Birthday celebration, music and family.

So today’s the day I get to celebrate my birthday with my family. The actual birthday was a couple of days ago but the birthday tea is today, and the most important thing about the birthday tea, is the family. It’s not going to be ‘my sisters and me’, although I would love my sisters to be there if they didn’t live so far away.  It’s going to be my daughters, my grandchildren and me. Except my youngest and she lives a couple of hundred miles away and is working, thats here at the top of the page. 
And in keeping with ‘family’, this is the music. It’s a bit of an odd collection but it all comes back to family. Sister sledge for obvious reasons, followed by the rather odd family. Odd families are far  more common these days than the old ‘heterosexual plus 2.5 family’. And finally, the band ‘Family’ from somewhere back in my youth. I went to London to the old Marquee Club to see this band eons ago. Info on the band here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_%28band%29

Elcho Castle

Elcho Castle, another re-post.

Another day dawns with the dreaded harle swirling around my garden, this is low lying cloud taken to extreme. My poor dog became lost in its murky mist. Poor wee thing, she only has one eye to start with, and that eye doesn't see too well at the best of times so submerge her in this peculiar Scottish weather phenomena and she doesn't stand a chance. You wouldn't think my garden was big enough to get lost in even for a half blind, partially deaf and increasingly senile dog, you'd be wrong, she did. Low lying cloud be dammed, cause of mortal danger to small unsuspecting dogs in its path.
I heard a small piece about Elcho Castle on the radio today and it reminded me of my visit there last year. 

It’s not the most famous of Scotland's little treasures but it is a totally wonderful place to visit. It's quite well hidden, not easy to find, not particularly well signposted and very easily missed!! But it is worth persevering and finding.
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/perth/elchocastle

NB Warning!! Alert!!, please don't do as I did and go rushing up the many narrow stairs and then hang over the top of the highest tower to take pictures IF, as I was, you are accompanied by an asthmatic who gets vertigo at anything over first floor level!! ...... oops silly, silly me.
What can I say, another of Scotland's beautiful Tower Houses. As Red Castle must be one of the most ruinous tower houses left, Elcho Castle is one of the most intact and original. Elcho Castle has stairs, floors, passageways, vaulted basements, everything in its original state with the exception of the roof and windows which were replaced in the 1830's. The building of this Tower House is believed to have started in or about 1550; building began once all the lands of Elcho had been consolidated under the ownership of the Wemyss family. 

The Castle was the main residence of the Wemyss family. The first record of the land of Elcho is in the 'Register of the Great Seal' when Easter Elcho was granted by James III to John of Wemyss, BUT, there is mention of a 'place of strength' called 'Elkok' in Blind Harry's epic tale 'Wallace'. It’s thought there was some sort of earlier structure that stood on or close to the site of present day Elcho Castle. There is no exact parallel to Elcho in any other Tower House in Scotland, it incorporates round towers, square towers, some genuinely defensive elements and some decorative elements of castle architecture. It was built just at the start of the period when country houses were being built in the traditional 'Castle' style, but with many of the defensive elements of the older castles imitated as decorative rather than functional elements. The skyline of this building is fascinating; it has round corbelled turrets, square corbelled turrets and aspects of European architecture blended with traditional Scottish architecture all to produce a very distinctive skyline. When it was built it was of the 'latest fashion'; rather than having an external stairway to the first floor that could be removed if under attack, (as was the fashion in earlier defensive Tower Houses), Elcho has a grand stone stairway running from the ground floor to the grand hall on the first floor.
I think I would like to visit first Red Castle, then visit Edzell Castle and finally Elcho Castle, it would be like visiting a building site and seeing Tower Houses under different stages of construction, only of course in reality they are at different stages of deconstruction. Buildings like these you can 'read', it's like peeling an onion and looking inside at the different sages of build. It’s fascinating, or at least it is too me, maybe not to other people.
Elcho Castle is a totally amazing, interesting and absolutely 'worth a visit' piece of Scottish history.
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/perth/elchocastle/index.html

Edzell castle

Another re-post from the early days of 360; this time about another famous landmark from around here, Edzell Castle. 

