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Ballater & crathie

Community

magazine

no. 57 spring 2010

60Cartoon ‘Eagle and Robin’ by Luke Strachan of Crathie

Photo of a sparrow-hawk eating breakfast in Bridge Street outside Cassie’s shop, by Glyn Jones, Balmoral Ranger.

Photo of daffodils to make us feel like Spring might be on its way! Kathleen Puddicombe.

by K

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Pud

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BalmoralSC O T T I S H HO M E T O TH E RO YA L FA M I LY

Open April 1st - July 31st

Castle Ballroom and RoyalDress Exhibition, Gardens,Audio Tour, Coffee Shop, Balmoral Collection andGift Shop

Tel: 01339 742 534 for further information

www.balmoralcastle.com

At Christmas time that year, word went round the village that

a big party was being planned at the German camp for all children

under thirteen. No parents were to be allowed and transport was to be available to collect and return everyone. It was rather a strange situation, for here were their sworn enemies inviting their precious children, many of whom had fathers, big brothers and sisters away fighting against the Germans and even some whose fathers had been killed by them, to a social evening on their terms. At first there was some talk about hostage taking, but this was swiftly discounted when it was pointed out that there would still be Pioneer Corps guards on duty and the prisoners had nothing to gain from such action. In any case, these were sim-ple conscripts and not hard-core fanatics and many of those who had chosen to work were on quite friendly terms with their employers and trusted. By the time the evening in question arrived, lists had been drawn up, from which it was clear that very few parents wished to deny

3Inside Your Spring Eagle:

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and acknowledged. You can also put money into our tins in the Library

or Yules Newsagents.

Advertising:Full page: £60; Half page: £30;

Quarter page: £20; Eighth page: £10Book and pay for 4 issues: series discount of 10% - copy can be changed each issue

DiaryThe dates you need: 4-5

Walking FestivalOrganised by B(RD): 21

Cairngorm Wood FuelHarnessing our natural resources: 41

Ballater SchoolBird-watching, Haiti and Panto: 30-31

The Crathie PagesCoffee, Xmas and Hogmanay revels: 33

Pottering AboutSnow, socialising and garden planning: 48

Local HistoryThe Horseman’s Word: 36

The Big Freezeby Mary Munro: 50

Berlin WallMemories of a divided city: 43

WintertimeRemembering past winters: 46

Strachan’s Reid BussiesThe Deeside Omnibus service: 53

Bleedin’ EytiesItalian POWs: 55

Local Groups:Ballater Royal Horticultural Society: 10

Ballater (Royal Deeside) Ltd: 20

Ballater Running Club: 9

Ballater Youth Football Club: 28

BOVOF: 23

Community Council: 17

Judo: 19

Rotary: 14

Upper Deeside Music: 26

Victoria & Albert Halls: 27

Victoria Week: 11

Youth Engaging Sport: 34

9 Zero Mountain Freewheelers: 22

Plus....CLAN: 12

Poetry: 38

Demise of the Heather Hopper: 35

and much more....

Contact us: All the ways YOU can contribute: 3

their excited children the chance to attend, for such was the belief people held in those days, that no one could envisage even one’s worst enemy harming an innocent bairn.

In typical German fashion the event went like clockwork. It was well attended and turned out to be a great success and in truth did as much for the morale of the prisoners as it did for the villagers. Every child came away with a hand made gift and one only had to see the workmanship and care that had gone into the making of these toys, to realise how much these men were missing their own families. A bond was established that night which many never forgot.

Seven years later, whilst serving in Ger-many, Wee Chis was once again invited to spend Christmas with a German family. In the candlelight that evening, the glow on the happy faces of their young children as they sang ‘Heiige Nacht’ around the Christmas tree, brought the memories flooding back of that magical evening in the rough log hut on Craigcoilleach.

Highland YurtsTailor made yurts

Choice of seven colourswww.highlandyurts.co.uk

Paul SpencerTelephone: 013397 42295

orMobile 07814 051388

58

LarksLarksLarksLarksLarksGalleryGalleryGalleryGalleryGallery

ContemporaryContemporaryContemporaryContemporaryContemporaryScottish ArtScottish ArtScottish ArtScottish ArtScottish Art

Paintings, Sculpture, GlassTextiles, PhotographyCeramics & Jewellery

Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888

10, Braemar RoadBallater, Aberdeenshire

AB35 5RL

Eagle Eyes...4 most of the young loons. It was just as they were running out of steam that the ‘Jocks’ finally caught up with some of the ‘Bleedin Eyties’ at the Dee Bridge, beyond which lay the hill on which their huts were built and comparative safety.

A few of those caught had their bicycles flung into the river and many received a few good kicks and thumps to help them on their way, but what saved them from a more severe beating was that they just refused to fight. Coming from farming communities and the like they simply had no heart for any more conflict, they simply had had enough of war and just wanted to go home! What then helped to diffuse the situation was the fact that the me-lee at the bridge took place practically on the doorstep of the ‘Invercauld Arms’, which was infinitely more attractive to the thirsty soldiers. Before long, the troops, honour upheld, had all retired to the Public Bar known as ‘The Tink’ and peace reigned in the village once again!

The Italians were not to blame of course and fortunately, as no great harm was done, there was no action taken by the authorities. It would have been hard not to ap-preciate the point of view the irate Jocks held and certainly, for a time, it put an end to the fraternizing! Soon after the Italians moved away, a contingent of German POWs took over the hillside camps and these men proved to be an entirely different kettle of fish, being from the start a much more disciplined force. Those that chose to work locally showed a welcome abundance of craft skills and Wee Chis, being very keen on tools, was particularly impressed when a German tradesman arrived to install a new bath in their house in the bar-racks. Normally this would have required the services of a carpenter, a plumber, a tiler and perhaps a bricklayer and an electrician, but in this case, this one man completed the task perfectly and entirely on his own.

57

MarchMon 1 Horticultural Society – “Bees in your Garden” by Mrs. Janice Kennedy – Michael Sheridan Room at 7.30pm Post Office Closed Fri 5 St. Nathalan’s Church World Day of PrayerTue 9 CLAN Walking to Health Group. Meet outside the CLAN Centre, Ballater at 1.30pm. Approx. 2 mile walk. Open to all those affected in any way by cancer. Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon – 2pmWed 10 Victoria Week Meeting – Mike Sheridan Room at 7pmThu 11 Ballater Housing Partnership – George Beaton Room at 1pmTue 16 Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon to 2pmWed 17 SWRI Meeting – “Two Fat Laddies” – Open Evening and Sales Table – Victoria Hall at 7.30pmSat 20 Ball for ARCHIE - Victoria HallMon 22 Glenmuick Church Guild – “Micah” and Pot Luck Supper – 7pmTue 23 Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon to 2pmFri 26 UDAS – “Painting Wildlife” – Talk with Slides by Derek Robertson 2pm at Aboyne Bowling Club Ballater School Term EndsSat 27 UDAS – “Creating Textures in Wildlife Drawings” – All Day Workshop with Jane Milloy Ballater Golf Club Ladies Section – Welcome Coffee Morning – Club House from 10-11am Coffee Morning - Lochnagar Distillery10.30am -12.30pmSun 28 Palm Sunday – St. Kentigern’s Church Holy Communion at 9.30am The beginning of Holy WeekMon 29 First Meeting of Ballater Running Club – Monaltrie Park Pavilion at 7pmTue 30 Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon to 2pm V&A Halls Committee Meeting - George Beaton room 7pmWed 31 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers. Meet in Upstairs Lounge, Ballater Golf Club at 4pm. An opportunity for all on the cancer journey to meet and chat.

AprilThu 1 Maundy Thursday – St. Kentigern’s Church Holy Communion 4pm

STATIONSTATIONSTATIONSTATIONSTATION

Station Square, Ballater AB35 5PBTelephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050

Popular Informal Restaurant in the Old Royal Station

Open daily from 10am

...so you know What’s Going On

Are Your Dates Here?For inclusion in this FREE section of the Eagle,

please contact our Diary Secretary:Isobel Michie 54094.

5a children’s Bible Class held in a room above the Victoria Hall. A great attraction was the coloured

cards that were handed out to those attending and although these had a

mild religious text, they were still very col-lectable. The children also knew that regular attendance meant they could attend ‘Holy John’s’ Christmas party and it was well known to be the best in the area.

Soon, a rumour began to spread that there was a train arriving with local soldiers on leave from the Western desert and running quickly up to the station square ‘Wee Chis’ saw that sure enough, quite a crowd of excited wives and sweethearts were already assembling. A short time later, in a cloud of steam, the train pulled in and soon the station entrance became a jostling mass of khaki clad soldiers, eagerly hugging their families amid a great deal of laughter and quite a few tears. All of a sudden, an ominous hush descended on the proceed-ings, for some of the soldiers had become aware that amongst the sightseers standing on the corner by ‘Dod’ Rezin’s paper shop, were a group of Italian POWs and several of them actually appeared to be flirting with some of the local girls. There followed a moment of complete disbelief and then a great roar of rage arose from the troops and a number of single men threw down their kitbags and ran towards the Italians, their intentions all too obvious.

Only a short time beforehand, this bunch of war weary soldiers had been up to their necks in sand and bullets, fighting for their lives against men such as these, who now ap-peared to be enjoying all the comforts of their home town.

What seemed to annoy them most, was the fraternization that appeared to be going on with the local girls and the startled Italians, sensing that they were in trouble, began to run for their lives back through the village, pursued by the enraged ‘Desert Rats’ and egged on by

56

Sun 4 Easter Day – St. Kentigern’s Church Holy Communion at 9.30amMon 5 Post Office Closed Crathie Church Coffee Mornings start. 10.30am – 1pm BRHS Mini Spring Bulb Show – Michael Sheridan Room at 7.30pmMon 12 Ballater School New Terms BeginsTue 13 CLAN Walking to Health Group. Meet outside the CLAN Centre, Ballater at 1.30pm. Approx. 2 mile walk.Wed 14 Victoria Week Meeting – Mike Sheridan Room at 7pmThu 15 Floral Art Group - Demo by Edna Matthews - Michael Sheridan Room 7.30pm Wed 21 SWRI A.G.M. conducted by Aboyne WRI Michael Sheridan Room at 7.30pm Tue 30 V&A Halls Committee Meeting - George Beaton room 7pm Wed 28 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers - Upstairs Lounge, Ballater Golf Club at 4pm.

MaySun 2 Judith Bridgland Exhibition opens – McEwan GalleryMon 3 Post Office Closed Ballater School May DayTue 4 Ballater School In Service DayMon 10 BRHS Open Night – Michael Sheridan Room Room at 7.30pmTue 11 CLAN Walking to Health Group. Meet outside the CLAN Centre, Ballater at 1.30pm. Approx. 2 mile walk.Wed 12 Victoria Week Meeting – Michael Sheridan Room at 7pm

Thu 20 Floral Art Group - Demo by Anne Allan - Michael Sheridan Room 7.30pm Sat 22 WALK FOR CLAN – Loch Muick Tue 25 V&A Halls Committee Meeting - George Beaton room 7pmWed 26 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers - Upstairs Lounge, Ballater Golf Club at 4pm.

JuneSat 12 BRHS Sale on the Green at 9.30am

BallaterPost Office

Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Mon: 9am - 5.30pmTues: 9am - 5.30pmWeds: 9am - 5.30pmThurs: 9am - 12.30pmFri: 9am - 5.30pmSat: 9am - 12.30pm

Please note we are OPEN over lunchtime

Tel: 013397 55505wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.net.net.net.net.net

Support your local Post Office,you know it makes sense!

FFFFForeign Currencyoreign Currencyoreign Currencyoreign Currencyoreign CurrencyWe now stock both

Euros and U.S. Dollarsfor immediate purchase.

6 55Letter from our Editor

By Popular Demand!Ballater Library opening Hours:

Sunday & Monday: ClosedTuesday: 10am-1pm, 6.30pm-8pmWednesday: ClosedThursday: 2pm-4pm, 6.30pm-8pmFriday: 2pm-5pmSaturday: 10am-12noon

‘Bleedin Eyties’by Arthur Chisnall

The next band of ‘foreigners’ to arrive were some Italian POWs (prisoners of war) and these were then billeted in the foresters’ camp. At some stage they had all been issued with brown battledress which had coloured patches sewn on, and seeing them for the first time, the bairns decided these were there to provide aiming marks, should the prisoners ever try to escape. Escape however, seemed furthest from their minds, even though this would have been fairly easy as their Pioneer Corps guards were few and far between and it soon became a common sight for prisoners to be seen strolling quite freely and unguarded around the village.

Unused to the cold, it was amusing to see many of them wearing their greatcoats continually, even in mid summer. The few that accepted work with local farmers soon

acquired bicycles, but the remainder, many of them obviously homesick, seemed for the most part content to just loaf around and wait for the war to end. Many had pleasant singing voices and whenever the opportunity arose, the Lotharios amongst them would turn on the Latin charm and serenade the blushing young ladies of the village. Away from the dangers of conflict, it was for some of them an idyllic lifestyle, but like many things in life just too good to last and one day their fortunes underwent a rapid change.

Wee Chis was hanging around the village green one Saturday afternoon, watching as ‘Holy John’ and his small band of Plymouth Brethren followers arrived to begin a street corner service. This in itself was a bit unusual as normally the services were part of a regular Sunday routine and was usually followed by

Royal Deeside’s Award Winning Highland Retreat

DARROCH LEARGDinner7pm - 9pm

Sunday Lunch12:30 - 2pm

A Red Star HotelAA Recommendedin the Good Food Guide,Good Hotel Guide andScotland the Best

Darroch Learg, Braemar Road, Ballater AB35 5UXTelephone 013397-55443www.darrochlearg.co.uk

Dear Readers,

The lengthy period of deep snow and severe frosts of the

Christmas and New Year period obviously reminded some older

residents of the village of times when snow lasted from before

Christmas until Easter, and made life in the village somewhat

more difficult than it was even this winter. The photograph of

snow in Deebank Road in 1960 accompanying Mary Munro’s

tale, is testament to how easy we had things recently. However, these memories have

now been shared with us, and the Eagle is pleased to print some recollections of

yesteryear. At least the local ski slopes have benefited from the early arrival of large

quantities of “the white stuff ”.

It is good to hear that efforts are being made to provide further organised activities

for youngsters in Ballater, and also improved facilities for the whole community in the

Park and in the Victoria & Albert Halls too. Everyone in the village can benefit from

such efforts, but at the same time must provide input and support to the committees

and people behind these schemes. Without this, potential funders will not agree to

hand out the large sums of money which will be required to make these ideas reality.

Please assist the people who are trying hard to improve life for all village residents of

all ages, either by attending fundraising events or at least expressing your support for

their efforts, thus encouraging them to persevere. Ballater can be an even better place

to live if we work together to make things happen.

Meanwhile, Spring is nearly here, so we can look forward to green days instead

of white ones.

Ian Hay

How to contact our Representatives:

ScottiSh Parliament:Mike Rumbles MSP

Tel: 01330 820268 Fax: 01330 820106 e-mail: Mike.Rumbles.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

WeStminSter:Sir Robert Smith MP

Tel: 01330 820330, Fax: 01330 820338, e-mail: robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk

aberdeenShire council: Peter Argyle: Tel: 013398 81180

e-mail: cllr.p.argyle@aberdeenshire.gov.ukRosemary Bruce: Tel: 013398 89318

e-mail: cllr.r.bruce@aberdeenshire.gov.ukMarcus Humphrey: Tel: 013398 85332

email: cllr.m.humphrey@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

cairngormS national Park:Geva Blackett

email: geva.blackett@btconnect.com

7

Ways to contact the Eagle:

Hand in to the Library

Post to Ballater Eagle, c/o Ballater Library, Ballater, AB35 5QB

E-mail to: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com

Contributions of any kind on PC disc (Word format) always welcome.

Eagle Who’s Who & Where

Keep in touch with a Subscription

UK: £8.00 EC: £10.00 Overseas: £14.00

For the rates above, four issues will be posted. A subscription can be a very welcome gift to far-flung friends and relatives.

Simply provide the name & address to whom the issues should be sent, with a cheque or postal order for ‘Ballater Eagle’ for the relevant amount and drop off your request to the Library. Betty, our Subscriptions person will do the rest. Easy!

Editor: Ian Hay 55941Treasurer: Dr. Sheila Sedgwick 55292

Secretary: Betty Wilson 55791Advertising Manager: Faye Swan 55345

Distribution: Andy and Julie BloorDiary Secretary & Typing: Isobel Michie 54094

Design: Faye Swan 55345, Stella Potter 55969 & Naomi Miles 56231Email us at: ballater.eagle@btopenworld.com

Eagle Online by Tom Potter: www.ballaterscotland.com/eagle

If you would like a large print version of the Eagle, please con-tact Faye Swan at info@swandesign.uk.com or Tel.55345.

‘the old chaps who used to work for the firm were in tears. It really

was something to remember.’ Bob Webster, a member of Aberdeen’s

Transport Society, spoke for many when he said “Strachan’s ran such a unique service that inevitably the story of transport in the Dee Valley is the story of Strachan’s.” Tom Patey in ‘One Man’s Mountain, A Grampian Hairst’ noted that ‘The 3.15 from Bon Accord Square was a special bus tactfully set aside for climbers by Messrs Strachan’. This followed an incident in which old ladies had been isolated at the back of the bus by a mountain of rucksacks, only effecting an escape, several miles beyond their destinations, by a desperate hand traverse.

For 16 years, as the manager’s daughter and the owner’s niece, I had the freedom of the roads from the city to the Braes o’ Mar. I could step on a bus anywhere on Deeside and

jump off again, without paying a penny. I could change from the thin Scots speech of Aberdeen to the braid Doric of Ballater in the space of an hour. I could stay weekends with my cousins, the McConnachs, who farmed at Drumneachie and Deerhillock in Birse. Dod McConnach had married my father’s sister Mary, of whom I was greatly fond, and it was at Drumneachie that my cousins taught me to fish for eels, to hand milk a cow, to hand churn butter and to bigg the stooks at hairst time, though very little biggin o stooks was done with the Birse burn so close and the weather warm. Like Byron, who also holidayed on Upper Deeside, I more or less ran wild, exploring hills, cliffs, glens, usually on my own, with a sketch pad.

It was the beginning of Strachan’s tourist season, the warm summer of 1964 and the city was in the grip of a typhoid epidemic. My mother shopped at William Low’s, the supermarket which had imported the contaminated corned beef from the Argentine. I was off school with a splitting headache, which rapidly deteriorated into delirium. My mother immediately sent for the family GP, Dr Alistair Forbes. As a young Flight Lieutenant he had been captured by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore and held prisoner on the island of Hiroco between Java and New Guinea. He had stayed behind voluntarily to tend the sick and dying at the end of the war, when the death rate for dysentery was ten a day. He had seen typhoid first hand, had mixed his medicines in coconut shells till the fever abated. Now he was re-using those diagnostic skills. He sent me straight away by ambulance to the City Hospital, the town’s official fever hospital, where I was locked into the male diabetic ward, quarantined with all other typhoid sufferers for the duration of the summer. As word spread that Strachan’s man-ager’s daughter had contracted the disease, tours were cancelled, profits plummeted. Next year, in February 1965, Strachan’s ceased trading, and the long idyllic ties with Ballater were severed. ‘

(The above is an extract, printed here with Sheena’s permission, from an on-line article published on the BBC Schools Website.)

54

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53

For the first 16 years of my life, my father worked at Ballater, leaving Albert Terrace early in the morning and not returning till late each evening. He was manager of the Deeside Omnibus service, owned by his widowed sister Mrs Helen Strachan, known locally as the ‘Reid bussies’. Strachan’s originally took over from the Royal mail horse bus which ran from the Bon Accord Hotel in Market Street in Aberdeen to Blairs, the fleet growing to 14 buses at its peak. Strachan’s ran its first bus from Blake’s Station Garage, Rennie Wynd in 1925. The owner died young, killed at the wheel of his car in a smash that claimed the life of his brother-in-law Archie Middleton. Another brother-in-law, Ian Middleton, crawled two miles to raise the alarm despite serious internal injuries, for which he was presented with an award for bravery at the Victory Hall, Aboyne.

‘My faither didna ken foo tae help Ian fin he lay in the hospital,’ my father told me, ‘Sae he jist sang tae him.’

The company ran two services, one travel-ling the South Deeside Road from Aberdeen to Banchory, then via Ballater to Braemar on the North Road, while the second route went via Ballogie from Banchory up to Ballater. It ferried coffins, livestock, climbers, hikers, tourists. Under parcel regulations it stated that ‘fragile parcels inadequately packed will be sent entirely at the sender’s risk’. This may even have applied to a party of Canadian lumberjacks wanting to go to a local dance one wartime winter. With no room left on board, in blizzard conditions, they were invited (at their own risk) to step into the roomy boot. All arrived safely.

There was an office in Langstane Place and a stance at Bon Accord Street in Ab-

Strachan’s “Reid Bussies”by Sheena Blackhall

erdeen. This occasionally duplicated as a slaughterhouse when a deer was felled by a bus and smuggled in to be butchered and shared out amongst the drivers and conductresses. The main office, however, was Ballater and it was here that we stayed all summer, every summer, closing up the town house in Albert Terrace and occupying a property known as ‘The Shack’, a child’s paradise, with Craigen-darroch facing us from the front window and Craigcoilich looking in at the back window, with the Gairn, the Muick and the Dee, run-ning between the hills and the tiny village.

When the business finally ran out of road, Pipe Major Norman Meldrum of Invercauld led a procession of 40 cars and 200 people as the last of the red buses drove slowly out of Braemar. John Stammers of Birchwood said

Dear Editor,I wonder if readers of your magazine could

help me with part of my research project. For many years I have been researching the history of puppets and ventriloquism in Scotland. Some time ago I came across various references to a Miss Janet Smith of Ballater performing shadow puppet shows in 1938.

Unfortunately, I have no reference to an address, which is a pity. Basically the information I have is that a Miss Janet Smith was resident in Ballater for certain in the late 1930s, and by 1940 she was in the Edinburgh area. Those dates of course could suggest some movement due to war-time circumstances, so whether she was actually from Ballater I do not know at this point.

Janet Smith was very interested in pup-petry, in particular shadow puppets. Among other items she performed a shadow puppet version of “The Merchant of Venice” with her cousin providing original incidental music. I do not know what age she was at this time, but it sounds like it could have been quite a sophisticated performance, so I don’t think she was a child - at a guess I would say she may have been a young school teacher.

Of course all this is 70 years ago now, but it is quite likely that older readers of your magazine might recall something about these performances, as they would have been quite unusual at the time. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who recalls this lady or the performances, or who may have an elderly relative who recalls them. It would be of great interest to me to hear from anyone who can help with information on the above, or who may recall anything else of relevance.

My contact details are: Martin MacGilp, 10 Cullernie Gardens, Balloch, Inverness IV2 7JP. email is martin.macgilp@btinternet.com

(If anyone can help Martin, please also let the Eagle know, as a follow-up article may be appropriate. The Editor)

Request for InformationMr. Colin Davison from Bedford, has

written to Ballater Library seeking informa-tion relating to Dr. Herbert Welch Halton who was a senior judge in the court of Appeal in Cairo, Egypt. Dr. Halton drowned in the River Clunie at Braemar while on holiday on 8th September 1919.

Mr. Davison asks whether there is any further information known in the area about the circumstances of Dr. Halton’s death. If anyone has further information, please contact Ballater Library on 013397 55628.

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24 Golf RdBallater

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entertainment provided by Alan and Eion Taylor from Alford, accompanied by Lena Gordon on keyboard. We were also honoured to have a visit from our own “Santa”. This turned out to be a hilarious part of the evening as he handed every lady a present, along with a bit of nonsense and good fun! Thanks are due to Neil, Angela and their staff for making this a memorable night.

