To Adventure!
23 Apr 2016 12:46 amI realised recently that since I renewed my Historic Scotland membership back in July I have visited a grand total of one site. So I decided that now that Spring appears to have sprung (...well theoretically, I was wearing a chunky scarf and mittens on my adventure yesterday) I should get out there and make my card pay for itself. Having done Urquhart Castle during my first summer here, I decided to head for the other big local attraction that my card gets me into. I planned to go on my day off last week, but I was woken that morning by torrential rain so that didn't happen.
However, last week's day off dawned dry and bright so I put on my comfy shoes and headed off to catch the bus out to Ardersier. Fort George is a mile up the road from Ardersier and when I googlemapped the route I made the hilarious discovery that if you're in Google Streetview you can go for a wander round the fort from the comfort of your armchair. (This is particularly random because, as I discovered when I visited, Fort George is still an active army base. Part of one of the barracks is set up to show what barrack conditions would have been like in various historical periods, but the rest of the building is occupied by...actual squaddies. Oh and the flags were up on the shooting range so various slightly concerning noises were echoing over the place as I wandered round.)
It's a fascinating and slightly disquieting experience visiting the fort if you're acquainted with its history. (It was built as a response to the Jacobite uprisings of the 1700s and although it has never seen 'a shot fired in anger' its very modernness and intact state is a reminder of how relatively recently the Highlands were under military occupation.)
( And in the past they must remain... )
However, last week's day off dawned dry and bright so I put on my comfy shoes and headed off to catch the bus out to Ardersier. Fort George is a mile up the road from Ardersier and when I googlemapped the route I made the hilarious discovery that if you're in Google Streetview you can go for a wander round the fort from the comfort of your armchair. (This is particularly random because, as I discovered when I visited, Fort George is still an active army base. Part of one of the barracks is set up to show what barrack conditions would have been like in various historical periods, but the rest of the building is occupied by...actual squaddies. Oh and the flags were up on the shooting range so various slightly concerning noises were echoing over the place as I wandered round.)
It's a fascinating and slightly disquieting experience visiting the fort if you're acquainted with its history. (It was built as a response to the Jacobite uprisings of the 1700s and although it has never seen 'a shot fired in anger' its very modernness and intact state is a reminder of how relatively recently the Highlands were under military occupation.)
( And in the past they must remain... )
Sunshine through the Clouds
2 Oct 2015 05:46 pmThe weather has been doing an odd Indian Summer sort of thing this last week. It's been really quite plesant more like a week in May than the last week of September. With Sunday being frankly gorgeous I set off on the train for Beauly to see its ruined abbey. It was a better day for photography than the one when I went for a roadtrip to Musselborough with my Mum in early August. The weather is weird these days.
( un Beau Lieu )
What I’ve Just Finished Reading
In a move of remarkably good sense I looked at the two books I had out the library, accepted that I wasn't going to read them anytime soon and took them back. Less sensibly I then went for a wander to see if they had anything else I fancied. I came across The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman which I hadn't read yet so that was exciting. It's a book for adults about childhood which gives it quite an interesting perspective. The supernatural mystery is satisfying, though it didn't really stay with me and while I don't think its his best work, that doesn't make it a bad book.
What I’m Reading
Still working on Special Sound by Louis Neibur. It's really very interesting, but very academic so really needs a good sit down and concentrate all your energy on it reading. Not really a pick up and casually read book this one. Which is absolutely fine by me, it just means it goes slowly. Speaking of lighter reading, I also have The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan on the go too. The author used to be in fandom and I read her LJ for years and years, up through the publishing of this series of books. I read the first chapter as a teaser years and years ago and remember looking forward to it coming out in paperback so I could read the rest and then...never did. But the other day I happened to be giving the teenage fiction section a look over (bad YA fantasy is terrible, but good YA fantasy is better then pretty much anything else out there).
What I’m Reading Next
I have Flesh Wounds by Christopher Brookmyre out the library, its the next in his series of "serious" books and while I find the lack of obvious humour (they still have funny moments, just darker more subtle humour) a little disconcerting they're still just as compelling a read. Annoyingly, I looked up the title of this book to avoid moving and discovered that this is third book of this strand and I haven't read the 2nd one...)
Additionally, as I seem to have developed a habit of writing about the films I watched at the bottom of this meme, last night I went to see Salt for Svanetia which is a 1930 Soviet documentary-cum-propaganda film. It's a silent film but, as part of the Bo'ness Hippodrome's annual silent film festival a band had been commissioned to write a new score for it and tour it round the country. The band are called Moshie's Bagel and they play heavily East-European influenceed folk/klezmer music. It was a really very compelling combination. I went in with little to no knowledge of what was going to happen, it was a silent movie with live musical accompaniment (the BEST way to watch silent film IMO) I was expecting someone on the piano. When I got into the screening and spotted the instruments set up I realised I was in for a treat. (I like a piano accompaniment, don't get me wrong, the first time I saw a Buster Keaton film with Neil Brand at the piano was an education on what silent film scoring could do, but when someone breaks out a double bass you know you're in for something special.)
