Oot 'n aboot on a training walks

Sunday 28th January 2024

As I write I realise that it has been a couple of weeks since my last blog, as I begin this one I begin to ask myself, "what is a blog?" Someone has said that: A blog is quite simply a regularly updated website or web page, that is used to tell a story or act as a journal of what a person is up to. As you read through my blog you might come to the conclusion that I'm just waffling, which I probably am. Now let me begin this particular waffle!

Shona and I have been oot 'n aboot trying to get ourselves into shape for the challenge we are attempting later this year. Our training walks have taken us in and around Falkirk and once again visiting, where it is said the "Battle of Falkirk" took place.  On the day we walked up around Canada Wood, as it does on many days it looked pleasant and still. However, I began to to wonder how different it may have looked and sounded on July 22nd 1288. The blood curling screams as the two opposing forces came together and the brutality of the fight sent shivers down my spine.

On another day our plan was to travel to North Queensferry and walk the Fife Costal Path towards Kirkcaldy, however, having missed the connection at Haymarket we instead we walked from the station instead to Inverkeithing, a distance of approximately 14 miles.

We followed the signed route westward for about 1/2 mile before turning north. Our route took us along the Roseburn Path, a former railway line which is very well signposted. 

I'm always amazing at some of the things you can find along any route. On this particular route we came across a plaque to "Pet Marjorie", see photo below. I was intrigued by this and decided to do some research on her story and who she was.

I discovered that the she was Marjorie Fleming, a Scottish child writer and poet who gained appreciation from Robert Louis Stephenson, Leslie Stephen and it is said that Sir Walter Scott "was charmed by her sweet personality as none else". He called her "the Bonnie Wee Croodlin' Doo".

Born in Kirkcaldy on 15th January 1803, she died on the 19th December 1811. She had contracted measles in November 1811 but seemed to be make a recovery. Sadly she died shortly after just before her 9th birthday by what was described as "water on the brain", now considered to be meningitis.

She is best remembered for the diary that she kept for the last 18 months of her life. It has been said of Her writings The manuscripts of her writings are kept in the National Library of Scotland. Her writings were/are childlike yet she had a very keen literary taste and an eager mind for one so young.

Space and time however does not permit me to expand on the life of this little Angel but without hesitation I would recommend further research should I have piqued your interest.

As I have thought on her life over the last week or so I have been reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 19 verse 14 when He said: "Let the little children come to me, don't stop them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like these children".

Thank you once again for reading our blog.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We're now end to enders.......

Image
  Week 13 When we announced the Shona and Mike Take a Hike challenge to our Church family at Miller Hall, there were three reasons we outlined.  The first was that we saw it as a work, and whilst we knew that works could not earn us favour with God, we believed that by our works we could show our faith. Secondly, we said that we were very much aware of the warning that reminds us that we could, or should, not boast about what we will do, for none of us know what tomorrow will bring. Thirdly, and most importantly, anything we were able to achieve we must, in accordance with the words we read in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 31 that say: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God".      Today, Wednesday 24th July 2024 we reached John O'Groats, and for being able to walk 1131.5 miles we simply give God all the praise and glory, for the fulfilment of His promise, given to us on 28/4/24, the day we left Falkirk to travel to Lands E...
Read more

Who are Shona and Mike?

Image
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog, please be patient with us as this is the first time in our life we have ever tried to write a blog. Not to mention the technical issues of actually setting up our blog page. As you will see we are not young computer whiz kids. Recycled teenagers maybe but not overly PC competent.  Is there a reason we are writing the blog? Yes of course and the reason we write this is to promote our challenge of attempting to walk from  Lands End to John O'Groats,  a distance of 894 miles as the crow flies, but as we are not crows we will need to walk approximately 1200 - 1300 miles.  What about us, who are we? Well! We are a married couple and by the time we start this huge, or as a young friend of ours used to say “mahoosive” challenge, we will have been married for over 48 years (this clearly indicates we are not in the first flush of youth). However, like thousands of others, we have family and friends who have been affected by canc...
Read more

Still pressing on......

Image
Walking week 7 On Sunday we spent some time with Shona's Aunty Ann, as is usual, when we visit, we were amply fed and watered. It was lovely to see her and cousin Derek popped in to say hello. Our walking between Monday and Thursday was generally easy, mostly urban with pleasant weather.  Friday on the other hand was wet, and the hills were steep. The photo on the right is Shona walking towards the Ribblehead Viaduct, in the distance the hills are shrouded in mist. The Ribblehead Viaduct was built during the Victorian era just over the border from Cumbria into North Yorkshire and is undoubtedly the most impressive structure on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. Sadly, hundreds of railway builders (“navvies”) lost their lives building the line, this was due to a combination of accidents, fights, and smallpox outbreaks. In particular, building the Ribblehead (then Batty Moss) viaduct, with its 24 massive stone arches 104 feet (32 metres) above the moor, caused such loss of life that the ra...
Read more