Birthday + Halloween

Whoever says that growing old can be a good thing should be shot at point blank range. Seriously! Yesterday (27th Oct) was my 29th birthday and although I had a really good day...it means I'm one year older and one year closer to hitting the half way mark in my life. Sucks, I tell ya. Birthdays just aint the same like when you were a kid. I wish I had those days again. I mean who would really pass up the chance of living your childhood again? If you really think about it, and there was the option of knowing what you know now, you would do things a whole lot different. Just think of what you could achieve by making sure you paid better attention at school (like I wish), dating that guy/girl you lusted after...the list can be endless. I wish I had done things a whole lot different. Maybe I wouldn't be sitting here typing this out. I would have followed my dream and I would be a star in the West End, on the TV or on the big screen. Who really knows? I guess people will just say I'm feeling sorry for myself. You can make up your own mind about that.

On to the Halloween part. For my birthday I decided to treat my mum and I to a night out that could have ended in pure terror! We attended an evening of The Haunted Side of Fyvie Castle. Fyvie Castle is in Aberdeenshire and it is the most beautiful castle I have ever seen. Inside and out. Our evening began at 9pm with mulled wine and orange juice and a talk with the main tour guide of the Castle. Then it was downstairs for dinner of either chilli or vegetable stovies. Then we were moved to another room where a little mini play was performed for us and then it was back to the Dining Room for dessert.

We then split into groups of 17 and each group was taken around the Castle and told all about the history. When we reached "haunted" rooms we were told the different haunting stories. The main haunting that is spoken about is said to be that of Dame Lillias Drummond, wife of powerful Alexander Seton, the Earl of Dunfermline and Chancellor of Scotland. It's said that her husband locked her in the Gordon Bedroom after she failed to give him a son. He told her she wouldn't be allowed to leave that room until she gave birth to a son. She never granted his wish and she died in 1601. 9 months later Seton married his step niece, Grizel Leslie. On their wedding night, in what is now know as the Drummond Room, they were repeatedly disturbed by sighing and moaning coming from the window. In the morning, they found an inscription - Dame Lillias Drummond - facing outwards, distinctly carved with fine lettering into the outside of the window sill, some fifty feet above ground. The inscription is still there, and can be seen during a visit to the castle.

We were taken to the Gordon Bedroom and the guide was telling us a little about the history. She was about to take us into a small room just off from the bedroom when I heard a clink noise and at the same time my mum jumped and pointed. She had seen a large perfume bottle on the dressing table POP open. No one else has seen/heard anything and carried on walking to the other room. When the guide came out I asked her if that sort of thing happened and she said a couple of people had mentioned it before. She then picked up the perfume bottle and held it out for me to smell. There was a strong smell of rose perfume coming from it. She said there had been nothing in the bottle of YEARS. Some times it would have a smell and others it wouldnt. It's said that if there is a smell from the bottle that Dame Lillias was there.

Our tour carried on for a few more minutes and then everything had to come to an end. All in all it was a fucking brilliant night! and I plan on going back very soon before the season finishes. Just in the hope that the bottle top will pop open for us again. I hope you all have a nice Halloween night. Whatever your plans are. Happy Halloween from us all at Online Storm.

Lonach Gathering 2007

Well, another year and another Lonach Gathering and yet more camping.

The Lonach kicked off on the 25th Aug at Bellabeg, Strathdon with the march of the clansmen (which I missed) and the rest of the day was even better than last year! It did rain but my sunburn shows that the sun came out.

We headed off to set up camp on the Friday. With only 3 if us being there this year it didnt take long to get things set up and by 7pm we were all ready to get the BBQ going for some food-age. By 9pm we were starving because we had problems getting the BBQ going but all was not lost. Nod got his cooker going and then we were set.

The Saturday was busy. With all the usual stalls and entertainment I felt right at home. For people's viewing pleasure I took a video of a Pipe Band playing for the crowd and as part of a competition. They're playing Flower Of Scotland and Scotland The Brave. I shall apologise right now for the swearing you'll hear. That is me and my foul mouth lol.



Here's a couple of pics of our tents. Not that exciting. Pic 1 (our tent) and Pic 2 (Denise and Nod's tent)

After having a tea break back at the camp site, Denise, Nod and myself headed back to the main area and finally got good pics of Billy Connolly (scottish comedian) and if you click here you'll find a picture of his wife Pamela Stephenson (actress, comedian and now clinical psychologist) These are the best pics we've ever got of them.

