ABOUT ME

I live in a camper van with a West Highland Terrier for company.
My passion is creating images but it is a work in progress.
I am always willing to share what knowledge I have and can be contacted through the comments on this post or e-mail ADRIAN
ALL IMAGES WILL ENLARGE WITH A LEFT CLICK

Monday 20 January 2014

EL SOL. (20/01/14)

The Sun. It sounds posher in Spanish. I have found the sun at long last. I’m In Grantown-on-Spey. The drive from Braemar to here is forty miles but such are the gradients and twists and turns it takes two hours and a quarter of a tank of diesel. Had the weather been anything but torrential rain then I’d have stopped several times for photographs and made a day of the trip.

There are quite a few pictures today.

_MG_2701 This is one I missed from just north of Braemar looking west up the Dee valley. Acres of next to nothing.

This morning we wandered into Grantown, I had to get a Jiffy bag and a stamp from the Post Office. I had 700MB of snaps to send away and it would have taken hours to upload them and attracted the wrath of the young lady at the campsite. It’s possibly cheaper to use the mail as the stamp is only £1.00p and the Jiffy bag £0.28p. The memory stick is several pounds but with a bit of luck I’ll get it or a similar one back.

_MG_2703 Clouds……These aren’t a patch on the ones GRAHAM TOOK THE OTHER DAY. They are a vast improvement on the horizon to horizon billowy grey ones full of precipitation that have been the norm for me.

It is only a ten to fifteen minute walk into town and I got to use my ice grippers. I was trotting along like a spring chicken. So good are they that I could have goose stepped into town and done a Cossack dance in the square. I didn’t as it would have embarrassed the dogs.

_MG_2709 A bit of Grantown-on-Spey. The big building on the right is the Grant Arms Hotel. Sir James Grant built this place as a designed settlement in 1765. I suspect the hotel is a good hundred years later. It was like many Scottish towns planned properly as a New Town…..Much like Milton Keynes..Ha Ha. Sorry Keith, at least the Lakes panned out okay. Sir Grant built this on a plateau so the river Spey can’t get at it so he didn’t need to incorporate lakes. That’s a pity in a way as lakes are good.

_MG_2707This is a fine building and shot with the sun behind the turret clock tower. It’s called Contre Jour in French. It’s called should have been HDR in English. I did enquire from a lass what it was but all I got was.

“Dunno.”

She looked at me as if I were inviting her to tread in a large dog turd. Very short sighted are the fit young totty of today. She could have scored had she played her cards right and I was having a good day. I’d have happily taken a ‘Dunno’ as a ‘Yes, Please’. There again she would stand a better chance with the Lottery. Too many imponderables in this scenario. 

I’ll call it the Town Hall.

_MG_2708The War Memorial. I suspect it goes way back. To the Boer War and the Crimean War, the First World War, the Second World War, onto the Korean War and the Falklands War. I will have another look at it lunch timeish tomorrow. I think it had a top on but doubt I’ll find out where it went. There are only so many ‘Dunnows’ one can take in a week. The English were little buggers for using Scottish and Colonial soldiers to fight for them.

_MG_2711 It is a quaint place. I think this is the first time I’ve seen a bay window in an attic.

_MG_2706 Or a Far Eastern influenced lodge on a hall.

_MG_2715

_MG_2716    I came across The Church Of Scotland. The window is wonderful and all done by Caroline Stuart……in her spare time. What a woman. A great window by an accomplished widow.

I’m here till Thursday then off into the wilds for a few days. I’ll see if I can find something for tomorrow.

Have fun.

46 comments:

  1. Adrian lets you see here beautiful buildings yes z, bay window on the attic will not come to much.

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  2. That's a varied selection of fine architecture there Adrian, they don't build them like that anymore...even in Milton Keynes!...[;o)

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    1. Milton Keynes has its Pagoda and some funny cows. It's not all bad, it has one big pond at the moment.

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  3. Love the red doors and inscription. I don't think I could find interesting doors here even if I tried.

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    1. Carol, a near namesake of yours but I bet she cheated and used a crane and scaffold.

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  4. I like number 2! I can almost feel the mass of those clouds and the soft, soft sun peeking through is just great.

    A Cossack dance might have embarrassed the dogs but I bet it would have been fun to watch. If you ever do one, please make a video.

    I always enjoy seeing the buildings.

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    1. David it was a fine day for a change.
      I don't think I'm capable of dancing.

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  5. Love all the interesting architecture you found here :)

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  6. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

    RED DOORS. Private Joke but ask Graham - he will really laugh.

    I do enjoy your pictures - even the ones of machinery!

    It has been beautiful sunshine here.

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    1. Spesh I like red doors, fire stations have them as do some Post Offices.
      The weather won't last.

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  7. Glad you had a good day. It snowed here: ((
    I like the house attic and that red door.
    Happy Monday.
    a hug.

