Johnshaven - a photo a day

321. Conservation area & another well

2012-02-29T11:43:00.001Z

This stunning, modern house, on the site of an old brewery, really doesn't look like it's only a few years old. Building a new house in a conservation area like this is not easy - it had to comply with very strict planning regulations (just like my shop did). There is currently a consultation exercise taking place, looking at the conservation area and asking for the residents' comments about it.

At the base of the tree in the above photo is another of the village's old wells.

320. Temporary traffic lights

2012-02-28T11:54:00.001Z

Traffic lights aren't something you see in the village every day.

I wonder what work they're doing...

319. The Cauld Waul

2012-02-27T08:16:00.000Z

Leading on from yesterday's photo - to the bottom right of the steps is the Cauld Waul. This old well was one of many that once provided the residents with their fresh water supply.

I did a Google search for info on 'Cauld Waul' and it said that no records were found, did I mean 'Cold War'?!!!!

318. Steps

2012-02-26T09:16:00.000Z

These steps lead from the end of East Street up to Castle Street.

317. Playing field

2012-02-25T11:34:00.000Z

This is the playing field/ football pitch at Waird's Park. A great facility for the village.

316. Listed cottage

2012-02-24T12:01:00.002Z

There are a number of listed buildings within Johnshaven. Among them is this pretty cottage on Mid Street which has an external stair to the door on the upper floor so I assume it was once two properties.
A lot of time and care is taken over the beautiful garden here which is a riot of colour in the summer.

315. Anchor Hotel

2012-02-23T12:02:00.002Z

Here's the Anchor Hotel as seen from The Square. Note the pile of creels outside the cottage next door.

The Anchor has an excellent reputation for its delicious food - you can have a bar meal downstairs or dine in the restaurant upstairs. The restaurant and overnight accommodation have all been refurbished recently - take a look at the website.

314. Stone heads

2012-02-22T11:52:00.001Z

I've been Googling away, trying to find out something about these unusual stone heads on the house opposite the church, but I've drawn a blank. If you know anything about them please leave a comment - did they come from somewhere else or have they always belonged to this house? Are they depictions of actual people?

313. Dock Street

2012-02-21T11:37:00.000Z

Looking along Dock Street which fronts onto the harbour.

312. New bench

2012-02-20T08:36:00.000Z

The bench on the left was erected late last year in memory of Jim Murray. It's in a lovely spot, perfect for sitting in quiet contemplation or watching the fishermen landing their catch, just like Jim used to do.

311. Blink and you'll miss it!

2012-02-19T11:22:00.000Z

At around 7:30 last night we had our first snow of the winter. It was coming down thick and fast with big white flakes swirling around in the wind. It didn't last long at all though, and there's almost no evidence of it today.
This photo was taken from my living room and shows the back of the lovely pantiled cottage with the blue shutters that sits beside the harbour.

310. Snowdrops

2012-02-18T11:27:00.003Z

It's a gorgeously bright and sunny morning here today. These beautiful snowdrops are in the woods alongside the old railway line.

309. Spring has sprung

2012-02-17T12:29:00.000Z

These crocuses are blooming in the tubs outside Starfish Studio.

308. Shadows

2012-02-16T11:38:00.001Z

This shadow cast by chimney pots caught my eye as I walked past Waughton Place.

Apologies for the 2 missing days recently - I was away for a few days and, although I had set Blogger to automatically upload posts, it failed to do so. There will be a week missing at Easter too, but I'll keep going until the full 365 photos have been posted.

307. School entrance

2012-02-15T18:46:00.000Z

The school building is surprisingly inaccessible by car. There's a very tight turn from Seaview Terrace to get into this narrow entrance - I reversed a Berlingo along here once and it was a real squeeze to get past the lamppost! There's pedestrian access along Back Road too, but this is the entrance the children walk through every day.

306. Shiny pebbles

2012-02-12T19:29:00.000Z

Pebbles on the beach, caught in the morning sunlight.

305. Old Schoolhouse

2012-02-11T11:13:00.000Z

This striking building on Seaview Terrace is the old schoolhouse. Dating from the 1850s, it is now a category 'C' listed building.

304. Still no snow

2012-02-10T11:30:00.001Z

This was the view from Seaview Terrace on Sunday afternoon. Much of Britain was covered in a blanket of snow at the time, but I've still not seen even a flake of the white stuff this winter.

