Light and Dark

Passing Place

2011-09-07T21:55:00.000+01:00

On the way to the Beallach Na Ba this summer, we stopped at this passing place which clearly had Fiona's name on it. Imagine having your own passing place! Cool or what?

Wigwams are ace!.......

As is surfing in Scotland!

Edinburgh Riots 2011

2011-08-11T20:40:00.000+01:00

Those of you of a nervous disposition should avoid watching this.....

As You Sow So Shall Ye Reap

2011-08-10T22:00:00.000+01:00

As Members of the Establishment, Bankers, MP's and journalists threw their collective hands up in horror over the greed and immorality of the London Scum........

Their indignity grew as they grappled with the question.........

'Where on earth do these people get their morals from'?

A Bit Of Self Indulgence

2011-07-29T22:26:00.000+01:00

I can't help it......I just love this.

Goodbye and Good Riddance.

2011-07-10T19:04:00.000+01:00

I'm not and never have been one of the 7.5m loyal readers. There's nothing sad about it and you have nothing to be proud of. Quite the opposite. Hang your heads in shame and fuck off quietly.

Wow!.....Who saw THAT coming?

2011-05-06T17:37:00.000+01:00

ONE SMALL STEP FOR SCOTS............

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR SCOTLAND.

And in celebration, one of Scotland's finest voices......... short but very sweet.

Lay Lady Lay

2011-04-13T17:21:00.000+01:00

From today's Guardian

You can watch Lady nurturing her egg on a webcam directed at her eyrie. Photograph: AP

A venerable osprey that has already set records for breeding success has delighted conservationists and bird lovers by laying her 59th egg, confounding fears she might never breed again.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust said that Lady, a 26-year-old osprey nesting at the Lowes wildlife reserve in Perthshire, had laid her first egg of the breeding season after her latest mate returned to their nest.

Reserve staff spotted Lady hunched protectively over the egg in her eyrie high up in a Scots pine at lunchtime. The trust has now put in place a round-the-clock guard to prevent egg thieves and vandals reaching her nest.

Ospreys normally lay two to four eggs per season, so the reserve is hoping for at least one further egg to be laid, with the first chick expected within a week. The drama is being streamed live around the world, with a "nest cam" trained on the eyrie.

Lady broke another record last month when she returned for her 21st season at the Lowes reserve from a 6,000-mile round trip to winter in Gambia. After surviving a difficult summer when she fell seriously ill from dehydration and starvation, the trust feared she was unlikely to return home.

Most ospreys live to be eight or 10 in the wild, producing up to 20 eggs; Lady is now 26 and has bred 48 surviving chicks. That total means she is now one of Britain's most important birds of prey, a matriarch playing a significant role in propping up the species' numbers.

Persecuted to extinction as a breeding bird in the UK in 1916, the osprey recolonised naturally in the 1950s but remains one of the UK's rarest birds of prey. It is less common than the golden eagle, with an estimated 200 breeding pairs around Britain.

Anna Cheshier, the trust's Perthshire ranger, said: "If chicks successfully hatch from the eggs, this osprey will have produced 49 or even 50 chicks, an incredible contribution to the recovering osprey population breeding in Scotland.

"We hope to raise enough money to track these chicks using satellite tags this year, to find out about their inherited migration path and learn useful information which could help protect ospreys during migration."

Julie Fowlis

2011-04-09T14:50:00.000+01:00

Five minutes of heartbreak. Not a clue what she's singing about, but the emotions are clear. And the voice of an angel.
I love the wintry scene outside too, somehow adds to the ambience.......enjoy.

Blue Things in Green Things

2011-04-03T22:59:00.000+01:00

Any ideas what these are? Cos I don't.

Pretty though.

Forfar Loch

2011-03-31T22:48:00.000+01:00

My first visit to the loch this year. I took these a couple of weeks ago. Literally the first time the weather's been bearable enough to make the venture.

I thought these pics seemed to benefit from a bit of colour drainage.

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Earth Hour 2011....Light and Dark

2011-03-26T10:31:00.000Z

Switch off your lights tonight, sit in the dark and light a candle......Light and Dark.....geddit?

Prof Brian Cox

2011-03-18T19:03:00.000Z

Forget earthquakes, tsunamis, war, terrorism, Nick Clegg and David Cameron for 3 mins and 13 seconds.....

For those of you who just love Brian and his perfect teeth......enjoy!

Billy McKenzie

2011-03-14T20:07:00.000Z

Came across this today and just had to share it. Ok, I know the vid quality is rubbish but the audio is relatively good. Good enough to allow Billy's unique and marvellous voice to shine through.

What a talent he was.

e.e. cummings

2011-03-10T18:17:00.001Z

l(a

l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness

--e.e.cummings 1894-1962

Driving from Arbroath to Brechin this morning I stopped to take some tree pictures. The one above was my favourite and I faffed about with it and got two results which I quite liked. I got to thinking about a poem which would reflect the pictures and was toying with Sylvia Plath and William Carlos Williams 'Winter Trees'.
But I eventually plumped for e.e. cummings' 'l(a'. I know it's not Autumn, but I just think the words and pictures compliment each other.
I'd be interested to know what you think of the poem. Clever? Pretentious? Sad?.......
.......and wasn't ol' e.e. one cool dude?

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Motivation

2011-03-06T17:35:00.001Z

I've neglected this blog recently. Two reasons really, firstly lack of motivation and secondly, crap weather. It's not been easy getting out and about with the camera this winter. The second excuse is growing in irrelevance with the longer days and slight increase in temperatures. So I suppose I better address the first one.
What motivates the blogger?....................

Answers in the comments section please............Cos I don't have any at the moment.

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Talented Burd and her mate

2011-02-16T22:22:00.001Z

Song of the week. Never knew she could sing.

Scottish Football League HQ Reaction

2011-02-10T23:37:00.000Z

Salad slaves: Who really provides our vegetables - video | Business | guardian.co.uk

2011-02-09T22:28:00.000Z

Salad slaves: Who really provides our vegetables - video | Business | guardian.co.uk

If This Doesn't Make You Squirm......

2011-01-25T17:52:00.001Z

First time I watched this I was aware that my jaw was still wide open about thirty seconds later.

Close Call

2011-01-24T21:33:00.000Z

This is a true story from the Word Perfect Helpline, which was transcribed from a recording monitoring the customer care department. Needless to say the Help Desk employee was fired; however, he/she is currently suing the Word Perfect organization for 'Termination without Cause'.
Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee.

Operator: 'Ridge Hall, computer assistance; may I help you?'
Caller: 'Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect.'
Operator: 'What sort of trouble??'
Caller: 'Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away.'
Operator: 'Went away?'
Caller: 'They disappeared.'
Operator: 'Hmm So what does your screen look like now?'
Caller: 'Nothing...'
Operator: 'Nothing??'
Caller: 'It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type.'
Operator: 'Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out??'
Caller: 'How do I tell?'
Operator: 'Can you see the C: prompt on the screen??'
Caller: 'What's a sea-prompt?'
Operator: 'Never mind, can you move your cursor around the screen?'
Caller: 'There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I type.'
Operator: 'Does your monitor have a power indicator??'
Caller: 'What's a monitor?'
Operator: 'It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on??'
Caller: 'I don't know.'
Operator: 'Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that??'
Caller: 'Yes, I think so.'
Operator: 'Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall.
Caller: 'Yes, it is.'
Operator: 'When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one??'
Caller: 'No.'
Operator: 'Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable..'
Caller: 'Okay, here it is.'
Operator: 'Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer.'
Caller: 'I can't reach.'
Operator: 'Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is??'
Caller: 'No.'
Operator: 'Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over??'
Caller: 'Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle - it's because it's dark.'
Operator: 'Dark??'
Caller: 'Yes - the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window.
' Operator: 'Well, turn on the office light then.'
Caller: 'I can't.'
Operator: 'No? Why not??'
Caller: 'Because there's a power failure.'
Operator: 'A power......... A power failure? Aha, Okay, we've got it licked now.
Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in??'
Caller: 'Well, yes, I keep them in the closet.'
Operator: 'Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from.'
Caller: 'Really? Is it that bad?'
Operator: 'Yes, I'm afraid it is.'
Caller: 'Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them??'
Operator: 'Tell them you're too f --- ing stupid to own a computer!!!!!'
-----------------------------------------------------------

.......At least they never used my name........!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-05T22:14:00.000Z

School of Seven Bells

2010-11-30T16:28:00.002Z

Came across this band via Radcliffe and Maconie's live session on Radio 2. Checked out their album 'Disconnected From Desire'. Imagine The Cocteau Twins meet Kraftwerk via New Order. I LOVE this song. And the vids not too shabby either.
Just when you think the world of music's about to come crashing down around your ears with X Factor shit and Take That reforming, something like this comes along to restore your faith.