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    1. Laura, I suspect we'll get more snow before the weekend.

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  8. ADRIAN QUOTE:- "The English were little buggers for using Scottish and Colonial soldiers to fight for them..." You're right there and they also acquired the fighting services of a lot of Yorkshiremen too. It is still happening today. A significant number of the 447 killed in Afghanistan have been Yorkshire lads.... Great pictures as usual Admiral.

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    1. YP, I suspect that the significance of Yorkshire dead could be because it's a very large county. Perhaps you could ask your MP. He seems an approachable sort of chap.

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    2. PS. I could never have been an Admiral. The two most useless things on a boat are an umbrella and an Admiral.
      I once worked with a Portuguese skipper. He nick named me Captain Calm. I was terrified half the time but could string radio messages together in either French, Spanish or English. So could he but in extremis used to use words from all three languages in an entertaining but random order. A real stress reliever was he.

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  9. Some good photos Adrian. The church window near the end is really quite something. If only developers had the skills and interest to make such things nowadays eh? Have a good week you lucky beggar!

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    1. Gary, the churches are too poor to build like this and selling salvation is frowned upon these days. there is some wonderful ecclesiastical architecture around.

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  10. It is so nice that you are sharing with su your pics, it is nice for me to see these places, really love the atmosphere

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    1. Laura, you live in a beautiful part of the world but I think you would enjoy Scotland.

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  11. another humour packed post Adrian, great photos too.

    peter

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  12. You've given me a great tour. You've shown the wilds and then a fine village. The old buildings are kept and well looked after. I wish they'd do that here.

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    1. Red, the town is used. The schools seem busy. So many small towns are full of second homes. Holiday homes destroy a village.

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  13. Had you asked me, I would have said I prefer seeing landscapes to buildings. However, this post has changed my mind -- for the time being. Grantown seems to be a wonderful place.

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    1. Bob, I thought I'd have a change. I'll see where I fancy wandering later on.

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  14. You have make beautiful photos!

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    1. Our Photos, Not all are beautiful but it is a quick look round the town.

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  15. A fine selection Adrian; and not a roundabout to be seen.

    The 'town hall' looks a grand structure.
    How 'new towns' should look.

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    1. Keith, I was expecting it to be a dump but it's fine. Not all Scottish towns are this good. If I had the mental strength I would show you Glenrothes and Cumbernauld. They would make you appreciate your home town.

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  16. Splendid place is Grantown-on-Spey. You were correct as identifying the building as the town hall although I don't think it's used for offices these days. Highland Regional Council will doubtless have a 'service point' somewhere or other. Bay-windowed dormers are actually quite common in many older stone Scottish houses. Enjoy your stay.

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    1. Graham, I only came as I needed to get on line and online was broken in Braemar. It is a grand town. It looked like a Town Hall. Thanks.
      I was slightly bemused whilst in the Post Office. The chap in front of me wanted a TV Licence and was sent to the Scottish Hydro office. Amazing how services get devolved to the most unlikely places. I expect they pay their rates in the Woollen Mill and report potholes in the CO-OP.

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    2. These days anything is possible Adrian. Privatisation has blurred the edges to the point of extinction.

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    3. It doesn't affect me to any great extent but I feel strongly that essential services should be nationalised.
      Government are quick to nationalise when it's in their interest to do so. It is time that the common man had his say. Power and fresh water were off for weeks this month while privatised utilities spend their profits on dividends and bonuses. They should spend on infrastructure.

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  17. I've never lived in a house with an attic but if I did I'd like it to have a window like that. The church window, doors and engraving are really lovely.

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    1. Pauline, since I noticed this one I've seen several more bay windowed attics.

      The church impressed me but I suspect Caroline was using the 'Royal Wee'. We sit and watch and wee while others do the work. The masonry has stood the test of time. It looks as crisp now as the day it was cut.

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  18. Beautiful, I love the light and the clouds, and the church with the reflection on the windows. This seems a very nice town.

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  19. Maria, it is a good town. I like it and could live here but you need a car to to take advantage of the surrounding countryside.

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  20. I always like 'brooding' cloud formations as in #2.

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  21. Yes John they are good to see. Nothing much other than water to get excited about this winter.

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  22. Some really fascinating arcitechture (spell check please) on diplay. I really love the colours and the cloud formation in the second image. The first images is my sort of place I could spend hours looking in those acres.

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  23. Douglas, ARCHITECTURE.
    You would not have had hours. The Dee burst it's banks and flooded the lot a few hours later.

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    1. PS. Winter Watch is coming from here at the moment.

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  24. Great architectural character study of this ... errr ... New town twinned with MK ! love those red doors and windows on the church, the clock tower is impressive too.

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    1. Jay, it is a town worth a quick look. the main road goes past it.

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