Tag Archives: Scotland

The Wendi Files 2018.2

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This End Is Near

As we approach the end of this year’s sojourn, let’s catch up on the antics of my pesky compadre.

The Alte Museum in Berlin, Germany

Central Station, Amsterdam, NL

Staatliches Museum in Schwerin, Germany

At NMOMA in Edinburgh, Scotland

National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Monument, Leipzig, Germany

Amsterdam, NL

KrollerMuller, NL

Fraser Castle, Scotland

Culross, Scotland

Crathes Castle, Scotland

Vintage Market in Leipzig, Germany

“Aperol Spritz” at Cospudener See, Leipzig, Germany

Foam Galley Amsterdam, NL

Simpson shoes in Leipzig, Germany

With Helmut Newton in Berlin, Germany

Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, Germany

Amsterdam, NL

Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden, Germany

Amsterdam, NL

Foam Gallery in Amsterdam

Edinburgh, Scotland

And a hearty farewell. See you all next time.

The Wendi Files – 2018.1

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People have been clamoring for the Wendi Files but rather then burden everyone with endless tales of blood-curdling debauchery, I thought we could start off slow and just let her never-ending wackiness unfurl at it’s own pace.

Happy In Haarlem, NL

The Singer-Laren Museum, NL

The National Museum of Modern Art – Edinburgh

Riddles Close – Edinburgh

Krollen-Muller, NL

Edinburgh

Charity Shop In Banchovy, Scotland

Cullen Bay, Scotland

The National Museum of Modern Art – Edinburgh

Enjoying the wildlife at Balmoral Castle

Edinburgh

With Barney In Edinburgh

Castle Fraser – The Top of the Tower

Castle Drum – Honey, we’re home.

Welcome To The Vintage Market At New College, Durham, U.K.

Buddying up to Victoria at Kelvingrove Museum, Glascow

Albatross Imitation At Kelvingrove Museum, Glascow

A Pub In Ballater

Balmoral Castle – She said, “You know we could rent a couple and race each other?”

New Friends in FoggieLoon, Scotland

Kirkcudbright

A Nap At Castle Drum

Wendi said she’d rest on the lawn at Castle Drum while I climbed the Tower. The groundskeeper came over and nudged her to make sure she hadn’t expired.

Disaster, Mayhem and Mini-Monsters

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As usual there just isn’t enough time to get to everything so here’s a few sad and peculiar tales that got lost in the shuffle.

‘Black Friday’

St. Abbs

In October of 1881 the fishermen of the North Sea could not have predicted that a European windstorm, the strongest of all extratropical cyclones, was moving their way. Because of the unsettled weather the fishermen of Eyemouth had been unable to put to sea all that week. By Friday the 14th everyone’s stores were exhausted and bait was going stale. The morning broke clear and calm yet the barometer was still abnormally low. The younger men knew that if they didn’t put out to sea there would be no food for their families until, at least, Monday evening. The older fisherman cautioned against it, but the impatient younger men, with hungry families and loans to repay, ignored the more experienced advice and, one by one, raised their sails and moved out of the harbor. They sailed nine miles out to the fishing grounds unaware that the storm had already broken along the coast further south. Suddenly a horrible stillness fell over everything, the sky darkened and the storm clouds began to roll in. Most of the fishermen, having no time, cut their lines and turned into the wind, while others made a run for Eyemouth.

Eyemouth Harbor

On the shore, whole families gathered and watched through the driving spray and lashing rain as their fathers, brothers and husbands crashed into the rocks along the coast. By the end of the mornings 189 fishermen had died, 129 from Eyemouth. Every family was effected as 250 children were left fatherless.

Sculptor Jill Watson

This small and very heartfelt bronze memorial, created by sculptor Jill Watson, stands on the bluff above the harbor where the women and children gathered and watched their loved ones perish on the rocks just off shore during the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster of 1881.

