Ferdinand Balfoort contributes a guest entry upon a recent ancestral pilgrimage to Stockholm.
I gladly agreed to write something for the blog after being introduced by Martin to a book by Frans G. Bengtsson about Early Modern Scottish brigades (and brigadiers) in the Nordic region including Sweden. I visited Stockholm in December on my quest to find my 16th century ancestor Gilbert Balfour who lost his head during a public decapitation procedure with a sharp implement, somewhere in the Old Town. So far I am no closer to retrieving his head or his grave site, but some illumination has been…
Scotland
stoat | April 13, 2012Or so says reuters and a whole host of others repeating the same story. The source is draft ELECTRICITY GENERATION POLICY STATEMENT from the shouty Scottish government. You won't be surprised to hear that I don't believe a word of it (I've been pretty sniffy before), but lets read on. Oh, but first, why so sniffy? Because, its not economic (if it was, we'd all be doing it, der). Nor do I see any sign of it becoming economic in the next 10-15-20 years. But who knows, I could be wrong. Lets read on...
They say: The Scottish Government's policy on electricity generation [nd: this is indeed about…
tsmith | April 27, 2009As expected, new potential cases are being investigated in several states, including an additional possible case in Northern California, 2 potential cases in Indiana, a potential case in Ohio and another in Michigan [updated: and some in Massachusetts too]. New York has also confirmed 20 cases now, and 17 more are suspected (check here for additional information--updated as new cases come in and are confirmed or ruled out). Around the world, four in France have apparently tested negative, as have two potential cases in Australia, while 2 in Scotland have been confirmed positive. In Mexico…
grrlscientist | October 5, 2008tags: Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, Wildlife of Scotland, Image of the Day
Wren, Troglodytes troglodytes, near Bridge of Orchy, Scotland.
Known in Europe as "the" wren, and in North America as the Winter Wren.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | October 3, 2008tags: Gray Seal, Halichoerus grypus, Wildlife of Scotland, Image of the Day
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
Gray Seal, Halichoerus grypus, at the ferry dock in Uig (Isle of Skye, Scotland).
The translation of the scientific name for this species is "hook-nosed sea pig".
grrlscientist | October 2, 2008tags: Steinacleit stone circle, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, Image of the Day
Steinacleit stone circle, near Shader (Siader) on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
Construction of this circle probably began about 2000 BC.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
This mysterious site lies on a gentle slope not far from the A857 road, at the south end of Loch an Duin, Shader, Lewis, northwest of Stornoway. Archaeologists are divided over whether this monument is the remains of a chambered cairn or a domestic settlement. There is a circular structure of some 16 meters in diameter situated on…
grrlscientist | October 1, 2008tags: fishing hole, River Orchy, Scottish highlands, Image of the Day
Fishing hole on the River Orchy in the Scottish Highlands.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | September 30, 2008tags: Pobull Fhinn stone circle, North Uist, Loch Langass, Scotland, Image of the Day
Pobull Fhinn.
Stones at Pobull Fhinn, a stone circle on North Uist. On the shores of Loch Langass (visible in the picture), and about 1/2 mile south of the Barpa Langass tomb.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | September 29, 2008tags: Callanis Stone Circle, Callanish, Isle of Lewis Scotland, Image of the Day
Detail of one of the Callanish stones. The stones are Lewisian gneiss, formed approximately 2.5 billion years ago.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | September 28, 2008tags: Callanis Stone Circle, Callanish, Isle of Lewis Scotland, Image of the Day
Callanish (Callanais) stone circle on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
This image present a view of central monolith and central cairn.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008. [larger view].
grrlscientist | September 27, 2008tags: Callanis Stone Circle, Callanish, Isle of Lewis Scotland, Image of the Day
Callanish (Callanais) stone circle on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
Earliest construction at this site dates to 3000 BC.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
Read more about this.
grrlscientist | September 26, 2008tags: Callanais Stone Circle, Callanish, Isle of Lewis Scotland, Image of the Day
Callanish.
Callanish (Callanais) stone circle on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland.
View from southeast.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | September 25, 2008tags: Butt of Lewis, Isle of Lewis, Isle of Lewis Scotland, Image of the Day
Butt (north end) of the Isle of Lewis, approx. 58.5º N.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
grrlscientist | September 24, 2008tags: Baile Tughaidh, Blackhouse Village, ancient human dwellings, Gearranan Scotland, Isle of Lewis Scotland, Image of the Day
Baile Tughaidh.
Blackhouse village at Gearranan (Isle of Lewis, Scotland). These thatched-roof, drystone walled houses were still inhabited until 1976.
Image: Dave Rintoul, Summer 2008 [larger view].
On the exposed Atlantic coast of the Isle of Lewis, the blackhouse village of Gearrannan lies steeped in history and sited in an environment of outstanding natural beauty. Since 1989 the local community trust Urras nan Gearrannan (the Garenin Trust) has been…
grrlscientist | August 18, 2008tags: Eurasian blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, birds, nature, Image of the Day
This Eurasian Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, is from the photographer's ancestral village of Rintoul, near Kinross, which is north of the Firth of Forth, about 20 miles from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Image: Dave Rintoul, August 2008.