What to say about Edzell Castle? well for a start it's not a castle, it's a Scottish Tower House and THAT is, my favourite type of building. Scottish Tower Houses are the traditional and vernacular residence of the Scottish Nobility. They are beautiful, strong, impressive, stone rubble built tower houses harled in white with brightly painted detail. These days they are mostly all devoid of their original harling. Some due to the ruinous state of the building and some because the ignorant owners thought the building would look better if the stone was uncovered. The living accommodation in a tower house is organised vertically rather than horizontally. The ground floor usually consists of vaulted storage areas and/or kitchen ranges, the first floor is where the main entrance is and usually where the grand hall is found. The upper floors are bedrooms and guest apartments. That is a very, very basic outline of what a Scottish Tower house is and not all of them will conform exactly to that rather crude formula. But you get the idea.
Edzell Castle was the ancestral seat of the Lindsays, they acquired it in 1358 and at the time the house was an earthwork-and-timber motte
 
http://www.castlewales.com/motte.html
www.castles-of-britain.com/castlesa.htm

The original earth and wood dwelling is believed to have been constructed in or around the 1100's. The old building stood about 300m South-West of the present building. The Lindsays built the first stage of the present building and started living in it from the early 1500's. Over time new ranges were added by the Lindsays and their descendants but their greatest achievement was the garden. This was a first class classical renaissance walled garden complete with stone built summer house and a boundary wall covered with unique carved stone panels and tiny alcoves for plants. The carvings depict Arts, Virtues, Planets, Gods, in fact all things you would expect from any true Renaissance building.
The last Lindsay Laird was deeply in dept and sold the estate to the Earl of Panmure in 1715 BUT..... because the Earl of Panmure joined the 1715 Jacobite rising he forfeited all of his estates, including Edzell. The new owner began stripping Edzell of its assets and soon the place fell into disrepair. THEN..... in the 1745 Jacobite rising a bunch of hardy Argyll Highlanders moved in and occupied the castle for a while. The final death blow to the Castle was in 1764 when it was gutted for building materials. What a bloody sordid end to such a spectacular piece of Scottish renaissance architectural history.
I just do so love Scottish Tower Houses, this one in particular.
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edzell/edzellcastle/index.html

Back to the Celtic roots, Tam Lin and Rhiannon

Song for Saturday; back to our Celtic roots,
Tam Lin and Rhiannon

Tam Lin, Fairport Convention from the album liege and leaf 1969

Tam (or Tamas) Lin (also called Tamlane, Tamlin, Tomlin, Tam Lien, Tam-a-Line, Tam Lyn, or Tam Lane) is the hero of a legendary ballad originating from the Scottish Borders. The story revolves around the rescue of Tam Lin by his true love from the Queen of the Fairies. While this ballad is specific to Scotland, the motif of capturing a person by holding him through all forms of transformation is found throughout Europe in folktales.[1]

The story has been adapted into various stories, songs and films.

More info 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tam_Lin


FAIRPORT CONVENTION - TAM LIN LYRICS


I forbid you maidens all that wear gold in your hair To travel to Carterhaugh for young Tam Lin is there None that go by Carterhaugh but they leave him a pledge Either their mantles of green or else their maidenhead Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she She'd not pulled a double rose, a rose but only two When up there came young Tam Lin, says "Lady, pull no more" "And why come you to Carterhaugh without command from me?" "I'll come and go," young Janet said, "and ask no leave of thee"
Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee And she's gone to her father as fast as go can she Well, up then spoke her father dear and he spoke meek and mild "Oh, and alas, Janet," he said, "I think you go with child" "Well, if that be so," Janet said, "myself shall bear the blame There's not a knight in all your hall shall get the baby's name For if my love were an earthly knight as he is an elfin grey I'd not change my own true love for any knight you have"
Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she [ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/tam-lin-lyrics-fairport-convention.html ] "Oh, tell to me, Tam Lin," she said, "why came you here to dwell?" "The Queen of Faeries caught me when from my horse I fell And at the end of seven years she pays a tithe to Hell I so fair and full of flesh and feared it be myself But tonight is Hallowe'en and the faerie folk ride Those that would their true love win at Miles Cross they must bide First let past the horses black and then let past the brown Quickly run to the white steed and pull the rider down For I'll ride on the white steed, the nearest to the town For I was an earthly knight, they give me that renown Oh, they will turn me in your arms to a newt or a snake But hold me tight and fear not, I am your baby's father And they will turn me in your arms into a lion bold But hold me tight and fear not and you will love your child And they will turn me in your arms into a naked knight But cloak me in your mantle and keep me out of sight"
In the middle of the night she heard the bridle ring She heeded what he did say and young Tam Lin did win Then up spoke the Faerie Queen, an angry queen was she Woe betide her ill-fard face, an ill death may she die "Oh, had I known, Tam Lin," she said, "what this night I did see I'd have looked him in the eyes and turned him to atree?



