Road Side Signs

A wee laugh for TODAY.

No wonder we need a Tom Tom (GPS)

These roads are scary. 60mph, but no one can do it. Two way traffic.

Roundabouts or rotaries as they are called here. Really tricky to keep the traffic moving.

We need this in IDAHO!

One of my favorites.

Obedient.

Hope you enjoy reading these as much as we do. 

Blair Castle

BLAIR CASTLE

 Through the trees can be seen Blair Atholl. It is touted to be one of the most famous castles in Scotland. It was refurbished in the 18th and 19th century now and has acquired the whitewashed appearance, not the typical castle appearance. It was first built in 1269.

In 1778, the 4th Duke of Atholl raised a private army, Atholl Highlanders to fight the colonists in the American War of Independence. They were posted to Ireland but later disbanded. The Duke of Atholl is the only person allowed to have a  private army.


During WWII the upper bedrooms became a dormitory for a girls school to protect them from the nightly raids.

Crossing the footbridge to the castle.

This is the main entrance to the castle. From here the owners could look down the  pathway and see a  life size statue of  Hercules at the end. He stands at the entrance of a 9 acre walled garden. It has landscaped ponds, a Chinese bridge and more than 100 fruit trees.

The owners live in the left part of the castle. 

We were able to tour the 30 rooms but no pictures could be taken until we entered the grand hall shown below.

During WWI this great hall was turned in to a Red Cross Hospital.

Notice the number of racks on the walls.

This shows the many trees in Diana's Grove. There were many exotic conifers planted here previously not known to Great Britain. The grove is named after Diana, a Roman goddess of hunting. This was laid out in 1737. 

Signs of Fall approaching.

Pitlochry

PITLOCHRY

Who ever heard of feeding the squirrels? Especially buying a house for them. Notice the sign for squirrel feeders. A bargain at 11 pounds 95 pence.

Pitlochry is a well known Scottish town at the geographic heart of Scotland. That means it is as far away from the sea as it is possible to be and still be in Scotland. It was voted the "best small country town" in Britain a few years ago. This is a picture typical of their main street. The pharmacist is called the chemist.

Highland Cows-you will find black, brown, red and yellow ones.They have less fat because the hair acts as insulation.

Distinctive for their long wavy hair and horns. The hair helps them stay warm in the cold highlands. Should we import them to Idaho?

When the daddy duck said QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, all the ducks came waddling back.

How many stones do you weigh?

This scale weighs in STONES, and Kilograms. If you had a choice of pounds, United States, Kilograms, Metric, or Stones, Scotland/Ireland/UK, which would you like to weigh? Pounds are just pounds, One kilogram = 2.2lbs. One stone - 14 lbs. So you would weigh less in stones. So we have to think each time we get on the scales, how much do we weigh? Do we multiply by 14 or 2.2? 

1. The stone (abbreviation st) is a unit of measure equal to 14 pounds. It is used in Great Britain and Ireland for measuring human body weight. In many Northwestern European countries the stone was formerly used for trade with a value ranging from 5-40 local pounds.
2. 
   

What do we do a lot of each week?

We drive our wee car and park it in a wee parking place and then go grocery shopping at ASCO. That is Scotland for Walmart. Honest!

Doug pays 2 pounds to park, then gets that refunded at the check out stand.

We take the lift upstairs.

Then we take the BEST shopping carts ever. You can move them with one finger! HONEST! They have a hook in the middle of the cart close to where you put your hands to hang your shopping bags. They have most everything you want to buy. It looks different, costs a lot, but does taste pretty similar. 

Linlithgow Palace

Linlithgow Palace is one of the most important buildings to survive from late medieval Scotland. It was built and developed over two centuries by successive Stewart kings of Scotland.  A castle or manor existed at Linlithgow at the time of David 1, the founder of the burgh, who reigned 1124-53. Edward 1 of England exploited the potential of the site as a military base in the early 1300's and created a garrison fortress.

The fountain symbolizes the kings power with the crown at the top of the fountain. This is a functional fountain today and is the first structure you see upon entering the gates.

After the Wars of Independence, the old castle was restored for royal use once more but a great fire in 1424, destroyed the castle and much of the town. The retreating soldiers left their straw beds too close to the fireplaces and the roofs and floors of the castle were all destroyed.

From the ashes rose James 1's new pleasure palace where the sovereigns of the royal house of Stewart held court in grand style.

The name Linlithgow means 'the loch in the damp hollow' a compound of llyn "loch", llaith "damp" and can "hollow". The palace stands on a promontory overlooking the small loch.

Both James V and his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, were born here. Mary was taken to Stirling Castle to protect her against possible abduction after she was promised to Edward, Prince of Wales as a 7month old infant.

Beautiful views out the castle windows. Would love to return on a warm day and go sailing.

St. Michael's Parish founded 1242

The graveyard has some very old headstones, many of which belong to children. It was a hard life in Scotland.