Bagpipe of kindness, we made it another day.

The bagpipe, up close.

Anatomy of a bagpipe

High Flight

 "Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sun ward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
– Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."

                                                                                               John Gillespie Magee Jr.

The Bagpipe at war, The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815)

Napoléon Bonaparte  was a French statesman and military leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution As a general and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars. He became Emperor of  France and he subsequently created a state with stable finances, a strong bureaucracy, and a well-trained army.

Extreme Cold- 1 Bagpiper- 0

As a funeral bagpiper I usually get the question about being cold whilst wearing a kilt.

Oddly enough, no I do not get cold wearing eight yards of heavy wool.

My hands used to get cold, but now some clever person invented a product called a Wristie.

A wristie is a finger-less glove that have a pocket so you can insert one of those chemical hand warmers.

Wristies were invented by a 10 year old girl scout, KK Gregory.

The kind you twist to activate. It warms the veins at the wrist and keeps the fingers toasty