( un Beau Lieu )
What I’ve Just Finished Reading
In a move of remarkably good sense I looked at the two books I had out the library, accepted that I wasn't going to read them anytime soon and took them back. Less sensibly I then went for a wander to see if they had anything else I fancied. I came across The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman which I hadn't read yet so that was exciting. It's a book for adults about childhood which gives it quite an interesting perspective. The supernatural mystery is satisfying, though it didn't really stay with me and while I don't think its his best work, that doesn't make it a bad book.
What I’m Reading
Still working on Special Sound by Louis Neibur. It's really very interesting, but very academic so really needs a good sit down and concentrate all your energy on it reading. Not really a pick up and casually read book this one. Which is absolutely fine by me, it just means it goes slowly. Speaking of lighter reading, I also have The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan on the go too. The author used to be in fandom and I read her LJ for years and years, up through the publishing of this series of books. I read the first chapter as a teaser years and years ago and remember looking forward to it coming out in paperback so I could read the rest and then...never did. But the other day I happened to be giving the teenage fiction section a look over (bad YA fantasy is terrible, but good YA fantasy is better then pretty much anything else out there).
What I’m Reading Next
I have Flesh Wounds by Christopher Brookmyre out the library, its the next in his series of "serious" books and while I find the lack of obvious humour (they still have funny moments, just darker more subtle humour) a little disconcerting they're still just as compelling a read. Annoyingly, I looked up the title of this book to avoid moving and discovered that this is third book of this strand and I haven't read the 2nd one...)
Additionally, as I seem to have developed a habit of writing about the films I watched at the bottom of this meme, last night I went to see Salt for Svanetia which is a 1930 Soviet documentary-cum-propaganda film. It's a silent film but, as part of the Bo'ness Hippodrome's annual silent film festival a band had been commissioned to write a new score for it and tour it round the country. The band are called Moshie's Bagel and they play heavily East-European influenceed folk/klezmer music. It was a really very compelling combination. I went in with little to no knowledge of what was going to happen, it was a silent movie with live musical accompaniment (the BEST way to watch silent film IMO) I was expecting someone on the piano. When I got into the screening and spotted the instruments set up I realised I was in for a treat. (I like a piano accompaniment, don't get me wrong, the first time I saw a Buster Keaton film with Neil Brand at the piano was an education on what silent film scoring could do, but when someone breaks out a double bass you know you're in for something special.)
Everybody's a dreamer...
17 Apr 2015 12:15 amWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
I finished The Play of Gilgamesh by Edwin Morgan which took me a ridiculous amount of time given how short it was, but was nonetheless an enjoyable retelling of the story. Points for the Glaswegian jester too...
What I’m Reading
I collected Face Like Glass from the library on Tuesday and then tripped and fell into reading it. I opened it to read the prologue to see what it was like and put it down again several hours and 100 pages later. It's not a book that I can just read a chapter of and put down, and is also rather a substantial paperback so it's not going to be lunchtime reading - which is a shame because it feels exactly the kind of book that you take everywhere and read every moment you get. (It couldn't have come in the week I only had one shift rather than the week when I have six?!) If it lives up to its current promise I'm going to want to read everything Francis Hardinge has ever written....oh and![[personal profile]](/makepkg/implementing-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
usuallyhats? I see what you meant about the cheese...
What I’m Reading Next
Need to finish the library books then get back into reading stuff from my shelf, I was doing well and then I got distracted, so I need to get back on track.
I was looking at my photo backlog and thinking I ought to make another photo post, I discovered two things. One, I've got loads of photos from my trip up the Far North Line still to post, and two for some reason I uploaded my photos of Dunrobin Castle to flickr twice...so its probably high time I sorted that out and made a photo post about my visit there.
( up the far north line )
I finished The Play of Gilgamesh by Edwin Morgan which took me a ridiculous amount of time given how short it was, but was nonetheless an enjoyable retelling of the story. Points for the Glaswegian jester too...
What I’m Reading
I collected Face Like Glass from the library on Tuesday and then tripped and fell into reading it. I opened it to read the prologue to see what it was like and put it down again several hours and 100 pages later. It's not a book that I can just read a chapter of and put down, and is also rather a substantial paperback so it's not going to be lunchtime reading - which is a shame because it feels exactly the kind of book that you take everywhere and read every moment you get. (It couldn't have come in the week I only had one shift rather than the week when I have six?!) If it lives up to its current promise I'm going to want to read everything Francis Hardinge has ever written....oh and
usuallyhats? I see what you meant about the cheese... What I’m Reading Next
Need to finish the library books then get back into reading stuff from my shelf, I was doing well and then I got distracted, so I need to get back on track.
I was looking at my photo backlog and thinking I ought to make another photo post, I discovered two things. One, I've got loads of photos from my trip up the Far North Line still to post, and two for some reason I uploaded my photos of Dunrobin Castle to flickr twice...so its probably high time I sorted that out and made a photo post about my visit there.