303. Inside Starfish Studio

2012-02-09T11:17:00.001Z

Lots of people from outside the village have asked to see what it's like inside Starfish Studio.

It's a small shop, approx 23 square metres but it's packed with gorgeous goodies.

We only sell affordable British art and craft. There's a small studio space behind the counter where I paint (when it's not covered in paperwork!).

There's something for everybody in here with prices starting at £1 and the vast majority of items being under £30.

302. Rays

2012-02-08T11:22:00.001Z

The sun's rays as seen over the rooftops of Herd Crescent this morning.

301. Going home

2012-02-07T13:12:00.001Z

There was lots of excitement at the harbour today as a 100 year old fishing boat started its journey back home to Norway.

The boat had been stolen in 1941 by four brave men who were desperate to escape the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II. They sailed across the stormy North Sea, landing safely near Old Portlethen. The boat ended up in Johnshaven and was used for a time as a fishing boat by Murray McBay. More recently it has been in the care of the Johnshaven & Benholm Heritage Society.

A large crowd gathered in beautiful winter sunshine, and the Lifeboat House was festooned with Saltires and Norwegian flags. Representatives from Norway joined locals in seeing the boat off on its journey. Above is the Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire with representatives from the Royal Navy.

There was a nervous moment as the boat was transferred onto the back of the lorry that will take it up to Aberdeen. From there it will be transferred to a ship and sailed across to Norway.

The boat's original mast and sail have been found and a suitable engine has been located so the vessel will be restored once it reaches its new home.

The children of Johnshaven Primary School sang an east coast version of, 'I''ll take the high road'.

There was music from the Lathallan Pipe Band.

Before setting off the boat was given a wee tot of whisky by local historian Andrew Orr.

Although the original is now on its way home, a replica boat, made by Richard McBay, can be seen in Johnshaven harbour.

You can read more about this story on the BBC News website.

300. No secrets

2012-02-06T08:50:00.002Z

It's often said that in small communities everyone knows everyone else's business. This is particularly true when your friends and family advertise your age on the railings of the village shop!
I hope twins Geordie & Edie had a lovely birthday yesterday!

299. Distant boat

2012-02-05T10:03:00.000Z

This was taken from the harbour a couple of days ago. I love this photo!

298. Morning light at the Narrows

2012-02-04T11:17:00.000Z

My dream home as seen from a frosty field in the early morning.

297. Sunrise

2012-02-03T11:18:00.003Z

This was the view from the shore at about 8:40am this morning.

296. Beach

2012-02-02T11:05:00.000Z

Down on the beach, looking towards Ferryden in the distance.

295. Coastal Colourists

2012-02-01T12:12:00.000Z

This bunch of friendly folk are the Coastal Colourists, an informal art group who meet every Wednesday at Wairds Park (the caravan site) from 10am - noon. Everyone is welcome, regardless of artistic ability or experience. There's no teacher, but everyone's very willing to share their advice and ideas if required, and the group have visiting demonstrators every so often.

The room is perfect for art activities as windows along three sides allow lots of natural light to flood in. If you fancy joining them, pop along one Wednesday morning to find out more.

294. The sea

2012-01-31T11:48:00.000Z

The beautiful, hypnotic, ever changing sea.

293. Fireballs & fireworks

2012-01-30T08:56:00.001Z

Last night was Johnshaven's annual fireworks display. It's organised by Bobbie from the Ship Hotel, who raises money throughout the year to pay for the event.

The evening started with fireball swingers performing along the pier to the sound of drums before the fireworks erupted into the sky above the harbour.

Despite the freezing temperature, a large crowd enjoyed the best display we've had so far - an absolutely brilliant night for everyone to enjoy. Thanks Bobbie.

292. The Slipway

2012-01-29T09:03:00.000Z

How many boats have gone down this slipway over the years, I wonder...?

291. East Street

2012-01-28T11:23:00.000Z

The houses in East Street gleaming bright white in the sunshine.

290. In 1832...

2012-01-27T11:10:00.000Z

This plaque is on the teeny tiny cottage next to the public toilets!

