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Aberdeen War Memorial

This commemoration is inside the Aberdeen Art Gallery building. The last time I was up there before August 2022 the Gallery was under refurbishment.

As I recall from a previous visit there had been a Roll of Honour on the wall where this inscription, “They gave their lives for their country and for freedom,” and these flags are now:-

Aberdeen War Memorial

Dyce Symbol Stones

On our trip up north last August we stayed in a hotel in Dyce.

We knew there were ancient symbol stones near there but had never visited them.

They are in St Fergus’s Church, the old Dyce Parish Church but now a fair bit out of town. The church sits on a hilltop beside a bend in the river Don, a lovely situation:-

River Don at Dyce

The church was built in the 13th century but the symbol stones date from the 800s.

Ruins of church:-

Dyce Symbol Stones St Fergus's Church

Symbol stones at nearer end of church ruins:-

Dyce Symbol Stones , St Fergus' Church, Aberdeenshire

Information Board:-

Dyce Symbol Stones  info board, Aberdeenshire

Symbols:-

Dyce Symbol Stones , Aberdeenshire, Pictish

Dyce Symbol Stones, Pictish, Aberdeenshire

Dyce Symbol Stones, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

In the church yard we met a man who who was a retired stonemason and had worked on the church years before, so he pointed out things of interest, including the ‘green mannie’ on the corner of the building which you can just see in the photo below, he had actually discovered it when he was repointing the church.

Dyce Symbol Stones Green Man

Aberdeen 2-0 Dumbarton

Scottish League Cup,* Group A, Pittodrie Stadium, 13/7/22.

Well I was so uninvested in this I forgot to post about it.

The scoreline was much kinder than I had feared.

There’s three divisions between the teams now, so I was expecting a much higher deficit than the 1-0 it has been in the three previous encounters.

Cove Rangers 1-0 Dumbarton

SPFL Tier 3, Balmoral Stadium, 23/4/22.

This was an odd experience. I’ve been at an away ground before where the home team could win promotion that day (Stark’s Park, when Jimmy Nichol was Raith player-manager) and it was a much more raucous affair.

For a team about to win a championship the home crowd was strangely muted. Maybe it’s an Aberdeen thing. Alex Ferguson said that the most encouragement the Pittodrie faithful gave his team was that, “You could hear them rustling their sweetie papers.”

Whatever the only chanting in the first half came from the small cohort of Dumbarton fans giving it the usual. “We’re only here for the party,” “What a shitey home support,” and “Shall we sing a song for you,” were each given a run-out.

We had the better of the earlier exchanges and their keeper made more saves (two) than ours (one) in the first half. Ross MacLean was worked into a good poaition on the left of the box but his shot was at a perfect height for the keeper to save it. Then Connor Duthie had a shot blocked and Josh Oyinsan shanked the rebound wide. Josh worked another opportunity afew minutes later but his finish was a bit weak and close to the keeper. At the other end Kieran Wright came out to smother a shot in a one-on-one. A pretty nothing first half in truth. The home team were just that though, a team, clearly used to playing with each other. Their passes generally found their target whereas ours could be wayward. However they didn’t look like a side hoping to win their league that day, with not much urgency to their play.

In the second half they did step it up a bit, but only a bit. Patience is a virtue and their one good opportunity was put away, former Son Mitch Megginson unaccountably left free at the edge of our box to rilfe it home. There was really only one winner after that, though we had a flurry towards the end. In retrospect the three changes our manager Stevie Farrell made simultaneously on 66 minutes perhaps made us less potent.

The plastic pitch had done for Eoghan Stokes 14 minutes in. It looked like his studs got too much grip on it and he was forced off.

Balmoral Stadium itself is a kind of soulless place to play football. At the edge of an industrial estate and overlooked by radio and microwave transmitters, it has a tiny stand (a bit like Boghead’s old Postage Stamp) straddling the halfway line with flat surrounds beside it and on the other three sides, though with three shallow stepped enclosures on the side opposite the stand. If there’s one persion standing in front of you you won’t be able to see any of the action. You have to be on the rail. In adddition the goal nets are almost touching the “terracing” barriers behind the goals.

Anyway, congratulatiosn to Cove Rangers on their winning the league.

As for us, a nothing game next Saturday before the nerve shredding play-off. For the second season in a row we’ll come up against Edinburgh City, away on 3rd or 4th May, with the home leg on 7th May. I’m not looking beyond that.

