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Reunion November 2007

Its 3rd November and Mary and I attended, what has now become an annual reunion event. We travelled to the Banff Springs Hotel which is, as you might expect, in Banff on the Moray Firth coast of Aberdeeshire, to have a meal with friends whom we have known for many years. We first became acquainted when we were all teenagers and living in Peterhead/Fraserburgh and the surrounding area. We all went to various churches in the two towns at that time and it was this common interest that first brought us all together. This was about 35 years ago so it is great that we can still get together and enjoy each others company.

Here are some members of the group on arrival at the hotel.

If we are honest there are a few more grey hairs than there were in previous years 😉

Click here to see some more photos taken as we sat around the dinner table enjoying a lovely meal and each others company.

Of course since we first met, there have been some changes, couples were formed, marriages took place and we have had families of our own. Different career paths necessitated that we moved around the country country a bit – but we have still manged to keep in touch with each other.

We were unable to attend last year so it was especially good be back this year again. This year another two of our party were unable to be there, but we look forward to next year when the group might be complete again.

Of course its great to be together and enjoy each others company and to reminisce about the past. But its also important to spare a thought for friends who are no longer with us. I am thinking particularly about our good friend David who sadly passed away over 4 years ago. I did mention him recently in a post about his sons wedding but felt moved to search through my old photos to find a few memories, click here to view what I found.

So roll on the first Saturday in November 2008 when we will do it all again – God willing!

Early Bonfire in Peterhead

We were in Peterhead on Saturday evening – and just about to leave and we saw lots of thick black smoke in the sky which seemed to be coming from the direction of the harbour. So we headed off to investigate. It seems that a fire had started where a pile of wooden pallets were stored. Very spectacular. Fortunately I had the camera in the car, see below!

Here is the close up which is best I could do from the nearest point of access.

Model Boat Show – Duthie Park 15th July 2007

This was a really special occasion when we went to the boating pond at Duthie Park In Aberdeen. It was unfortunate that due to another commitment we were not able to be there for the start of the ‘show’. But have a look at the photo below which shows three radio controlled boats which were made by the same model maker. This model maker called Jim McCurrach sadly passed away recently after a long illness. Whilst I strolled along the path around the boating pond, my thoughts went back to the one and only previous occasion when I had been there to see a particular model being sailed. The model called the ‘Bairns Pride’ was the most recent completed project, I had seen on the living room table of Jim’s home some time before. It is the middle model in the photo below.


In addition to these three models Jim also took much pride in his sailing boat which is shown below.

I recall the tremendous enthusiasm that Jim had for his hobby, a close look a the detail of his work demonstrates an immense capacity for accuracy and authenticity. What a wonderful legacy to leave behind in these models which are truly works of art as well as being considerable achievements in terms of the range of craft skills needed to complete them from start to finish. Each of these models has now been passed on to various members of his family who are now keen to continue to sail them from time to time. I am sure that in doing this they will remember him in a special way.

Of course we cannot place too much emphasis on these material things because we know that Jim, the person, will be missed greatly particularly by his widow, children and grandchildren. But he will also be missed by all the people he touched throughout his life and am sure that the members of the Aberdeen Model Boat community are only one such group.

Although I did not know Jim for a very long time I will always associate his memory with these model boats and recall the few occasions when I was privileged to spend just a short time in his presence and know the warmth of his personality.

Link to the Aberdeen Model Boat Club website https://www.aberdeenmodelboatclub.com

Michael & Kathryn’s Wedding

I attended a family wedding with my wife Mary on Saturday 9th June 07. As you might expect I took my camera along and took a few photos. I decided to publish them on the Web so that folks can see them and take copies of they want.

To view the two Photo Albums that I published please drop me an email as I have taken them off line to save some space.