Nourishing the roots - Burns online

I know I've prattled on a lot about the recent Burns Festival, and as you have gathered, I got a lot out of it.

But wait - there's more...

I finally got to the University of Otago Special Collections exhibition Nourishing the Roots, held in Brasch Court at the University Central Library, and it's a gem. Special Collections Librarian Donald Kerr asked the former Robert Burns Fellows for something to go in the exhibition, something preferably previously unseen or unpublished, and most of the fellows came to the party. The result is a fascinating exhibition with some gems, some nostalgia and lots of laughs.

I was going to do a posting about this exhibition and comment on the personal notebooks some of the writers put in, and in particular Laurence Fearnley's and Sue Wootton's, which are so tidy, and neat, and when I enquired I was assured, that yes, they are always that neat and tidy. Mine are a scrawly mess. Now the wonderful thing is - you can see for yourself - the entire exhibition is available online.

You must look at it.

Follow the link here and see the gems from the exhibition. It is beautifully set out so you can click on each Burns Fellow and see their contribution. Give yourself plenty of time - there's a lot to enjoy and ponder over.

In the meantime, I have ordered myself some large size Moleskine notebooks and have made a vow to get a whole lot tidier, because if by some miracle someday I'm rich and famous and they want to exhibit my memorabilia I'd like to have something people can decipher and that I won't be hideously embarrassed about. One can dream...