Weekend at Stonehaven

Last weekend we went to a folk festival in Stonehaven. It is situated in the North East of Scotland just south of Aberdeen overlooking the North Sea. Getting away from home and work was a treat; having time to unwind and relax.  We had arranged to meet some friends there who were staying in camper-vans.

The folk festival ranged from folk music, ballad singing, competitions, sessions where anyone could  sing, story telling, workshops for musicians and ceilidh. There were also folk concerts. So, you can tell, we had a lot to choose from. We don’t own a camper-van so we stayed in the heart of Stonehaven just off the market square. If absorbing the vibe of a place is your thing this is a good situation.  There were many outdoor concerts in the market square from morning to night; and a lot of seagulls making it noise all night. Since we had never been to a folk festival in Scotland we decided to follow along with our friends and it was a nice opportunity to connect with them. I enjoyed the ballad singing the most and also participating in the aqua ceilidh on Sunday.

Apart from the folk festival it was a special little town in which to hangout. For my Cape Townian friends it reminded me of Hermanus. I enjoy history so we visited the Tolhouse Museum, the harbour and Dunnottar Castle that stands high up on the cliffs. Dunnottar Castle was frequented by William Wallace. The Crown jewels is believed to have been hidden here at some point.

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The creative gift of relaxation

Derek said he had a ‘mountain cabin’ experience and might have come up with a new idea for a product for his company. I in my own way had my own realisation.

My Ah-ha moment was about learning. Research points to enriching one’s life through learning new things, even as one gets older; and possibly even more importantly as we age, as it stimulates the brain. Moving to Scotland in our late fifties certainly gives me the chance to learn new things. This weekend was a perfect example: I danced in the aqua ceilidh for the first time, I learnt several new words, one being ‘haar’ or ‘harr’ which is a cold, damp mist that comes off the North sea  onto the coastal land and it hangs about. We experienced the haar all of Saturday.

I also learnt about Doric language: The ballads are sung in Doric which is a traditional Scottish language of the North East. All the ballads from this part are about farming and fishing life.  The ballads are past down from one generation to the next. In Greek Doric means rustic or rural which describes the fishing and farming life in these parts. My friend who came from there said that there’s a Norwegian and Dutch influence. I realised why I could understand some of the words as our Afrikaans has a Dutch influence too. As I am fascinated by languages and their origins I found it very stimulating. I have more to research now.

My realisation was ‘I will always be a novice at something and that’s not a bad thing.’ Possibly that seems like a simple realization but it’s very freeing, better late than never. As a person who has struggled with social anxiety most of my life I think it is quite a breakthrough. We can be wise, unprepared and still keep learning.

Being in a new culture is somewhat humbling but if one doesn’t mind being a novice and learning – it doesn’t matter. It’s refreshing to be able to say ‘I don’t know – Yet.’ I find that there’s always someone who is happy to pass on their knowledge.

Blessings and Light,

~Morag Noffke ~