Enjoy.

The Death of Summer

2010-11-28T16:47:00.000Z

I thought this poor old Sunflower deserved it's 15 seconds of fame.

This was the scene which greeted me when I woke this morning.

When the BBC weather announced a 'dumping' of snow overnight.....

They weren't kidding.

As I type....it's still snowing....

Could it be a day off work tomorrow?.......

The Snow Man

One must have a mind of winter

To regard the frost and the boughs

Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;

And have been cold a long time

To behold the junipers shagged with ice,

The spruces rough in the distant glitter

Of the January sun; and not to think

Of any misery in the sound of the wind,

In the sound of a few leaves,

Which is the sound of the land

Full of the same wind

That is blowing in the same bare place

For the listener, who listens in the snow,

And, nothing himself, beholds

Nothing that is not there and the nothing that is.

Wallace Stevens 1879-1955

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Nothingness

2010-11-24T22:37:00.005Z

The Manics return to greatness aided and abetted by the wonderful Ian McCullough. How feckin good is this?

The sky is falling in on you
Crushed any happiness you knew
The tree gave more to you than love
It's still there but baby you're gone

Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, conclusions foregone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph

Laid yourself out under the stars
Some peace at last so don't be sad
A fitting end to your end
But baby, death's our only friend

Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, confusions foregone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph

Your future glories all empty of thoughts
There's beauty doing nothing at all
It's what you wanted, it's what you got
Your final search for truth has stopped

There's beauty doing nothing at all
Never, never stop
Never, never, never stop
Never stop
Never stop
Never stop
Never

Remember you, stretched out in the sun
All alone forever, conclusions forgone
Will you find some kind of nothingness?
Still and lonely like an old school photograph

Luskentyre

2010-11-19T18:54:00.000Z

I think I'm losing the will to blog.

But every now and then I come across pics like these and feel the need to share them.

Luskentyre on Harris is a very special place.

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Harris

2010-11-07T15:24:00.000Z

See more Scenic Sunday posts here

Creep

2010-10-27T22:21:00.001+01:00

I came across this version of the Radiohead song at the weekend. Scala and Kolacny Brothers.

Belgian girls choir with a foul mouth. What's not to like?

The Man With No Brain

2010-10-18T22:28:00.000+01:00

David Cameron proudly shows reporters his brain. It was apparently discovered at the bottom of a Chilean mine.

My Team

2010-10-16T15:42:00.000+01:00

How can this possibly happen again?

Dundee FC in crisis: club may be wound up by Christmas

The ghost of Christmas yet to come now haunts Dundee after administrator Bryan Jackson warned the Dark Blues are in real danger of going out of business.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Sport/Football/article/6357/dundee-fc-in-crisis-club-may-be-wound-up-by-christmas.htm

Merry Christmas eh? I'm gutted.

Tosser

2010-09-27T22:31:00.000+01:00

Good ol' George......First bit of 'positive' news from the IMF and he hits the headlines. 'Crap' news would have been deflected by his Lib Dem Coalition dogsbodies. What a total tosser you are George.
And the IMF are no better, slimily coming to the aid of their capitalist brothers. Where were they when their banker mates were bringing this country to its knees? Dicks.

The Late Great Billy McKenzie

2010-09-26T21:27:00.001+01:00

The Road To Paradise

2010-09-23T17:47:00.015+01:00

These pictures evoke such strong emotions in me that I'd struggle to put them into words.

So I'm not going to try.

Suffice to say that I took these pictures almost a year ago on my first visit to Harris. It was to turn out to be the last happy, carefree time that Irene, Fiona and I spent together.

I don't often post personal stuff...... probably just as well.

Slowly In The West

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Douglas Dunn

2010-09-21T22:31:00.007+01:00

Tay Bridge by Douglas Dunn

A sky that tastes of rain that’s still to fall

And then of rain that falls and tastes of sky…

The colour of the country’s moist and subtle

In dusk’s expected rumour. Amplify

All you can see this evening and the broad

Water enlarges, Dundee slips by an age

Into its land before the lights come on.

Pale, mystic lamps lean on the river-road

Bleaching the city’s lunar after-image,

And there’s the moon, and there’s the setting sun.

The rail bridge melts in a dramatic haze.

Slow visibility – a long train floats

Through a stopped shower’s narrow waterways

Above rose-coloured river, dappled motes

In the eye and the narrow piers half-real

Until a cloud somewhere far in the west

Mixes its inks and draws iron and stone

In epic outlines, black and literal.

Now it is simple, weathered, plain, immodest

In waterlight and late hill-hidden sun

High water adds freshwater-filtered salt

To the aquatic mirrors, a thin spice

That sharpens light on Middle Bank, a lilt

In the reflected moon’s analysis.

Mud’s sieved and rained from pewter into gold

Conjectural infinity’s outdone

By engineering, light and hydrous fact,

A waterfront that rises fold by fold

Into the stars beyond the last of stone,

A city’s elements, local, exact.

Douglas Dunn 1942 -

Poetry Of The Highest Order

2010-09-19T23:01:00.012+01:00

One of two poems created by the fictional poet John Lillison, 'England's greatest one-armed poet'.

Pointy Birds
O pointy birds,
O pointy pointy.
Anoint my head,
Anointy-nointy.

The other poem is the equally stunning In Dillan's Grove.

In Dillan's Grove my love did die,
and now in ground shall ever lie.
None could ever replace her visage,
until your face brought thoughts of kissage.

Scottish Skies

2010-09-16T21:31:00.004+01:00

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Colin Blunstone

2010-09-11T10:22:00.006+01:00

No idea why this song popped into my head this rainy Saturday morning. But I'm glad it did.

I love Colin Blunstone's wistful voice. It's unique.

Every Cloud....

2010-09-09T21:44:00.007+01:00

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Monifieth Beach

2010-09-06T18:22:00.005+01:00

Taken this morning at Monifieth. Above is looking from the beach across the park to the village.

I spent a large chunk of my childhood pottering about on those sands. I learned many things there......

How to swim, how to fish, how to play golf, how to scavenge, how to start a fire, how not to drink cider........ the list goes on.

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Corgarff Castle

2010-09-02T19:10:00.007+01:00

Skies around the Lecht and Corgarff areas in Invernessshire.

This is the remains of something...... not sure what.....it was round and made of stones. Bit vague I know, but hey, I don't know everything.

This is Corgarff Castle, at least I know that.

Here's the history bit....

n 1571, however, Corgarff was torched by Adam Gordon of Auchindoun, ostensibly in support of Mary Queen of Scots(the Forbes family supported the government of the infant King James VI) but there was a long-standing feud between the Forbes and the Gordons. ^[7.1] In 1571, Adam Gordon besieged Corgarff while Lord Forbes was away on business. ^[7.2] The laird of Corgarff was away, but Margaret, his wife, was at home and refused them entry. ^[7.3]

They were replaced with two single-storey pavilions and the star-shaped wall, equipped with musket-loops, that gives Corgarff its unrivalled appearance. ^[7.4]

In November 1571, Adam Gordon, brother of the Earl of Huntly, attempted to take Corgarff. ^[7.5]

The grass-grown remains of a small quarry have been recorded in pasture about 90m to the south-west of Corgarff Castle. ^[7.6]

These were followed by the plunder of Lord Forbes seat itself, and then the murder of twenty-seven Forbes of Towieat Corgarff. ^[7.7]

On the hill above the castle is this odd Standing Stone, inscribed with a poem of sorts and funny little holes which you look through and can see various landmarks around the area, including the castle.