Sculptor Jill Watson

Lives Of The Rich & Famous

In our age of celebrity we tend to think of the rich and famous as having charmed lives free of stress, worry and anxiety. Lives in which everything they could ever want is right at their fingertips. Lives filled with adoration and privilege. They appear to look good, feel good and fill their trouble free days with unimaginable joy. I think this notion is completely illusionary and with the exception of an incredibly lucky few, has no basis in reality. If it’s not true now, then it definitely wasn’t true in the 16th &17th centuries. Here’s just a few examples.

Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll

Archibald was a man of immense power who shifted his political allegiances between the Protestants and Catholics as the prevailing winds blew. Even his father referred to him as a man of craft and falsehood. Eventually he found himself on the wrong side and in 1660 Charles II had him arrested and executed. His famous squint and gloomy countenance earned him the nickname of “Archibald the Grim”.

Lady Arabella Stuart

This potential heir to both the Scottish and English crown was amazingly wealthy. Her evil mother kept her in a semi-imprisonment for most of her life. When Arabella finally gained a little freedom she eloped without her cousin, the King’s, consent. He was so furious he imprisoned her in the Tower of London were she starved herself to death.

James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton

Morton was always a troublemaker. He infamously introduced the guillotine to Scotland. After trying to de- stabilize the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots he was convicted of taking part in the murder of her beloved Lord Darnley 13 years earlier. He was publicly executed with the very same guillotine he had brought to the country.

Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley

An heir to both the English and Scottish thrones, Henry was married to his cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary crowned him King of Scots. Although adored by Mary, he quickly proved himself to be spoilt, arrogant, unstable and completely incompetent. He was murdered just one year later at the age of twenty one.

James Graham, 1st Marques of Montrose

Montrose was another man of privilege that just couldn’t make up his mind. First he was a Royalist, then a Clan Chief, then a Covenanter and then a Royalist again. Always in trouble, Jimmy hid out in the Highlands, then England, then France and eventually returned to Scotland only to be captured and brought to the High Street in Edinburgh where he was hung, cut down while still alive, had his entrails cut out and set ablaze, and finally was drawn and quartered.

Strange Things

Peculiar creatures are not restricted to the windows of Haarlem. They have, apparently made their way to Scotland.

Just another guy that wanted to rule the world.

Duke & Baron – The Kelpie Clydesdales

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Clydesdales

Most Americans are familiar with these magnificent horses from the incredibly sentimental ads that Budweiser uses to make us cry every Christmas and Super Bowl.

The friendly nature of these giant creatures is no accident. In the 1820s Scotsmen cross bred powerful Flemish stallions with local mares to create a workhorse that is powerful, even tempered and docile enough to work in close proximity with men. They were quickly put to use pulling boats and barges along the canals and rivers of Scotland.

It’s no wonder the shape-shifting Kelpies that live below the surface of these waterways chose the Clydesdale as the form they would take when they came ashore. These mythical creatures wait patiently on the banks for unsuspecting passersby who are drawn to their kind eyes and magnificent countenance. Innocent people would reach out and touch them, only to be trapped and pulled below to a watery grave.

Kelpies

Andy Scott With Duke & Baron © Jim Stewart

By the end of the 20th century the canals and waterways around the once vibrant industrial Falkirk region were silted up, filled with refuge and unused.

At the beginning of the restoration project, named the Helix, sculptor Andy Scott was brought in to help. He imagined that Clydesdales would be the perfect image to bridge the divide between the areas industrial past and it’s mythological folklore. He chose the Clydesdales Duke and Baron as his models.

Duke is “Kelpie Head Down”

Baron is called “Kelpie Head Up”.

The Kelpies in Helix Park

Looking Up Inside Duke at Falkirk, Scotland

These amazing sculptures have completely revitalized the Falkirk area. The first year alone drawing a million tourists.

A House With A View

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The Castle Tour – Episode 6

This is what the Kennedy Clan calls home. Not bad.

Motto: “Consider the End”

Culzean Castle

The Kennedy Clan dates back to at least the 1200s when Cunedda, the Grim-headed, was sent to southwest Scotland to defend the region from sea raids.

They have absolutely no connection to the American Kennedys.