Rhiannon
From Wikipedia,

Rhiannon is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, mother to the Demetian hero Pryderi and wife to Pwyll (and later Manawydan fab Llyr). She is probably a reflex of the Celtic Great Queen goddess Rigantona and may also be associated with the horse goddess Epona. She appears in both the first and third branches of the Mabinogi and is further mentioned in the early Arthurian prose tale Culhwch and Olwen.


Read more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhiannon

lyrics

Songwriters: NICKS, STEVIE
Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?
Takes to the sky like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?

All your life you've never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?

She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark
And when the sky is starless

All your life you've never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win?
Will you ever win?

Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon

She rings like a bell through the night
And wouldn't you love to love her?
She rules her life like a bird in flight
And who will be her lover?

All your life you've never seen a woman
Taken by the wind
Would you stay if she promised you heaven?
Will you ever win? (2)

Rhiannon (3)

Taken by
Taken by the sky
Taken by
Taken by the sky
Taken by
Taken by the sky

Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Dreams unwind
Love's a state of mind
Lyrics from: http://www.lyric



Another example of songs with Celtic roots.
The Hunting Song by Pentangle

As I did travel all on a journey
Over the wayside and under a dark moon
Hanging above a mountain

I spied a young man riding a fine horse
Chasing a white hart and all through the woodland
There go the hunting and cries

And there followed after ten kings and queens
Laughing and joking, the white hart they'd seen
Bloodied running into the bushes

I plume to his helmet, a quiver and a bow
There's nowhere to run now, there's no place to go
The hunter is fast and ready

Still farther I journeyed through the hills and the valleys
Until upon the verge of despair I sat and rested
And there did pass a princely knight poursuite by a lady
And this she did say: "Oh may I ask you kind sir where you are going?
And pray tell unto me sir why you do hurry
Strange that I should meet you here, come sit by me.
"I have here a magic horn to deliver
And one drop from this silver and gold horn I hold, sir
Shall prove all to be false, lovers beware!"
"The gift that you bear for your brother the king
I gladly would carry to the banquet this even'
What fair sport this would be for the maidens at court."

Wearily I crossed the stream to the castle
Where I found shelter from the cold wintry wind
And food did I have and plenty
But the Lord and Lady seemed so sad
For these words they did say unto each other:
"My good lord, all off to war in thy armor
Leaving me here alone to weep and to worry
Take care lest misadventure
Shall overcome thy kindly heart
My good lord, all off to war in thy armor."
"My lady, you have no need for to worry
I'll return victorious and true unto thee
Take care, lest misadventure
Shall stain your heart and lead to woe
My fair lady you have no need for to worry."

While underneath the spreading oak a knight with white device
Upon a shield of black, and deep in grief and sorrow sings
His unrequited love "Young noblewoman riding by, pray tell me have you seen
Queen Azelda the fairest maid, in company she rides For I swear to have revenge."

A thousand days have come and passed, the Lord returns this night
The victor from the bloody wars proven his fearsome might
As ever he would claim
But fate has played its wanton game, the circle come full turn
The magic horn has done its work, cried "Falseness is found out!"
The sorrowed quest is over.

 

Red Castle, repost from Multiply

Red Castle; a re-post from Multiply

Wednesday, 21 May 2008
This was originally posted as an entry into Picture Perfect, the picture at the top was featured and the title was 'Broken', hence the referenced to 'Broken', throughout the text. 

Red Castle of Lunan is a ruined fortified tower house on the coast of Angus, Scotland. A tower house is a Scottish, vernacular stone house , built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Such buildings were built throughout Scotland broadly between the 13th and the 17th century. These houses can still be seen all over Scotland, particularly around the Scottish Borders. Some are still intact and inhabited, some are beautifully renovated, some are horribly mutilated and others, like Red Castle stand as ruined BROKEN shells. Red Castle was built for King William I ("the Lion") in the late twelfth century initially to repel Viking invasions to Lunan Bay. Although William did take up residence there on several occasions, he tended to use it a bit of a hunting lodge.

