Today, The Windsors & The Grandma have visited LochNess to spend a goodtime with Nessie, an old friend, that hasbecome a great legend.
Before visiting Nessie, the family hasstudied some English grammar with Countable & Uncountable, and theyhave written a recipe about a Blue Soupto invite Osama and Bridget to eat it.
The Loch Ness Monster, in Scottish Gaelic UilebheistLoch Nis, affectionately known as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands.
It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps
protruding from the water. Popular interest and belief in the creature
has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933. Evidence
of its existence is anecdotal with a number of disputed photographs and
sonar readings.
The scientific community explains alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster
as hoaxes, wishful thinking, and the misidentification of mundane
objects. The pseudoscience and subculture of cryptozoology has placed
particular emphasis on the creature.
In
August 1933, the Courier published the account of George Spicer's
alleged sighting. Public interest skyrocketed, with countless letters
being sent in detailing different sightings describing a monster fish, sea serpent, or dragon, with the final name ultimately settling on Loch Ness monster. Since the 1940s, the creature has been affectionately called Nessie, in Scottish Gaelic Niseag.
A
number of explanations have been suggested to account for sightings of
the creature. According to Ronald Binns, a former member of the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau, there is probably no single explanation of the monster. Binns wrote two sceptical books, the 1983 The Loch Ness Mystery Solved, and his 2017 The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded. In these he contends that an aspect of human psychology is the ability of the eye to see what it wants, and expects, to see.
They
may be categorised as misidentifications of known animals,
misidentifications of inanimate objects or effects, reinterpretations of
Scottish folklore, hoaxes, and exotic species of large animals. A reviewer wrote that Binns had evolved into the author of the definitive, skeptical book on the subject. Binns does not call the sightings a hoax, but a myth in the true sense of the term and states that the monster is a sociological phenomenon. After
1983 the search (for the) possibility that there just might be
continues to enthrall a small number for whom eye-witness evidence
outweighs all other considerations".
In 1980 Swedish naturalist and author Bengt Sjögren wrote that present beliefs in lake monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster
are associated with kelpie legends. According to Sjögren, accounts of
loch monsters have changed over time; originally describing horse-like
creatures, they were intended to keep children away from the loch.
Sjögren wrote that the kelpie legends have developed into descriptions
reflecting a modern awareness of plesiosaurs.
The kelpie as a water horse in Loch Ness was mentioned in an 1879 Scottish newspaper, and inspired Tim Dinsdale's Project Water Horse. A study of pre-1933 Highland folklore references to kelpies, water horses and water bulls indicated that Ness was the loch most frequently cited.
Today, The Grandma has visited Loch Ness to spend a good time with Nessie, an old friend, that has become a great legend.
The Loch Ness Monster, in Scottish Gaelic UilebheistLoch Nis, affectionately known as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protruding from the water. Popular interest and belief in the creature has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal with a number of disputed photographs and sonar readings.
The scientific community explains alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster as hoaxes, wishful thinking, and the misidentification of mundane objects. The pseudoscience and subculture of cryptozoology has placed particular emphasis on the creature.
In August 1933, the Courier published the account of George Spicer's alleged sighting. Public interest skyrocketed, with countless letters being sent in detailing different sightings describing a monster fish, sea serpent, or dragon, with the final name ultimately settling on Loch Ness monster. Since the 1940s, the creature has been affectionately called Nessie, in Scottish Gaelic Niseag.
A number of explanations have been suggested to account for sightings of the creature. According to Ronald Binns, a former member of the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau, there is probably no single explanation of the monster. Binns wrote two sceptical books, the 1983 The Loch Ness Mystery Solved, and his 2017 The Loch Ness Mystery Reloaded. In these he contends that an aspect of human psychology is the ability of the eye to see what it wants, and expects, to see.
They may be categorised as misidentifications of known animals, misidentifications of inanimate objects or effects, reinterpretations of Scottish folklore, hoaxes, and exotic species of large animals. A reviewer wrote that Binns had evolved into the author of the definitive, skeptical book on the subject. Binns does not call the sightings a hoax, but a myth in the true sense of the term and states that the monster is a sociological phenomenon. After 1983 the search (for the) possibility that there just might be continues to enthrall a small number for whom eye-witness evidence outweighs all other considerations".
