Every year on 25th January, people all over the world celebrate #BurnsNight, usually with a Burns Supper. The occasion is more than just a meal. It is a celebration of the life and works of Robert Burns. Read the story of Scotland’s National Poet, here: http://ow.ly/bYVF50Mslua. It is also President Zelensky’s birthday, who is reputed to be a fan of Burns.

There are so many Burns poems and songs to choose from. He wrote in the Scots language, although much of his writing is in a “light Scots dialect” of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.

Nicola Sturgeon, The First Minister of Scotland, chose the following to include on her Twitter account this morning:

“But pleasures are like poppies spread,

You seize the flow’r, its bloom is shed;

Or like the snow falls in the river,

A moment white – then melts for ever”

#RobertBurns#Bard

This is a very brief extract from the epic poem Tam o’Shanter

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I am also sharing a rare photograph of a Haggis in flight. They are very timid creatures so I was very lucky to capture this image.

Happy Burns night!