Epsom...salt of the earth!

Staying at Pauline's sister's in Epsom for a couple of days before catching the ferry back over to France. Here are a couple of shots of the high street.

Was checking out if Epsom Salts actually connected to the town and found this information on this French website : "In the early 1600's, a farmer at Epsom Surrey England found his cow's drinking water healed scratches and rashes. Soon, the locals started to talk and the water became known for its healing properties and it was discovered that the healing properties were due to the mineral magnesium sulfate in the water. Named after the town, Epsom salt was prepared by boiling down the mineral waters found at the springs that arise where the non-porous London clay meets the porous chalk of the North Downs. Today Epsom Salt is obtained mostly from mining operations."

A last winter's walk...on the beach.

 We had our last walk here along the beach  - starting at Doonfoot to the south of the town...

...across their 'millennium bridge' and on to the shore front.It was good to see plenty of people out walking.

Young and old, equipped for the weather.

A break in the clouds gave us this view back to the 'Heads of  Ayr''

Then  it was on to the beach.

 It was a fairly bracing walk but we are glad we did it - good we to end our stay in Scotland.

Church on Sunday...St. Paul's Ayr

Today we visit the church of St. Paul's  in Ayr,  it was built in 1967 to cater for a then expanding population.

The church is very 60's in its design but has stood the test of time rather well

Here's a couple of newly-weds standing by the front doors (Oct,1975)

The inside is quite plain but airy and bright.

The glass in the windows has been replaced by modern stained glass.

Found these facts on the church's website, to buy the land in 1966 cost £240 and the architect’s fees were £8.8s.!! ...a bit like today's market...not!

Calender girl...

It is a tradition at Christmas for us to give Pauline's mum Ann, a calendar - with the criteria of it being pretty and utilitarian - being somewhere to scroll important dates. This year I sent off some of my photographs, one for each month, to the good people at 'vistaprint' and was pleasantly surprised at the result...
here's January's effort. Taken just outside Barrou.

January

I will post them throughout 2013...hope you'll like them...apologies in advance for reusing some I may have featured before but they were chosen to suit the months.

'First-footing' through 'Burn's Country'...

 We are very lucky with the location of Pauline's mum's house here in Ayr, the house looks onto what was the old racecourse now an open space used as playing fields. For one of our local walks we cross this on into Belleisle park and golf course (avoiding golf balls). So it was a good one to have as our first walk of 2013.

Then we cross over to another park 'Rozelle'  and on into the village of Alloway. 

It seemed appropriate that we should be walking through Alloway on the first day of the year as this is the birthplace of  Scotland's national bard, Robert Burns, the man who gave us 'Auld Lang Syne' among many others.

This is the thatched cottage in the village where he was born.

The 'Auld Kirk' in the village was immortalised in his poem 'Tam o'Shanter'

There is also a pretty little garden with a fine monument to him near the old bridge over the river Doon.

The auld Brig o'Doon was the bridge 'Tam' and his horse were chased over by the witches...

and just as they made the bridge,that the witches couldn't cross, one of them grabbed his horse, Maggie's tail...

For Nannie, far before the rest, 

Hard upon noble Maggie prest, 

And flew at Tam wi' furious ettle; 

But little wist she Maggie's mettle - 

Ae spring brought off her master hale, 

But left behind her ain gray tail; 

The carlin claught her by the rump, 

And left poor Maggie scarce a stump.

Here is a view  of the 'new'bridge over the river Doon.

 We then headed back through Belleisle park on our way back to Pauline's mum's house with the afternoon weather taking a turn for the better.

A happy New Year to one and all.

A guid New Year tae ane an aa,

An mony may ye see!

An durin aa the years tae come,

O happy may ye be!

An may ye ne’er hae cause tae murn,

Tae sigh or shed a tear!

Tae ane and aa, baith great and sma,

A happy, Guid New Year!

A guid New Year tae ane an aa,

An mony may ye see!

An durin aa the years tae come,

O happy may ye be!

Church on Sunday...Auld Kirk Alloway

We are staying in Alloway this Sunday and crossing over the road to the 'Auld Kirk' which would have probably have remained just another anonymous old churchyard if it had not been for the 'Robert Burns connection'.The ruins date from the early 16th century but there is also evidence of an earlier 13th century building. The kirk stopped being used in 1690 when the parish was absorbed by the town of Ayr. After this, although it continued to be used as a place of worship and for a short time, a school, it fell into disrepair.(I know I'm repeating myself here but it's necessary) When Burns featured it in his poem 'Tam O'Shanter' it would gain a certain immortality  It was here Tam came upon witches dancing as he passed drunk on his horse on the way home and was chased over the nearby bridge by them.

"Kirk-Alloway was drawing nigh, Where ghaists and houlets nightly cry" - Rabbie Burns

I'm sure it must be an eerie place at night time. 

Our visit thankfully was during daylight hours but even then there was still a certain feel about the place.

It didn't help spotting the 'mortsafes'- a cast iron shield temporarily placed over coffins until the body decayed enough to discourage body-snatchers, who supplied fresh corpses to anatomists.

There are many interesting gravestones within the churchyard some depicting the craft of the occupant in some detail. Other simple stones tell sad tales of families loosing not one but as many as four or five very young children to the illnesses of the times, Yet still others show of people reaching,for the times, a ripe old age.

The most interesting headstone should be that of Rabbie's mother and father who are buried here but sadly it's not the original one - that was stolen - is nothing sacred!

Here is an interesting little video of the churchyard...

Merry Christmas

Check out our little sing-along here

Church on Sunday...Alloway

The parish church of Alloway just outside Ayr has been somewhat overshadowed by its neighbour across the street, 'The Auld Kirk', as it is famously mentioned in the Robert Burn's poem 'Tam O'Shanter'.It is also where his father William is buried.

The Auld Kirk ruins date from the early 16th century but there is also evidence of an earlier 13th century building. The kirk stopped being used in 1690 when the parish was absorbed by the town of Ayr. After this, although it continued to be used as a place of worship and for a short time, a school, it fell into disrepair.

The people of Alloway had to wait until 1858 to again have a church of their own, with a building fund raised by local subscriptions. The entrance to the church is via a side porch which has an interesting floor... 

...letting you know which country you are in.

It also has a couple of small modern stained glass windows

.

There are also a couple of carved faces, one smiling and one frowning which we have come across in France but as yet haven't found an explanation for.

Sadly we couldn't view the inside as due to the times we live in it is locked up and secured when not in use for services.
                                                 

We did find this view of the inside...

...shame we couldn't get to see it ourselves.