Prince Charles is visiting an Aberdeen hospital. He enters a ward full
> of patients with no obvious sign of injury or illness and greets one.
> The patient replies:
> "Fair fa your honest sonsie face,
> Great chieftain o the puddin race,
> Aboon them a ye take yer place,
> Painch, tripe or thairm..."
>
> Charles is confused, so he just grins and moves on to the next patient.
> The patient responds:
> "Some hae meat an canna eat,
> And some wad eat that want it,
> But we hae meat an we can eat,
> So let the Lord be thankit."
>
> Even more confused, and his grin now rictus-like, the Prince moves on to
> the next patient, who immediately begins to chant:
> "Wee sleekit, cowerin, timrous beasty,
> O the panic in thy breasty,
> Thou needna start awa sae hastie,
> Wi bickering brattle."
>
> Now seriously troubled, Charles turns to the accompanying doctor and
> asks "Is this a psychiatric ward?"
>
> "No," replies the doctor, "this is the serious Burns unit."
>
Hey - hasn't this been around before? And to think, I've misplaced my little tartan book of wee Robbie Burns verse (sent to me as a gift, along with a little skirt when my DA & DU went to Scotland & England when I was in about 4th grade). I saved that little book for many years...
Prince Charles - I always remember his speech calling some new architectural building (maybe the Barbican Centre?) a "carbuncle on the face of London." I was living in the UK then, and it raised plenty of coverage - just wish I could remember the full details.
Thanks for the little groaner.... Ellice (who is better, but now back to the how many boxes of tissues can one person use stage of recovery)