The January meeting was well attended by members and friends in spite of the wintry weather and ice underfoot. The speaker for the evening was a local lady, Joan Anderson, who was appropriately dressed for the subject of her talk, namely life in 18th and 19th century Glen Muick. Joan explained about the use of local drove roads, and acted out the part of a local lady, Barbara Robbie, a real character who had lived at the Spittal of Glen Muick during that time. The talk was very much enjoyed by all those present.

Ballater S.W.R.I.by Frances Johnstone

The December meeting of Ballater SWRI was a Christmas night out at the Glenaden Hotel when a splendid was had by all. A beautiful meal was followed by some lively

952 Ballater Floral Art Group by Mildred Coull

Ballater Floral Art Group committee, headed by Chairman Kathleen McCulloch, has been busy organising this year’s varied and interesting programme.

The highly successful and enjoyable Christmas Charity evening, which has gained in popularity each year, attracted almost 120 ladies from Ballater and district. This meant that the Crossroads charity received £900, and the Floral Art Group wishes to thank everyone who supported the event.

The Spring programme begins on April 15th with a demonstration by Edna Matthews, and on May 20th Anne Allan’s presentation is entitled “Beginners’ Luck”.

Details of these will appear on posters throughout the village nearer the time, and reminders will be in the “Piper” a week in advance of the meetings, which are always held in the Mike Sheridan Room at 7.30 p.m.

Ballater Running Clubby Cat Houston

Ballater Running Club is a free, friendly and informal group that is open to all. We meet twice a week for runs of various lengths (3-10km, depending on the weather!) Be-ginners are particularly welcome, and many combine walking and running as a way to get started. We use the beautiful paths and trails around the village that we are so lucky to have. Running is a great way to keep fit and, whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned pavement pounder, we’ll provide the motivation!

Our new season starts on Monday 29th March, and we meet at Monaltrie Park Pavil-ion every Monday and Wednesday at 7.00pm.

Lenten Lunchesby Jim McCulloch

Once again, the combined Ballater Churches are serving Lenten Lunches. These will be held in Glenmuick Church Hall every Tuesday from 2nd - 30th March from 12 noon until 2 p.m. at a cost of £3. Proceeds will be divided between the Cyrenians and Homestart - both very deserving causes.

Come along for a choice of delicious home made soup, bread and refreshments—and a good blether!

Balmoral Woodland Walks – every Wednesday from April 7th to July 28th.

Discover the grounds and woods around Balmoral Castle. Learn about the estate’s history and wildlife.Meet: Balmoral Carriage Exhibition.Time: 2-4pm.Cost: Free once entry fee into grounds has been paid.

For the Following events booking is essential, limited places available– 013397 55059.

Saturday 6th of March – Tree planting day. Offset your carbon footprint for 2010!Come and assist the rangers planting native trees in Glen Muick. Tools and training pro-vided. Organised to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity.

Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Cost: Free.

Saturday 10th of April – Learn to read or get lost!A practical guide to basic navigation, in-cluding taking bearings, grid references and mountain safety. Bring a map and compass if you have one.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Time: 10-3pm.Cost: £5.

Friday 23rd of April – Birds B4 Breakfast.An excellent opportunity to observe the court-ship rituals of black grouse from the luxury of a Land Rover Discovery. Organised to cel-ebrate the International Year of Biodiversity.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Time: 6:00am-8:30am.Cost: £5 per person.

Monday 3rd of May – Red Deer Ramble.Discover the intriguing lifestyle and learn about the management of the majestic red deer of Glen Muick. An easy three mile walk. Organised to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Time: 2:30-4:30pmCost: Free.

Saturday 12th of June – Mending our ways.Come and join the rangers as they repair the damage caused by hundreds of thousands of trampling feet on some of Scotland’s most popular paths. Take part in a day of practical conservation action in spectacular mountain scenery. All tools and training provided.Time: 10:00am-4:00pm.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Cost: Free.

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10 a New Ice Age wis comin tae connach oor civilisation. Fan a harsh winter spell grips the land, we jist hiv tae think on the basics o’ life – maet an warmth. Wi thae twa, we survive.

Maybe we’re safter noo. In oor hoose, there wis aye a coal fire, wi pad-ded fender sides, far ye could sit warm an cosy, wi ae lug tae the wireless or p lay in draughts or board games wi Faither. Mither eased tae get thon mirled legs, “bumbee tartan” legs, wi sittin borin intae the heat o’ the fire, the patterns were birsled intae her skin! The rest o’ the hoose wis cauld as death, sae ye didna linger lang afore nippin intae yer blunkets at nicht. Files, o’ a freesty mornin, it wis that cauld that yer nostrils stuck thegither, gin ye taen a deep breath an syne lat it oot tae yoam in cloods throwe the freezin room. Ye rubbit a penny-size shape intae the floo’er patterns on the windae pane tae see foo muckle mair snaw hid faen, saft an fite, o’er nicht.

Ye ate maet that keepit yer wame warm – I hated porritch wi its slobbery soss, bit it fairly lined yer stamack afore ye braved the ootside. Mam wid jam a muckle speenfu o’ Malt in yer moo as ye made for the door, an ye lat the malty sweetness dreep o’er yer molars as ye made yer wey tae the squeel. Liberty bodices wi thon rubber buttons, wiven stockins, scarves an hats, layers o’ wool, an ye were set for the snaw.

The snaw in Ballater wis jist a pairt o’ the year, an Spring aye seemed an age awa, as ye ploughed throwe the drifts an pit up wi chilblains an hacks on yer dirlin fingers. I can still near feel thon het, sair itch fae Hell that gared ye yoke and scratch till ye broke the skin. Mam’s remedy (it didna work) wis tae

walk in the snaw in yer bare feet! Nooadays, ye dinna hear o’ mony fowk wi’ chilblains – sae it wisna a “The Good Old Days” that fowk

spik aboot sae aften.

Ye were young an swack, an yer bleed ran het an strang throwe yer veins, sae ye niver moaned muck le aboot the wither. Spring aye cam, an life flowed aince mair in the valley o’

the Dee. A body’s bleed kittled intae life jist like a reisted fire, an ye turned a winter-weary face tae a safter time. Gin ye didna hae the winter months, ye widna appreciate the warm times. Variety surely is the spice o’ life!

51

The Society is celebrating its 151st year in 2010. Forget all about the snow and frost covering our gardens, and think ahead. Last year was a marvellous one, when we had a very successful celebration of our 150th Birthday and an equally wonderful Annual Show. However, we must not be complacent, and now try to keep up the standard.

We have a varied programme for 2010, starting in March with Mrs. Janice Kennedy telling us all about “Bees in our Gardens”. The Mini Bulb show may be small, but we had a glorious show of colour last year and all members may bring along their spring flowers, in pots or cut flowers, and join in the event. The judging will be helped by the presence of Sue Burgess from Pitmedden Garden, one of the most visited gardens in Scotland. Sue

Ballater RHSby Mairi Burgess

will also tell us of the new things happening at Pitmedden.

In May we have our Open Night where everyone relaxes over a glass of wine and can ask The Panel lots of awkward questions about gardens, plants, pests and beasties. Anything goes!! We are currently working on whom to invite to join our illustrious panel.

June will see us hard at work on the Green, selling plants of all descriptions. We hope you will all be able to share any extra plants you may have, and find some exciting new ones to buy. We would also appreciate any home baking to boost our sales. All these fund raising events allow us to stage our Annual Show and add to the attractions of the village for locals and visitors alike. Full details of all these events are contained within the Diary Section of this Eagle.

The Annual Show will be on 21st and 22nd August this year and now is the time for all local gardeners to study the seed catalogues or visit garden centres to plan their entries. There are many new gardens in Ballater and this year we are appealing to everyone to think about entering the Show. All Society members will help or advise anyone wishing to take part and we welcome new members to our meetings.

Last year, we presented a lovely new Silver Rose Bowl – the Alex Copland Trophy for the best garden in the village. This also has a cash prize of £100!! You do not need to have a huge garden, an immaculate lawn, or abundant flowers, fruit and vegetables to meet the judges’ criteria, but you do require to enter. Please do enter this competition, which is to celebrate Alex’s dedication to the Society and to the area over many years. We do want this to be a really good competition.

Happy gardening and good weather!!

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1150 The Big Freeze!by Mary Munro

This first wik o’ January, we’re in Winter’s iron neive, sub-Arctic wi’ feet o’ snaw. The Christmas sotter o’ decorations an sorry looking trees is stappit awa in the laft for anither year and a the New Year bottles lie deed an teem in the re-cyclin box for the scaffy-cairt the morn. By the time this gings tae “The Eagle”, Nature micht hae loused its grip on the land, bit it’s noo the 6th January fan tradition dictates that a the cairry-ons o’ the Festive Season are bye wi, and we’re in the foremost days o’ the new decade, 2010.

Snaw his been dingin on for wiks – I sweir there’s three feet o’ virgin snaw on the gairden and fit’s waur, there’s been hard freests ilka nicht, wi muckle icicles hingin near tae the grun fae ilka reef. The forecast is for wiks o’ this, sae we’ll jist hae tae thole it, leave the car

squattered in the lay-by, an mak eese o’ the twa feet God saw fit tae fix at the fit o’ oor legs! It fair mynes me o’ the winters in Ballater as a bairn, fan the same snaw that fell in December wis aye lyin there in fool heaps come Spring, wi a gweed feow mair layers abeen.

This aifterneen, the sun cam oot for a file an it wis like a winter wonderland that made ye gasp – trees, dykes an hills glistenin wi a million diamonds in the sharp, clean air. We trudged throwe the knee-deep snaw on the Golf course tae the pathie by the Dee that wis jist slidin slow-like atween the ice-floes. Ye could near feel the silence – it was as if Nature lay aneth the fite blunket o’ snaw, in a soon sleep, corryin doon till the safter times wid wauken the grun tae life aince mair. My thochts went back tae a feow bilin-het days last simmer fan it wis that het I walked roon tae the Lang Peel tae dook in the cool watter that wis like liquid silk on yer skin. Ye widna ging in the day – yer bleed wid jeel in yer veins in nae time!

I thocht some o’ the geets fae the village wid be squallochin doon the bunkers on sledg-es or tin trays, bit then I mynt it wis Christmas nae lang syne, an I bet they were closeted in their warm hooses wi a their games an com-puter trock, or glued tae thon TV box, that’s like “chewin gum for the e’en!” Changed days fan we eased tae scoor doon Craig Coillach brae on tae the road, syne trail hame weet an ferfochen. Mam would steep yer hauns and feet in a basin o’ het watter tae defrost them, an o’, the exquisite stouns o pain , as life cam back tae yer frozen fingers an taes!

We hivna hid a lang spell o’ snaw an freest for a gweed feow year, sae there’s a faint air o’ panic, nae up here in the frozen North, bit doon in the milder climes o’ the Sooth. Life seems tae grind tae a halt there, an ye’d think

Preparation for Ballater Victoria Week 2010 is now underway. The organising com-mittee meets in the Michael Sheridan Room at 7.00pm on the second Wednesday of each month. We are always seeking ‘fresh blood’ to help us so if you are interested please come along. For this year, Mike Franklin will act as Coordinator and will be replaced as Treasurer by Ian Wisely. Alistair Cassie will be stepping down from coordinating the 4x4 safaris but will continue to help in other ways. Our thanks go to Alistair for all his past efforts.

This year the ‘Week’ will run from 7th to 15th August. The programme will follow the familiar pattern of ‘old favourites’ plus a few new items. The Ballater Royal Horticultural

Ballater Victoria Weekby Mike Franklin

Society Annual Show will in 2010 fall outside Victoria Week, and will be replaced in the

programme by events organised by the Clan Farquharson Society. It is hoped that the Classic Car Parade on Sunday 8th August will be boosted by cars from a Citroen Owners’ Club which is planning a rally in this area. The committee is looking forward to yet another successful festival.

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“The day the Lord created hope was prob-ably the same day he

created Spring.”Bern Williams

minded folk. Most of us could talk for Scotland and together make a very lively and thought provok-ing bunch. I’m very much looking forward to the next one.

On the garden front, I’m going to start my planting earlier this year in the hope of being able to eat from the garden for longer than a few summer months. I feel a little déjà vu here; I think I said the same thing last year... Luckily my household loves sprouts, so I’m going to give them a go, as well as a bolt resistant broc-coli, parsnips, broad beans and early potatoes. Despite having no success with lollo rosso last year I will give that delicious and pretty lettuce another go, along with the usual perpetual spinach, which is still providing us with the occasional delicious plateful of fresh greens. I will need to restock my herb bed though, as the sage, which was doing so well, has not survived a second winter, and for some reason I can’t seem to get parsley to grow more than a measly teacup full over the summer. I enviously admire lush swathes of it I see in other folk’s gardens. At least the rosemary and thyme are surviving well, so should I wish to go to Scarborough Fair, I might just manage it!

Despite my self-inflicted winter hiberna-tion (I don’t drive in the dark, ice or thick snow) I do enjoy the cosiness of the winter months, planning the gardening work for the better weather. When the spring finally does arrive - there’s hints of it as I type, with bulbs poking their first tentative greenery above the cold ground - I just hope I can tear myself away from the laptop to put my plans into fruition. Or, as I don’t yet grow fruit, should that be vegition?!

Whatever you have planned over the winter to do in the spring I hope you all have great enjoyment and fulfilment in the longer and warmer days…

4912

CLAN is a well known independ-ent charity providing a range of support serv-ices to anyone affected by cancer as a patient, carer, or a close friend. Although the centre is based in Aberdeen, we offer our services to the whole of Grampian, Orkney and Shetland. CLAN Support Centre based in Ballater, is an extension of CLAN’s services which aims to reach patients and their family/carers out-with the city, who find it challenging to travel and access these services. We aim to be accessible to all Deeside towns and villages, whenever our clients feel they can benefit from our support services.

The Upper Deeside Centre offers infor-mation on cancer related issues, as well as sign posting to other relevant services and a listen-ing ear. A variety of complementary therapies

are on offer (Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Reiki), which are designed to help clients feel positive, improve their quality of life, help promote a sense of well-being and encourage the body back into a more balanced state, greatly benefiting many of our clients. We also provide professional counselling sessions to support patients and/or their family members in the process of dealing with diagnosis, the emotional impact of the treatment, and when needed, coping with loss and bereavement. Other specialist services, for example children and young people support, can be coordinated and offered through our Ballater Centre.

CLAN also offers therapeutic social activities, one-to-one and group support. Our support group, ‘Second Chancers’, meet every last Wednesday of the month at 4:30pm. The group aims to offer friendship and a listening ear in a welcoming and supportive environ-ment. The group is facilitated by a CLAN trained volunteer, and along with a cup of tea, provides an opportunity to meet others who are going through a similar situation, as well as sharing inspiring survivorship examples. Meetings are informal; we invite the occasional speaker on issues of interest to the group members. The group also organises monthly walks every second Tuesday of the month, guided and supported by Cairngorm Walking to Health Project. All are welcome to join and all information is available in the centre.

Our fundraising group is active all year round organising events to raise awareness and funds to support the local services. If you would like to get involved to support CLAN in the community or participate in organised Quiz nights and other social activities, please contact us for a list of forthcoming events or visit our website www.clanhouse.org.

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51

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December 2009. For one day only the opening hours were extended to 8pm to give customers old and new the chance to browse round the shelves at their leisure, far away from the usual hurly burly of Christmas shopping.

The venture was a great success and was helped along by glasses of wine, savoury nib-bles and mince pies. Festive music played and there was some carol singing which made up in enthusiasm for any lack of tunefulness!

Val and Lee the Centre Managers, who did the extra hours on a voluntary basis, would like to sincerely thank all the customers who came to browse and shop, and the volunteers who baked and gave up their time to help man the shop (and sang!) and send their best wishes for 2010 to all the Eagle staff and readers.

1348

Clan Outreach Shop Ballater

By Marion MacintyreThe Clan Outreach Charity Shop in Bal-

later held its very first late night opening on 10

Cancer enters so many of our lives, and it brings about changes and adjustments for all those involved. By helping you to focus on your emotional and psychological wellbeing, we can help reduce the stress and anxiety - you are not alone. If you are affected by cancer or know someone who is, and feel you, or they could benefit from our services, please contact our centre. Our services are offered free. All calls are treated with confidence.

For more information about any of the services offered in Upper Deeside, please call Val/Lee 013397 56318 or Nesreen 07795 431314 or CLAN House 01224 647000.

Well, wasn’t all that snow a challenge? I didn’t use my car for nearly three weeks, us-ing shank’s pony to work, socialise and shop. Very good for me though, as I did feel fitter. I was also very grateful for my well-padded behind as I regularly slipped on the ice in the dark mornings. We had an added challenge when just before New Year more wood for the stove was delivered. Being our main source of warmth - the stove does the heating and hot water - dry wood is an essential as I am trying to tread as lightly on the planet as possible so do not burn fossil fuels. Barrowing and stacking two tons of wood is quite a task, and my usual band of kind, generous and willing helpers were either out or snowed in, apart from Tom who valiantly came to the rescue. So in a snowstorm, in the dark, Willie the

Pottering About . . .by Stella Potter

woodman, his pal, Tom and I barrowed it to the patio by the woodshed and piled it high, to be stacked the next day. I considered using my head torch to stack it all myself that night, but dismissed the idea in favour of the cosy indoors and a nice bottle of red. Silly, silly me!

That night we were the ungrateful recipi-ents of another six inches or so of the white stuff, so the next day, with energetic teenage help, every piece had the snow brushed off as well as we could and was stacked. Double the work for wetter wood. To help it dry faster, much of it was split with my fabulously expensive but extremely efficient axe, and stacked - again - in the fire nook. I do enjoy chopping wood, it’s good exercise and thor-oughly therapeutic in channelling frustration. And my Grandmother was quite right in one of her oft-repeated pearls of wisdom: “Wood warms you twice”. Her other two favourites were “Count your blessings” and “He’ll be home when he’s hungry.” A wise woman was my Grandma.

In one of the lulls between snow storms in January one of my internet forums had a great meet-up for lunch in Duthie Park. One person arrived and returned on the same Shetland ferry to join us, and another came by train all the way up from deepest Ayrshire, just for a daunder round the winter gardens and a spot of lunch. Now that’s dedication to meeting people. It’s astonishing how we all recognised each-other, as we had not all actually met in the flesh before. I am hugely enjoying these new social circles, indeed, we have another meet-up planned for May when a Canadian forum member is flying over to meet as many of us a possible. It’s tremendous how the in-ternet makes the world smaller, and it’s both heart warming and life affirming to meet like

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current Ballater Royal Bridge, at-tracted labour as this was a major project. This same labour force created the ponds and the civil works that brought water from behind Brai-chley to the ponds. It also built a ‘loop’ off the quarry road to run up to the Curling Ponds. It was this ‘loop’ running past the Mackenzie Monument that was our sledge run.

On Saturday and Sundays there was an army of children sledging there, the Curling Fraternity tolerating this activity so long as we stayed off their ice.

The ‘loop’ became faster as the day went on and the runners turned the snow to ice, and, as we experimented with linking two sledges together to form ‘bob-sledges’ and loading them up with more and more bodies, the sledg-ing became almost as dangerous as skating.

Thankfully, loss of daylight and fatigue sent us home mostly unscathed.

14 47and Golf Roads, albeit a little further away from our homes.

In those days no rock salt was used to at-tempt to melt the snow; that early disastrous experiment would have to wait until the winter of 1962/63. The snow was simply ploughed and left hard packed. If there was a partial thaw and then a return to frost, the surface became a skating rink, and I can remember several occasions when we actually skated on Albert Road by street-light.

Ski-ing as an industry was nonexistent in these far off times, but I can remember one Sunday night being quite amazed to see a sports car towing an Aberdeen solicitor on skis through the village, obviously on their way home after a day on the hills. Inspired by this sight, we searched the ‘Wid Yard’ for skis. We came on old tar barrels and found that the staves, although short, had roughly the profile for skis. Our tar-barrel skis were not very successful but they did give us a taste of the sport.

Brockie’s Pond, then at the end of Golf Road, was another winter sport arena. This little pond was not deep enough to be trou-blesome if we fell through the ice, and here we learnt to skate. The biggest problem was keeping the ancient skates attached to our boots. After a while we became more dar-ing and attempted ‘jumps’ over a five gallon oil drum lying on its side on the ice. I can remember more injuries at this event than we ever sustained from sledges or falling off bikes, - dangerous stuff! When I watch ‘Dancing on Ice’, currently on TV, I can still feel the pain of sickening falls, and the sheer solidness of Brockie’s Pond ice.

Saturday came and we all went over the bridge and up to the Curling Ponds. The curling and skating ponds on Craig Coillich date from the early 1880s. The granite quarry, opened on the hill to supply stone for the still

Your local Rotary Club of Aboyne and Upper Deeside started 2010 with a very en-joyable Burns Supper at the Craigen-darroch Hotel. The Aboyne Acad-emy Traditional Singing Group, led by Katie Keith, provided a superb musical celebration as an alternative Immortal Memory, and there were excellent speakers, able to overcome some chaotic hotel lighting issues during their speeches! We look forward to another good year in which we can help worthy causes both locally and internationally.

FundraisingOur Christmas bag-packing at Aboyne

Coop raised £1300 over two days, while

Rotary Updateby Ron Drever

our Christmas Line of Silver in Ballater raised £173. This was actually a great total,

considering the weather forced even us Ballater worthies to give up after only a couple of hours!!

Many thanks to you all for your continued generosity, and again thanks to those who save

loose change throughout the year to hand to us at our Line of Silver. As

our notices on the day advised, a donation from the Line of Silver was given to the Bal-later Building Blocks group, who give social support and friendship to parents of young children in Ballater.

We again provided and manned the Bar-beque at the Aboyne Bonfire Night, and our share of the money raised helped our Charity Account by nearly £600.

Our assistance in selling raffle tickets in the Bon Accord Centre in December helped Ro-tary in the north east raise a fantastic amount of over £56000 for CLAN, and also provided a contribution to our own Charity Account.

Community ServiceWe made our annual Christmas journey to

distribute our Hampers and Christmas cake to Sluiemohr and Monaltrie Court residential homes in Ballater, as well as others in Upper Deeside. We hope they contributed to an enjoyable festive time for everyone.

Since the last Eagle Update, most of our donations have been international (see below), although we did make a donation to the Mid Deeside Day Centre.

InternationalLately the international scene has of course

been dominated by the earthquake in Haiti. Rotary Clubs throughout the world got imme-

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training including all types of activities, we are again this year, together with Aboyne Academy, sponsoring four Academy pupils. Candidates will soon have to be se-lected and interviews carried out.

We are also continuing to sponsor the “Dictionaries for Life” project, and will be presenting the dictionaries to Primary 7 pupils in nine local schools.

The Club will again be assisting the an-nual Primary Schools Quiz, which will this year take place at Tarland Primary School on Wednesday 3rd March, when ten teams are expected to take part.

If you are interested in Rotary, please contact Ron Drever at High Trees, Morven Way, or telephone 013397 56224. We meet on the first Monday of each month at the Glen Lui Hotel, Ballater, 6.30 for 7pm, and on every other Monday at the Boat Inn, Aboyne, 6 for 6.30pm.

1546

When the snow came, everything changed. We were sent to school wearing corduroy breeches, wellington boots, warm jerseys, corduroy jerkins, woollen gloves and balaclava helmets. Before the janitor could get us inside, the school walls were pock-marked with the debris of many snow-ball battles, and once there the cloakroom floor was soon swim-ming in water from the snow off many boots.

