Chucking Out Time

It is always a treat going out for a drink when I am in Scotland. Prestwick has an inordinate number of drinking establishments for such a small place but luckily they all seem to be within staggering distance of each other.

Karen, Elaine and I in The Burns

It was a bit difficult to find a drink I like though, since as usual when I travel and I ask for Rye whiskey, I get a look like I just ordered lighter fluid. In my experience, in many parts of the world, you are more likely to get a loaf of bread rather than a drink when asking for Rye! I manage to suffer through however, and usually after sampling a different number of scotch whiskeys, I'm really not concerned with the taste! Karen, Elaine, Heather and I went for a drink Friday night and on Saturday Jimmy, Karen, Heather and I went to the Cricket club which was featuring a rather loud rock band that seemed to have time warped back to the seventies. The highlight of the evening was winning a bottle of White and Mackay Whiskey (just what I had been ordering at the bar coincidentally). When I was called up to receive my prize the host asked the crowd to show its support by singing O'Canada....he really was unrealistic about the ability of a group of Scottish folk, imbibing in a few bevvies, to come up with the tune and words of the anthem for a country thousands of miles away. They gave it a good effort though and I even recognized a couple of words. For a people with a world wide reputation as drinkers, chucking out time is shockingly early - 12:30! Heck, at home we are only getting started by that time.