stream), and perhaps give Grandmom and Dad a call before venturing out. I suppose popping by Stayner's is in order later, but not before a trip out on the "ocean" via ferry. With a wee half-pint in hand? Can the Teacher's be found? Depends on the closing time, it seems. And I'm not crossing the pedway until the end of the Blackpool and Ipswitch Town efforts!

C'mon you underdogs. Worthy victors for a Burns day, surely.

POSTSCRIPT: Damn, so the inevitable unfolds, and the powerhouses prevail. What can you do? I have some Glenfiddich and Highland 12, but not feeling the trip out in the cold nor solo for another round of Haggis. Just another moment pushing on toward the edges. Fair enough. I'll sip the remainder of the Scotch with a reading of Doctor Hornbook and Tam up by the statue instead. That seems as fitting. Looking back, that served you well in '09, and so hopefully again...