Forfar Loch, Witches and Mother's Day

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The Forfar War Memorial on Balmashanner Hill is 55 feet in height and 65 feet to the apex of the turret.

From here we can see the hills to the north, with Forfar Loch in the valley in the centre of the picture.

Today was Mothering Sunday in Scotland and a fine day for walking around the perimeter of Forfar Loch.

It takes about an hour to walk right around the shore of the loch.

Eventually we approach the town end of the loch.

And so we come upon the grave of the Forfar Witches.
Helen Guthrie was by her own admission a drunken and very wicked woman who had murdered her own step-sister when they were both children. Helen and her 13 year old daughter Janet Howat were accused of being witches along with 11 others including Isobel Shyrie, Helen Alexander, Girsel Simpsone, Agnes Spark, Katherine Porter, John Tailyeour and Janet Stout. Helen helped the witch hunters identify more witches. She told stories of drunken midnight parties held in Forfar Kirkyard, desecration of graves, cannibalism, ship sinking at Carnoustie and destruction of bridges at Cortachy. She boasted of her prowess as a witch claiming the devil tried to rescue her from the tolbooth by levitating her up through the rafters. She claimed that she would have escaped but for the vigilance of the watchmen. The witches were imprisoned in cold dark conditions in Forfar's tolbooth awaiting trial. The fortunate ones were whipped and exiled from town, while at least eight of them were strangled and their bodies burned in a barrel of tar before their remains were buried in this communal grave, the final witch being killed in December 1662.

Ever since the deaths of our mothers within a short time of each other during the nineteen nineties I had always arranged a special treat for Ann on Mothering Sunday. In 2011, Ann has also passed on, so this year I had a new companion to treat to Mother's Day dinner. Hayat's mother is far away in her homeland of Lebanon, nor could her two daughters be with her, so it fell to me to do the honours of treating her to dinner in the Belmont Arms at Meigle.

To me, mothers appear nowadays to be younger and more fashion conscious, compared to mothers from the days of my misspent youth.

Inside the fine restaurant in the Belmont Arms.
Cheers!!