A bit of an oddity, but quite nice nevertheless.

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Summer Dawn

2010-08-31T19:51:00.007+01:00

Summer Dawn

My sleeping children are still flying dreams
in their goose-down heads.
The lush of the river singing morning songs
Fish watch their ceilings turn sun-white.
The grey-green pike lances upstream
Kale, like mermaid's hair
points the water's drift.
All is morning hush
and bird beautiful.

If only,
I didn't have flu.

Spike Milligan 1918 - 2002

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Careful What You Wish For...

2010-08-24T20:05:00.007+01:00

In my last post, I wished for rain until December.....

Not sure if that was altogether wise....

It does make the Angus landscape a bit more dramatic though.

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Simpsons Clouds

2010-08-19T18:35:00.007+01:00

It's that time of year again. The crops are ripe for harvesting and the roads are full of tractors and combines ......

But being the mild mannered bloke that I am, you rarely hear expletives emitting from my gob.

I fully understand the necessity of the farmers work in getting the crops in whilst the weather holds. After all it's a short window they have between the summer sun and the start of the Autumn frosts.

I just wish it would rain from now till December.....

Black Dog

2010-08-14T21:30:00.007+01:00

I've neglected this blog for a bit, largely due to a visit from Churchill's Black Dog. But he's trotting off into the distance now, looking for someone else to bother for a bit.

I got to thinking about the origins of the phrase that Churchill used and found an interesting site...

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/docs/Foley.pdf

Can It Really Be A Year?

2010-08-12T20:01:00.010+01:00

......Since the Perseids Meteor?.....

Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight, with best views in western parts of UK
Astronomers, amateur and professional, will be out in force to see brilliant display with hundreds of shooting stars

Ian Sample, Science Correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 12 August 2010 18.01 BST

Meteor hunters should head west for the best view of this evening's Perseid meteor shower, according to weather forecasters.

The Perseids reach a peak of activity tonight and will be most visible in Britain at 11pm, in areas where the skies are dark and cloud free.

Astronomers are expecting a dazzling light show with more than 60 shooting stars zipping across the sky every hour. The bright streaks are caused by tiny particles of debris from a comet burning up in the Earth's atmosphere at 135,000mph.

Much of the cloud hanging over the country will break up this evening, but a low pressure system over the North Sea is expected to push a fresh band of cloud over eastern regions, the Met Office said.

"Somewhere well-sheltered from the northerly wind and in a western part of the country is the most likely place for the cloud to break," a Met Office spokeswoman said. "Further east, there is a chance you'll end up with showers and cloud blocking the view from time to time."

The clearest skies are expected over the coasts of Dorset and south Wales and eastern parts of Devon. The south-eastern regions of Northern Ireland, and Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland are also expected to have cloud-free skies.

British astronomers are collecting tweets from meteor-spotters, which will be turned into a map showing where the most shooting stars are being seen around the world.

"If you get as far away as possible from streetlights, you'll see a shooting star every few minutes, maybe many more than that," said Adrian West, organiser of Twitter Meteorwatch.

"If you're under a cloud, you can follow all the action on Twitter using the #Meteorwatch hashtag."

Took these pics about 20 minutes ago. Just hoping the skies stay clear for another couple of hours or so.

Hope it's nice and clear wherever you are......

Lady Update

2010-07-04T08:00:00.018+01:00

I posted just over a week ago about Lady the Osprey at the Loch of the Lowes near Dunkeld and about how ill she was. Working on the principle that no news is good news it was nevertheless with some trepidation that I clicked on the webcam to find out the latest news.

The video above I find extremely touching as it's very rare for a male Osprey (or Green 7Y to his mates) to hang around when a female gets sick or injured. This guys loyalty has extended not only to feeding the two chicks but also to feeding Lady (or Marge) himself.

As a result, Lady has made a remarkable recovery and by the middle of last week she was out fishing and feeding the chicks herself again.

You can catch up on the very latest developments here

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June Scottish Skies

2010-07-01T21:28:00.006+01:00

No need for words here.....

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And As For The Ball Crossing The Line.....

2010-06-27T17:17:00.010+01:00

Beautiful
Hopeless

I've just watched Engerland getting seriously humped by Germany.

Now as you are probably aware from previous posts on here, I hold no particular affection for the Engerland footie team.

This has no racist overtones, I quite like the English.

What narks me most of all is the pundits and so called experts.

When are they going to realise that these so called 'world beaters' ie Terry, Rooney, Gerrard, Cole, Lampard etc ad infinitum are merely average players?

The panel on the Beeb were dumbfounded by the fact that these guys do it again and again in the Premier League......

AGAINST WHO?

Hull City, Birmingham, Wolves, West Brom......etc

In other words......shite.

WAKE UP YOU DUMB F***KS

Oh......and by the way, great to see justice finally done after 44 years. Yes, that ball was a yard over the line......

Cottages

2010-06-26T18:47:00.014+01:00

Pick a favourite......I can't. The Heelan Coos add a certain charm despite the state of the place.

Although this has to be right up there.....

This one needs a bit of renovation, it has to be said.

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Lady

2010-06-24T13:40:00.014+01:00

Ospreys.......

Now I know what you're thinking......

Depending on what part of the world you're from..... perhaps not a big deal.

But in Scotland, this particular Osprey IS a big deal.

Let me fill you in......

Survival hopes for Loch of the Lowes osprey

Page last updated at 11:39 GMT, Wednesday, 23 June 2010 12:39 UK

Staff at the reserve are "excited" at the osprey's progress

A sick osprey in Perthshire that was thought to have only hours to live appears to be making a recovery.

Thousands of webcam viewers around the world have been watching the progress of 25-year-old Lady, the oldest known breeding osprey in the UK.

The bird, which is nesting at the Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve near Dunkeld, stopped eating for three days and had become very weak.

But the reserve said they were now hopeful for her survival.

Ospreys usually live between eight and 15 years and are estimated to produce about 20 eggs during that time.

But Lady has produced 56 eggs and succeeded in raising 46 chicks to fledging.

She has also developed an international following through the webcam which is trained on her eyrie during breeding season.

Reserve manager Peter Ferns said the osprey had now begun feeding her chicks again.

'Phenomenal bird'

He wrote on the Scottish Wildlife Trust blog: "What a great sight to come into this morning - our Lady feeding the chicks. She is getting stronger and stronger all the time and we are more hopeful than we have been for her survival.

"But I would like to stress that whatever happened to her at the weekend could have long-term effects on her."

On Tuesday, Lady began eating fish brought to the nest by her 10-year-old mate.

A spokeswoman for the trust said staff at the reserve were "quite excited" at the progress she was showing.

She added: "She's definitely a phenomenal bird."

On Monday, the trust warned it expected the bird to die on Tuesday or Wednesday.

She had stopped eating and had taken on a "sunken appearance" and had poor co-ordination.

Many worried webcam viewers contacted the trust on Sunday when Lady first showed signs of sickness.

I've followed the ups and downs of Lady for years now and I was saddened by the turn of events over the weekend. But it's great to see the remarkable turnaround she's made. You can follow the events on the webcam here......http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/swt/swt.php

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Edit:

Comeback amazes web audience
EXPERTS LAST night watched in amazement as Scotland’s most famous bird of prey continued to make what has been billed as the greatest comeback since Lazarus.

There was devastation among twitchers as it seemed certain inspirational 25-year-old Lady would not survive a mystery bug that struck her down at the weekend.

