GregDouglas
Marking the Boundaries
Went off out, across the Solway, on a convoy of tractors, to check that the boundaries of the Royal Burgh of Annan remained intact. This is part of the tradition known as Riding the Marches. There is a huge stone out there, called The Alterstane that marks not only the boundary of the Royal Burgh but also lies on the border between Scotland and England.
Some years the stone is visble but this year it was buried beneath the shifting sands of the treacherous Solway Firth. Luckily we had the help of some local fishermen including Big Spike and George, who drove our tractor, and the location of the Alterstane was soon marked using a bit of a broken umbrella and a wee flag and the boundary was reported to be intact by Cornet Bob, his Lass and the Standard Bearer. She has a big flag.
The importance of marking the boundary cannot be underestimated as many years ago, even before Boboftheglen started the school, there was a nasty incursion into our territory. Some scallywags from a wee village across the water nipped across the sands and nicked the church bell from Dornock Kirk. I don't know if the bell was ever recovered but it just shows what young lads are capable of when they are on the electrc soup. Nowadays they just dae the raft race.
It was a lovely day and we were waving to a wee wumin who was in paddling on the English side and obviously wondering what we were all doing. We last heard her shouting, as she ran away "Tomo hide the bell -I told you they would be back for it "
Marking the Boundaries
Went off out, across the Solway, on a convoy of tractors, to check that the boundaries of the Royal Burgh of Annan remained intact. This is part of the tradition known as Riding the Marches. There is a huge stone out there, called The Alterstane that marks not only the boundary of the Royal Burgh but also lies on the border between Scotland and England.
Some years the stone is visble but this year it was buried beneath the shifting sands of the treacherous Solway Firth. Luckily we had the help of some local fishermen including Big Spike and George, who drove our tractor, and the location of the Alterstane was soon marked using a bit of a broken umbrella and a wee flag and the boundary was reported to be intact by Cornet Bob, his Lass and the Standard Bearer. She has a big flag.
The importance of marking the boundary cannot be underestimated as many years ago, even before Boboftheglen started the school, there was a nasty incursion into our territory. Some scallywags from a wee village across the water nipped across the sands and nicked the church bell from Dornock Kirk. I don't know if the bell was ever recovered but it just shows what young lads are capable of when they are on the electrc soup. Nowadays they just dae the raft race.
It was a lovely day and we were waving to a wee wumin who was in paddling on the English side and obviously wondering what we were all doing. We last heard her shouting, as she ran away "Tomo hide the bell -I told you they would be back for it "