After assembly, our class had to form up in pairs to walk down to our classes in the Albert Hall. Snow clearance then was not the art that it should be now and with the pavements out of sight we marched on the traffic-free roads. At play time we marched back to School Lane, dropping out of the crocodile to dash round to Leith the Bakers for a hot pie, cost two old pence. Just thinking about that pie today

Wintertimeby Ian Cameron

brings back the delicious smells of the bakery and I can still taste the first bite through the hot pastry, then savouring the meat, - simply superb. Why can we no longer find such a pie?

Back at the playground the older boys had started a slide. This was highly organised and comprised of everyone taking their turn to run up to and slide down an icy path. The slide became longer, icier, and faster as it was used by an endless queue of boys. The janitor was not keen on this form of winter sport at all, and used up most of the cook’s salt attempting to eradicate our slide. However in the 1940s our winter frosts were severe enough to thwart his efforts. Snow ball fights proliferated. Headmaster Craig gave lecture after lecture, but in vain.

As the winter progressed, the tempo of the village slowed right down. Big Wullie Ewan put aside his horse’s four-wheeled coal cart and yoked his black mare to a sledge to keep up with his coal bag deliveries. Vans and trucks donned skid-chains to get about at all.

The Canadian soldiers at Mar Lodge sent their trucks out for hay to feed the starv-ing deer that were coming into their camp looking for food.

We used to hurry home from school to get out our sledges, but there was not enough day-light to go up on the hill beside the curling pond, and this would have to wait until the weekend. The favourite after school sledging was beside the Kirk Green and Loirston Ho-tel. This was Bannerman’s Brae, so named after Granny Bannerman’s house at the foot of the brae, and against whose door we often collided. Another urban Cresta Run of ours was Sclackie Brae that linked Viewfield Road with Golf Road. A steeper favourite was Mary Jean’s Brae again linking Viewfield

diately to work raising funds, collecting relief supplies, and distributing life-saving shelters.

Among the first international relief workers to reach Haiti were volunteers from ShelterBox, the UK based disaster response organisation supported by Rotary Clubs worldwide. Each ShelterBox kit contains a 10 person tent, a water purification system and other survival necessities. About 5000 ShelterBoxes, enough to assist 50000 people, are in Haiti.

As reported in the last Eagle, our Club had recently financed two ShelterBoxes, and two Aquaboxes, each of which is capable of purifying 30000 litres of water for drinking. Since the earthquake we have been able to finance another of each for sending to Haiti.

VocationalIn connection with the annual Rotary

Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) event at Nethybridge, a summer week of leadership

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16

“Never!” do I hear you say? But yes, there are some who need more support than they cur-rently receive.

Let’s face it; more people are in paid employ-ment so have less spare time for others. I get the impression that Ballater folk are caring. There are certainly groups that meet the social needs of many. But the fact is that some socially isolated, older Ballater residents are being referred to K&D Befriending for one-to-one support. The other fact is that more volunteer befrienders are needed in the area, to provide that support. CAN YOU HELP?

If you can spare a minimum of an hour or so fortnightly, then you could get alongside someone for a chat, take them out to access basic services or enjoy sharing an interest. You don’t

Neglected in Ballater?by Linda Taberner

need any special skills; just a liking for people! You might be ‘older’ yourself but there are volunteer befrienders aged from 18 to over 80! Making a new friend works both ways! You will be supported and can receive travel expenses.

Last October, I was at Glenmuick Church hall one Saturday, to promote what we do. Maybe you saw a poster? Sadly, the day began damp and later turned into torrential rain but some braved the elements and dropped in to learn about K&DB. I am glad to say that two residents plan to join K&DB but we need more in the area.

Please contact Linda Taberner, Deeside Co-ordinator, to learn more. Answer phone: 01330 820008 Mob: 07816 958 839. Email: befriending@hotmail.com

Though we have lost track of the numbers of ‘consultations’ that have taken place over the last 25 years, they continue to increase overwhelmingly. It is not only Aberdeenshire and questions on the National Parks these days; - every week the bureaucracy of the devolved Parliament at Holyrood offers everyone the happy opportunity of telling them what we think of their concepts, organizations and Bills to become Acts in law. Your Com-munity Council tries to look at some of these items found on the web. We receive them as an alert from ‘SEconsult’, and they can be found by a search engine on the web at ‘Scot-tish Government, consultations’ and scrolling down the active list. Mostly, they are open for about 3 months, though occasionally they can be rushed through.

The format is much the same in all types of proposal. A Governmental pontification fol-lowed by a lofty preamble, full text covering forms for responses and perhaps a list of questions. Your C.C. may answer these, while on others the comments are more general and/or relevant to our situations. On one, Street Design, we commended the paper and the recommenda-tions. Others, we have found to be un-necessary, or intrusive, or impressively based in factual basic common-sense or downright obstructive to our country’s life and we just say that.

Community Council on Consultationsby Robin Blyth

As a public body all our replies are in the archive and it is interesting that we have been asked to expand answers and comments on matters like the Wildlife Bill and changes in Historic Scotland’s processes.

So far we have seen no visible effect from our efforts, though we were quoted in the official com-ments on the Deer paper. We wait to see if some of the clauses in the Wildlife and Environmental Bill are to be removed from the proposals.

Of course in a lively and varied rural com-munity like ours, the C.C. can usually find advice of a high and practical level to inform our discussions and draft replies. Our C.C. response counts One only. Every individual response also counts as One. The more people who respond on even one point gives weight with Officialdom’s counting.

Frequently the C.C. does not accept which particular points covered by the official questions are most important. As an example: the nine sepa-rate orders changing the system on Protection of Vulnerable Groups are in part a simplification of previous legislation, but might lead to bureaucratic difficulty in delivery for the voluntary effort, and are not, in my opinion, fail-safe.

Aberdeenshire is now also funding Focus Groups, some of which are more open and/or active than others. B&CCC has not yet fully committed to becoming a part of this new pipe-line although we do respond to these efforts. Time and distance constraints make travel both expensive and time consuming although we do try to play our part. Much work is done online and this points to the ‘way of the future’. Once broadband is widely available in rural areas, perhaps more of the general public will join in.

Following their last visit to Ballater, the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environ-ment have produced a report called A Design Workshop for Ballater. Copies are available to view in Ballater Library, the Ballater (RD) Ltd office or through the Community Council.

45

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or Call 013397 55969

Men’s, Women’s & Children’sClothing & Accessories

The Old Station, Ballater Tel.013397 - 53855

Huge New Selection of Spring / SummerLines Arriving Mid March!

Lucysclothing@hotmail.co.uk

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publicised on a regular weekly basis in the local press. We also offer informal and for-mal Energy Awareness Training and Energy Performance Certificate Surveys.

SCARF is committed to improving your home comfort levels, reducing fuel poverty (when your fuel spend is 10% or more of your basic income), increasing your carbon savings and helping the environment.

Contact us at SCARF for all your energy enquires 01224 213005

44

SCARF is a one-stop-shop that offers free, confidential and impartial energy ef-ficiency advice to help reduce fuel bill costs, fuel tariffs and running costs, current informa-tion on grants and offers for various heating systems including renewable energy, cavity wall and loft insulation including the Scottish Government “Energy Assistance Package” and interest free loan.

Contact us initially by telephone and you will receive advice specific to your enquiry and if necessary you can be referred to your local Aberdeenshire Project Energy Advisor who can arrange a home visit. The advisors regularly attend local events, arrange talks and presentations to local and community groups, organise local drop-in advice sessions in librar-ies, village halls and advice centres which are

Robin Blyth - Chair12 Braemar Road, Ballater AB35 5RL013397 56311robin@robinblyth.wanadoo.co.uk

Alasdair Thompson - Vice ChairOld Post Office, Crathie013397 42371

Community Councillors 2010

17

We are re-opening after our winter break on 10th Februaryand look forward to welcoming all our customers back.

We have kept our popular set menu at £15.50 to complimentthe full menu which includes Aberdeen Angus, Scottish game

and other local produce.

Call for dinner reservations on013397 55420

45 Braemar Road, Ballater www.deesidehotel.co.uk

‘Heartily recommended’ in the Good Hotel Guide 2010

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Tel: 013397 55997Mobile: 07821 746756

Email:weejimlandscapes@yahoo.co.uk

James Anderson

There is a vacancy for one Councillor on Ballater and Crathie Community Council, Bal-later Ward.

If you are interested in community matters, and would like to become involved, Nomination Forms can be obtained from Ballater Post Office, Ballater Library, Chairman Robin Blyth Tel. 013397 56311, email: robin@robinblyth.wana-doo.co.uk or the secretary, Marybell Macaulay, Tel. 013397 55745, Email: marybellmacaulay@btinternet.com

Qualifications for Election

A person seeking election to a Community Council must be aged 18 years or over and either:

Appear on the Electoral Roll for that Com-munity Council area at the date of being proposed for membership of the Community Council

Ballater & Crathie Community Councilby Robin Blyth

Have during a period of at least 3 months preceding date of nomination had their ordi-nary or principal place of residence within the Community Council area

The owner of a business located in the Community Council area, although not per-sonally resident there

In the event that there are multiple nomi-nations, an election will be held on Thursday 25th March. Nominations must reach the Secretary by noon, 11th March 2010.

Crathie, By Ballater

Log fires and a warm welcomeat The Inver

Open to non residentsGood food & fine wines

Lunches & DinnersReservations

Telephone 013397 42345

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Pat Downie - TreasurerQuinton, Deebank Road, Bal-later

013397 55725patdownie@hotmail.co.uk

Marybell Macaulay - Secretary19 Old Station Place, Ballater AB35 5RG013397 55745marybellmacaulay@btinternet.com

Jane AngusDarroch Den, Tullich Road, Ballater013397 56260jane.angus@homecall.co.uk

Ian CameronAbergairn, Glen Gairn, by Ballater013397 56002barytesmining@btconnect.com

Martin Holroyd59 Golf Road, Ballater

18 43

I stood atop the rickety platform and shud-dered as I looked over the Wall – and beyond it to where the No-Man’s Land was being patrolled by armed Russian soldiers, leading Alsatian sniffer dogs. At each sentry box there were more soldiers set to catch anyone attempting to flee from East Berlin over the Wall to the West. My legs were shaking as I descended the uneven wooden steps and I was so glad that I was safely back again in the American Zone of Berlin.

That all happened many years ago, when the Wall stood as a symbol of Russia’s dominance in East Berlin, the time of the blockade when the Allies – Britain, France and the U.S.A. had to fly in supplies to the beleaguered citizens of Berlin, surrounded on all sides by the Russians.

My German landlady had relations in the east sector and was eagerly packing for her once-yearly visit to them. “I have to smuggle”, she said as she slipped small packets of sugar, coffee, tea, chocolate and sweets between the layers of clothing in her suitcase. “They have so very little there” she said tearfully. Later she took me on a boating trip to Berlin’s lake. There again the division of the city was evi-dent. On one side of the lake were the West Berliners in their summer clothes, besporting themselves in the water, while the east bank

The Berlin Wallby Willma Sim

was dark and forbidding. The banks of the lake edged with barbed wire and was devoid of any buildings, save that of Spandau Prison, where Hermann Hess was being kept prisoner.

Before I left Berlin that summer, I took a trip by bus from Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin. Only foreigners were allowed on that bus, so I had to leave my German friend behind. After we left Checkpoint Charlie the wooden-seated bus carrying us was stopped and thoroughly searched in No-Man’s Land by gun toting Russian soldiers with sniffer dogs. They banged on the wooden floor and sides of the bus and only when they were sure no one was ‘hitching a free ride’ did they let us continue our journey. The bus stopped at a large park, where we were allowed out to admire a monstrous monument dedicated to the glorious dead of the Russian army. On then to a kiosk to buy postcards to send home. I noticed how cheap the stamps were – and the postcards took more than six weeks to reach their destinations in Aberdeen!! Then it was back to Checkpoint Charlie with the same search procedure as before.

That was how Berlin – a divided city – was then. It was quite different when I returned in 1990, after the Fall of the Wall. But that’s another story!!!

Firewood

Tel: 013397 55997Mobile: 07821 746756

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Susan MatthewsThe Firs, Khantore, Crathie, by Ballater0785 2414024mattash1@live.com

Sheila PotterVellore Cottage, Hawthorn Place, Ballater013397 55568sheilapotter@btopenworld.com

Sheila SedgwickGirnoc Shiel, Glengirnoc, by Ballater013397 55292sheila.sedgwick@btinternet.com

Phil Swan30 Monaltrie Avenue, Ballater013397 55345pjswan@gmail.com

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19

What can I say? As I type this letter to the Eagle, it’s the Judo Club’s Birthday. 10 years on the 4th February! Where has all the time gone? Anyway I feel a celebration coming on, but more about that in the next Eagle.

The last competition for 2009 was the Northern Area Closed event held in Elgin. The club had nine players entered and it was the first time at competition judo for four of them. We won one Gold, two Silver and four Bronze medals. Louise Murray won Gold at her own weight and also took Silver in the weight above. Niamh Upton from Braemar entered the same categories as Louise and won two Bronze medals. James Cooper from Torphins fought really well to win the second Silver medal, then Ewan Esson and Owen John won the last two Bronzes. Well done to all.

We had “triplet trouble” at Elgin from the Wood brothers from Braemar who caused a bit of a stir with the referees not knowing the dif-ference between Angus and Fraser. Fergus is the only one I can pick out. The other two are like Jedward. If they wear the same T shirt at Judo I can’t tell one from the other! I was well impressed by the Wood brothers who put their heart and soul into their first ever competition. It’s just a matter of time and training until they land in the medals.

Since it’s our tenth birthday, wouldn’t it be nice to have one of the senior players gain their 1st Dan Black belt, even if it’s a player who is a Ballater club member but trains at his or her university club? Come on guys - you know

Ballater Judo Clubby Ian Halliday (Ballater Judo Club’s very proud Coach)

who you are. I would like to say – “Here’s to another ten years of Ballater Judo”- but I only have five years left. I always said that when I reach the age of fifty years young, I would give up coaching Judo and this is my twenty third year as a coach. Not that I would

give up running the club, just the coaching. So all you budding Judo students,

get your Black belts and your coaching qualifications to give the Ballater Judo Club a bright

future. Thanks to all of Ballater and

the surrounding area for their support in the past ten years. In

the words of Vinnie Jones - “It’s been emotional”.

tradition and folklore,Now many people are embrac-

ing the come back of wood fuel. Some of us sit down to a romantic

open fire and others are installing highly efficient wood boiler systems in their homes. There is no getting away from the fact that wood fuel is back.

Using a natural sustainable source of en-ergy that is abundant within the Cairngorms National Park makes heaps of sense. Interest in wood fuel is really starting to rocket.

Wood burning stove sales have increased dramatically and government backed grant schemes are encouraging the installation of automated wood fuel systems in our communi-ties,” Mr Burgess added.

This website is an essential port of call for forward thinking residents and businesses within the Cairngorms National Park.

The new website will also complement the

Forestry Commission Scotland national site - http://www.usewoodfuel.co.uk – which gives guid-ance on funding opportunities, including The Scotland Rural Development Programme.

A wide-ranging series of free events throughout the Park will help people learn more about the options open to them.

To find out more and book a place on the next one, Making the Most of Farm Woodlands, in Glenbuchat, Strathdon on 9 March go to

http://www.lowcarboncairngorms.org/woodfuel/calendar.asp or phone 01479 870535.

42

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Monday - Saturdayfrom 9am until 5pm

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Fine WinesScottish Beers

SaucesMackie’s Ice Cream

CakesPickles

ChutneysJams

Enjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen Cheeseboard

CharcuterieSmoked Fish

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20 41

An application for LEADER funding by BRD for a Deeside/Donside De-velopment Project was approved recently by the Cairngorms Local Action Group. When the funding package is confirmed this will allow for the recruitment of a Development Manager part of whose remit will be to build on the process and outcomes of community action planning in Ballater (BOVOF and its predecessors), as well as Upper Deeside and Donside within the Cairn-gorms National Park. This will be a full time post based in Ballater. Further details of this post will be announced and applications in-vited in due course. This should prove a good opportunity for anyone interested in working with the communities in the Cairngorms

Ballater (RD) Ltdby Gordon Riddler

National Park to plan, manage and deliver a range of projects to support their future needs.

Contact BRD at 013397 55467;ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com .

See reports on BOVOF and the Ballater Walking Festival elsewhere in

the Ballater Eagle.

Online Boost For Cairngorm Wood Fuelby Catriona Ross

Using wood to heat homes and businesses in the Cairngorms National Park could cut fuel bills by up to two thirds, boost the lo-cal economy - and shrink residents’ carbon footprints.

A new website www.lowcarboncairngorms.org which highlights ways in which the Park’s abundant natural wood resource can be harnessed more effectively, has been given the thumbs up by local businesses and sector leaders.

People with little or no knowledge of the array of options for using wood for heating can discover a wealth of straightforward informa-tion on the basics of wood fuel and where to find out more.

Suppliers of the ever improving range of technologies are being urged to list their busi-nesses on the website’s directory. The project also aims to help firewood businesses keep standards consistent, increasing the vitality of the local market for wood fuel.

The website has been launched as part of Woodfuel in the Cairngorms, a joint ven-ture between the Cairngorms National Park Authority and Clim-ATIC, an EU funded project to help rural communities adapt to climate change.

Tree surgeon Stuart Burgess of Cairngorm Tree Care says:-

“Heating our homes with wood is not only sustainable and ecological but also steeped in

A friendly, family hotel with “The Henhoose” RestaurantLunches 12-3 daily / Evenings 5.30-9pm / All Day Coffee & Tea

Function Suite available for HireBed & Breakfast Available

Contact Neil or Angela for detailsTel. 013397 55488

6 Church Square Ballater AB35 5NE

Live Music Regularly Fridays & Sundays!

BallaterBallaterBallaterBallaterBallaterRoyal DeesideRoyal DeesideRoyal DeesideRoyal DeesideRoyal Deeside

The year’s at the springAnd day’s at the morn;Morning’s at seven;The hillside’s dew-pearled;The lark’s on the wing;The snail’s on the thorn;God’s in His heaven -All’s right with the world!Robert Browning

The 13th Ballater Walking Festival, organ-ised by Ballater (RD) Ltd. will take place this year from the 15th -21st May. Last year, we had another successful year, and attracted 93 walkers who despite some mixed weather had a very enjoyable week. As in previous years, there will be three grades of walks, on each of the walking days, to allow participants of all walking abilities to take part, and as we ap-proach the end of January, we already have 40 people signed up for the festival.

Our flagship walk, this year is Glen Tilt, from Linn of Dee to Blair Atholl (a 23 mile hike!). However, a meal will be arranged for the weary walkers once they reach Blair Atholl.

There will be a comprehensive programme of evening entertainment starting with registra-tion on the Saturday and ending with the ever

Ballater Walking Festival 2010by David Horne

popular ceilidh on the Friday when everyone can let their hair down.

We would be delighted to have some new faces on the committee, to help organise the festival, or assist as a helper on the walks. If you would like to assist in any way, please contact Gillian in the BRD Office on 55467, or better still pop in and introduce yourself. A meeting to appoint leaders and helpers for the walks will be held at the end of March.

For a 2010 Brochure contactBallater Royal Deeside Walking FestivalThe Bank House7 Bridge StreetBallater AB35 5QPTel: 013397 55467E Mail: info@royal-deeside.org.ukFurther information is also available from

our website: www.walkballater.com

up and we are looking for people to post photographs to this.

The DMO is currently work-ing with Visit Scotland on a Spring

Campaign for Royal Deeside. This has the potential to reach a huge market and it is good to do some joined up marketing with some of the big players. Last year’s Autumn Cam-paign featured Royal Deeside and there were various competitions with prizes to win. This was Visit Scotland’s most popular competition for the whole of Scotland.

The Hill and River Exhibition will be coming back to Braemar Castle for the season in April. We produced this popular exhibition last year which highlights the importance of fishing, deer and grouse management to the Deeside economy.

I am pleased to say that the Deeside Ses-sions will be back in the Summer of 2010.

We are looking at expanding these out into more venues and with some different formats but highlighting, as ever, the traditional folk musicians in the area. The Deeside Sessions last August and September were very popular, with those at the Coilacriech fast becoming the stuff of legend!

We are busy planning for the new season and working on a lot of marketing projects. There are a host of benefits to joining the DMO, but the most important is that local businesses will have the opportunity to help shape and drive the future success of tourism in our area. Even if you are not a member we want to hear from you and we aim to repre-sent all tourism businesses in the area. Please check out the website www.discoverroyaldeeside.com which is now a key portal for all visitors to this special place which is Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms.

2140

Chanaich LodgeProvost Craig Road

Ballater, AberdeenshireAB35 5NN

Tel. 01339 756336

Fax. 01339 755893

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Managing DirectorPeter Henderson

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H.P.S. (Aberdeen) LtdIntegrated Building / Landscaping

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We also carry out Dry Cleaning, Service Washes,Curtain and Duvet Cleaning.

Please Telephone 013397 55151 or call in at the laundry.Proprietors: Louise & David Halliday

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22 39

For those of you who don’t know, Ballater has its very own mountain bike club. Three local Fire Fighters, who were in-terested in doing a bit of mountain biking, started the club six years ago. They heard about an annual mountain bike orienteering compe-tition called the Great Drumtochty Challenge, which had been adver-tised through out the fire stations north of Dundee. They entered the Fire Fighters’ category and had to come up with a team name and the 9 Zero Freewheelers were born, 9 Zero being the station number for Ballater.

The 9 Zero Freewheelers go out to the

9 Zero FreewheelersBallater’s Only Mountain Bike Club

by Ian Hallidayhills and glens every second Sunday all year round and there are eighteen members. The

club also has Chapters in Dundee, Aberdeen, Westhill, Inverurie, Aboyne, Tarland and Braemar. For more information on the club or Mountain biking check out the following websites.

www.9zerofreewheelers.co.uk www.cyclehighlands.comwww.drumtochtychallenge.co.uk

John Carnie, the tourism manager for Royal Deeside and Cairngorms Destination Management Organisation (DMO) which is based in Bank House, 7 Bridge Street, Bal-later, reports that the tourism organisation is busy and looking forward to the 2010 season.

A fun press release was put out in Janu-ary at the height of the heavy snow fall on our bid to hold Alternative Winter Olympics in Deeside. This attracted a lot of press atten-tion and we said that we were intending to approach the International Olympic Com-mittee to pitch the area as the perfect location for an ‘Alternative Winter Olympics’ event. We thought that events such as synchronised

Tourism in Royal Deeside & the Cairngormsby John Carnie

snow angels, snowball lobbing and speed snow shoveling to name but a few could give the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics a run for its money! The press release attracted sev-eral national papers to the area to get a photo shoot and it got subsequent good coverage in the national and local press, highlighting the area and emphasising that the Deeside area was open for business.

Please check out our Discover Royal Dee-side Facebook page and Flickr sites which have been recently set up. The Facebook page is a good interactive page where you can quickly post up news and events for the Ballater area. The Flickr photography site is slowly building

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38

Action Plan for BallaterCopies of the Action Plan for Ballater

which arose from the community consultation between April and June 2009 can be collected from the Library and the BRD Office, The Bank House, 7 Bridge Street, Ballater. Refer-ence copies of the accompanying appendices with all the information upon which the Action Plan was based are available at these locations. The Action Plan and the Appendices are also available on CD from the BRD Office.

The Future of BOVOFAt its December 2009 meeting it was

agreed that BOVOF would continue with the following purpose and structure:

“The purpose of BOVOF is to co-ordinate actions between various partnerships and existing development and interest groups within the village of Ballater, arising from the community consultation held between April and June 2009 and in the future.

