The find-it-in-scotland Blog

STOP PRESS - EXCITING NEWS!...

THE ROYAL HIGHLAND SHOW 2008

Wullie and Mrs Wullie spent a few days at the Royal Highland Show (RHS) near Edinburgh, recently. This was the 168th show held by the Society (the Royal Highland & Agricultural Society Society - RHASS- founded in 1784). The first Highland Show was held in 1822 in Edinburgh on a site now occupied by the Scottish Parliament. The showground is BIG - almost 300 acres - and there's an awfu' lot to see. It's a four-day event, showcasing rural and agricultural life. It is also Scotland’s biggest outdoor event and one of the UK’s top agricultural shows. The 2008 show welcomed over 161,000 visitors to the showground. Over 1000 exhibitors attended and more than 4000 animals took part. For much of Scotland’s farming community the show is one of the most important events of the year but its appeal extends much wider, welcoming visitors of all ages for a great day out.

The main thrust of the event is the showing, judging and prizegiving for the agricultural side of the country, but there are hundreds of exhibits, from very large agricultural machinery to very small fishing flies, for All Things Rural (and some not so rural). There are numerous exhibitions on offer, like Sheepdog Training,Falconry, Flycasting, Chainsaw Sculpture, as well as large exhibitions of arts and crafts. The Pipes and Drums are always somewhere around, but there's also a good selection of different types of music,from Scotland, and all around the world, being played every day at various sites in the showground. And, of course, there's The Dancing.

Wullie and Mrs Wullie saw an awfu' lot o' grand exhibits but, just for a wee flavour, we've featured two, with their own flavour of Scotland, after this article.

The RHS used to move around the country on an annual basis but has been held at the current showground at Ingliston, next to Edinburgh Airport, since 1960. There may be only four more shows at this site, however: the operators of Edinburgh Airport - BAA - have embarked on expansion plans which means they will swallow up most of the RHS site, with the target completion date of 2013. So, a new showground had to be found; this has been settled on Norton Park, just south of the existing site, and therefore just as convenient for access by road, rail and air. Architects and Landscapers have just been appointed, and we'll keep you up to date with developments

...Longniddry Stick Makers

Jim Beveridge has been a stick maker for many years. It's a labour of love for him; so much so that he's part of a programme of training for other aspiring stickmakers.He works from Longniddry, a small village in East Lothian, and the stick-making was originally little more than a hobby. But the interest and involvement grew, and he is now part of a programme he set up, to teach others his craft. Each horn and each shank presents a different problem - one reason why evening classes are so popular, encouraging a hobby that keeps the craft alive. The craft of stick making is very, very old. Carved sticks have been found in ancient tombs opened up in various countries, though the shepherd’s crook seems to be peculiarly British.

A century and much more ago, shepherds were almost certainly crook makers; their cottages in those days were primitive affairs, often with nothing better than a paraffin lamp for lighting. This gave a poor light for reading, but enough to carve a crook. It had one advantage, though: heat from it could be used to bend horn. In those days before wireless, television or a daily paper in outlying parts, mid-winter evenings must have seemed long and very boring. The hill shepherd could while away the time by whittling his crook.

Today things are very different. Shepherds still make their own sticks, but they have been joined by a great number for whom stick making is a fascinating hobby, a shaping of natural materials for use and ornament combined. Perhaps it's a reaction to mass production: where one batch of plastic is exactly like all the others in colour and texture, no two hazel or holly or applewood shanks are identical, and no two horns are alike after they have been roaming the hills and valleys.

Jim does not yet have a website, or even an e-mail facility set up but, if you would like to ask him about making a crook, or thumbstick, or similar; for yourself or as a special - different- present for someone- contact us and we can put him in touch with you.

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..."Original Smokies From Arbroath"

Arbroath Smokies originated in Auchmithie, a small fishing village a few miles north of Arbroath, once populated with fisher folk of Scandinavian origin; 'Spink' is a Norse surname. Iain uses the same methods that were used in the late 1800's .The fishwives originally smoked the fish in halved barrels with fires underneath, trapping the smoke under layers of hessian sacking. At the start of the 20th century the first Auchmithie fisher-folk began moving to Arbroath, and the process soon became known as the Arbroath Smokie, as we know it today.

