Vacation picture!

Hey, we're back from vacation! I've got one picture posted over on the Beyond the Veil, one of what I think is a spirit orb in the Seattle Underground. :)

Here's another one I took on one of our many walks in the mountains:



It shows foamflower, oxalis, maidenhair fern, and the maple-like leaves I believe are a young oregon grape plant.

Utilikilts
Refresh the page, you'll get a different video every time. Hee! Enjoy!

Offline for a while...

Okay, okay, don't everyone applaud at once. Sheesh.

I'm off on vacation to the state of Washington with my family. I'll be back in early July. Have a happy 4th, and I'll see you soon!



Gotcha! LOL

Scotophile Monday

Welcome back to Scotophile Monday, where I post interesting tidbits of Scottish news, history, culture, humor, photos, whatever strikes my fancy. All sources are credited. Click the Read More link and enjoy!


Duke of Wellington Traffic Cone Hats...
Although recently the Duke of Wellington's equestrian statue outside the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow has not been sporting a red and white traffic cone on the head of the Iron Duke, that headgear was at one time an almost permanent fixture. At one point it was suggested that it was not appropriate and efforts should be made to stop its reappearance every time it was removed,. But there was support in high places, including the Lord Provost, who expressed disappointment, saying that it highlighted the Glaswegian sense of humour. Read more

Stone of Destiny - The Movie
When four Scottish Nationalist students snatched the Stone of Destiny from Westminster abbey in London on Christmas Day in 1950, it made worldwide headlines. Now there are plans to turn the story into a movie, with director Charlie Martin Smith (best known as an actor in The Untouchables, American Graffiti and several westerns) finalising casting and locations. The "Scottish heist movie" is being based on a book by one of the students who took part in the daring raid to take back to Scotland the Stone of Destiny (reputed to date back to biblical times) which had been pillaged by King Edward I in 1296. Read more

From Flush to Plush
A public toilet ("rest rooms" in some parts of the world) in St Andrews was sold this week for £195,000 to an unnamed buyer who may convert it to housing. Read more

Last Gasp Bid to Save "City of Adelaide"
There have been previous failed efforts to save the clipper "City of Adelaide" which has been rotting on a slipway at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Ayrshire for the last 15 years. But yet another bid to raise £1.5 million has been started by the north-east England city of Sunderland, where the ship was built in 1864. The ship is five years older than the "Cutty Sark" which is moored on the river Thames as a tourist attraction. Read more

Lochaber Wins Geopark Status
1,000 million years of geological history has helped the Lochaber area of Scotland to become Europe's newest "geopark". It stretches from Rannoch Moor in the south to Knoydart in the north, and from the Small Isles in the west to Glen Spean in the east. Ben Nevis, the UK's highest mountain, is within its boundary. Read more

This Week in Scottish History
June 24 1314 - Robert the Bruce defeated Edward II at Battle of Bannockburn.
June 25 1799 - David Douglas, explorer and botanist, born at Scone, Perthshire. In addition to the Douglas Fir, he brought back to Europe lupins, phlox, penstemmon, sunflowers, clarkia, Californian poppy, mimulus, flowering currant, rose of sharon and mahonia.
June 25 1887 - Wallace statue unveiled at the Wallace National Monument, Stirling.
June 25 1971 - Lord Boyd Orr, biologist and Nobel Prize Winner, died.
June 25 1876 - Seven Scots, including John Stuart Forbes, were in the US 7th Cavalry with General Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.
June 25 1891 - The first Sherlock Holmes story by Edinburgh-born author Arthur Conan Doyle was published in the "Strand" magazine.
June 26 1488 - James IV crowned king at the age of 15 at Scone. He reigned until 1513 when he fell with the flower of Scotland's nobility at the Battle of Flodden Field.
June 26 1695 - Darien Company formed to set up a Scottish colony in Panama.
June 26 1830 - King George IV died, aged 67 (and William IV ascended the throne). George IV is reckoned to be Britain's fattest king. His favourite breakfast was two roast pigeons, three beefsteaks, a bottle of white wine, a glass of champagne, two of port and one brandy.
June 27 1583 - King James VI (aged 8) escaped from Castle Ruthven.
June 28 1838 - Queen Victoria crowned at Westminster Abbey.
June 30 1857 - Start of trial for murder of Madeleine Smith who was eventually found "Not Proven"

Scottish Proverbs
Mony cooks ne’er made a gude kail. (Too many cooks spoil the broth).