One representative from each of the partnership, development and interest groups should attend bi-monthly meetings to ensure community project co-ordination (both quick wins and longer term projects) across part-nerships and groups, the provision of mutual support, consistent communication and future community consultation as well as the avoid-ance of duplication of effort. The meetings will also provide regular contact with agency rep-resentatives from Aberdeenshire Council, the Cairngorms National Park and their partners.

BOVOF will be chaired by the Ballater and Crathie Community Council and co-ordination and administration will be provided by Ballater (RD) Ltd - (BRD).”

Several village residents are already volun-teering time and effort to BOVOF partner-ships and groups. If on reading the Action Plan you can help in any way with developing

BOVOF (Ballater One Voice Our Future)by Gordon Riddler

or assisting with community projects then please contact BOVOF c/o Ballater (RD) Ltd at 013397 55467;ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com .

One of the BOVOF interest groups is still searching for land locally which might be available and suitable for use by Ballater motorbike scramblers. The group is presently awaiting information from one landowner in connection with a particular parcel of land.

However, if any local landowner/user can offer any presently unused land, the group would be delighted to hear from you. Even if you think the land may not be suitable, please let it be checked with the bikers, as they would be prepared to work the land themselves to possibly make it suitable.

Please contact BOVOF c/o Ballater (RD) Ltd at 013397 55467; ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com

23

The following poem was composed many years ago by Eddie McDonald, who was born in what is now Alldays shop in Netherley Place. The Eagle Team trusts that no offence is taken after all these years by anyone mentioned.

I close my eyes and try to sleep,But always end up counting sheep.I toss, I turn, I suck my thumbTo no avail as sleep won’t come.

And then I drift into a dream,Soft winds blow o’er a tinkling stream.The air is clear and I’m young againAnd youthful memories fill my brain.

I see Auntie Jean aboard Strachan’s bus.A trip to the “toon” without any fuss.I’m three years old wearing green velvet shorts,I’m so excited my breath comes in snorts.

Memories of My Youthby Eddie McDonald

Alas and alack, it’s too much for me,Bouncing around on Auntie Jean’s knee.I want to do numbers, I plead and I shout,But rather too late, as it now all spills out!

A change of scene, I’m in army gear.First time in London, heart full of fear.King’s Cross to Waterloo, that is my aim,Fall off the escalator – get on again!

Head for the Tube, but misfortune again.My rifle gets caught in the doors of the train.I finally get out at Winchester station,Despite all of my trials and my aggravation.

Working with Jock at the forestry corps,He always reminds me of a fat boar.At lunchtime he gobbles tomatoes galore,And then falls asleep with a grunt and a snore.

When breaktime is over, he wakes with a start.“Time to get started”, he says with faint heart.He sways back and forward to get to his feet,But only succeeds in rocking to sleep.

Felling trees with Jock was no mean feat.“If you ride on the saw, you must lift your feet”.My knuckles get torn as they scrape stone and ground.We can’t leave big stumps while Bill Kemp is around.

Bill Kemp was an awesome bloke,Not prone to smile or crack a joke.Got all his teeth pulled by the kitchen table,Was at work the next day, though not very able.

Playing tennis with my pal Jim Clark.Nothing serious – just game for a lark.Used to play till eleven at night –Had to stop then because of the light.

Poetry in motion, that’s all I can say,Of young Alex Grant and his football play.And Ian Forbes with his goalkeeping thrills,But the rest of the team had little skills.

Oh dear me, I cannot write more.My eyes have grown weary – it’s a quarter to four.But one last word before I depart.I feel we are really just kids at heart!

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Until you knew the horseman was holding something repellent under the animal’s noses! This was actu-ally mentioned in the first century by the Roman writer Pliny.

Horsemen were supposed to be irresistible to women. Does this explain the high illegiti-macy rate in Glen Muick and Glen Gairn?

To our modern ways of thinking, the Horseman’s Word savours of witchcraft.

There are stories of old horsemen return-ing from market with a line of untethered horses trotting behind. The men had control over horses but a deep knowledge of spices and chemicals. However, much of it was the ancient art of horsemanship passed down from pre-history.

My grand-father and my father were initi-ated, the latter about 1907. Twice I saw him stop runaway horses. All he said was “But I had the Horseman’s Word!” .

BOVOF Partnership and Group Meetings

The Ballater Housing Partner-ship Group: Gordon Riddler reports that good progress is being made by this Partnership in gathering information and making contacts concerning the issue of affordable housing in Ballater which was the principal issue arising from the BOVOF community consultation. The group comprises representatives from the Cairngorm National Park, Aberdeenshire Council as well as Housing Trusts operating in Aberdeenshire and beyond. It is important that more community representatives join the committee to broaden the discussion and circulation of important information. Anyone with an interest in this group should contact BOVOF c/o Ballater (RD) Ltd at 013397 55467; ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com . Issues covered at the last meeting on 15 December

3724 2009 included:Possible web-based housing exchange

system from Spring 2010;Positive feedback from some Estates con-

cerning land for affordable housing;Letting and management scheme for

second homes;Mechanisms for affordable housing grants

appropriate to Ballater;Open space audit in Ballater;Attracting more Ballater community rep-

resentatives for partnership meetings.The next meeting of the Ballater Housing

Partnership is in the George Beaton Room Thursday 11 March, 2010 at 1pm. Please attend if you have any interest in this issue.

Dental Services in Ballater: Ron Drever reports that BOVOF is still working with NHS Grampian towards the provision of full-time dental services in Ballater. NHS Grampian has stated:- “Ballater is an area in which we would like to try and develop dental services. NHS Grampian is in discussion with local practices regarding the provision of dental services in the Ballater area. The Health Board is reviewing both short and long term options. Initially discussions are progressing to enhance/ standardise the serv-ices currently in place.

Recruitment for both the short and the long term options continues to be problematic and this may take some time as prospective candidates often tend to seek posts in areas of a larger population due to the enhanced ameni-ties and services available.

Working in partnership with BOVOF, we would be interested in hearing from any individuals who may be considering returning to work as a dentist, and would like to discuss the possibility of a post as an NHS practitioner within the Ballater community.”

Anyone interested should contact:Janine Langler, Dental Practice Man-

ager - Aberdeenshire (Central/South) NHS

A star on his head and a spot on his maneAnd his master’s name was Cain.”The drunk youths slept until early working

time. Now they were allowed to lead out the plough team to show they had control. The farmer was not pleased for now he would have to pay adult wages and it rankled that neither he nor his family would ever be allowed into the Society. Disputes were rare because of superstitious fear. Only an initiated horseman could work in his fields. After initiation, there was five years of training. He was taught the rules of horsemanship – “To make him stand, to make him lie, to make him hip, to make him hie.” He learned more secrets – to prepare drugs and to realise that toad’s blood and pigs dung were repellent to horses. Smeared on the stable door, horses would not leave. So the Society was sure only members could work on a farm’s horses. One trick was to stick a fork into a pile of dung and hitch a team to it. The muscles bulged, the fork did not move. Magic!

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for pushchairs, from the direction of the School is being investigated.

6. The existing floodlighting is being inspected to determine the possibility and cost of repair.

The group will be looking at many other issues, as well as the future development of Monaltrie Park, but meantime hope you will soon see progress on the above projects. Any-one interested in joining the Group to help in any way should contact Gillian Sinclair at the BRD office: 013397 55467;ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com.

The Ballater and Upper Deeside Learn-ing Partnership: The Adult Learning Needs Survey was circulated to households in Ballater and Upper Deeside. A meeting planned for 24 February 2010 is considering the analysis of the results. Contact: Lindsay Lumsden 013398 85705; Lindsay.Lumsden@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

36 25GrampianAddress: Urie Dental Practice, Inverurie

Hospital, Upperboat Road, Inverurie, AB51 3UL

Monaltrie Park Users GroupRon Drever reports that at the time of

writing, the Monaltrie Park Users Group has had three meetings, and has discussed both improvements of existing facilities, as well as future development of additional facilities. All local groups interested in the Park were asked to provide their own views on the Park and its development. Ballater Primary School Pupil Council has provided feedback specifically on views gathered from children and parents using the playpark. The issues discussed at the three meetings took into account all these views, as well as those raised during the BOVOF consultations last year.

The group has already taken action on some projects as follows:-

1. It was very apparent that the sand used to surface the playpark is considered unsuitable for various reasons, one of which is hygiene from animal soiling. Aberdeenshire Council have confirmed they will install a more suitable rubber surface if the group can fund the materials. Consequently a funding applica-tion has been made by BRD on behalf of the group to the Cairngorms National Park. It is hoped to be able to relatively quickly install the new surface, together with gates.

2. The group is investigating with Aber-deenshire Council if the installation of baby/toddler swings is feasible, as the Pupil Council feedback considered such swings would be a great addition.

3. Aberdeenshire Council is being asked for additional litter bins, and more regular emptying of the bins.

4. The group is researching the possibility of a new toilet facility, similar to those used in play areas elsewhere.

5. A better access to the Park, particularly

I enjoy finding out about old Scottish customs in our glens and I was fascinated by the number of mills locally that had the wheel turned by horse-power. However, I learned much about something that has always in-terested me even more – “The Horseman’s Word.”

There was a Brotherhood of Horse Whis-perers and it was supposed to give men control of horses and in some places, women.

The movement was at its strongest in country Aberdeenshire, right at the heart of our area. It was at its strongest between 1830 and 1930, with its peak around 1900. The custom spread to Canada and the United States. It probably originated with the Celts when they arrived here from Europe and ranked as a secret craft alongside the masons.

The Horseman’s Wordby Sheila Sedgwick

Horses were important. Clydesdales were bred from Flanders stallions imported by the Duke of Hamilton and with the coming of the Napoleonic Wars there was need for increased agricultural production.

Oxen were used here for ploughing for a long time but gradually the horse took over.

In the close knit community groups in the glens it was essential for a young lad to be initi-ated so that he could become a ploughman. He would probably work generally on the farm until he was about 17 then he would find on his pillow an envelope containing a horse hair. He dare not refuse to join the society.

The initiation ceremony was carried out at Martinmas. The initiates had to bring whisky, bread and a candle. An older ploughman led the youths, blindfold, to the barn at midnight. He knocked and from inside came the question “Wha telt ye to come?”

“The Deil”, was the answer.“Where were ye made a Horseman?”“In a Horseman’s Hall where the sun

never shone, the wind never blew, the cock never crew and the feet of maiden never trod.”

The door opened and the youths had to kneel before an altar made of a sack of corn. The presiding horseman asked “What is the tender of the oath?” The youths chanted “Hele, conceal, never reveal nor write nor dite, nor carve nor write in sand.” They swore never to reveal the secrets they would learn, on pain of terrible death. They were then plied with whisky and the Horseman’s Word was whispered to them. Then they were led further into the dark to shake the cloven hoof of a shaggy figure. There was more whisky then the older men offered a toast

“Here’s to the horse with four white feet,The chestnut tail.

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26

Since the enjoyable evening of piano music from Blair Cargill at the Darroch Learg, when it really was a matter of a ‘house-full’, the weather has played havoc with our schedule. We hope to hear the remarkable Cantoines Sacre from Dundee, Brechin and Dunfermline sometime in May, and Djordje Gajic’s accordion in April, possibly April 11th. However whether there is confirmation before the Eagle goes to press, I am unable to say with certainty. With open roads from Aberdeen, we very much hope to have Kay Ritchie, flute, and her accompanist, Drew Tulloch on March 7th.

However a new venture for the Society was the workshop for all the young cellists in Upper Deeside in November. It is a long time since I had such an exhilarating morn-

Upper Deeside Music in 2010by Jane Angus

ing, seeing and listening to the young people absorbing everything that was going on and enjoying making music with two members of the Amici Cello Trio. Reactions from the participants included ‘Cool’ and ‘When can we do it again?’ and mothers have said that enthusiasm for practice has increased consider-ably. We still hope that a workshop of a more general nature for the children of Ballater and Crathie schools will be possible, but given the activity on the ski-slopes, I suspect it is not worth planning that just yet!

Plans for next August include: The Heller Quartet in Victoria Week: Ivan Illic, piano, at the end of September: Alan Neave, guitar, playing in Ballater, with workshops in Braemar at the beginning of November and Philip Higham, cello in December.

35

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End of the Road for the Heather Hopperby Karen Archer

The board of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has voted to cease its support for the Heather Hopper cross-Park bus service due to the increasingly high price of keeping it going and following a joint re-view of transport provision in the Cairngorms National Park.

The CNPA’s transport policy was de-bated at the organisation’s board meeting in Boat of Garten on Friday 22 January. The Heather Hopper was re-introduced in 2006 after an absence of around 10 years. It was well received, contributed to a low-carbon National Park and attracted more than a 130 passengers a week.

It was thought this number would increase year on year as the service became established but figures for 2009 show that the bus, which operated May – September, was carrying only 42 passengers a week at a cost of £78.00 per passenger.

Speaking at the meeting, John Thorne, the CNPA’s Economic Development Officer said: “Accessible transport is a key economic driver with the National Park Plan identifying links to tourism and the wider economy, sustainable communities and access to the countryside. There is no doubt that the Heather Hopper will be missed by users and it’s difficult to cut this service but costs are high and demand is low and we can target the funding far more effectively through alternative projects.”

The Park Authority, with partners, will be looking at where support for transport provi-sion can be targeted instead. Several ideas have been suggested including diverting the money to a fund for schools or others groups to help them to take part in field trips to and

around the National Park, thus continuing to support people getting out and about in the Park in a sustainable way, promoting social inclusion and lessening the impact on the environment.

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JOINER

Enquiry by Design Workshop

by Ed Taylor

34

As you will have read in the last issue of the Eagle, a very considerable effort is now under way to obtain funding to improve the insula-tion and heating in the Victoria and Albert Halls complex, and also to upgrade the other facilities including storage, toilets and kitchen areas. Grants are being sought from a range of funders, but success in obtaining these can be dependent on active community involvement to demonstrate the important part the Victoria and Albert Halls play in community life. With insulation and other energy efficient systems in operation, and an upgrade of the building, we can all in the future enjoy a community facility which is cosy and user-friendly.

The first stage is to pay for a report to find the best design and heating system to suit our complex building. There has already been very successful fundraising by the Halls Development Association, (the Halls Com-mittee) particularly by Eileen Collins and Jenny Gow, as well as contributions from local organisations and beneficiaries. Indeed, an Eagle reader who does not live in the area, but loves Ballater, has made a generous donation which was very gratefully received. A recent Burns Supper raised £1,200 - around 120 people sat down to a fine supper, followed by an evening of music, songs and poetry, and we have had confirmation that a sizeable Cairngorms National Park Leader grant has been approved. We have applied for other grant aid, and it would help enormously if the community could write letters supporting the project – just a few lines confirming that the work needs to be done, and the difference an effective and efficient heating system and upgrade of facilities will make to community events.

Victoria & Albert Halls Insulation, Heating and Refurbishment Projectby Bell Macaulay

The team is planning for the future and working to the framework suggested by those who participated in our earlier consultations - we are committed to keeping everyone in-formed of progress each step of the way. There is much work to be done, and it will take time but the ball is now rolling.

If you would like to write a letter sup-porting the project we would be delighted to receive it either as an email or addressed to the Project Co-ordinator via the Library, (see below for details) and maybe seeing you at the next Halls meeting on Tuesday 30th March, at 7pm in the George Beaton Room.

Ian Hay Project Co-ordinator 013397 55941 Email: thehaysbraemore@btopenworld.com

Following the second “Enquiry by De-sign” workshop for Ballater that was held over three days at the end of September / early October, a summary report has been produced by The Prince’s Foundation and Urban Design Associates.

The purpose of the workshop was to pro-vide a collection of alternative ideas for sites that would help guide decisions about future development, should it occur, in a way that best serves the interest of the Ballater community.

Plan and perspective drawings were produced during the workshop as a means of visualising possibilities for the various propos-als that have been debated in the community, including priorities set out in the BOVOF Action Plan.

The report is available for viewing at the Library, Post Office and offices of Ballater

Royal Deeside Ltd. An electronic version can also now be downloaded from BRD’s website at: www.royal-deeside.org.uk/rdcommactive/princesfoundation.htm

27

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Much progress has been made in connec-tion with our multi-sports, all weather court project for Monaltrie Park, and it is proposed that the court will be built and operational this summer. At the time of writing, preliminary ground work should in fact have taken place, but was delayed due to snow preventing vehi-cle access to the Park.

We have of course previously been granted planning permission for the court, and, thanks to a very generous donation from the Michael Sheridan Trust, funding is now in place. We simply await final confirmation of certain funds from Aberdeenshire Council.

Exciting times are ahead!!

Youth Engaging Sport (YES)

by Ron Drever

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Freegle is the only UK-run network facilitating the free re-use of legal goods via locally run web groups. We are a massive grass roots initiative that is leading environ-mentally positive action across the UK. In less than 6 months, since it was decided to have a unique network for the UK, we have topped the 1 million member mark. We are flourishing with over 220 independent groups spread throughout Scotland, Wales, NI and England. The amount of goods that we ensure are reused rather than thrown away is also happily growing.

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28 33

Christmas Cheer for Senior Citizens

On 17 December 2009, 35 senior citizens from Crathie, Birkhall and Balmoral sat down to a delicious Christmas lunch at Ballater Golf Club. As always, this was a happy social oc-casion, giving guests an opportunity to catch up with old friends, and in some cases meet with new ones while enjoying a lovely meal.

After lunch everyone settled down for some relaxed conversation but also had to ex-ercise their wits with a light hearted quiz set by Patricia Fraser. Some of the questions tested local knowledge, and even led to disputes over the identity of a certain hill!

Adding to the enjoyment were the splen-did views from the Golf Club’s windows. The first real snow of the winter started falling that afternoon, and little did we know as we watched the flakes drifting gently down on the picturesque scene, what winter had in store for us!

Patricia Fraser, Tullochcoy, has been involved in the event since she was a slip of a girl in 1971 when the first such meal, organ-ised by Mrs Morrison, wife of the then Clerk of Works at Balmoral, took place at the Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar. Mrs Muriel Forbes along with a group of local ladies entertained the Senior Citizens with singing and dancing. From being secretary in 1971, Patricia subse-quently took over responsibility for organising the annual meal.

Thank you from the Balmoral, Birkhall & Crathie Senior Citizens to Patricia, Ellie Wilson, Deirdre Thain and the rest of the committee for all their hard work in providing such an enjoyable annual event.

Note:- Patricia always tries to make sure no one is missed out from her list, but due to data protection laws does not have access to details of those who qualify for an invitation. So if you are a woman aged 60 years or over, or a man aged 65 years or over and you live

Crathie Newsby Marion Macintyre

in the Crathie, Balmoral and Birkhall areas (extending to Rhinabaich on the north side and Bridge of Muick on the south side), please feel free to contact Patricia, telephone 42327, to make sure you are included.

Hogmanay PartyThe organisers of the Hogmanay Party

at Crathie Hall were delighted that so many people braved the severe weather to attend the event. There was a great turnout, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the night went with a real swing!Coffee at the Distillery

The annual Coffee Morning will take place at Royal Lochnagar Distillery, Crathie, from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday 27 March. As always there will be a tempting selection of homebakes, a raffle and bottle stall. Entry will be £3, all proceeds to Alzheimer Scotland and the Deeside Forget-me-not Club.

If you would like more information, tel-ephone Margaret, 42227 or Marion, 42361.

We look forward to welcoming you on the 27th!

Crathie Church Hall Coffee!!

Starting April 5th and every Monday morn-ing until October 10.30am – 1pm. Come and enjoy coffee and homebakes in friendly company. Everyone Welcome!

On Monday 1st March Ballater Youth FC will have held its first training ses-sion for children aged 3yrs – 17yrs old.

The club is a voluntarily run organisation dedicated to the training and coaching of football in the village for local children and others around Upper Deeside.

As you may or may not be aware, a regis-tration day was held for the Club on the 15th February at the Village Green. If you missed the registration day but would still wish your child to join the Club, then please get in touch through the details at the bottom of this article.

Session & Registration fees are as follows:Registration Fee

The Annual Registration Fee for the year 2010 has been set as follows: - £15 for the eldest child and £5 for any subsequent

Ballater Youth Football Clubby David Lapsley

brother or sister.Cheques should be made payable to ‘Bal-

later Y.F.C.’, with the player’s name and age group on the back. Please specify the names and age groups of any other brothers and sisters registered with the Club:

Please be aware there is still a session fee to be paid which can be paid per session, monthly or quarterly by arrangement. These Fees are as follows:

Under 5s £1Under 13s £2.00Under 16s £2.00Under 18s £3.00Ballater Youth Football Club, 3 Ardlui,

19 Braichlie Road, Ballater, AB35 5QR.Mobile: 07885273062E-mail: ballateryouthFC@aol.com

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30 31Ballater School

The Victoria Week Committee gave us mon-ey. We bought squirrel and bird feeders, a bird bath, window stickers and binoculars. We love watching and looking after the birds and squirrels.

AbigailAt the school Christmas fair we

made a recipe book. And we made chocolate bugs.

Sophie

For the Christmas Fair we made button and bead jewellery. We made loads of different colours and sizes to sell. Most of the class liked making the jewellery and our stall made about £250 altogether. We were really pleased with this. When we made them it was really hard to find the right buttons

unless you were mixing them up for a coloured one. IT

TOOK AGES but it was worth it.

Nathan R & Ol-iver

We are now a RSPB Bird Friendly school . . we have been given a nesting box, bird feeder and seeds and lots of information about birds by our RSPB contact. We will be taking part in the RSPB Little Schools Bird Watch with the help of our RSPB volunteer.

At the pantomime everyone is playing the fool and everyone has a good laugh and especially Buttons, Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother, Foxy and Roxy and the Evil Step-Mother.

Hannah

The whole school went to Aber-deen to His Majesty’s Theatre to see Cinderella. We all sat on the upper circle. My favourite bit was when Foxy and Roxy came on singing “Don’t you wish your bottom was rough like mine!”

Ryan & Nathan F

Birdbath

Binoculars

Squirrel Feeder

Coconut Feeder

All the lovely pictures of feeders etc are by Lexi from the Eco Group.

Hannah

We had a fair at school hall it was fun. Lots of people came and we had chocolate mice and they were lovely.

Abigail

Abigail

The pupils, parents, staff and com-munity of Ballater School came together on Friday 22nd January to assist the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. The ‘Afternoon Tea for Haiti’ raised almost £1000 and as well as raising money for a worthwhile cause, provided an enjoyable community event which was enjoyed by people of all ages. The pupils of the Pupil Council and P5/6 class would like to thank very much eve-ryone who supported them in this event.

I like PE it is good.Caitlin

Pantomime

Wildlife Spotting

In December the school held a Christmas Fair to raise money for the school. Lots of people helped such as teachers, parents, parent council and pupils. P1/2 made soap, P2/3 made sweets, P4/5 created mugs, P5/6 made chutney and greetings cards and P7 designed and made button jewellery. With your support the total raised came to nearly £2000. Thank you.

Bethany & Ben

Haiti Tea Christmas Fair

30 31Ballater School

The Victoria Week Committee gave us mon-ey. We bought squirrel and bird feeders, a bird bath, window stickers and binoculars. We love watching and looking after the birds and squirrels.

AbigailAt the school Christmas fair we

made a recipe book. And we made chocolate bugs.

Sophie

For the Christmas Fair we made button and bead jewellery. We made loads of different colours and sizes to sell. Most of the class liked making the jewellery and our stall made about £250 altogether. We were really pleased with this. When we made them it was really hard to find the right buttons

unless you were mixing them up for a coloured one. IT

TOOK AGES but it was worth it.