289. Oystercatcher

2012-01-26T12:15:00.002Z

It's an absolutely gorgeous day here today. The sun is shining and the sea is sparkling but it's awfy chilly.
This photo was taken on the pier this morning. There were four oystercatchers all chatting loudly to one another, but the other three flew away when they saw me coming.

288. Solitary gull

2012-01-25T12:20:00.003Z

I believe there are several different species in and around Johnshaven that come under the name 'gull', but I'm not very good at naming them.

On Wikipedia I found more than 50 species listed, although obviously not all native to NE Scotland.

287. Stockless Anchor

2012-01-24T11:45:00.000Z

This mighty anchor can be seen at the Hardgate.

286. Catamaran

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000Z

Yesterday the bright sunshine was glinting off this catamaran in the harbour.

285. Low sun

2012-01-22T09:49:00.000Z

The sun is very low in the sky at this time of year when I go for my morning walks. It's amazing how the same scene can look so different at various times of year.

284. Church from Mid Street

2012-01-21T11:08:00.003Z

More lovely early morning light, this time illuminating the church.

283. Hilda Cottage

2012-01-20T11:46:00.001Z

I received a request for a photo of Hilda Cottage from Pat Gracie (nee Souter) in Australia, so here's one showing how it looked this morning.

Pat's mum was from Johnshaven and she remembers staying at her Grandfather's home during school holidays. He was the harbourmaster and lived at Hilda Cottage, which is in a lovely spot near the harbour.

I mentioned this to Clark Simpson, who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the village, and he kindly sent me these photos of the cottage before and after extensive alterations were made.

Big changes! I wonder whether Pat knows the people sitting outside the cottage in the top photo.

The cottage has recently changed hands again, so it'll be interesting to see whether the new owners make any further changes.

282. Light and dark

2012-01-19T14:22:00.002Z

The other morning the sun was shining brightly but the sky was dark and ominous looking which made for a great contrast. This view shows part of Herd Crescent. On Google maps it's labelled as a part of Milne's Wynd, lying between Castle Street and Herd Crescent.

281. Orange creels

2012-01-18T11:26:00.004Z

There are creels of various types along the harbourside, but my favourites are the traditionally shaped orange ones as they add a lovely splash of colour.

280. Winter trees

2012-01-17T12:31:00.000Z

Here's how the tree lined section of the old railway line looks in the winter.

279. Pebbles

2012-01-16T08:49:00.002Z

Just pebbles on the beach captured in the morning sunshine. So many different shapes, sizes and colours.

278. Beach view

2012-01-15T10:43:00.003Z

This was taken in the early morning sunshine. The sun is very low in the sky at this time of day just now - the buildings look all bleached out.

277. Second light

2012-01-14T11:13:00.002Z

Here's the second guiding light at the top of the brae leading from Main Street to Seaview Terrace.
This one's green.

276. Heroes

2012-01-13T17:09:00.000Z

This was the scene outside our house/ shop last night. We were having a perfectly normal evening when at around 9:30pm my daughter and I noticed a strange smell. We thought it may be an electrical kind of smell and checked the sockets in the living room where we were. We found them to be OK but the smell was getting stronger.

I walked along the hall towards the kitchen and was totally shocked to see the shadows of flames dancing on the wall. The dishwasher was on fire.

My other daughter was, unfortunately, in the shower but had just come out as the power had gone off. Ewan had been working late in the shop and he also came through to see why the power was off. I bundled the girls out of the house as quickly as possible whilst dialling 999, and Ewan ran off to get a fire extinguisher.

The fire fighters came - one engine from Inverbervie and another from Laurencekirk. By the time they arrived Ewan had managed to get the fire out, but the house was filled with smoke. Seeing the firefighters with breathing apparatus on through our kitchen window was a kind of surreal experience, and not one I ever want to repeat.

They were very efficient, friendly and caring. Most are reserve firefighters, and one I was talking to told me he'd been watching telly in bed when the call came. What a great bunch of people.

Please remember this story when you switch your appliances on - don't ever leave the house or go to bed with your dishwasher, washing machine or tumble drier on. It's the kind of thing you think will never happen to you. Our dishwasher has always worked perfectly... until it suddenly burst into flames.

Please take heed and tell everyone you know.

Today has been spent alternating between endless phone calls to insurance companies and endless cleaning. Not quite what I'd intended for the last day of my week off - I had a facial booked!

