Tam and Margaret Spiers

We finished off the day with a concert by Tam and Margaret Spiers and friends. As they saw how our group enthusiastically joins in the chorus of songs, they quickly adapted their set list and included songs and ballads that provided for our participation. Tam plays the fiddle as he sings-- his alternative tuning of the fiddle with droning possibilities produces a very haunting sound.

And as I write this post, I can hear the bagpipe from earlier in the day still playing in my ears.

The Chaumer

We hopped back on the bus and sang more regional songs with Tam and Margaret Spiers en route to our next destination. They had selected these highlights for our tour of Buchan and Aberdeenshire. We ended at the Aden Country Park. The farming museum lets you tour an Auld Fairm Toun’.

In this area, the unmarried farm workers lived in the chaumer. Instead of the men being in a separate building as they were in bothies, they slept in lofts built above the animals in the barns and were kept warm by the rising animal heat. The songs that arose in these environments expressed their feelings about their living conditions, the oppressive qualities of the head farmer, or the charms of local lassies.

Celebration Outside the Walled Garden

Outside the castle, over a small hill, and down the lane is walled garden. Outside this garden another celebration was happening. This group of teenage girls were celebrating a friend’s birthday. Since I snapped off photos for them on each of their cameras, they agreed to let me photograph that same pose on my own camera. “But only one!” they said.

Castle Wedding

As we continued touring the rest of this castle we heard a bag piper. When we came outside we saw the piper standing on a low roof behind a parapet over the entrance for wedding guests.

Fyvie Castle

After visiting St. Peter’s Church, we went to Fyvie Castle. Because a wedding was to begin soon, we were shuttled quickly through the Great Gallery that has a grand piano and pipe organ. The ceremony was to be in that room.

Tiffany Window

Inside the church is a large Tiffany window representing Saint Michael.

Sculpted Stones

These are 3 of the 4 sculpted stones that form the cross. One has a horse shoe symbol above another symbol that has three circles inside another circle. Another has an elephant and mirror symbol. Another has a double disc and an eagle. These stones are thought to from earlier than 800 AD.

Fyvie Parish Church

Then we traveled to Fyvie for a church and a castle. On the exterior wall of Fyvie Parish Church is a cross formed with ancient Pictish sculpted stones.

Loanhead of Daviot Stone Circle

Hollow drum sounds from a scout troop punctuated the blowing wind as we approached the Loanhead of Daviot Stone Circle in Aberdeenshire. This is a religious site of the Neolithic Period and was constructed 4000 to 5000 years ago. The exact uses of this Pre-Pictish site are subject to speculation just as many prehistoric sites are. The large recumbant stone may be linked to the ritual of blocking the entrances of chambered tombs.

Jim and Susie Malcolm

The dessert for the day was a concert by Jim and Susie Malcolm. Susie was right behind me during part of the concert, so I got to hear some exquisite harmonies that she sang to her husbands melodies. Live stereo. Later, Susie sang a few solos. One was “Ploo’min Laddies” that was familiar from Dominique Dodge’s classes at Harper’s Ferry this year.

Dunnottar and Stonehaven

We’ve been blessed with fantastic weather. As we continued on towards Aberdeen, we stopped briefly at Dunnottar Castle ruins. Then our tour bus squeezed into the ocean port of Stonehaven for Ed and Jim to share some fisherman’s songs right on the harbour pier.

Forfar for Lunch

As we continued on to Aberdeen, we stopped in Forfar for lunch. There are two competing makers of bridies. Bridies are a flat meat pie. One establishment makes them with one hole on top; the other with two. And since I’m told they taste differently, I was prepared to get one of each to do my own taste test. Unfortunately, one shop had no more small bridies. So I got a bridie and a custard pastry for lunch.

Jim and Susie Malcolm beside Pictish Stone

Then we snuck around to the kirk and I got a photo of Jim and Susie in front of this Pictish Stone. Jim is an avid fisherman, and this carved stone has imagery that is especially appealing to him.

Bothy

When we reached Glamis, we went to a bothy in the Angus Folk Museum. A bothy was a bunkhouse for the plowboys who worked on large farms. A whole genre of songs emerged that give insight into the life of these farm workers. Jim and Susie sang several “Bothy Ballads”. Then as we emerged from the Bothy, an interpreter and author of a book on life in the bothy pulled out his accordion and encouraged Jim to join in on the guitar.

Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stone

Along the way, we picked up Jim and Susie Malcolm in Perth. Later, we passed through areas that have the most evidence of Pict history, especially in the carved standing stones. These Aberlemno Pictish Standing Stones graced our journey towards Aberdeen.

We heard some of the songs of the Travelers that had been collected from and sung by the Stewarts as we passed through Blair. I recalled that "O'er Yon Hill" that Dominique Dodge taught at the Ohio Scottish Arts School is recorded on the Stewarts of Blair recording.

Firth of Forth Bridges

We crossed over the Firth of Forth and headed to Aberdeen. One bridge for trains, another for cars.

The Elephant House

Returning from the concert, Ed pointed out The Elephant Bar across the street from the church venue where the concert had been. This is the coffee shop where J.K. Rowling began her Harry Potter series.

Stramash

In the evening, we went to a traditional music show called Stramash. There were several performers from Janet Weatherston, The Linties, and the group pictured here. The citern player was playing with them for the first time tonight after having practiced together once. It sounded as though they’d played together for years.

Pub

After our hike, we traveled to a fine pub where the World Cup was playing on TV--of course! This historic pub still has the ornate bar with the screens that used to separate the working class on one side of the bar from the wealthier patrons enjoying their drinks at tables with cushioned benches.

I felt like Rick Steves being there.

Rigs

On the way down from Arthur’s Seat, I asked Ed about the curious look of the green at the fancy golf course below us. My suspicions were confirmed when Ed said they were the remnants of the historic planting method of using “rigs” or ridges of soil with water flowing between them.

Arthur’s Seat

Today we hiked to the top of Arthur’s Seat near Holyrood Palace.

Parliament Building

The new parliament building is controversial. One, the modern design contrasts with the historic buildings in Edinburgh. Two, the initial projected cost of 40 million rose to 400 million before completion. And there are many other reasons.

There are stones with words of famous poets and writers from Scotland etched into them on the exterior. The stone pictured here contains the words to the Robert Burns

song “A Mans A Man For ‘A That”. This was sung by Sheena Wellington at the opening ceremonies. The song rebukes the aristocracy of England.