( up the far north line )
Adventures in a timely fashion
3 Apr 2015 06:12 pmSo the parentals puttered up to the frozen North for a visit, bringing exciting things for me like fluffy socks, slippers, my tea pot and laptop.
We went for a little adventure while they were up, over to the Black Isle. The Black Isle is a little bit of a geographical oddity, because despite the name its not actually an island, more of a peninsula. (Actual peninsula not like Skye where Western Islanders call it one (cos its attached to the mainland by a bridge) to be catty but its actually and island.) It’s cut off by firths but still part of the mainland (back in the day it probably was an island but back in the day much of central Scotland was underwater so lets not go there). Anyway, its just across the Moray firth from Inverness, so we trundled along there to see a tiny wee museum Groam House in a tiny little place called Rosemarkie (near Fortrose). The village itself is really quite charming, having a wee hippie shop that sells the usual mix of aromatherapy paraphernalia, incense, odd books and polished stone jewellery. And an odd but useful addition of all kinds of spices –they have big jars on a shelf and you can bring a receptical of your choice and buy as much or as little as you need – a handy service! It also has a community café with an excellent tiny permanent exhibition on the local wildlife and legends. The weather was a highland special of pouring rain and brilliant sunshine, so we had a wander along the beach and wrote our names in the sand!
By which point the little museum was open so we could go visit. It’s essentially a museum of Pictish/Celtic art. So they have some local standing stones and various bits of art and reconstructions based on local archelogical finds. (They also have a reconstruction of a Pictish harp – less fancy than the equivalent and better known Celtic ones, but the best bit is that because its not original you can actually play it! They have instructions and various bits of music of varying complexity if you want to have a go. I discovered that I’m up to playing Frere Jacques on the Pictish harp but not quite up to Loch Lomand…!
The reason for my parents interest in the place was the collection of George Bain artwork that they have on display. George Bain was…a celtic art scholar and enthusiast back in the days when that was unfashionable. He is well known (in such circles) for having not only copied the art from a variety of standing stones that have now been damaged or eroded beyond repair but studying the construction of the knotwork that typifies all Celtic artwork. He wrote what is considered the definitive work on Celtic knotwork and how to re-create and design your own. (It was published in the 1950s and is still the definitive work.) The exhibition they have on him focuses on that side of his work and there are various nice children’s activities that let you design your own celtic knotwork or do ‘brass rubbings’ of various designs common to Pictish standing stones.
( they also have some lovely mosaics outside on the same theme )
We went for a little adventure while they were up, over to the Black Isle. The Black Isle is a little bit of a geographical oddity, because despite the name its not actually an island, more of a peninsula. (Actual peninsula not like Skye where Western Islanders call it one (cos its attached to the mainland by a bridge) to be catty but its actually and island.) It’s cut off by firths but still part of the mainland (back in the day it probably was an island but back in the day much of central Scotland was underwater so lets not go there). Anyway, its just across the Moray firth from Inverness, so we trundled along there to see a tiny wee museum Groam House in a tiny little place called Rosemarkie (near Fortrose). The village itself is really quite charming, having a wee hippie shop that sells the usual mix of aromatherapy paraphernalia, incense, odd books and polished stone jewellery. And an odd but useful addition of all kinds of spices –they have big jars on a shelf and you can bring a receptical of your choice and buy as much or as little as you need – a handy service! It also has a community café with an excellent tiny permanent exhibition on the local wildlife and legends. The weather was a highland special of pouring rain and brilliant sunshine, so we had a wander along the beach and wrote our names in the sand!
By which point the little museum was open so we could go visit. It’s essentially a museum of Pictish/Celtic art. So they have some local standing stones and various bits of art and reconstructions based on local archelogical finds. (They also have a reconstruction of a Pictish harp – less fancy than the equivalent and better known Celtic ones, but the best bit is that because its not original you can actually play it! They have instructions and various bits of music of varying complexity if you want to have a go. I discovered that I’m up to playing Frere Jacques on the Pictish harp but not quite up to Loch Lomand…!
The reason for my parents interest in the place was the collection of George Bain artwork that they have on display. George Bain was…a celtic art scholar and enthusiast back in the days when that was unfashionable. He is well known (in such circles) for having not only copied the art from a variety of standing stones that have now been damaged or eroded beyond repair but studying the construction of the knotwork that typifies all Celtic artwork. He wrote what is considered the definitive work on Celtic knotwork and how to re-create and design your own. (It was published in the 1950s and is still the definitive work.) The exhibition they have on him focuses on that side of his work and there are various nice children’s activities that let you design your own celtic knotwork or do ‘brass rubbings’ of various designs common to Pictish standing stones.
( they also have some lovely mosaics outside on the same theme )
It's that time of the week again...