In 1980 Swedish naturalist and author Bengt Sjögren wrote that present beliefs in lake monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster are associated with kelpie legends. According to Sjögren, accounts of loch monsters have changed over time; originally describing horse-like creatures, they were intended to keep children away from the loch. Sjögren wrote that the kelpie legends have developed into descriptions reflecting a modern awareness of plesiosaurs.
The kelpie as a water horse in Loch Ness was mentioned in an 1879 Scottish newspaper, and inspired Tim Dinsdale's Project Water Horse. A study of pre-1933 Highland folklore references to kelpies, water horses and water bulls indicated that Ness was the loch most frequently cited.
Today, The Stones and The Grandma continue their English classes. They have reviewed some grammar rules and they have studied FirstConditional structure and Too/Enough. They have been talking about interesting links to know more things and have enough information about Labour Insertion.
The Grandma bought some propierties in the United Kingdom and the family is working on them. They have been talking about their castle in Inverness, Scotland, and about how many things they will do, if they live in it.
Inverness, from the Scottish Gaelic Inbhir Nis, meaning Mouth of the River Ness, is a cathedral city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands.
Historically it served as the county town of the county of Inverness-shire. Inverness lies near two important battle sites: the 11th-century battle of Blàr nam Fèinne against Norway which took place on the Aird, and the 18th century Battle of Culloden which took place on Culloden Moor.
It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the Great Glen (Gleann Mòr) at its northeastern extremity where the River Ness enters the Moray Firth. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim (King David I) in the 12th century.
The Gaelic king Mac Bethad Mac Findláich (MacBeth) whose 11th-century killing of King Duncan was immortalised in Shakespeare's largely fictionalised play Macbeth, held a castle within the city where he ruled as Mormaer of Moray and Ross.
The population of Inverness grew from 40,969 in 2001 to 46,969 in 2012, according to World Population Review.
The Greater Inverness area, including Culloden and Westhill, had a population of 56,969 in 2012.
In 2018, it had a population of 69,696. Inverness is one of Europe's fastest growing cities, with a quarter of the Highland population living in or around it, and is ranked fifth out of 189 British cities for its quality of life, the highest of any Scottish city.
In the recent past, Inverness has experienced rapid economic growth: between 1998 and 2008, Inverness and the rest of the central Highlands showed the largest growth of average economic productivity per person in Scotland and the second greatest growth in the United Kingdom as a whole, with an increase of 86%. Inverness is twinned with one German city, Augsburg, and two French towns, La Baule and Saint-Valery-en-Caux.
Inverness was one of the chief strongholds of the Picts, and in AD 569 was visited by St Columba with the intention of converting the Pictish king Brude, who is supposed to have resided in the vitrified fort on Craig Phadrig, on the western edge of the city.
A 2.9 kg silver chain dating to 500–800 was found just to the south of Torvean in 1983. A church or a monk's cell is thought to have been established by early Celtic monks on St Michael's Mount, a mound close to the river, now the site of the Old High Church and graveyard.
Inverness Castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III (Malcolm III) of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which Mac Bethad mac Findláich (Macbeth) had, according to much later tradition, murdered MáelColuim's father Donnchad (Duncan I), and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.
The strategic location of Inverness has led to many conflicts in the area. Reputedly there was a battle in the early 11th century between King Malcolm and Thorfinn of Norway at Blar Nam Feinne, to the southwest of the city.
Inverness had four traditional fairs, including Legavrik or Leth-Gheamhradh, meaning midwinter, and Faoilleach. William the Lion (d. 1214) granted Inverness four charters, by one of which it was created a royal burgh. Of the Dominican friary founded by Alexander III in 1233, only one pillar and a worn knight's effigy survive in a secluded graveyard near the town centre.
Medieval Inverness suffered regular raids from the Western Isles, particularly by the MacDonald Lords of the Isles in the 15th century.
In 1187 one Domhnall Bán (Donald Ban) led islanders in a battle at Torvean against men from Inverness Castle led by the governor's son, Donnchadh Mac An Toisich (Duncan Mackintosh). Both leaders were killed in the battle, Donald Ban is said to have been buried in a large cairn near the river, close to where the silver chain was found.
Local tradition says that the citizens fought off the Clan Donald in 1340 at the Battle of Blairnacoi on Drumderfit Hill, north of Inverness across the Beauly Firth.
On his way to the Battle of Harlaw in 1411, Donald of Islay harried the city, and sixteen years later James I held a parliament in the castle to which the northern chieftains were summoned, of whom three were arrested for defying the king's command.
