Scottish Country Dance of the Day

Ratty's Picnic - Illustration by Michael Hague

Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day

Today's Musings, History & Folklore

Ratty's Hornpipe

Born in Edinburgh, March 8,  1859, author Kenneth Grahame is most famous for The Wind in the Willows (1908), one of the classics of children's literature, and The Reluctant Dragon.

​

The Wind in the Willows is notable for its mixture of mysticism, adventure, morality, and camaraderie and celebrated for its evocation of the nature of the Thames valley.

​

At the beginning of the story, good-natured Mole loses patience with spring cleaning. He flees his underground home, emerging to take in the air and ends up at the river, which he has never seen before. Here he meets Rat (a water vole), who at this time of year spends all his days in, on and close by the river. They get along well and spend days boating, with Rat teaching Mole the ways of the river.  One day, Rat and Mole disembark near the grand Toad Hall and pay a visit to the rich, jovial, conceited, friendly but feckless Toad. The story continues with the adventures of these characters and their friends.

​

In a favorite passage from the book, the friends go on a picnic with a wonderful description of the contents of the luncheon-basket:

​

"Hold hard a minute, then!’ said the Rat. He looped the painter through a ring in his landing-stage, climbed up into his hole above, and after a short interval reappeared staggering under a fat, wicker luncheon-basket.
‘Shove that under your feet,’ he observed to the Mole, as he passed it down into the boat. Then he untied the painter and took the sculls again.

‘What’s inside it?’ asked the Mole, wriggling with curiosity.

‘There’s cold chicken inside it,’ replied the Rat briefly;

‘coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssandwiches
pottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater—-‘

‘O stop, stop,’ cried the Mole in ecstasies: ‘This is too much!’

‘Do you really think so?’ enquired the Rat seriously. ‘It’s only what I always take on these little excursions; and the other animals are always telling me that I’m a mean beast and cut it VERY fine!’

​

For a literary lunch designed around Ratty's menu, click the luncheon basket.