Fearnan Village Association

An invitation to the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning!

The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is Macmillan’s biggest fundraising event for people facing cancer. People all over the UK host their own coffee mornings and donations on the day are made to Macmillan. Last year alone they raised £29.5 million and this year the aim is to raise even more.

The first ever Macmillan Coffee Morning happened way back in 1990. It was a rather small affair with a simple idea: guests would gather over coffee and donate the cost of their cuppa to Macmillan in the process. It was so effective, they did it again the next year – only this time nationally. Since then, Coffee Morning has raised over £165.5 million for Macmillan.

Fearnan is getting involved this year, and you can be part of this nation-wide event by joining friends and neighbours on Friday 29th September in the village hall from 10.30 to 12pm.

 If you can’t attend but would still like to make a contribution to Macmillan, contact Graham on 07804 978082.

Fearnan Carpet Bowls Club

 By far the longest running club to use the Fearnan village hall is the Carpet Bowling Club which started in 1956 – the year after the hall opened. This year, Carpet Bowls starts its 61^st season on Monday 2^nd October from 8pm – 10 pm.

Why not come and have a go – there’s no charge for a first-time, taster session and you’ll be made very welcome. The game, which is suitable for all ages and abilities, is played in a similar way to lawn bowls although there are some differences between the two.

An indoor sport, it’s not weather dependent and is therefore a great way to take exercise in the winter. Health benefits include improved hand eye coordination and strengthened muscle tone.  It’s fun, very sociable, very affordable (£3.00 per session) and is a chance to take part in a team sport.

Fearnan is part of a local League, along with Camserney, Acharn and Killin. So, joining the Bowling Club brings a chance to travel – to Camserney, Acharn and Killin! And in true Bake-Off style, at the end of the year there’s a chance to be Fearnan’s Star Bowler, and to take either the Singles or Doubles Cup.

Go on, give it a go!

Event at The Big Shed

On 6th October at about 12.30, Jill Davies from a project called Rural Wisdom http://ruralwisdom.org/  is visiting The Big Shed at Tombreck to talk about, and collect, ideas for making rural communities good places for older people to live.

All are welcome at the session and there will be a pot of soup, along with some cake, for lunch.

FVA October Coffee Morning

Fearnan Village Association’s last Coffee Morning  for this year will be on October 17th, 10.30 – 12.00 in the McLean Hall, Fearnan. Freshly baked savouries and cakes, fresh coffee and a variety of teas. Everyone is welcome.

Lunch Break

Last Saturday’s Soup and a Roll provided a chance to catch up with friends and visitors over a light lunch.  A select – and very sociable – group enjoyed homemade soup and bread, rolls and tray bakes.

 

Tai Chi Time

Weekly Tai Chi classes will be held in the Hall from Wednesday 27th September at 10.00 am with Liz Jennings.  All abilities (or none!) are welcome and the cost will be £4.00 per session.

For further information please contact Julia Lane.

 

Book Club

 

Forthcoming Events

The Fearnan Village Association’s last Coffee Morning  for this year will be on October 17th, 10.30 – 12.00 in the McLean Hall, Fearnan. Freshly baked savouries and cakes, fresh coffee and a variety of teas. Everyone is welcome.

Mulled Wine and Mince Pies will be served on Saturday 2nd December at 3pm.  Join us to celebrate the start of the festive season.

 

Glen Lyon & Loch Tay Community Council

We are reproducing the draft Minutes of the recent Community Council Meeting to help keep everyone up-to-date with issues that affect our community.  Please note that they will remain as draft Minutes until they are approved at the  next meeting on 9th November.

Please also note the mention of the multi-agency meeting in Fearnan Village Hall on 22nd September, part of which is open to the public.

Draft Minutes of the CC meeting held on 7th September 2017, in Fearnan

Present: S. Gardener, chair, K.Douthwaite, vice-chair, J.Riddell, treasurer, S.Dorey, secretary, Cllrs I. Campbell & X. McDade and 10 members of the public.

Apologies: W. Graham, T. Da Silva, C. Brook & Police Scotland.

Minutes of the last meeting at The Big Shed on 13th July 2017, were accepted, proposed by SD & seconded by KD.

