A wee bit of Tweed Green

Just some of the houses along Tweed Green. The higher buildings are along the High Street. On the right is St Andrews Leckie church in the Eastgate.

View from Tweed Bridge

The Parish Church dominates the Peebles skyline. In front is The Trust - The Bridge Inn - on the ground floor and Franco's pizzeria on the upper floor. Photo taken from Tweed Bridge.

wally dug!

You know those china dogs the Victorians used to stand one at each end of the mantelpiece. We call them wally dugs here in Scotland. This picture, taken in the High Street, made me think of a wally dug!

Lyne

Some countryside today, near Lyne, within easy walking distance of Peebles. At this stage of the year the wild flowers growing along the sides of the road make an excellent foreground to the

gentle hillside scenery behind.

Neidpath Castle

Not far from the site of the new school is 14th century Neidpath Castle, one of a series of fortified towers that were built along the valley of the river Tweed. Originally the stronghold of the Fraser family, it is now owned by the Earl of Wemyss. Its situation on a bluff above the river makes Neidpath a pretty impressive looking castle.

Unfortunately the castle is not open to the public just now. Instead it seems to be concentrating on becoming a special wedding venue, which I am sure it will be, but I am sorry not to be able to visit it any more.

New school

A new school is being built right next to the main road west out of town. The whole project has been controversial ever since Day 1. Basically it is to replace Kingsland Primary School (built on the King's Land) on the north side of the town around a century ago, and whose population has now outgrown the building. Land nearby was suggested, and, I believe, offered, for the new school but excuses as to why this land should not be considered were several - and stupid. It feels like this site beside the main road and nowhere near Kingsland has been railroaded through by members of the council, for whatever reason, despite massive opposition from parents, and other interested parties. To most of us the new site is a most ridiculous choice, but as you can see work is progressing nonetheless and I think it is due to be completed next year. It continues to be controversial in the choice of name. Should it remain Kingsland, or take on a new name with the new building, something that will reflect the area where it is now to stand?

Doctor's house

Lindores is the name of this corner house, built by local doctor, Clement Gunn, a very popular doctor and figure around Peebles in the late 19th century through to the 20th . We have him to thank for some aspects of our annual festival as it was he who suggested new innovations for the Beltane week which are now all part of the tradition.



Amazon's product description of his book - Leaves from the Life of a Country Doctor - says the following: -
"In this work, Clement Gunn presents not only his personal memories of his life as a country doctor but also provides an insight into the tales and traditions of one of Scotland's most beautiful areas. The Borders was a very different place when he went there to practise in 1885 than it is today. As a country Clement Gunn he saw life in both its best and worst aspects; from the poorest hovels to the great houses of the country gentry. Covering his practice on horseback and foot, this highly educated man noted and commented with great perception on both the great events that shaped his times and the more intimate details of daily life; from the weather to the death of Queen Victoria, from Belgian refugees arriving in 1914 to his purchase of a motor tricycle."

The Old Town

This is the last remaining single storey house in the Old Town, Peebles, although it has had an attic conversion to add another room upstairs.
The bigger window on the right that looks as if it might have once been another door, was actually an external passageway to the back of the house. You can see by the position of the chimney that the "end" of the house was to the left of the passageway.

On holiday

I'll be back in a week or so, after enjoying myself visiting friends and touring in the west and south west of Ireland. I love the shape of Ireland - a bit like a bichon frise puppy I used to know, if you turn it 90 degrees to the left!

Red Letter Day

Today's the day the kids got their turn to star. The Beltane Queen and her court were chosen a few weeks ago and since then, there has been a lot of training and practising going on - all for the big day today when the Queen is crowned. Tradition based on many years takes centre stage and it is with great dignity and pomp that the ceremony takes place. Those who are not in the main entourage dress up as characters in traditional groups that have generally been part of the Saturday proceedings for many years. It is not uncommon to hear visiting ex-pats ask of each other "What were you in the Beltane?", So Andrew, I ask, "What were you?"

There are sailors and soldiers, penguins, children of other lands, flower girls, characters from Toyland, and so many others.

While the court stands at the top of the church steps, and the Queen receives her crown, all these other children have to stand on the lower steps and try not to look tired and fidgety - a tall order since the whole spectacle does go on a bit. Finally the deed done the Queen and her courtiers descend the steps and are helped into horsedrawn landaus , while the rest of the children troop off the steps in an orderly fashion to find their floats for the parade that will follow.

Pretty much everyone turns out to line the High Street for the big parade where parents, uncles and aunties, grandparents and the cousins can wave and shout Hur-ray! to their family member, throwing them a few sweets/candies/lollies as is also traditional.

After parading along the High Street and back, the lorries and landaus take a fixed route round the streets of the town, by which time the children are definitely tired and fed up! All the sweeties are gone and no-one to throw any more in the outlying parts of town. However, once they return to Tweed Green and the festival is all but over, they soon revitalise with the thought of an afternoon at the Shows, which is what we call the Fairground that has set up in a local park on the south of the river!

At night, the last event of the week was the Beating Retreat, an extravaganza of pipe bands from various towns, in Scotland and often further away. Then it is over! The bands disperse. The Shows move on, and tonight the bunting, flags and pennants will be taken down. Tomorrow it will seem like it never happened.