Rabbie's Newsletter: January

"We are dedicated to providing a memorable and enriching experience that lasts a lifetime"

Rabbie's Update: Tales from the Trail.	March 2008 \| Issue 14

Spring is Here!

Rabbie's News Headline - We are 15 years old!

What an exciting year this is - Rabbie's celebrates 15 years in business!
From fledgling beginnings when the first tour was launched in March 1993 what a whirlwind it has been. Fifteen years have passed in a blink! Our tours have grown from humble conception, with one driver/guide and owner in a second-hand bus, to the successful business it has become employing 30 + people, and with a fleet of 13 top of the range Mercedes mini coaches as well! I have, some would say, been lucky to have had a birds eye view of her growth since I joined Rabbie's in 1995. A vintage year! From my own nervous beginnings at my interview in the owners kitchen one Sunday morning, my career as a driver/guide was launched. It has been quite a journey for us both! Rabbie's is now at the forefront of development and marketing within the tourist industry, eager always to find ways of improving our product, and throughout our philosophy has remained the same, to offer visitors from all over the world the chance to experience and live and breath Scotland in a small group of maximum 16 people.

To celebrate this landmark year we are having, you've guessed it, another party! This time the banquet will be held at Craigmillar castle in Edinburgh. Craigmillar dates from the 15th century, and is a substantial ruin. Fortunately it has a covered 'great hall', where all the those light of foot can take to the dance floor and gyrate until the wee sma' hoors!

Historically Mary Queen of Scots stayed here for a short time, and it was also the place where the plot to dispatch Mary's husband Lord Darnley was hatched! So to a place steeped in ancient history to our sense of history at Rabbie's it will be an exciting occasion! Look out for reports on the party in the next newsletter!

Other News: In Brief

We would like to welcome our new starts for this season. We will have 7 new driver/guides in addition to our loyal fleet of time served lads and lassies . They are all eager, and keen to unleash their wealth of knowledge and passion for Scotland onto the tours! The office too, has two new faces that have joined our sales team. Welcome Peter and Laura!

Three of our six new Mercedes sprinter mini coaches have arrived! Very exciting - another three still to come! I can't wait to take one for a birl!

Look out for departures from Glasgow starting this May on certain day tours - full details on the website.

Update on our new Orkney Tour 2008.

In our Autumn newsletter I mentioned that we would be launching some new tours for this season. Here is a little taster of our new Orkney 5 day Tour to Highland Scotland and the Orkney Isles, set to be a wonderful and very popular tour.

Orkney has long caused a stirring of interest in people. Its position lying of the far north coast of Scotland means an exciting crossing by ferry over the Pentland firth awaits all those intrepid explorers who want to experience an island swathed in archeological bounty. From more than 5,000 years ago to an age when the Vikings navigated their way to the islands shores, and occupied the island until as late as 1468, Orkney boasts a wealth of neolithic villages, burial tombs and standing stone circles. So great is her heritage that in 1999 the islands treasure trove was formally recognised and awarded a UNESCO world heritage site. Our tour includes visits to Skara brae.This pre historic and well preserved stone village was only uncovered after a violent storm in 1850 when a natural roof of sand and machair covering the entire village was blown off whilst the island withstood intense gale force winds.

We will also visit Maeshowe, considered to be Orkney's finest and largest chambered cairn. Viking influence abounds here, with the greatest collection of norse runic inscriptions.

The Ring of Brodgar allows you to stand in awe at the sheer magic of standing stone circles. Originally made up of 60 stones, today a compliment of 27 stones still stand defiant!

And of course no trip to Orkney would be complete without a visit to the magnificent Italian chapel created by Italian prisoners of war captured in Africa during the second world war. Much of the beautiful and intricate art work was painted by Domenico Chiochetti, who remained on the island to finish the little chapel, even after all his comrades had been released shortly before the end of the war. Domenico returned to touch the artwork up in the 1960's, and today the chapel stands as testimony not only to his incredible patience and skill, but to man's triumph over adversity.

With overnights in the Highland capital of Inverness for one night, two further nights in Kirkwall, Orkney and our last night in Ullapool, this tour is an absolute dream. Join us for the trip of a lifetime!


The Ring of Brodgar, Orkney

Italian Chapel		Skara Brae

Scots Proverb: The tongue weighs relatively nothing but few people can hold it!

Smaoin an latha - Gaelic thought for the day! Is fhearr fheuchainn na bhith san duil (It is better to try than to hope).

"Our Natural World" - Springtime Plant Lore

The primrose has many uses - beautiful and glorious they are to look at, but did you know that the leaves can be used as a salve for wounds, or that the petals can be used to make wine!

Chickweed - a food source for certain birds, can also be used to make a poultice for absesses, or the plant chopped and simmered in lard makes a fine healing oitment.

Even better still, if you boil chickweed in water, the water can then be drunk and used as a slimming aid!

Bracken, which tumbles over our countryside, often maligned, is a multi-tasker offering bedding as a mattress for humans and cattle alike and thatching for house roofs. Its roots, leaves and young shoots provide a dying extract, and last but not least, if the fern is cut when green and burned into ash, the ash can then be mixed with water, and the resulting potion rolled into balls which dried in the sun can then be used to wash linen instead of soap!

The innocent violet has leaves that are antiseptic and can be used for the treatment of skin disorders.

Short Story !

There are lots of special days in the Scottish calendar which makes a young lad (or lassi ) feel propelled to dawn our national dress - the kilt. It could be birthday, a ceilidh, a wedding, a graduation, a ball, Burns night, Hogmanay, work, a football match, a rugby match...