9 Oct 2014 11:57 amWhat I'm reading:
A book on Avid Editing...its for work. I'm also reading Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré, because despite having seen and loved both adaptations of it, and having read lots of other Le Carré books (including a couple of the Smiley books) I haven't actually read this one, despite it being the only one I own. It's from my shelf, so that's progress at least.
What I've just read:
Ahha! I have in fact finished something. I took Folktales of Orkney and Shetland with me on holiday and finally finished it! It turns out it was only reprinted in 2011, and was originally written in 1973 which makes my earlier complaint no less true but somewhat less out of the blue. The book was otherwise really quite interesting and diverting for a long train journey.
What I'm reading next:
Well, I've got Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat by Philip Lymbery and Isabel Oakeshott, which is relevant to my interests these days. It's from the library though...
My wee adventure up north was a great success. I stayed in a lovely little B&B in Thurso so made that my base for the weekend. Took a wee day trip to Wick, and another to Stromness on Orkney (I got to Orkney after all!) to check out their respective excellent little museums. The way the blurbs put it, I always thought Scrabster (where the ferry leaves from) and Thurso (where the train runs out) must be reasonably far away from each other, but it turns out only to be a 2.5 mile walk from station to ferry terminal (a long way with a suitcase mind, but not with only a wee bag with your lunch, camera and wallet in) so on Sunday morning I headed off to walk the cliff path to Scrabster (which the landlady recommended when she saw my walking boots 'oh if you like walking here are some nice walks...') got on the 12 o'clock ferry and 90mins later I was in Stromness on the main island of the Orknies. Being a Sunday in October not much was open, but the museum was so I spent a pleasant couple of hours there (lots of Orkney islanders were recruited to the Hudson Bay company, so there was loads of stuff about exploration and survival, and essential help given to them by the Inuit and other Native Canadians - for an exhibition on artic exploration it did a decent job of avoiding the whole, empty land fallacy.) and then had hot chocolate and home-made scones at a sunny little cafe on the front, before catching the ferry back again.
( northward! )
My wee holiday away meant I actually made some good progress with some of my list things, I visited five museums (well four and an art gallery), ate in a new restaurant, visited the Orkney islands, walked about 17 miles and read another non-fiction book. I also made excellent progress on my current craft project - well 9 hours on a train will do that for you...! - at this rate I might even finish it by the end of the month which would be an entirely different kind of achievement! Oh, and I've made at least some progress with my big recipe list for cooking up my cupboards, I've made two recipes from it so far, one of which was soup which didn't do much for my cupboards, but did make the salad drawer look rather healthier (so much sad looking celery...).
A book on Avid Editing...its for work. I'm also reading Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré, because despite having seen and loved both adaptations of it, and having read lots of other Le Carré books (including a couple of the Smiley books) I haven't actually read this one, despite it being the only one I own. It's from my shelf, so that's progress at least.
What I've just read:
Ahha! I have in fact finished something. I took Folktales of Orkney and Shetland with me on holiday and finally finished it! It turns out it was only reprinted in 2011, and was originally written in 1973 which makes my earlier complaint no less true but somewhat less out of the blue. The book was otherwise really quite interesting and diverting for a long train journey.
What I'm reading next:
Well, I've got Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat by Philip Lymbery and Isabel Oakeshott, which is relevant to my interests these days. It's from the library though...
My wee adventure up north was a great success. I stayed in a lovely little B&B in Thurso so made that my base for the weekend. Took a wee day trip to Wick, and another to Stromness on Orkney (I got to Orkney after all!) to check out their respective excellent little museums. The way the blurbs put it, I always thought Scrabster (where the ferry leaves from) and Thurso (where the train runs out) must be reasonably far away from each other, but it turns out only to be a 2.5 mile walk from station to ferry terminal (a long way with a suitcase mind, but not with only a wee bag with your lunch, camera and wallet in) so on Sunday morning I headed off to walk the cliff path to Scrabster (which the landlady recommended when she saw my walking boots 'oh if you like walking here are some nice walks...') got on the 12 o'clock ferry and 90mins later I was in Stromness on the main island of the Orknies. Being a Sunday in October not much was open, but the museum was so I spent a pleasant couple of hours there (lots of Orkney islanders were recruited to the Hudson Bay company, so there was loads of stuff about exploration and survival, and essential help given to them by the Inuit and other Native Canadians - for an exhibition on artic exploration it did a decent job of avoiding the whole, empty land fallacy.) and then had hot chocolate and home-made scones at a sunny little cafe on the front, before catching the ferry back again.
( northward! )
My wee holiday away meant I actually made some good progress with some of my list things, I visited five museums (well four and an art gallery), ate in a new restaurant, visited the Orkney islands, walked about 17 miles and read another non-fiction book. I also made excellent progress on my current craft project - well 9 hours on a train will do that for you...! - at this rate I might even finish it by the end of the month which would be an entirely different kind of achievement! Oh, and I've made at least some progress with my big recipe list for cooking up my cupboards, I've made two recipes from it so far, one of which was soup which didn't do much for my cupboards, but did make the salad drawer look rather healthier (so much sad looking celery...).