Nathan R & Ol-iver

We are now a RSPB Bird Friendly school . . we have been given a nesting box, bird feeder and seeds and lots of information about birds by our RSPB contact. We will be taking part in the RSPB Little Schools Bird Watch with the help of our RSPB volunteer.

At the pantomime everyone is playing the fool and everyone has a good laugh and especially Buttons, Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother, Foxy and Roxy and the Evil Step-Mother.

Hannah

The whole school went to Aber-deen to His Majesty’s Theatre to see Cinderella. We all sat on the upper circle. My favourite bit was when Foxy and Roxy came on singing “Don’t you wish your bottom was rough like mine!”

Ryan & Nathan F

Birdbath

Binoculars

Squirrel Feeder

Coconut Feeder

All the lovely pictures of feeders etc are by Lexi from the Eco Group.

Hannah

We had a fair at school hall it was fun. Lots of people came and we had chocolate mice and they were lovely.

Abigail

Abigail

The pupils, parents, staff and com-munity of Ballater School came together on Friday 22nd January to assist the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. The ‘Afternoon Tea for Haiti’ raised almost £1000 and as well as raising money for a worthwhile cause, provided an enjoyable community event which was enjoyed by people of all ages. The pupils of the Pupil Council and P5/6 class would like to thank very much eve-ryone who supported them in this event.

I like PE it is good.Caitlin

Pantomime

Wildlife Spotting

In December the school held a Christmas Fair to raise money for the school. Lots of people helped such as teachers, parents, parent council and pupils. P1/2 made soap, P2/3 made sweets, P4/5 created mugs, P5/6 made chutney and greetings cards and P7 designed and made button jewellery. With your support the total raised came to nearly £2000. Thank you.

Bethany & Ben

Haiti Tea Christmas Fair

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28 33

Christmas Cheer for Senior Citizens

On 17 December 2009, 35 senior citizens from Crathie, Birkhall and Balmoral sat down to a delicious Christmas lunch at Ballater Golf Club. As always, this was a happy social oc-casion, giving guests an opportunity to catch up with old friends, and in some cases meet with new ones while enjoying a lovely meal.

After lunch everyone settled down for some relaxed conversation but also had to ex-ercise their wits with a light hearted quiz set by Patricia Fraser. Some of the questions tested local knowledge, and even led to disputes over the identity of a certain hill!

Adding to the enjoyment were the splen-did views from the Golf Club’s windows. The first real snow of the winter started falling that afternoon, and little did we know as we watched the flakes drifting gently down on the picturesque scene, what winter had in store for us!

Patricia Fraser, Tullochcoy, has been involved in the event since she was a slip of a girl in 1971 when the first such meal, organ-ised by Mrs Morrison, wife of the then Clerk of Works at Balmoral, took place at the Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar. Mrs Muriel Forbes along with a group of local ladies entertained the Senior Citizens with singing and dancing. From being secretary in 1971, Patricia subse-quently took over responsibility for organising the annual meal.

Thank you from the Balmoral, Birkhall & Crathie Senior Citizens to Patricia, Ellie Wilson, Deirdre Thain and the rest of the committee for all their hard work in providing such an enjoyable annual event.

Note:- Patricia always tries to make sure no one is missed out from her list, but due to data protection laws does not have access to details of those who qualify for an invitation. So if you are a woman aged 60 years or over, or a man aged 65 years or over and you live

Crathie Newsby Marion Macintyre

in the Crathie, Balmoral and Birkhall areas (extending to Rhinabaich on the north side and Bridge of Muick on the south side), please feel free to contact Patricia, telephone 42327, to make sure you are included.

Hogmanay PartyThe organisers of the Hogmanay Party

at Crathie Hall were delighted that so many people braved the severe weather to attend the event. There was a great turnout, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the night went with a real swing!Coffee at the Distillery

The annual Coffee Morning will take place at Royal Lochnagar Distillery, Crathie, from 10.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday 27 March. As always there will be a tempting selection of homebakes, a raffle and bottle stall. Entry will be £3, all proceeds to Alzheimer Scotland and the Deeside Forget-me-not Club.

If you would like more information, tel-ephone Margaret, 42227 or Marion, 42361.

We look forward to welcoming you on the 27th!

Crathie Church Hall Coffee!!

Starting April 5th and every Monday morn-ing until October 10.30am – 1pm. Come and enjoy coffee and homebakes in friendly company. Everyone Welcome!

On Monday 1st March Ballater Youth FC will have held its first training ses-sion for children aged 3yrs – 17yrs old.

The club is a voluntarily run organisation dedicated to the training and coaching of football in the village for local children and others around Upper Deeside.

As you may or may not be aware, a regis-tration day was held for the Club on the 15th February at the Village Green. If you missed the registration day but would still wish your child to join the Club, then please get in touch through the details at the bottom of this article.

Session & Registration fees are as follows:Registration Fee

The Annual Registration Fee for the year 2010 has been set as follows: - £15 for the eldest child and £5 for any subsequent

Ballater Youth Football Clubby David Lapsley

brother or sister.Cheques should be made payable to ‘Bal-

later Y.F.C.’, with the player’s name and age group on the back. Please specify the names and age groups of any other brothers and sisters registered with the Club:

Please be aware there is still a session fee to be paid which can be paid per session, monthly or quarterly by arrangement. These Fees are as follows:

Under 5s £1Under 13s £2.00Under 16s £2.00Under 18s £3.00Ballater Youth Football Club, 3 Ardlui,

19 Braichlie Road, Ballater, AB35 5QR.Mobile: 07885273062E-mail: ballateryouthFC@aol.com

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Enquiry by Design Workshop

by Ed Taylor

34

As you will have read in the last issue of the Eagle, a very considerable effort is now under way to obtain funding to improve the insula-tion and heating in the Victoria and Albert Halls complex, and also to upgrade the other facilities including storage, toilets and kitchen areas. Grants are being sought from a range of funders, but success in obtaining these can be dependent on active community involvement to demonstrate the important part the Victoria and Albert Halls play in community life. With insulation and other energy efficient systems in operation, and an upgrade of the building, we can all in the future enjoy a community facility which is cosy and user-friendly.

The first stage is to pay for a report to find the best design and heating system to suit our complex building. There has already been very successful fundraising by the Halls Development Association, (the Halls Com-mittee) particularly by Eileen Collins and Jenny Gow, as well as contributions from local organisations and beneficiaries. Indeed, an Eagle reader who does not live in the area, but loves Ballater, has made a generous donation which was very gratefully received. A recent Burns Supper raised £1,200 - around 120 people sat down to a fine supper, followed by an evening of music, songs and poetry, and we have had confirmation that a sizeable Cairngorms National Park Leader grant has been approved. We have applied for other grant aid, and it would help enormously if the community could write letters supporting the project – just a few lines confirming that the work needs to be done, and the difference an effective and efficient heating system and upgrade of facilities will make to community events.

Victoria & Albert Halls Insulation, Heating and Refurbishment Projectby Bell Macaulay

The team is planning for the future and working to the framework suggested by those who participated in our earlier consultations - we are committed to keeping everyone in-formed of progress each step of the way. There is much work to be done, and it will take time but the ball is now rolling.

If you would like to write a letter sup-porting the project we would be delighted to receive it either as an email or addressed to the Project Co-ordinator via the Library, (see below for details) and maybe seeing you at the next Halls meeting on Tuesday 30th March, at 7pm in the George Beaton Room.

Ian Hay Project Co-ordinator 013397 55941 Email: thehaysbraemore@btopenworld.com

Following the second “Enquiry by De-sign” workshop for Ballater that was held over three days at the end of September / early October, a summary report has been produced by The Prince’s Foundation and Urban Design Associates.

The purpose of the workshop was to pro-vide a collection of alternative ideas for sites that would help guide decisions about future development, should it occur, in a way that best serves the interest of the Ballater community.

Plan and perspective drawings were produced during the workshop as a means of visualising possibilities for the various propos-als that have been debated in the community, including priorities set out in the BOVOF Action Plan.

The report is available for viewing at the Library, Post Office and offices of Ballater

Royal Deeside Ltd. An electronic version can also now be downloaded from BRD’s website at: www.royal-deeside.org.uk/rdcommactive/princesfoundation.htm

27

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Much progress has been made in connec-tion with our multi-sports, all weather court project for Monaltrie Park, and it is proposed that the court will be built and operational this summer. At the time of writing, preliminary ground work should in fact have taken place, but was delayed due to snow preventing vehi-cle access to the Park.

We have of course previously been granted planning permission for the court, and, thanks to a very generous donation from the Michael Sheridan Trust, funding is now in place. We simply await final confirmation of certain funds from Aberdeenshire Council.

Exciting times are ahead!!

Youth Engaging Sport (YES)

by Ron Drever

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26

Since the enjoyable evening of piano music from Blair Cargill at the Darroch Learg, when it really was a matter of a ‘house-full’, the weather has played havoc with our schedule. We hope to hear the remarkable Cantoines Sacre from Dundee, Brechin and Dunfermline sometime in May, and Djordje Gajic’s accordion in April, possibly April 11th. However whether there is confirmation before the Eagle goes to press, I am unable to say with certainty. With open roads from Aberdeen, we very much hope to have Kay Ritchie, flute, and her accompanist, Drew Tulloch on March 7th.

However a new venture for the Society was the workshop for all the young cellists in Upper Deeside in November. It is a long time since I had such an exhilarating morn-

Upper Deeside Music in 2010by Jane Angus

ing, seeing and listening to the young people absorbing everything that was going on and enjoying making music with two members of the Amici Cello Trio. Reactions from the participants included ‘Cool’ and ‘When can we do it again?’ and mothers have said that enthusiasm for practice has increased consider-ably. We still hope that a workshop of a more general nature for the children of Ballater and Crathie schools will be possible, but given the activity on the ski-slopes, I suspect it is not worth planning that just yet!

Plans for next August include: The Heller Quartet in Victoria Week: Ivan Illic, piano, at the end of September: Alan Neave, guitar, playing in Ballater, with workshops in Braemar at the beginning of November and Philip Higham, cello in December.

35

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End of the Road for the Heather Hopperby Karen Archer

The board of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has voted to cease its support for the Heather Hopper cross-Park bus service due to the increasingly high price of keeping it going and following a joint re-view of transport provision in the Cairngorms National Park.

The CNPA’s transport policy was de-bated at the organisation’s board meeting in Boat of Garten on Friday 22 January. The Heather Hopper was re-introduced in 2006 after an absence of around 10 years. It was well received, contributed to a low-carbon National Park and attracted more than a 130 passengers a week.

It was thought this number would increase year on year as the service became established but figures for 2009 show that the bus, which operated May – September, was carrying only 42 passengers a week at a cost of £78.00 per passenger.

Speaking at the meeting, John Thorne, the CNPA’s Economic Development Officer said: “Accessible transport is a key economic driver with the National Park Plan identifying links to tourism and the wider economy, sustainable communities and access to the countryside. There is no doubt that the Heather Hopper will be missed by users and it’s difficult to cut this service but costs are high and demand is low and we can target the funding far more effectively through alternative projects.”

The Park Authority, with partners, will be looking at where support for transport provi-sion can be targeted instead. Several ideas have been suggested including diverting the money to a fund for schools or others groups to help them to take part in field trips to and

around the National Park, thus continuing to support people getting out and about in the Park in a sustainable way, promoting social inclusion and lessening the impact on the environment.

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for pushchairs, from the direction of the School is being investigated.

6. The existing floodlighting is being inspected to determine the possibility and cost of repair.

The group will be looking at many other issues, as well as the future development of Monaltrie Park, but meantime hope you will soon see progress on the above projects. Any-one interested in joining the Group to help in any way should contact Gillian Sinclair at the BRD office: 013397 55467;ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com.

The Ballater and Upper Deeside Learn-ing Partnership: The Adult Learning Needs Survey was circulated to households in Ballater and Upper Deeside. A meeting planned for 24 February 2010 is considering the analysis of the results. Contact: Lindsay Lumsden 013398 85705; Lindsay.Lumsden@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

36 25GrampianAddress: Urie Dental Practice, Inverurie

Hospital, Upperboat Road, Inverurie, AB51 3UL

Monaltrie Park Users GroupRon Drever reports that at the time of

writing, the Monaltrie Park Users Group has had three meetings, and has discussed both improvements of existing facilities, as well as future development of additional facilities. All local groups interested in the Park were asked to provide their own views on the Park and its development. Ballater Primary School Pupil Council has provided feedback specifically on views gathered from children and parents using the playpark. The issues discussed at the three meetings took into account all these views, as well as those raised during the BOVOF consultations last year.

The group has already taken action on some projects as follows:-

1. It was very apparent that the sand used to surface the playpark is considered unsuitable for various reasons, one of which is hygiene from animal soiling. Aberdeenshire Council have confirmed they will install a more suitable rubber surface if the group can fund the materials. Consequently a funding applica-tion has been made by BRD on behalf of the group to the Cairngorms National Park. It is hoped to be able to relatively quickly install the new surface, together with gates.

2. The group is investigating with Aber-deenshire Council if the installation of baby/toddler swings is feasible, as the Pupil Council feedback considered such swings would be a great addition.

3. Aberdeenshire Council is being asked for additional litter bins, and more regular emptying of the bins.

4. The group is researching the possibility of a new toilet facility, similar to those used in play areas elsewhere.

5. A better access to the Park, particularly

I enjoy finding out about old Scottish customs in our glens and I was fascinated by the number of mills locally that had the wheel turned by horse-power. However, I learned much about something that has always in-terested me even more – “The Horseman’s Word.”

There was a Brotherhood of Horse Whis-perers and it was supposed to give men control of horses and in some places, women.

The movement was at its strongest in country Aberdeenshire, right at the heart of our area. It was at its strongest between 1830 and 1930, with its peak around 1900. The custom spread to Canada and the United States. It probably originated with the Celts when they arrived here from Europe and ranked as a secret craft alongside the masons.

The Horseman’s Wordby Sheila Sedgwick

Horses were important. Clydesdales were bred from Flanders stallions imported by the Duke of Hamilton and with the coming of the Napoleonic Wars there was need for increased agricultural production.

Oxen were used here for ploughing for a long time but gradually the horse took over.

In the close knit community groups in the glens it was essential for a young lad to be initi-ated so that he could become a ploughman. He would probably work generally on the farm until he was about 17 then he would find on his pillow an envelope containing a horse hair. He dare not refuse to join the society.

The initiation ceremony was carried out at Martinmas. The initiates had to bring whisky, bread and a candle. An older ploughman led the youths, blindfold, to the barn at midnight. He knocked and from inside came the question “Wha telt ye to come?”

“The Deil”, was the answer.“Where were ye made a Horseman?”“In a Horseman’s Hall where the sun

never shone, the wind never blew, the cock never crew and the feet of maiden never trod.”

The door opened and the youths had to kneel before an altar made of a sack of corn. The presiding horseman asked “What is the tender of the oath?” The youths chanted “Hele, conceal, never reveal nor write nor dite, nor carve nor write in sand.” They swore never to reveal the secrets they would learn, on pain of terrible death. They were then plied with whisky and the Horseman’s Word was whispered to them. Then they were led further into the dark to shake the cloven hoof of a shaggy figure. There was more whisky then the older men offered a toast

“Here’s to the horse with four white feet,The chestnut tail.

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Until you knew the horseman was holding something repellent under the animal’s noses! This was actu-ally mentioned in the first century by the Roman writer Pliny.

Horsemen were supposed to be irresistible to women. Does this explain the high illegiti-macy rate in Glen Muick and Glen Gairn?

To our modern ways of thinking, the Horseman’s Word savours of witchcraft.

There are stories of old horsemen return-ing from market with a line of untethered horses trotting behind. The men had control over horses but a deep knowledge of spices and chemicals. However, much of it was the ancient art of horsemanship passed down from pre-history.

My grand-father and my father were initi-ated, the latter about 1907. Twice I saw him stop runaway horses. All he said was “But I had the Horseman’s Word!” .

BOVOF Partnership and Group Meetings

The Ballater Housing Partner-ship Group: Gordon Riddler reports that good progress is being made by this Partnership in gathering information and making contacts concerning the issue of affordable housing in Ballater which was the principal issue arising from the BOVOF community consultation. The group comprises representatives from the Cairngorm National Park, Aberdeenshire Council as well as Housing Trusts operating in Aberdeenshire and beyond. It is important that more community representatives join the committee to broaden the discussion and circulation of important information. Anyone with an interest in this group should contact BOVOF c/o Ballater (RD) Ltd at 013397 55467; ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com . Issues covered at the last meeting on 15 December

3724 2009 included:Possible web-based housing exchange

system from Spring 2010;Positive feedback from some Estates con-

cerning land for affordable housing;Letting and management scheme for

second homes;Mechanisms for affordable housing grants

appropriate to Ballater;Open space audit in Ballater;Attracting more Ballater community rep-

resentatives for partnership meetings.The next meeting of the Ballater Housing

Partnership is in the George Beaton Room Thursday 11 March, 2010 at 1pm. Please attend if you have any interest in this issue.

Dental Services in Ballater: Ron Drever reports that BOVOF is still working with NHS Grampian towards the provision of full-time dental services in Ballater. NHS Grampian has stated:- “Ballater is an area in which we would like to try and develop dental services. NHS Grampian is in discussion with local practices regarding the provision of dental services in the Ballater area. The Health Board is reviewing both short and long term options. Initially discussions are progressing to enhance/ standardise the serv-ices currently in place.

Recruitment for both the short and the long term options continues to be problematic and this may take some time as prospective candidates often tend to seek posts in areas of a larger population due to the enhanced ameni-ties and services available.

Working in partnership with BOVOF, we would be interested in hearing from any individuals who may be considering returning to work as a dentist, and would like to discuss the possibility of a post as an NHS practitioner within the Ballater community.”

Anyone interested should contact:Janine Langler, Dental Practice Man-

ager - Aberdeenshire (Central/South) NHS

A star on his head and a spot on his maneAnd his master’s name was Cain.”The drunk youths slept until early working

time. Now they were allowed to lead out the plough team to show they had control. The farmer was not pleased for now he would have to pay adult wages and it rankled that neither he nor his family would ever be allowed into the Society. Disputes were rare because of superstitious fear. Only an initiated horseman could work in his fields. After initiation, there was five years of training. He was taught the rules of horsemanship – “To make him stand, to make him lie, to make him hip, to make him hie.” He learned more secrets – to prepare drugs and to realise that toad’s blood and pigs dung were repellent to horses. Smeared on the stable door, horses would not leave. So the Society was sure only members could work on a farm’s horses. One trick was to stick a fork into a pile of dung and hitch a team to it. The muscles bulged, the fork did not move. Magic!

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38

Action Plan for BallaterCopies of the Action Plan for Ballater

which arose from the community consultation between April and June 2009 can be collected from the Library and the BRD Office, The Bank House, 7 Bridge Street, Ballater. Refer-ence copies of the accompanying appendices with all the information upon which the Action Plan was based are available at these locations. The Action Plan and the Appendices are also available on CD from the BRD Office.

The Future of BOVOFAt its December 2009 meeting it was

agreed that BOVOF would continue with the following purpose and structure:

“The purpose of BOVOF is to co-ordinate actions between various partnerships and existing development and interest groups within the village of Ballater, arising from the community consultation held between April and June 2009 and in the future.

One representative from each of the partnership, development and interest groups should attend bi-monthly meetings to ensure community project co-ordination (both quick wins and longer term projects) across part-nerships and groups, the provision of mutual support, consistent communication and future community consultation as well as the avoid-ance of duplication of effort. The meetings will also provide regular contact with agency rep-resentatives from Aberdeenshire Council, the Cairngorms National Park and their partners.

BOVOF will be chaired by the Ballater and Crathie Community Council and co-ordination and administration will be provided by Ballater (RD) Ltd - (BRD).”

Several village residents are already volun-teering time and effort to BOVOF partner-ships and groups. If on reading the Action Plan you can help in any way with developing

BOVOF (Ballater One Voice Our Future)by Gordon Riddler

or assisting with community projects then please contact BOVOF c/o Ballater (RD) Ltd at 013397 55467;ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com .

One of the BOVOF interest groups is still searching for land locally which might be available and suitable for use by Ballater motorbike scramblers. The group is presently awaiting information from one landowner in connection with a particular parcel of land.

However, if any local landowner/user can offer any presently unused land, the group would be delighted to hear from you. Even if you think the land may not be suitable, please let it be checked with the bikers, as they would be prepared to work the land themselves to possibly make it suitable.

Please contact BOVOF c/o Ballater (RD) Ltd at 013397 55467; ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com

23

The following poem was composed many years ago by Eddie McDonald, who was born in what is now Alldays shop in Netherley Place. The Eagle Team trusts that no offence is taken after all these years by anyone mentioned.

I close my eyes and try to sleep,But always end up counting sheep.I toss, I turn, I suck my thumbTo no avail as sleep won’t come.

And then I drift into a dream,Soft winds blow o’er a tinkling stream.The air is clear and I’m young againAnd youthful memories fill my brain.

I see Auntie Jean aboard Strachan’s bus.A trip to the “toon” without any fuss.I’m three years old wearing green velvet shorts,I’m so excited my breath comes in snorts.

Memories of My Youthby Eddie McDonald

Alas and alack, it’s too much for me,Bouncing around on Auntie Jean’s knee.I want to do numbers, I plead and I shout,But rather too late, as it now all spills out!

A change of scene, I’m in army gear.First time in London, heart full of fear.King’s Cross to Waterloo, that is my aim,Fall off the escalator – get on again!

Head for the Tube, but misfortune again.My rifle gets caught in the doors of the train.I finally get out at Winchester station,Despite all of my trials and my aggravation.

Working with Jock at the forestry corps,He always reminds me of a fat boar.At lunchtime he gobbles tomatoes galore,And then falls asleep with a grunt and a snore.

When breaktime is over, he wakes with a start.“Time to get started”, he says with faint heart.He sways back and forward to get to his feet,But only succeeds in rocking to sleep.

Felling trees with Jock was no mean feat.“If you ride on the saw, you must lift your feet”.My knuckles get torn as they scrape stone and ground.We can’t leave big stumps while Bill Kemp is around.

Bill Kemp was an awesome bloke,Not prone to smile or crack a joke.Got all his teeth pulled by the kitchen table,Was at work the next day, though not very able.

Playing tennis with my pal Jim Clark.Nothing serious – just game for a lark.Used to play till eleven at night –Had to stop then because of the light.

Poetry in motion, that’s all I can say,Of young Alex Grant and his football play.And Ian Forbes with his goalkeeping thrills,But the rest of the team had little skills.

Oh dear me, I cannot write more.My eyes have grown weary – it’s a quarter to four.But one last word before I depart.I feel we are really just kids at heart!

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Telephone/Fax: 013397 55515

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22 39

For those of you who don’t know, Ballater has its very own mountain bike club. Three local Fire Fighters, who were in-terested in doing a bit of mountain biking, started the club six years ago. They heard about an annual mountain bike orienteering compe-tition called the Great Drumtochty Challenge, which had been adver-tised through out the fire stations north of Dundee. They entered the Fire Fighters’ category and had to come up with a team name and the 9 Zero Freewheelers were born, 9 Zero being the station number for Ballater.

The 9 Zero Freewheelers go out to the

9 Zero FreewheelersBallater’s Only Mountain Bike Club

by Ian Hallidayhills and glens every second Sunday all year round and there are eighteen members. The

club also has Chapters in Dundee, Aberdeen, Westhill, Inverurie, Aboyne, Tarland and Braemar. For more information on the club or Mountain biking check out the following websites.

www.9zerofreewheelers.co.uk www.cyclehighlands.comwww.drumtochtychallenge.co.uk

John Carnie, the tourism manager for Royal Deeside and Cairngorms Destination Management Organisation (DMO) which is based in Bank House, 7 Bridge Street, Bal-later, reports that the tourism organisation is busy and looking forward to the 2010 season.

