A bit of Culture

Parliamo Doric

As part of #LittleAngusOnTour I've decided (with a lot of help from Donny the Sheep) to have a bit of fun with a tongue in cheek look at our culture.  In our part of North East Scotland we "Spik i Doric" or to put it into plain English, we use the Doric dialect when in conversation.  The Doric dialect is based on a mix of Scots and English words with some words and pronunciation which is all our own.

Donny and I want to share this rich, lyrical and very expressive dialect with the world in an effort to share something of ourselves and our unique culture. No one does a witty come back or an accurate description quite like a Doric speaker.  It also lends itself to poetry and song and we hope to bring some examples of this.

We thought that the best way to do this would be to make a series of videos where we can teach Doric words and phrases in a light hearted and humorous way, so Parliamo Doric was born.

You can catch up on the series so far via our Facebook page , Twitter feed or our YouTube channel 

Here is a peek at the first ever episode

If you enjoy Parliamo Doric please spread the word to your friends and family, the more people who join in with #LittleAngusOnTour the more fun it will be.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (pt 4)

Competition heats up in the search for Chainsaw Sculptures

Both Donny and I are very competitive, so far we are almost neck and neck in the hunt for Chainsaw Sculptures (Donny is a little bit ahead but I know where another one is so we will be level pegging again before long).

I have found

2 Turtle Doves

3 French Hens

Donny has found

4 Calling Birds

5 Gold Rings

6 Geese a Laying

and together we have found

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

7 Swans a Swimming

Whilst on our travels through the Winter Village, we had a go on the Helter Skelter.  We would like to thank the staff and Management of Codona's for letting us ride the Helter Skelter together, it was great fun.

It's beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas (pt3)

Can't see the wood for the trees!

What fun we have had, Donny the Sheep and I went to the Christmas Tree Maze in Union Terrace Gardens.  I spotted it when he was out looking for the Chainsaw Sculptures.

I found the Three French Hens

then gave Donny a shout about the Christmas Tree Maze, we did get a bit lost a couple of times but we got there in the end.  Here is a little video we made of our adventure, but not the whole maze, wouldn't want to give the game away now would we.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (p2)

Tasty treats for you to eat

Christmas festivities are in full swing in Aberdeen, and so Donny the Sheep and I decided to go and check out what's on offer.

We visited the Christmas Market on Union Terrace, so many tasty treats to try (and expand your waistline) along side beautiful gifts and unusual decorations.  We went nice and early to avoid the crowds.  the fairground rides were not open unfortunately, but that gives us a good excuse to go back another time.

Following on from our finding The Partridge in a Pear Tree sculpture at the Castlegate, Donny and I decided to set ourselves a little challenge.  We are competing against each other to see who can find all the statues first and get their photo taken with them.

First strike to Donny

6 Geese a Laying found outside Union Square when I was in visiting Shopmobility Aberdeen  These sculptures are amazing, I'm having as much searching for them as I did when the Wild Dolphin trail was here!  I did get some funny looks when I was having my picture taken though, honestly you would think that some people had never seen a little bull in a football strip before.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (pt 1)

The nights are drawing in and the weather has taken a definite turn to the chilly side (it's winter wooly weather folks) 

But Aberdeen is still sparkling!

Thanks to the beautiful 35ft Norwegian Spruce which was gifted by the people of Stravanger the Medieval Castlegate looks very cheery and festive on these cold dark evenings.

New for 2016! Local chainsaw wood carver, Garry Shand has been commissioned to create 12 unique wooden sculptures based on the popular carol The Twelve Days of Christmas. Located across the city centre, this mini-trail is sure to be a popular challenge for all ages.  Always up for a challenge, Donny the Sheep and I are going to find out where they all are and snap a few pics for the album.

We saw the first one (A Partridge in a Pear Tree) beside the tree in Castlegate.

To find out more about Castlegate and its long and sometimes bloody history Hidden Aberdeen operate tours of the area, they say " Castlegate hides many secrets – it was once the place of public execution, the ‘Gibbet Stane’ reveals the site of the gallows; it was the market place, made more genteel by the addition of the 17th century stone mercat cross; many famous citizens lived here and caused great trouble, including men like the 5th Earl Marischal, George Keith, who founded Marischal College; Gilbert Menzies of Pitfodels, who had a great town house next to the Keiths, and who, like many members of his family, was Provost of Aberdeen and ‘Skipper’ Scott, a famous sea captain and Jacobite, who entertained the Old Pretender, James III, in his house which was later to become the home of dancing master, Thomas Peacock of Peacock’s Close.  Come along with us and discover more about the old Castlegate."

We are so glad that it is now a place for celebration and community gatherings.

The Tour Begins!

Little Donny the sheep and I are off on our adventures!  We were given a lovely send off at Aberdeen Football Club's Pittodrie Stadium by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen and our big cousins Angus The Bull and Donny The Sheep.

We can't tell you how excited we are to be traveling to other Aberdeen's, sharing in their culture and visiting their sights.

It's not all one sided though, we will continue to explore our very own Aberdeen, Scotland and letting the rest of the world see how fantastic it really is.  If you have any ideas or suggestions for us, if you want us to visit your favourite places or if you would like to show us your school, community group, local park, communal green space etc then please leave a comment here or visit the contact us section of our web site and you never know, we might turn up and surprise you.

Follow our adventures on Facebook, Twitter and on our web site.  Over the course of our Tour we will visit Europe, Asia, America and Australia and we will have traveled 84,405 miles doing so, that's more than three times round the world!

We were joined by a wonderful group of people who have made our journey possible, the staff and volunteers of Shopmobility Aberdeen our friends at White Wolf Collective,  Aberdeen Football Club and the AFC Community Trust and of course our fantastic "travel agent" Hellmann Worldwide Logistics who perhaps had the toughest job of all making sure we arrived safely at all the different Aberdeen's around the world.

Who knows what we will see, where we will go and who we will meet. It's going to be FUN!

Donny's Delhi Delights

Pic 1: During the Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata. A once in a lifetime experience for sure #LilAngusOnTour— at Durga Puja.

Pic 2: At the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. Last stop of the journey #LittleAngusOnTour — at Victoria Memorial, Kolkata.

Pic 3: Amazing towel art :-) #LittleAngusOnTour — at Club Mahindra At Ponducherry.

Pic 4: While Angus has been gallivanting around Delhi, I just returned from a week long trip to Chennai and Pondicherry. #LittleAngusOnTour — at Chennai International Airport.

Pic 5: Boat trip across the Holy Ganges. Dakshineshwar Temple in the background, one of the most visited temple in India #LilAngusOnTour — at Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

Pic 6: Out and about in Delhi Metro during rush hour. Phew, I thought the London tube was busy #LittleAngusOnTour

Pic 7: At the Maitri Mandir (Mother's Temple) in Auroville. Fantastic place and an amazing concept. One can feel the spirituality in the air. Guys do read about the Auroville Village. We need more of these kinds of places in today's world. #LittleAngusOnTour — at Auroville Village.

Pic 8: Waiting in sunny Frankfurt for my connecting Flight to New Delhi, India #LittleAngusOnTour — at Frankfurt Airport.

Pic 9: Anybody fancy a Lambretta ride?#LittleAngusOnTour — at Pebble Street Connaught Place.