AVID DAVA DIVIE DINOS

 What an auspicious day for a walk. The 20th of the 2nd 2022. So, 20/02/2022. I hope they had lunch at 20 past 2 as well as starting with a 2 step!

Any way, enough of the twos already, on with the walk, which, unfortunately the 2 of us could not attend. That meant there were twelve of them which is a 1 and a 2! Here are eleven of them at the car park for the start of the walk. You will have noticed that eleven is 2 ones.

Which way? Dava Way, of course.

We had done a good part of this walk before and it was snowy then 2.

Time for a bit of discussion about dress sense. Who wears white in the snow? Norwegian commandos, mountain hares and ptarmigan, that's who. People and animals who don't want to be seen. People who might get lost in the snow and never get seen by the rescue helicopter, because they are the same colour as the landscape.

Incidentally, who is the little creature peeking out from behind Sandra's shoulder?

Trudging on along the frozen road - reminds me of a book Hugh once gave me, one of the most depressing things I have ever read. Not the most exciting Road trip, I have to say!

The very thought of The Road makes me want to have a seat - luckily there was one, with 2 memorial plaques attached. One to Bruno Cawley and the other to Paula. 

Bruno Cawley was a founder of the Dava Way, and he was also a Buddhist. Apparently one of the last things that he said was that you should " completely empty your mind of all thoughts and relax, that's it." Words to live, and die, by, perhaps. He died peacefully looking at a photo of his Tibetan Buddhist teacher and he was fearless and full of trust that there was nothing to worry about. I hope Paula felt the same.

I wonder if this is what they have in mind when they talk of snowfields?

A bridge. 

The view from the bridge.

Dava Dave and Robin. The 2 of them standing next to the commemorative stone on the bridge parapet. The foundation stone was laid by Lady Elma Bruce. She was born in Jamaica, presumably not of her own accord. She was not, however, a slave girl. Oh no, she was the daughter of the 8th Earl of Elgin. She married Thomas John Hovell Thurlow Cumming Bruce in Forres. He, as well as having a very long name, was famous for being the Paymaster General in Gladstone's governments in 1886, after having been a government whip before that. He was also the 5th Lord Thurlow - there is a Thurlow Road in Nairn named after him or his family, I would guess. That would explain how Lady Elma got to lay a foundation stone.

I assumed this was the view in the other direction. It wasn't though. A closer look showed me the same grand house in the middle ground. It certainly is the view away from the sun, because you cannot see a rainbow unless you are between the sun and the bow itself. You might think rainbows are common as muck, but apparently some German scientists have counted them and they appear, on average, ten times a year. I don't believe it, myself, but perhaps we live in a rainier part of the world than Germany.

The grand house was built as the Manse for the adjacent Edenkillie church in 1823. It is unusual in that it is a Y shaped Georgian house.

I assume that this is the view in the other direction

The bridge was, in fact, the Divie Viaduct. Well, to be more precise, viaducts are types of bridge. Bridges are built to allow crossing of some sort over land, water or roads. Viaducts carry railways and are made up of a series of arches. Bridges can be built in other ways than from arches. Viaducts are cheaper to build. 

Sweetie time.

Another bridge and not a viaduct. there is no railway and no series of arches. The weight of the structure is carried by the bridge abutments, not a supporting series of arches.

Charlie took the best bridge photo of the day. Some thought it a contender for an album cover. 

There certainly is a hint of thrash metal about it all, I have to say, although the bobble hats are slightly out of place. I'll buy a cake at the next walk I'm on for whoever sends me the best sounding name for the band and the album, real or imagined.

Series of arches=viaduct.

I may be completely wrong - Sharon tells me that all the time - but this looks like it might be Edenkillie churchyard. 

Like many a churchyard throughout the country it contains the graves of local members of the armed forces killed in conflicts since the First World War.

In this case there are three such graves.

The earliest grave is for Private Lewis Alexander Anderson. He was born in Dunphail and died in action on the 3rd June 1915 at the age of just 19.

The second was for Private Andrew Munro of the Cameronians. He was born in Elgin and died of disease in Glasgow in 1916 at the age of 41. His brother George died in hospital in Ireland in 1917.

The final grave is for Sergeant James Falconer Anderson, who was in the RAF. He was only 20 years old. He died (along with his 2 comrades) as a result of an accident during low level bombing practice in Somerset on the 4th July 1942. He is in the middle of the picture below and really was just a boy.

It might be said that but for their sacrifice the Dinosaurs might not have enjoyed their lunch.

Charlie holding up the leaning stone with one hand.

Hugh, leaving the churchyard with a Norwegian commando and Charlie.

Time to consult the map - not that they were lost or anything.

Agnes seems particularly crestfallen.

This must be the way.

Another rare rainbow, or was it the same one as before?

I am now in the realms of pure guesswork - not entirely unheard of for these blogs.

This commemorative plaque seems to have been erected in 1818 by Charles Lennox Cumming of Roseisle. He succeeded to that estate and that of Dunphail in 1806. He was at one time a provost of Nairn, but went on to greater things in Parliament. He took on the name of Bruce when he married Mary Elizabeth Bruce, who herself was the grandaughter of the celebrated Abyssinian traveller James Bruce.

My Latin is a bit on the rusty side, but as far as I can make out with the help of Google, the inscription relates to curative powers and his dearest sister.

I'm guessing, but perhaps this is related to this Chalybeate Well, which might well be called the Whey Well. This is named in the Ordnance Survey Name Book for Moray for 1868-1871. This listed the names of houses, buildings and other features that later appeared on OS maps. It cites the local sources for this name and describes the well as having medicinal properties, being heavily impregnated with steel and sulphur. Chalybeate wells were usually heavily laden with iron salts and were often considered to be good for you.

Well, enough of that and of the walk, it was time for tea and cakes.

Pam was off to Brodie like a shot.

Here they are enjoying themselves after a fine walk in the snow.

Many thanks to Hugh, Jacque and Charlie for the photos. They may or may not be in the right order and they may not even depict what I have said they did, but I couldn't have made it up without them.