We have a new bull – Mullyknock Bucks Fizz – officially known as “Bud”. He is a Simmental from Northern Ireland and arrived on the farm in the middle of February. He will be our seventh stockbull.
Bud
Ballogie House
Ballogie House
Downstairs Living room with open fire. Sitting room with open fire and double sofa bed (for alternative sleeping only). Dining room with open fire. Large well-equipped kitchen with Aga (for cooking). Utility. Double bedroom. Shower room with toilet. Separate toilet.
Upstairs Double bedroom with dressing room and en-suite bathroom with separate shower cubicle and toilet. Two double bedrooms, one with shower cubicle and one with views. Two twin bedrooms, one with zip & link beds. Single bedroom. Bathroom with toilet.
In the area there are many National Trust properties, attractive gardens and places of interest to visit. For refreshments there are any number of excellent tea rooms, pubs, hotels and restaurants. Local facilities include golf (including a driving range), gliding, canoeing, mountain biking, riding and walking as well as indoor swimming and sports at Aboyne and Banchory. Further afield the Castle, Coastal and Whisky Trails offer the chance to explore the area’s heritage through stunning scenery and in August and September Highland Games are prevalent in all the towns and villages throughout the region.
Donald Dinnie
H/T TO Scottish Sun
BECK TO THE FUTURE
Dinnie mess with me … strongman Donald could raise a 17st man above his head
By GEORGE MAIR
Published: 02nd March 2012
SCOTS strongman Donald Dinnie was the David Beckham of his day.
He was the world’s first poster boy and landed lucrative advertising deals decades before they became fashionable.
Dinnie won more than 10,000 titles during his career and found fame through his 20-year domination of the Highland Games championships from 1856-76.
He could lift a 17st man above his head and was so famous that during the World War I heavy artillery shells were nicknamed ‘Donald Dinnies’.
Dinnie, who died in 1916 aged 79, was among the first sporting superstars of modern times and was used to advertise a range of products — including becoming the ‘face’ of Irn-Bru in 1903. Now Dinnie, from Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, is the star of the Human Race Exhibition which opened at Stirling University’s Pathfoot Gallery yesterday.
Exhibition curator Malcolm MacCallum said: “Many Scots won’t have heard of Dinnie but he was the Beckham of his day. His fame was widespread.
“He was paid to make appearances all over the world, and endorse products. People think that started in the 1960s and 70s with footballers advertising Brylcreem, but he was doing it more than 70 years before.
“He was the original superstar celebrity and Scotland’s first true professional sportsman.”
The exhibition will travel to Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow later this year.
Quick update for February fishings:-
Commonty – 13 fish were taken this month which is the highest number since 1998.
Carlogie – 7 fish were taken, which is the monthly average
Ballogie – 21 fish were taken, which matched last years and is still above an average of 17.
Commonty Beat
Just a quick post to let you know that after our meeting with Daniel Jansson last November we agreed to co-operate with the Älvdalen Education Centre by receiving two students for work experience for eight weeks from February to April 2012. We are aiming to involve the students in work in our Sporting and Wildlife enterprises, especially Salmon fishing. This will entail them learning fishing skills, fish biology and riverbank management, they will be working with our ghillies, the local baillifs and the biologists from the River Dee Trust/DDSFB . The training will be carried out over our 3 beats and will give the students a good insight into Salmon fishing in Scotland. In addition as time allows they will also be given an introduction to some aspects of our other Sporting and Wildlife enterprises.
Welcome to Ballogie Mattias and Tims!
H/T To Daily Record
The Amphipod is 10 times as big as regular speciesSCOTS-based scientists have discovered a ‘supergiant’ species in one of the deepest parts of the ocean.
The huge crustacean was discovered more than four miles (7km) deep in waters north of New Zealand by scientists from the University of Aberdeen.
The creature is a type of amphipod, commonly found in the deep sea, which are usually 0.8in-1.2in (2cm-3cm) long. The new specimen measured 11in (28cm).
Using submergence cameras and a large trap designed by the university’s Oceanlab, the team was able to explore up to depths of six miles (9.9km).
