It’s a good job I got a couple of pictures yesterday as it’s bucketing down today. I’m on my second set of waterproofs and there are still six hours of daylight to go.
A healthy lunch, Broccoli and Brie Bake. I made it myself, I also ate far too much and in retrospect should have omitted the sweated onion and garlic. Lunch done with I wandered up to the shop for milk and a paper, it was a real struggle walking against a gale. Luckily the Broccoli was fermenting well and I managed to produce enough wind to counteract the worst of the weather.
I noticed that the Burial Ground here is home to a Pictish Stone. These are pre-Christian carved stones and many are stunningly beautiful. This one isn’t, I‘ve seen better lintels and steps; I’ve seen more interesting motorway bridges.
Next to it half buried in the turf is a Cup Stone. There are lots of these and again they are ante-Christian. The ones I have seen before are a shallow cup surrounded by concentric circles carved into a lump of the surrounding landscape. The water in them is sacred and they cure all manner of afflictions. The one here cures warts.
I was in Altnaharra a few weeks ago and there are two or three in that area. I’ll track down a good one for a future post. One that cures serious afflictions like Cramp and Erectile Dysfunction. I recall a German lady camping at Altnaharra who had similar abilities and at a quarter of a mile, with a long lens, twice that distance. I bet she is back home now, her powers have diminished but not entirely. She was a proper faith healer. Perhaps I’ll give Cup Stones a miss. One can never be sure what is lurking in stagnant water.
I’ll get on with the crossword and no doubt get annoyed at the doings of some thieving politician.
Let’s hope for a better day tomorrow.
I've got a cup stone like that, and the birds love to bathe in. Never seen one with warts, so I suspect all this religious stuff really is true after all.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the paper.
I'm back from Wales; and miss it already.
Get flitted and into the wilds. There are many wilds in England. Plenty in Britain. Your house is better than a camper but I only have to suffer human excesses in school holidays. You have them every time you hit home.
DeleteTalking of Erectile Dysfunction...which you weren't....the blond jogger by your lake had similar curative powers to the German lass.
Hi Adrian Once again, your writings made me laugh, perhaps there are not meant to!!! Sorry about all that rain and I am sure you are going to have a rant if you bought a paper!! That was a lovely lunch you had, I'm impressed. Hope the weather improves for you to get out and about with the dogs and or camera.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, of course you can laugh. There is more truth told by comedians than is ever spoken by the pompous. Have you ever laughed during the queens speeches? I did but only the once and that was through my ignorance....Annus Horiblus...Silly woman. It was just a bad curry or kebab.
DeleteNice stone Adrian.
ReplyDeleteBob I've seen better bird baths. I'll get a picture of a good one.
DeleteI look forward to seeing a good stone. That one looks pretty good to me.
ReplyDeleteJoLynne. Google Pictish Stone. The best are in museums and are wondrous. I don't want to go any further down this trail. You have beliefs and so do I. The druids were a bit dim but no dimmer than those that have to believe in Snake doctors. Lets just agree to differ. Mr Smith was not all he was cooked up to be.
DeleteIf the warts are what is causing the erectile dysfunction, could one just sit in the cup stone?
ReplyDeleteInquiring minds want to know.
If the warts are what is causing the erectile dysfunction, could one just sit in the cup stone?
ReplyDeleteInquiring minds want to know.
No I couldn't There are no end of lurgy burgys in that swamp.
DeleteI know how you feel Adrian; the superstition behind all of this monuments; I'm not criticising any, but I think I know how you feel about it. They're quite beautiful, aesthetically speaking; and the history behind is fascinating. Is it because they put medicinal herbs inside of them? Now I wonder.
ReplyDeleteMaria, I'll investigate further.
DeleteI'm mad as a sack of spiders but no way am I leaving what is left of my willy to chance. It worked for uberbody.
Dat belooft nog heel wat ik ben benieuwd hoe dit voor je afloopt.
ReplyDeleteDat dacht ik ook Nic. Sommige van deze zijn zeer ingewikkeld en mooi.
DeleteI like your last two activities...cross word and rail on the politicians. Now it's mind over matter when it comes to the powers of the cups. At lest that's my take on it. You have to believe the cup will cure the warts...just like your proper faith healer!
ReplyDeleteRed, faith it is. I would try it.
DeleteStone me...sorry. Lets hope the sun is out tommorow, perhaps that cups never dries out because it never stops raining. If the sun does come out do they have a sacrificial alter?
ReplyDeleteDouglas, you of little faith, it is magic water.
DeleteReading your blog is better than any show on Sky .........and a damn well cheaper too.Look foward to the next one.
ReplyDeletePeter, I don't have television so I can't confirm this...... Thanks.
DeleteAdrian, I laughed out loud on this one along about the point where you said the stone's limit is warts. Actually it probably works. Occasionally there will be someone around here who can remove warts by making funny motions. Maybe he does something else but that's all I remember. It was a long time ago. I had a wart on my leg and it disappeared. Not immediately - that would have really impressed me - but it did disappear. They say you can take peach tree leaves, rub the wart, bury the leaves and when the leaves rot the wart will disappear. I think it would be a lot easier just to rub some of that stone water on the wart and hope you didn't pick up anything but a cure from it.
ReplyDeleteOh the bit about the gas was good too. I'll have to remember to eat lots of beans if I'm going against a headwind. :)
The picture of the stone is really good. When I take a picture of a rock, etc., you can tell it is a rock, etc. Yours, it seems like I'm standing next to it, the detail is great!
David, we used to wrap them in horse hair or hit them with a bible.
DeleteMuch of the quality is down to very expensive lenses. I should have taken it from ground level and removed the grass cuttings. I was hoping for a more exciting picture.
Reading, watching and listening to news is definitely detrimental to ones health. They should all carry a compulsory health warning. "This news item will raise your blood pressure." I try to stay away from them as much as possible and feel a lot calmer for it.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I used to laugh at the news but it's got too predictable to be funny.
DeleteHi Adrian...Fasnating stuff these cup stones, and your take on them just makes me shakew my head and laugh like fool !!
ReplyDeleteNever a dull moment in your posts!!
Broccoli and brie sounds yummy, but the after affects can be lethal, out a wind in your step!!
Grace
Grace, I love ancient relics...I'm fast becoming one.
DeleteJet propelled I was.
Fascinating your information is but I really mustn't read your posts when I have a mouth full of liquid: laughing heartily with a full mouth can make a real mess of the laptop.
ReplyDeleteGraham, I offer unreserved apologies.
DeleteI like. The stone made a channel for pouring water.
ReplyDeleteA hug.
Yes Laura it's what makes me think it's Christian Not Pictish.
ReplyDelete