The Nine Maidens of the Well

"The legend of the dragon that ate the nine maidens of Strathmartine. The story is one of a peasant farmer of Pitempton – about 3 miles from Dundee – who had nine daughters. One summer evening he sent the eldest to a nearby well for water. She did not return and, one by one, he sent her remaining sisters after her.

Eventually, having run out of daughters, he armed himself and set out to see what had happened. At the well he found the mangled remains of his daughters and beside them an enormous serpent.

He fled only to return with a large band of neighbours, among them Martin, the lover of one of the girls. The crowd attacked and the dragon fled first to Baldragon, a marshy area about a quarter of a mile away. It was then chased on about two more miles until Martin attacked it single-handed. The crowd encouraged him with cries of 'Strike Martin' (the origin of the name Strathmartine).

Eventually the dragon was killed at Balkello. It is recorded as the last dragon to be killed in Scotland. There is a stone there bearing the outline of a serpent.

As an old rhyme says:

'Tempted at Pitempton

Draigled at Baldragon

Stricken at Strathmartine

And killed at Martin's Stane.'"

The picture has been taken in Dundee City Centre. Kids love to climb all over him - fierce as he looks. Other statues in the town centre include Desperate Dan and his dawg etc and can be viewd here Dundee Views

on the inside looking out...

This is the view from our bedroom window on Christmas morning looking to the right...no snow but the next best thing for Christmas day. To the left are the Sidlaws and for the life of me I dont know why I didnt take a picture of them in all their winter glory - watch this space - first sign of snow and Ill snap them!

Happy Christmas Flu, to you and you and you...

there was no snow on christmas morning this year but everything was perfectly sprinkled with frost, got a really good one ( i think ) of a perfect web frozen in time. anyway - as i said, perfect christmas, shame about the rest. this is my first day out of bed since boxing day. been totally floored with unbelievable flu bug which is sweeping through our town. people are dropping like flies with it and this was the first hogmany since i was 18 that ive spent sober and not at a huge hogmany bash. gutted. anyway -

lang may yir lums reek.

Christmas is over...

we had ten for christmas dinner this year. first christmas in our new home. it was good. everything was good - the food - the company - the feeling of family- even the crappy table setting ( done by my uncreative self ) looked not too bad once the lights were dimmed. I watched christmas cooks in the run up to christmas and linda barker was full of good table ideas for amatuers like me ( especially ones working on a budget! ) she came up with this idea that if you dont have enough matching cutlery, dont worry about it - tie it in a little bundle with a ribbon an no one will notice. it works - shame about the sore fingertips from tying ten finicky bows - but hell - it was worth it. was so pleased i took a photo!