Great SCOT! The Garden Shed. History of Edinburgh Castle. September Look what s going on... Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle

Transcription

1 Great SCOT! Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle The Garden Shed A Story by Donald Ross (Continued) History of Edinburgh Castle Look what s going on... September 2015 With Gordon and I now going our separate ways it would have been very easy to just lose touch, but our friendship had grown to the point that we were always helping each other out in some small way or another. If Gordon needed help with his van I would be there, and if I needed to borrow his van it was never a problem. I m sure over the years we moved more furniture for friends than some of the moving companies in Edinburgh did. Eventually when my apprenticeship was over and I had been working for the company for a couple of years living on promises, I decided it was time for me to go and work for myself as well. I found a workshop in the area near to where Gordon lived and as it turned out, he and Ilse could look out of their kitchen window and see if I was there working, of course this made it even easier for us to keep in touch. We did even more for each other over the years, apart from actually selling Gordon a couple of cars, I do not remember money ever changing hands for all our help back and forth, unless someone gave us money for moving stuff then that would just get split down the middle, we were more like Brothers than just friends. No matter how well life seems to be going at times, the unexpected will always happen and bring one back to reality. In 1969 my father passed away suddenly, the result of a Cerebral Hemorrhage commonly known today as an aneurysm. It fell upon me at that time to empty out Dad s house, and of course the first and only call I made was to Gordon, who was there without any hesitation. I had a van of my own at the time and we soon had all the major stuff taken care of. I turned to Gordon, thanking him for all of his help and assuring him that I could take care of the rest the following day. Continued on page 2 Most tourists visiting Scotland consider a stop at the skyline dominating Edinburgh Castle (locally known only as The Castle ) to be essential. Its history begins with a volcanic eruption 70 million years ago which formed Castle Rock. In 850 A.D., during the Bronze Age, humans began living on the rock. Then, two thousand years ago, during the Iron Age, a hill-fort settlement was built on its summit. In 600 A.D., 300 men constructed the Din Eidyn fort. In 638 A.D., the fort was taken by the Angles and given the name by which it is still known Edinburgh. Assorted battles over the castle carried on for centuries, however, it was not officially designated as a military fortress until King Charles II did so in A military garrison was maintained continuously from then until The castle was almost taken in the first Jacobite rising in support of James Stewart, the Old Pretender in 1715, however the effort failed; the steep cliffs surrounding the castle thwarting yet another invasion attempt. A more successful, though temporary, siege occurred during the 2nd Jacobite rising of 1745 when Charles Edward Stuart, a.k.a. Bonnie Prince Charlie, captured the castle that September. However, Deputy Governor, General George Preston refused to surrender and ordered the bombardment of Jacobite positions within the town who responded with a blockade. However, lacking heavy guns with which to defend the blockade, Charles and the Jacobites abandoned the effort, leaving Edinburgh to the castle garrison. That was the last military action at Edinburgh Castle. Over the decades, it was, partially, utilized as a prison especially for military POWS during both World War I and World War II. The Upper Ward occupies the highest part of Castle Rock and is called The Citadel. The oldest building is St. Margaret s Chapel, built in 1124 A.D. by King David I. Other sites of interest to visitors include Mons Meg, a huge seize cannon, Crown Square (palace yard), the Royal Palace (monarchs residence), the Great Hall (for meetings), the Queen Anne Building (kitchens) and The Esplanade, site of the famous Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, held every August with an in-person audience of over 200,000 and over 100 million TV viewers. Today, Edinburgh Castle is owned by The Scottish Ministers as heads of the devolved Scottish Government. Catherine McKinley

2 Page 2 September 2015 Tastes of Scotland Scottish Oat Scones Family recipes have always fascinated me. Some can be traced back to a particular cookbook or magazine. More often their origins have been forgotten but they have been passed from person to person because they are good. This recipe came from my family and I don t even remember if it came from my Dad, who loved scones, or my Mom s mother, who was a marvelous baker. It may even have been from another family member. In any case I have been making these scones for many years. My sons used to like them as a snack with cheddar cheese or plain with butter for breakfast. As with all traditional recipes this is only one version with many possible variations. The original had currants or raisins in it but my family likes them plain. They can be frozen but taste best warm from the oven. Makes 8-12 servings Ingredients: 1-1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup currants or raisins (optional) 1/4 cup sugar 1 Tablespoon baking powder Mix dry ingredients: Mix together melted margarine, milk, and egg. Add to dry ingredients and mix until barely moistened. Spoon into individual scones on greased baking sheet Bake minutes at 375 or until browned. 406 Faculty Avenue Cary, NC The Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle (S.C.O.T.) is a non-profit organization dedicated to informing and educating the public about the history, culture, and heritage of Scotland and the Scottish people. Board of Directors: Thom Bowie Ginny Kent Cheryl Jones Doug Cruikshanks Lynn McElroy Diane Hill Catherine McKinley Patricia Johnston Donald Ross Carolyn Graf John Sprague 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 2/3 cup margarine or butter melted 1/2 cup milk 1 large egg Carolyn McDonald Graf Continued from page 1 Gordon then surprised me by asking what I was going to do with the Garden Shed; I had not even given it any consideration as it looked like more of a task to move than I was prepared for. My response to Gordon was just that, and he immediately said that if I did not want it he would be happy to remove it as he could use it at his Cottage in Peebles (just outside of Edinburgh) I said that he was welcome to have the shed and would he be able to get it moved, which he assured me was not a problem. I think that Gordon must have had a crew sitting round the corner, as when I returned the following day, the Garden Shed was gone!! We visited Gordon & Ilse a couple of months later at the Cottage and there was the Shed, back up and looking as if it had been there forever. Continued on page 4

