Saturday pics of the week

Pics 1-5 are by John Patton

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Pic 2

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Pic 5

“Given that one of your Republican contributors derides Scotland’s right to self-determination, sensing little that sets it apart culturally or nationally from Berkshire or Essex, I shall choose my words with care.

Highland Games are held across Scotland during the summer months. They have a long tradition and celebrate ancient sporting battles between clans. Anecdotally, it is believed that the Chieftain used them a s a display to select his strongest clan members as fighters and bodyguards.

Many events at today’s Highland Games still use items which would have been part of everyday life in the Highlands of old eg. round stones from river beds probably provided the original shot-putts while a Scots pine trunk shorn of its branches is still the caber as tossed at our local event. These pictures were taken at Alva Games , a community celebration which has been held annually for over 150 years, except for breaks during two World Wars.

A fair – ‘the shows’ as they are known locally, attends for the weekend.

For the technically minded, in some of these shots, I have used a slow shutter 1/20 sec, hand held , to suggest movement where appropriate.

Pics 6-9 are by Perkin Warbeck

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Pic 7

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Pic 9

DREAM   BOAT

by

Perkin Warbeck

PHOTO 6:     Lago di Como

PHOTO 7:     Which Celeb’s house is that, Caleb?

PHOTO 8:     Mama Mia ! It’s Gorgeous George’s !

Cue scramble of Camera-toting Senior Citizens from Starboard to Port (looked it up,

Mimsy!). Tourist vessel almost capsizes but ship is steadied after a few nervous nautical

moments. Tabloid Headline still on hold: : ‘Dream Boat sinks Tourist Vessel !’.

PHOTO 9:       The local Luciano, styles himself ‘Il Perry Como del Lago di Como’. Il Perco

requested him to warble Gorgeous George’s Auntie Rosemary’s biggest hit: ‘This Old

House’. Carried it off nessun problema (obviously having warbled it before on numerous

occasions) and fully deserved The Big Hand / La Grande Mano he had thoughtfully

provided himself with:

‘Questa vechhia casa

Conosceva i suoi figli……’

Pics 10-12  are by Siobhan McMahon (and my apologies for omitting them yesterday – Tá bron orm, Siobhan…)

Pic 1o

Pic 11

Pic 12

“Pic 10: I spotted these two guys at a viewpoint in the Black River Gorges National Park in Mauritius at Easter, just a few feet from and totally unfazed by the many tourists around.

Pics 11 + 12:  Pic 11  is the Pasterze glacier which lies beneath the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain. And Pic 12 is one of the displays from the Wieliczka Saltmines near Krakow.