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Rabbie Burns
Hallooo dear Dodopadlers! Miss Peabody here!
If you use the Dodo Pad or Acad-Pad you’ll have noticed that Burns Night (in honour of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns) was on Monday. This year was the 251st anniversary of his birth. You’ll also have noticed (the tartan being hard to miss) the handsome Scottish theme of this week’s pages!
We had a rousing Burns Night here at Dodo Towers! We had pipers and dancing and heaps of haggis. Lord Dodo looked positively dashing in his kilt. His Address to the Haggis was absolutely thrilling – and I jumped in my seat at the bit where he plunged the knife in!
Bert Whistle (General Factotum here at Dodo Towers) did the Toast to the Lassies - my, he was hilarious! We nearly fell out of our seats laughing. Miss Davinia Dalrymple (Stock Control) did the Lassies’ Reply, which even Bert conceded was uproarious. I enjoyed a dram (or possibly two) of the fine whiskey from Dodornoch Distillery during the many toasts of the evening, leaving me feeling a bit wobbly yet slightly exuberant!
Lord Dodo then told us a story about his ancestor Hamish McDodo, a contemporary and companion of Burns himself. (Those of you who are long-time Dodopadlers may recall a previous description of Hamish’s violin playing at one of their parties, causing Sir Walter Scott to comment, “McDodo fiddled while Burns roamed!”) It seems the McDodo clan was known for their merry-making and Hamish was no exception. He and Burns had many long evenings filled with wine, women and song!
In this week’s pages of your Dodo Pad or Acad-Pad you will have the privilege of observing a brilliant first-hand sketch by Lord Dodo’s longtime friend Lis Cheshire, of the exceedingly rarely seen Haggis Dodomesticus. I’ve never seen one myself even in all my time visiting Glen Dodoe, where they are known to roam the hills and glens in secret. Well done Lis!
I hope you all enjoy the last days of January! I can scarcely believe it’s nearly February. My how the time does fly! His lordship is aleady deep into planning 2011 for us – and goodness, this 2010 year has barely begun!
Toodle-oo for now!
Miss P
Young Queen Victoria
Hallooo, dear Dodopadlers! Miss Peabody here again.
What a busy week we are having here at Dodo Towers! Those of you organised individuals who are using your 2010 Dodo Pad diary (or, alternatively, those of you on an academic year schedule who are using your Acad-Pad) will notice several exciting things going on in this week’s pages.
Our first item of note is on Monday this week, when our American friends celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King worked tirelessly for civil rights and is perhaps most famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington DC on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated in America on the third Monday in January, which falls near his birth date of January 15 (1929).
This Friday commemorates the anniversary of the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Her passing marked the end of an era. (The Victorian Era, to be precise.)
Also on this week’s page is the reminder that National Doodle Day is coming up soon! You have some time to practise your doodling in time for your entry (entry form can be found opposite 1st – 7th March in your Dodo Pad and/or Acad-Pad). Your entry will greatly benefit the (too) many people affected by epilepsy and neurofibromatosis in the UK. Have a look at http://www.nationaldoodleday.org.uk for more information. Lord Dodo always loves to see your sketches and is especially looking forward to witnessing your artistic genius for the sake of a very worthy charity. So sharpen up those pencils, whip out your Dodo Pad, and get doodling!
Here at Dodo Towers we are preparing for Burns’ Night next Monday. As usual I am in charge of preparations for the supper, which is always terrific fun. I keep all my recipes for haggis, neeps-n-tatties, and my special Burns puddings in my Dodo Book for Cooks for easy reference. Every year at our Burns Supper we have a fine selection of Scotch whisky from the Dodornoch Distillery, which is located near Lord Dodo’s Highland seat. The distillery has been in the Dodo family for generations and produces the finest libations, which will be thoroughly enjoyed during the many toasts at the supper. A good time shall be had by all!
Do write in and let me know your happenings and whereabouts. I hope you are having a fine January!
Toodle-oo for now!
Miss P
Snowy Glen Dodoe
Hallooo dear Dodopadlers! Miss Peabody here.
I managed (just!) to dig myself out of snowy Glen Dodoe and return home to Dodo Towers. My goodness! I won’t reveal my age by saying quite how many winters like this I’ve seen in my life, but certainly not many. The snow and cold are making it jolly difficult for many of us. The fires are burning in the hearths throughout the house and Lady Dodo’s darling pet cat Tinks stays close to the range in the kitchen. I hope you are all staying warm and cozy! How is the weather affecting you?
It’s a good time for me to wrap up by the fire with my new 2010 Dodo Pad and plan my year. January is such an exciting time, so full of possibilities for the new year!
Those of you who are organised and are using this year’s Dodo Pad (you HAVE started your new Dodo Pad, haven’t you?) and/or the Acad-Pad will notice on this week’s page the anniversary of the publication of J’accuse. What an amazing bit of history this is! Alfred Dreyfus was an officer in the French army who, in 1894, was falsely accused of espionage and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island. Sacre bleu! The novelist Emile Zola was outraged not only at Dreyfus’s false conviction but also that the real perpetrator was free to commit more crimes. Zola wrote serious accusations against the French government in his (in)famous letter J’accuse! which was published in the French newspaper L’aurore. This began what came to be known as the Dreyfus Affair. Zola himself was convicted of libel but escaped to England before he could be jailed. Less than a year after Dreyfus was eventually freed and the whole affair exposed, Zola returned to France in time to see the collapse of the French government. What a fascinating series of events!
Don’t forget, you still have a couple of days to get 15% off the Dodo Travel Log! Perfect for those of you who are planning a winter break to warmer climes. See the post below for details.
Keep warm! Toodle-oo for now.
Miss P