Police Report:

PS McNaughton had contacted SG by email as there would be no police presence at the meeting. The police sent details of a break in & theft of tools from a house between Fearnan & Lawers. They also drew the meeting’s attention to the fact that if there is a noise problem, or any antisocial behaviour e.g. drunken behaviour, fly tipping, verbal abuse, drug dealing, members of the public should phone 101 or the PKC Anti-social Behaviour Team on 01738 476173.

Commanders Meeting:

SD reported back on the Commander’s meeting she attended in August.

Tomdarroch:

Another Amenity Order has been served. The pigs at Culderbeg are still being monitored by Animal Welfare.

There will be a multi-agency meeting in Fearnan Village Hall on 22nd September at 2.30 pm. The public are invited to attend from 3.30 – 4.30 to hear the latest developments.

Finance:

The defibrillator costs have been paid. Current balance is £768.11.

 Planning:

Old Lawers: siting of containers. The application was refused. Applicant has appealed the refusal. Local Review Body Hearing will be on 12.9.17 The CC sent another letter in support of the Refusal.

Boreland Farm: change of use application. SG stated the need to differentiated between what was legitimate CC business and what was a dispute between neighbours. WG & SG saw X.McD at his surgery at The Big Shed on 18/08/17 to discuss compatibility, impact on the amenity of residential properties, impact on existing tourist businesses in Fearnan, the front cabin, effects of extra traffic through Dalchiaran, noise and other antisocial behaviour from stag parties. At the request of Carol Scambler, Shoreside, SG presented 3 points on her behalf concerning: 1) The path being put in by Boreland farm owners from the farm to its section of lochside – little comment apart from general agreement that diverting BF guests away from the village was a good thing; 2) Music curfew of 11 pm in line with licensing laws – meeting accepted as reasonable; 3) Outside curfew of 9 pm was considered to be unreasonable and unenforceable.

IC suggested the BF owners hold a Community Consultation before the application goes to the Development Management Committee (DMC). The meeting agreed – SG to contact owners with proposal.

Application to go to DMC in October. Cllr X. McD to continue lobbying.

Planning List: update was handed out.

 Health & Safety:

Defibrillators – SG had a meeting with Mairi Speedie at the Ben Lawers Hotel on 03/07/17 to check on the progress of the defibrillator. All now completed. CC article in the Breadalbane Quair about the new defibrillator at the Ben Lawers Hotel.

Ambulance Service – KD will attended the meeting in October and confirm that all defibrillators are registered. SD confirmed that all defibrillators in Glen Lyon are registered and Claire Harding is taking steps to make her one more easily available.

Roads:

SG presented summary of email from IC following last meeting

1) Tir Artair – damaged wall repaired

2) Rynachulaich Farm – traffic lights – no imminent safety hazard – no imminent   repair

3) Old School House barrier – deteriorating culvert – work planned Autumn 2017

4) A827 opposite Boreland Farm – collapse of retaining embankment – traffic lights – work scheduled October 2017

Garth – KD informed meeting that some residents are not sure now if they want a sign or not. Consultation meeting between M.Kennedy (Roads), SG and TdaS didn’t take place.

Fortingall – D. Gillespie addressed the meeting re. new signs. The 30 mph sign will be extended to the junction with Glen Lyon & the entrance to Fortingall from the Coshieville direction. Further consultation to take place. No definite plans for work on the Lyon Bridge or the one at Bridge of Balgie.

Broadband:

Application to erect an Emergency Service Mast near Cashlie Power Station, Glen Lyon, did not receive any unfavourable comments.

AB Internet has been taken over by Bogons, transition went well & subscribers now have a Comrie contact in stead of Lincoln.

Lyon Internet – P.Heyes addressed meeting on progress – slow and difficult recently. Decision to be made by mid November between going with R100 or Openreach – further consultation likely.

Fibre Optic – X.McD informed meeting of intention to get fibre optic to parts of Fearnan before end of 2018. Long discussion followed.

Fearnan War Memorial:

The CC has heard nothing more from PKC. IC will chase up.

Correspondence received:

Tayside NHS consultation – Shaping Surgical Services.