3 Page 2A September2015 Highland Dance News Local dancers competed successfully at the United States Championships this summer. Lauren Wall, Elaine Hinkel and Madison Stewart competed in the Premier events against Champion dancers from Scotland, Canada and the United Staes including several World Champions. Lauren placed in the sword dance against this high caliber group and she and Elaine both received dance points in serveral other dances. In the pre-premier competition, also from all over the world, Kassidy Collins and Jenny Poulin won medals in several dances while Annie Poulin won the trophy for her intermediate age group. Scottish Movie Night a Great Success Around thirty SCOT members gathered at the Annandale Center August 16 to share a pot luck supper and watch two Compton Mackenzie classics. The first movie was an episode from the British TV show Monarch of the Glens. The feature movie was the hilarious Whisky Galore from the 1940's which highlights the efforts of Islanders to confiscate whisky from a shipwreck off their coast. Scot members enjoy dinner and a movie! Annandale Center dancers competing at the 2015 USIR. The fall dancing schedule in the Southeast begins this weekend with the Virginia Games September 5, followed by Charleston Sept 19, Scotland County October 3, Stone Mountain October and Richmond October We especially invite all SCOT members to come to the Scotland County Highland Games on September 3. It is an easy drive from the Triangle and a wonderful day trip to enjoy all the aspects of a Highland Games. SCOT will host a booth at these games so you will have a place to base your visit. Come and plan to help with the SCOT booth, enjoy the pipe bands, highland dancing, athletics, vendors and Scottish food. We plan on having additional Scottish Movie nights every three or four months. Let us know if you have a movie you would like to see or share. We will try to obtain it for viewing. Contact Pat Johnston at for more information.

4 Page 2B September Officers for SCOT 2015 SCOT Scholarship Winners The following officers were elected to serve SCOT during the fiscal year. We have our annual planning meeting on September 13. If you have any suggestions for activities during the coming year or you would like to help with any events, please contact our President, Donald Ross, at the SCOT website, Donald Ross, President Pat Johnston, Treasurer Cheryl Jones, Secretary Carolyn Graf John Sprague Lynn McElroy Doug Cruickshanks Catherine McKinley Thom Bowie Diane Hill Brent Lockamy My Heart's in the Highlands by Robert Burns My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here; My heart's in the Highlands a chasing the deer; Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe; My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go -- Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North; The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth; Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, The hills of the Highlands for ever I love -- Farewell to the mountains high cover'd with snow; Farewell to the Straths and green vallies below; Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods; Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods -- My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not here; My heart's in the Highlands a chasing the deer; Chasing the wild deer, and following the roe; My heart's in the Highlands, wherever I go -- I believe these words from Scotland's National Poet speak to the heart of many Scots. Paired with the haunting tune used by some arrangers, this poem and song is one of my favorites. Pat Johnston Zackry McElroy of Cary was the winner of the $1,000 SCOT Senior Scholarship. With three very well qualified candidates, the competition was very close and came down the the last of 10 votes to determine the winner. All had strong academics and outstanding references. All Zack's references mentioned his leadership skills. Zack will be attending the Lloyd International Honors College at UNCG to pursue a pre-dental education. He hopes to attend UNC-W Dental School or the Armed Forces Dental School on completion of his undergraduate degree. Scot was also pleased to award several scholarships this year to practitioners of the Scottish arts to continue their studies. The following received scholarships: Highland Dancers Audrey Altman - High Point, NC Alexandra Altman - High Point, NC Genevieve Poulin - Cary, NC Annaliese Poulin - Cary, NC Hannah Suehle - Cary, NC Kassidy Collins - Cary, NC Fiddlers Pipers Cage Bullard - Faison, NC Benjamin Bullard - Cary, NC Connor Civatte - Trenton, NC Liam Broughton - Matthews, NC Dan Johnson - Wilmington, NC

