Quote of the Day

Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.
- Herman Wouk

Quote of the Day

One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.
- Bertrand Russell

Quote of the Day

I don't kill flies but I like to mess with their minds. I hold them above globes. They freak out and yell, 'Whoa, I'm way too high!'
- Bruce Baum

Quote of the Day

Second thoughts are ever wiser.
- Euripides

Quote of the Day

Never play cards with any man named "Doc". Never eat at any place called "Mom's". And never, never, no matter what else you do in your whole life, sleep with anyone whose troubles are worse than your own.
- Nelson Algren

Quote of the Day

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.
- Thomas Jefferson

Quote of the Day

It is long accepted by the missionaries that morality is inversely proportional to the amount of clothing people wore.
- Alex Carey

Quote of the Day

Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant? I'm halfway through my fishburger and I realize, Oh my God....I could be eating a slow learner.
- Lynda Montgomery

Quote of the Day

When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary.
- Thomas Paine

Quote of the Day

Ninety-nine percent of the people in the world are fools and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion.
- Thornton Wilder

Quote of the Day

Few people at the beginning of the ninteenth century needed an adman to tell them what they wanted.
- John Kenneth Galbraith

Wheeeee

Today I weighed in at 105.7 kg. That's the lowest I've been since probably sometime in 2001. The reason is probably that my new schedule at work has me running (well, at least figuratively) all over the school area all day...

Quote of the Day

Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.
- Abraham Lincoln

Quote of the Day

It is not the fall that kills you. It's the sudden stop at the end.
- Douglas Adams

Quote of the Day

On going to war over religion: "You’re basically killing each other to see who’s got the better imaginary friend."
- Richard Jeni

Quote of the Day

Moral indignation - jealousy with a halo.
- H.G. Wells

Quote of the Day

There are few sorrows, however poignant, in which a good income is of no avail.
- Logan Pearsall Smith

Quote of the Day

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail.
- Abraham Maslow

Revenge from October

Some of you may remember my failed visit to Crichton Castle in October last year. Taking the word of a road crew I trotted merrily on my way down to a castle that turned out to be locked up and closed for the winter season. I then walked back, wiping salty tears all the way (or something like that).

Well, Monday I went back there and this time it was OPEN, so BAH, HUMBUG! to y'all. I got to take some photos of its interior (the Italian front of one of the wings is the reason it's even remotely famous) and had and eye to eye meeting with two bewinged creatures.

This wall is the only one of its kind in Scotland, possibly all of northern Europe. It was the front wall of the renaissance wing of the castle, built by the Earl of Bothwell, who'd gotten the idea from time spent in Italy. He had to flee back there eventually, because of money problems and died a pennyless drunkard. Let that be a warning not to meddle with 'em southerners.


The stable with its upper floor for servants.


These two pigeons were looking at me with interest as I rounded a bend in the stairs in one of the towers. I wasn't sure if they had built a nest in the area, so I retreated rather than push past them. Also, I still have a fear of losing my eyeballs in a flurry of feathers, talons and cold, dark rage.


The shitter if I'm any judge.

Quote of the Day

Nothing endures but personal qualities.
- Walt Whitman

Quote of the Day

My last day of freedom... tomorrow I go back to work.

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.
- John Milton (from "Paradise Lost")

Quote of the Day

The history of the world is none other than the progress of the consciousness of freedom.
- George Hegel

Quote of the Day

To YOU I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the Loyal Opposition.
- Woody Allen

Flodden Field 500 years after

The Battle of Flodden Field was one of the worst military and human disasters in Scottish history. Historians disagree (as is their wont) but there's a consensus that somewhere upwards of ten thousands Scots were killed in a brief time. Most of the aristocracy and the upper classes of the nation was wiped out in a couple of hours, along with their king, James IV. His death at 40 left the country, as so many times before, with a regency, as his son, James V was less than two years old. The English lost between 1,500 and 4,000 men.

Flodden Field today. The Scottish held the high ground of the ridge in front, which is to the south. The English had gone around and came against them from the northern, lower ridge whence the photo is taken.


Today the valley is drained and cultivated, but 500 years ago it was overgrown with scrubs and the bottom was boggy marshland. When the Scots discovered that they were cut off from their homeland by the English, they left their advantageous position, and started moving downhill. They won the first skirmish, and emboldened by this they sat off in great numbers. Once in the marshes they began to falter and the discipline needed to use the long spears the French had supplied them with, fell apart. The English could now hack away at will and their (in)famous longbows did the rest of the slaughter.


So this is pretty much where 10-20 thousand soldiers were killed, fighting in knee deep mud, with pikes, spears, arrows and I dare say their bare hands.


Today, there is nothing left of the horrors of five hundred years ago. The battle is a faint memory in a long and bloody history between two neighboring nations and in the words of that old Scottish tune, "the flowers of the forest are all withered away".

Dryburgh Abbey

After Jedburgh I drove up to Dryburgh Abbey, where these pics are from. They were the last pics I took with this camera, on account of forgetting my memory card in the PC again, so I had to resort to the old cam, which I can't read until I get a cable which is conveniently situated back in Norway. So images of the Wallace Statue, the Scott viewpoint and Melrose Abbey will have to wait till next week. Le sigh. They still use the building for weddings; there was one being held there today.

The abbey, which was built in the mid 1100s is chiefly famous as the burial site of two people: The poet and writer Walter Scott and the much maligned and parodied general Douglas Haig of WW1 fame (or infamy).

The lovely abbey ruins.


General Haig's final resting place. The gravestones are held in the same style they used for burying the British troops in WW1; a nice touch methinks.


Sir Walter Scott is in the closest of the two raised graves. "Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife; to all the sensual world proclaim: One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name". True dat.

