10 July 2018

Supplementary

Above - we were visiting  the Drurmroddan Cup and Ring Stones when we were surrounded by a herd of young cows and guess who their leader was? Yes, it was that damned Penelope again! See that vulgar tongue she extended in my direction! Disgusting!

Below - with St Ninian's Cave ahead, I paused on the beach to stack stones. I think I have a talent for this harmless activity as my hands are so steady, I am patient and I enjoy seeing the end result. It is an art form that anyone can attempt if there are stones around. Next time you are on a beach why not give it a go? It is most satisfying.
Above - an oystercatcher on the harbour wall at Drummore and below three standing stones at Drumtroddan. Two of them have fallen down but they were all erected by a community of Ancient Britons around 4000 years ago.. Nobody knows for sure why a group of our ancestors went to such trouble. Was the project linked with some sort of pagan belief system?  We may never know for sure but mystery can often be far more delicious than truth.
Below the bronze statue of a random mariner looking out from the seafront at Port William to The Mull of Galloway. In front of him is an inscribed rock which reads, "What is this life if full of care we have no time to stand and stare?" It is indeed a good question, courtesy of the Welsh poet W.H.Davies.
On our last night in south western Scotland we went to a concert in Newton Stewart. It heralded the beginning of the little town's fifth annual folk festival. One of the performers was Hannah Rarity - a talented singer with the voice of an angel. Hannah recently became BBC Radio Scotland's Young Traditional Musician of the Year...
 And here she is singing "Land o' the Leal":-
I'm wearin' awa', Jean
Like snaw-wreaths in thaw, Jean
I'm wearin' awa'
To the land o' the leal
There 's nae sorrow there, Jean
There 's neither cauld nor care, Jean
The day is aye fair
In the land o' the leal...

Hannah is singing in a Scottish dialect. "Leal" means faithful or loyal and in this song "The Land o' The Leal" is the place where the dead reside. 

25 comments:

  1. I listened to your Hannah Rarity...and I LOVE her voice and song! I confess I didn't understand but two or three words of what she sang, but it was very moving.
    Cows are despicable creatures, malcontents. Ours are now nicely tucked away in the freezer, ready to join us for dinner.
    I love the mariner and poetic thought. Very insightful! Sorry I've gotten busy and hadn't checked in for a bit...Have I missed anything exciting?

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    1. You have missed nothing Hilly. Just the usual fayre of walks and photos and rants and reviews. That kind of stuff. Thanks for calling by again. I hope you are well.

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  2. Lots of variety in this post. Here we call the little statues with loose racks Inukshuks.

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    1. Inukshuks...I lie that word. Did the native people of the north also build them?

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  3. A pure, beautiful voice...smooth as honey, honey.

    Penelope certainly does have an almighty crush on you, Yorkie. I hope Shirley isn't the jealous type. :)

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    1. Shirley already knows that I am full of bull.

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  4. When would you call it a stack of stones and when a cairn? I like the statue of the mariner looking out to Sea very much. As for the stones erected 4,000 or so years ago - don't we all love a good mystery! But we also love to find out things and understand why something was done in the past, and how.

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    1. Human beings are arguably too inquisitive for their own good. We want answers for everything - stripping away the magic and the mystery. Cairns are not about balancing stones, just piling them up.

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    2. Cairns and Inukshuks are memorials. Stacked stones may not be

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    3. A cairn on a British mountain top or at the junction of two paths is not usually a memorial Kylie - just a marker. And Canada Red must have misled me!

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  5. If you aren't more respectful of your fan Penelope she will make sure you become a washed up has been!

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  6. Beautiful voice! Your pile stack looks like a female fertility figure.
    Greetings Maria x

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    1. If my "inukshuk" is still standing on that beach, I dedicate it to you Maria. By the waymy son has got a first date on Friday with an Italian woman called Maria!

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    2. Thank you Neil! How sweet, hope more dates in the future! x

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  7. I love your stone stack.....are the big bottom ones as heavy as they look? You must be very strong!!

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  8. I like the bronze statue and your pile of rocks ain't bad either.

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    1. Paul could be spooked by the top picture.

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  9. The statue is an interesting addition to the scenery - I wonder how many people have leant against that rail to admire the view?
    The rocks are very artistic, but I hope they aren't big enough to do any damage to whoever tries to destroy your art work !
    Have enjoyed reading your holiday blogs - excellent photos, and made so much better by all that sunshine and blue sky. I'm sure you will have found several subjects for future paintings too.

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    1. Thanks for calling by CG and for leaving a nice comment once again. I do not believe that my "inukshuk" could possibly harm anyone when it inevitably tumbles.

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  10. That's interesting about the stones. Someone has moved into the house around the corner from me, and a stack of stones has appeared in the middle of the front lawn. Strange.

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    1. Strange? Don't you mean exciting Meanqueen - to have such creative neighbours? Mind you, you are a long way from a stony beach.

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  11. She does have a beautiful voice. I'm glad you provided some lyrics -- I'm not sure I could have picked them out just listening to her (even though some of my own ancestors probably spoke with a similar dialect!). That Penelope is persistent!

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    1. Did you see the gravestone picture in the post I made a week ago - "Monday"? The name John Reid is inscribed there. I know that Reed is just a variant spelling.

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