Scottish by design

Say hello to my Dad, one half of mum&dadsp33dway. He bought me my first SLR about eighteen years ago from a shop that now sells tapas. And because of that camera, I discovered photography. And because I got into photography, I discovered blipfoto. And because of blipfoto, photography discovered me all over again in a bigger, better way.

There's nothing clever here image-wise, and certainly nothing technical going on. In fact the photo is fairly poor quality, but there you go. It was taken in the village of 'Froncysyllt', just a few skippetyjumps down the road from me here in sunny North Wales. It's home to the 'Pontcysyllte Aquaduct', the longest and highest aquaduct in Britain, a World Heritage Site and one of the seven Wonders of Wales. It was designed and built in 1805 by a very talented Scotsman, Thomas Telford. He and his team created some great things you know, and helped people connect the world over.



There's a kind of parallel there, somewhere.



***
CLAD in the sable weeds of woe,
The Scottish genius mourns,
As o'er your tomb her sorrows flow,
The "narrow house" of Burns.
Each laurel round his humble urn,
She strews with pious care,
And by soft airs to distance borne,
These accents strike the ear.
Farewell my lov'd, my favourite child,
A mother's pride farewell!
The muses on thy cradled smiled,
Ah! now they ring thy knell.
---- ten verses and then ----
And round the tomb the plough shall pass,
And yellow autumn smile ;
And village maids shall seek the place,
To crown thy hallowed pile.
While yearly comes the opening spring,
While autumn wan returns ;
Each rural voice shall grateful sing,
And SCOTLAND boasts of BURNS.

by Thomas Telford, on the death of Robert Burns, 1796.