Emergency services network consultation

Mental Health Redesign consultation

Scottish Fire & Rescue Local Plan consultation

Scottish Heritage Angel awards

Perthshire Society of Natural Science invitation

Breadalbane Heritage Society re-launch invitation – SG will attend.

AOCB:

South Chesthill Restocking Consultation: replant in one go 2017/18. P.Heyes expressed concerns. SG to send PH copy of proposal – comments by 28/09/17

Timber Lorry Incident: Local resident reported a major delay caused by a timber lorry driving from the Fearnan direction towards Coshieville, meeting traffic & horse boxes at Garth. She notified the police & IC , IC also notified the police but apart from getting an incident number, there has been no further contact. Problems of timber lorries in area discussed.

BT phone boxes: SD reported problems because they do not accept the new £1 coins. SD to contact BT.

Next meeting: Thursday 9th November at the Molteno Hall, Fortingall at 7.30 pm

 N.B Digital copies of Minutes can be obtained by emailing stelladorey@btinternet.com

 

Update on CC Minutes:

Since the Community Council Meeting, the Appeal against the refusal to allow the siting of 2 containers on ground at Old Lawers has been turned down and Boreland Farm have declined the suggestion of a Community Consultation on their planning proposal as it is not a mandatory part of the planning process in this instance.

 

 

 

There is a cairn above Fearnan, clearly marked on the Ordnance Survey Map (OS Explorer map: OL48 Ben Lawers & Glen Lyon). It is high above the village on Creag a’Mhadaidh behind Easter Auchtar. (Mhadaidh means a fox or wolf.) Recent tree felling has helped to make it a little more obvious to the naked eye than before, but the interesting thing about it is that, unlike most cairns, it is not on the very summit of the hill.

Fiona Black, of Grandad’s Cottage, provided the story behind the origins of the cairn and its position above the village. The family refer to it as ‘Dad’s Cairn’.

Fiona started visiting the village in the 1950s when her father, Donald MacLeod, bought one of the cottages in Dalchiaran and the family would come during the long school holidays.

At that time, the house was simply Cottage No 2, Dalchiaran. It wasn’t until much later that the next generation of the family christened it Grandad’s Cottage.

One morning in 1958, the children (Fiona and her brothers, Callum and Keith) decided to climb what was then a bare hillside opposite the cottage. They set off with a very clear instruction from their mother: stay within sight of the cottage. Presumably, so that she could keep an eye on them as they climbed.

The highest point they could reach, and still be in sight of their cottage, was the crest of the first hill. (Technically, they were still within sight of their cottage but I can attest that, at 474 metres, picking out either the cottage below or small figures on the hillside above requires very keen eyesight – or binoculars!)

Conveniently, there is a broken down dyke just at that point and the children set about building a cairn – not a very big one, but a cairn nonetheless.

It was later in that same year that Fiona’s father, and a few friends from the newly formed Ferranti Mountaineering Group, took a break from their more serious climbs on Ben Lawers and the Ptarmigan Ridge to climb Creag a’Mhadaidh and reconstruct the children’s heap of stones into a properly built cairn. Messages were written, put into empty beer bottles, and then buried in the middle of the cairn.

While they were there, no doubt, the mountaineers would have been unable to resist the temptation of going on to reach the summit behind the cairn, which stands at 578 metres. This picture, which is in our Blog’s Gallery, shows the lochan on the summit.

The Cairn has withstood the weather for almost 60 years, and at some point received formal recognition by being marked on the Ordnance Survey map.

The route up is quite challenging and a bit of a scramble at the moment, as the forestry vehicles that have been working up there have destroyed the path. However, it is possible to work your way up to the gate in the deer fence by following the tracks left by their vehicles. The view is terrific ………………..

Book Club News

 

 

Back in May, work started on clearing a site for a special seat at the top of the Cow Park.  The seat was to be gifted by Ian McGregor, in memory of his wife Ann, and the plan was to install it at a spot where they sat on many occasions to enjoy the view.

Two weeks ago, after the seat was installed, the McGregor family came to climb the hill together and inaugurate Ann’s Bench.  The weather on the day, combined with the amazing view, provided a classic Scottish background for their visit.

