More Calgary pathway graffiti

Bow River and Calgary skyline

Today I witnessed a strange event here in Calgary. A local group of, I assume, Scotsmen and women had organized a haggis hurling event as a fund raiser for Habitat for Humanity. The haggis is a Scottish delicacy described thus on the BBC's website:



Praised by Robert Burns as a 'great chieftain o' the pudding race', haggis is a bastion of Scottish gastronomy. During Burns' lifetime it was a popular dish for the poor, who ate the parts of the sheep that would otherwise have been thrown away - namely, heart, liver and lungs, which is then minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices and salt. This is then mixed with stock and boiled, traditionally in the sheep's stomach lining, for several hours. Appetising?

Well, if you can't bring yourself to eat it, you can always throw it. Haggis hurling, once a Scottish tradition dating back to early clan gatherings, can now be witnessed in a biannual World Haggis Hurling Championship. If you want to practice in the traditional way, though, get your girlfriend to toss it over a stream at you (like the womenfolk of olden days) and attempt to catch it in your kilt. Whisky is optional, perhaps advisable.



This is the group that led the 'haggis' parade across Memorial Drive to the edge of the Bow River. The haggis was put in the contraption shown below and successfully hurled across the Bow River. (Well, actually it splashed down in a spot now flooded but normally dry land.

Getting ready to release the contraption which will hurl the 'haggis' across the Bow River.

Sure, winter's pretty until the snow gets dirty.

This was the view through the window at the back of the Rolston Recital Hall where we were recording.

I spent the weekend in Banff working on a recording project at the Banff Centre. It was very cold and wintry but when the sky finally cleared a little there were some dramatic views of the mountain peaks. This is Rundle Mountain.

This morning the temperature was around -25C. For some reason the powers that be at work decided it was a good day for a firedrill. So out we all trotted to spend a chilly five minutes on the sidewalk in front of our building. I took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures across Memorial Drive.

This is a shot across Memorial Drive showing the mist/steam/fog rising off the open river water in the -25C temperatures.

Happy New Year!