However, the 100,000-plus enthusiasts watching a webcam trained on her nest at Loch of the Lowes near Dunkeld are continuing to witness incredible signs of recovery.

Lady has produced an amazing 48 chicks in her 20 years at the reserve, playing a huge part in the recovery of Scotland’s osprey population.

Staff at Loch of the Lowes kept vigil as her ageing body struggled to cope with infection.

Reserve manager Peter Ferns admitted they had been fearing the worst prior to Lady’s remarkable recovery.

As he reflected on an emotional few days, he said staff were now “more hopeful than ever.”

“It was great to come in this morning to be greeted with the sight of our Lady feeding the chicks,” Peter said.

“She is getting stronger and stronger all the time and we are more hopeful than we have been for her survival.”

Nevertheless, Lady’s well-wishers from every corner of the globe are being warned that the famous old bird is not necessarily out of woods.

“I would like to stress that whatever happened to her at the weekend could have long-term effects,” he said.

“I have spoken to our vet and to other people who have been dealing with ospreys for many more years than I and they all say the same—they have never seen an osprey like this.

“Let’s enjoy what each day brings because I am sure this won’t be the last drama this season.

“We still have a few more weeks to go before our chicks fledge,” Peter added.

“That drama in itself is amazing to watch.”

A Beautiful Day

2010-06-23T21:04:00.008+01:00

I wish I had the peace this guy has.....

Things I'd Like To See Tonight Part 2

2010-06-22T22:28:00.001+01:00

It's nothing personal......... honest.

Things I'd Like To See Tonight

2010-06-12T16:49:00.011+01:00

Scottish Skies and Heelan Coos

2010-06-10T23:05:00.008+01:00

A Scottish sky in June....

.....and the obligatory Heelan' Coo...... specially for you Louise.

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A Scottish Road Trip

2010-06-09T22:13:00.013+01:00

So........ where do you take a visitor to Scotland?...... First stop is obvious...

Then...... You go to Loch Ness and watch for the monster as the sun goes down....

Next is the Bealach Na Ba summit..... after scaring the shit out of your passenger!....

After that is a perfect lunch of Haddock and Chips and McEwans 80/- at the Applecross Inn.....

Of course the obligatory Eilan Donan creeps in somewhere..... not quite in sync here.....

The evening spent at Ruadh Rea lighthouse...... an experience that everyone should have once in a lifetime....

Polished off with a boat trip into Loch Coruisk and the Cuillins on Skye.

Edinburgh Castle

2010-06-03T23:38:00.011+01:00

The above pics were taken from the Old Waverley Hotel on Princes Street. We've been blessed with some pretty glorious weather recently......

This was taken in Princes Street Gardens this afternoon. That's the Scott Monument rising up behind the trees.

I took this pic of the Bank of Scotland building whilst parking my arse outside the National Gallery of Scotland whilst Ms Toastburner bought the entire contents of the Gallery Shop......

Next stop...... the Highlands.

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Ponies, Rape and Primark

2010-05-27T17:05:00.015+01:00

Yeah.....I know, strange title for a blogpost, but......

All will become clear dear blogfriend.....

These were taken last Saturday during the 48 hours that was Scotland's summer......

I took pics of these fellas in the bleak midwinter....... some of you may remember. http://beingfreescotland.blogspot.com/2010/02/shetland-ponies-and-snow.html

They were freezing their little nuts off back then. Saturday saw them in happier mood.

And in response to demand...... my three quid t shirt from Primark. Extremely natty dontcha think?

Although Molly, my wee girl's dog steals the show somewhat.......

Much prettier than my belly....

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Fire In The Fields

2010-05-26T20:12:00.007+01:00

Driving home from work this afternoon, I was struck by this blaze in the distance.

I've no idea what was burning.....

It wasn't a house or building.....I'm pretty sure of that.

But it looked pretty amazing whatever it was.

Slightly farther to the east it was raining.......

Swans and Castles and Big Guns

2010-05-24T16:16:00.018+01:00

The weather this weekend has been pretty amazing for Scotland in May. Absolutely glorious.

On Saturday I headed down to Broughty Ferry. Always a nice destination on a sunny day...

One for the boys...... ye cannae whack a big gun.

Can't make up my mind whether the Saltire (Scottish Flag) was flying at half mast or not.....

Mebbe some toff tosser was just seriously ill......

The swans were out in force......This one was giving me the evil eye I think.

....Ah the crystal clear waters of the Silvery Tay..... click this to get a better view all the way up to the Tay Road Bridge.

The queue at Vissochi's was too long for ice cream, so I settled for Gregg's sausage rolls and a freezing cold bottle of Lucozade and wandered back to the stony beach and the swans.....

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Arbroath Abbey Bowling Club

2010-05-21T20:10:00.009+01:00

When I become a grumpy old tosser..... and no comments please......

.....this is the kind of place I want to be.......

Playing bowls here when you're 70 is probably the equivalant of being off your face in a nightclub with a beautiful girl in your 20's.....

......well mebbe not.....but you get my drift.

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Desperate Dan and Fiona

2010-05-19T18:45:00.007+01:00

My beautiful wee girl Fiona and I went on a shopping spree in Dundee on Saturday. It was a lovely day and we had a great time together. Jimmy Chung's got a visit.... Fiona got a new outfit and ruby slippers.....I got a 3 quid T shirt from Primark.....that's the way it should be, right?

Desperate Dan is the one on the left......

Just kidding Fee!

How cool are those shoes?

A Bridge Over The River Annan

2010-05-17T18:35:00.018+01:00

I was driving home last night from the very South of Scotland (Annan area) after dropping my wee girl Fiona off.......long story...

.....she doesn't live with me for reasons which I can't understand and won't go into here......

......but I stopped on the way home to take some pics of this beautiful bridge over the River Annan

All the way home I played Biffy Clyro's 'Many Of Horror'. on repeat from Dumfries to Forfar.....4 hours non stop of the same song......I haven't had that for a long time.

Why do some songs do that to you?........I'll sicken myself of it eventually, but it hasn't happened yet.....I blared it in the car on the way to work this morning again.

This is another song that did this to me......I make no apologies......I'm no Abba fan. But this song breaks my heart...... and the beauty of it is that it's a happy song. To me, that's real genius.....writing a song which has the ability to conflict emotions. If you know the song...great, but I doubt you've heard this version......if not, either way you're in for a treat...

There's also a personal message here.....

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St Clements Church, Rodel, Harris

2010-05-13T19:47:00.012+01:00

This is St Clements Church in Rodel on Harris........there was a wedding going on when I took these pics. It's hard to imagine a more beautiful setting for getting married.

And being Harris....the obligatory sheep had to get their arses in the pic.....

Cruciform in shape, the church was built around 1500 by the Macleods of Dunvegan and Harris. In 1784 the church was rebuilt by Captain Alexander MacLeod. Three years later there was a fire and he had to repair his work. In 1873 it was restored under the orders of the Countess of Dunmore. Today it is in the care of Historic Scotland. It is thought that the sandstone used inside and around the windows might have been imported from Carsaig on Mull.

In days gone by the key used to be held at the local hotel where visitors had to go and fetch it. Nowadays, with so many visitors coming here, the key is kept attached to the door. Inside to the right of the entrance is a marble plaque noting the restoration by the Countess of Dunmore.

It's hard to convey what these pics mean to me.....

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The Ruined Cottage

2010-05-12T18:47:00.015+01:00

Slightly better mood tonight...... took these on the way home this evening from work. I pass that ruined old cottage every day and always think of Wordsworth's poem.

From The Ruined Cottage

TWAS summer, and the sun had mounted high:

Southward the landscape indistinctly glared

Through a pale steam; but all the northern downs,

In clearest air ascending, showed far off

A surface dappled o'er with shadows flung

From brooding clouds; shadows that lay in spots

Determined and unmoved, with steady beams

Of bright and pleasant sunshine interposed;

To him most pleasant who on soft cool moss

Extends his careless limbs along the front

Of some huge cave, whose rocky ceiling casts

A twilight of its own, an ample shade,

Where the wren warbles, while the dreaming man,

Half conscious of the soothing melody,

With side-long eye looks out upon the scene,

By power of that impending covert, thrown

To finer distance. Mine was at that hour

Far other lot, yet with good hope that soon

Under a shade as grateful I should find

Rest, and be welcomed there to livelier joy.