 

 

The seat provides a link with Fearnan for the family, and Ian is sure that they will return over the years to enjoy the view and re-kindle their happy memories of times in the village.

Ian is grateful to all those who contributed time and effort to help clear the site, but particularly to Keith Brockie, who master-minded the project (and implemented most of it) supported by Hazel. He hopes that the seat will be well used by walkers on the hill and that it will give pleasure to both residents and visitors.

Indeed it will. What’s more, it will keep Ann in our hearts during the years ahead.

This short video sums up a wonderful family tribute. The piper is Ian and Ann’s eldest grandson:

 

 

 

Thrift Shop

Last week, Neil Hooper of Fortingall Roots and the Breadalbane Heritage Society, led a walk round the ruined village of Old Lawers, a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The walk proved popular with both locals and visitors and so it was a good sized group that made its way down the track to the old village.

The track through the fields was almost a time-tunnel, taking us away from the sounds of the modern world and into the atmospheric stillness of the deserted village.

One of the earliest references to Lawers was in 1160, when Malcolm IV granted the barony of Lawers to the MacMillans of Argyllshire and it appears to have been occupied up until sometime around the 1920s.

The remains of the pier still protrude from the water, and are a reminder that the Loch Tay Steamboats used to stop here on their way up and down the loch.

But for centuries before the steamboats, people and goods were ferried up and down the loch, some calling into Lawers on their way. Cattle being brought to market from the south side would be swum across the water to Lawers and there was a time that, on a Sunday morning, half the congregation of Lawers church would arrive by boat from the other side of the loch.

From the pier, following the path round the edge of the loch, we passed the remains of the Laird’s House.  This house was built after an earlier castle (or fortified house) of the Lairds of Lawers was destroyed in 1645.

The old village is, of course, famous for the prophesies of a former resident, the Lady of Lawers.  She is said to have been a Stewart of Appin, married to a brother of the 6th Laird, Sir James, and to have lived in the Laird’s House around the mid 17th Century – although there are no records that support this.

A number of her prophesies relate to the kirk next to the Laird’s House. When Lawers Church was being built in 1669, she had watched as the ridging stones, brought from Kenmore by boat, were left on the shore ready for installation the next day. This prompted the first of her prophecies “The ridging stones shall never be placed on the roof of the church.” She was quickly proved right, as that night a violent storm blew up and the stones were washed into the deep waters of the loch, beyond reach.

An ash tree planted close to the new church was the focus of further predictions. “The tree will grow”, said the Lady of Lawers, “and when it reaches the height of the gable the church will split asunder.” This was taken to foretell of the Great Disruption of 1843 when the congregation of Lawers left the Church of Scotland and joined the Free Church.

She made two further prophesies about the ash tree:

“When the tree reaches the ridge of the church, the House of Balloch will be without an heir.” (The tree reached the ridge in 1862, the same year the Marquis died without an heir.)

“Evil will come to him who harms the ash tree.” (Many years after the prediction, in 1895, a tenant of Milton farm cut down the tree with an axe. Shortly afterwards, he was gored to death by his own Highland bull and his neighbour, who had assisted him, went mad and had to be committed to an asylum. Even the poor horse that dragged the tree away inexplicably collapsed and died.)

Other trees now grow around, and in, the ruin of the Kirk, but the gable end still stands with the window that would have provided light by which the minister, aloft in his pulpit, read from the bible to his congregation and delivered his sermon.

The Lady of Lawers made many other prophesies about the area, both economic and social, and you can read more about them here.

Moving on, we paused at the ruins of one mill and looked down what had been a cobbled lade culvert, towards a second mill and beyond that to the Lawers Burn, which gave the village its name.  Although it was flowing gently on the day of our visit, the name means the noisy burn, referring to the clatter it makes when in flood, as it races down from the mountain above.

 

After the mills, we crossed an old wooden bridge over that noisy burn and walked across a field to reach the old burial ground, Cladh Machuim, behind its high drystone walls.

There are a number of graves inside the enclosure and it appears to have been in use over many centuries.  Amongst the gravestones (some relatively recent) are some old, incumbent, roughly-hewn slabs, one of which bears the initial M and the date 1786, and another the initials W M and the date 1531.

In a small tool shed outside the burial ground, there is an ancient font from a church.

 

And then it was time to leave and make our way back up the track thinking, perhaps, of the three prophesies of the Lady of Lawers that remain unfulfilled:

“A ship driven by smoke will sink in the loch with great loss of life.” (This is believed to  have deterred a number of would-be passengers in the years of the Loch Tay Steamers.)

“The time will come when Ben Lawers will become so cold that it will chill and waste the land for seven miles.”

“A strange heir will come to Balloch when Clach an Tuirc (the Boar’s Stone) at Fearnan topples over.”

Will they come to fruition? Who can tell!

If you are interested in joining one of Neil Hooper’s guided walks, keep an eye on The Quair, where they are listed in advance.

Any lingering doubts that the weather (rain) or competing events (the Women’s Final at Wimbledon) might affect the turnout at our Strawberry TeaZ last Saturday were quickly dispelled. It was a hugely successful event, with over 50 people coming to help eat the magnificent spread of strawberry goodies.

And what a lovely mix of people, including residents, former residents, visitors staying in Kenmore and in the village (including Shoreside and Boreland), some of our ‘regulars’ from Fortingall and some cyclists from Keltneyburn.

Doug and Hilary played a great selection, adding to the happy atmosphere and providing the chance for some spontaneous outbreaks of singing.

Many thanks to all those who helped with the preparation and set up for our Strawberry TeaZ – a lovely way to mark the summer, even if it was raining outside!

Oakbank Crannog

A few months ago, the Fearnan Blog featured an article on Oakbank Crannog – one of the two crannogs just off-shore from the village – which was was first excavated about 35 years ago. On the 10th July this year, the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre team, along with Nick Dixon and the Scottish Crannog Centre, returned to Fearnan all set to discover new information about the site using the latest dating methods.

If you would like to read more about their work in Loch Tay, you can follow their Twitter feed about the excavation here including the day when a beaver swam past the excavation site! (See photo on the right below).

The Book Club

The June Coffee Morning was a well-attended, warm and friendly event, with some familiar faces, some new faces and some visitors who were staying in the village.

We had our first canine attendees: Frankie the golden retriever, Hamish the border terrier, and Caileag the black lab. They arrived with the walkers and seemed to enjoy themselves, despite the fact there were no plates of Bonio biscuits amongst all the other goodies on offer.

 

We’re now getting ready for our Strawberry Tea event on Sat 15th July at 3pm in the hall.  And just to remind you, here’s a picture of last year’s spread…………

It’s afternoon tea with a difference and everyone is welcome (residents, visitors and passers-by) to join us for this feast of strawberry delicious-ness.  We would be delighted if you would like to make or bake a contribution, but please let Sue know on 830493 (it helps with the planning).

Doug and Hilary will be providing the live music.  It’s pay at the door as usual, £7 pp for as much as you can eat, school age children are half price and under 5’s get a free pass.

Work is continuing to clear the bracken around the site for the seat that Ian McGregor is gifting in memory of his wife, Ann.  The view from the site is quite fantastic.

Many thanks to all who have lent muscle power to bash the bracken so far.  We need to keep going with this, and further contributions will be very welcome (what better way to work off the small number of calories you might consume at the Strawberry Tea?).

This month, the Book Club is reading The Kalahari Typing School for Men. It is the fourth in The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith which are set in Gaborone, Botswana and featuring the Motswana protagonist Precious Ramotswe.This was chosen as a light-hearted summer read as many of the group are fans of Alexander McCall Smith

 

 

In the spring last year, we featured an article on the Fearnan Air Crash which told the story of the Russian Airmen who were based at Errol on a top-secret mission, arranged in conjunction with the British Air Ministry. Three of the airmen, along with a Czech colleague, died when their plane crashed in the Cow Park in 1943.

Our ability to tell the story in such detail was due to Anna Belorusova contacting the Fearnan Blog.  Anna wrote to us when she was researching her grandfather’s wartime service, and she has since written a book (to be published shortly) on the experience of the men of the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group who were stationed in Errol for part of the war. The book features a section on Fearnan, and the crash in the Cow Park.

On the 9^th May this year, Anna and two other descendants of the Russian Airmen came to Fearnan to visit the crash site.  For Anna, it was her second visit, and this time she brought Valery and Peter Petrovichev, the son and grandson of one of her grandfather’s fellow airmen.  Both have followed in Grandfather Petrovichev’s footsteps and the family now has three generations of airmen. Bradley Borland, one of the custodians of the Errol Airfield and its history, accompanied them to Fearnan.

The 9^th May is V-Day in Russia (similar to VE Day in the UK) when servicemen and women are honoured, so it was a very appropriate day for them to visit the crash site.

From the crash site, we went to the War Memorial, where Anna, Valery and Peter left a wreath in memory of their countrymen who died so close to the village. For Valery, it was the realisation of a long held an ambition to visit Scotland and see the places where his father served in WW2.

At a ceremony held at Errol Airfield earlier in the day, Anna and Valery had laid a wreath to commemorate the role of the 60 Russian pilots, navigators and engineers who were based in the Carse of Gowrie.

Valery and Peter live in Moscow and they were much taken with Fearnan’s hills and mountains, the loch and the different flora and fauna in Scotland.  Lots of photos were taken, while the lambs on the Brae were the cause of much amusement. In Russia, sheep are reared in the Caucausus region, so lambs gambolling in fields are not such a familiar sight.

Next year will be the 75^th anniversary of the Fearnan Air Crash and Anna is working on a plan to mark the occasion in conjunction with the Russian Consulate and colleagues at the Errol Air Base.

Valery and Peter brought a gift for Fearnan to thank us for helping to keep alive the memory of the airmen who died in 1943.  It is a model plane that is the symbol of Vnukovo Airport, which was the Russian base of the Moscow Special Assignment Air Group. The plane is a TU-104, Russia’s first commercial jetliner, and we shall put it in the glass cabinet in the Hall.

Ann’s Seat

Meanwhile, across on the other side of the Cow Park, work was starting to clear a space for a special seat which is to be installed at the top of the path from Quarry Road to Drummond Hill. Ian McGregor is gifting the seat in memory of his wife Ann who died last year, and it will mark a spot where they often sat to admire the wonderful view down the loch and to the hills beyond. A number of volunteers met to start the process of clearing the bracken around the spot, although there is still a lot of work to  be done.

The FVA has bought some tools for the task and if you’re interested in volunteering for some bracken bashing, please contact The Blog and we’ll try and arrange dates that suit most people.  The tools are available anytime for volunteers to use.

May Coffee Morning

The May Coffee Morning was well attended and provided a chance for much catching up and chat. Looking at the photos below, I’m just wondering if I missed the announcement that striped tops were to be worn!

What’s On?

 The next Coffee Morning is on Tuesday 20^th June at 10.30 am in the Hall and our summertime extravaganza, Strawberry TeaZ will be served on Saturday 15th July at 3pm in the Hall.

The May Book Club met to discuss “Secret Scriptures” by Sebastian Barry. It stimulated a range of responses around the rich language and the plight of the main character. The film is currently showing at the Birks cinema in Aberfeldy and some book club members have expressed interest in going to see it.

Next month’s book is To be Continued by James Robertson described as a “madcap Highland adventure from the Booker-longlisted author of And The Land Lay Still, and The Testament of Gideon Mack”.

 The Group previously read his earlier novel The Testament of Gideon Mack which most enjoyed. It has been agreed that in future the group will meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, which means that the June meeting will be held on the 14^th June. 

 

 

 

 

This week, we start with a little tale of some recent detective work. It involved a painting and was a bit like an amateur version of the BBC’s Fake or Fortune programme – except we knew all along exactly who the artist was; it was the location that we were trying to verify.

It all started when Bill Craig, who lives in Dumfries and Galloway, emailed The Blog to ask if we could pinpoint the location of a painting by the artist, Alastair Dallas. Bill inherited the painting, and when it was re-framed he discovered the inscription “Clach Eurich, Fearnan. Alastair Dallas 1944.”

Did this location still exist, he wondered?

The watercolour is a very attractive landscape but the name, and indeed the location, had us scratching our heads.

