#my pic's

[scotianostra]

The Flodden Wall

This perhaps the most photographed part of the wall due to it's proximity to The Vennel, but the wall survives in other parts of the city, most notably in Greyfriars Kirkyard, there is also a large chunk of it remaining at Drummond Street next to The University of Edinburgh, Institute of Geography Building, it leads round the corner onto Pleasance to the buildings on the East of Cowgate. It originally enclosed the Blackfriar's Monastery.

Now Edinburgh was a walled city before The Battle of Flodden, where the wall gets its name. The first known city wall was erected circa 1450 and was called The King's Wall, it enclosed a small portion of the current city centre, running east from the Castle rock above the Grassmarket towards roughly where Blackfriars Street is today. The walls were primarily to the south and east, the Nor’ Loch – an artificial body of water to the north protected the city in that direction, it was drained to allow construction of North Bridge and later Princes Street Gardens. Remnants of the King’s Wall are thought to stand today in Tweeddale Court between the High Street and the Cowgate. There's an interesting wee building in Tweeddale Court that used to house sedan chairs, used by those that could afford them, to ferry folk around the tight closes of The Old Town.

Back to the Flodden Wall, it followed most of the area The Kings Wall did with additions, work started extending it in 1513 after the Battle of Flodden, it took some 47 years to complete and featured towers at strategic points along it.

This wee bit in my photies has gun loop, and a bricked up window, the latter and addition in 1876. As Edinburgh expanded, the King’s Wall became increasingly ineffective as many homes now lay outside of it. Areas such as the Cowgate, which at that time was a fashionable suburb of the town, were dangerously exposed and a new wall was required to replace the ageing and inadequate original structure.

Many historians dispute that The Flodden Wall was a defensive structure, claiming that the wall was never up to the task of defending the town against an invading army and was most likely constructed in order to better control trade and act as a deterrent to smugglers.

In the late 1700s, work commenced on removal of vast sections of Edinburgh’s ancient town walls which were now considered redundant. Very little survives now as a result - though most of the wall’s boundary can be easily traced. Archaeologists discovered remains of the Flodden Wall during a revamp of the Grassmarket in 2008. At the King’s Stables Road end of the Grassmarket, the line of the wall is now marked out in the paving stones.

The Netherbow Port, the main gate into Edinburgh was demolished in 1764 in order to improve traffic flow. If there is one structure I would like to see it is this one, if you get the chance go into Huntly House, The Museum of Edinburgh and check out the model of Edinburgh back then, alternatively Google Netherbow Port to check out depictions of it.

[cheasewedge]

Bothersome creature

[tinablogs-world]

CLICK 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

[cubedmango]

desi miku !! 💃

[ionomycin]

Grief

ref photo by @jawsstone

[scotianostra]

Edinburgh Park Heads

W S Graham.

Doesn't this one have great character? Or is it just me?

William Sydney Graham, known to his friends by his middle name, was born in Greenock, on 19th November 1918. He was educated at Greenock High School, leaving in 1932 to become an apprentice draughtsman before studying structural engineering at Stow College, Glasgow. In 1938 he won a years bursary to Newbattle Abbey College, which was very close to my High School in Dalkeith.. Sydney became interested in poetry, he initially looked to Joseph Macleod for mentorship around this time. He began publishing in the early 1940s, including a collection brought out by the great Glasgow printer and publisher William Mclellan, who did so much to encourage and promote contemporary Scottish literature.

According to Poetry Archive Graham was neglected in his own lifetime but his reputation as a major modernist romantic has been growing steadily since his death. The verse on his plinth is an extract from a longer poem, and as per usual I prefer another of his poems. And it is probably due to me having vivid dreams from time to time and trying to make sense of them. My dad has featured in some, and I had a difficult relationship with him, I think my two brothers will no doubt feel the same. However my dad tried to reconcile a bit during his later years, he was a great grandad to my sisters laddie, Stephen. He got on well with an ex girlfriend that I used to come up with when I lived in Somerset, she loved dancing with him at the club. Anyway the last line of the poem is what resonates most with me, or perhaps it is because he also spent some years in the South West of England, in his case it was near St Ives in Cornwell, anyway the poem is called To Alexander Graham, which I assume was his father's name.

Lying asleep walking Last night I met my father Who seemed pleased to see me. He wanted to speak. I saw His mouth saying something But the dream had no sound.

We were surrounded by Laid-up paddle steamers In The Old Quay in Greenock. I smelt the tar and the ropes.

It seemed that I was standing Beside the big iron cannon The tugs used to tie up to When I was a boy. I turned To see Dad standing just Across the causeway under That one lamp they keep on.

He recognised me immediately. I could see that. He was The handsome, same age With his good brows as when He would take me on Sundays Saying we’ll go for a walk.

Dad, what am I doing here? What is it I am doing now? Are you proud of me? Going away, I knew You wanted to tell me something.

You stopped and almost turned back To say something. My father, I try to be the best In you you give me always.

Lying asleep turning Round in the quay-lit dark It was my father standing As real as life. I smelt The quay’s tar and the ropes.

I think he wanted to speak. But the dream had no sound. I think I must have loved him.

[officialspec]

my friends……........the crystal germs

[bane-of-technology]

ngl I took many MANY pictures of the solar storm, but this one makes me laugh the hardest

[smoosie]

(Which arm, Viktor, huh ? Which one ??)

They were not a couple so, Jayce (who had a very bad day and just wanted to hug it out) proceeded to freak out, backed out of the lab and never mentioned it again but, Astral Viktor, that mf ? He'd be delighted to remind Jayce of that moment in time, of that missed call and watch him die from embarrassment and resentment over himself

(I'm glad they've never beaten the gay allegations and never will)

[graciegreyyxo]

Happy (.)(.) Tuesday

❤ Click here for more❤

[eliotbaum]

My joy, the air that I breathe 🌤

Curse of Strahd, Konstantin (cleric PC)/Lydia Petrovna

[scotianostra]

The Antonine Wall: Rome's Final Frontier'

The entrance gallery in The Hunterian has an interesting exhibition on The Antonine Wall. Having stayed a stones throw from a section of the wall I really enjoyed visiting this, I have posted about sections of the wall, and Roman finds a number of times, the most recent being The Cramond Lioness in Te National Museum.

Built around AD 142 in the reign of the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius, the Antonine Wall ran coast-to-coast across Scotland from the Clyde to the Firth of Forth. This permanent gallery at the Hunterian Museum showcases the collection of spectacular monumental sculpture and other Roman artefacts recovered from the Wall, including richly sculptured distance slabs, unique to the frontiers of the Roman Empire.

'The Antonine Wall: Rome's Final Frontier' explores the biography of this important Roman monument and through The Hunterian's rich collections investigates four key themes: The building of the Wall, its architecture and impact on the landscape; the role of the Roman army on the frontier, the life and lifestyle of its soldiers; the cultural interaction between Roman and indigenous peoples, and evidence for local resistance; and the abandonment of the Wall and the story of its rediscovery over the last 350 years.

The display also reflects the story of over three centuries of collecting and research by the University of Glasgow on the World Heritage Site.

[trek-tracks]

She just sat contented in the comfy chair as I built this up around her

I call this installation “The Cat of Amontillado.”

[ato-dato]

Plus interest!!!!

[everwalldigan]

Dick, on the phone with Roy: I just think that Bruce actually hates me and doesn’t stand to be around me ever

Bruce, standing behind him wearing nightwing socks, nightwing cap, nightwing pants, “father to worlds best son” t-shirt, trying to hide a huge reprint of a picture of him and Dick he brought for Dicks new apartment behind his back: