Am Meallan viewpoint

For this 3rd Special Edition I have selected some pictures taken by a nephew who lives in Balmain, New South Wales taken on a trip to, where else, Scotland.

I am amazed at the ingenuity and skill of many.  Some are devising dances for 1 or 2 people, dressing up in suitable costume and videoing the dance.  It is really amazing how  versatile and varied they are and we can try them out as we stay at home with no dance classes (other than online ones).  Maybe there will be an RSCDS book issued for these dances.  I am continuing on with the theme of the last newsletter here is another cheery note to try to brighten your day with nothing but pictures, jokes and videos.  I hope it finds you all well and that this will lift your spirits.

Thanks for all the great comments you sent me.  I was especially thrilled to get a note (plus pictures) from a couple who had met at one of the Ceilidh dances, got engaged and had me lead some ceilidh dancing at their wedding.  They now have a little boy – a shame that the dance this month had to be cancelled as it would have been 12 years (plus a day) since the dance that they met.

Thanks to those who continue to send jokes, videos, etc. without which these newsletters would not be the same.

Ardvreck Castle

Aspire to inspire before you expire.
~~~~~
  My wife and I had words,
but I didn’t get to use mine.
~~~~~
Frustration is trying to find your glasses without your glasses.
~~~~~
Blessed are those who can give without remembering
and take without forgetting.
~~~~~
The irony of life is that, by the time you’re old enough to know your way around, you’re not going anywhere.
~~~~~
God made man before woman so as to give him time to think
of an answer for her first question.
~~~~~
I was always taught to respect my elders,
but it keeps getting harder to find one.

 

Avoch

TRUE INCIDENT


A Scotsman walks into a bank in Glasgow and asks for the loan officer.
He tells the loan officer that he is going to Australia on business For two weeks and needs to borrow £5,000. 

The bank officer tells him that the bank will need some form of security for the loan, so the canny Scots lad hands over the keys and documents of new Ferrari parked on the street in front of the bank.  He produces the Log Book and everything checks out. The loan officer agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. 

The bank’s Manager and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the rough looking Scotsman for using a £120,000 Ferrari as collateral against a £5000 loan.  An employee of the bank then drives the Ferrari in to the bank’s underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the Scotsman returns, repays the £5,000 and the interest, which comes to £15.41.  The loan officer says, 
“Sir, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are a little puzzled.  While you were away,
we checked you out and found that you are a multi millionaire.  So what puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow “£5,000” ?

The Scotsman replies:

“Where else in Glasgow can I park my car for two weeks for only £15.41 and expect it to be there when I return'”

Ah, the mind of the Scotsman… 
This is why we survive

Beach-near-Portnaluchaig-looking-to-Rhum-Eigg

2 views of Beauly Priory

How time flies – we must have seen this  countless times… But each time it is a breathtaking experience. This 3D postcard panorama picture of theTaj Mahal  – India’s most famous architectural wonder –  is really superb. Enjoy!!

  

http://www.airpano.ru/files/Taj-Mahal-India/2-3

 

Blackhill waterfall after heavy rain, Skye

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest,in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

The winners are:
1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.

2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.

5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.

6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.

7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.

8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavoured mouthwash.

9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.

10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.

11.  Testicle (n.), a humorous question on anexam.12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearingadopted by proctologists.

13. Pokémon (n), a Rastafarian proctologist.

14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his
conversation with Yiddishisms.

15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

=====================================================

Broughty Ferry Castle

 

The Washington Post’s Style Invitational also asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year’s winners:

1. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

2. Foreploy (v): Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

3. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

4. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

5. Sarchasm (n): The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

6. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

7. Hipatitis (n): Terminal coolness.

8. Osteopornosis (n): A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

9. Karmageddon (n): it’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

10 Decafalon (n.): The gruelling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

11. Glibido (v): All talk and no action.

12. Dopeler effect (n): The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

13. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

14. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

15. Caterpallor (n.): The colour you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you’re eating.

And the pick of the literature:

-16. Ignoranus (n): A person who’s both stupid and an a-hole


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just in case someone out there can use them, I am about to throw out audio cassette tapes (remember them?) of Scottish Country dance music by various bands.  There are 150 of them including music for the dances in RSCDS books 1 – 39.  They come in 2 cases (120 + 30).  I no longer have a cassette deck and they are free.  If interested contact me at 604-536-9481 or send me an e-mail to duncanmackenzie@telus.net

******************************************************************************

I have shown this before but it was a few years ago and it is worth repeating.

Amazing technology displayed in Germany.

This is a German video, but the narration is in English.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ACkmg3Y64_s?rel=0

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Cairngorms

I thought this story was beautiful in so many precious ways:

“An anthropologist proposed a game to children in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the children that whoever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run, they all took each others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats.

When he asked them why they had run like that when one could have had all the fruits for himself, they said, ‘UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?’ (‘UBUNTU’ in the Xhosa culture means: ‘I am because we are.)”
===========================================================

Callender House, Falkirk

yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I could have typed these jokes out but sometimes it is the way a joke is told that makes it so funny.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Calda House, Ardvreck

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How cool is this email !

FELLOW MUSIC LOVERS…THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST INCREDIBLE MUSIC E-MAIL I’VE EVER SEEN.  AFTER CLICKING ON AN ARTIST, LOOK TO SEE ALMOST ALL OF THEIR FAMOUS WORKS, THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE.  ENJOY AND PASS THIS ON. 

 

1)  Elvis Presley    2)  Roy Orbison    3)  Beatles    4)  Abba    5)  Bee Gees    6)  Michael Jackson    7)  John Lennon    8)  Celine Dion    9)  Frank Sinatra 

10)  Creedence Clearwater Revival  11)  Julio Iglesias  12)  Queen  13) Neil Diamond  14)  Paul Mccartney  15)  Rolling Stones  16)  Pink Floyd

  17)  Bruce Springsteen  18)  Elton John  19) U2  20)  George Harrison  21)  Cliff Richard  22)  Tina Turner  23)  Bob Marley  24)  Andrea Bocelli

  25)  Dire Straits  26)  Barbra Streisand  27)  Eagles  28)  Madonna  29)  Simon & Garfunkel  30)  Ac/Dc  31)  Bob Dylan  32) Dean Martin  33)  Andr? Hazes 

34)  Tom Jones  35)  Eric Clapton  36)  John Denver  37)  Eros Ramazzotti  38) Deep Purple  39)  Led Zeppelin  40)  Rod Stewart  41)  Status Quo 

42)  Louis Armstrong  43)  Fleetwood Mac  44) Bryan Adams  45)  Jimi Hendrix  46)  Barry White  47)  Nat King Cole  48)  Santana  49)  Michael Buble 

50)  Gipsy Kings  51)  David Bowie  52)  Adriano Celentano  53)  Robbie Williams  54)  Charles Aznavour  55)  Metallica  56) Doors  57)  Shakira 

58)  Beach Boys  59)  Cat Stevens  60)  Bon Jovi  61)  Ub40  62)  Joe Cocker  63)  Whitney Houston  64)  Phil Collins  65)  Enrique Iglesias  66)  Ricky Martin

  67)  Ray Charles  68)  K3  69)  Zz Top  70)  Van Morrison  71)  Ringo Starr  72)  Stevie Wonder  73)  Gloria Estefan  74)  Supertramp  75)  Jethro Tull 

76)  Black Sabbath  77)  Marco Borsato  78)  Guns N? Roses  79)  Neil Young  80)  Chuck Berry  81)  Billy Joel  82)  Sting  83) Kinks  84)  R.e.m. 

85)  Laura Pausini  86)  Genesis  87)  Who  88)  Monkees  89)  Animals  90)  Simple Minds  91) Prince  92)  Aretha Franklin  93)  B.b. King  94)  Iron Maiden 

95)  Pearl Jam  96)  Christina Aguilera  97)  Alice Cooper  98)  Depeche Mode  99)  Nirvana100)  Gary Moore  Top 70 Songs:  1)  Always On My Mind – Elvis Presley 

2)  Fernando – Abba   3)  Dancing Queen – Abba   4)  Oh Pretty Woman – Roy Orbison   5)  Spanish Eyes – Elvis Presley   6)  Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Elvis Presley