5 Page 3 September 2015 President s Corner SCOT Picnic Dear Members, Where has this year gone!! By the time this newsletter is in your hands we will be into September with all the children back in school, and all of our summer events behind us. Speaking of summer events, I would like to thank Diane Hill for hosting the Summer Barbecue Fun Day! Unfortunately I was out of town and not able to be there, but all the reports are that everyone had a wonderful time and we need to do the same again next year. We also had a fun Scottish Movie Night at The Annandale Center showing an episode of Monarch of the Glen and the Classic Comedy Whisky Galore! Our AGM will be over and our slate of Board members will have been elected and ready for a new year of activities. Having said that, the Board will be having their annual planning meeting early in September, so if there are any activities that you, our members, feel should be included in our calendar, please reach out and let us know what you would like us to consider doing. Ceud mile failte One Hundred Thousand Welcomes to our new members, Tracy Collins, J. Alan Grant & Penny L. Grant, Caryn Carratteli, Kimberly McDuffie Sprague, Brent & Shannon Lockamy, Cynthia Fulbright & Benjamin Reed. I look forward to meeting you at one of our events in the near future. As always please let us know what we can do to make SCOT the organization you all want it to be. God Bless and enjoy each and every day! Donald Ross We enjoyed a fine turnout of members and friends at the SCOT Family Picnic on June 20 th in Fuquay Varina, held this year at my country home which was a fair drive for many who attended. Sandra Wash brought her horses and gave numerous rides to both kids and adults. The horses were patient and sweet despite heat and bugs. A wonderful meal was provided free of charge to all comers, and over 60 people dug into a repast of barbecued ribs, chicken, pulled pork, okra, beans, cole slaw, as well as lovely desserts provided by members. John and Emily Sprague brought along their new piping group who entertained us and the neighborhood delightfully. (No complaints, though!) The same group had turned out for the Cary Spring Daze event which closed early due to rain, and bravely played in front of our tent in the rain like hardy Scots. This time they had to ward off mosquitoes while trying to play the bagpipes not so easy! Several of the Annandale Center s pupils danced on the grass as evening came on and the lightening bugs came out. I counted it lucky that no one got bit by fire ants, copperhead snakes and yellow jackets that make this place their home, too we got off scot-free there! Catherine McKinley provided bubble fun for the kids! Diane Hill

6 Page 4 September 2015 The Garden Shed Continued from page 2 After Dad passed away we moved to Ayrshire for various reasons and so did not see quite so much of Gordon & Ilse. A couple of years later we decided to accept the offer of a contract in Africa for three years, and so we decided to rent our house and at least we could come back at the end of our contract and settle down (this seemed like a good idea at the time). Our plan was to sail to South Africa and drive up through South Africa, and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and into Zambia. This was all agreed to by the Company, and I had a Lancia (Italian Car) at the time and so I spent a lot of time making sure the car was in great shape for the trip. All went well until I decided to load the car with all the gear and luggage, which we had set aside for the journey. The car sat so low at the rear that it was almost dragging. Never fear, Donald is here! Jack the car up, remove the rear springs and take them to the local spring repairer to have them set up some; this meant that the car would sit up very high at the rear until fully loaded and then it would be fairly level. I had no sooner got the springs back on the car and was getting ready to try loading it again, when the company called and told us our plans had been changed. We were going to have to fly to Zambia as they were concerned about the unrest in Rhodesia at the time. I was not a happy camper to say the least. We only had a few days to get organized, and now I had a car that I had to sell. When I was telling Gordon what had happened, he said that he and Ilse needed another car and he would be happy to buy it. Knowing how much I had done to it, we made a deal and I told him that he should take it to one of our mutual friends and have them take the rear springs back off and get them lowered back to normal. Well Gordon ran that car for over ten years and never did have the springs done. It looked rather funny sitting in the street so high at the back, but I m sure when the whole family were packed in, it probably looked fairly level. We stayed in Zambia for the next eight years and then in December 1979 we decided to immigrate to the USA. With one thing and another I never did manage a trip home for many years, and was not in touch with Gordon either. In the mid 90 s my nephew Ewen said to me, Donald, when you go to Scotland I would like to go with you!! This was quite a neat idea that I had never thought of, so in 1997 I said, okay Ewen lets do it. In the fall of that year we took off and had three wonderful weeks in the UK. To be continued, keep this copy if you wish to follow the story. We welcome your contributions to this quarterly newsletter! Please forward news of any achievements, births, marriages, or graduations to Amy Mooney (danceramy@aol.com) to be included. If you have an article, story, artwork, or bit of Scottish lore to share, please submit it to the Editor (SCOT.triangle.news@gmail.com). S.C.O.T. Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle 406 Faculty Avenue Cary, NC 27511