When you conjure up images of Scotland, surely one of the most potent must be the thought of a Scottish man in a kilt. Eight yards of ancestral tartan swinging like a theatre curtain after a glorious performance, and boy what a performance it gives! It is a work of art (and hopefully the man won't be too bad either!) The kilt has become undeniably Scotland - an icon of our culture, history and the tartan army! From the clan system, and the early feileadh mor (or big blanket ) to the evolution of the feileadh beag - (little kilt ), to the modern day kilt of the 19th century and the more trend setting 21st century kilts, the kilt speaks of a nation that gallantly wraps its pride around its waist. It is the gateway to a smile, and a licence to thrill. Even JM Barrie said " There are few more impressive sights in the world than a Scotsman on the make", but a Scotsman in a kilt....! Och stop yer tickling jock!

I am passionate about the kilt as I am about Scotland. Its carries such a sense of identity for such a small nation. My own kilt has been worn constantly on tour for well ...a long time! A kilt, if looked after can last most folk a life time. It even allows you room for expansion! I am even the proud owner of a 'kilt' worn by Liam Neeson in the movie 'Rob Roy'. This kilt, as it has in previous years will be heading off to New York shortly for Scotland week, formerly tartan week! A chance for more lassies to touch the very fabric worn by the Irish giant!

But protecting our national dress, and preserving the way it is traditionally made has become very important, as the popularity of the kilt has increased over the years, with visitors eager to join us too and proudly wear one. This has meant that there has been an influx of inferior quality garments from overseas being sold. So much so that there is a movement now to try, and rightly so, grant the Scottish kilt Protected Designation of Origin status from the European commission! This means that each kilt would be stamped with a label stating that it was made in Scotland with pure new wool. This ensures that visitors know that they are buying a traditional hand-made kilt to last, and not one that may end up looking like your grannies old tartan rug! Here here!

...and on a lighter note this is a wee poem that I oft recite on tour for all those visitors wondering indeed about Scottish men & their kilts:

There was a bonnie Scotsman left the pub one evening fair,
And you could tell by the way he walked he'd drunk more than his share,
He staggered on, until he could, no longer keep his feet,
Then stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street!
A short time later two young and lovely lassies happened by,
One turned to the other with a twinkle in her eye,
See yonder sleeping Scotsman, so handsome and strong built,
I wonder if its true what they don't wear 'neath their kilts!
They crept up upon the sleeping Scotsman as quietly as could be,
And lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see,
And there behold for them to view, beneath his Scottish skirt,
was nothing more than God had blessed him with upon his birth!
They marvelled for a moment, then one said we must be gone,
but lets leave a present for our friend before we move along,
And as a gift they tied a blue silk ribbon in a bow,
around the bonnie Scotsman star the kilt did lift and show.
The Scotsman wakes to natures call and stumbles for the trees,
behind a bush he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees,
and in a startled voice he cries at whats before his eyes,
Och Lad I don't know where you've been,
But I see you won first prize!!

Liam Neesons Kilt!

Staff profile - A chance to be re acquainted with or acquainted with the team that drives Rabbie's forward.

Mackenzie proudly wears
one of his "genuine" 7 kilts!

Q: Name?
A: Mackenzie Dalrymple ( what a name - it's so good I thought he made it up! )

Q: Where are you from?
A: Falkland, Fife

Q: What drove you to become a driver/guide?
A: Passionate about Scotland. (join the club!)

Q: Where is your favourite place in Scotland to be?
A: Glencoe. (I concur- Glencoe gets right under your skin )

Q: What is your greatest achievment to date?
A: Being featured in newspapers, and on TV all around the world playing my bagpipes! (And in Scotland?)

Q: What is your favourite piece of music?
A: Bobcageon by Tragically Hip. (apparently a Canadian folk bank?)

Q: What is your most embarassing moment to date?
A: Well thats easy - my afro wig falling off whilst performing in a production of the Jackson 5! ( Well at least it wasn't anything more embarrassing!)

Q: What is your future ambition?
A: To dive in the red sea. (ah yes now this is fab..ok I didn't dive, but I did snorkle and nearly drowned it was so amazing. Kept my mouth open a bit too long!)

Q: What are your favourite hobbies?
Playing the pipes, guitar and dancing. (Gold solid gold!)

Q: What was the last book you read?
A: MacBeth the King by Nigel Tranter. (Love his work - Nigel has written over a 100 Scottish historical novels...kind of based on fact but fiction? Is that faction?)

April - Celtic Birthday Trees - which tree did you fall from?

April 1 - 10th Rowan Tree:

Someone falling from this tree will be full of charm, cheery and talented and likes everyone to know so! They love life, have good taste, are generally artistic and creative, passionate,and , emotional.Don't upset them though, for they find but it hard to forgive!

April 11th-20th- Maple Tree:

Someone falling from this tree is anything but ordinary for they are full of imagination but retaining a shyness of character. Proud and ambitious they enjoy a challenge though this can make them nervous! They are lucky though they learn easily with a very retentive memory. In love they can be a bit complicated!

April 21st-30th Walnut Tree:

Someone falling from this tree is a complex one, firey to the point of aggressive, inflexible and unable to compromise! They are ambitious however, noble and ingenious, and whilst they are difficult they are often admired! In love they are very passionate but highly jealous. Expect a rough ride!

Below is a very early brochure from 1995 - the year I joined Rabbie's!!

And the meek shall inherit the earth- well Murrayfield at least!
Well done the Scottish rugby team for actually winning the Calcutta cup on the 8th March 2008!

And a wee joke to end:
How many Scotsmen does it take to change a light bulb?
Och! It's no that dark!

And that's it for another quarter! We would like to wish everyone a light heart as we enter Spring!

Hope to see you on tour soon!

...........from Suu and all at Rabbie's!