Clan Munro defeated Clan Mackintosh in 1454 at the Battle of Clachnaharry just west of the city. Clan Donald and their allies stormed the castle during the Raid on Ross in 1491.
In 1562, during the progress undertaken to suppress Huntly's insurrection, Mary, Queen of Scots, was denied admittance into Inverness Castle by the governor, who belonged to the earl's faction, and whom she afterwards caused to be hanged. The Clan Munro and Clan Fraser of Lovat took the castle for her. The house in which she lived meanwhile stood in Bridge Street until the 1970s, when it was demolished to make way for the second Bridge Street development.
Beyond the then northern limits of the town, Oliver Cromwell built a citadel capable of accommodating 1,000 men, but with the exception of a portion of the ramparts it was demolished at the Restoration. The only surviving modern remnant is a clock tower.
Inverness played a role in the Jacobite rising of 1689. In early May, it was besieged by a contingent of Jacobites led by MacDonell of Keppoch. The town was actually rescued by Viscount Dundee, the overall Jacobite commander, when he arrived with the main Jacobite army, although he required Inverness to profess loyalty to King James VII.
In 1715 the Jacobites occupied the royal fortress as a barracks. In 1727 the government built the first Fort George here, but in 1746 it surrendered to the Jacobites and they blew it up. Culloden Moor lies nearby, and was the site of the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which ended the Jacobite rising of 1745–46.
On 7 September 1921, the first British Cabinet meeting to be held outside London took place in the Town House, when David Lloyd George, on holiday in Gairloch, called an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Ireland. The Inverness Formula composed at this meeting was the basis of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
Inverness and its immediate hinterland have a large number of originally Gaelic place names, as the area was solidly Gaelic-speaking until the late 19th century.
In the colonial period, a Gaelic speaking settlement named New Inverness was established in McIntosh County, Georgia, by settlers from in and around Inverness. The name was also given by expatriates to settlements in Quebec, Nova Scotia, Montana, Florida, Illinois, and California.
The name Inverness is also given to a feature on Miranda, a moon of the planet Uranus, as well as a 2637 m tall mountain in British Columbia, Canada.
Inverness is also known by its nicknames Inversnecky or The Sneck, with its inhabitants traditionally known as Clann Na Cloiche, Children of the Stone in Gaelic owing to the importance of the Clach Na Cudainn stone in the city's history.
Joaquín, Silvia, Claudia, Merche, Victor & Noelia Jones
The Jones have participated in the 116th Edition of the Paris-Roubaix road. This year, the organization has made an exception and the inscriptions have been opened to women. All the members of the family, except Eli Jones who is still missing in Loch Ness althoughis present in our memories, have participated in this fantastic race full of danger and emotions.
Víctor Jones has arrived in the fourth position being the best classified Jones and Claudia, Joaquín, Merche, Noelia and Silvia Jones have arrived in the top 20. The Grandma is still cycling, although the race has been closed some hours ago but, as you know, the most important is participating, enjoying and arriving.
The Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the Monuments or classics of the European calendar, and contributes points towards the UCI World Ranking.
The Paris–Roubaix is famous for rough terrain and cobblestones, or pavé, setts,being, with the Tour of Flanders, E3 Harelbeke and Gent–Wevelgem, one of the cobbled classics. It has been called the Hell of the North, a Sunday in Hell, also the title of a film about the 1976 race, the Queen of the Classics or la Pascale: the Easter race. Since 1977, the winner of Paris–Roubaix has received a sett, cobble stone, as part of his prize.
The terrain has led to the development of specialised frames, wheels and tyres. Punctures and other mechanical problems are common and often influence the result. Despite the esteem of the race, some cyclists dismiss it because of its difficult conditions. The race has also seen several controversies, with winners disqualified.
From its beginning in 1896 until 1967 it started in Paris and ended in Roubaix; in 1966 the start moved to Chantilly; and since 1977 it has started in Compiègne, about 85 kilometres north-east of the centre of Paris. The finish is still in Roubaix. The race is organised by the media group Amaury Sport Organisation annually in mid-April.
The course is maintained by Les Amis de Paris–Roubaix, a group of fans of the race formed in 1983. The forçats du pavé seek to keep the course safe for riders while maintaining its difficulty.