The lost Bond: for Sean's eyes only
IT IS the most ambitious and action-packed James Bond movie ever. Sean Connery returns as 007, battles a robot shark in the New York sewers, water-skis the Hudson River, and parachutes on to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
Sadly, however, it was never filmed and exists today in a few recently unearthed sketches and photographs. Warhead never made it in front of the cameras, let alone on to the big screen, falling victim not to SPECTRE, but to a bitter and complicated legal battle.
Bond aficionados have always vaguely known about "the great lost Bond movie". But only now has it become apparent just how close it came to being filmed in 1977. And the full extent of Connery's involvement - not just as the star, but also as producer and in the unfamiliar role of scriptwriter - is only now clear.
Read more

Scotland's "Great Wall"
Scotland features four World Heritage sites - the isle of St Kilda, Edinburgh's New Town and Old Town, New Lanark, and Neolithic Orkney. Efforts are under way to gain similar status to the Roman ruins of the Antonine Wall, and the person directing Scotland's bid offers a glimpse into the wall's history.
Read more

Killer Rabbit!
WE HAVE real-life beasties such as the midge and fantastical monsters such as Nessie, but now investigators believe they have found a new fearsome creature roaming the forests and glens of Scotland.
Researchers have produced two carcasses of what they hope is a previously undiscovered species - a large rabbit-headed wildcat.
The mystery black mammal has a small head, a large snout, long canine teeth and - most distinctively - long ears which bear a resemblance to a rabbit or hare.
Big cat hunters are calling on gamekeepers to help trap a live rabbit-headed cat so its identity can be established once and for all.
Read more

DNA test may solve the name game for outlawed MacGregors
They were once the most feared and persecuted clansmen in Scotland - forced to renounce their ancient ancestry or face execution.
For two centuries the MacGregors, including the legendary Rob Roy, lived as outlaws for refusing to renounce their name. Others legally changed their surnames to escape persecution as the clan was dispersed to the four winds.
But now, 233 years after the persecution of the MacGregors finally ended, the latest advances in DNA technology are being used for the first time by the Clan Gregor Society to welcome "lost" clansmen back into their fold.
Read more

Daggers drawn as Hollywood rivals do battle over Macbeth
"DOUBLE, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble." Four centuries after Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, two rival sets of film-makers are battling to produce a Hollywood version of the "Scottish play".
Both have major players in the film world behind them and both have declared similar intentions of appealing to a modern audience with special effects that play up the supernatural elements of the classic drama.
Scotsman

Hmmmm. Sound familiar?
A study into the Scottish election voting fiasco has found the highest proportion of rejected constituency votes came in the most deprived areas.
The probe, by the University of Strathclyde, was triggered by the chaos which saw more than 140,000 spoiled papers in the May poll.
It also found that more votes were discounted in areas where there were a larger number of list candidates.
The Electoral Commission has already launched an inquiry into the problems.
BBC

Scottish Weblog of the Week
Isle of Islay
News, travel tips, great pictures!

Bloggin' bloggin' bloggin'...

Catch my Creature Feature blog post at Fae, and my Diviniation Sunday blog post at the BYT. Leave a comment on my divination post, and get into the drawing for a free ogham reading. Enjoy!


Aha! You clicked on the Read More link! You like? [grin]

Fan-Yourself Friday

Those of you who click on the "Read More" link will be richly rewarded. [grin]


Can I just say, "YUM"?

Wordless Wednesday

Source: Worth1000.com

Scotophile Monday

Welcome back to Scotophile Monday! Here's where I glean interesting bits from Scottish newspapers and web sites from around the world. All sources are credited.

Enjoy!

Tartan for Scottish Film Star
The Borders knitwear company of Lochcarron has produced a new specially-designed tartan for a Scottish film star. No, not Sean Connery - Shrek, the cinematic ogre with a Scottish accent (well, nearly Scottish...) The tourism agency VisitScotland came up with the idea in advance of the release of Shrek the Third. The tartan is described as "muted browns and acid greens" and is aimed at encouraging people to trace their own Scottish roots. Shrek, presumably has done so and may be a member of the clan Nessie? Being of somewhat ample girth, they needed 10 metres of cloth to make Shrek's kilt, which he wore for advance publicity shots prior to the launch of the movie. Read more

Heart Transplant Patient Bags All 284 Munros

Murray Elder had a life expectancy of only days when he underwent a heart transplant operation 18 years ago. Since then, he has continued to climb all 284 "Munros" - the mountains in Scotland with peaks above 3,000 feet. He climbed the last of them last Saturday - accompanied by some friends and also the surgeon who performed the life-saving operation. Read more

Tycoon's Legal Win Bars Ramblers from Her Land

Ann Gloag, a multi-millionaire tycoon, has won a court case giving her the right to post "keep out signs on a large area around her home at Kinfauns Castle. This goes against the time-honored "right to roam" tradition, which gives the public the right to roam around freely in Scotland's great outdoors. Gloag is now allowed to build a 7-foot high fence around a 12-acre enclosure, claiming that because of her wealth, high public profile and prominence of her guests, she was entitled to a higher degree of protection. The Ramblers Association is convinced that the sheriff's judgement is in error and is considering an appeal. Read more

Scunnered with Microsoft's Office 2007

Those who use the English/English dictionary (as distinct from the US/English version) in Microsoft products have to teach it to speak Scots by adding common words to its dictionary of acceptable words on our own PCs. This can be a time consuming process, particularly if a lot of Scots dialect words are used. Now Microsoft has announced that the latest British version of their Office 2007 software will have Scots words included in its dialect dictionary. The software giant has invited users to submit their favourite Scots words and already thousands of words have been sent in. The most-nominated word so far is "scunnered" followed by old favourites such as "dreich" and "wean". Read more

