Fitaloon at MicroShaft

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.

I should have really titled this “A right pair of Cyaakers’”

The BBC reports that identical twins from Aberdeenshire are retiring from the Army after notching up a century of service between them – in nearly identical careers.

Majors Jimmie and Ron James, 64, both joined the Army on the same day in 1959 and were promoted on the same day for almost every rank in their careers. It culminated in the Buchan brothers serving as Regimental Sergeants Major and being commissioned as officers. The pair are due to retire on Thursday, after serving 50 years each. The brothers, from New Pitsligo, were 15 when they joined the Army at the same time, after seeing an advert.

All I can say is my admiration know no bounds for this pair of Cyaakers who have served their country for 50 years each,  I thought my father who served for over 40 years had done well but this pair take the biscuit.

Just as a matter of interest my great-grandfather was born in New Pitsligo back in 1857.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | North East/N Isles | Army twins retire after 100 years.