Culzean Castle

Culzean Castle was constructed by order of the 10th Earl of Cassilis. The castle was designed by architect Robert Adam and was built in stages between 1777 and 1792. The building and large drum tower were built to take full advantage of it’s location overlooking the sea.

Culzean Castle

The Power Plant

For the interiors, symmetry was the order of the day. Only one of these doors is functional. The left hand one is just there to balance the other and goes nowhere. There are maids bells on each side of the fireplace. The right one works, the left one is a dummy. This concept is seen in every room of the house.

The Lion & The Mouse

I love this 17th century painting by Paul de Vos. It depicts the final scene in the classic fable by Aesop. In the oldest versions, a lion is woken from sleep by a tiny mouse. The mouse begs for the lion’s forgiveness explaining that such lowly prey couldn’t possibly bring the lion any honor. When the roaring lion is trapped by hunters, the mouse remembers its clemency and gnaws through the ropes to free the giant beast. The moral being that mercy brings its own reward and there is no being so small it cannot help a greater. This fable has been reinterpreted by many different cultures the world over, some coming to much different moral conclusions.

Paul de Vos

Sir Thomas Kennedy

Thomas Kennedy

Accorded to the guide, Sir Thomas Kennedy was considered a real piece of work. Rumor has it that in an attempt to forcibly procure land from a neighbor, he and his henchman strapped the poor man to a spit and slowly roasted him until he agreed to sell. The man recovered and the sale was revoked, but the chief men of Ayr agreed to slay Sir Thomas Kennedy the first opportunity they got. On May 11 1602 he was murdered just outside the town of Ayr.

Artistic License

Everything in these mansions is designed to impress, even commissioned paintings. These two fine paintings by Alexander Nasmyth are no exception. The first shows the island of Ailsa Craig in the misty distance just off shore. The island is considerably further south and impossible to see from the house. The second painting shows Culzean Castle from the sea, sitting on a bluff that is at least three times as high as the real thing. Impressive, yes, accurate, hardly.

Culzean Castle From The North With Ailsa Craig By Alexander Nasmyth

Culzean Castle From The Sea By Alexander Nasmyt

For A Job Well Done

Dwight Eisenhower

The Kennedy family retained ownership until 1945 when they gave the castle and its grounds to the National Trust for Scotland with one stipulation. The apartment at the top of the castle was to be given to General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower in recognition of his role as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War.

Ike first visited the castle in 1946 and stayed there four times, including once while President of the United States.

A Message For Our Times

“ If all that Americans want is security, they can go to prison. They’ll have enough to eat, a bed and a roof over their heads. But if an American wants to preserve his dignity and his equality as a human being, he must not bow his neck to any dictatorial government.”

Dwight Eisenhower.

Bang The Drum

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The Castle Tour – Episode 5

Motto: “Flourishing both in sunshine and in shade”

William de Irwyn was Robert the Bruce’s armour bearer and secretary. Close allies of the Bruce, the Irvines fought alongside him on many campaigns against the English. After one battle the Bruce fled with a few aides. Exhausted and riding hard, he took rest under a holly tree while William Irvine kept watch. This story was the origin of the Irvines of Drum Castles coat of arms with three sprigs of holly. William also fought alongside the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in June 1314 and for his continued loyal service the King granted him Castle Drum and all it’s grounds in 1325. The Irvines backed the losing side in both the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite uprisings, but despite this they bounced back and were able to develop Castle Drum further during the 1800s. It remained the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine for over 650 years until 1975 when the property was given to the Scottish Trust.

Castle Drum

The original 13th-century tower of Drum Castle is believed to be one of the three oldest, and notably unaltered, tower houses in Scotland.

It is said that the house is riddled with secret rooms. One was recently discovered behind the bookcase on the right.

The Archangel Gabriel by Hugh Irvine. Some say it was a self portrait.

The five lions on the mantle are each different. One for each child to hang a Christmas stocking.

These aren’t weird torture devices. They’re cheese presses.

