Dunnottar: The approach

Quite a while back, I booked tickets to travel north to see Dunnottar castle again. I realised, as I was on the train, that it had been a little over ten years since I had last seen it! I couldn't believe it had been that long. When I reached the station in Stonehaven, I wasn't sure which direction would be best to take. I asked a woman and her two young children, who were on bicycles, and she said I could walk with them, as they were going nearly as far as the castle, and she would tell me how to go the rest of the way. It was very kind of her, so I accompanied them. Her children were very polite and well behaved. She had a daughter, who was probably about six, named Isla, and a son, probably about eight, whose name was Alasdair. We walked about a mile, and then she pointed the rest of the way for me, and I went on (about a mile and a half further) to the castle.

It was a very misty day, with limited visibility, and I kept searching for the castle, wondering when I would see it, hoping it hadn't disappeared Brigadoon-like into the fairy mist.

On the path leading towards the castle - the town of Stonehaven nestled around the harbour (which you can't really see, but it's there!).

The harbour!

There were benches above the town and this one caught my eye. I didn't realise they did memorial benches as far back as the 1890s!

This isn't a good picture, but it's hard to catch a photo of a robin, so I tried my best!

Finally, along the road, I saw a sign for the castle, convincing me at last that it might possibly still be there.

Daffodils along the small path that leads to the castle.

Finally, it began to emerge through the mist. I made this black & white to add to the mystery. If anything, it made the image more clear. It really was very misty!

Glasgow past and present: Last day of classes

 

Down on the Kelvin Walkway on my last day of classes (23 March 2012)

On my last day of classes (Friday the 23rd) my Interpreting archaeology essay was due as well as my Field Report! The field report was based on a simulated dig we did at the North Woodside Flint Mill - which is a real place, the ruins of which languish on the northern banks of the Kelvin river. We went to the mill and walked around and measured and drew the foundations and such. Then sections of the "trenches" were made up by the archaeology department, and there were finds and everything. This is what we worked on all semester, and it was really exciting and very enjoyable (though I'm no good at measuring!)

These are some pictures taken during our first trip, back in January:

The gates leading into the mill (with some archaeologists and their students lurking within)

The mill, with the kiln beyond.

The foundations of the drying shed (they would use flint for use in pottery: they would grind the flint, make it into a paste, and dry it here in the drying shed).

Drying shed, with kiln beyond.

This runs beneath the mill building. 

The mill lade running to the mill.

These are some photographs I found with the research I did for the report. This is how the kiln once looked. It was dismantled and the cement cap was put over it.

The mill in the 1950s (Partick Photography Club)

The mill looking very busy in the 1920s. These are those front gates, with the mill on the right, and the kiln beyond!

So, after I turned in all my papers, I thought I'd go for a walk, and went back to the mill and took some more pictures. It was a beautiful, sunny day.

I tried to take a picture from a similar vantage point to the photo above. How different it looks!

Looking down on the Kelvin from Queen Margaret Drive. The weir is visible halfway down this stretch of river. When I got down onto the Kelvin walkway, just before the weir, I saw an interesting bird - somewhat duck-like, it was black and grey with a red beak. I found out it was a Moorhen!

In the evening, Rachel, her mother, her brother and I went out for ice cream (a new place that opened up just a couple shops down from our flat)

YSA conference

So...I had resolved NOT to go to the YSA conference this year, but was talked into it - mostly by the Hicks, who were really sweet about wanting me to go. And I confess, there were some elements that had their merits (not the meeting-eligible-fellows aspect of it, but that's hardly a surprise!). There was an excellent talk given on the Saturday morning, and then there was as service project - we went to the canals which are just north of Maryhill Road, and cleaned up litter along the path. That was quite jolly. There was a proper ceilidh as well, and I danced quite a few dances before running home to get a decent nights sleep before another day of work.

The conference was the first weekend in March - I'm very behind! But in my defence, I've had a lot of school work to do.

Amber, a fellow YSA and myself picking up rubbish.

Beautiful swans in the canal.

To Alexandria and back

Alexandria is a town not far from Loch Lomond. By train, it takes a little over half an hour to get there. Rachel works there at a pharmacy every Saturday. So, last Saturday I ventured forth and visited Alexandria. I helped Rachel pick out a colour to dye her hair, and I bought a few things myself. We went to a little cafe where I had lunch (Rachel only had time for a cup of herbal tea before going back to work). I wandered around a little, then went back home to Glasgow.

There's a fountain in Alexandria, called The Smollett fountain, which was erected in 1870 in honour of Alexander Smollett, Laird of Bonhill, and MP from 1841 to 1859. The site of the fountain was occupied by an old oak tree until 1865, and was a site used for making speeches.

Details on the fountain: dog-like gargoyles

I love the heron atop the fountain.

I was fascinated by these fellows. I wasn't sure if they were crows or not, on account of the fleshy bit at the top of their beaks. When I got home and looked it up, I found out that these are Rooks! I am thrilled now to have seen ravens (which are HUGE), hooded crows, jackdaws, and now rooks!

Aren't they grand?

On the way back to Glasgow. This is approaching Bowling Rail Station.

Bowling is intriguing for all the derelict boats that languish in the water.

Lowther Terrace

So, if you're going to the LDS church by foot, you walk west along Great Western Road till you reach a little footpath just beyond a bus stop. This goes along Lowther Terrace (and continues up to Redlands Terrace, which then leads to Julian Avenue, where the church is). Well, there are three houses in Lowther Terrace that are really beautiful. Built in the early 1900s, I've enjoyed looking at them as I walk past. But since about early December, they've been boarded up, and I've been wondering why. The upper stories aren't boarded shut, and I was able to see inside one of the rooms one evening (it was all lit up, making it seem quite ghostly!) and it was richly decorated (well, the walls and curtains were at least, which is all of the room that I could see. I've taken my camera with me ever since, hoping for another glimpse inside that room, but alas, it hasn't been lit up again. I was able to find out some fascinating and detailed information on the houses, PLEASE take a look. There's no. 8, no. 9 and no. 10 Lowther Terrace:
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/168403/details/glasgow+8+lowther+terrace/
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/247924/details/glasgow+9+lowther+terrace/
http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/247925/details/glasgow+10+lowther+terrace/
I've obviously become a little obsessed with these houses. I even gave a presentation in Gaelic about them!

See the boards on the doors and some of the windows? (they're actually metal)

A glimpse into a less lavish room, on one of the upper floors.

Baking Party

A few days after Valentines Day Rachel and I had baking party. Han and Ian came over, and Rachel and I made desserts! Rachel made a lovely vanilla orange cake and used nutella for the filling and the frosting! Yum! I made two desserts that I found online (red velvet brownies: http://smells-like-home.com/2011/06/red-velvet-brownies-with-white-chocolate-buttercream-frosting/ and "slutty" brownies: http://www.thelondoner.me/2011/06/slutty-brownies.html)

The "Slutty" brownies. Ooh, they're good!

Rachel's cake.

Red velvet brownie with ice cream .