Across a bare wide Common I was toiling

With languid steps that by the slippery turf

Were baffled; nor could my weak arm disperse

The host of insects gathering round my face,

And ever with me as I paced along.

Upon that open moorland stood a grove,

The wished-for port to which my course was bound.

Thither I came, and there, amid the gloom

Spread by a brotherhood of lofty elms,

Appeared a roofless Hut; four naked walls

That stared upon each other! - I looked round,

And to my wish and to my hope espied

The Friend I sought; a Man of reverend age,

But stout and hale, for travel unimpaired.

There was he seen upon the cottage-bench,

Recumbent in the shade, as if asleep;

An iron-pointed staff lay at his side.

William Wordsworth 1770-1850

OH MY GOD!

2010-05-11T22:21:00.011+01:00

What a f*****g disaster for this country.......and by this country, I mean Scotland. I could go on and on and on about why this is so........ but I'm so depressed about the whole shambolic situation I really don't want to depress myself any further....

In fact I'd rather discuss England's World Cup Squad.......

As a good friend of mine texted me tonight and said.....'They don't like Brown, so let's see how well 3.5 million unemployed, riots in the streets and interest rates at 15 % goes down. Ah those were the days'

Aberlemno Stones and Dry Stane Dykes

2010-05-09T19:48:00.014+01:00

I took these yesterday on the road back from Brechin to Forfar....the ol Aberlemno road. I've posted about these stones before, but it was such a gorgeous day I couldn't resist stopping and snapping. When I see walls like this I can't help feel that I should make some attempt to learn the art of 'dry stane dyking' as it's known in these parts. It's a work of art this wall. The 'dry' aspect comes from the fact that no mortar is used in the construction and the stones are fitted together by shape and size alone.

From Wikipedia:

A dry-stone wall, also known as a dry-stone dyke, drystane dyke, dry-stone hedge, or rock fence is a wall that i constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. As with other dry stone structures, the wall is held up by the interlocking of the stones. Such walls are used in building construction, as field boundaries, and on steep slopes as retaining walls for terracing.

[edit]
Location and terminology

Terminology varies regionally. When used as field boundaries, dry stone structures often are known as dykes, particularly in Scotland. Dry stone walls are characteristic of upland areas of Britain and Ireland where rock outcrops naturally or large stones exist in quantity in the soil. They are especially abundant in the West of Ireland, particularly Connemara. They also may be found throughout the Mediterranean, as in Majorca, Catalonia, Languedoc, Provence, Liguria, the Apulia region of Italy, Cyprus, and in the Canary Islands, including retaining walls used for terracing. Such constructions are common where large stones are plentiful (for example, in The Burren) or conditions are too harsh for hedges capable of retaining livestock to be grown as reliable field boundaries. Many thousands of miles of such walls exist, most of them centuries old.

The story of the stone is described in the bottom pic. They cover it up with a big wooden box over winter to protect it from the elements and remove it about now.

Aberlemno itself is just a tiny village.... a few houses, a nice wee primary school and not much else really. Well apart from the beautiful little church just down the road, which contains some more fantastic Pictish stones.....more of which later.

I'll get a pic of the other side of the stone when the sun is shining on it, it's not so well defined as the front....so I may need to haul my ass out of bed early one morning just for you lot...... the things I do eh?

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Pitmuies Gardens 2

2010-05-07T09:22:00.019+01:00

Further to my previous post about this beautiful garden. The above pic is of the 18th century house.

This is an enlarged pic of the detail I showed in the last post. Gorgeous or what?

Now when it comes to sammich and near beer spots.....this takes the proverbial biscuit....

Now I'm sure some of my green fingered gang out there can enlighten me on these beauties.

And for those of you who know of my passion for sundials....... Hallelujah!...and all mossy and licheny too!

There are lots of lovely woodland walks alongside the little burns.

I was sooo lucky to have the place to myself.

Bearing in mind these pics were taken at the beginning of May.......

..... Can you imagine just how beautiful it all is in mid summer when everything is in full bloom?

And once again.....I need some help from you horticulturalists here......I like to know the names of beautiful things.

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Cameron, Clegg and Brown?.....my arse!

2010-05-06T03:12:00.013+01:00

Demonstrating to the London parties that they ignore Scotland at their peril

For Scotland's sake........vote today

...ok so it's not political.......but it's a cracking poem.....

The Watergaw

BY HUGH MACDIARMID

Ae weet forenicht i’ the yow-trummle

I saw yon antrin thing,

A watergaw wi’ its chitterin’ licht

Ayont the on-ding;

An’ I thocht o’ the last wild look ye gied

Afore ye deed!

There was nae reek i’ the laverock’s hoose

That nicht—an’ nane i’ mine;

But I hae thocht o’ that foolish licht

Ever sin’ syne;

An’ I think that mebbe at last I ken

What your look meant then.

2010-05-05T21:02:00.005+01:00

Alberto Costa......A Man For All Seasons

Alberto Costa with his entourage....let's face it...would you vote for this man?

2010-05-04T19:42:00.001+01:00

education....pah!

2010-05-04T18:42:00.011+01:00

Here's a good one for you.....
My 13 year old daughter for some srtange reason doesn't live with me.
Her mum died recently and she decided I wasn't fit to take care of her....Her decision.
Due to this she lives with her cousin down in Dumfries.
She came home the other evening after a Modern Studies class, to inform me that David Cameron was the way to go.....because he was going to abolish tax on poor people.
Not only that....but she was informed that the SNP were irrelevent, because they didn't feature in the three way debate on telly.
Needless to say, a serious political conversation was required......

MODERN STUDIES MY ARSE

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2009/11/26155932/0

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Pitmuies Gardens

2010-05-02T19:35:00.015+01:00

How beautiful is this?

A classic example of ignoring the beauty on your own doorsep. Pitmuies Gardens.....about 8 miles from my house.

I last visited this beautiful garden about 25 years ago.

I'd completely forgotten how wonderful it is.

And to compound the ridiculousness of it all... I drive past it twice a day.....

How crazy is that?....

Two walled gardens adjoin an old white-harled house which was much enlarged and altered in the 18th century. The garden walls are still as shown on an estate map of 1780 and shelter a traditional fruit and cut-flower "kitchen" garden leading to the semi-formal gardens beyond. These gardens have a mix of roses, herbaceous borders and a much celebrated summer display of delphiniums. Old plant varieties are treasured and there are shrubs and shrub-roses, paved areas for dianthus and violas and a lily pond with fountain central to the rose gardens. Trellises for climbers and a conservatory housing rampant passion flowers all combine to provide varied habitats for a wide collection of plants. In Springtime there are massed spring bulb displays and outside the two gardens an "alpine meadow" leading to woodland, river and loch-side walks with some magnificent trees and intruiging buildings, which include a Gothick-style washhouse, a turreted dovecote, some 18th century farm buildings and former stabling. These have stone slate roofs and one, the potting shed, is festooned with ferns and bears the date 1775.
History of Garden
The gardens seem to have evolved over time - their present appearance relates to the last century, with much additional planting and alteration by the present owners over the past 30-40 years. This was only possible because they are "domestic", rather than grand, in scale and ambience. Extensive restoration and repair of the house and its ancillary buildings has been undertaken and is on-going with support from Historic Scotland. Architecturally all are listed Grade A.

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Death In Venice

2010-05-02T08:17:00.000+01:00

I've no idea what happened to the last post I did ....the vid never worked for many people. Let's hope this one's ok.