William I (Mediaeval Gaelic: Uilliam mac Eanric; Modern Gaelic: Uilleam mac Eanraig), known as the Lion or Garbh, "the Rough", (1142/1143 – December 4, 1214) reigned as King of Scots from 1165 to 1214. His reign was the second longest in Scottish history before the Act of Union with England in 1707, (James VI's was the longest 1567–1625). He became King following his brother Malcolm IV's death on 9 December 1165 and was crowned on 24 December 1165. William was a powerful , red blooded redheaded,  Scot. An effective monarch,  whose strong reign was virtually BROKEN by his vastly miscalculated attempts to regain control of Northumbria from the English. William is credited with founding Arbroath Abbey, the site of the later Declaration of Arbroath. He was not known as "The Lyon" during his own lifetime, the title ‘Lyon’ was given to him because a contemporary of his is know to have called him; "Lion of Justice". William also inherited the title of Earl of Northumbria in 1152. However his right to this title was BROKEN by King Henry II of England in 1157 when William was forced to give up this title and hand it over to the English King, Henry II.


William was a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173–1174 against Henry II. In 1174, at the Battle of Alnwick, during a raid in support of the revolt, William is said to have recklessly charged the English troops, shouting, "Now we shall see which of us are good knights!" He was supposedly unhorsed, captured by Henry's troops, taken in chains, a BROKEN man, first to Newcastle, then Northampton, and then transferred to Falaise in Normandy. Henry then sent an army to Scotland and occupied it, Scotland, a noble and independent country under the rule of William became a BROKEN, enslaved nation. As ransom, and to regain his kingdom, William had to acknowledge Henry as his feudal superior and agree to pay for the cost of the English army's occupation of Scotland by taxing the Scots. This he did by signing the Treaty of Falaise. He was then allowed to return to Scotland but to complete his humiliation in 1175 he swore fealty to Henry II at York Castle. When he returned to Scotland it was to a BROKEN Nation, peopled by those with BROKEN spirits, and his dreams of regaining Northumberland were BROKEN forever

The Treaty of Falaise remained in force for the next fifteen years. Then Richard the Lionheart of England ,who by that time had control over England, needing money to take part in the Third Crusade and agreed to terminate it in return for 10,000 silver marks. Thus the dreaded Treaty of Falaise was at last BROKEN

In 1328 Robert the Bruce gave the castle to the Earl of Ross.  Aodh, Earl of Ross, commonly known as Earl Hugh of Ross, was the third successor of Ferchar mac in tSagairt as Mormaer of Ross (often anglicized and more commonly known as Farquhar MacTaggart). He was also Chief of Clan Ross. Aodh was a big favourite with Robert the Bruce who showered him with lands and wealth. Aodh even married Robert's sister, Maud, and all because Robert the Bruce took a likeing The Earl of Ross. Favoured though he was, his luck finally ran out. His body; along with many other Scottish nobles, lay BROKEN and dying, at the Battle of Halidon Hill on July 19, 1333. He was succeeded by his son, Uilleam, who took over ownership of red Castle. By this time the building had been officially named rubeum castrum (Red Castle) in written deeds of 1286. The name referred to its red sandstone, very typical of the area.

Moving on a couple of hundred years to 1579 James; son of Lord Gray, married Lady Elizabeth Beaton, who by that time owned the castle, and he promptly fell in love with her daughter. James, with a BROKEN heart (to the young daughter) and a BROKEN marriage (to the mother) was truly the victim of a BROKEN home after Lady Beaton threw him out, no surprises there really.  James Gray, with his brother Andrew of Dunninald, laid siege to the castle for over two years, the occupants were finally BROKEN by Grey and his brother by burning the inhabitants out.

From then on the castle slipped into decline, the shell of this once proud building became more and more BROKEN by the forces of nature and the neglect of man. Although it remained partially roofed until 1770 it was never again a residence of nobility. Its last inhabitant was the minister of Inverkeilor, one James Rait. Today only a part of the (fifteenth century) rectangular tower and the six-feet-thick east curtain wall remain, but the castle is still an eye-catching, if BROKEN, ruin. The tower is in precipitous condition, being perched almost on the edge of the hill overlooking Lunan Bay, just waiting for the day when it will become completely broken and fall right into the sea.

The House of Dun, a re-post.

 

This is a re-post, one I had forgotten about. Its one of the earliest things ever wrote on 360, so here it is, resurrected from the mists of time. Re-reading this for the first time in about 5 years, I realise how  much I rambled on  about things. I don't think I babble  quite as much these days

Entry for July 25, 2007, 360 import, House of Dun


A Couple of weeks ago I stayed over with my daughter and granddaughter, it was a great weekend. I sleep in my granddaughters rooms on a futon when I stay there. The Futon’s nice and comfy but there’s not much chance of a lie in with a bouncy, excited 6 yr old peering over the top of her fairy princess bed and grinning her toothless grin, at the crack of dawn. She was up with the birds and therefore so was I. We allowed her mother the pleasure of a Sunday morning long lie in bed and we amused ourselves with a leisurely stroll to the shops. We bought the Sunday Newspapers, fresh orange juice and chocolate croissants for breakfast.
Mmmmmmm, nice breakfast.
Croissants were devoured, the newspapers became sticky with chocolate croissant and ended up strewn across the floor. Once her mother was up we  decided to visit The House of Dun.