The View From The Tower

Mary Irvine, Daughter of Alexander Irvine, the 16th Laird of Drum by Henry Raeburn

Mary Irvine

Mary Irvine managed the entire estate during the Jacobite uprisings and is considered to have been one of the best at it.

The Laird of Drum escaped capture after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and returned to Castle Drum where Mary hide him in a secret room for over three years, during which time English forces searched the property repeatedly.

By the early 1700’s virtually all the great oak trees that graced the estate had been chopped down for ship building and military needs. Mary replanted them all resulting in the oak forest we see today. She insisted, “they are not just trees, they are our future.”

Henry Quentin Forbes Irvine (1908–1975), 24th Laird of Drum

Henry Quentin Irvine, fought with the King’s African Rifles. Some ten years before his death, this popular 24th laird entered into an agreement with The National Trust for Scotland so that Drum and its 411 acres could be bequeathed to the trust and held for the benefit of the nation.

Covenanting Rebellion

Drum was attacked and sacked three times during the Covenanting Rebellion, probably one the most significant events in the history of the British Isles, with ramifications that still reverberate today.

On February 28, 1638 a large group gathered on the grounds of Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh to adopt a document that stood against “superstitious and papistical rites” and was an oath to maintain the reformed religion, i.e. Protestants vs. Catholics. This act would, over time, help bring about the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the English Civil War, the Scottish Civil War and the Irish Confederate Wars.

The Signing of the National Covenant in Greyfriars Kirkyard, by William Allan

The Artist’s Town

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Kirkcudbright

We happened upon Kirkcudbright while touring southwest Scotland and liked it so much we stayed a couple days. The town has always had a long association with the Glasgow art movement. Many artists, including the Glasgow Boys and the famed Scottish Colorists, based themselves here and established the Kirkcudbright Artists’ Colony. The presence of accredited artists helped Kirkcudbright become known as “the Artist’s Town”.

We lodged at the Selkirk Arms Hotel and couldn’t recommend it more highly if you like good food, great beer and terrific people.

The hotel is named after Thomas Douglas, the 5th Earl of Selkirk, one of Kirkcudbright’s most famous sons. He devoted much of his life to helping landless Scots immigrate to Canada and from around 1790 to 1812 founded colonies on Prince Edwards Island, Ontario and Manitoba. The site of his original settlement on the Red River is now part of Winnipeg, Manitoba’s capital.

Kirkcudbright became a royal burgh in 1453. The Tolbooth/City Hall was built between 1625 and 1629 and served as tollbooth, council offices, courts and the criminal and debtors’ prison. It’s most famous prisoner was the American Naval hero, John Paul Jones. The building, after a £3 million renovation, is now the city’s largest art museum/gallery.

Jessie Marion King

Jessie Marion King was one of the artists known as the Glasgow Girls. She lived and worked in this house with her husband E. A. Taylor. She was a hugely independent woman and chose to keep her maiden name, something very unusual in Scotland at the beginning of the 20th century.

A prolific artist, she always moved against the grain and was inspired to create unique designs in her paintings, illustrations, books, fabrics, pottery and jewelry.

Jessie Marion King

With it’s many pastel colored homes and narrow passageways, the town is almost the definition of quaint.

While The Queen’s Away

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The Castle Tour – Episode 4

Balmoral Castle

Balmoral, Autumn, 1896 by Joseph Donovan Adam

Balmoral Castle sits just outside the little town of Ballater, the home of the Deeside train station where the royal family, until the 1960s, would arrive by train for their holiday time. The train station sustained serious fire damage and has just completed a £3million restoration project. The museum and shops it houses are scheduled to reopen by late summer. Ballater is a nice little town that is very dog friendly and has lots of small shops and a few good pubs.

Deeside Train Station

Ballater Library

The Balmoral Bar

Dogs are welcomed in all the pubs.

A place to tie your dog if you’d rather.

Golf has always been big in Ballater.

I love this glass.

Balmoral, the Queen’s over 50,000 acre country estate and holiday get-away, is surrounded by some amazing countryside of hills, mountains meadows, moors, valleys and rivers.

