I’ve been intrigued by the lost community of Smithton since I climbed Smithton Hill this time last year, and then read David Dorward’s description of its namesake—“Former farm-toun W of Lundie village, deserted, abandoned and demolished within the past half-century.” This was living memory for Dorward, writing in 2004, because he used to visit Smithton … Continue reading Sidlaws: More About Smithton
All posts by Oikofuge
Magpies & Grasshoppers
I was trying to explain the content of this blog to someone the other day, and I said that it combined two states of mind, the magpie and the grasshopper—the magpie’s hoarding of appealing objects, the grasshopper’s leaping from place to place And that, in a self-referential kind of way, got me thinking about the … Continue reading Magpies & Grasshoppers
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Madeira
To one in search of that peculiar influence known variously as “local colour,” “atmosphere,” and by other generic terms, the first glimpse of the place affords some small disappointment. Not as regards scenery, nor the appearance of the inhabitants. These are all that can be desired by even the most ardent searcher after the unhackneyed. … Continue reading Madeira
Levison Wood: Walking The Americas
I’ve found on these long expeditions that there sometimes comes a point when you grow tired of walking. Walking the Americas recounts the story of Levison Wood’s third epic walking journey—a successor to Walking the Nile and Walking the Himalayas, and a companion volume to the Channel 4 TV series of the same name. You … Continue reading Levison Wood: Walking The Americas
Dave Hutchinson: The “Fractured Europe” Sequence
Very slowly, he turned to put has back to the street, hiding the briefcase with his body. He removed a glove and put his bare hand against the side of the case. It was hot. Not red hot. Not drop-it-right-here-and-run-like-hell hot. But it was still hot. Which, in Rudi’s experience, was a first for a … Continue reading Dave Hutchinson: The “Fractured Europe” Sequence
Sidlaws: The Balshando Hill Expedition
Balshando Hill (NO 278355, 266m) 6.7 kilometres 140 metres of ascent So, Balshando Hill was a bit of a puzzle to me. It’s a bald-topped mound surrounded by a ring of forestry with the charming name of Naiad Wood—a Greek mythological reference that’s unusual hereabouts. And around Naiad Wood there’s a ring of farmland. But … Continue reading Sidlaws: The Balshando Hill Expedition
Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIC: Part 1
By way of a break from the slow building of my Saturn V, this one is an attempt to model one of the aircraft my father flew during the Second World War. It’s going to be Hurricane LB545, stationed with 135 Squadron RAF at Minneriya, Ceylon, in August 1944. It’ll be a reconstruction, rather than … Continue reading Hasegawa 1/48 Hawker Hurricane IIC: Part 1
Serendipity
sɛrɛnˈdɪpɪtɪ serendipity: The faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident. Also, the fact or an instance of such a discovery People like the word serendipity—there’s something cheerful and unexpected about that “-dipity” ending which makes them want to say it or write it, and so its original meaning has gradually eroded away. The … Continue reading Serendipity
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Coriolis
When I was a solitary, bespectacled and distinctly oikotropic child growing up in Dundee, I was fascinated by the little roundabout, like the one pictured above, in the play area of my local park. While my compatriots were trying their best to kill or maim themselves by using the swings, the slide and the witch’s … Continue reading Coriolis
Sidlaws: Blacklaw Hill & West Mains Hill
Another two-parter. These two outliers sit either side of the A923 just east of the point where it passes through the main ridge of the Sidlaws at Tullybaccart. Blacklaw Hill (NO 288344, 284m) 7.4 kilometres 200 metres of ascent Well, this first one is a fine example of what happens if you just look at … Continue reading Sidlaws: Blacklaw Hill & West Mains Hill
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