A fun press release was put out in Janu-ary at the height of the heavy snow fall on our bid to hold Alternative Winter Olympics in Deeside. This attracted a lot of press atten-tion and we said that we were intending to approach the International Olympic Com-mittee to pitch the area as the perfect location for an ‘Alternative Winter Olympics’ event. We thought that events such as synchronised

Tourism in Royal Deeside & the Cairngormsby John Carnie

snow angels, snowball lobbing and speed snow shoveling to name but a few could give the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics a run for its money! The press release attracted sev-eral national papers to the area to get a photo shoot and it got subsequent good coverage in the national and local press, highlighting the area and emphasising that the Deeside area was open for business.

Please check out our Discover Royal Dee-side Facebook page and Flickr sites which have been recently set up. The Facebook page is a good interactive page where you can quickly post up news and events for the Ballater area. The Flickr photography site is slowly building

HHHHHenderson Fenderson Fenderson Fenderson Fenderson Funeral Directorsuneral Directorsuneral Directorsuneral Directorsuneral Directors

Ballater’s only Family owned and run Funeral Directors.24 hour caring, personal service covering Deeside.

Respectful and dignified care guaranteed.

Contact Neil Henderson(Funeral Director)

Tel. 013397 53255Unit 1, Craigview Road, Ballater

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HOTEL

12 Bridge Square, BallaterTel: 013397 55376 / Fax: 013397 55466

www.alexandrahotelballater.com

Lunch served12 noon - 2pm

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Ensuite accommodation available

Everybody Welcome!©Jodie Rattray

“Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranqui-lizing agent as a sunny spring

day.” W. Earl Hall

The 13th Ballater Walking Festival, organ-ised by Ballater (RD) Ltd. will take place this year from the 15th -21st May. Last year, we had another successful year, and attracted 93 walkers who despite some mixed weather had a very enjoyable week. As in previous years, there will be three grades of walks, on each of the walking days, to allow participants of all walking abilities to take part, and as we ap-proach the end of January, we already have 40 people signed up for the festival.

Our flagship walk, this year is Glen Tilt, from Linn of Dee to Blair Atholl (a 23 mile hike!). However, a meal will be arranged for the weary walkers once they reach Blair Atholl.

There will be a comprehensive programme of evening entertainment starting with registra-tion on the Saturday and ending with the ever

Ballater Walking Festival 2010by David Horne

popular ceilidh on the Friday when everyone can let their hair down.

We would be delighted to have some new faces on the committee, to help organise the festival, or assist as a helper on the walks. If you would like to assist in any way, please contact Gillian in the BRD Office on 55467, or better still pop in and introduce yourself. A meeting to appoint leaders and helpers for the walks will be held at the end of March.

For a 2010 Brochure contactBallater Royal Deeside Walking FestivalThe Bank House7 Bridge StreetBallater AB35 5QPTel: 013397 55467E Mail: info@royal-deeside.org.ukFurther information is also available from

our website: www.walkballater.com

up and we are looking for people to post photographs to this.

The DMO is currently work-ing with Visit Scotland on a Spring

Campaign for Royal Deeside. This has the potential to reach a huge market and it is good to do some joined up marketing with some of the big players. Last year’s Autumn Cam-paign featured Royal Deeside and there were various competitions with prizes to win. This was Visit Scotland’s most popular competition for the whole of Scotland.

The Hill and River Exhibition will be coming back to Braemar Castle for the season in April. We produced this popular exhibition last year which highlights the importance of fishing, deer and grouse management to the Deeside economy.

I am pleased to say that the Deeside Ses-sions will be back in the Summer of 2010.

We are looking at expanding these out into more venues and with some different formats but highlighting, as ever, the traditional folk musicians in the area. The Deeside Sessions last August and September were very popular, with those at the Coilacriech fast becoming the stuff of legend!

We are busy planning for the new season and working on a lot of marketing projects. There are a host of benefits to joining the DMO, but the most important is that local businesses will have the opportunity to help shape and drive the future success of tourism in our area. Even if you are not a member we want to hear from you and we aim to repre-sent all tourism businesses in the area. Please check out the website www.discoverroyaldeeside.com which is now a key portal for all visitors to this special place which is Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms.

2140

Chanaich LodgeProvost Craig Road

Ballater, AberdeenshireAB35 5NN

Tel. 01339 756336

Fax. 01339 755893

Mobile 07710 469563

Managing DirectorPeter Henderson

Email: peter.hps@btconnect.com

H.P.S. (Aberdeen) LtdIntegrated Building / Landscaping

Services and Supplies

We also carry out Dry Cleaning, Service Washes,Curtain and Duvet Cleaning.

Please Telephone 013397 55151 or call in at the laundry.Proprietors: Louise & David Halliday

BALLATER LAUNDRYBallater Business Centre

Ballater, AberdeenshireAB35 5PN

Tel. 013397 55151

Your Local Laundry & Dry Cleaners in Upper Deesideserving Hotels, Guest Houses & Restaurants with

Collection & Delivery in Ballater, Aboyneand Braemar twice weekly.

20 41

An application for LEADER funding by BRD for a Deeside/Donside De-velopment Project was approved recently by the Cairngorms Local Action Group. When the funding package is confirmed this will allow for the recruitment of a Development Manager part of whose remit will be to build on the process and outcomes of community action planning in Ballater (BOVOF and its predecessors), as well as Upper Deeside and Donside within the Cairn-gorms National Park. This will be a full time post based in Ballater. Further details of this post will be announced and applications in-vited in due course. This should prove a good opportunity for anyone interested in working with the communities in the Cairngorms

Ballater (RD) Ltdby Gordon Riddler

National Park to plan, manage and deliver a range of projects to support their future needs.

Contact BRD at 013397 55467;ballaterdeeside@btinternet.com .

See reports on BOVOF and the Ballater Walking Festival elsewhere in

the Ballater Eagle.

Online Boost For Cairngorm Wood Fuelby Catriona Ross

Using wood to heat homes and businesses in the Cairngorms National Park could cut fuel bills by up to two thirds, boost the lo-cal economy - and shrink residents’ carbon footprints.

A new website www.lowcarboncairngorms.org which highlights ways in which the Park’s abundant natural wood resource can be harnessed more effectively, has been given the thumbs up by local businesses and sector leaders.

People with little or no knowledge of the array of options for using wood for heating can discover a wealth of straightforward informa-tion on the basics of wood fuel and where to find out more.

Suppliers of the ever improving range of technologies are being urged to list their busi-nesses on the website’s directory. The project also aims to help firewood businesses keep standards consistent, increasing the vitality of the local market for wood fuel.

The website has been launched as part of Woodfuel in the Cairngorms, a joint ven-ture between the Cairngorms National Park Authority and Clim-ATIC, an EU funded project to help rural communities adapt to climate change.

Tree surgeon Stuart Burgess of Cairngorm Tree Care says:-

“Heating our homes with wood is not only sustainable and ecological but also steeped in

A friendly, family hotel with “The Henhoose” RestaurantLunches 12-3 daily / Evenings 5.30-9pm / All Day Coffee & Tea

Function Suite available for HireBed & Breakfast Available

Contact Neil or Angela for detailsTel. 013397 55488

6 Church Square Ballater AB35 5NE

Live Music Regularly Fridays & Sundays!

BallaterBallaterBallaterBallaterBallaterRoyal DeesideRoyal DeesideRoyal DeesideRoyal DeesideRoyal Deeside

The year’s at the springAnd day’s at the morn;Morning’s at seven;The hillside’s dew-pearled;The lark’s on the wing;The snail’s on the thorn;God’s in His heaven -All’s right with the world!Robert Browning

19

What can I say? As I type this letter to the Eagle, it’s the Judo Club’s Birthday. 10 years on the 4th February! Where has all the time gone? Anyway I feel a celebration coming on, but more about that in the next Eagle.

The last competition for 2009 was the Northern Area Closed event held in Elgin. The club had nine players entered and it was the first time at competition judo for four of them. We won one Gold, two Silver and four Bronze medals. Louise Murray won Gold at her own weight and also took Silver in the weight above. Niamh Upton from Braemar entered the same categories as Louise and won two Bronze medals. James Cooper from Torphins fought really well to win the second Silver medal, then Ewan Esson and Owen John won the last two Bronzes. Well done to all.

We had “triplet trouble” at Elgin from the Wood brothers from Braemar who caused a bit of a stir with the referees not knowing the dif-ference between Angus and Fraser. Fergus is the only one I can pick out. The other two are like Jedward. If they wear the same T shirt at Judo I can’t tell one from the other! I was well impressed by the Wood brothers who put their heart and soul into their first ever competition. It’s just a matter of time and training until they land in the medals.

Since it’s our tenth birthday, wouldn’t it be nice to have one of the senior players gain their 1st Dan Black belt, even if it’s a player who is a Ballater club member but trains at his or her university club? Come on guys - you know

Ballater Judo Clubby Ian Halliday (Ballater Judo Club’s very proud Coach)

who you are. I would like to say – “Here’s to another ten years of Ballater Judo”- but I only have five years left. I always said that when I reach the age of fifty years young, I would give up coaching Judo and this is my twenty third year as a coach. Not that I would

give up running the club, just the coaching. So all you budding Judo students,

get your Black belts and your coaching qualifications to give the Ballater Judo Club a bright

future. Thanks to all of Ballater and

the surrounding area for their support in the past ten years. In

the words of Vinnie Jones - “It’s been emotional”.

tradition and folklore,Now many people are embrac-

ing the come back of wood fuel. Some of us sit down to a romantic

open fire and others are installing highly efficient wood boiler systems in their homes. There is no getting away from the fact that wood fuel is back.

Using a natural sustainable source of en-ergy that is abundant within the Cairngorms National Park makes heaps of sense. Interest in wood fuel is really starting to rocket.

Wood burning stove sales have increased dramatically and government backed grant schemes are encouraging the installation of automated wood fuel systems in our communi-ties,” Mr Burgess added.

This website is an essential port of call for forward thinking residents and businesses within the Cairngorms National Park.

The new website will also complement the

Forestry Commission Scotland national site - http://www.usewoodfuel.co.uk – which gives guid-ance on funding opportunities, including The Scotland Rural Development Programme.

A wide-ranging series of free events throughout the Park will help people learn more about the options open to them.

To find out more and book a place on the next one, Making the Most of Farm Woodlands, in Glenbuchat, Strathdon on 9 March go to

http://www.lowcarboncairngorms.org/woodfuel/calendar.asp or phone 01479 870535.

42

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Monday - Saturdayfrom 9am until 5pm

37 Bridge Street, Ballater013397 56183

Fine WinesScottish Beers

SaucesMackie’s Ice Cream

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Enjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen CheeseboardEnjoy an individually chosen Cheeseboard

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BALLATERAB35 5RP

Tel: 013397 55015Mobile 07775 253707

“A truly happy person is one who

can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.”

Anonymous

Pat Downie - TreasurerQuinton, Deebank Road, Bal-later

013397 55725patdownie@hotmail.co.uk

Marybell Macaulay - Secretary19 Old Station Place, Ballater AB35 5RG013397 55745marybellmacaulay@btinternet.com

Jane AngusDarroch Den, Tullich Road, Ballater013397 56260jane.angus@homecall.co.uk

Ian CameronAbergairn, Glen Gairn, by Ballater013397 56002barytesmining@btconnect.com

Martin Holroyd59 Golf Road, Ballater

18 43

I stood atop the rickety platform and shud-dered as I looked over the Wall – and beyond it to where the No-Man’s Land was being patrolled by armed Russian soldiers, leading Alsatian sniffer dogs. At each sentry box there were more soldiers set to catch anyone attempting to flee from East Berlin over the Wall to the West. My legs were shaking as I descended the uneven wooden steps and I was so glad that I was safely back again in the American Zone of Berlin.

That all happened many years ago, when the Wall stood as a symbol of Russia’s dominance in East Berlin, the time of the blockade when the Allies – Britain, France and the U.S.A. had to fly in supplies to the beleaguered citizens of Berlin, surrounded on all sides by the Russians.

My German landlady had relations in the east sector and was eagerly packing for her once-yearly visit to them. “I have to smuggle”, she said as she slipped small packets of sugar, coffee, tea, chocolate and sweets between the layers of clothing in her suitcase. “They have so very little there” she said tearfully. Later she took me on a boating trip to Berlin’s lake. There again the division of the city was evi-dent. On one side of the lake were the West Berliners in their summer clothes, besporting themselves in the water, while the east bank

The Berlin Wallby Willma Sim

was dark and forbidding. The banks of the lake edged with barbed wire and was devoid of any buildings, save that of Spandau Prison, where Hermann Hess was being kept prisoner.

Before I left Berlin that summer, I took a trip by bus from Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin. Only foreigners were allowed on that bus, so I had to leave my German friend behind. After we left Checkpoint Charlie the wooden-seated bus carrying us was stopped and thoroughly searched in No-Man’s Land by gun toting Russian soldiers with sniffer dogs. They banged on the wooden floor and sides of the bus and only when they were sure no one was ‘hitching a free ride’ did they let us continue our journey. The bus stopped at a large park, where we were allowed out to admire a monstrous monument dedicated to the glorious dead of the Russian army. On then to a kiosk to buy postcards to send home. I noticed how cheap the stamps were – and the postcards took more than six weeks to reach their destinations in Aberdeen!! Then it was back to Checkpoint Charlie with the same search procedure as before.

That was how Berlin – a divided city – was then. It was quite different when I returned in 1990, after the Fall of the Wall. But that’s another story!!!

Firewood

Tel: 013397 55997Mobile: 07821 746756

013397 55365ballaterangling@yahoo.co.uk

Susan MatthewsThe Firs, Khantore, Crathie, by Ballater0785 2414024mattash1@live.com

Sheila PotterVellore Cottage, Hawthorn Place, Ballater013397 55568sheilapotter@btopenworld.com

Sheila SedgwickGirnoc Shiel, Glengirnoc, by Ballater013397 55292sheila.sedgwick@btinternet.com

Phil Swan30 Monaltrie Avenue, Ballater013397 55345pjswan@gmail.com

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publicised on a regular weekly basis in the local press. We also offer informal and for-mal Energy Awareness Training and Energy Performance Certificate Surveys.

SCARF is committed to improving your home comfort levels, reducing fuel poverty (when your fuel spend is 10% or more of your basic income), increasing your carbon savings and helping the environment.

Contact us at SCARF for all your energy enquires 01224 213005

44

SCARF is a one-stop-shop that offers free, confidential and impartial energy ef-ficiency advice to help reduce fuel bill costs, fuel tariffs and running costs, current informa-tion on grants and offers for various heating systems including renewable energy, cavity wall and loft insulation including the Scottish Government “Energy Assistance Package” and interest free loan.

Contact us initially by telephone and you will receive advice specific to your enquiry and if necessary you can be referred to your local Aberdeenshire Project Energy Advisor who can arrange a home visit. The advisors regularly attend local events, arrange talks and presentations to local and community groups, organise local drop-in advice sessions in librar-ies, village halls and advice centres which are

Robin Blyth - Chair12 Braemar Road, Ballater AB35 5RL013397 56311robin@robinblyth.wanadoo.co.uk

Alasdair Thompson - Vice ChairOld Post Office, Crathie013397 42371

Community Councillors 2010

17

We are re-opening after our winter break on 10th Februaryand look forward to welcoming all our customers back.

We have kept our popular set menu at £15.50 to complimentthe full menu which includes Aberdeen Angus, Scottish game

and other local produce.

Call for dinner reservations on013397 55420

45 Braemar Road, Ballater www.deesidehotel.co.uk

‘Heartily recommended’ in the Good Hotel Guide 2010

THE DEESIDE HOTEL &RESTAURANT

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Bridgefoot,Glenmuick, Ballater

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Tel: 013397 55997Mobile: 07821 746756

Email:weejimlandscapes@yahoo.co.uk

James Anderson

There is a vacancy for one Councillor on Ballater and Crathie Community Council, Bal-later Ward.

If you are interested in community matters, and would like to become involved, Nomination Forms can be obtained from Ballater Post Office, Ballater Library, Chairman Robin Blyth Tel. 013397 56311, email: robin@robinblyth.wana-doo.co.uk or the secretary, Marybell Macaulay, Tel. 013397 55745, Email: marybellmacaulay@btinternet.com

Qualifications for Election

A person seeking election to a Community Council must be aged 18 years or over and either:

Appear on the Electoral Roll for that Com-munity Council area at the date of being proposed for membership of the Community Council

Ballater & Crathie Community Councilby Robin Blyth

Have during a period of at least 3 months preceding date of nomination had their ordi-nary or principal place of residence within the Community Council area

The owner of a business located in the Community Council area, although not per-sonally resident there

In the event that there are multiple nomi-nations, an election will be held on Thursday 25th March. Nominations must reach the Secretary by noon, 11th March 2010.

Crathie, By Ballater

Log fires and a warm welcomeat The Inver

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16

“Never!” do I hear you say? But yes, there are some who need more support than they cur-rently receive.

Let’s face it; more people are in paid employ-ment so have less spare time for others. I get the impression that Ballater folk are caring. There are certainly groups that meet the social needs of many. But the fact is that some socially isolated, older Ballater residents are being referred to K&D Befriending for one-to-one support. The other fact is that more volunteer befrienders are needed in the area, to provide that support. CAN YOU HELP?

If you can spare a minimum of an hour or so fortnightly, then you could get alongside someone for a chat, take them out to access basic services or enjoy sharing an interest. You don’t

Neglected in Ballater?by Linda Taberner

need any special skills; just a liking for people! You might be ‘older’ yourself but there are volunteer befrienders aged from 18 to over 80! Making a new friend works both ways! You will be supported and can receive travel expenses.

Last October, I was at Glenmuick Church hall one Saturday, to promote what we do. Maybe you saw a poster? Sadly, the day began damp and later turned into torrential rain but some braved the elements and dropped in to learn about K&DB. I am glad to say that two residents plan to join K&DB but we need more in the area.

Please contact Linda Taberner, Deeside Co-ordinator, to learn more. Answer phone: 01330 820008 Mob: 07816 958 839. Email: befriending@hotmail.com

Though we have lost track of the numbers of ‘consultations’ that have taken place over the last 25 years, they continue to increase overwhelmingly. It is not only Aberdeenshire and questions on the National Parks these days; - every week the bureaucracy of the devolved Parliament at Holyrood offers everyone the happy opportunity of telling them what we think of their concepts, organizations and Bills to become Acts in law. Your Com-munity Council tries to look at some of these items found on the web. We receive them as an alert from ‘SEconsult’, and they can be found by a search engine on the web at ‘Scot-tish Government, consultations’ and scrolling down the active list. Mostly, they are open for about 3 months, though occasionally they can be rushed through.

The format is much the same in all types of proposal. A Governmental pontification fol-lowed by a lofty preamble, full text covering forms for responses and perhaps a list of questions. Your C.C. may answer these, while on others the comments are more general and/or relevant to our situations. On one, Street Design, we commended the paper and the recommenda-tions. Others, we have found to be un-necessary, or intrusive, or impressively based in factual basic common-sense or downright obstructive to our country’s life and we just say that.

Community Council on Consultationsby Robin Blyth

As a public body all our replies are in the archive and it is interesting that we have been asked to expand answers and comments on matters like the Wildlife Bill and changes in Historic Scotland’s processes.

So far we have seen no visible effect from our efforts, though we were quoted in the official com-ments on the Deer paper. We wait to see if some of the clauses in the Wildlife and Environmental Bill are to be removed from the proposals.

Of course in a lively and varied rural com-munity like ours, the C.C. can usually find advice of a high and practical level to inform our discussions and draft replies. Our C.C. response counts One only. Every individual response also counts as One. The more people who respond on even one point gives weight with Officialdom’s counting.

Frequently the C.C. does not accept which particular points covered by the official questions are most important. As an example: the nine sepa-rate orders changing the system on Protection of Vulnerable Groups are in part a simplification of previous legislation, but might lead to bureaucratic difficulty in delivery for the voluntary effort, and are not, in my opinion, fail-safe.

Aberdeenshire is now also funding Focus Groups, some of which are more open and/or active than others. B&CCC has not yet fully committed to becoming a part of this new pipe-line although we do respond to these efforts. Time and distance constraints make travel both expensive and time consuming although we do try to play our part. Much work is done online and this points to the ‘way of the future’. Once broadband is widely available in rural areas, perhaps more of the general public will join in.

Following their last visit to Ballater, the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environ-ment have produced a report called A Design Workshop for Ballater. Copies are available to view in Ballater Library, the Ballater (RD) Ltd office or through the Community Council.

45

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Men’s, Women’s & Children’sClothing & Accessories

The Old Station, Ballater Tel.013397 - 53855

Huge New Selection of Spring / SummerLines Arriving Mid March!

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training including all types of activities, we are again this year, together with Aboyne Academy, sponsoring four Academy pupils. Candidates will soon have to be se-lected and interviews carried out.

We are also continuing to sponsor the “Dictionaries for Life” project, and will be presenting the dictionaries to Primary 7 pupils in nine local schools.

The Club will again be assisting the an-nual Primary Schools Quiz, which will this year take place at Tarland Primary School on Wednesday 3rd March, when ten teams are expected to take part.

If you are interested in Rotary, please contact Ron Drever at High Trees, Morven Way, or telephone 013397 56224. We meet on the first Monday of each month at the Glen Lui Hotel, Ballater, 6.30 for 7pm, and on every other Monday at the Boat Inn, Aboyne, 6 for 6.30pm.

1546

When the snow came, everything changed. We were sent to school wearing corduroy breeches, wellington boots, warm jerseys, corduroy jerkins, woollen gloves and balaclava helmets. Before the janitor could get us inside, the school walls were pock-marked with the debris of many snow-ball battles, and once there the cloakroom floor was soon swim-ming in water from the snow off many boots.

After assembly, our class had to form up in pairs to walk down to our classes in the Albert Hall. Snow clearance then was not the art that it should be now and with the pavements out of sight we marched on the traffic-free roads. At play time we marched back to School Lane, dropping out of the crocodile to dash round to Leith the Bakers for a hot pie, cost two old pence. Just thinking about that pie today

Wintertimeby Ian Cameron

brings back the delicious smells of the bakery and I can still taste the first bite through the hot pastry, then savouring the meat, - simply superb. Why can we no longer find such a pie?

Back at the playground the older boys had started a slide. This was highly organised and comprised of everyone taking their turn to run up to and slide down an icy path. The slide became longer, icier, and faster as it was used by an endless queue of boys. The janitor was not keen on this form of winter sport at all, and used up most of the cook’s salt attempting to eradicate our slide. However in the 1940s our winter frosts were severe enough to thwart his efforts. Snow ball fights proliferated. Headmaster Craig gave lecture after lecture, but in vain.

As the winter progressed, the tempo of the village slowed right down. Big Wullie Ewan put aside his horse’s four-wheeled coal cart and yoked his black mare to a sledge to keep up with his coal bag deliveries. Vans and trucks donned skid-chains to get about at all.

The Canadian soldiers at Mar Lodge sent their trucks out for hay to feed the starv-ing deer that were coming into their camp looking for food.

We used to hurry home from school to get out our sledges, but there was not enough day-light to go up on the hill beside the curling pond, and this would have to wait until the weekend. The favourite after school sledging was beside the Kirk Green and Loirston Ho-tel. This was Bannerman’s Brae, so named after Granny Bannerman’s house at the foot of the brae, and against whose door we often collided. Another urban Cresta Run of ours was Sclackie Brae that linked Viewfield Road with Golf Road. A steeper favourite was Mary Jean’s Brae again linking Viewfield

diately to work raising funds, collecting relief supplies, and distributing life-saving shelters.