275. Guiding light again

2012-01-12T08:51:00.001Z

What looks like a duck house on a pole is actually a light to guide boats through the narrow entrance to the harbour. You may recall I posted a night time photo of this light several months ago.
Incoming boats line up this red light with a green one which is higher up.

274. More railway evidence

2012-01-11T09:15:00.001Z

In the foreground you can see some more rusted evidence that there was once a railway line running through the village. The white house is The Narrows and in the far distance is Montrose & Ferryden.

273. Window protection

2012-01-10T08:05:00.001Z

This cottage by the harbour has had a grill fitted over the large window to protect it from the stones that are regularly flung up by the sea when there's a stormy high tide.

272. Winter sunshine at the harbour

2012-01-09T08:11:00.000Z

Just look at the colour of the sky and the sea on a January morning - absolutely beautiful!

271. Crab House progress

2012-01-08T10:00:00.000Z

Some time ago I posted a photo of a cleared area of land where an eco house is to be erected. This is how it's looking now, with the foundations built and all the services in place. The body of the house will be arriving in kit form in a few months time and should be erected fairly quickly.

270. Gateway

2012-01-07T09:37:00.001Z

I do like fancy gates and stone pillars.

269. The Old Mill

2012-01-06T09:30:00.000Z

This is a bit of a sorry sight nowadays, but was once a thriving flax mill providing employment for lots of people. I believe it was closed in the 1930s.

268. Seal

2012-01-05T10:20:00.000Z

Since starting this blog I've been desperately hoping to spot a seal on the beach but have so far failed. However, my friend with a long lens, Mark Smith, managed to get this great shot on the Johnshaven shore on 27th December. Thanks very much for letting me pinch it Mark!

267. Bark boiler

2012-01-04T10:27:00.000Z

This unusual looking feature is a rare thing, certainly the last of its kind in the village and probably one of very few remaining in existence.

I'm reliably informed (thanks Richard) that it's a bark boiler. Organic products, such as cotton nets and sisal ropes would have been dipped into it to protect them. The bark was a derivative of the acacia tree and was brought in from India.

Fascinating stuff. I've tried to find out more through the power of Google, but have so far drawn a blank.

266. Rocks

2012-01-03T10:54:00.001Z

What this photo doesn't show properly is the way the sun was dancing on the water in this peaceful spot.

265. Signpost

2012-01-02T12:13:00.000Z

This fingerpost is at the harbour. It took a very long time and a lot of gnashing of teeth by the Community Council to get this sign erected, so I hope people do actually read it.

264. Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:55:00.001Z

This is how we do Hogmanay in Johnshaven. People gather at the harbour to hear the New Year rung in by the bells on the old chapel. It normally attracts a large crowd but was a bit quieter than usual last night - possibly because the bell is housed in the tower of the building that was devastated by fire in early 2011 and couldn't actually be rung.

It was a gorgeous, cloudless night with a starry sky. Someone was sending up paper lanterns from somewhere to the south and they floated over us with a beautiful orange glow. Fireworks were popping off around the village too.

In the absence of the bell there was a countdown followed by much hugging and kissing and warm wishes for the year ahead.

I hope everyone reading this has a very happy and healthy 2012.

263. Lights out at sea

2011-12-31T12:01:00.004Z

The lights on this ship caught my eye as it passed by yesterday. This was taken quickly from my living room, and as it sailed by quickly I only had one chance to snap it!

262. Remnants

2011-12-30T08:52:00.000Z

Dotted along the old railway line path are rusted reminders of what this popular walking route was originally used for.

261. Winter grasses

2011-12-29T09:27:00.000Z

Looking at the sea through some wintery grasses and seed heads.

260. Long nights

2011-12-28T09:47:00.000Z

This was taken shortly before 4pm one day last week. Every year it always amazes me just how early it gets dark. My daughters have been catching the school bus in the dark each morning (7:40am) and getting off it at night in almost darkness (4:10pm). Still, the nights are now drawing out, as they say.

259. Feed the birds

2011-12-27T09:55:00.000Z

Here's a colourful bird table beside the sea.

258. Boxing Day sunrise

2011-12-26T09:06:00.000Z

This was taken from my living room shortly before 9am this morning. The sun was a big ball of orange, hovering over the sea - absolutely beautiful.

257. Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T08:48:00.000Z

Was Santa was good to you? Here's our mini Santa in the window at Johnshaven Stores.

I hope you have a wonderful, happy day today, whatever your beliefs.

256. Christmas Tree

2011-12-24T12:11:00.000Z

The Ship Hotel have erected a beautifully decorated tree in the beer garden opposite the pub.
I'm sure its lovely lights will help guide Santa into Johnshaven tonight.

255. Christmas lights in the Square

2011-12-23T14:55:00.000Z

The Christmas lights add some festive cheer to the long, dark nights. These were generously paid for by the Community Council, local businesses and individual members of the community.

254. Johnshaven Stores at Christmas

2011-12-22T14:46:00.000Z

Johnshaven Stores is open every day of the year apart from Christmas Day.

Changes to the usual opening hours over the festive period are as follows:

Christmas Day - closed

Boxing Day - open 10am-2pm

Tues 27th - open as usual, closing at 6pm

Wed 28th - Sat 31st open as usual (till 8pm every night)

New Year's Day - 12-2pm

Mon Jan 2nd - 10am-6pm

then back to usual until the same time next year!

Merry Christmas from Ewan & all the staff.

253. Christmassy window

2011-12-21T11:00:00.000Z

Here's another lovely Christmas window display in the village, this time courtesy of Holly in Fore Street. There's loads of detail - the more you look, the more you see!

252. Stunning sunrise

2011-12-20T12:43:00.000Z

I had planned to have a week of Christmassy photos, but this morning's sunrise was so beautiful that I just had to include it! This photo was taken from our attic window, looking out to sea.

251. The Old Toy Shop

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000Z

Lovely and festive! Every year this house on Castle Street decorates one of its windows to look like an old Toy Shop.

250. Station Place, now & then

2011-12-18T11:44:00.000Z

This is Station Place on the site of the old railway station. In the distance you can see the railway bridge that was the Photo-of-the-day a few days ago.

Below is a photo of the station as it once was before the line was closed in the 1960s. This photo was pinched from Johnshaven.com where you can see lots of photos, both old and new, of the village.

249. Colourful rocks

2011-12-17T08:59:00.000Z

Down by the Narrows these colourful rocks form part of the coastal defences.

248. Milne's Wynd

2011-12-16T14:42:00.000Z

Here's the view looking along Milne's Wynd towards the sea on a crisp December morning.

247. Santa

2011-12-15T12:33:00.001Z

Ooooh such excitement!!
The man in red came to Johnshaven this morning to visit the youngsters at the Little Nippers parents, babies & pre-schoolers group.

Before meeting the children Santa did a bit of research, checking who has been naughty or nice this year.

Many 'Ho ho hos' later, all the children had received a wee gift and are undoubtedly now as high as kites - how many sleeps until Christmas?

246. Railway bridge

2011-12-14T11:55:00.000Z

This bridge, which carries the bulk of traffic into Johnshaven, once spanned the railway. Now it frames an area known as the Beechgrove Garden. This section of the former railway line was revamped some years ago by the TV programme of the same name, and is now maintained by a group of volunteers.

245. Buzzard

2011-12-13T11:32:00.000Z

There genuinely is a buzzard in this photo, but I doubt very much that anyone can spot it!

This was taken this morning, looking towards Golden Acre from the old railway line.

244. Water

2011-12-12T14:58:00.000Z

This tap is located near the slipway for the convenience of boats in the harbour.

243. Looking inshore

2011-12-11T14:05:00.000Z

A sunny December day down on the beach.

242. Winter sun

2011-12-10T08:00:00.000Z

The winter sun is very low in the sky in this piccie taken from Cemetery Road.

241. Power cut

2011-12-09T12:16:00.001Z

Hurricane Bawbag blasted through the village yesterday afternoon and left us without power for many hours. The electricity was off from about 4-8pm and (when my daughter had just stepped into the shower) at 9pm it went off again! We had no power until it came back on a little after 9am this morning.

When I say 'we' I mean the entire village apart from the residents of Herd Crescent and the end of Castle Street whose power never seems to go off. Bizarrely, they are on the same line/ circuit/ whatever as Lathallan School and whilst the rest of us were shivering in the dark their Christmas lights were twinkling away.