The team was hoping to find specimens of deep-sea snailfish which have been photographed before but have not been seen since the 1950s.
Expedition leader Alan Jamieson said: “The moment the traps came on deck, we were elated at the sight of the snailfish as we have been after these fish for years.
“However, seconds later I stopped and thought ‘What on earth is that?’ whilst catching a glimpse of an amphipod far bigger than I ever thought possible.
“It’s a bit like finding a foot-long cockroach.”
Seven specimens were caught in the trap and up to nine were photographed gathering around the camera system.
Scientists say the term “supergiant” was coined by US researchers when they found some large amphipods in the early 1980s.
The supergiant amphipod has not been reported since and has faded into the realms of rare and mysterious deep-sea creatures.
Dr Jamieson said: “The surprising thing is that we have already been to this deep trench twice and never come across these animals before.
“In fact, a few days after the discovery, we deployed all the equipment again on the same site and we didn’t photograph or capture a single supergiant. They were there for a day and gone the next.”
The researchers said the newly found amphipods are the biggest whole specimen of supergiant caught, and have never been seen so deep in the sea.
New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research also took part in the expedition.
Ashley Rowden, from the Wellington-based institute, said: “It just goes to show that the more you look, the more you find.
Dr Rowden added: “For such a large and conspicuous animal to go unnoticed for so long is just testament to how little we know about life in New Zealand’s most deep and unique habitat.”
Researchers will try to establish whether the new samples are the same species as those found by the US scientists near Hawaii in the 1980s.
H/T to Daily Record
Whisky distilled for 60 years will cost £100,000 per bottleWHISKY which has been maturing for 60 years and costs £100,000 a bottle has been decanted to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Only 60 decanters of the blended malt and grain whisky were made at the Royal Lochnagar distillery on the Balmoral Estate in Ballater, Aberdeenshire.
One will be gifted to the Queen and the others will be sold around the world for £100,000 each, with all the profits going to the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (Qest), a charity which provides grants and training to craftspeople in the UK.
The whisky’s creation was overseen by master blender Jim Beveridge at John Walker & Sons.
He said: “The whisky was first distilled in 1952 and there was a great deal of care and attention at that stage. It was then stored in our distilleries until about the beginning of last year when we started to think about what whiskies we would use in the project.
“We tested the whiskies and we felt it would be good to marry the blends in a special oak cask, and the process will be completed today when we decant the whisky into the glass.”
Mr Beveridge, who has worked at Royal Lochnagar distillery for 30 years, said it was a “privilege to be involved in such a unique project”.
He added: “It’s a very special blend and all the craftsmen that have been involved in the creation of the project and all the things that surround the whisky are really very special as well.”
Each crystal decanter is accompanied by two hand-engraved lead crystal glasses, enclosed in a wooden cabinet made from oak and pine from the Queen’s Sandringham and Balmoral estates.
Some of the craftsmanship is the work of former Qest scholars.
Qest chairman Richard Watling said: “The creation of this beautiful work, a monument to the skills of its craftspeople and the definitive tribute to 60 years of Her Majesty’s reign, is of enormous significance to Qest.
“Someone asked how we define craft, and I said: Look at the royal wedding and Westminster Abbey. Take out all the things that would not be there were there not a craftsman to do it, like the pews, the dresses and the uniforms, and you are left with nothing.
“Craft has a really important role in the culture and success of our country and someone has to make all these things that we all see and enjoy, and it’s these people we aim to help.”
The charity provides around 15 scholarships each year across the UK.
The price of the whisky means, however, that few people can enjoy it.
David Gates, who grants the Royal Warrant for Johnnie Walker, said interest among buyers was high.
He said: “Apart from people who have a few spare pennies, the kind of people who will be interested in this will want to buy a piece of history. They will be getting something completely unique and very rare.
“We are talking to people all across the world, whisky lovers and people with an affection for the Royal Family. The level of interest has been quite extraordinary.”
Smiling, he said: “As Royal Warrant holders, we are not allowed to talk about the supply or consumption of whisky in the Royal Family. But I think you can expect that our products are well received in the household.”