  7)  Chiquitita – Abba   8)  Massachusetts – Bee Gees   9) Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley 10)  Imagine – John Len non 11)  Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley

12)  California Blue – Roy Orbison 13)  My Way – Elvis Presley 14)  Billie Jean – Michael Jackson 15)  In Dreams – Roy Orbison 16)  Blue Bayou –

Roy Orbison 17)  Only The Lonely – Roy Orbison 18)  I Have A Dream – Abba 19)  Yesterday – Beatles 20) Mamma Mia – Abba 21)  Thriller – Michael Jackson

22)  Amazing Grace – Elvis Presley 23)  Unchained Melody – Roy Orbison 24)  Can?t Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley 25)  Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley

26)  Ave Maria – Celine Dion 27)  And I Love You So – Elvis Presley 28)  Blue Moon – Elvis Presley 29)  Hey Jude – Beatles 30)  I Started A Joke– Bee Gees

31)  My Way – Frank Sinatra 32)  Hotel California – Eagles 33)  A Big Hunk O? Love – Elvis Presley 34) Bridge Over Troubled Water  Elvis Presley

35)  The Winner Takes It All – Abba 36)  Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival 37)  Ben – Michael Jackson 38)  Waterloo – Abba

39)  Stayin? Alive – Bee Gees 40)  Words – Bee Gees 41)  How Deep Is Your Love – Bee Gees 42)  Crying – Roy Orbison 43)  Blue Suede Shoes – Elvis Presley

44) Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley 45)  Beat It – Michael Jackson 46)  A Day In The Life – Beatles 47)  Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen 48)  Let It Be – Beatles

49)  Only You – Roy Orbison 50)  Sweet Caroline – Roy Orbison 51)  A Hard Day?s Night – Beatles 52)  Bad – Michael Jackson 53)  Earth Song – Michael Jackson

54)  Woman – John Len non 55)  Imagine (live) – John Len non 56)  Heal The World – Michael Jackson 57)  Stand By Me – John Len non 58) Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond

59)  O Sole Mio – Andrea Bocelli 60)  Bridge Over Troubled Water – Simon & Garfunkel 61)  Man In The Mirror – Michael Jackson 62)  Strangers In The Night – Frank Sinatra

63)  Black Or White – Michael Jackson 64)  Only You – John Len non 65)  My Sweet Lord – George Harrison 66)  What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong 67)  24 Horas – Julio Iglesias

68)  Everybody Loves Somebody – Dean Martin 69)  I Just Can?t Stop Lovin You – Michael Jackson 70)  Smooth Criminal – Michael Jackson

 

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

Some fun and interesting sites: – note if you have a link to something you think others will enjoy send me the link. Sound on, full screen:

A bit old but worth watching

Dancing on the planet –
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120710.html

What a stunning commercial from the BBC

www.youtube.com/embed/auSo1MyWf8g?rel=0

Disregard all the writing and Asian language, just watch the video.   You’ll get the idea.

Pretty clever.

How to separate an egg white from the yolk. Watch.

http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/cooking/1160651.html


Some people think they are good and some know they ARE GOOD……..WOW.

Watch the whole thing as there are three “tricks”

3 Tricks [ click here]

Lifeguard with a sense of humour

LifeGuardinthePool

Personal alarm clock

Alarm_clock_

Beautiful

BEAUTIFUL_SCOTLAND_(DA)

Not like I imagined it:

Father & son

 

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Callop River, Glenfinnan

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{[

North face Ben Nevis

All events have been cancelled or postponed but you should check first.  Check up on your neighbours, friends and those in need.  A kind word will help their troubles.  There is much to be thankful for and we are blessed.  I hope you are all well and if not get better soon.  I would love to hear from you – drop me a line at duncanmackenzie@telus.net 

Hope this newsletter brings a smile to some faces.  Please forward it to all your friends. I am about to try to devise a dance for 2 people keeping a social distance.  Maybe I will make a video and include it in a future newsletter!!

Take care and be safe, I miss you all.

The battlefield at Culloden

May your troubles be one, may your blessings be more,
and may nothing but happiness come through your door.

Duncan MacKenzie
ceilidh@rscdsvancouver.org