Only haddock can be used to produce an authentic 'Arbroath Smokie'. The fish are gutted at sea, washed and boxed ready for auction at the fish market. Once back in the fish house, they are headed and cleaned, or 'sounded'. They are then dry salted in tubs for a given period. This helps to draw excess moisture from the fish and toughens the skin in preparation for the smoking process. The length of salting time depends on the size of the fish and how fresh they are (amongst other factors). After salting, they are thoroughly washed off, then tied by the tail in "pairs" and hung on sticks. The smokie pit is then prepared. A hole is dug in the ground, and a half whisky barrel is set into it. The base of the barrel is lined with slates to protect it, and a hardwood fire of beech and oak is lit inside. The sticks of fish are then placed over the pit and the hessian cover allows the fire to breathe and maintain the required heat. The number of layers and dampening of the 'cloots' depends on the weather, and may be adjusted throughout the smoking to prevent the fish either smoking too quickly and burning, or smoking too slowly and drying out. The cooking time is usually a minimum of 30 - 40 minutes but only an experienced smokie maker knows exactly when they are ready. The resultant golden brown fish, eaten straight from the barrel is a truly mouth-watering experience that has to be tasted to be believed!

for more info. you can visit Ian's website ... www.arbroathsmokies.net

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"WHARE'ER YE GO..."

Wullie was in the Channel Island of Jersey a couple of weeks ago and decided to take himself and Mrs Wullie (although I believe she decided for him) to look over the big Elizabethan fort at the south of the Island. It's called Elizabeth Castle, and lies in the sea just south of the capital, St. Helier. The fort is cut off from the mainland by the tide for all but two hours either side of low water, on a good day and, at any other time, access is possible only by boat - or the local service by DUKW- an amphibious vehicle adapted to carry passengers. (more of which below).

So Wullie and Mrs Wullie duly bought their tickets and climbed into the DUKW. The ride to the island was very pleasant; a light breeze, water fairly calm, and a gentle trundle across the water to the fort. They had a braw time looking over the fortress - it's fairly big, and has a lot of history to it, Elizabeth Castle was built in 1590 and was once the home of Jersey’s Tudor Governor Sir Walter Raleigh. It has defended Jersey from the French for more than 300 years.

These Dukws work to a timetable, and there was a bittie time to wait for it leaving when we went back. So Wullie chatted to the driver - who turned out to be another ex-pat Scot from Glasgow area, George McIlwraith. "The pace of life on the island is far quieter than up in Glasgow", said George, pictured here with his water bus, "but I still meet an awfu' lot o' folk frae back hame".

The designation of DUKW is not a military pun - the name comes from the terminology used for military vehicles in World War II; the D indicates a vehicle designed in 1942, the U meant "utility (amphibious)", the K indicated all-wheel drive and the W indicated two powered rear axles.

Although technically a misnomer, DUKWs are often referred to as duck boats. The DUKW was used in landings in the Mediterranean, Pacific, on the D-Day beaches of Normandy, and during Operation Plunder.

DUKWs are still in use, as well as purpose-built amphibious tour buses, primarily as tourist transport in harbor and river cities, including but not limited to: Seattle; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Chattanooga; Nashville; Boston; Branson, Missouri; Grapevine, Texas; London; Liverpool; Dublin, Ireland; Rotorua, New Zealand; The Netherlands; Singapore; Washington, DC; and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

DUKWS are street legal to drive on the roads and are also legal to drive on water as recreational boats.

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JEWISH TARTAN IS OFFICIAL AND REGISTERED...

The Scottish Tartans Authority has approved and registered a Jewish Tartan. It was initiated by Rabbi Mendel Jacobs, who is the only Scottish-born Rabbi living in Scotland. It's 100% Kosher - a non- wool/linen mix, and is designed to incorporate many aspects of Scottish-Jewish cultural and religious history.

The Scottish Tartans Authority was formed in 1996 by Scotland's leading weavers and tartan retailers and enjoys a unique mix of governors from both the private and commercial sectors. It has been joined by its kindred spirit in the USA - the International Association of Tartan Studies (IATA) and the Tartan Educational and Cultural Association (TECA) and a representative from those bodies serves on its Board of Governors. One vitally important objective has been to compile and maintain the International Tartan Index to record and document all known historical tartans and to provide a free, dependable and accountable information resource for the public and a 'register' for the Recording of all new tartans.

