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Tag: kilt

Clans’ Days Ypres & Ooidonk

Published on 3rd September 2015

It was the third time I attended the Clans’ Days in Ypres, and the second time in combination with the Schotse Dagen (Scottish Days) at castle Ooidonk near Deinze. But this time was quite special: it was the first time our clan chief, Donald MacLaren of MacLaren and Achleskine, attended as wel!

The Schotse Dagen started on Friday evening with a charity dinner on the castle grounds, with speeches, toasts, an auction, live music and lots of whisky. An unscheduled piece of music was performed by our own chief. He has no need for a ‘personal piper’, since he is a talented bagpipe player himself, specifically in the pibroch genre.

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In Ypres there was a nice addition to the usual clans’ march to the Menin Gate on Saturday: to give the chief an appropriate welcome, we invited the MacLaren Pipe Band Venlo.

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After the wreath laying at the Menin Gate and lunch, we went back to castle Ooidonck to man the clans’ tent and enjoy the Schotse Dagen.

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It was great to finally meet the chief, and I hope to see him again at some clan event in Scotland. Or maybe he liked the Belgian part of his clan so much he will visit Belgium again to attend one of the next Clans’ Days?

(photos by h–na, Liliane Hye and myself)

Jamie McCrimmon

Published on 13th February 2015

wobblycompetencies:

OKAY BUT DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN the companion who stayed with the Doctor the longest was a piper’s son named Jamie McCrimmon from 18th century Scotland who couldn’t read or write and had no idea what a radio or a toaster or an elevator was, much less a time-and-space-ship? And who probably mentally catalogued Daleks and Cybermen as “metal beasties” and “the other metal beasties”, and made fun of the Doctor for never, ever landing the TARDIS even remotely where he intended, but still called him a clever wee chappie and would follow this rumpled-looking little Englishman to the ends of the earth without hesitation?

And then remember how the Time Lords ripped the Doctor’s companions away from him and wiped their memories, and Jamie woke up in the middle of the Battle of Culloden with a redcoat shooting at him, and the Doctor was exiled on Earth with a broken TARDIS so he could never find them again?

And then remember that one time on the Scottish moors when Ten used the name Doctor McCrimmon.

I JUST HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT JAMES ROBERT MCCRIMMON OKAY.

BrewDog Kilt Pin

Published on 18th December 2014

I finally have a BrewDog kilt pin! 🙂
Well, it’s not quite like I imagined it initially (see below), but until BrewDog starts selling kilt pins, this will have to do.

Want to make your own? You only need a BrewDog bottle opener, some pins/butterfly clutches and superglue! 🙂