Dumbarton 0-1 Aberdeen

Scottish Cup, Round 3, The Rock, 3/4/21.

We should change our name officially to Dumbarton Nil.

Fair enough they are two leagues above us but they didn’t look great shakes. You might say they were there for the taking.

Admittedly they ought to have won by more then one goal since they created quite a few chances. We were indebted to Sam Ramsbottom and the defence for keeping the score down but on the other hand, that is their job.

But we could have played all week and not scored. (If only that Ryan McGeever chance had fallen instead to Jaime Wilson.)

In fact we have played all week and not scored (except for a deflected shot against Falkirk.) If you’re looking for a reason for our league position it’s right there.

So now we’re likely to be knackered and playing a very good Montrose team on Tuesday night and a not too bad East Fife on Thursday.

The three teams we’ve lost against since the restart are arguably the ones we stood most chance of gaining something from and those games are gone, with zero points to show for them.

Sons on TV

Sons game against Aberdeen in the next round of the Scottish Cup has been chosen to be broadcast live by BBC Scotland.

It’s scheduled for Saturday April 3rd, kick-off 12.15 pm.

That’s less than 39 hours after our game against Airdrie (on April 1st, next Thursday,) will finish. And we’ve got two more games before that between then and now. Ouch!

An Away Trip

I remember football.

(Just.)

I remember away games.

(Dimly.)

The reason for our visit up north via Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven and finally Aberdeen last January was for one such away game; Sons’ 4th Round Scottish Cup tie at Pittodrie on 18/1/20.

Ticket to Aberdeen - Dumbarton Scottish Cup Tie, January 2020

Before the game we met up with my younger son and his wife, who were making a day of it, in a pub in Aberdeen city centre for some lunch. The pub had also attracted other Sons fans:-

Dumbarton F C Fans in Aberdeen Pub

They don’t half make a fuss before a game at Pittodrie.

Razzmattazz prior to Scottish Cup tie, Aberdeen v Dumbarton, 18/1/20:-

Razzmattazz at Pittodrie, 18/1/20

More Razzmattazz, Pittodrie, 18/1/20

Teams coming out:-

Dumbarton F C at Pittodrie, 18/1/20

Sons players:-

Pittodrie, 18/1/20, Dumbarton F C Before Game

Teams line up, Pittodrie, 18/1/20

Apart from the result it was a good day out.

I wonder when I’ll be able to have another away day.

Aberdeen’s Art Deco Heritage 7: City Centre

I have already posted soem photos of Deco in berdeen city Cantre but in Jani=uary last year we were up there again and I found some more.

Former Amicable House. I think I showed this here, but this is my own photo. Horizontals, verticals, flagpole, rule of three in windows (which have been poked out unfortunately):-

Former Amicable House, Sberdeen

Capitol building. Stitch of two photos. Some Art Deco styling here:-

Capitol Building, Aberdeen

Detail. Rule of three in windows, deco style cartouches:-

Detail Capitol Building, Aberdeen

High deco light fttings and interior doors, Capitol building, Aberdeen:-

Doors and Light Fittings Capitol Building, Aberdeen

Art Deco Doors and Light Fittings

Art Deco, Aberdeen

Unfortunate relections in this one:-

Art Deco Reflections, Aberdeen

Aberdeen, Wallace Statue and Market Cross

Statue of William Wallace in Aberdeen. This stands near Union Terrace Gardens. It is inscribed, “Willam Wallace, Guardian of Scotland” and in addition, I tell you a truth, liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under any slavish bond, and was paid for with funds left for the purpose by John Steill of 38 Grange Road in Edinburgh, the son of James Steill sometime of Easter Baldowrie in Angus:-

William Wallace Statue, Aberdeen

Aberdeen’s Old Market Cross dates from 1686:-

Old Market Cross, Aberdeen

War Memorial, Aberdeen

Aberdeen’s main War Memorial is located at the end wall of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums. I believe Aberdeen’s Roll of Honour is housed inside the museum.

The Memorial comprises the wall and a stone lion. The wall is inscribed, “MCMXIV – MCMXIX, To Our Glorious Dead, MCMXXXIX – MCMXLV.”

Unfortunately in August last year there were refurbishment works going on.

Wider view. Refurbishment works in evidence:-

War Memorial Aberdeen

Closer view:-

Aberdeen War Memorial

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