Only four months overdue, that's almost good for me...!
So on the third day of my adventures, I decided to set off on the Electric Railway to see as much of that part of the island as possible.
( Day Three )
So on the third day of my adventures, I decided to set off on the Electric Railway to see as much of that part of the island as possible.
( Day Three )
(Sort of) Castle in the Sky [7/100]
16 Sep 2013 10:41 pmThere’s a picture on the leaflet, of a stone circle, looking majestic against a sunset. Unlike the other Manx Heritage sites pictured, there is no descriptive blurb, with directions and opening times. Just an enigmatic photograph, and a standing stone on the not-to-scale map to give vague indication of its location. There are other Neolithic sites and standing stones, with directions but inaccessible without a car. This one though is temptingly close to the railway line, and yet there are no directions. Somehow that only makes me want to go there more.
On the third day of my stay on the Isle of Man, I take the electric railway to Laxey, visit the Wheel and freeze up Snaefell, but the circle nags at the back of my head. Back in Laxey I ask one of the railway staff and we compare the railway map and the historic Manx map for a while before he takes them away to consult with a couple of the drivers. He returns a while later with the conclusion that Glen Mona is my best bet and instructs the guard to let me off there – its a request stop only.
I get off in the middle of some woods, at what is essentially a bus shelter beside the railway line, there are no signs. One path leads up the hill and the other down, I take the upwards route, on the logic that the circle is called Ard and in Scots Gaelic that means ‘high’ so is likely the same in Manx. The path doesn’t take me to the circle but it does take me to a road, on which there is a sign for Cashtal yn Ard – no mileage so I’m hopeful its close. Plus it tells me that its only 4 miles to ? and the map makes me think its between the station and there. It’s a nice day and my shoes are sensible, I can walk that far and get the bus back to Douglas if I don’t find the circle. I set off.
The road winds, over level crossings and fords, past cottages and the occasional mansion, and I pass locals who don’t question me - amazing what carrying a Tesco bag will do for making you look like you know where you’re going. The truth is that I don’t, but the weather and the walk are both pleasant so I keep walking. Besides every time I begin to grow certain that I’ve lost my way I’ll come to a fork in the road and there will be another faded sign.
Eventually the road begins to rise, out of the woods into countryside proper, which remind me uncannily of the part of Ayrshire that I grew up in. There are even a couple of horses in a field that pose like pros for photos. It’s hot away from the woods, the ponies watch with interest as I reapply my sunscreen and I’m glad for both my hat and my juice, the chill from the top of Snaefell is forgotten.
On the curve of the road, I pass a farm and directly across from it is a half hidden entrance with a small sign advertising a public footpath to Cashtal yn Ard. The path is overgrown, but recently a decent number of feet have attempted to reclaim it. I’m oddly grateful that my timing brought me here a few days after Solstice and not a few days before it, else it might be impassable. I follow the path until it stops abruptly in a field, another sign helpfully points in two opposite directions both which say ‘public footpath’ neither of which say ‘Cashtal yn Ard’. However one goes up and the other down, so I follow the up as that’s served me well so far.
My luck holds, and the stones peek into sight through a gate. My heart sinks as I climb the style, a barbed wire fence surrounds the stones, and while that’s not really a barrier to a country girl like me, it does suggest that perhaps the site is under renovation; perhaps that’s why there were no directions. But no, the ground on the other side of the gate has that particularly well-trodden look that says ‘cows’ and sure enough at the corner of the site there’s a kissing gate for humans. The cows may not be in the field today but clearly the fence is for their benefit not mine.
Through the fence it’s a well-preserved Neolithic burial chamber, though the cairn is long gone, it still retains something of the atmosphere of an old graveyard. There’s no one else around so I take the time to sit in the circle itself and meditate for a while. It’s close enough to the solstice for my needs, so I make a small offering (to whom? To what? Does it matter?) to wish peace on those who were buried there, whose names are lost to memory, to request a little of the peace that I’ve found there for myself in turn.
I pause for a moment on the style before I retrace my steps, from there I can see all the way to Cumbria, a view more impressive than the ‘Seven Kingdoms’ I couldn’t see for the mist up Snaefell earlier that day. It was a longer journey to get here than there and much more of a faff, but nonetheless even if I miss the train back (I don’t) it will be worth negotiating multiple buses to have visited here. To have seen this ruined castle of the heights.
Whether it was being by the sea, or if I did carry a little of the calm of the stones away with me, the little bit of peace I brought back with me has been much needed in these last few stressful months.
On the third day of my stay on the Isle of Man, I take the electric railway to Laxey, visit the Wheel and freeze up Snaefell, but the circle nags at the back of my head. Back in Laxey I ask one of the railway staff and we compare the railway map and the historic Manx map for a while before he takes them away to consult with a couple of the drivers. He returns a while later with the conclusion that Glen Mona is my best bet and instructs the guard to let me off there – its a request stop only.