Jedburgh Abbey

Jedburgh Abbey is one of the most famous religious ruins in Scotland. It covers most of the centre of today's Jedburgh, and was considered one of the finest examples of architecture in Britain when it still stood. Today it's still a handsome heap of stones. The church was in use as a local parish church until 1871.

A mighty building in its prime.


I think this is a cool image.


Roman and gothic architecture mixed.


Impressive architecture; too bad they did it all for sweet, fuckin' nuffin'.


Shitter.

Hermitage Castle

Started this very productive day with a quick drive down to Hermitage Castle, which has been aptly described as embodying the phrase "sod off" in stone. The castle lies in what has also been described as the bloodiest valley in the country, and the area has seen its fair share of murder, robberies, adultery and general, allround mayhem. It was central in the numerous border conflicts between Scotland and England, and the subconflict of cattlestealing that was the Riever wars. Iffin you can't make it here in person, check out the Wikipedia article for a good, murderous read.

The castle, in an uncharacteristic setting of pretty flowers.


I must have posted this picture before; it is the only doorway of the current castle. The whole structure screams "whatever you're selling, we're not buying".


This looks like a shitter, but I can't be sure.


The single lane road in from the A7 is very pretty. This is how I'll always think of the Borders.


Also known as the southern uplands, they're generally softer around the edges than the more famous "Highlands", but I think they're just as purdy in their way.


The sheep here are very jumpy. These four ran like the Devil was on their heels (and well spotted to them!).

Quote of the Day

Nature abhors a vacuum.
- Benedict Spinoza

Blackness Castle

Blackness Castle lies just outside the tiny village of Blackness, and never was a castle more aptly named. The whole place is bleak, windswept and just blaaaah. It was fortified something fierce in the 1500s, and because of its narrow shape it has been called "the ship that never sailed". I spent about ten minutes there before the cold winds got to me and I set off for lovely Selkirk, in the Borders area, where I shall be spending my last weekend as a "free man". On Wednesday, I go back to WORK, for the first time in over two years. Ugh.

It does have a boaty appearance.


Not so much from this angle.


Just downstream is the Firth of Forth.


This lovable little kitty came right over and started rubbing against me in the courtyard. It was last seen following a group of yanks towards the castle.

Linlithgow Palace

Started out this morning at the splendid Linlithgow Palace. It was one of the main castles of the Scottish royals prior to James VI of Scotland becoming James I of England in 1603. He promptly fucked off to London, only to return once in 23 years as king of both countries. The palace burned in 1746 and was never rebuilt but the ruins still stand. The building is huge, and I didn't really have the inclination to see all of it, as ruin fatigue is slowly setting in. Just trust me when I say it's worth a visit, mmmkay?

In the king's reception hall, he had colored glass installed, so that the sunlight seemed to reflect the colors of the rainbow.


James V had this lovely fountain built.


He and his daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, were born at Linlithgow. Mary was born in the nursery on the second level.


Boobies!


The great hall, where the nobles would be seated and the plebs would serve drink and food.


The fireplace in the great hall was the largest in all of Scotland.


Our two young guides; I believe their names were Adam and Katie.


Rats with wings.


Even a king needed a shitter.

Quote of the Day

Experience is the worst teacher; it gives the test before presenting the lesson.
- Vernon Law

Edinburgh

Spent Wednesday and Thursday in the wonderful town of Edinburgh. Apart from Prague, I don't think there's a European city that gives me the same sense of happiness and tranquility as this.

The Fringe festival was on, and so the city centre was teeming with people, from the eccentric to the clinically insane. We didn't see any of the many shows on offer and instead walked around the Castle for a little while and then down to Grassmarket and Holyrood. Wednesday evening we went to see the Military Tattoo, which was awesome, although to be completely honest I'd have hoped for a little less peace and love and a little more war and bang-bang.

Thursday I went to see the new Mary, Queen of Scots exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland, while Siri went to shop her greedy little heart out, as is the wont of womenses all over the world. We rounded off our cultural activities by walking around the National Gallery, complaining all the way about the relative lack of Scottish scenery on display. Honestly, when you have real estate like Scotland around you, who the fuck needs to see another Dutch stilleben?

Few cities make me as happy as this. Edinburgh, I heart thee.


The Scott Monument. I still haven't climbed it.


The utter hideousness that is the new Scottish Parliament.


Join the Dark Side. We have cookies!


Some of the sheer insanity that is Edinburgh at fringe time.


At exactly 1PM every day, come hell or high water, this cannon goes off with an almighty boom.


From the exhibit at the Castle, with the Crown Jewels; the infant Mary and her formidable mother, the French noblewoman Mary Guise. She ran Scotland for years, while Mary was off getting a proper Royal education at the French court.


I think I have mentioned before that the ceiling of the Great Hall in Edinburgh Castle (incidentally, the only "original" part still standing) was made from Norwegian timber.


Two old favorites with the tourists - yours truly and Edinburgh Castle.


People taking their places at the Military Tattoo.


The guest of honor that night was some American Lieutenant General. As is custom, he participated in a ceremony in which whisky is drunk and Gaelic is spoken. I think the first is a prerequisite for the second.


A lone piper doing his stuff. It gives me chills just to think about it. I love bagpipes.


From the finale.

Quote of the Day

Siri leaves for Norway today...

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.
- Oscar Wilde

Visiting Adam Smith

Siri and I went to visit our philosophical hero Adam Smith today. He's buried in a cemetary quite a bit down the hill on the Royal Mile. His gravesite is in the extreme left hand corner when you're facing the church with the Royal Mile at your back.

Me, the gravesite and an English 20-pound bill. It's ironic that Adam Smith can be found on English banknotes but not Scottish.


Siri in front of Adam Smith's grave.


*sniffle*