Among the first international relief workers to reach Haiti were volunteers from ShelterBox, the UK based disaster response organisation supported by Rotary Clubs worldwide. Each ShelterBox kit contains a 10 person tent, a water purification system and other survival necessities. About 5000 ShelterBoxes, enough to assist 50000 people, are in Haiti.

As reported in the last Eagle, our Club had recently financed two ShelterBoxes, and two Aquaboxes, each of which is capable of purifying 30000 litres of water for drinking. Since the earthquake we have been able to finance another of each for sending to Haiti.

VocationalIn connection with the annual Rotary

Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) event at Nethybridge, a summer week of leadership

Bike Shop + Bike Hire

www.cyclehighlands.com Tel: 013397 55864

TheTheTheTheThe

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current Ballater Royal Bridge, at-tracted labour as this was a major project. This same labour force created the ponds and the civil works that brought water from behind Brai-chley to the ponds. It also built a ‘loop’ off the quarry road to run up to the Curling Ponds. It was this ‘loop’ running past the Mackenzie Monument that was our sledge run.

On Saturday and Sundays there was an army of children sledging there, the Curling Fraternity tolerating this activity so long as we stayed off their ice.

The ‘loop’ became faster as the day went on and the runners turned the snow to ice, and, as we experimented with linking two sledges together to form ‘bob-sledges’ and loading them up with more and more bodies, the sledg-ing became almost as dangerous as skating.

Thankfully, loss of daylight and fatigue sent us home mostly unscathed.

14 47and Golf Roads, albeit a little further away from our homes.

In those days no rock salt was used to at-tempt to melt the snow; that early disastrous experiment would have to wait until the winter of 1962/63. The snow was simply ploughed and left hard packed. If there was a partial thaw and then a return to frost, the surface became a skating rink, and I can remember several occasions when we actually skated on Albert Road by street-light.

Ski-ing as an industry was nonexistent in these far off times, but I can remember one Sunday night being quite amazed to see a sports car towing an Aberdeen solicitor on skis through the village, obviously on their way home after a day on the hills. Inspired by this sight, we searched the ‘Wid Yard’ for skis. We came on old tar barrels and found that the staves, although short, had roughly the profile for skis. Our tar-barrel skis were not very successful but they did give us a taste of the sport.

Brockie’s Pond, then at the end of Golf Road, was another winter sport arena. This little pond was not deep enough to be trou-blesome if we fell through the ice, and here we learnt to skate. The biggest problem was keeping the ancient skates attached to our boots. After a while we became more dar-ing and attempted ‘jumps’ over a five gallon oil drum lying on its side on the ice. I can remember more injuries at this event than we ever sustained from sledges or falling off bikes, - dangerous stuff! When I watch ‘Dancing on Ice’, currently on TV, I can still feel the pain of sickening falls, and the sheer solidness of Brockie’s Pond ice.

Saturday came and we all went over the bridge and up to the Curling Ponds. The curling and skating ponds on Craig Coillich date from the early 1880s. The granite quarry, opened on the hill to supply stone for the still

Your local Rotary Club of Aboyne and Upper Deeside started 2010 with a very en-joyable Burns Supper at the Craigen-darroch Hotel. The Aboyne Acad-emy Traditional Singing Group, led by Katie Keith, provided a superb musical celebration as an alternative Immortal Memory, and there were excellent speakers, able to overcome some chaotic hotel lighting issues during their speeches! We look forward to another good year in which we can help worthy causes both locally and internationally.

FundraisingOur Christmas bag-packing at Aboyne

Coop raised £1300 over two days, while

Rotary Updateby Ron Drever

our Christmas Line of Silver in Ballater raised £173. This was actually a great total,

considering the weather forced even us Ballater worthies to give up after only a couple of hours!!

Many thanks to you all for your continued generosity, and again thanks to those who save

loose change throughout the year to hand to us at our Line of Silver. As

our notices on the day advised, a donation from the Line of Silver was given to the Bal-later Building Blocks group, who give social support and friendship to parents of young children in Ballater.

We again provided and manned the Bar-beque at the Aboyne Bonfire Night, and our share of the money raised helped our Charity Account by nearly £600.

Our assistance in selling raffle tickets in the Bon Accord Centre in December helped Ro-tary in the north east raise a fantastic amount of over £56000 for CLAN, and also provided a contribution to our own Charity Account.

Community ServiceWe made our annual Christmas journey to

distribute our Hampers and Christmas cake to Sluiemohr and Monaltrie Court residential homes in Ballater, as well as others in Upper Deeside. We hope they contributed to an enjoyable festive time for everyone.

Since the last Eagle Update, most of our donations have been international (see below), although we did make a donation to the Mid Deeside Day Centre.

InternationalLately the international scene has of course

been dominated by the earthquake in Haiti. Rotary Clubs throughout the world got imme-

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December 2009. For one day only the opening hours were extended to 8pm to give customers old and new the chance to browse round the shelves at their leisure, far away from the usual hurly burly of Christmas shopping.

The venture was a great success and was helped along by glasses of wine, savoury nib-bles and mince pies. Festive music played and there was some carol singing which made up in enthusiasm for any lack of tunefulness!

Val and Lee the Centre Managers, who did the extra hours on a voluntary basis, would like to sincerely thank all the customers who came to browse and shop, and the volunteers who baked and gave up their time to help man the shop (and sang!) and send their best wishes for 2010 to all the Eagle staff and readers.

1348

Clan Outreach Shop Ballater

By Marion MacintyreThe Clan Outreach Charity Shop in Bal-

later held its very first late night opening on 10

Cancer enters so many of our lives, and it brings about changes and adjustments for all those involved. By helping you to focus on your emotional and psychological wellbeing, we can help reduce the stress and anxiety - you are not alone. If you are affected by cancer or know someone who is, and feel you, or they could benefit from our services, please contact our centre. Our services are offered free. All calls are treated with confidence.

For more information about any of the services offered in Upper Deeside, please call Val/Lee 013397 56318 or Nesreen 07795 431314 or CLAN House 01224 647000.

Well, wasn’t all that snow a challenge? I didn’t use my car for nearly three weeks, us-ing shank’s pony to work, socialise and shop. Very good for me though, as I did feel fitter. I was also very grateful for my well-padded behind as I regularly slipped on the ice in the dark mornings. We had an added challenge when just before New Year more wood for the stove was delivered. Being our main source of warmth - the stove does the heating and hot water - dry wood is an essential as I am trying to tread as lightly on the planet as possible so do not burn fossil fuels. Barrowing and stacking two tons of wood is quite a task, and my usual band of kind, generous and willing helpers were either out or snowed in, apart from Tom who valiantly came to the rescue. So in a snowstorm, in the dark, Willie the

Pottering About . . .by Stella Potter

woodman, his pal, Tom and I barrowed it to the patio by the woodshed and piled it high, to be stacked the next day. I considered using my head torch to stack it all myself that night, but dismissed the idea in favour of the cosy indoors and a nice bottle of red. Silly, silly me!

That night we were the ungrateful recipi-ents of another six inches or so of the white stuff, so the next day, with energetic teenage help, every piece had the snow brushed off as well as we could and was stacked. Double the work for wetter wood. To help it dry faster, much of it was split with my fabulously expensive but extremely efficient axe, and stacked - again - in the fire nook. I do enjoy chopping wood, it’s good exercise and thor-oughly therapeutic in channelling frustration. And my Grandmother was quite right in one of her oft-repeated pearls of wisdom: “Wood warms you twice”. Her other two favourites were “Count your blessings” and “He’ll be home when he’s hungry.” A wise woman was my Grandma.

In one of the lulls between snow storms in January one of my internet forums had a great meet-up for lunch in Duthie Park. One person arrived and returned on the same Shetland ferry to join us, and another came by train all the way up from deepest Ayrshire, just for a daunder round the winter gardens and a spot of lunch. Now that’s dedication to meeting people. It’s astonishing how we all recognised each-other, as we had not all actually met in the flesh before. I am hugely enjoying these new social circles, indeed, we have another meet-up planned for May when a Canadian forum member is flying over to meet as many of us a possible. It’s tremendous how the in-ternet makes the world smaller, and it’s both heart warming and life affirming to meet like

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minded folk. Most of us could talk for Scotland and together make a very lively and thought provok-ing bunch. I’m very much looking forward to the next one.

On the garden front, I’m going to start my planting earlier this year in the hope of being able to eat from the garden for longer than a few summer months. I feel a little déjà vu here; I think I said the same thing last year... Luckily my household loves sprouts, so I’m going to give them a go, as well as a bolt resistant broc-coli, parsnips, broad beans and early potatoes. Despite having no success with lollo rosso last year I will give that delicious and pretty lettuce another go, along with the usual perpetual spinach, which is still providing us with the occasional delicious plateful of fresh greens. I will need to restock my herb bed though, as the sage, which was doing so well, has not survived a second winter, and for some reason I can’t seem to get parsley to grow more than a measly teacup full over the summer. I enviously admire lush swathes of it I see in other folk’s gardens. At least the rosemary and thyme are surviving well, so should I wish to go to Scarborough Fair, I might just manage it!

Despite my self-inflicted winter hiberna-tion (I don’t drive in the dark, ice or thick snow) I do enjoy the cosiness of the winter months, planning the gardening work for the better weather. When the spring finally does arrive - there’s hints of it as I type, with bulbs poking their first tentative greenery above the cold ground - I just hope I can tear myself away from the laptop to put my plans into fruition. Or, as I don’t yet grow fruit, should that be vegition?!

Whatever you have planned over the winter to do in the spring I hope you all have great enjoyment and fulfilment in the longer and warmer days…

4912

CLAN is a well known independ-ent charity providing a range of support serv-ices to anyone affected by cancer as a patient, carer, or a close friend. Although the centre is based in Aberdeen, we offer our services to the whole of Grampian, Orkney and Shetland. CLAN Support Centre based in Ballater, is an extension of CLAN’s services which aims to reach patients and their family/carers out-with the city, who find it challenging to travel and access these services. We aim to be accessible to all Deeside towns and villages, whenever our clients feel they can benefit from our support services.

The Upper Deeside Centre offers infor-mation on cancer related issues, as well as sign posting to other relevant services and a listen-ing ear. A variety of complementary therapies

are on offer (Reflexology, Aromatherapy, Reiki), which are designed to help clients feel positive, improve their quality of life, help promote a sense of well-being and encourage the body back into a more balanced state, greatly benefiting many of our clients. We also provide professional counselling sessions to support patients and/or their family members in the process of dealing with diagnosis, the emotional impact of the treatment, and when needed, coping with loss and bereavement. Other specialist services, for example children and young people support, can be coordinated and offered through our Ballater Centre.

CLAN also offers therapeutic social activities, one-to-one and group support. Our support group, ‘Second Chancers’, meet every last Wednesday of the month at 4:30pm. The group aims to offer friendship and a listening ear in a welcoming and supportive environ-ment. The group is facilitated by a CLAN trained volunteer, and along with a cup of tea, provides an opportunity to meet others who are going through a similar situation, as well as sharing inspiring survivorship examples. Meetings are informal; we invite the occasional speaker on issues of interest to the group members. The group also organises monthly walks every second Tuesday of the month, guided and supported by Cairngorm Walking to Health Project. All are welcome to join and all information is available in the centre.

Our fundraising group is active all year round organising events to raise awareness and funds to support the local services. If you would like to get involved to support CLAN in the community or participate in organised Quiz nights and other social activities, please contact us for a list of forthcoming events or visit our website www.clanhouse.org.

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1150 The Big Freeze!by Mary Munro

This first wik o’ January, we’re in Winter’s iron neive, sub-Arctic wi’ feet o’ snaw. The Christmas sotter o’ decorations an sorry looking trees is stappit awa in the laft for anither year and a the New Year bottles lie deed an teem in the re-cyclin box for the scaffy-cairt the morn. By the time this gings tae “The Eagle”, Nature micht hae loused its grip on the land, bit it’s noo the 6th January fan tradition dictates that a the cairry-ons o’ the Festive Season are bye wi, and we’re in the foremost days o’ the new decade, 2010.

Snaw his been dingin on for wiks – I sweir there’s three feet o’ virgin snaw on the gairden and fit’s waur, there’s been hard freests ilka nicht, wi muckle icicles hingin near tae the grun fae ilka reef. The forecast is for wiks o’ this, sae we’ll jist hae tae thole it, leave the car

squattered in the lay-by, an mak eese o’ the twa feet God saw fit tae fix at the fit o’ oor legs! It fair mynes me o’ the winters in Ballater as a bairn, fan the same snaw that fell in December wis aye lyin there in fool heaps come Spring, wi a gweed feow mair layers abeen.

This aifterneen, the sun cam oot for a file an it wis like a winter wonderland that made ye gasp – trees, dykes an hills glistenin wi a million diamonds in the sharp, clean air. We trudged throwe the knee-deep snaw on the Golf course tae the pathie by the Dee that wis jist slidin slow-like atween the ice-floes. Ye could near feel the silence – it was as if Nature lay aneth the fite blunket o’ snaw, in a soon sleep, corryin doon till the safter times wid wauken the grun tae life aince mair. My thochts went back tae a feow bilin-het days last simmer fan it wis that het I walked roon tae the Lang Peel tae dook in the cool watter that wis like liquid silk on yer skin. Ye widna ging in the day – yer bleed wid jeel in yer veins in nae time!

I thocht some o’ the geets fae the village wid be squallochin doon the bunkers on sledg-es or tin trays, bit then I mynt it wis Christmas nae lang syne, an I bet they were closeted in their warm hooses wi a their games an com-puter trock, or glued tae thon TV box, that’s like “chewin gum for the e’en!” Changed days fan we eased tae scoor doon Craig Coillach brae on tae the road, syne trail hame weet an ferfochen. Mam would steep yer hauns and feet in a basin o’ het watter tae defrost them, an o’, the exquisite stouns o pain , as life cam back tae yer frozen fingers an taes!

We hivna hid a lang spell o’ snaw an freest for a gweed feow year, sae there’s a faint air o’ panic, nae up here in the frozen North, bit doon in the milder climes o’ the Sooth. Life seems tae grind tae a halt there, an ye’d think

Preparation for Ballater Victoria Week 2010 is now underway. The organising com-mittee meets in the Michael Sheridan Room at 7.00pm on the second Wednesday of each month. We are always seeking ‘fresh blood’ to help us so if you are interested please come along. For this year, Mike Franklin will act as Coordinator and will be replaced as Treasurer by Ian Wisely. Alistair Cassie will be stepping down from coordinating the 4x4 safaris but will continue to help in other ways. Our thanks go to Alistair for all his past efforts.

This year the ‘Week’ will run from 7th to 15th August. The programme will follow the familiar pattern of ‘old favourites’ plus a few new items. The Ballater Royal Horticultural

Ballater Victoria Weekby Mike Franklin

Society Annual Show will in 2010 fall outside Victoria Week, and will be replaced in the

programme by events organised by the Clan Farquharson Society. It is hoped that the Classic Car Parade on Sunday 8th August will be boosted by cars from a Citroen Owners’ Club which is planning a rally in this area. The committee is looking forward to yet another successful festival.

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“The day the Lord created hope was prob-ably the same day he

created Spring.”Bern Williams

10 a New Ice Age wis comin tae connach oor civilisation. Fan a harsh winter spell grips the land, we jist hiv tae think on the basics o’ life – maet an warmth. Wi thae twa, we survive.

Maybe we’re safter noo. In oor hoose, there wis aye a coal fire, wi pad-ded fender sides, far ye could sit warm an cosy, wi ae lug tae the wireless or p lay in draughts or board games wi Faither. Mither eased tae get thon mirled legs, “bumbee tartan” legs, wi sittin borin intae the heat o’ the fire, the patterns were birsled intae her skin! The rest o’ the hoose wis cauld as death, sae ye didna linger lang afore nippin intae yer blunkets at nicht. Files, o’ a freesty mornin, it wis that cauld that yer nostrils stuck thegither, gin ye taen a deep breath an syne lat it oot tae yoam in cloods throwe the freezin room. Ye rubbit a penny-size shape intae the floo’er patterns on the windae pane tae see foo muckle mair snaw hid faen, saft an fite, o’er nicht.

Ye ate maet that keepit yer wame warm – I hated porritch wi its slobbery soss, bit it fairly lined yer stamack afore ye braved the ootside. Mam wid jam a muckle speenfu o’ Malt in yer moo as ye made for the door, an ye lat the malty sweetness dreep o’er yer molars as ye made yer wey tae the squeel. Liberty bodices wi thon rubber buttons, wiven stockins, scarves an hats, layers o’ wool, an ye were set for the snaw.

The snaw in Ballater wis jist a pairt o’ the year, an Spring aye seemed an age awa, as ye ploughed throwe the drifts an pit up wi chilblains an hacks on yer dirlin fingers. I can still near feel thon het, sair itch fae Hell that gared ye yoke and scratch till ye broke the skin. Mam’s remedy (it didna work) wis tae

walk in the snaw in yer bare feet! Nooadays, ye dinna hear o’ mony fowk wi’ chilblains – sae it wisna a “The Good Old Days” that fowk

spik aboot sae aften.

Ye were young an swack, an yer bleed ran het an strang throwe yer veins, sae ye niver moaned muck le aboot the wither. Spring aye cam, an life flowed aince mair in the valley o’

the Dee. A body’s bleed kittled intae life jist like a reisted fire, an ye turned a winter-weary face tae a safter time. Gin ye didna hae the winter months, ye widna appreciate the warm times. Variety surely is the spice o’ life!

51

The Society is celebrating its 151st year in 2010. Forget all about the snow and frost covering our gardens, and think ahead. Last year was a marvellous one, when we had a very successful celebration of our 150th Birthday and an equally wonderful Annual Show. However, we must not be complacent, and now try to keep up the standard.

We have a varied programme for 2010, starting in March with Mrs. Janice Kennedy telling us all about “Bees in our Gardens”. The Mini Bulb show may be small, but we had a glorious show of colour last year and all members may bring along their spring flowers, in pots or cut flowers, and join in the event. The judging will be helped by the presence of Sue Burgess from Pitmedden Garden, one of the most visited gardens in Scotland. Sue

Ballater RHSby Mairi Burgess

will also tell us of the new things happening at Pitmedden.

In May we have our Open Night where everyone relaxes over a glass of wine and can ask The Panel lots of awkward questions about gardens, plants, pests and beasties. Anything goes!! We are currently working on whom to invite to join our illustrious panel.

June will see us hard at work on the Green, selling plants of all descriptions. We hope you will all be able to share any extra plants you may have, and find some exciting new ones to buy. We would also appreciate any home baking to boost our sales. All these fund raising events allow us to stage our Annual Show and add to the attractions of the village for locals and visitors alike. Full details of all these events are contained within the Diary Section of this Eagle.

The Annual Show will be on 21st and 22nd August this year and now is the time for all local gardeners to study the seed catalogues or visit garden centres to plan their entries. There are many new gardens in Ballater and this year we are appealing to everyone to think about entering the Show. All Society members will help or advise anyone wishing to take part and we welcome new members to our meetings.

Last year, we presented a lovely new Silver Rose Bowl – the Alex Copland Trophy for the best garden in the village. This also has a cash prize of £100!! You do not need to have a huge garden, an immaculate lawn, or abundant flowers, fruit and vegetables to meet the judges’ criteria, but you do require to enter. Please do enter this competition, which is to celebrate Alex’s dedication to the Society and to the area over many years. We do want this to be a really good competition.

Happy gardening and good weather!!

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entertainment provided by Alan and Eion Taylor from Alford, accompanied by Lena Gordon on keyboard. We were also honoured to have a visit from our own “Santa”. This turned out to be a hilarious part of the evening as he handed every lady a present, along with a bit of nonsense and good fun! Thanks are due to Neil, Angela and their staff for making this a memorable night.

The January meeting was well attended by members and friends in spite of the wintry weather and ice underfoot. The speaker for the evening was a local lady, Joan Anderson, who was appropriately dressed for the subject of her talk, namely life in 18th and 19th century Glen Muick. Joan explained about the use of local drove roads, and acted out the part of a local lady, Barbara Robbie, a real character who had lived at the Spittal of Glen Muick during that time. The talk was very much enjoyed by all those present.

Ballater S.W.R.I.by Frances Johnstone

The December meeting of Ballater SWRI was a Christmas night out at the Glenaden Hotel when a splendid was had by all. A beautiful meal was followed by some lively

952 Ballater Floral Art Group by Mildred Coull

Ballater Floral Art Group committee, headed by Chairman Kathleen McCulloch, has been busy organising this year’s varied and interesting programme.

The highly successful and enjoyable Christmas Charity evening, which has gained in popularity each year, attracted almost 120 ladies from Ballater and district. This meant that the Crossroads charity received £900, and the Floral Art Group wishes to thank everyone who supported the event.

The Spring programme begins on April 15th with a demonstration by Edna Matthews, and on May 20th Anne Allan’s presentation is entitled “Beginners’ Luck”.

Details of these will appear on posters throughout the village nearer the time, and reminders will be in the “Piper” a week in advance of the meetings, which are always held in the Mike Sheridan Room at 7.30 p.m.

Ballater Running Clubby Cat Houston

Ballater Running Club is a free, friendly and informal group that is open to all. We meet twice a week for runs of various lengths (3-10km, depending on the weather!) Be-ginners are particularly welcome, and many combine walking and running as a way to get started. We use the beautiful paths and trails around the village that we are so lucky to have. Running is a great way to keep fit and, whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned pavement pounder, we’ll provide the motivation!

Our new season starts on Monday 29th March, and we meet at Monaltrie Park Pavil-ion every Monday and Wednesday at 7.00pm.

Lenten Lunchesby Jim McCulloch

Once again, the combined Ballater Churches are serving Lenten Lunches. These will be held in Glenmuick Church Hall every Tuesday from 2nd - 30th March from 12 noon until 2 p.m. at a cost of £3. Proceeds will be divided between the Cyrenians and Homestart - both very deserving causes.

Come along for a choice of delicious home made soup, bread and refreshments—and a good blether!

Balmoral Woodland Walks – every Wednesday from April 7th to July 28th.

Discover the grounds and woods around Balmoral Castle. Learn about the estate’s history and wildlife.Meet: Balmoral Carriage Exhibition.Time: 2-4pm.Cost: Free once entry fee into grounds has been paid.

For the Following events booking is essential, limited places available– 013397 55059.

Saturday 6th of March – Tree planting day. Offset your carbon footprint for 2010!Come and assist the rangers planting native trees in Glen Muick. Tools and training pro-vided. Organised to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity.

Time: 11:00am – 3:00pm.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Cost: Free.

Saturday 10th of April – Learn to read or get lost!A practical guide to basic navigation, in-cluding taking bearings, grid references and mountain safety. Bring a map and compass if you have one.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Time: 10-3pm.Cost: £5.

Friday 23rd of April – Birds B4 Breakfast.An excellent opportunity to observe the court-ship rituals of black grouse from the luxury of a Land Rover Discovery. Organised to cel-ebrate the International Year of Biodiversity.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Time: 6:00am-8:30am.Cost: £5 per person.

Monday 3rd of May – Red Deer Ramble.Discover the intriguing lifestyle and learn about the management of the majestic red deer of Glen Muick. An easy three mile walk. Organised to celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Time: 2:30-4:30pmCost: Free.