Alastair Dallas was a professional artist who was based in Kirkcudbright – but what was his connection with Fearnan, and where had this picture been painted?

The first step was to contact two other Alastairs (or, to be exact, an Alastair and an Alistair). That’s Alistair Kininmonth, who has a lifetime’s knowledge of this area, and Alastair Barnett (now in British Columbia) who was at school in Fearnan at the time the picture was painted.

But neither of them could place the picture or the name, Clach Eurich. Alastair B, however, did remember the artist:

“I remember Alastair Dallas. He visited during the summer and rented the cottage next door to Springbank Cottage.

“He was a colourful character dressed in kilt and Deerstalker hat. Usually, he was accompanied by one or two young men and he didn’t seem to mind us children tagging along with him and his companions when he’d walk by the loch. (I remember one of his young friends was called Robin.) 

“Dallas painted a small picture of Springbank and it hung by the fireplace in the front room of the Butters’ cottage.

I don’t remember him ever being in the village in winter.”

 That last sentence suggested the possibility that the picture might been painted in Dallas’ studio, based on sketches made during one of his visits to Fearnan. But where had he been sketching?

The next port of call was the Fearnan Archive, to see if there were any references to Clach Eurich or find any other clues that might help with the mystery. And, hey presto! A photo of Dalchiaran in the snow, probably taken in the 50’s or 60’s, started to look promising.

That tree looks very like the tree in the painting. The roof lines are right. Neither tree nor cottages sit on a hillside, but the land does start to rise behind the cottages, as the second photo (below) shows. Both photos were taken around the same time.

There’s no burn on that side of the road, and there is one on the other side of the road – so we have all the component parts of the picture but just not in the right order! Perhaps, just perhaps, Dallas made individual sketches in Dalchiaran and used artistic licence to create a dramatic landscape higher up the hill, along with a sketch of the stream from the other side of the road to fill the foreground.

After 73 years, I’m not sure that we can get any closer than that – unless one of the readers of The Blog has another suggestion. Please get in touch if you can throw any further light on this, or on the name Clach Eurich. Sue spotted that it is not dissimilar to Clach na Cruich (or The Measles Stone), but the picture doesn’t depict either the stone or the field in which it sits and which is named after it. In the 1940’s, the cottages did not have individual names, but were known as Cottages 1-4, Dalchiaran, so it can’t be a house name.

Does anyone know what happened to the picture that Alastair Barnett mentions of Springbank Cottage? And are there any other pictures of Fearnan by Alastair Dallas? Please contact The Blog if you can help.

 

Social events continue apace, and the April Coffee Morning was a very enjoyable and sociable event, with lots of chat and people catching up after Easter.

It was very well attended and numbers were boosted by the Walking Group who arrived ready for coffee and cake after their exertions.

And following hot on the heels of the Coffee Morning was the latest Charity Quiz Night run by the Hall Committee, and which raised over £200 for the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance Service, and Hall Funds. Our Star Baker (Frances) won the Star Prize in the raffle – a spanking new TV! Many thanks to Tricia and Tom Coyle for generously donating this prize.

The next event is the May Coffee Morning, on Tuesday 23^rd May at 10.30am in the Village Hall.

 

 

 

 

Last Saturday we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the FVA, and 10 years of social events and of providing a collective voice for the village.

The birthday party was a very warm and friendly occasion – and a chance to enjoy a delicious afternoon tea along with a glass of fizz.  The Hall was looking splendid, all beautifully set for tea, while Fran and Elaine’s ‘proper’ china tea sets added a real touch of class.

 

This anniversary seems a good moment to have a quick look back at the past 10 years, and to remember the fun, the friends and, of course, the food! So here’s a short(-ish) selection of the many, many photos we’ve taken over the years.  They are more or less in chronological order ………………

And it’s all been done with ………

If you’re in the mood for more, there’s a Coffee Morning on April 25th in the hall at 10.30am.

But before that, there’s another Quiz Night on Saturday 22nd April at 7pm in the Hall.  It’s £7.50 per person, which includes a two course supper and as many quiz questions as you can answer. There will be a raffle and proceeds are in aid of the Scottish Charity Air Ambulance, and Hall funds.