Fridays Fauna (and a fishy tale).

This morning when we looked out of the window into the field at the rear this is what we saw.

 The left hand side of the field has been ploughed, but the vast majority of said field remains with barley stubble.

The deer head off to the woodland.


I have mentioned before the big dips in the field.  One of which has filled with water and created an enormous pond.

So we now have ducks!  I did see the farmer some days ago marching round and hands on  hips and shaking his head as he examined this pond.  You really cannot win against nature!  Bit less barley this year, but hey, he can always shoot the ducks.

The hare doesn't mind what is underneath his feet.

And a trout beneath the Ospreys feet.  The DP has been asked to try and find where the Osprey is getting its trout from.  The male was seen eating a pike (!)  Above is the female.


We will not be telling anyone where the nest is.


Just have to tell you a funny story, well I thought it was.  Many years ago when I was living at home with M and D.  D who ran a garage, petrol and repairs, was often given stuff.  One day he was given a pike.  Freshly caught.  Mother sniffed and said "Put it on the floor."  So he did, laid on I seem to remember, The Barnsley Chronicle.
Mother continued preparing her speciality,  savoury mince, which was basically mince and peas swimming valiantly against a tide of very watery gravy.  As she stepped over the pike to dish up it jumped up and bit her.  (We managed to ditch the mince without anyone noticing.)  (Altho I did consider giving it to the pike as a reward.)

Rooted in the North East!

Rosehearty lies on the north facing coast of Aberdeenshire four miles west of
Fraserburgh.   It was probably first settled by Danish fishermen in the 1300s and the name means Abhartach's Point in Old Gaelic. History fails to record who Abhartach was.

Fishertown Cottages Observation Tower

In 1424 the Fraser family built Pitsligo Castle on a site a few hundred yards inland from the coast. This was considerably enlarged by the Forbes family in 1570: the Frasers moving to Pittulie Castle which they built a short distance to the east. The remains of the two castles can be seen from Rosehearty.

In the 1630s Sir Alex Forbes, resident of Pitsligo Castle and later to become the First Lord Pitsligo, dramatically expanded the existing settlement of Rosehearty. The aim was to develop a large commercial fishery, with Sir Alex taking 20% of everything landed at his new port. The harbour probably dates back to this expansion, and Pitsligo Church was built in 1632. 

Undiscovered Scotland.co.uk.

Hugh Mercer (January 17, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a soldier and physician. He initially served with British forces during the Seven Years War, but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington. Mercer died as a result of his wounds received at the Battle of Princeton and became a fallen hero and rallying symbol of the American Revolution.

Mercer was born near Rosehearty, at the manse of Pitsligo Kirk, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to Presbyterian Minister, Reverend William Mercer of Pitsligo Parish Church and Ann Monro.^[1] At 15, he attended the University of Aberdeen, Marischal College, studying medicine and graduated a Doctor. He was assistant surgeon in the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, and was present at the Battle of Culloden when Charles' Army was crushed on April 16, 1746, and any survivors were hunted down and killed.^[2] As a fugitive in his own homeland in 1747, Mercer fled Scotland after months in hiding. He bought his way onto a ship and moved to America, settling near what is now Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and practiced medicine for eight years.^{[3]  Wikepedia.}

In April this year the American Envoy is to come to Rosehearty and tart up the family grave or lair as they are known in Scotland.  Whooo.  

There's more!

• Sir Walter Murdoch (1876-1970), Australian academic and essayist; Murdoch University in Western Australia is named after him; Walter Murdoch was born in Rosehearty and spend the first 10 years of his life there, the youngest of 14 siblings, before emigrating with his family to Melbourne in 1886; his father James Murdoch was the Free Kirk minister at Rosehearty. He was the uncle of Keith Murdoch, born in Melbourne, after his father Patrick Murdoch, another F.K. minister, and also a son of James Murdoch, had emigrated from Cruden in 1884; the later Sir Keith Murdoch established the newspaper empire that his son Rupert Murdoch took over and turned into the present media conglomerate Newscorp.  Wikepedia.

Hmmmm.

I could go on.  Have I told you about Mr Glover?  Thomas Blake Glover, perhaps tomorrow.  Dont want to overload you.

Right now back to normal.

Three white tails = three deer.

There is a heronry just across the field.  Imagine a heron, gangly legs ok?  In the top of a pine tree ?  Oh yes, nesting?  Oh yes.

Awesome.  Beak, sharp pointy thing, with twigs, up a very waving about tree.  Laying eggs, imagine, doesnt bear thinking about does it.  I am so glad I am a human being not expected to go up a tree, and balance.  I find that difficult enough ......down on the ground.

And this chap and his mates has found our bird table.  Not a rook its a vacuum.

Still rooted in the North East.

He who would valiant be....

Let him come hither.


I was brought up in the Methodist Church.  Tried a few more along the way. Catholic, Church of England, Bahai, etc.  My experiences will remain unprinted as I do not want to upset anyone.  As a Methodist I signed the pledge when I was seven, not to drink.  Forgot completely by the time I was 17.  (or quite possibly earlier).


Suffice it to say what I do miss from visiting a church is that awesome sound from the organ and then the voices belting out such hymns as the above.  One of my favourites, but surprisingly not in my Dad's Methodist hymn book.  Possibly Church of England then?

My Dad's Hymn Book has on the flyleaf, 


Providence Methodist Church, Mapplewell.
Presented to
Sydney Robinson
at a Welcome Home Celebration, in thanksgiving for his safe return from H.M. Forces


March 1948.


(March 1949 I was born. )


Every year there was a performance of the Messiah at Providence Methodist Church (I didnt know it was a Church as everyone called it Chapel).  And my Dad was one of the leading tenors.  Every Christmas Day my family is inflicted with the full performance of the Huddersfield Choral Society cd.  (And me singing along to it.)


I do think that song is a very powerful part of our whole being.


I am fortunate that I can hear songs, can join in the singing, my lungs are shot, so sometimes its a whisper, but singing can be so moving, and despite my religious hang ups I still think that some of the old hymns are just fantastic.


Indeed, my lovely keyboard, pretend piano whatever has an organ button!  As soon as the Dawn Patroller goes off to be the hunter gatherer at Tescos I plan to be in there.


Because my Dad's Methodist Hymn Book has the music as well as the words!


He who would valiant be , well She actually, is about to shake the rafters.

Thursday Triumph.

We won!  Our second assessor from the insurance company inspected the summer house, its roof piled up at the rear, 

"I am looking for wood rot, I can't see any."

"What I can see is a well built, well maintained, wooden garden erection."  (Sorry, I giggled.)

So he has approved the insurance claim.  Yeeeeeeeeaaaaaah.

My view from same as the sun sets.

And a new roof to replace the old to come.

Todays sky picture.

Family.  Eldest daughter on left, holding granddaughter, third daughter on right holding second grandson.  They have swapped babies for this picture.  We most of us now live so far apart.  Eldest daughter is based in Edinburgh, Third daughter in Lincoln.  Eldest daughter took youngest grandson to visit Lincoln branch.  And we are Skyping often.  Something to be said for the wonderful technology of today.  I cant touch, or cuddle, or kiss, but I can see.


Thursday triumph.