Saturday 12th of June – Mending our ways.Come and join the rangers as they repair the damage caused by hundreds of thousands of trampling feet on some of Scotland’s most popular paths. Take part in a day of practical conservation action in spectacular mountain scenery. All tools and training provided.Time: 10:00am-4:00pm.Meet: Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre.Cost: Free.

Balmoral Ranger Service Guided EventsMarch to June 2010

Good Food Guide 2010AA Highly Commended

& Visit Scotland Michelin Guide

Dinner 7 - 9pmOpen Tuesday - Saturday

The Green Inn

9 VICTORIA ROAD, BALLATER

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53

For the first 16 years of my life, my father worked at Ballater, leaving Albert Terrace early in the morning and not returning till late each evening. He was manager of the Deeside Omnibus service, owned by his widowed sister Mrs Helen Strachan, known locally as the ‘Reid bussies’. Strachan’s originally took over from the Royal mail horse bus which ran from the Bon Accord Hotel in Market Street in Aberdeen to Blairs, the fleet growing to 14 buses at its peak. Strachan’s ran its first bus from Blake’s Station Garage, Rennie Wynd in 1925. The owner died young, killed at the wheel of his car in a smash that claimed the life of his brother-in-law Archie Middleton. Another brother-in-law, Ian Middleton, crawled two miles to raise the alarm despite serious internal injuries, for which he was presented with an award for bravery at the Victory Hall, Aboyne.

‘My faither didna ken foo tae help Ian fin he lay in the hospital,’ my father told me, ‘Sae he jist sang tae him.’

The company ran two services, one travel-ling the South Deeside Road from Aberdeen to Banchory, then via Ballater to Braemar on the North Road, while the second route went via Ballogie from Banchory up to Ballater. It ferried coffins, livestock, climbers, hikers, tourists. Under parcel regulations it stated that ‘fragile parcels inadequately packed will be sent entirely at the sender’s risk’. This may even have applied to a party of Canadian lumberjacks wanting to go to a local dance one wartime winter. With no room left on board, in blizzard conditions, they were invited (at their own risk) to step into the roomy boot. All arrived safely.

There was an office in Langstane Place and a stance at Bon Accord Street in Ab-

Strachan’s “Reid Bussies”by Sheena Blackhall

erdeen. This occasionally duplicated as a slaughterhouse when a deer was felled by a bus and smuggled in to be butchered and shared out amongst the drivers and conductresses. The main office, however, was Ballater and it was here that we stayed all summer, every summer, closing up the town house in Albert Terrace and occupying a property known as ‘The Shack’, a child’s paradise, with Craigen-darroch facing us from the front window and Craigcoilich looking in at the back window, with the Gairn, the Muick and the Dee, run-ning between the hills and the tiny village.

When the business finally ran out of road, Pipe Major Norman Meldrum of Invercauld led a procession of 40 cars and 200 people as the last of the red buses drove slowly out of Braemar. John Stammers of Birchwood said

Dear Editor,I wonder if readers of your magazine could

help me with part of my research project. For many years I have been researching the history of puppets and ventriloquism in Scotland. Some time ago I came across various references to a Miss Janet Smith of Ballater performing shadow puppet shows in 1938.

Unfortunately, I have no reference to an address, which is a pity. Basically the information I have is that a Miss Janet Smith was resident in Ballater for certain in the late 1930s, and by 1940 she was in the Edinburgh area. Those dates of course could suggest some movement due to war-time circumstances, so whether she was actually from Ballater I do not know at this point.

Janet Smith was very interested in pup-petry, in particular shadow puppets. Among other items she performed a shadow puppet version of “The Merchant of Venice” with her cousin providing original incidental music. I do not know what age she was at this time, but it sounds like it could have been quite a sophisticated performance, so I don’t think she was a child - at a guess I would say she may have been a young school teacher.

Of course all this is 70 years ago now, but it is quite likely that older readers of your magazine might recall something about these performances, as they would have been quite unusual at the time. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who recalls this lady or the performances, or who may have an elderly relative who recalls them. It would be of great interest to me to hear from anyone who can help with information on the above, or who may recall anything else of relevance.

My contact details are: Martin MacGilp, 10 Cullernie Gardens, Balloch, Inverness IV2 7JP. email is martin.macgilp@btinternet.com

(If anyone can help Martin, please also let the Eagle know, as a follow-up article may be appropriate. The Editor)

Request for InformationMr. Colin Davison from Bedford, has

written to Ballater Library seeking informa-tion relating to Dr. Herbert Welch Halton who was a senior judge in the court of Appeal in Cairo, Egypt. Dr. Halton drowned in the River Clunie at Braemar while on holiday on 8th September 1919.

Mr. Davison asks whether there is any further information known in the area about the circumstances of Dr. Halton’s death. If anyone has further information, please contact Ballater Library on 013397 55628.

Karl JonesKarl JonesKarl JonesKarl JonesKarl JonesJoinerJoinerJoinerJoinerJoiner(Now Self-Employed)

For all yourjoinery needs

TelephoneTelephoneTelephoneTelephoneTelephoneKarlKarlKarlKarlKarlfor a

quick response013397 56000013397 56000013397 56000013397 56000013397 56000

Opening Hours:Monday 2pm - 6pmTuesday 10am - 2pm

Wednesday 10am - 5pmThursday ClosedFriday 2pm - 5pm

Tel. 013397 - 55134

Morven VeterinaryPractice

24 Golf RdBallater

AberdeenshireAB35 5RS

How to contact our Representatives:

ScottiSh Parliament:Mike Rumbles MSP

Tel: 01330 820268 Fax: 01330 820106 e-mail: Mike.Rumbles.msp@scottish.parliament.uk

WeStminSter:Sir Robert Smith MP

Tel: 01330 820330, Fax: 01330 820338, e-mail: robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk

aberdeenShire council: Peter Argyle: Tel: 013398 81180

e-mail: cllr.p.argyle@aberdeenshire.gov.ukRosemary Bruce: Tel: 013398 89318

e-mail: cllr.r.bruce@aberdeenshire.gov.ukMarcus Humphrey: Tel: 013398 85332

email: cllr.m.humphrey@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

cairngormS national Park:Geva Blackett

email: geva.blackett@btconnect.com

7

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‘the old chaps who used to work for the firm were in tears. It really

was something to remember.’ Bob Webster, a member of Aberdeen’s

Transport Society, spoke for many when he said “Strachan’s ran such a unique service that inevitably the story of transport in the Dee Valley is the story of Strachan’s.” Tom Patey in ‘One Man’s Mountain, A Grampian Hairst’ noted that ‘The 3.15 from Bon Accord Square was a special bus tactfully set aside for climbers by Messrs Strachan’. This followed an incident in which old ladies had been isolated at the back of the bus by a mountain of rucksacks, only effecting an escape, several miles beyond their destinations, by a desperate hand traverse.

For 16 years, as the manager’s daughter and the owner’s niece, I had the freedom of the roads from the city to the Braes o’ Mar. I could step on a bus anywhere on Deeside and

jump off again, without paying a penny. I could change from the thin Scots speech of Aberdeen to the braid Doric of Ballater in the space of an hour. I could stay weekends with my cousins, the McConnachs, who farmed at Drumneachie and Deerhillock in Birse. Dod McConnach had married my father’s sister Mary, of whom I was greatly fond, and it was at Drumneachie that my cousins taught me to fish for eels, to hand milk a cow, to hand churn butter and to bigg the stooks at hairst time, though very little biggin o stooks was done with the Birse burn so close and the weather warm. Like Byron, who also holidayed on Upper Deeside, I more or less ran wild, exploring hills, cliffs, glens, usually on my own, with a sketch pad.

It was the beginning of Strachan’s tourist season, the warm summer of 1964 and the city was in the grip of a typhoid epidemic. My mother shopped at William Low’s, the supermarket which had imported the contaminated corned beef from the Argentine. I was off school with a splitting headache, which rapidly deteriorated into delirium. My mother immediately sent for the family GP, Dr Alistair Forbes. As a young Flight Lieutenant he had been captured by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore and held prisoner on the island of Hiroco between Java and New Guinea. He had stayed behind voluntarily to tend the sick and dying at the end of the war, when the death rate for dysentery was ten a day. He had seen typhoid first hand, had mixed his medicines in coconut shells till the fever abated. Now he was re-using those diagnostic skills. He sent me straight away by ambulance to the City Hospital, the town’s official fever hospital, where I was locked into the male diabetic ward, quarantined with all other typhoid sufferers for the duration of the summer. As word spread that Strachan’s man-ager’s daughter had contracted the disease, tours were cancelled, profits plummeted. Next year, in February 1965, Strachan’s ceased trading, and the long idyllic ties with Ballater were severed. ‘

(The above is an extract, printed here with Sheena’s permission, from an on-line article published on the BBC Schools Website.)

54

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The Hair Loft

Open Tuesday - SaturdayPlease call for an appointment

6 55Letter from our Editor

By Popular Demand!Ballater Library opening Hours:

Sunday & Monday: ClosedTuesday: 10am-1pm, 6.30pm-8pmWednesday: ClosedThursday: 2pm-4pm, 6.30pm-8pmFriday: 2pm-5pmSaturday: 10am-12noon

‘Bleedin Eyties’by Arthur Chisnall

The next band of ‘foreigners’ to arrive were some Italian POWs (prisoners of war) and these were then billeted in the foresters’ camp. At some stage they had all been issued with brown battledress which had coloured patches sewn on, and seeing them for the first time, the bairns decided these were there to provide aiming marks, should the prisoners ever try to escape. Escape however, seemed furthest from their minds, even though this would have been fairly easy as their Pioneer Corps guards were few and far between and it soon became a common sight for prisoners to be seen strolling quite freely and unguarded around the village.

Unused to the cold, it was amusing to see many of them wearing their greatcoats continually, even in mid summer. The few that accepted work with local farmers soon

acquired bicycles, but the remainder, many of them obviously homesick, seemed for the most part content to just loaf around and wait for the war to end. Many had pleasant singing voices and whenever the opportunity arose, the Lotharios amongst them would turn on the Latin charm and serenade the blushing young ladies of the village. Away from the dangers of conflict, it was for some of them an idyllic lifestyle, but like many things in life just too good to last and one day their fortunes underwent a rapid change.

Wee Chis was hanging around the village green one Saturday afternoon, watching as ‘Holy John’ and his small band of Plymouth Brethren followers arrived to begin a street corner service. This in itself was a bit unusual as normally the services were part of a regular Sunday routine and was usually followed by

Royal Deeside’s Award Winning Highland Retreat

DARROCH LEARGDinner7pm - 9pm

Sunday Lunch12:30 - 2pm

A Red Star HotelAA Recommendedin the Good Food Guide,Good Hotel Guide andScotland the Best

Darroch Learg, Braemar Road, Ballater AB35 5UXTelephone 013397-55443www.darrochlearg.co.uk

Dear Readers,

The lengthy period of deep snow and severe frosts of the

Christmas and New Year period obviously reminded some older

residents of the village of times when snow lasted from before

Christmas until Easter, and made life in the village somewhat

more difficult than it was even this winter. The photograph of

snow in Deebank Road in 1960 accompanying Mary Munro’s

tale, is testament to how easy we had things recently. However, these memories have

now been shared with us, and the Eagle is pleased to print some recollections of

yesteryear. At least the local ski slopes have benefited from the early arrival of large

quantities of “the white stuff ”.

It is good to hear that efforts are being made to provide further organised activities

for youngsters in Ballater, and also improved facilities for the whole community in the

Park and in the Victoria & Albert Halls too. Everyone in the village can benefit from

such efforts, but at the same time must provide input and support to the committees

and people behind these schemes. Without this, potential funders will not agree to

hand out the large sums of money which will be required to make these ideas reality.

Please assist the people who are trying hard to improve life for all village residents of

all ages, either by attending fundraising events or at least expressing your support for

their efforts, thus encouraging them to persevere. Ballater can be an even better place

to live if we work together to make things happen.

Meanwhile, Spring is nearly here, so we can look forward to green days instead

of white ones.

Ian Hay

...so you know What’s Going On

Are Your Dates Here?For inclusion in this FREE section of the Eagle,

please contact our Diary Secretary:Isobel Michie 54094.

5a children’s Bible Class held in a room above the Victoria Hall. A great attraction was the coloured

cards that were handed out to those attending and although these had a

mild religious text, they were still very col-lectable. The children also knew that regular attendance meant they could attend ‘Holy John’s’ Christmas party and it was well known to be the best in the area.

Soon, a rumour began to spread that there was a train arriving with local soldiers on leave from the Western desert and running quickly up to the station square ‘Wee Chis’ saw that sure enough, quite a crowd of excited wives and sweethearts were already assembling. A short time later, in a cloud of steam, the train pulled in and soon the station entrance became a jostling mass of khaki clad soldiers, eagerly hugging their families amid a great deal of laughter and quite a few tears. All of a sudden, an ominous hush descended on the proceed-ings, for some of the soldiers had become aware that amongst the sightseers standing on the corner by ‘Dod’ Rezin’s paper shop, were a group of Italian POWs and several of them actually appeared to be flirting with some of the local girls. There followed a moment of complete disbelief and then a great roar of rage arose from the troops and a number of single men threw down their kitbags and ran towards the Italians, their intentions all too obvious.

Only a short time beforehand, this bunch of war weary soldiers had been up to their necks in sand and bullets, fighting for their lives against men such as these, who now ap-peared to be enjoying all the comforts of their home town.

What seemed to annoy them most, was the fraternization that appeared to be going on with the local girls and the startled Italians, sensing that they were in trouble, began to run for their lives back through the village, pursued by the enraged ‘Desert Rats’ and egged on by

56

Sun 4 Easter Day – St. Kentigern’s Church Holy Communion at 9.30amMon 5 Post Office Closed Crathie Church Coffee Mornings start. 10.30am – 1pm BRHS Mini Spring Bulb Show – Michael Sheridan Room at 7.30pmMon 12 Ballater School New Terms BeginsTue 13 CLAN Walking to Health Group. Meet outside the CLAN Centre, Ballater at 1.30pm. Approx. 2 mile walk.Wed 14 Victoria Week Meeting – Mike Sheridan Room at 7pmThu 15 Floral Art Group - Demo by Edna Matthews - Michael Sheridan Room 7.30pm Wed 21 SWRI A.G.M. conducted by Aboyne WRI Michael Sheridan Room at 7.30pm Tue 30 V&A Halls Committee Meeting - George Beaton room 7pm Wed 28 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers - Upstairs Lounge, Ballater Golf Club at 4pm.

MaySun 2 Judith Bridgland Exhibition opens – McEwan GalleryMon 3 Post Office Closed Ballater School May DayTue 4 Ballater School In Service DayMon 10 BRHS Open Night – Michael Sheridan Room Room at 7.30pmTue 11 CLAN Walking to Health Group. Meet outside the CLAN Centre, Ballater at 1.30pm. Approx. 2 mile walk.Wed 12 Victoria Week Meeting – Michael Sheridan Room at 7pm

Thu 20 Floral Art Group - Demo by Anne Allan - Michael Sheridan Room 7.30pm Sat 22 WALK FOR CLAN – Loch Muick Tue 25 V&A Halls Committee Meeting - George Beaton room 7pmWed 26 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers - Upstairs Lounge, Ballater Golf Club at 4pm.

JuneSat 12 BRHS Sale on the Green at 9.30am

BallaterPost Office

Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Hours of Opening:Mon: 9am - 5.30pmTues: 9am - 5.30pmWeds: 9am - 5.30pmThurs: 9am - 12.30pmFri: 9am - 5.30pmSat: 9am - 12.30pm

Please note we are OPEN over lunchtime

Tel: 013397 55505wwwwwwwwwwwwwww.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.ballaterpo.net.net.net.net.net

Support your local Post Office,you know it makes sense!

FFFFForeign Currencyoreign Currencyoreign Currencyoreign Currencyoreign CurrencyWe now stock both

Euros and U.S. Dollarsfor immediate purchase.

Eagle Eyes...4 most of the young loons. It was just as they were running out of steam that the ‘Jocks’ finally caught up with some of the ‘Bleedin Eyties’ at the Dee Bridge, beyond which lay the hill on which their huts were built and comparative safety.

A few of those caught had their bicycles flung into the river and many received a few good kicks and thumps to help them on their way, but what saved them from a more severe beating was that they just refused to fight. Coming from farming communities and the like they simply had no heart for any more conflict, they simply had had enough of war and just wanted to go home! What then helped to diffuse the situation was the fact that the me-lee at the bridge took place practically on the doorstep of the ‘Invercauld Arms’, which was infinitely more attractive to the thirsty soldiers. Before long, the troops, honour upheld, had all retired to the Public Bar known as ‘The Tink’ and peace reigned in the village once again!

The Italians were not to blame of course and fortunately, as no great harm was done, there was no action taken by the authorities. It would have been hard not to ap-preciate the point of view the irate Jocks held and certainly, for a time, it put an end to the fraternizing! Soon after the Italians moved away, a contingent of German POWs took over the hillside camps and these men proved to be an entirely different kettle of fish, being from the start a much more disciplined force. Those that chose to work locally showed a welcome abundance of craft skills and Wee Chis, being very keen on tools, was particularly impressed when a German tradesman arrived to install a new bath in their house in the bar-racks. Normally this would have required the services of a carpenter, a plumber, a tiler and perhaps a bricklayer and an electrician, but in this case, this one man completed the task perfectly and entirely on his own.

57

MarchMon 1 Horticultural Society – “Bees in your Garden” by Mrs. Janice Kennedy – Michael Sheridan Room at 7.30pm Post Office Closed Fri 5 St. Nathalan’s Church World Day of PrayerTue 9 CLAN Walking to Health Group. Meet outside the CLAN Centre, Ballater at 1.30pm. Approx. 2 mile walk. Open to all those affected in any way by cancer. Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon – 2pmWed 10 Victoria Week Meeting – Mike Sheridan Room at 7pmThu 11 Ballater Housing Partnership – George Beaton Room at 1pmTue 16 Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon to 2pmWed 17 SWRI Meeting – “Two Fat Laddies” – Open Evening and Sales Table – Victoria Hall at 7.30pmSat 20 Ball for ARCHIE - Victoria HallMon 22 Glenmuick Church Guild – “Micah” and Pot Luck Supper – 7pmTue 23 Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon to 2pmFri 26 UDAS – “Painting Wildlife” – Talk with Slides by Derek Robertson 2pm at Aboyne Bowling Club Ballater School Term EndsSat 27 UDAS – “Creating Textures in Wildlife Drawings” – All Day Workshop with Jane Milloy Ballater Golf Club Ladies Section – Welcome Coffee Morning – Club House from 10-11am Coffee Morning - Lochnagar Distillery10.30am -12.30pmSun 28 Palm Sunday – St. Kentigern’s Church Holy Communion at 9.30am The beginning of Holy WeekMon 29 First Meeting of Ballater Running Club – Monaltrie Park Pavilion at 7pmTue 30 Lenten Lunch – Glenmuick Church Hall – 12noon to 2pm V&A Halls Committee Meeting - George Beaton room 7pmWed 31 CLAN Support Group, Second Chancers. Meet in Upstairs Lounge, Ballater Golf Club at 4pm. An opportunity for all on the cancer journey to meet and chat.

AprilThu 1 Maundy Thursday – St. Kentigern’s Church Holy Communion 4pm

STATIONSTATIONSTATIONSTATIONSTATION

Station Square, Ballater AB35 5PBTelephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050Telephone 013397 55050

Popular Informal Restaurant in the Old Royal Station

Open daily from 10am

At Christmas time that year, word went round the village that

a big party was being planned at the German camp for all children

under thirteen. No parents were to be allowed and transport was to be available to collect and return everyone. It was rather a strange situation, for here were their sworn enemies inviting their precious children, many of whom had fathers, big brothers and sisters away fighting against the Germans and even some whose fathers had been killed by them, to a social evening on their terms. At first there was some talk about hostage taking, but this was swiftly discounted when it was pointed out that there would still be Pioneer Corps guards on duty and the prisoners had nothing to gain from such action. In any case, these were sim-ple conscripts and not hard-core fanatics and many of those who had chosen to work were on quite friendly terms with their employers and trusted. By the time the evening in question arrived, lists had been drawn up, from which it was clear that very few parents wished to deny

3Inside Your Spring Eagle:

Donations:Donations are gratefully received,

and acknowledged. You can also put money into our tins in the Library

or Yules Newsagents.

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Quarter page: £20; Eighth page: £10Book and pay for 4 issues: series discount of 10% - copy can be changed each issue

DiaryThe dates you need: 4-5

Walking FestivalOrganised by B(RD): 21

Cairngorm Wood FuelHarnessing our natural resources: 41

Ballater SchoolBird-watching, Haiti and Panto: 30-31

The Crathie PagesCoffee, Xmas and Hogmanay revels: 33

Pottering AboutSnow, socialising and garden planning: 48

Local HistoryThe Horseman’s Word: 36

The Big Freezeby Mary Munro: 50

Berlin WallMemories of a divided city: 43

WintertimeRemembering past winters: 46

Strachan’s Reid BussiesThe Deeside Omnibus service: 53

Bleedin’ EytiesItalian POWs: 55

Local Groups:Ballater Royal Horticultural Society: 10

Ballater (Royal Deeside) Ltd: 20

Ballater Running Club: 9

Ballater Youth Football Club: 28

BOVOF: 23

Community Council: 17

Judo: 19

Rotary: 14

Upper Deeside Music: 26

Victoria & Albert Halls: 27

Victoria Week: 11

Youth Engaging Sport: 34

9 Zero Mountain Freewheelers: 22

Plus....CLAN: 12

Poetry: 38

Demise of the Heather Hopper: 35

and much more....

Contact us: All the ways YOU can contribute: 3

their excited children the chance to attend, for such was the belief people held in those days, that no one could envisage even one’s worst enemy harming an innocent bairn.

In typical German fashion the event went like clockwork. It was well attended and turned out to be a great success and in truth did as much for the morale of the prisoners as it did for the villagers. Every child came away with a hand made gift and one only had to see the workmanship and care that had gone into the making of these toys, to realise how much these men were missing their own families. A bond was established that night which many never forgot.

Seven years later, whilst serving in Ger-many, Wee Chis was once again invited to spend Christmas with a German family. In the candlelight that evening, the glow on the happy faces of their young children as they sang ‘Heiige Nacht’ around the Christmas tree, brought the memories flooding back of that magical evening in the rough log hut on Craigcoilleach.

Highland YurtsTailor made yurts

Choice of seven colourswww.highlandyurts.co.uk

Paul SpencerTelephone: 013397 42295

orMobile 07814 051388

58

LarksLarksLarksLarksLarksGalleryGalleryGalleryGalleryGallery

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Paintings, Sculpture, GlassTextiles, PhotographyCeramics & Jewellery

Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888Tel. 013397 55888

10, Braemar RoadBallater, Aberdeenshire

AB35 5RL

BalmoralSC O T T I S H HO M E T O TH E RO YA L FA M I LY

Open April 1st - July 31st

Castle Ballroom and RoyalDress Exhibition, Gardens,Audio Tour, Coffee Shop, Balmoral Collection andGift Shop

Tel: 01339 742 534 for further information

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The Ballater & Crathie Eagle is made possible by:“Awards for All” Lottery funding, Advertising, Donations, and Fundraising.

Thank You. We deliver FREE to inner village households, and thanks to Yules for delivering some outlying areas with their orders.

Ballater & crathie

Community

magazine

no. 57 spring 2010

60Cartoon ‘Eagle and Robin’ by Luke Strachan of Crathie

Photo of a sparrow-hawk eating breakfast in Bridge Street outside Cassie’s shop, by Glyn Jones, Balmoral Ranger.

Photo of daffodils to make us feel like Spring might be on its way! Kathleen Puddicombe.

by K

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Pud

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