The River Dee

The Castle Itself

It really is an estate, in that, it does not meet the criteria previously stated in regards to castles. It’s more a huge house designed to look like a castle. Beyond a tower there are really none of the classic castle defense schemes in place. There are large windows on the ground floor, there are no narrow passageways to dissuade the advance of angry rebels, no uneven stairways to impede armor clad knights, no peep holes, lug holes or murder holes. It is a gentle welcoming place. The SWAT teams could probably just walk in the front door. Even though it is, a sort of, make believe castle, it is beautiful and packed with history. These attractions become somehow obligatory, like the Prime Directive, you’ve come this far you just have to go. To not go would be akin to traveling to Egypt and turning your back on the pyramids. The universe just won’t allow it. If nothing else, you get to breath the same air that the Queen breathes.

And talk about well organized, OMG. Absolutely nothing is left to chance, either in the running of the estate or in the welcoming of visitors. The surrounding forest and countryside is maintained like a huge carefully crafted garden. The forests are constantly culled of older dying trees to make way for new growth. Any spread of disease or infestation is closely monitored and eradicated. The wildlife population is strictly maintained at optimum levels. The appearance of any unwelcome species or predators that may disrupt this perfect balance is, like an invading army, quickly and aggressively dealt with. Wendi was thrilled to discover that the native red squirrels are protected and that the disease carrying grey squirrels have been pushed out.

The Queen’s Mailbox

The movement of visitors through the estate is just as efficient. Parking is off-site, after purchasing tickets at the gate you are offered the choice of a pleasant 15 minute walk through the woods to the visitor center/ cafe/ gift shop/ toilets/ movie presentation/ picture gallery/ historic vehicle garage /stables or you can ride in the small transit vehicle that leaves every 7 minutes, exactly. Once there, you can pick up a free audio guide, in virtually any language, and then you are on your own. You are free to wander well groomed grounds, gorgeous gardens and wondrous woodland paths.

As for the house, well, there will be no traipsing around the halls, bedrooms or kitchens of the inner sanctum, with or without shoes. Access is restricted to the ballroom where a very nice display of historic paintings and photos depict the royal family’s relationship with Balmoral, examples of beautiful Cairngorm crystals unearthed on the estate, some of the jewelry made with it and lots of pictures of the dogs. Unfortunately, absolutely no photos are to be taken in the ballroom, with or without the flash. This is a policy I have never quite understood. What do they imagine people might do with them? Perhaps it’s just a control thing.

The “battlemented” porte cochères, or “carriage porch”, is covered to protect guests from the frequent rain and snow.

The tower and “pepper pot turrets” are characteristic features of the Scottish Baronial style.

Pepper pot turrets

Side Notes:

Queen Victoria purchased the estate in 1852 after the previous owner choked to death on a fishbone.

The highly successful TV series the Crown, as well as, the films The Queen and Mrs. Brown figure events that happened at Balmoral, but none of them included footage actually shoot here.

The Red Squirrel

The Red Squirrel: A future in the forest // A Photo Book @Neil McIntyre

This photo is from a self-published book project by photographer Neil Mcintyre, the proceeds of which will help ensure a future for these amazing creatures in the UK. If you’d like to check out the book and project go to their Kickstarter page: The Red Squirrel – A Photo Book

What The Red Wants, The Red Gets

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The Castle Tour – Episode 3

Motto: “Grace, Me Guide”

Craigievar Castle, a pinkish harled castle named after a nearby hill, is one of the masterworks of Scottish baronial architecture.

The contrast of it’s massive lower story structure topped by the finely sculpted multiple turrets and gargoyles create this classic fairytale appearance. The castle is reputed to have been the inspiration for Walt Disney’s castle motif. The bottom section was built by the Mortimers who ran into financial troubles in 1610 and were forced to sell the lands and unfinished castle to William Forbes, who finished the top section between 1610 and 1626. His descendants occupied the castle until 1963, when it was turned over to the National Trust of Scotland.

