Fitaloon at MicroShaft

UPDATE: I have just heard that the driver of the Corsa has sadly died in Hospital. My thoughts are with his family and all his friends on this sad night. May he Rest in Peace.

Sadly the driver of the Black Corsa above was a friend of my eldest son’s. He is now badly injured and in hospital. My thoughts are with his family.

This is the third accident for friends of my son in as many weeks, and luckily the first two only involved damage to walls and cars.

As you can imagine with my son just coming up to 17  his mum is worrying herself sick about how he might drive. Happily, at least at the start, he will be restricted to my trusty and very slow Skoda Fabia 1.9SDI.

I hope that some of the kids in this area will start to take a look at accidents like this and learn. If they don’t, then soon, they will be attending the funeral of one or more of their mates. This is not the way to learn about how to drive.

Whilst the article refers to a possible spillage, in 90% of these accidents, speed has been a contributory cause.

Drive carefully.

BBC News – Two men hurt in serious ‘spillage’ road accident.

Vote Conservative

It’s time to get out and exercise your democratic right, It’s time to vote. Of course I would prefer if you voted Conservative but any vote is better than none. There is nothing worse than listening to someone who says ,

“Oh I didn’t Vote, they are all the same”,

arguing political points.

Time for Change, Vote for Change, Vote Conservative on May 6th, Vote Alex Johnstone in West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine.

Craigievar Castle, originally uploaded by fitaloon.

Not quite open again but looking resplendent. A beautiful day on Saturday and we went along to Craigievar to see how it is doing with being refurbished. Still abit to go but the exterior looks superb.

Some More Photos

Craigievar (1)

Craigievar (2)

Craigievar (3)

Craigievar (4)

Craigievar (5)

Craigievar Castle is a pinkish harled castle six miles (10 km) south of Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was the seat of Clan Sempill. The setting is among scenic rolling foothills of the Grampian Mountains. The contrast of its massive lower story structure to the finely sculpted multiple turrets, gargoyles and high corbelling work create a classic fairytale appearance.
Craigievar Castle in Autumn.

An excellent example of the original Scottish Baronial architecture, the great seven-storey castle was completed in 1626 by the Aberdonian merchant William Forbes, ancestor to the “Forbes-Sempill family” and brother of the Bishop of Aberdeen. Forbes purchased the partially completed structure from the impoverished Mortimer family in the year 1610. Forbes’ nickname was Danzig Willy, a reference to his shrewd international trading success. The Forbes family resided here for 350 years until 1963, when the property was gifted to the National Trust for Scotland.

A visit to Crathes Castle

Tomnaverie

To play the tune click: Land of the Standing Stones

How do you capture the spirit of an area through music? How can one piece of music reflect the diversity of an area such as Aberdeenshire?

Aberdeenshire Council’s Arts Development Team has commissioned renowned local fiddler Paul Anderson from Tarland to compose a piece of music which captures the spirit of Aberdeenshire and provides a vibrant and creative dimension to Scotland’s Homecoming celebrations.

Composer Paul Anderson said he wrote the piece at the Tomnaverie Stone Circle near Tarland as it is a place he often goes to compose music.

He said

“The title of the piece was partly inspired by it being composed as Tomnaverie, but its more to do with it being representative of the whole of the North-East. I believe we have one of the greatest concentrations of standing stones and stone circles in the world and so Land of the Standing Stones seemed very appropriate as a title.”

Land of the Standing Stones is an evocative slow air which encapsulates much of the pride and emotion felt by Scots around the globe about their home and place of origin.

The north east of Scotland, as the seat of Scotland’s fishing industry, provides a natural link to our patron saint and the principle of engagement and inclusion through musical culture.

The tune will act as the thread that will unite Aberdeenshire in celebration of St Andrew, and will be “gifted” in a range of ways to other musicians and local people within Aberdeenshire’s towns and villages over the autumn months.

If you want to see Paul and others play in person check here.

To play the tune click: Land of the Standing Stones

Land of the Standing Stones.