Boxing Day

Walk 4

After the experience of yesterday, Dr Anne was anxious to go for a secluded walk.  Michael Minty had cleared the old railway line from Aird Street towards Tillynaught.  Dr Anne with her Tilltynaught connections had always wanted to try the route out.  Today was the day.

They entered off the A98 on Aird Street.  The going was good as J. D. and Dr Anne headed up under the Huntly Bridge and on up to Kinnadie.  They crossed the muddy farm road to find a bar across the path.  J. D. climbed over and Dr Anne slid under the pole.  The path was more challenging.  They kept going until they came to a clearing in Rockhilly Wood.  They tried to go further but the path was totally overgrown.  There was a barbed wire fence preventing entry to the field, there were ditches and fallen trees making it difficult to go through the wood.  The decision was made to retrace their steps back into town.  

NB

Dr Anne found her Aunt Nellie's front door with the Crudie glass now a garage door down towards the line.

Christmas Day

J. D. and Dr Anne were due to go out for Christmas lunch @ 1 but when Dr Anne looked out in the early morning she found it to be sunny, warm although windy.  She decided it was the day to go out round the Durn Hill.  The twasome headed out the A98 towards Boggierow.  Dr Anne decided not to go the railway line as it is prone to flooding.

Windy was a minor statement.  The gusts of wind were lifting the two off their feet. They turned up the road to Fordyce and headed up the Boggierow Brae.  At the turn off, Dr Anne decided to change the walk for a less exposed route.  HA...HA...HA...  As the two headed down to Bogtown in single file, Dr Anne turned round to see J. D. taking off towards the ditch.  Gosh, it was hard work facing into the wind but what else could they do?  V.T. was in Inverness.

They crossed the A98, up the path, along the side of the field to Redhythe.  They had good views of Glenglassaugh Distillery and Sandend before they turned and walked down the old road into Portsoy

A view towards Sandend

Glenglassaugh Distillery

The walk took longer than anticipated so it was a quick change and off to Christmas lunch.  Both J. D. and Dr Anne felt like a nap after a champagne cocktail.

Christmas Eve

One walk was not enough for the spritely Dr Anne and J. D..  A quick lunch was followed by the 4 mile walk round what used to be called the Boyne.  Why the Boyne?  There is the Boyne Burn and the Boyne Castle, the seat of the Ogilvies and a stopover for Mary Queen of Scots.

J. D. and Dr Anne went down the Burnie Brae and up the hill towards Langside down to Cairnrankie and Cowhythe then to the hamlet of Scotstown.  It was a calm day making the walking conditions fair.  It was decided that it was too late in the day to climb fences and cross fields to ruins of Boyne Castle.  the twosome headed up to the old road to Whitehills.

The light was beginning to fade so they stepped up the pace round by Bloomvale, Lintmill of Boyne and on to the A98 Banff to Portsoy road.

Christmas Eve

J. D.  visited Portsoy regularly in the early 1970s when she worked in Aberdeen and Dr Anne was a teacher at Shand Street, Macduff.

The activities arranged by Dr Anne for J. D. included walks, coffee shops, visits to friends and acquaintances, scrabble and other games.

They started off by walking the perimeter of Portsoy.  It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny.  They headed towards the cemetery, a quiet and peaceful setting near to the beach and caravan site.  They then walked to the Portsoy Salmon Bothy.  J. D. was given a private viewing of the museum, the bothy and upstairs @ the bothy.  J. D. was well impressed and chose items from the Bothy's bespoke collection of merchandise.  It was off round the harbour to the PORT builiding, the Shore Inn and on to the Marble Shop.  J. D. particularly like the small marble figures - the owl, the frog, the tortoise.  Dr Anne bought a copy of the Portsoy Manuscript of 1843 to aid one of her projects.

Dr Anne  led J. D. up round the Doonie, up through the council housing estate, down through the Soyburn housing estate and on to Durn Road.

From there it was the Sunday walk of the 1950s - the walk round Durn passing the the Durn housing estate, the 5* Durn House B&B, on to the A98 leading into the town via Aird Street.  

J. D. comes to Portsoy

J. D. arrived by bus on 23 December for Christmas and the New Year.

Dr Anne has arrange a variety of activities and will report on them over the next few days.

Wilkies

Wilkies opened in what used to be the Commercial Hotel on Seafield Street, Portsoy very recently.  Dr Anne and Anna,dancer and Bothy volunteer decided to suss it out.  There's a hardware store in Portsoy for the first time in years.  Dr Anne will get batteries and light bulbs, screws and bolts.  There's every implement and container Dr Anne might ever want to cook, house keep, garden.  There are  also lots of things Dr Anne will never want.

Dr Anne and Anna went to the old function room which is now a cafe seating 100 people.  Everyone in the town is very happy to have such a cafe and all have enjoyed their the fayre.

Dr Anne awards a 4/10 for her coffee and scone. She had to ask for a knife and butter.  The coffee was watery.  The table needed wiping.

The Willows

Dr Anne and Wendy Pilates went for lunch @ the Willows.  The tearoom, antique shop, art gallery and vintage clothing is to be found on the Cullen - Keith road, B9018 @ Cottarton, Ardoch, Deskford.

The tea room is an old cottar house.  There are tables with vintage white cloths and china.  Service was attentive.  The menu is vegetarian with all items home made.

Wendy Pilates chose cheese, pickles, oatcakes and salad. Dr Anne chose hummus and feta in flatbreads with salad.  Both were delicious.  To follow Wendy Pilates read, reread and reread the cake choice.  Wendy Pilates chose a cake with fresh blueberries and cococut and Dr Anne had a festive fruit cupcake.  De-lic-ious... This was washed down with coffees, black and cappucino.  All was very reasonably priced.  Both are now members of the Willows Tea Club.  After 5 cups there is a free fly cup. 

Wendy Pilates and Dr Anne went through into the art gallery where there was a delightful selection of cards, jewellry, artwork and antiques.  Wendy Pilates chose an unusual wreath for her front door.  She then led Dr Anne upstairs to rummage through the vintage clothing and small antiques. 

Dr Anne awards the Willows 9/10.

SOLACE

McKeon, B. (2011). Solace. New York: Scribner.

Dr Anne awards this book 8/10.

This was a compelling read, a real page turner.  It was a great start to Dr Anne's Christmas reading season.  The book came highly recommended by November's Saga Magazine.

The characters were rich and thick and the reader related to them with much empathy.  There was the father grounded in the land with the wife, the central figure of the family.  There was the daughter who had left her culture and traditions for the big city never to return and the son who wanted the academic life in the city but was always drawn back into his rural context usually with a reluctant sense of duty.

The build up to the story was page turning, the reflection of the happening thought provoking, the outcome of the happening realistic to someone who has recently been there.  The ending left one in the now with no strategy for the future apart from maybe going on a sight seeing trip.

Is this what life is about?