The Authority describes the new tartan thus:- "A tartan, not only for the Jewish population in Scotland, but for Jews and non Jews anywhere in the world. Initiated by Rabbi Mendel Jacobs of Glasgow, it was designed by Brian Wilton of the Scottish Tartans Authority. The central gold line on navy blue represents the gold from the Biblical Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant and the many ceremonial vessels. The silver is from the Scroll of Law and the red represents the traditional Kiddush wine. The brightest section of the tartan is the blue and white of the Israeli flag. There are seven lines in the central motif and three in the flag - both numbers of great significance in the Jewish world. "

The registration number in the International Tartan Index is 7615.

"So ye want tae be a Piper, then..."

...Students from as far away as Germany and Japan are being taught to pay the Bagpipes over the Internet.

The National Piping Centre in Glasgow is teaching via the Skype videophone system, and currently has pupils from 41 countries on its books. Internet music lessons have been run for some years for other instruments, but the technology standards have only recently become good enough for the Pipes - and new Webcam development is under way that will follow the moving teacher, rather than forcing him/her to remain static while playing. The National Piping Centre website gives full details of these courses, for anyone who might like to learn the Pipes in the privacy of his or her own home.

The website says..."The Great Highland Bagpipe, perhaps the best known of Scotland's musical instruments and an ambassador for Scotland throughout the world, is accorded new prominence by the founding of The National Piping Centre. We serve as a national and international centre of excellence for the instrument and its music. Close to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, we incorporate a school with rehearsal rooms and an Auditorium, not only for the Highland pipes but also Scottish Smallpipes, Uillean Pipes, Fiddle, Accordian and Drumming. There is also a museum and interpretation centre, and a reference library, as well as conference facilities and a hotel. The National Piping Centre provides facilities of the very highest quality for both the piping and non-piping fraternity. Visitors and regulars, from both home and abroad, will equally enjoy the experience, whether they come for study, performance, or simply pleasure."

So, if you are coming to Scotland, and have any interest in the Scottish Piping Traditions, or the Drumming, Fiddling, or Accordianing, this Centre would be well worth adding to your itinerary.

Links to the site are:- homepage...http://www.thepipingcentre.co.uk; and for the internet tuition... http://www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/tuition/online-tuition/

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"THE GREATEST CLAN GATHERING EVER..."

PRINCE Charles is to be the patron of the largest Scottish clan gathering in almost 200 years. The heir to the throne, who in Scotland is titled the Duke of Rothesay, will oversee The Gathering 2009, which is expected to bring together more than 8,000 clan representatives from all over the world at Holyrood Park.

The Scottish Government is promoting 2009, the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, as the Year of Homecoming in an effort to attract people worldwide who have Scottish roots. Already more than 60 clans have said they want to take part, including Clan Donald, the world's largest clan. Holyrood Park will host a magnificent Highland Games over the two days of 25th and 26th July 2009, then on the Saturday evening Clan members will parade up the historic Royal Mile and take their seats on the castle esplanade for a spectacular Clan Pageant . The two-day event will be the first time, since Sir Walter Scott's Royal Pageant in 1822, that so many clans have assembled in the city.

For many years Scotland has witnessed a decline in the popularity of Highland Games and a near extinction of clan activity. However, the opposite is true in some countries, especially in North America, where clan membership exceeds 100,000 and over 300 Highland Games and festivals are held annually. This massive Gathering will be in part therefore an opportunity to thank the Clan Associations and Scottish Societies from around the world for their role in keeping these traditions alive, as well as a unique celebration of Scottish heritage and culture, and a celebration of one of Scotland’s greatest traditions.

The programme will also feature the 2009 World Highland Games Heavy Events Championship and an International Gathering of Scottish Clans and Families. (Scotland had a disastrous day recently at the World Highland Games Heavy Championships in Bridgeport, West Virginia USA,when both of her representitives had to withdraw without tossing a caber in anger. Sean Betz of Nebraska was crowned World Highland Games Heavy Champion, holding off fierce challenges from Larry Brock of South Carolina and former 5 time world champion Ryan Vierra of California. Scot Bruce Robb had to return home to Scotland within hours of arriving at the competitors hotel because of a family emergency, and then defending World Champion Gregor Edmunds had to withdraw as a result of a disc injury.)

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CORRECTION

I've had an e-mail from Moira Gibb (see item below) pointing out that the fish I so proudly caught was not a Bluefin, but a blueFISH.

Sorry for that, Moira - but thanks for putting me right and stopping me giving duff gen every time I tell the tale - though the way I tell 'em, that fish will soon be big enough to be a bluefin.

A' the best.