I get off in the middle of some woods, at what is essentially a bus shelter beside the railway line, there are no signs. One path leads up the hill and the other down, I take the upwards route, on the logic that the circle is called Ard and in Scots Gaelic that means ‘high’ so is likely the same in Manx. The path doesn’t take me to the circle but it does take me to a road, on which there is a sign for Cashtal yn Ard – no mileage so I’m hopeful its close. Plus it tells me that its only 4 miles to ? and the map makes me think its between the station and there. It’s a nice day and my shoes are sensible, I can walk that far and get the bus back to Douglas if I don’t find the circle. I set off.
The road winds, over level crossings and fords, past cottages and the occasional mansion, and I pass locals who don’t question me - amazing what carrying a Tesco bag will do for making you look like you know where you’re going. The truth is that I don’t, but the weather and the walk are both pleasant so I keep walking. Besides every time I begin to grow certain that I’ve lost my way I’ll come to a fork in the road and there will be another faded sign.
Eventually the road begins to rise, out of the woods into countryside proper, which remind me uncannily of the part of Ayrshire that I grew up in. There are even a couple of horses in a field that pose like pros for photos. It’s hot away from the woods, the ponies watch with interest as I reapply my sunscreen and I’m glad for both my hat and my juice, the chill from the top of Snaefell is forgotten.
On the curve of the road, I pass a farm and directly across from it is a half hidden entrance with a small sign advertising a public footpath to Cashtal yn Ard. The path is overgrown, but recently a decent number of feet have attempted to reclaim it. I’m oddly grateful that my timing brought me here a few days after Solstice and not a few days before it, else it might be impassable. I follow the path until it stops abruptly in a field, another sign helpfully points in two opposite directions both which say ‘public footpath’ neither of which say ‘Cashtal yn Ard’. However one goes up and the other down, so I follow the up as that’s served me well so far.
My luck holds, and the stones peek into sight through a gate. My heart sinks as I climb the style, a barbed wire fence surrounds the stones, and while that’s not really a barrier to a country girl like me, it does suggest that perhaps the site is under renovation; perhaps that’s why there were no directions. But no, the ground on the other side of the gate has that particularly well-trodden look that says ‘cows’ and sure enough at the corner of the site there’s a kissing gate for humans. The cows may not be in the field today but clearly the fence is for their benefit not mine.
Through the fence it’s a well-preserved Neolithic burial chamber, though the cairn is long gone, it still retains something of the atmosphere of an old graveyard. There’s no one else around so I take the time to sit in the circle itself and meditate for a while. It’s close enough to the solstice for my needs, so I make a small offering (to whom? To what? Does it matter?) to wish peace on those who were buried there, whose names are lost to memory, to request a little of the peace that I’ve found there for myself in turn.
I pause for a moment on the style before I retrace my steps, from there I can see all the way to Cumbria, a view more impressive than the ‘Seven Kingdoms’ I couldn’t see for the mist up Snaefell earlier that day. It was a longer journey to get here than there and much more of a faff, but nonetheless even if I miss the train back (I don’t) it will be worth negotiating multiple buses to have visited here. To have seen this ruined castle of the heights.
Whether it was being by the sea, or if I did carry a little of the calm of the stones away with me, the little bit of peace I brought back with me has been much needed in these last few stressful months.
Mini Photo-post
13 Sep 2013 03:29 pmMini photo-post as flickr's back up! And it turns up that all the photo posts I was going to make will require sorting and uploading lots of photos...and that's not happening right now. But I have done other things ... Honest!
( There was that time I climbed a mountain )
( And visited the wallace monument )
( There was that time I climbed a mountain )
( And visited the wallace monument )
The call is unspoken, never unheard
29 Mar 2013 03:52 pmSo it appears that all my posts this month are going to be Skye related, but then I know that you folks always enjoy a wee photo post from the islands so...
( Up the West Highland Line Again... )
Because of the ferry timings, I couldn't get back on Sunday so I stayed on campus an extra night (good choice, felt like a holiday that way) and took my little sound recorder off on an adventure around the campus and down onto the (very rocky) beach recording all sorts of sounds. I took my camera too and got some rather different photos from my usual kind.
( At Sabhal Mor )
( Up the West Highland Line Again... )
Because of the ferry timings, I couldn't get back on Sunday so I stayed on campus an extra night (good choice, felt like a holiday that way) and took my little sound recorder off on an adventure around the campus and down onto the (very rocky) beach recording all sorts of sounds. I took my camera too and got some rather different photos from my usual kind.