House of Dun on About Britain.com
This beautiful Georgian house, overlooking the Montrose Basin Nature Reserve, was designed by William Adam in 1730.

http://www.aboutbritain.com/houseofdun.htm
 
THE HOUSE OF DUN was designed by architect William Adam and is described as one of his best if not THE best surviving, modest sized, country houses in Scotland today. Adam was commissioned sometime in the early 1730’s by David Erskine,13th Laird, Judge of the Scottish Court of Session, to build a new, grand, fashionable house on his estate, overlooking the Montrose Basin. The house stands half a mile north of the basin on a pleasant, green and decidedly 'non-floodplain' piece of land. Delving a little into the history I immediately stumbled across something I would like to know more about. It seems the Dun estate was purchased in 1375 by Sir Robert Erskine from Renfrewshire and during the 16th and 17th century his descendents happily inhabited a Scottish Tower house situated approximately ¼ mile west of the present house. All that remains of this once noble and traditional Tower House is a ruinous archway in the old walled Garden. Now maybe I just haven’t looked very hard, or maybe there really isn’t much evidence or information out there on the original ‘Old Castle’, but; for what ever reason, I have drawn a blank!! My only lead to information about this now vanished Tower House is that it is mentioned in Vol 3 of the antiquated 19th century series of books; Angus & amp; Forfarshire’ by A. G. Warden.  But for now, if anyone knows anything of this now vanished Tower House please, please share your information with me. I would most especially like a picture of it, or some detail on its design and layout. Most original architectural drawings of these buildings are long lost, I would not be so foolish as to expect the original, or accurate copies of the original drawings to turn up. BUT; something must be known of this old tower house by someone, somewhere. It must have stood for the best part of 200-300 years at least, and it’s difficult to believe that in all those years a passing painter didn’t record it, or journey man didn’t stay there and write a letter about it. The one piece of information relating to the original Tower House to be found in the official ‘National Trust for Scotland’, guide book is that it was completely destroyed in 1723. The actual quote is from Alexander McGill, the official Edinburgh City Architect who was originally employed to survey the estate and provide plans for a new house. He is recorded as saying that the old castle (Tower House) was ‘Raze’d Dow’n to the Ground’. How, (accidental or otherwise) it was raised down to the ground the quote didn’t say but I’m pretty sure that much at least must be known by someone. Anyway, I digress, since I don’t know anything about the original Tower House this is supposed to be about the grand palatial and impressive House of Dun as designed by William Adam.

A Couple of weeks ago I watched a BBC programme about the way Scottish Architecture has developed over the centuries, it was called ‘Building Britain’, presented by David Dimbleby.

http://www.kinrosshouse.com/

  ( above picture Kinross House, not mine, found on internet)

Mr Dimbleby presented the public with ‘Kinross House’ as the very first grand country house in Scotland NOT to be built as a ‘Castle’, (his description not mine). Kinross House was designed by William Bruce and completed in 1693, although the interior had not been completed to Bruce’s designs by the time of his death in 1710. Dimbleby positively gushed over Kinross House, he admired the design of elegant classicism as opposed to the traditional Tower House design, he admired the comfort and space classicism offered and he spoke admiringly of the European influence of space, light, height and classical proportions. In conclusion to his obvious enthusiasm for the new and precisely proportioned Kinross House he said cuttingly ’what a relief’! Meaning I assume; that the peoples of Scotland were surely thrilled to do away with their old dingy Tower Houses in favour of this new breed of building. Much as I admire the eminent Mr Dimbleby I most certainly do not agree. If you want comfort and sumptuous surroundings go visit ‘Argyll’s Lodgings’, an intact, if developed Tower House just down the road from Sterling Castle. Or, if you want to see how light and the modernism of the time were adapted into Tower Houses go look at the enormous windows incorporated into Edzel Castle. What I am trying to say here is that for me, the demise of the traditional, vernacular, Scottish Tower House in favour of the classically proportioned, palatial box adorned with imitation Greek columns and other assorted embellishments, remains a tragic loss to this country. Mr Dimbleby may casually remark ‘oh what a relief, I just hope he doesn’t think his opinion is universally accepted.’
AND, yet again I digress; I am supposed to be talking about ‘The House of Dun’. The reason for this digression is because;
Despite acknowledging ‘The House of Dun’ as a bloody fine example of what it is, (designed by William Adam you would expect that). Still, my steadfast and unfaltering preference lies with the starkly, almost forebodingly powerful, rubble built, harled, traditional Tower House, over a palatial, classically proportioned, mathematically perfect box of columns, finials, portico’s and triumphal archways.

