Dear Old Crathie

Wednesday May 3rd  and  and the country was becoming increasingly flat and boring.

 Lady attracts a curious bovine audience at a lunch stop..

 

The dear old community hall at Crathie, where many a jolly time has been spent.......

Musician Guy Lombardo played here as a student, and a popular activity was the 'box social' where each girl would pack a lunch for two. The boxes were auctioned and the young man who bought a chosen box would eat lunch with the girl who prepared it.  Girls with sweethearts would mark their boxes to make sure the young men in question knew which ones to bid for. Apparently the box socials were great fundraisers as the young men were prepared to pay a 'handsome sum' for the privilege of eating with their amours.

 

Ironically it seems that children sang the following quaint little song at the beginning of meetings of the well attended Literary Society ...

 The song may lack literary merit but more importantly Crathie lacks the hill.

 A real good shady road from hilly Crathie.....

After a long trudge I eventually found a farm with a paddock for Lady, and Dan and Debbie Macpherson also kindly let me use an unfurnished letting apartment which was between tenants, so I was able to shower and sleep on a sofa which had been left behind. Debbie brought me some fruit, and young daughters Jean, Emma and Sam came to chat.