The photo is of my hubby, Ewan, keeping Johnshaven Stores open by gas light. He had to give up at 7:30 when the gas cannister ran out.

240. Amber alert

2011-12-08T12:46:00.001Z

The Met Office has issued an Amber Alert for this area for the storm that's coming this afternoon. These photos were taken at about 11am this morning and the wind was already pretty strong. It's going to be really, really wild later.

239. Alison's window

2011-12-07T11:44:00.000Z

If you've ever wandered along the coastal path you'll have walked past Alison Stewart's house on West Street, and chances are you'll have spotted her window with its permanent display of her lovely seascape paintings. Her house is right next to the beach so she has amazing views to provide constant inspiration.

You may have seen the window, but just in case you haven't seen the lovely lady herself, here's Alison shivering outside her house yesterday morning!

238. Nae sna

2011-12-06T11:25:00.001Z

While much of Scotland is currently covered in snow, this was the scene down at the harbour this morning.

This time last year the kids had already had several snow days off school, but we've not seen a flake of the white stuff so far this winter.

237. Blue sky

2011-12-05T14:30:00.000Z

What a stunning colour the sky is - beautifully reflected in the water too.

236. December sunshine

2011-12-04T13:58:00.001Z

It's a beautiful, sunny day here today.
This photo was taken from the beach, looking towards Balandro Cottages up on the hill beside the main road (A92).

235. Golden windows

2011-12-03T11:11:00.001Z

I love the way the early morning sun reflects off the shop windows.

234. Red cloud

2011-12-02T11:23:00.001Z

Here's this morning's sunrise as seen from our living room.

233. Sunrise

2011-12-01T10:50:00.001Z

About 8:45am today down at the harbour - big waves in the beautiful morning light.

232. Creels

2011-11-30T11:10:00.001Z

Some time ago the Photo-a-Day pic was of a new delivery of creels sitting at the harbour. Some of them have now had the netting added. I'm sure there's a technical term for this - can anyone educate me?

I think I've changed the settings so that anyone can post comment without having to register/ sign in.

231. Impending storm

2011-11-29T12:10:00.001Z

It's not actually impending, there is a storm blowing right now, but at least it wasn't raining when I took this photo at about 9:30 this morning. What the photo doesn't show is the fact that I was struggling to hold the camera still as I was being buffeted about by the wind.

No doubt these plastic boxes and all of that seaweed will be thrown onto the road at high tide.

230. Down on the rocks

2011-11-28T08:28:00.001Z

Down on the rocks by the Hardgate.

229. Wonky bench

2011-11-27T15:03:00.000Z

This is one of the newest features in the village. Hmmm....

228. Christmas Fair

2011-11-26T14:44:00.001Z

Here's the Christmas Fair in full swing in the Village Hall today. It is organised by a different village group every year - they hire tables out to other groups and provide refreshments in the wee hall at the back.

This year it's the turn of Johnshaven Primary School to run the event - you can just make out the Santa hats of some children on the stage, singing Christmassy songs.

It is a great fundraiser for all the participating groups and is always very well supported by the community.

227. Now you see it, now you don't!

2011-11-25T12:23:00.001Z

I've tried to add short video clips to the Photo-a-Day blog but, infuriatingly, they've never actually uploaded properly. So, these photos will have to do - a wave - now you see it, now you don't!
These were taken this morning. It's beautiful here but very, very chilly.

226. Walk this way

2011-11-24T13:19:00.000Z

Keeping the walkers on the right path.

Apologies for the slightly squint horizon!

225. Choppy sea

2011-11-23T14:12:00.000Z

A choppy sea yesterday morning.

224. Unseasonal growth

2011-11-22T12:21:00.001Z

Even a plant ignoramus like me can see that these bulbs are popping up a bit early in the Starfish Studio tubs. On Radio Scotland this morning Fred Macaulay said that there's snow on the way, so I hope they're not doomed.

223. Narrow road

2011-11-21T11:48:00.000Z

This is a perfect example of why everyone should drive slowly in the village.

At this point, as you move from South Street to Dock Street, the road is extremely narrow.

222. Inner Harbour

2011-11-20T13:40:00.000Z

The inner harbour, taken on a crisp, sunny morning.