As for the House of Dun itself, it was every bit as beautiful as you would expect. To say it was designed by William Adam is not exactly the whole truth. Its design was in fact the result of architectural consultations, plans, drawings, general chit-chat & argy bargy at a distance, between the original designer, Alexander McGill, Edinburgh City Architect, William Adam, Architect and entrepreneur and John Erskin, Lord Mar, gentleman architect and notoriously exiled Jacobite kinsman to Lord Dun. The key word there is ‘exiled’, which accounted for the consultations taking place ‘at a distance’, AND over time. Much of the original design was in fact Mar’s with a triumphal arched front centre piece added later. Adam’s greatest contribution to the project was that he acted as what would today be called ‘site manager’. He held the post of ‘Mason to the board of Ordinance’ and as such directed the project. The house, once built, was elegant and symmetrical with a grand stair way leading to the megalithic arched entrance at the front of the house. The rear of the house is equally elegant and symmetrical with external stairs leading into the grounds which extended all the way to the waters edge. The famous jacobite connections of the family were celebrated with the flamboyant, extravaganza of allegorical jacobite plasterwork carried out by Joseph Enzer in the Saloon. The saloon being the principle room of the house, the room used for entertaining, was situated on the ground floor with spectacular views out over the grounds and down to the water. The placing of the principle room on the ground floor was just another move away from the traditions of the tower house where the Grand Hall or principle room was always situated on the first floor. The plasterwork is unequivocally the best to be seen, ANYWHERE, except maybe at Arniston House which also has plasterwork by Enzer. There is a stucco ceiling, Bas-reliefs of Neptune and Mars that dominate the two fireplaces, heraldic lions, armoury, shields; there is Minerva, Medusa and a whole menagerie of dolphins, dogs, stags and horses tethered to warrior led chariots. Whole books could be written about this plasterwork. What it actually depicts in ‘real’ terms is mostly in keeping with the new classicism, depictions of ancient Greek Mythology. But; woven into that is the thinly disguised pro Jacobite theme of victory and the ensuing peace under the victorious jacobite rule. On top of the clever politics, it is stunningly beautiful.
Having glazed over in awe at this mind boggling plasterwork I had to metaphorically smack myself in the face, tell my feet to move and head out to investigate the rest of the house. And I have to say, it was pretty dam good, highly recommended as a smart place to visit for anyone who happens to find themselves in the general vicinity of Montrose, especially if, like me you happen to be somewhat obsessed with antiquated buildings.
AND……. The icing on the cake for me was….. my six year old granddaughters apparent genuine shared interest in these old and dusty rooms. This is poetic justice for the times I have tried  in vane to generate the smallest spark of enthusiasm from my daughter (her mother) in our built environment, in the heritage of our buildings. Alas my daughter has not the slightest interest in such things, but it seems her 6 year old daughter does!! Now, that really did make my day.

A tiny fishing village called Cove

A tiny fishing village called Cove, on the east coast of Aberdeen. This is the last place I visited before the problem with my eyes. It was a dull grey day but the little fishing boats brought a splash of colour to the bay.

A question; How to do certain stuff here??

A general question for any one who happens to be passing.
Is there a way to change all of the font in all of the posts in one blog centrally from the dashboard?? Problem is I have just imported a whole heap of old posts to a storage blog over here. Now I need to go back and change the colour font to be able to read it, ( I now have a dark back ground and need the font large and white) sounds easy enough, except that I'm talking about almost 1000 posts. To do it manually one at a time would be too time consuming, tedious and utterly boring.
I would like a way to do this centrally and choose one font colour, style and size that would automatically 'overwrite' the existing Font... any ideas any one???

Dead whale washed up on our beach.

This is so sad, a Baleen Whale was washed up on our beach in the early hours of yesterday morning. There have been a series of  ‘Whale incidents’ on this stretch of coastline over the last couple of weeks. After looking at the numbers of whales beached on North Sea coasts scientists have suggested that surges of solar activity may cause whales to run aground. A higher number of  whale strandings have been recorded when the sun's activity is high and there was  a large solar flare, captured by Nasa's Solar Dynamics Observatory, at 8.36pm on August 31.

