Celtophile Monday

Welcome back to Celtophile Monday! This week's is a bit shortened due to my annual mad rush to finish preparing for RT this week. All sources credited. Enjoy! (Photo from www.gmhg.org)

Highland Games
Highland Games occur all over the U.S. - in fact, it seems they are more popular here than in Scotland! Having said that, though, if you happen to be visiting Scotland this summer here's a schedule for you.

The Association of Scottish Games and Festivals has a similar list on their site for the United States. If you can't find anything there, you can try typing "highland games [your state]" into a search engine and I bet you'll find something within an hour or two's drive. Here are three games I've attended and enjoyed:

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games - You can't beat the setting for the premiere event in the eastern half of the U.S.; this one is my sentimental favorite.

Triad Highland Games - May 2-3, 2008. For a more intimate but no less enjoyable experience.

Ohio Scottish Games - June 28, 2008. I've rarely attended a better piping competition.

April is Scots/Scot-Irish Heritage Month in North Carolina!

Sports
Scottish Curlers Suffer Final Defeat
Scotland lost 6-3 to Canada in the final of the men's World Curling Championship in North Dakota. David Murdoch's rink trailed 4-3 with two ends remaining in a close match, but the Canadians sealed victory by winning two shots in the ninth. It was revenge for the reigning champions, who had lost 7-6 to Scotland on Friday in the round-robin stage. The Scottish team lost three early games in the finals, but won their next seven games to reach the final. For defending champions Canada, who saw off Norway in the semi-final to set up the rematch with Scotland, it was the 31st time they have won the men's title since the tournament began in 1959. The holders won 10 out of 11 matches on their way to the final. Their skip, Kevin Martin, scored two points in the decisive ninth end. Martin, 41, won a silver medal in the 1991 championship and finished fourth in 1997. (Source: BBC)

My New Favorite TV Theme Song
Space Pirates! Youtube has a bunch of video clips of this show, if you're looking for a silly, fun time-waster.

Environment/Wildlife
Rare Owl Recaptured
A rare eagle owl which escaped from a falconry centre in Ayrshire two months ago has been recaptured. Wally and his mate Annie escaped from Kelburn Country Centre during stormy weather in February. Annie was recaptured a short distance from the centre just over a week later but Wally had eluded efforts to entice him back. However, the four-year-old returned to his handler Alan Jenkinson over the weekend. Wally had been making regular visits to Haylie House care home, near the falconry centre, where he allowed residents to approach and stroke him. He was recaptured there on Sunday afternoon. Read more

Misc
Blog of the Week
Flying Cat - The diary entries of an averagely intelligent feline and his Marmalade Chum. (Orkney Islands)

Rampant Scotland Colour Supplement
Rampant Scotland's bi-weekly collection of beautiful photographs from Scotland. Click here

Have a good week!