Meanwhile, another whisky specialist is selling an £8000 60-year-old single malt to mark the Queen’s Jubilee.
Gordon & MacPhail in Elgin, Moray, has produced 85 bottles called Glen Grant 60 Years Old which were distilled on February 2 1952, four days before the Queen acceded to the throne.
It was bottled on February 2 this year, making it exactly 60 years old.
The limited-edition bottles each have a recommended UK retail price of £8,000.
The drink is described as having aromas of Cox’s Pippins and Granny Smith apples, laced with cinnamon and root ginger. It comes in a pyramid-shaped crystal decanter with a diamond-shaped stopper.
The decanter comes in a hand-made box made of elm wood, felled a short distance from Holyrood House, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.
H/T to STV
TV star Paul Whitehouse has officially opened the 2012 salmon season of the River Dee.
The Welsh comic, perhaps best known for his part in The Fast Show, took part in the official ceremony on the riverbank close to Potarch Bridge in Deeside on Wednesday morning.
Last year nearly 8700 salmon were caught in the River Dee – which operates a catch and release scheme – well above the ten-year average of 5800.
Mr Whitehouse said: “I’ve fished the Dee for 20 years and more, but I only manage to get up once a year and it’s my annual pilgrimage. It’s a place I absolutely love – it’s my favourite river.
“It’s a privilege to fish the river let alone open it. It’s good fun and lovely to be here.
“Fishing is my world away from the nonsense of show business.
“I have a sacrosanct week on the Dee every year and I never miss it, through thick and thin. Whether I’ll get up more than once this year I don’t know, but I’d love to.”
Mark Bilsby, Dee District Salmon Fishery Board and River Dee Trust river director, said: “As the new season gets under way, we are very pleased to announce that Scottish Government has indicated approval, in principle, for our application to make the two week extension to the salmon angling season permanent.
“The impact of changes in the ocean, leading to later salmon runs, has prompted us to forge ahead with this adjustment to the season.
“We are confident that having first checked that there would be no damage to salmon populations and with our tried and tested conservation policy the extension is appropriate for the river during these difficult economic times.”
Work is due to begin this summer on a £2.4m woodland scheme, to plant native trees along a 50km stretch of the riverbank.
As they grow, the trees will help to reduce water temperatures during the summer months in important salmon spawning and nursery areas.
The Ballogie Bike Ride 2011 started at Slewdrum forest, in the cold, with a few grey clouds in the sky. Our merry adventure began by picking our way through the debris of last night’s storm. The Deeside Way was blocked by a few fallen trees, but we all managed to get around them with little difficulty. By the time we had made it along to the Potarch Hotel the sun had come out and everyone was enjoying bike related topics and remarking on how good the Deeside Way project has been. The next leg of the journey was a little more adventurous, off-road through puddles and tractor potholes, Abby and Adele were two unfortunates with wet legs after not being able to make it through the giant puddle! But Patrick must get the prize for the best fall, head first into the river Dee. We still do not quite know how he managed it. The bike ride was rounded off with a huge buffet at the Carlogie fishing hut, where there were lots of delicious Christmas leftovers! Thanks so much to everyone who took part, it was a really lovely day out and hopefully we will see you all next year!
by Lydia Nicol
If you would like to take part in The Ballogie Bike Ride 2012, please get in contact using the following email info@ballogie-estate.co.uk or through our contact us page.
photos by Cat Nicol
Just to whet your appetites for 2012. Here is an extract from a letter from the Fishery Board:-
Commonty Fisherman
“The catch returns for the 2011 season have now been collated and a total of 7804 salmon and grilse were reported to the end of September, with a further 883 fish caught during the first two weeks of October. Catches of fish during the spring months continued to show signs of improvement with a total of 2834 caught by the end of May. Whilst overall catches were good, when compared to the five-year or long-term averages, the number of grilse and sea-trout were slightly weaker than in recent years. Again the voluntary Conservation Code has been very well adhered to over the last year with over 98% of all salmon and grilse being returned.”