From ‘The Courier’


‘’Earlier this month, 17 whales, including three calves, died after a 27-strong pod beached on rocks between Pittenweem and Anstruther.

A second group of 24 pilot whales, thought to be from the same pod, was spotted in shallow water near Cellardyke but they later dispersed.

Attempts to rescue a minke whale, caught in netting off the Angus coast, near the Bell Rock Lighthouse, also ended in failure on the same weekend.

The latest dead whale was discovered by a passer-by on the beach at Elliot, Arbroath, around 8.30am on Friday’’.

Full story here

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/News/Angus/article/24930/more-questions-after-40ft-whale-washes-up-at-arbroath.html

Walking the cliffs part 3.

Walking the cliffs part 3.

So this is what I walked so far to see?

( below, Maiden Castle, an ancient promontory fort, as seen from the footpath) 

( above, the furthest, shallowest end of the Fort)

When I woke up that morning, when I looked out of the window and saw what a beautiful day it was, maybe even the best day of the whole year, I knew this is where I wanted to be. I’ve walked past this distinctive landmark many times before and studied it from the cliff top path, but on this day, I wanted to stand on top of it. I’ve climbed it a couple of times before, every time I do it the task is more difficult than it was before. I get older and stiffer and the land becomes more and more overgrown, and on each occasion I stand on the top, look over the landscape and think to myself, savour this, remember this, because this could be the last time. And this time it was extremely difficult. At times I didn’t think I was going to make it.
( the steepest track down into the ditch, very overgrown)

‘It’, is an ancient promontory fort situated on a small outcrop of land laying 100 foot above the sea. On the seaward side the cliffs drop sharply into the sea where clusters of smaller jagged rocks protrude above the waves. On the landward side the remains of the rampart, or vallum and the fosse (bank and ditch) are clearly visible. 

 (the tiny track at the bottom of the ditch to the back of the fort)

The other side of the ditch the earth bank remains of the little fort rise up about twenty feet out of the ditch. There were two clearly defined tracks down the vallum into the fosse at the bottom, one was relatively short but very steep and one was relatively long but more shallow and descended at an angle cutting across the vallum. There were other less well defined tracks but those two were the most established.

 ( climbing up the track to the top of the Fort)

The first time I climbed this little fort a few years ago I took the steep track down, but even then I found it difficult to descent so quickly at such a steep incline on a narrow track that was wet and slippery. Since then I have always taken the other track. 

 ( almost at the top)

It’s difficult to assess the depth of this ditch because it’s difficult to see all of it at once, but I think it’s at least twenty foot and some descriptions of the fort say its 30 foot. On this particular day I looked for the tracks, the first one would have been the steep one, the more shallow track was another 30 foot along the path. It looked undisturbed since the last time I was there. The bank was completely overgrown with long grass, nettles and brambles. I found the steep track, it was very overgrown but at least I could see it. I considered going down that way but pretty soon realised I wouldn’t make it and it looked a long way to end up sliding and falling. I walked along the path looking for the other track but when I did eventually find it, it was completely overgrown with nettles. Fortunately, I had taken my walking stick with me. 

 ( at the top of the widest part, looking back to the narrow end)

I edged down the track beating the nettles out of the way as I went. It was wet and boggy underfoot and most of the time I couldn’t see the ground beneath the undergrowth. With every step I had no idea how far my foot would sink into the vegetation before I felt firm land beneath it. It took forever to edge down that ditch, and I must admit there were times when little nagging doubts began to creep in, I remember thinking, what if I can’t get out?? 

 ( flat land in front of the Fort, and three sisters rock formation)

Bashing those nettles out of the way was a horrible job and I ended up with lots of nettle rash. Once at the bottom I had to edge along the bottom of ditch back toward the direction I had come. I was heading for the tiny track that led to the back of the fort. I know from previous occasions the side of this little fort that faces the path is much too steep to climb, the only way up is to walk around the back and climb up that way. I also knew that I needed to walk along the side of the ditch for as far as I could because once I started to cross the bottom of the ditch my feet would sink into a boggy mess. The bottom of the ditch remains marshy all year and my feet sink to ankle level. I walked as far as I could before crossing to the other side of the ditch and then headed for the little track that disappeared around the back of the fort. Once at the back, and out of sight of the path, the fort rises on the landward side and beneath the fort, an area of flat land stretches out toward the cliff edge and the sea. 
 

