winifredcreamer

Our new home in Invergordon, Scotland

This is our third month in Scotland, and everything looks really good. No boredom, no shortage of activities, and the weather is crazily good for early September. Two sunny days and a mostly sunny day–out of three. Our neighborhood is a strip of houses 1-2 blocks wide along the side of Cromarty Firth. Behind theContinue reading “Our new home in Invergordon, Scotland”

Cairns, Rock Art and Standing Stones

We found this hidden gem of Scotland by looking for a place to visit on our way north in the site guide from Historic Scotland. There were so many sites in this one small area that we decided to make an archaeological detour. No one comes to this area without planning, there are direct routesContinue reading “Cairns, Rock Art and Standing Stones”

Hadrian’s Wall

What archaeologist can resist visiting Hadrian’s Wall? Hadrian’s Wall was an attempt by the Romans to protect the northern border of their empire in Britain. Built starting in AD 122, it spans the width of northern England from Newcastle to Carlisle. Walls like this have never been very successful and Hadrian’s Wall managed to monitorContinue reading “Hadrian’s Wall”

Late Summer by the Sea

We drove along the coast until we found a place to walk, and ended up at Nun Mill Beach. Believe it or not, late August has had mostly sunny days and today was another. We ate our picnic by the water and found lots of beach glass. The fields beside the shore are a brilliantContinue reading “Late Summer by the Sea”

Scottish Castles and then some

Southern Scotland is full of castles. How do you choose which ones to visit? After I realized that we couldn’t visit them all, we chose a couple from a range of time periods to see whether we can see any changes over time. What I found is that castles didn’t change much between the 12thContinue reading “Scottish Castles and then some”

Why here? A ten-second economic history

We drive down narrow roads, rarely passing anyone, heading for the shore. Our only company is the landscape and the sheep and cattle grazing. We arrive at the end of the road a few steps from the rocky beach. The tide is out so far that you can’t see the water. This is a hugeContinue reading “Why here? A ten-second economic history”

Men on plinths, Part II

It turns out that men on plinths is not just an Edinburgh phenomenon. Surprise!, it’s Robert Burns (again). This is in the center of Dumfries. There is really a passion for Robert Burns. In Moffat, the Black Bull pub that has a plaque on it because Robert Burns wrote a brief poem on a windowContinue reading “Men on plinths, Part II”

Sheep Races

Every town in Scotland has a summer festival or agricultural show, meaning that on any given weekend you are within an hour’s drive of at least two such events. We had the Dalbeattie Civic Day on Saturday, culmination of a week-long series of events. The parade started at 1 pm, led by a pipe band.Continue reading “Sheep Races”

Ruby Cottage

Our present outpost is Ruby Cottage, on the High Street in Dalbeattie (some say “Dal-bee”), Scotland. The High Street is not the busiest street in town, and our bedroom overlooks the back garden, so it is quiet at night. The back garden is a long stretch of grass, with picnic table and chairs, charcoal grillContinue reading “Ruby Cottage”

Tea in the country

At the Stewartry show, we met a member of the local Royal Scottish Forestry Society. We chatted a bit and the next thing you know, William invited us to tea on Saturday. It sounded like fun, we’d had an enjoyable chat, and it was a chance to get to know someone from the area aContinue reading “Tea in the country”