( At Sabhal Mor )
So apparently I'm now doing all the posts I owe from when I was travelling 3 years ago, I dunno. Have some nice photos of Amsterdam...I did a post ages ago, just under 3 years ago in fact, about the elephant sculpture parade I saw in Amsterdam to cheer up a friend and then never got round to posting the rest of the photos from my time there. I had one of those city cards that so many European cities do, where you pay a set fee up front and then get into a whole bunch of museums and public transport for free. The Amsterdam edition was quite expensive so I wanted to squeeze in as many things as possible and I decided that they should include as many unlikely and non-tourist-trap places as I could manage. (I am, forinstance, the only person I know who has managed to spend time in Amsterdam without encountering the Red Light district. Even my mother had a racier time in the city than I did and all she did was walk round a corner and see more of a couple of very bored-looking lassies then she ever wanted to. The nearest I got was standing at the traffic lights and seeing an aging hooker on a Harley, wearing an ankle length leather coat - it was raining - fishnets and not a lot else, pull up at the lights.) I did go to the Van Gogh museum (largely because it was almost next door to my youth hostel and also because I love Van Gogh's work and they had an exhibition of these recently recovered early sketches by him), but otherwise managed a fairly eclectic experience hopping on and off trams, guided by the little book they gave me with the card, visiting lesser known attractions, seeing some really lovely and/or moving photography exhibitions and even occassionally hearing people speak Dutch!
( views from the canals )
( assorted buildings )
( views from the canals )
( assorted buildings )
Revolution Part 8
1 Jan 2013 11:15 amBliadhna mhath ur a-huile duine! Twas my winter festival of choice last night (socks and kitchen ware pretty much sums up my pressies - it was awesome), and I actually spent it with the folks (my requirements this year being, movies, jools holland and pink wine) so it was pretty chilled. I've been making a conscious effort over the season to chill out and just rest. It's been...well its been a year. I'm glad its over and looking forward to the next one. (Though there are a lot of things looking precarious in the new year). Here's to more sweet and less bitter in the coming months, yes?
So of last year's resolutions I was successful in doing:
Read two books a month (it worked out at 3 a month in the end)
Continued my 'be less of a hermit' project (I think we call it a sucess now)
Got into the advanced Gaelic course
Was more active in my Gaelic usage (live blogging roller derby matches in particular)
Spent at least 5 hours a week working on Gaelic
Did more sound work
Visited an island I'd never been to before
Posted/commented more to comms I was a member of. (even ran a challenge)
I'm not sure whether I can score off 'make a serious dent in my DVDs' I never quanitified what that would be but in my head it was ten films. I watched 9 of them so maybe? 5 in the last month so I think I can say that in December I made a serious dent in my unwatched DVDs...
I hadn't previously recorded how many gigs I went to in a year so I've no idea if it was a success (it felt about the same) but now at least I know how many I saw so can actually quantify it this year...
Otherwise, I watched 23 films (6 in the last week, I was making a valiant attempt to get to 24 so it worked out at 2 a month...) and read 36 books, which is a massive increase from the last few years, I'd like to keep up that level of reading, though hopefully with more reading of books that have been cluttering up my shelves for ages (5 were books I owned, though two were bought this year or last). I completed the![[livejournal.com profile]](/makepkg/implementing-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
12films_poc challenge for the 2nd time. I did a decent amount of knitting and my stash is pretty much exactly where it was last year, though stash wise I did instigate a 'must make two projects before buying more wool' thing so we'll see how well that goes this year.
Next year's goals are:
Move into my own flat
Post regularly to the food blog
Post twice a month to the grown up blog
Finish all the random challenges I have kicking about almost but not quite finished.
Finish off all those 90% done knitting projects
Finish some WIPs
Be generally better at finishing things I start
Write more.
Visit a country I've never been to before.
Visit an island I've never been to before.
Do more photo posts.
Try and knock 2 things a month off my![[community profile]](/makepkg/implementing-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
101in1001 list
Find a job I enjoy
Referee a derby bout
Join the gym 29/1 done!
Exercise every day (even just a little!)
Make at least one '100 places' post each month
Be more organised
Watch at least one film a month that I own on DVD and haven't watched
Read one book a month that I own and haven't read
Attend more gigs
See more art exhibitions
Post/Comment more to comms I'm part of
Complete a big cross-stitch project
Now, the obligatory end of year memery...
( writing stats )
( end of year meme )
Also...I tried to do that first line of the month meme, but it depressed me as it was mostly apologising for not updating regularly or going 'so this months' to-do list.
So of last year's resolutions I was successful in doing:
Read two books a month (it worked out at 3 a month in the end)
Continued my 'be less of a hermit' project (I think we call it a sucess now)
Got into the advanced Gaelic course
Was more active in my Gaelic usage (live blogging roller derby matches in particular)
Spent at least 5 hours a week working on Gaelic
Did more sound work
Visited an island I'd never been to before
Posted/commented more to comms I was a member of. (even ran a challenge)
I'm not sure whether I can score off 'make a serious dent in my DVDs' I never quanitified what that would be but in my head it was ten films. I watched 9 of them so maybe? 5 in the last month so I think I can say that in December I made a serious dent in my unwatched DVDs...
I hadn't previously recorded how many gigs I went to in a year so I've no idea if it was a success (it felt about the same) but now at least I know how many I saw so can actually quantify it this year...
