Spring morning

A frosty start but by mid morning the temperature reached 9C and a farmer to whom we spoke was prepared to say that he thought Spring has arrived. We walked down the braes towards a calm, almost unbelievably blue sea.

Looking over Aberdour Bay towards Troup Head.

This morning there  were larks 'so high they seem a mote, a speck of singing dust', and passing geese overhead,  eiders and gannets at sea, flowers on the gorse and a fox running across the lower field. 

A large flock of shape shifting starlings rose into the air as we passed then settled back in to the field where they were industriously pecking about in the grass. A hawk hovered not far away.

Alder catkins, each  a pendulous s cluster of tiny flowers.

Snowdrops and lost industry at Bungyietoun.

The policies of Philorth House are really waking up, there are now fully open snowdrops throughout the wood. The wood garlic leaves are pushing through and unfurling bright green leaves so that the wood is already pungent. There was much bird activity, rooks flying high in the tree tops and loudly drumming woodpeckers.

Snowdrops carpet the wood underneath this massive horse chestnut tree. Later they will be succeeded by a carpet of celandines. The original name of farm here was   Bungyietoun, from the Gaelic for yellow and Scots toun -a farm. This is generally thought to have originated because of the gorse or broom which may have grown here. Grey Granite thinks that the celandines may be responsible.

Morning sunshine catching the chimney of the gasworks. There was still  a thin layer of ice on the shaded puddles despite the bright sunshine.

 During the 19th century it was quite common for large country houses to have their own private  gas works. Coal gas was a cheaper and safer form of lighting than the alternatives of candles or oil lamps.as early the 1780's Lord Saltoun was encouraging the use  of coal in the burgh because local supplies of peat were becoming exhausted.  By 1797 Fraserburgh Town Council had set up a coal yard and was selling small quantities of coal,  brought by sea from areas such as Northumberland, to the poor.  Fraserburgh had a town  gasworks from 1840.

There are references dating back to 1616 of  a waulkmill at Bonyetoun, one of many spelling variants   of  Bungyietoun, where in 1639 reference was also made to Troquhardie from the Gaelic torr chardaire -'Hill of the wool carder' suggesting that earlier industry at Philorth may have included small scale weaving. 

The gas works probably supplied gas to the original   Philorth House was built in 1666  at was when then known as Bungyietoun, where the estate home farm was situated,   by Sir Alexander  Fraser, 10th Lord Saltoun. The 10th Lord Saltoun was severely wounded at the battle of Worcester but was rescued and nursed back to health by his servant James Cardno who managed to get Lord Saltoun back to Fraserburgh.  The house underwent several renovations and alterations between 1874 and 1876 becoming an impressive L plan house with a massive crow stepped block with central pepperpot turreted round towers and an enormous chimney and buttress at one end. There were stair towers at the back of the house which had, as was usual, the main rooms on the first floor. Philorth House,  became the seat of the Frasers of Philorth until it was almost completely destroyed by fire on 25  March 1915.

Looking across the Wilderness towards the present Philorth House, the ruins of the original house  can just be made out hidden in the trees to the right of the building..

Coltsfoot

Coltsfoot: Tussialgo farfara 

The warmer weather of recent days (10c on Thursday) has  worked its magic. 

Having searched in vain for the first coltsfoot flowers by the Swine Burn  three days ago, today   we came upon two or three small clumps of the cheerful yellow flowers on a south facing verge near Sandhaven Harbour. 

The botanical name of this useful plant is from the Latin  tussis ago - to drive out a cough  and reflects its medicinal properties. The plant, always one of the first to flower each spring,  was used by herbalists as a cough medicine. The leaves, which appear after the flowers, are the main form of herbal tobacco in Britain. The downy felt covering of the leaves and stems was dried and used as tinder in conjunction with a 'strike a light' before the advent of matches.

The Wastart in not quite Spring.

Craig Ogston with roosting cormorants, gulls  and oyster catchers. There was a necklace of eiders strung out all along the water,and geese flew in from the sea. We heard the occasional landward curlew.

Yesterday the iron grey February skies of the last few days gave way to sleet and gale force winds,  apparently the tail end of the horrendous weather experienced in the US earlier in the week. Today the temperature in the sunshine rose to 10c, yesterday it barely reached 2c. The only signs of yesterday's slush and gales were a group of large boats at anchor, sheltering  in Aberdour Bay and feint patches of snow lingering towards Troup Head.

Rufus in typical Border Terrier pose sniffing the air high on the Round Brae.

The Swine Burn, Mill Burn and the Red Well were all brimming with snow melt and rain. Each hollow was bejewelled with temporary lochans

The day felt as if Spring is not far away but we searched without success for the first flowers, scurvy grass or perhaps the celandines which we are told are flowing along the Thames Towpath at Kew.

Washing day in Sandhaven

The  gales and snow showers of the last few days have died down leaving a brisk breeze, white horses sweeping across the Bay of Phingask and  a good drying day by  Sandhaven Harbour. The first yellow crocus flowers are out in sheltered front garden sun traps.