Cortachy Castle

2010-04-25T11:20:00.013+01:00

Come with me on a sneaky little tour through the Cortachy Estate. I'm not sure if I was meant to gain access to the grounds, but some careless aristocrat or his minion left the gate open......

What's a nosy guy supposed to do?

The castle is about 5 miles north of Kirriemuir in Angus.

Impressive little Gatehouse. It was a pretty dreich day, not the best for photos, but you'll get the idea.

The River South Esk runs through the Estate.... nice for a spot of salmon fishing for the Earls guests..... hope none of them fall in and drown.

As you can see the river was quite high with all the recent snow melt.

Not all that often that you see whitewashed Castles.

There's a nice little gory legend attached to the castle.....

....Lets face it, what sort of castle worth it's salt doesn't.

You'll find the legend described in full below....

I was tempted to try the door handle, but thought I'd mebbe not push my luck....

These places tend to have big dogs.....

Here's a rough guide to the history of the place...

Cortachy Castle

Cortachy Castle is a large baronial manor built around a 15th century stronghold and is the hereditary seat of the Earls of Airlie. The lands were granted to Sir Walter Ogilvy by King James II in 1473 which is probably when the construction of this castle began, though there had been a an earlier castle of the Stewart Earls of Strathearn dating from 1330 on the site previously. During the 17th century the castle was severely damaged, first by Archibald Campbell, Marquis of Argyll when he attacked it in 1641, then Cromwell burnt it down in 1651 because Ogilvy had given shelter to King Charles II there. Argyll had also destroyed the earls other castles of Airlie and Forther in 1640 which gave rise to the song "The Bonny House of Airlie". During the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745 the Ogilvy's supported the Stuart monarchy again and had the castle, estates and titles seized by the Crown. The castle was eventually returned to the family before 1815 and the Earldom by 1826. During the remainder of the 19th century the castle was heavily renovated.

Cortachy Castle and the Ogilvy family are haunted by a drummer boy who was reputedly thrown to his death from the highest tower by one of the Earls. It is uncertain which Earl of Airlie or indeed which century the legend pertains too, but the Earl in question killed the boy for either feeding information to his enemies or for having an affair with his wife, or perhaps both. The last words the drummer boy said were a curse on the family. Since then the ghostly sounds of drumming have been an omen of impending death.

There is a story that the drummer was heard by a Miss Dalrymple in December 1844 whist staying at Cortachy Castle. She had the story explained to her by a nervous Earl and Lady Airlie, emphasizing that the last time it was heard, a Lady Airlie had died. Miss Dalrymple fled the castle after hearing it a second time and Lady Airlie commited suicide within six months. If this is correct the experience would have happened during the time of David Ogilvy, 9th Earl of Airlie (1785-1849).

A second account has the drumming foretell the death of David Ogilvy, 9th Earl of Airlie. The drummer was supposed to have been heard on 19 August 1849 by an Englishman visiting the castle. The 9th Earl died the following day and was succeeded by his son David Graham Drummond Ogilvy.

David Graham Drummond Ogilvy, 10th Earl of Airlie is said to have had his own death announced by the drummer which was supposedly heard by both Lady Dalkeith and Lady Skelmersdale one hour before he passed away in 1881.

There are various descriptions of exactly how the drummer boy was dispatched. My favourite was that he was crammed inside his drum and the drum was thrown from the tower......nice way to go!

As I was leaving, I swear I heard the sound of drumming........ !

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Eyjafjallajokull......eh?

2010-04-19T21:02:00.011+01:00

Arbroath cowers beneath the foreboding clouds of volcanic ash...... no, not really.

But you could have been forgiven for putting two and two together and getting five this afternoon.

There were certainly some curious cloud formations above me as I drove from Montrose down to Arbroath this afternoon

I saw in the news today that the Royal Navy has been dispatched to pick up stranded Brits abroad...... The Dunkirk Spirit eh?

This does however leave one wondering exactly what it is the Royal Navy gets up to when there are no Brits stranded on a beach somewhere.

It also makes one wonder whether the Navy would have been dispatched in such a gung ho manner to the resounding applause of David Cameron and his cronies if there wasn't a General Election in the offing......

Or am I just being cynical (as usual)

For more less cynical My World Tuesday posts click here

Many of Horror

2010-04-17T13:01:00.006+01:00

How good is this?........

Many of Horror

You say "I love you, boy"

I know you lie

I trust you all the same

I don't know why

'Cos when my back is turned

My bruises shine

Our broken fairytale

So hard to hide

I still believe

It's you and me to the end of time

When we collide we come together

If we don't we'll always be apart

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it

When you hit me, hit me hard

Sitting in a wishing hall

Hoping it stays right

Feet cast in solid stone

I got Gilligan's eyes

I still believe

It's you and me to the end of time

When we collide we come together

If we don't we'll always be apart

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it

When you hit me, hit me hard

'Cos you said our love

Is letting us go, guess what

Our future is for

Many of horror

Our future's for

Many of horror

I still believe

It's you and me to the end of time

When we collide we come together

If we don't we'll always be apart

I'll take a bruise, I know you're worth it

When you hit me, hit me hard

Biffy Clyro 2010

Sunsets, Orang Utans and Kit Kats

2010-04-15T19:54:00.013+01:00

Skyline over Forfar from my bedroom window this evening.

And seeing as you're here.......

Next time you think about buying anything made by Nestle......

From Greenpeace's website:

'Nestlé, maker of Kit Kat, uses palm oil from companies that are trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local people and pushing orang-utans towards extinction.
We all deserve to have a break - but having one shouldn't involve taking a bite out of Indonesia's precious rainforests. We're asking Nestlé to give rainforests and orang-utans a break and stop buying palm oil from destroyed forests.'

Check out this vid, it lasts about 59 secs:

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Heart of Darkness

2010-04-13T21:41:00.008+01:00

Aware that I run the risk of being labelled as a grumpy old Luddite, I nevertheless feel compelled to express my serious concern regarding light bulbs.

Wtf is going on?.......

What's this all about?

Now I'm as green as the next guy.... but I have my limits.

I went into the kitchen tonight and switched the lights on......ping!

Ok....into the cupboard for a replacement..... and this was all I could find. A poor excuse for a lighting source if ever I saw one. All the radiance of a single match.

My entire house is now populated by these monstrosities, skulking in the darkness with their sad attempts at illuminating the shadowy corners.

Taking into account my crap vision under normal circumstances, these really aren't helping matters.

I used to be able to read in my house......sadly a thing of the past after the hours of darkness now.

I'm seriously considering investing in one of those miners lamps you wear on your head..... and that's just for going to the loo. I've taken to peeing in the bath to make sure I don't miss!

......and they call this progress?... pah!

Arvo Part

2010-04-07T21:18:00.009+01:00

I went you Tube searching for this piece of music... It's Arvo Part's Spiegel Im Spiegel, a piece of music which sends shivers down my spine.

Part wrote this piece in 1978. He was born in Estonia but moved to Austria and ultimately Germany. He was responsible for the style of music he called Tintinnabuli.

"Tintinnabuli is the mathematically exact connection from one line to another.....tintinnabuli is the rule where the melody and the accompaniment [accompanying voice]...is one. One plus one, it is one - it is not two. This is the secret of this technique." - from a conversation between Arvo Pärt and Antony Pitts recorded for BBC Radio 3 at the Royal Academy of Music in London on 29 March 2000, as printed in the liner notes of the Naxos Records release of Passio.

During the hunt I came across several pretty picture videos which were ok...... you know... just ok.

Now I'm no big fan of ballet or 'the dance'.... can't really make head nor tail of it, if I'm honest. But I liked this. If you have 5 minutes to spare, fill your brain with this... and let me know what you think.

Dunnottar Castle

2010-04-03T20:51:00.014+01:00

Largely due to a lack of decent current pics and also as a special treat for someone I know who loves this place, I decided to post another series of pics of Dunnottar Castle. The top two were taken by me last June. The others I nicked from the web.

