Roberts

In honour of yesterday's trip to Edinburgh, a Scottish question from my dad.

I'm still pondering what a "floss" might be (still reading Wuthering Heights before I get onto the books from Nice Kate. I've nearly finished it though. All the important people are dead... though not soon enough).

Anyway, as I'm pondering the floss, my dad is more concerned with the question, "What is a 'bruce'?". As in Robert the Bruce. You see, my dad's name is Robert, and I think it's playing on his mind a bit as to whether or not he could introduce himself in polite society as, "Hi, I'm Robert. Robert the Bruce." Although, he shortens it to Bob, so, "Hi, I'm Bob. Bob the Bruce," might not go down as well. It sounds a bit like a new BBC kids' programme.

I think a "bruce" sounds like a collective noun for something. Like a flock of birds. Maybe a bruce of chavs. But then I think I prefer the term "chavalanche" for that particular occurance.

Anyone dull enough to be interested in the real answer, "the Bruce" comes from de Brus, the name of Robert's Norman family. Not my dad Robert. Different Robert. Dad's promised me he only has one family. And those photos of that woman with the other kids on the beach in France don't mean anything. http://www.clanmcalister.org/robbruce.html