Floors Castle 27/08/06

Two gigs in one day!

After getting back from Archerfield in the wee hours, the band was off later on Sunday to Floors Castle (http://www.floorscastle.com/) for the annual massed bands of the Borders Pipe Band Association.

Archerfield 27/08/06

This was a more unusual booking for the band. Putting on a short show for some golfers from the USA as part of their post-dinner entertainment. The booking was organised by Highland Entertainments, which is run by fellow-Steamer and good friend of the band, Malcolm Brown-Scott (www.entertaining-scotland.com).

It took a long time for the gowfers to get round to us. What with speeches, songs and golf-type patter, the plebs were kept waiting for an hour, standing on the lawns of the wonderful Archerfield House (http://www.archerfieldgolfclub.com/). By the time we played, midnight had gone, the giggles were setting in and we were cold, the pipes were rapidly going out of tune, revolutionary rumblings from mutinous drummers, etc.

However, everyone seemed to enjoy the short set we played. Good looking wive's these rich Yanks have got. The whole thing was good fun, a real case of how the other half live, or golf, as the case may be. Shame some people were improperly dressed and rude enough to wear hats whilst playing pipes.

Good to see Frank back with the band.

Peebles Beltane 24/06/06

Honest injun we played at the Peebles Beltane in June. No, really we did. We were having so much fun we forgot to take any pictures. So, here's a pic of Frank instead.

Kelso Civic Week 22/07/06

The Fancy Dress parade at Kelso Civic Week was very good, as ever; but we have no photo's. Just having too much fun, man!! To make up for the fact that there's not that much to Kelso, just a bridge, a Grade-A listed Market Square, Georgian town-houses, an Abbey and 7 million hanging baskets (99% of the parks and gardens budget of Borders cooncil) here's a photo of a village in the mountains of the Modenese Alps in Italy instead..

Remember the pre-fabs?

If you can remember the pre-fabs, pre-Parkside, then you get a special prize; if you can spot the one that Pipey was born in he's promised a large dram. Note also the TA Camp where the Golf Course is now. Question: was this where the Italian POW's who worked in Rutherford's were held? And is that why the hill is called 'Tally Hill'? A POW camp is a better use of the space than now, many might argue...These images taken in 1950 by a special spy plane from the Soviet Union. They were subsequently passed to spies operating from Hutton. The images have only recently been unearthed in the KGB archive in Moscow.

Thivik Week 6-12/08/06

Just how many times can a pipe band play in a week? Ride-outs to Norham, Birgham, Flodden, the fancy dress parade, torchlight procession and beating the retreat. Move over James Brown and the Famous Flames, we're the hardest working band in showbiz.
Good pictures of the band all over t'internet...even the BBC. The Berwickshire News published the same story they have run since 1972 and Musings from the Merse gave Flodden its annual flogging. But we note, with just a hint of modest satisfaction, that there was not a word of criticism of the band...clearly music lovers are bloggers too!! To those who slag off the whole thing as daft, we say, yes it is, how right you are, and so what? Set your watches for the first full week in August 2007 and you can have another go. Hip hip..hooray!

Main pic courtesy (in other words stolen) from The Paper Shop at http://www.hunnymonster.org.uk/

Corstorphine Fair 03/06/06

Enjoyable day oot in Embra. Pics courtesy of Coby....keep waiting....and waiting....until someone burgles his hoose and steals his digital camera...More from http://www.corstorphinefair.org.uk/

Calcutta Cup 25/02/06

Yes it really was freezing and yes we really did beat England...

Here's a photo of Alan enjoying watching a winning team at Murrayfield; pity it's rugby Al!

Cottage Hospital 14/01/06

OK, we did not succeed in halting the closure of the Cottage Hospital. This seems very sad given just how many people turned out to protest at this decision, particularly in an area not noted for mass protests of any kind. It is clearly madness to increase the amount of travel people have to make to hospital, to make visits, etc, particularly in an area already remote enough.

However, you get the cooncil you vote for.

On the day, the band, ably assisted by bands from throughout Berwickshire, did its bit. We thank the players from Duns, Eyemouth and Kelso who came along.

A heavy polis presence stopped matters getting out of hand!!

First off

In an effort to post news and images more quickly we have opted to begin this online blog. This does not replace the main site, but will hopefully become more of an online magazine. Keeping the web pages updated is proving more time consuming than first planned. So, a blog seems a faster way of keeping things moving forwards.

The main site will still carry all the stories and pictures as we have time to upload them.

As Bob said back in January 2006: "Efter a' the years I've bin in this band yae've still no got roond tae a blog! Hopeless. A think A'll hae tae resign"! (Sorry for the Sunday Post type jocko-langauge).