Otherwise, I watched 23 films (6 in the last week, I was making a valiant attempt to get to 24 so it worked out at 2 a month...) and read 36 books, which is a massive increase from the last few years, I'd like to keep up that level of reading, though hopefully with more reading of books that have been cluttering up my shelves for ages (5 were books I owned, though two were bought this year or last). I completed the
12films_poc challenge for the 2nd time. I did a decent amount of knitting and my stash is pretty much exactly where it was last year, though stash wise I did instigate a 'must make two projects before buying more wool' thing so we'll see how well that goes this year. Next year's goals are:
Move into my own flat
Post regularly to the food blog
Post twice a month to the grown up blog
Finish all the random challenges I have kicking about almost but not quite finished.
Finish off all those 90% done knitting projects
Finish some WIPs
Be generally better at finishing things I start
Write more.
Visit an island I've never been to before.
Do more photo posts.
Try and knock 2 things a month off my
101in1001 listFind a job I enjoy
Join the gym
Exercise every day (even just a little!)
Make at least one '100 places' post each month
Be more organised
Watch at least one film a month that I own on DVD and haven't watched
Read one book a month that I own and haven't read
Attend more gigs
See more art exhibitions
Post/Comment more to comms I'm part of
Complete a big cross-stitch project
Now, the obligatory end of year memery...
( writing stats )
( end of year meme )
Also...I tried to do that first line of the month meme, but it depressed me as it was mostly apologising for not updating regularly or going 'so this months' to-do list.
Adventures in Morse Country
19 Nov 2012 07:08 pmAnother very overdue photo post. As in one from when I was travelling...three years ago? These are from when I stopped off in Oxford to visit ![[livejournal.com profile]](/makepkg/implementing-https-www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mmaxwell. I really liked Oxford so it seems a great shame that I haven't shared my photos. Even if they were taken on a disposable camera...
Jericho Community Mural
( When I'm thinking I get thirsty )
mmaxwell. I really liked Oxford so it seems a great shame that I haven't shared my photos. Even if they were taken on a disposable camera...Jericho Community Mural
( When I'm thinking I get thirsty )
Inchmahome Priory
19 Oct 2012 10:27 amSo back in May I found myself with a random day off (it was the Friday before the bank holiday and I'd been off work to be a polling clerk on the Thursday, going in on the Friday would just have been sad making) and while my mum was working my dad was off on holiday too. We'd been talking previously about our shared love of photography, and that morning I'd had an email through from Historic Scotland about a photography competition they were running. Being a frankly gorgeous day, we headed to a site we've often passed but never actually visited (its only open in summer) and drove to Port of Mentieth, stood on the jetty and got the boat across to see the ruins of a 13th Century Augustian monastry - Inchmahome Priory.
( To the Island! )
The island is actually one of three in the middle of Lake of Mentieth, Inch Talla (hall island) was where the Earls of Mentieth had their official residence, (scions of the family were still buried in the graveyard of the priory until quite recently - there's a plaque in memorial of those from the estate lost in the world wars. And the other tiny island is known as the Isle of Dogs as that's where one of the Earls used to keep his dogs. Random story about the Lake of Mentieth, its the only lake in Scotland, all the other similar bodies of water are lochs. This is due to a Dutch mapmaker who when mapping the area had it described to him as the laigh of Mentieth (Laigh being Gaelic for low lying area) which he misunderstood as the English word Lake, put it in his map and from then on the loch has been Lake of Mentieth.
( The Priory )
( Natural life of the Island )
( To the Island! )
The island is actually one of three in the middle of Lake of Mentieth, Inch Talla (hall island) was where the Earls of Mentieth had their official residence, (scions of the family were still buried in the graveyard of the priory until quite recently - there's a plaque in memorial of those from the estate lost in the world wars. And the other tiny island is known as the Isle of Dogs as that's where one of the Earls used to keep his dogs. Random story about the Lake of Mentieth, its the only lake in Scotland, all the other similar bodies of water are lochs. This is due to a Dutch mapmaker who when mapping the area had it described to him as the laigh of Mentieth (Laigh being Gaelic for low lying area) which he misunderstood as the English word Lake, put it in his map and from then on the loch has been Lake of Mentieth.
( The Priory )
( Natural life of the Island )
First of (hopefully) two trips Northern Ireland this year. Much fun and many photos were taken.
Bonus Lighthouse, at Loch Ryan port. I do feel sorry for Stranraer and I'm not the greatest fan of not being able to get the train straight to the port (two hours on a coach, urgh) but seriously, much nicer port. The old one was something of an embarassment for what is essentially a national border (I had to put my rucksack through an xray machine.
( Belfast City Hall )
( Belfast by Bus )
( city centre )
Bonus Lighthouse, at Loch Ryan port. I do feel sorry for Stranraer and I'm not the greatest fan of not being able to get the train straight to the port (two hours on a coach, urgh) but seriously, much nicer port. The old one was something of an embarassment for what is essentially a national border (I had to put my rucksack through an xray machine.
( Belfast City Hall )
( Belfast by Bus )
( city centre )
