Location:- Dunrobin Castle, near Golspie, Sutherland, Scotland
It may be Wednesday …but….
Please Remember ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
27th January
(C) David Oakes 2021
Tag Archives: Trivia
Best Laid Plans….. don’t always work out
Early on a Winters Morning… our first real winters morning with our first snow. It started with a flurry of snow on Sunday afternoon, by evening it was depositing a respectable layer. By night fall proper it had stopped and there was to be no further snow overnight… next morning there was a crisp blue sky and crisp snow to match…
No time to waste. So off to the Lake and our Local Park. The snow just had to be crisp and even as I would, with luck, be there before anyone else. What I hadn’t bargain for was the resolve of people to head out late evening and last night…..must have been all the pent-up lockdown frustrations being let loose.
At the Venerable Furlong Oak there was evidence of much frolicking in the snow….so gone was my dream of that ‘crisp and even’ snow….
But, Hay Ho..the sun shone, it was, dare I say it, quite warm. So lets just enjoy our first snow of the year. The Lake was frozen, but as the morning woke up there was a thaw in parts. The stark white and black skeletons of trees contrasting with the near crystal cleat blue sky. A great change from the dark drab days that have been the signature of this winter.
The thaw looked as if it had the upper hand and was beating the ice and cold in submission. The receding ice on the lake, making new ever changing shapes and creating clear waters for the Geese and Ducks…
Late afternoon and cloud rolled in, grey and threatening. More snow perhaps? No, just a cold night that froze what was left of the snow. Tuesday brought about another change, by lunch time the rains had started and those snows are washing away.
It looked pretty…. but spare a thought for those who were flooded last week. Bad enough trying to cope with water through their homes and businesses – now add frozen water and it is hard to imagine what life will be like for them. Nor can the snow melt be positive news, it must add to the river levels.
I am also aware that for many of you snow is no novelty…. sorry, but what little we do get we do seem to adore. Well for a short while, the novelty soon wears-off 🙂
Please Remember ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
26th January
(C) David Oakes 2021
Travel…. is it a thing of the past?
The Heritage Steam Engine ‘The Sir Nigel Gresley’ arriving in Goathland Station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
A goliath of Railway power from a long gone era. Travel was just becoming accessible to a wider population. Now , fast-forward a century, and you do wonder just what travel will be like, what restrictions will remain, once we pass through this Covid Crisis.
Whatever the future holds, for now…..
Please Remember ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
26th January
(C) David Oakes 2021
Burns Night…… Haggis and Whisky
Culzean Castle, Ayrshire, Scotland
I cannot let the 25th of January pass without acknowledging this special day. It is Burns Night. Not just across Scotland, but across the World, where ever those of Scottish heritage gather, there will be celebrations to commemorate Scotland Favourite Poet and Writer…. Robert (Rabbie) Burns.
Born in 1759 into a humble Farming Family Burns became know as the Ploughman Poet, The Bard of Ayrshire. The celebrations are marked by a Burns Supper, usually a formal occasions, traditionally following a strict procedure…with the Guest of Honour being the Haggis.
Culzean Castle, above, built high on the Ayrshire Coast was built during the time that Burns was reputed to walk the Ayrshire coast and countryside gathering his inspiration. Not sure what Burns would have thought of this obvious extravagance. A marked contrast to the homes of his fellow countryfolk and very different from the Farm House in which he was born in the village of Alloway.
Both Farmhouse and Castle are very different and important buildings in Scotland’s History…. whilst being different, each has its own special character and beauty. Naturally both are high on the Tourist Trail.
No Formal Burns Supper for our household tonight…but we will still serve a Haggis and raise a glass (or maybe two) of Whisky as a toast to Rabbie Burns.
Please Remember ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
25th January
(C) David Oakes 2021
Moody Monday…….. I have seen it All
Maen – Llia, The Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales
Standing tall on the slopes of Fan Dringarth, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons, is this Bronze Age Standing Stone. It may not have seen ‘everything’, but being at least from the Bronze Age, it will have born witness to much.
Despite its majestic height, nearly 4 metres, it looks rather lost and lonely in this barren landscape, exposed to all weathers….. but still creates a mystical and magical aura.
As always, this Monday and everyday…..
Please Remember ….
Stay Safe …. Be Kind…. Look After Each Other
25th January
(C) David Oakes 2021
