Happenings in the Broch and surrounds.

Yesterday and today saw the Scottish Kite Buggy Championships on Fraserburgh (the Broch) beach. 

The beach is quite something.  Beautiful golden sands with a backdrop of dunes..

The biggest of the dunes is called Tiger Hill.  No-one is clear as to why the name was given.  I always thought it looked like a sleeping tiger from where I viewed it (the car park).  But of course dunes move around a bit so it may be significantly different to when it was first given the name.  

The beach side cafe is called Tiger Cafe.
 

It must be quite difficult to harness the wind, to ensure you go in the right direction.  Though the DP did say it all seemed quite chaotic!
 

 
People surf here every day.  And we have the Surfing Championship some years. 

 Now who would have thought that happened in the North East of Scotland?  

What really p****s me 0ff is that no-one knew this championship was happening.  Absolutely no publicity whatsoever.  One despairs.  Here are we trying to promote the area and all it has to offer.  Aaaaargh.

On the agricultural side of things, equally if not more important, we are now seeing lambs.  Probably later than elsewhere in the country.  But you never know what the winter is going to throw at you..  This year there has been a lot of supplementary feeding as we, like everyone else, had so much rain.  We havent had any snow which is very strange.

When the sheep first give birth the small field at the top of our road becomes the nursery.  And they are gathered into it and get their bums painted , with a number, as I went past today I noticed that number 6 ewe had three babies with 6 on their bums.  Once everything looks to be all well they are moved to a big field.  Hope number 6 copes.

Any field that doesnt have livestock in it is being ploughed.  Where the sheep were across the road from our house has been ploughed.  The sheep had all gained the required weight eating neeps....and had gone off to the abattoir.  The field to our rear has also been ploughed.  That has had Barley in it since we came here, whether there will be a change this year remains to be seen.  Where we lived before it would have been Oil Seed Rape but just 12 miles away they dont seem to go in for that.

On the home front.  It has taken me 4 weeks to 'do a bit' of decluttering.  No photos as I was so ashamed.  I can now visit the loo in the night without falling over stuff.  Floor cleared.  Bag to charity shop, bag of rubbish, bag of rags.  Plus lots of other shall I shant I in bags and then stashed away in the wardrobes.  Neatly of course.

This morning I also got so fed up of waking and wanting to go straight back I did a few of my physiotherapy exercises.  It worked.  Allelulia.



 

Pooped.

Totally pooped.

As my library books were due back today and I was not allowed to renew on line I tootled off to Fraserburgh.

The people of Fraserburgh adopted the Libraries Acts in 1903 and very little time was wasted in erecting their new library, which was officially opened by Lord Saltoun on 23rd October 1905. It was built in the French Renaissance style, which was so fashionable for many of the libraries built in Scotland at the time. 

The design competition was won by local architect, William Stephen Fergusson Wilson, who also designed the town's Post Office. The corner site on King Edward Street is used to full advantage giving attractive façades either side of the central turreted entrance which features a large bay window at first floor level. Wilson emigrated to Canada shortly afterwards, where he went on to design some churches in Toronto, Ontario, before his death in 1939.

Looking the above up on Google I discovered that many libraries in Scotland are of the most amazing architecture.  I had often wondered if Fraserburgh Library had been something in a past life, but no, tis a purpose built library.

So above is Peterhead Library.

The earliest of the libraries built in this part of the world was in Peterhead where the Libraries Acts were adopted in 1890. Carnegie made a contribution of £1000 towards the construction costs of the proposed Public Library and Arbuthnot Museum for which the local citizens had raised over £2150. The architect was Duncan McMillan of Aberdeen, whose design was chosen from the twenty submitted.

It was built with locally quarried granite with two façades designed in continental Rennaisance style. The composition was completed with an elaborately turreted clocktower at the corner to set it apart as a local landmark. 
The foundation stone was laid by Mrs Carnegie at a ceremony on 8th August 1891, while she and her husband were spending the summer at Skibo. The Museum and the Library Newsroom were opened to the public on 12th October 1893 and the Lending Library on 28th May 1894. 

Fascinating.  We do also have lots of little libraries, there is a modern one in Cairnbulg our nearest village, but I prefer the bigger libraries for the choice, although they are brilliant in the smaller ones at helping you with requests and they get them very quickly.

Had a quick whip round the supermarket stocking up with stuff for the next Activity Morning, this Thursday.  Sharpie Pens and crepe paper mainly.

Has been quite a lovely, weather day.  No wind, hopefully a bit of a breeze for the Scottish Kite Buggy Race Series at  the Fraserburgh Beach this weekend.

I was supposed to be planting the rest of my bulbs and it was a perfect day for it.

But it will have to wait for tomorrow.

I am pooped.  Although the brain is still working, although slowly, I have been sourcing hessian and intend to make Minerva a proper rag rug.

When I am not pooped.