Clan Forbes really didn’t make a lot of friends during the 16th century. They blackmailed the citizens of Aberdeen a yearly tun of wine, 252 gallons, for the fishings in the Don. The townspeople were having none of it, so when Arthur Forbes of Brux and his accomplices attacked Aberdeen in July of 1530 the citizens fought back. They brawled in the streets for over 24 hours. Fighting raged furiously throughout Aberdeenshire, and resulted in mutual massacres and murders. Several representatives of Aberdeen lodged a complaint with the King who cautioned the Forbes and their friends to show good behaviour towards the town of Aberdeen. But alas, memories seem to be centuries long here.

“Red” Sir John Forbes

“Red” Sir John Forbes (1636-1703) was reputed to be a tough laird and it was said that what “the Red wanted, the Red got”.

In 1668 he changed the coat of arms from three docile grey bears to three snarling dogs and adopted the new family motto, “Doe not vain sleeping dos.” or “Let sleeping dogs lie”.

The Forbes were staunch Protestants and the Gordons were committed Catholics so they had already been feuding for over 100 years before the Red came on the scene. There had been murders and unspeakable acts of violence on both sides. All of which added credence to a rumor that Red had happened upon a member of the rival Gordon clan bedding his daughter in the Blue Room and a sword fight ensued. Red forced him out the window at sword-point. Gordon fell 66’ to his death. Future generations have covered the window with a large headboard.

People still claim to hear Gordon’s footsteps walking in the Blue Room, re-enacting the moments prior to his death.

It’s a long way down.

Side Note: No pictures inside?? I don’t get it either.

When The Roadshow Comes To Town

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The Castle Tour – Episode 2

Let’s start with a wee gander.

Motto: “Courage Flourishes at a Wound”

Crathes Castle is a 16th century castle near Banchory that sits on land given to the Burnett of Leys family by King Robert the Bruce in 1323. It was held in that family for almost 400 years. Construction of the current tower house of Crathes Castle was begun in 1553.

This is a “harled” castle, which refers to an exterior building-surfacing technique when a pigment is embedded in the harled material, thus alleviating the need for repainting and results in a long-lasting weatherproof shield for a stone building.

The original timbered ceilings have all been restored.

The Laid’s Bedchamber

The Muses’ Room

The Scottish Renaissance painted ceiling in the Muses’ Room is truly amazing. Katherine Burnett’s coat of arms in the center of the ceiling indicates that is was Lady Katherine’s work room. The seven virtues would be better known today as the seven deadly sins.

Your Day In Court

The Court

The Laird, who had the power of “the Pit and the Gallows”, sat at this table with his scribe to his left. Prisoners were led in through a steel door hidden in the alcove on the far right. The accused would stand in front of the desk directly under the Coat of Arms which compelled them to speak nothing but the truth, although it was indicated to me that when you got this far your fate was pretty much sealed. After the verdict was read you were lead to either the pit, the dungeon, or to the gallows.

Grounds & Gardens

The grounds are truly amazing. A small army of committed gardeners work year round maintaining the separate walled gardens. Ancient topiary hedges of Irish yew, that date from 1702, are used to define the eight themed areas.

Scottish Humor

The guide in the Laid’s bedchamber showed us a small cupboard that served as the toilet. Of course, with no running water, it was essentially a bucket on the floor. He asked if there were any Englishmen present. A young couple proudly said yes and then the guide explained that the English had invented the toilet seat, but the Scots had improved it. “Aye, we put a hole in the top”.

Have A Mint

Rohays Burnett

In the 1960’s Rohays Burnett was paid £1000 to appear in an ad for After Eight chocolate mints. The photograph was taken at Crathes Castle. The finished ad appeared in Reader’s Digest with the tagline “No girl should resist temptation”. The advertisement was pulled when the headmistress of one of the country’s leading private girl’s schools complained that the ad was a bad influence on her girls and completely inappropriate coming from Rowntrees, a Quaker company.

Antique Roadshow Comes To Town

We made it to Crathes Castle just in time to take part in the Antique Roadshow. We feel very fortunate as this was the only show in Scotland this year. There were a lot of people but it never felt overcrowded.