I've never seen the castle in snow.....I toyed with the idea a couple of times this year, but the snow was just too bloody deep! The path leading down to the Castle is bad enough in summer.

I liked this painting with rainbow by W.H. Paton (1828-1895). Do you think it was really there or was it artistic licence?.....

.... and this is simply gorgeous.

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Robin Fulton

2010-04-01T22:17:00.007+01:00

Reaching Helmsdale

If it weren't for
this red tweed jacket
I bought in Brora
I might well wonder
if we'd ever gone
north of Inverness.

We shouldn't need proof
but do, it not being
normal to crowd in
so many slow years
to three or four hours
cuffed by a sea-wind

and buffeted by
non-highland music
from the Highland Games
up on Castle Park
(now called Cowper Park
– no-one can say why).

We'd come a long way
to look at gravestones:
we could read father
was 'devoted' while
mother was 'beloved'.
Weren't both 'beloved'?

Wandering I saw
Andrew Rutherford
had four doctorates
(honorary) chipped
on his stone. And Nan
MacLeod my once fierce

maths teacher, mother's
best friend and bête noire,
had an out-of-place
middle name: Percy.
Her mother Lizzie
sat by a peat fire

trapped and arthritic.
Unmoving the stones
turn their backs on us.
Blind they look through us.
This brash easterly
from the Moray Firth

is not going to stop:
the longer it comes
to blow in my mind
the harder it will
tug at my coat-sleeves
my hair my eyelids.

Robin Fulton 1937 -

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Biffy Clyro

2010-03-31T23:01:00.002+01:00

I first came across Biffy Clyro a few years back. I saw the original video for this song and was quite affected by it. Unfortunately, I can't dig up that video but this live recording of 'Machines' is equally acceptable. Hope you enjoy it.
For those of you wishing to read something whilst you listen, here's an explanation of the band's name by one of the band:

"There's a famous British musician called Cliff Richard," Neil told Spin. "And when me and [drummer] Ben [Johnston] were 13 and bored in our little Scottish town of Ayr, we'd think up imaginary Cliff Richard products.

"We thought of things like Cliff Richard coat hangers and Cliff Richard Jesus dolls - he's a big Christian singer. In the UK there's a cheap kind of pen called a Biro pen and we thought about making Cliff Richard Biro pens.

"We'd call them Cliffy Biros. Somehow that turned into Biffy Clyro. Bizarrely, we weren't high at the time. There's just not a lot to do in Ayr. The weather is terrible."

Seen Any Otters?

2010-03-29T21:41:00.007+01:00

Took these about a month ago at Forfar Loch. Halfway around the perimiter path you come across a little peninsula thing where they have a sort of boat house and launching area.

The word on the street is that this is one of the best areas to spot those elusive otters......

..... but I've yet to come across the wee buggers.

I'm beginning to take it personally...

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Sunset on Forfar Loch

2010-03-28T18:47:00.013+01:00

I had a long drive down to the Borders and back yesterday to pick up my daughter for the school holidays. As is normal driving through Scotland it was pretty much four seasons in one day. Only thing missing was a bit of snow, but apparently that's due back in the middle of the week!

As we passed by Perth and Dundee we were treated to some spectacular skies, the views around Kinnoull Hill especially nice. Unfortunately the traffic was a bit fast and heavy for a drive by!

Despite being knackered from the drive, I couldn't let my bloggerbuddies down, so I stopped off at Forfar Loch to grab these pics. I know, I know.......I spoil you at great personal sacrifice.......

Bravely and selflessly shrugging off the debilitating effects of my marathon drive, the aching limbs, the pounding headache, the sheer physical exhaustion, I nevertheless dragged my sorry arse down to the Loch because I knew it would be selfish and remiss of me to keep this beauty all to myself......

....now excuse me while I go polish my halo......

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A Very Scottish Spring

2010-03-26T22:15:00.009Z

I'm keeping an eye on blogs around the world and keep seeing references to this 'Spring' thing.

I'm a touch mystified by this.....

In fact I'm beginning to have a nasty suspicion that this 'Spring' thing has passed over Scotland....

.........and just zoomed off towards Scandinavia and Russia.

For more Springlike Skywatch Friday posts click here

Kookaburras, Kangas and Disbelief

2010-03-22T21:36:00.001Z

During a recent chat with a blogbuddy in Canada, she asked me about the wildlife park in Angus which had Kangaroos and Emus. In my infinite wisdom I laughed at such an idea and suggested she was likely getting confused between an Aussie restaurant and the Murton Nature Reserve which are just across the road from each other......

Following a friendly wager, I thought no more about it until the following day when an email popped into my inbox with a website attached.......http://www.kookaburras.co.uk/

Following a large slice of humble pie and much laughter, I felt duty bound to go along and inspect Kookaburras for myself...... well.... there was always the off chance that they were fibbing about their exotic birds and mammals.....

.....but no......they exist all right.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure whether these were Rheas or Emus..... but whatever they were, you don't see too many in Angus fields and pastures.

I spoke to one of the chefs at the restaurant and he told me there were no Wallabies or Kangaroos left as the last one had escaped into the countryside. Sadly, its quest for freedom towards the Angus hills was cut short when it was hit by a car and killed in the village of Kinsgmuir, about 5 miles to the east.

I can only imagine the look on the driver's face seconds before impact.......

I would've loved it if there had been real Koalas, but these wooden ones softened the blow somewhat.

......and a poignant wooden tribute to The Last Kanga whose bid for freedom was tragically cut short by a confused Angus motorist.

For more My World posts click here

Reflections Of My Life

2010-03-20T17:24:00.000Z

Reflections eh?..........I sometimes think how different life would be if we all suffered instant memory loss...

Formed in the early 60's in the East End of Glasgow, Marmalade were the first band from Scotland to reach number 1 in the UK charts with their cover version of The Beatles Ob-La-Di-Ob-La-Da. They appeared on Top of the Pops wearing kilts.

This song reached number 3 in the UK in 1969 and number 10 in the US and featured a backwards guitar solo and some pretty strong vocals from Dean Ford. Harmonies are nice too. Given that it's over forty years old I think it's stood the test of time pretty well. What do you think?

Gollum and his MTV Award

2010-03-17T22:09:00.005Z

Those of you who have watched any of The Lord of The Rings movies or actually read the books will be familiar with Gollum. I came across his acceptance speech at the MTV Awards tonight and thought it was worth sharing.....

The Tay Bridges

2010-03-15T21:57:00.008Z

Standing roughly half way between the two bridges over the Tay at Dundee this evening.
The top and bottom pics shows the rail bridge. The middle pic shows the road bridge.

The sky behaved nicely for me.

The Tay Rail Bridge was opened on June 1st 1878...... but it didn't last long. It collapsed on December 28th 1879 during a storm. A six carriage train chose the wrong moment to cross it and it plunged into the Tay killing all 75 people on board. At the time of it's opening it was the longest bridge in the world at two and a quarter miles long.
Immortalised by Dundee's very own bard William Topaz McGonagall you can read his account of the disaster here

The Tay Road Bridge was opened on August 18th 1966. 1.4 miles long, it's never been blown down.....yet.

For more My World Tuesday posts click here

Cemetry Gates

2010-03-10T18:07:00.008Z

Don't be fooled by the blue skies...... Taken last summer in a Forfar cemetry.

Who lived or worked down there do you think?.....whoever it was, their view was headstones.

....and a classic Light and Dark pic.....

Manflu

2010-03-04T17:50:00.017Z

Due to a particularly vicious attack of manflu, my brain is unable to put together both words and pictures this Scenic Sunday....

And just in case there are those of you out there who doubt the severity of this awesomely debilitating condition I include these quotes from an established academic source.... The Uncyclopedia....

'Man flu' (not to be confused with woman flu, nor the much less serious actual flu) is the single most fatal illness in the known universe. It is estimated that every year 482 million men die from this disease, making it more devastating than such great illnesses as the Black Death and the Black Death II. There is only one species known to man that is immune to the devastating man flu; Women. It is for this reason that many cynical women are unable to comprehend the sheer enormity of suffering induced by man flu, having only suffered their puny woman flu.