After spending some time in the main area we called it a day and on the way back I decided to take a vid of Jake. This guy is there every year and every year he can be seen by the road playing for the public. He must make a fortune with his busking. He always wears the same gear and he always plays the same songs but he's brilliant! Denise can be seen in the background in the red jacket and Nod can then be seen and heard saying "Cya next year!"



and just for my enterainment here's a pic of my mum and Denise dancing to the TimeWarp. Maybe my mum will stop by and have a look. If she does...HIYA MUMMY!!!!! LIKE YOU PICTURE?!?! ahahahahaha <3!! Please don't kill me for putting it on here. Our viewing puplic will love it!

All in all we had a smashing time! We're already thinking of things to buy next year to try and beat Denise and Nod and maybe I'll be able to get a vid of Billy Connolly for all to see. If you have no idea who Billy Connolly is then you can look at his website here or check out his vids on youtube here. See how nice I am? I even got you the search page so you don't have to do it yourself! You can also read about 2006 and 2005's Lonach Gatherings here or by clicking the Lonach label at the side. I hope you enjoy watching the videos and looking at the pics.

Offensive? Do me a lemon!

While reading a newspaper on Sunday I came across an article about Scottish history and it annoyed me!

IT has been hailed as Scotland's greatest victory over the Auld Enemy by everyone from Robert the Bruce to the Tartan Army. But now the National Trust have decided that the Battle of Bannockburn was "not England v Scotland". The claim, made at a meeting to plan today's annual re-enactment of the 1314 battle at Bannockburn Heritage Centre and monument, has outraged historians.
National Trust Scotland's West Regional director Michael Hunter said it should be seen as a feud between two kings - Robert the Bruce and Edward II. In a taped record of the meeting, he claimed: "We have to be quite careful how we present the battle - it is not England v Scotland. "It was two kings fighting against each other."

What a crock of shit! It was England v Scotland to which we won. Why should it be changed to King v King? It's an important part of Scottish history and people should NOT be denied the truth! Robert The Bruce led Scotland in that battle and it gave us our independence. We have a right to be allowed to keep it the title of England v Scotland.

The Trust's property manager at Bannockburn, Alison Corley, said: "If you just make it a Scottish and English battle then you are not doing it justice.

It's worked well for many years and it's done the battle a lot of justice. Why change it now?! In case someone is offended? WHO? Has anyone been offended before? From what I know..English people have been to visit the site for many years and to my knowledge have never been offended. In this day and age more things cause offense to people but why is that? If it's never bothered them before, then why the change of mind? It pisses me off that the smallest little thing can be classed as offensive to people. We seem to be walking on eggshells every minute of the day, and me personally I'm sick of it. I will always class the battle of Bannockburn as England v Scotland and if I offend someone I don't care. Scottish history, and any countries history, should NOT be changed to suit other people. We need to be proud of our history and we need to stand up and voice our opinion if people want to change it!

You can read the story from the newspaper here and about the Battle of Bannockburn here.

Pictures from Scotland

This is a new thing I've decided to do. Me and my camera are traveling. We're on a quest. A quest of great importance. We're taking pictures of Castles/Manor Houses/Anything historic in Scotland.

I decided to start this because I found it hard to find pictures of places to show Luna. I mean, you can find some pictures but some are very limited. My pictures are not bad. They're not great but at least it shows you different things about each place.

So far I've got pics of Glenbuchat Castle which is located on a bluff above the River Don in Aberdeenshire. It was built in 1590 for John Gordon of Cairnbarrow and his wife Helen on the occasion of their wedding. You can read more about the castle here.

I always have pictures of Leith Hall in Aberdeenshire. Leith Hall was built by the Leith family in 1650 and remained in the Leith-Hay family until 1945. There were extensions added to Leith Hall in 1738, 1810 and in 1904. It was built on the site of the medieval Peill Castle. You can read more about Leith Hall here, and you can also read about their ghosts! I've not been inside Leith Hall yet. It wasnt open for visitors but when it is, I'll be adding more pictures.

I hope people enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I did taking them. Loads more historic places to come. So keep checking back for updates. There is a listing on the side of the blog to everywhere I've taken pictures of.