 ( flat land beneath the fort on seaward side)

I have never walked across this little piece of land. I’m not sure where the land ends and the cliffs begin and, being directly behind the fort, it’s completely blocked from view of the path. At the back of the fort there are two choices, the first track up to the top is so steep it’s almost vertical, but walk further along the base of the fort and the incline is easier. I took the second track, the shallow one. But even here the track was overgrown with long grass, I climbed up on all fours using the long grass to hang on to and pull myself up with. The track leads to the top of the narrowest end of the fort. The earth mound that is all that’s left of the fort is long and narrow at one end but widens along the ridge toward the other end. The top is barley two foot wide at the narrow end but widens to about six foot at the other end, and it was all vey overgrown.  I walked along the ridge of the fort toward the widest point, smashing the undergrowth out of the way as I went. And once I was there, I just stood and admired the view. One of the reasons I love being there is because it makes me feel as if I am standing on top of the world. 

Standing on top of the fort and looking left you get a spectacular view of a rock formation knows as the three sisters which jut out from a disused fishing cove called Carlingheugh Bay. 

 
In front of you the sea stretches out toward the horizon, 

 ( looking right)
 
looking right you get a perfect view of another tiny sheltered sandy bay, and looking behind, inland, you see miles and miles of farmland.

 ( farmland seen from the top of the fort)

This, to me, is the perfect spot. I didn’t stay long this time, the ground on top of the fort was too overgrown to sit down, I would have liked to sit and admire the view but instead I just stood for 15 minutes or so, standing on top of the world.  Negotiating my way back was just as difficult, when I reached the safety of the footpath I had to take my shoes off and tip the water out, they smelt like a putrid bog which wasn’t pleasant. The whole thing was exhausting, but well worth the effort. On the way back I saw some people fishing out on the rocks, a perfect end to a perfect day.

Walking the cliffs, part 2.

So……….picking up where I left off yesterday. Once past the little wooden fence and the rather scary bit where you see the path collapsed into the sea, you round the corner and Dickmont den comes into view. 

This is a deep inlet in the cliff with a small island at the entrance. This was the major ‘dropping off’ stop for the smugglers. There are narrow slit caves in the cliff almost at sea level. 

These let light into the large cave above the shore which was used by the smugglers to hide their goods. This cave is linked to the sea by a tunnel and this was their anchorage. 

The steep narrow track from the cliff top to the tunnels is still there today, but its dangerous, overgrown and out of bounds to all but the most reckless. After Dickmont Den, the footpath rises slightly giving more excellent views of the sea and the cliff face. 

And then, the long narrow stretch of grassy cliff top, complete with conveniently placed bench seat comes into view.  I sat myself there for a while watching the sea. 

August and September are good months to catch site of the dolphins swimming north to the Moray Firth, and today was a good day to dolphin watch. I spotted a pair swimming north, they were not playing and jumping, they only surfaced to get air and then carried on with their journey. Again, I wished for a good camera. With a good camera I could happily sit on that little bench, maybe take a picnic and admire the views waiting for the perfect photo opportunity. I didn’t bother even trying to get photos yesterday. The dolphins were too far out and my camera is not up to the job. 

This bench, beside being the place to dolphin spot, gives wonderful views of the stack known as De’ils’s Heid ( Devils Head). It was here that a new cave was discovered a couple of years ago. This cave was completely hidden from view, someone had filled in the hole in the cliff face leaving space to fit a door and porthole window with a roomy ‘cave’ space behind. This was then carpeted and fitted with furniture. There was a sturdy rope, chain and wood ladder from the cave ‘door’ to the sea below. So far, the ‘owner’ of this cave has not been found but the ladder has been removed to protect the public from their own stupidity. The long split running through the rock at the base of the De’il’s Heid is known as ‘the three story house’. This split widens and narrows along its length and only at its narrowest points can it be crossed.
Before I left home I had made a mental note of how far I wanted to go. My chosen destination for that day was a place called Maiden Castle. It’s not actually a castle; it is the ancient remains of a cliff top defensive settlement or fort. When I have shown people pictures of this in the past their automatic reaction is ‘oh that’s a long barrow, an ancient burial place’. I can see why they would think this, but its not, it’s a fort used by Iron Age people as a defensive dwelling place.  As you turn a corner in the cliff top path, Maiden Castle comes into view. 

And that is it for now.  I will continue with the tale of Maiden castle later.