There are, of course, alternative views about the origin of Man flu. The most popular theory is that God himself was the first ever sufferer of man flu and that it's because of this that he hasn't returned for judgement day or finished the Forth Bridge. On a similar note his only son Jesus was suffering man flu when nailed to the cross and this was the single cause for his death (did you honestly think God's offspring could be killed by a couple of nails?!).

At present there is no known cure for Man flu. However, there are a small number of remedies that have been scientifically proven to ease suffering:
At least a week off work, two weeks if especially serious.
Having a TV next to the bed.
Having the man's girlfriend wait on him hand and foot.

so there....

Duh!

For more Scenic Sunday posts click here

Blackbird Singing in the Dead of Night

2010-02-27T17:23:00.014Z

The sight of the plump, healthy blackbirds in my back garden put in mind the Beatles song 'Blackbird'. Whilst trolling through You Tube I came across Sarah McLachlin's version and I loved it.

Hmmmm.... seems to be a prob with you Tube at the moment. I'll try again later.

......and I know it's not the dead of night, but it's close.

This is one of his favourite haunts, i fill the basket with peanuts and bread...... you can see the effect of the high carb diet!

Ok I know there's no blackbirds in the tree, but I liked it anyways.

There's no denying this little fella is well fed. A regular at Neil's Garden Cafe.
Now if only I could catch that robin.....

For more Scenic Sunday posts click here

Shetland Ponies and Snow

2010-02-26T17:24:00.010Z

Sky?..... what sky?.....it's the same colour as the ground!!!........ well nearly.

Driving back from Monikie to Forfar. I had to stop to see how my little Shetland ponies were coping with the nasty weather.

As you can see, they're brave and hardy wee buggers. Not much phases them. It was an unbelievably miserable day, driving snow, freezing temperatures. The sort of day when a sensible bloke wouldn't get out of his car!!!!

But I liked this vid of the pony who thought he was a dog.......

watch it and smile.....

For more Skywatch Friday posts click here

Simplicity

2010-02-22T17:43:00.007Z

My World Tuesday..... ha!

These are pics from Friday past.

My World today is a bit upside down.... in a good way!

I love the simplicity of this.......

For more simple My World Tuesday posts click here

Dunnichen Hill and winter sun

2010-02-20T22:08:00.014Z

I dropped my little teenager off at her friends house this afternoon and on the way back home I took a detour up Dunnichen Hill.

I've posted about Dunnichen in the past. Picts, hippies, Northumbrians and all sorts gather here from time to time.

It's a peaceful area nowadays, I encountered one guy having a walk with his backpack on and a car with a guy who completely ignored me or didn't see me as he drove straight towards me on the single track road......evasive action was required!

It was worth it for these lovely scenes though.

I really liked the dappled snow and shadow effect on this fallow field .

For more Scenic Sunday posts click here

Piggies and Breakfasts

2010-02-14T18:27:00.010Z

From this.....

To this.....

To this....

My favourite Sunday Scene...... note the absence of baked beans...... wtf is that all about?

Note also that Scottish peculiarity....square sausage or Lorne sausage as it's known in these parts. Don't ask me why.

Oh....... and the Aberdeen buttery roll....... another North East speciality. Scrumptious when warmed in the oven.

And don't forget the mug of builder's tea......and the bread and butter (Lurpak of course!)

Have I missed anything out?

For more Scenic Sunday posts click here

TFIF Sunset

2010-02-12T20:51:00.016Z

I was very politely requested to post some sunset pics for Skywatch Friday. Given the politeness of the request, how could I refuse.

So the Almighty and I got together to produce this little series......
I've been meaning to stop and catch this windmill thing for ages and tonight was the perfect opportunity. It reminds me of the old wild west movies. Or possibly a good still from East of Eden. I can just see James Dean striding into this scene.

These were taken on my drive home from work this evening, between Arbroath and Forfar.
I wish I could have caught something a bit more interesting as foreground here.

I've posted a pic of this little cottage before. Albeit with my crap camera. The difference in quality of the pics is pretty obvious.

This is looking north towards the still snowy Grampian Mountains

And north west towards Craigowl. If you click to enlarge you might see the radio antennae on the top.

Red sky at night....... I passed a group of delighted looking shepherds round the corner.

For more Skywatch Friday posts click here

My Eucalyptus Is Floppy

2010-02-09T21:36:00.009Z

Oo'er missus......

Now the link may be tenuous here, but given that I'm essentially seeking advice about my floppy Eucalyptus tree...... I thought you might be interested to know that Men At Work are currently being sued for plagiarism.
Their stunningly crap song 'Down Under' is the subject of this lawsuit. The estate of the writer of the original 'Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree' is suing them over the use of the little flute part in the song. The claim is for millions.....
Men At Work may have to dust down their overalls......

......But to the main point of this post. My floppy Eucalytus Tree. I planted it about 2 years ago and it has rocketed up. I remember at the time I planted it thinking, hmmmm.......should I stake it to prevent it from getting blown over...... Google time..... the advice was NOT to stake it as doing so would weaken it's natural resistance to wind and this would ultimately lead to a stronger tree.

Now it may be a reaction to the particularly harsh winter we've been having......but all doesn't appear to be well with my Aussie companion.

Question is for all you green fingered blogmates.....and I know you're out there......
Wtf do I do with the poor dude?
Should I wait for Spring and the natural surge of sap to reinvigorate ol' Euco?
Or should I take drastic action and saw him/her in half?
Or should I get a bloody great stake and give him/her some much needed support?

Over to you my greenbloggybuddies.........

For more My World Tuesday posts click here

Light and Dark

Passing Place

Edinburgh Riots 2011

As You Sow So Shall Ye Reap

A Bit Of Self Indulgence

Goodbye and Good Riddance.

Wow!.....Who saw THAT coming?

Lay Lady Lay

Julie Fowlis

Blue Things in Green Things

Forfar Loch

Earth Hour 2011....Light and Dark

Prof Brian Cox

Billy McKenzie

e.e. cummings

Motivation

Talented Burd and her mate

Scottish Football League HQ Reaction

Salad slaves: Who really provides our vegetables - video | Business | guardian.co.uk

If This Doesn't Make You Squirm......

Close Call

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

School of Seven Bells

The Death of Summer

Nothingness

Luskentyre

Harris

Creep

The Man With No Brain

My Team

Dundee FC in crisis: club may be wound up by Christmas

Tosser

The Late Great Billy McKenzie

The Road To Paradise

Douglas Dunn

Poetry Of The Highest Order

Scottish Skies

Colin Blunstone

Every Cloud....

Monifieth Beach

Corgarff Castle

Summer Dawn

Summer Dawn

Careful What You Wish For...

Simpsons Clouds

Black Dog

Can It Really Be A Year?

Lady Update

June Scottish Skies

And As For The Ball Crossing The Line.....

Cottages

Lady

Survival hopes for Loch of the Lowes osprey

A Beautiful Day

Things I'd Like To See Tonight Part 2

Things I'd Like To See Tonight

Scottish Skies and Heelan Coos

A Scottish Road Trip

Edinburgh Castle

Ponies, Rape and Primark

Fire In The Fields

Swans and Castles and Big Guns

Arbroath Abbey Bowling Club

Desperate Dan and Fiona

A Bridge Over The River Annan

St Clements Church, Rodel, Harris

The Ruined Cottage

OH MY GOD!

Aberlemno Stones and Dry Stane Dykes

[edit]Location and terminology

Pitmuies Gardens 2

Cameron, Clegg and Brown?.....my arse!

The Watergaw

education....pah!

Pitmuies Gardens

Death In Venice

Cortachy Castle

Eyjafjallajokull......eh?

Many of Horror

Sunsets, Orang Utans and Kit Kats

[edit]
Location and terminology