G'day Malcolm,

Good to hear from someone that has his reference books nearby ... and doesn't have to rely on what I laughingly call my memory.

It is suggested here that the pifferari were just a little later than I thought (although one wonders if the annual visitations were the result of Handel's work ... or a long-standing custom). I was drifting towards Scholes's more contentious remarks about just how late the Scots took to the pipes... Ah, for the good old days of Newcastle Pipes and Sunderland Pipes ... &c!

Regard(les)s,

Bob Bolton