Borders Biomass Boom

A new biomass power station, nearing completion near Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway, has sparked a wave of planting of willow on farms across southern Scotland. The plant will require 220,000 tonnes of fuel a year and it is hoped that local willow can provide 45,000 tonnes of that. Willow provides a similar amount of energy per ton as other hardwoods, but can be cultivated every few years at relatively low cost. Read more

Scotland for Sale

Relax - it's only Scotland.com that's up for auction in New York. Read more

Black Watch Play Marks Opening of Parliament

"Black Watch", one of the greatest successes in Scottish theatrical history, is to play an unprecedented role in the reopening of Scottish Parliament. Read more

Web Site on Scottish Highland History

Explore Am Baile, The Highland Council'sbilingual website, and discover the history and culture of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Click here

This Week in Scottish History

June 17 1390 - Wolf of Badenoch burns Elgin Cathedral.
June 17 1823 - Charles Macintosh patented the waterproof cloth he was using to make raincoats.
June 18 1639 - Pacification of Berwick, Charles I forced to withdraw from Scotland and recognise an independent Scottish Parliament.
June 18 1746 - Flora MacDonald met Prince Charles Edward Stuart and persuaded him to wear women's clothes as part of the escape plan from the Outer Hebrides to Skye.
June 19 1566 - Mary Queen of Scots gives birth to the future King James VI of Scotland and I of England.
June 19 1633 - Coronation of King Charles I at Holyrood.
June 19 1660 - "Day of Public Thanksgiving" on Restoration of Charles II as king.
June 19 1861 - Earl Haig, Commander in Chief of British forces 1915-18, founder of British Legion, born.
June 19 1937 - Sir J M Barrie, author of "Peter Pan" died.
June 20 1723 - Adam Ferguson, philosopher, historian, "Father of Sociology" born Logierait, Perthshire.
June 20 1887 - New Tay rail bridge opened, the longest in Britain.
June 20 1969 - First announcement of the discovery of high-grade crude oil in the North Sea.
June 21 1791 - Robert Napier, regarded as the "father of Clyde shipbuilding" was born. He died on 23 June, 1876.
June 21 1796 - Scottish explorer Mungo Park reached the source of the river Niger in Africa.
June 22 1725 - Malt Riots, Glasgow - against higher taxes imposed on Scottish malt.
June 23 1650 - Charles II sailed into the estuary of the river Spey and signed the Covenant before going ashore.
June 23 1927 - Singer Kenneth McKellar born.

Lachlan's Law No. 29

"Don't worry about what people think - they don't do it very often."

It's wedding season!

My cousin's son is getting married this weekend, so today I only have time for a quick ghost story post over on the Beyond the Veil blog.

AHA! You clicked the Read More link, didn't you? The great thing about this feature is you can truncate long, rambling posts behind a cut. The downside is, you can't turn it on and off, because you have to hard-code it into the blog html code. Hmm. I think Blogger could take a hint from LiveJournal and figure out how to fix this.

Anyway, here's your reward. You Pavlovian specimens, you. [wink]

13 Scottish Myths and Legends

Thirteen Scottish Myths and Legends 1. Black Donald - the devil - who cannot disguise his cloven feet. 2. Boobrie - water-bird of the Scottish Highlands. 3. Brownie - good-natured, invisible brown elves or household goblins. The younger version of the "Girl Guides" in Britain at least, are called "Brownies" for that very reason! 4. Clootie - another Scottish name for the Devil. The name comes from cloot, meaning one division of a cleft hoof. 5. Fachan - one leg, one arm and one eye. 6. Fionn - Scottish/Pictish magician, warrior and poet. 7. Ghillie Dhu - a solitary Scottish elf. 8. Kelpie - a water devil. 9. Lothian - Lothian traditionally takes its name from King Lot and father of Mordred. 10. Monster of Loch Ness - mythical? Surely not.... First seen by St Columba in 565 a.d. 11. Red Cap - lives on the Scottish Border in ancient ruins of castles. 12. Scotia - a goddess but frequently portrayed as an old hag! 13. Selkie - a marine creature in the shape of a seal. 14. Shellycoat - a Scottish bogeyman who haunts the rivers and streams. He is covered with shells, which rattle when he moves. 15. Sidhe the Gaelic name for fairies in both Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland. Okay, so there's 15. Sue me. :) Rampant Scotalnd Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Dog's Eye View 2. Christina's Shoebox 3. Samantha Lucas 4. Amanda Young 5. Jenny's Wandering Thoughts 6. Off the Wall Thoughts 7. Emerald City Guy 8. NJ Walters 9. Will Write for Food 10. Shelley 11. Qtpies7 12. Seeley Deerborn 13. Michelle Pillow 14. Philly Transplant 15. Bending the Twigs 16. On the Lake Front 17.

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Wordless Wednesday

Nothing to add here! [grin] Liam Neeson in "Rob Roy."