Paris–Roubaix is one of the oldest races of professional road cycling. It was first run in 1896 and has stopped only for the two world wars. The race was created by two Roubaix textile manufacturers, Théodore Vienne, born 28 July 1864, and Maurice Perez. They had been behind the building of a velodrome on 46,000 square metres at the corner of the rue Verte and the route d'Hempempont, which opened on 9 June 1895.
Víctor Jones (centre) and other participants
Vienne and Perez held several meetings on the track, one including the first appearance in France by the American sprinter Major Taylor, and then looked for further ideas. In February 1896 they hit on the idea of holding a race from Paris to their track. This presented two problems. The first was that the biggest races started or ended in Paris and that Roubaix might be too provincial a destination. The second was that they could organize the start or finish but not both.
The race usually leaves riders caked in mud and grit, from the cobbled roads and rutted tracks of northern France's former coal-mining region. However, this is not how this race earned the name l'enfer du Nord, or Hell of the North. The term was used to describe the route of the race after World War I. Organisers and journalists set off from Paris in 1919 to see how much of the route had survived four years of shelling and trench warfare.
Originally, the race was from Paris to Roubaix, but in 1966 the start moved to Chantilly, 50 km north, then in 1977 to Compiègne, 80 km north. From Compiègne it now follows a 260 km winding route north to Roubaix, hitting the first cobbles after 100 km.
During the last 150 km the cobbles extend more than 50 km. The race culminates with 750m on the smooth concrete of the large outdoor Vélodrome André-Pétrieux in Roubaix. The route is adjusted from year to year as older roads are resurfaced and the organisers seek more cobbles to maintain the character of the race, in 2005, for example, the race included 54.7 km of cobbles.
Today, The Jones have spent their last day in Scotland. In the morning, the family has revised some English Grammar with the Modal Verbs (Need, Must & Should) and some Social English. They have also received some presents from MJ and M. In that case, a fantastic Grammar English book.
Show must go on. The family has received medical assistant and following medical advice, the family has continued with the originals plans. The doctors have recommended them that they should travel to Paris, they need to trust in the Scottish Emergency Services and they must be strong because they have suffered a terrible experience.
This afternoon, following the advice of the local authorities, The Jones are flying to Paris where the staff of the Mandarin Hotel are waiting for them. During the flight, the family has chosen some furniture to redecorate and refurbish S'Estaca in Majorca and Urquhart Castle in Loch Ness and The Grandma has recommended them a masterpiece: The Color Purple, the Alice Walker's best seller that Steven Spielberg adapted in 1985.
The Color Purple is a 1985 American period drama film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Menno Meyjes, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Alice Walker.
It was Spielberg's eighth film as a director, and was a change from the summer blockbusters for which he had become famous. The film was also the first feature-length film directed by Spielberg for which John Williams did not compose the music.
The film starred Danny Glover, Desreta Jackson, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, in her film debut, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, and featured Whoopi Goldberg, also in her film debut, as Celie Harris-Johnson.
Filmed in Anson and Union counties in North Carolina, the film tells the story of a young African American girl named Celie Harris and shows the problems African American women faced during the early 20th century, including domestic violence, incest, pedophilia, poverty, racism, and sexism. Celie is transformed as she finds her self-worth through the help of two strong female companions.
Noelia Jones and her English book
Set in rural Georgia during the first forty years of the twentieth century, the filmcenters on the life of a fictional character named Celie, an oppressed black woman. In the film, Celie endures rape, sexism, the loss of her children at birth, a tyrannical husband, domestic violence, chauvinism, the loss of her sister, and the demoralization of her friend, Sofia, who also loses her freedom to the law.
Celie and the other characters tell a story of overcoming racism and misogyny in the rural South during this time period, depicting a struggle for equality. Celie maintains her resolve throughout the story. By the end of the film, the characters have undergone remarkable changes and relationships have begun to heal.
The Color Purple was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg and Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey. It failed to win any of them, tying the record set by 1977's The Turning Point for the most Oscar nominations without a single win.
Today, The Jones have continued their trip across the Highlands. After meeting Nessie and spending a wonderful day with him yesterday, this morning the family has revised some Social English. Later, they have practised PresentSimple vs. Present Continuous and the Adjectives of Equality.
The Grandma has explained to her family that she had bought a new propierty in the island: a beautiful Scottish castle next to the Loch Ness.
The family has talked about which residence to choose to spend their summer holidays. The selection is easy: or S'Estaca in Majorca Island or Urquhart Castle in Loch Ness.
Finally, The Jones have played some word games to improve their vocabulary and enjoy good moments together before having lunch with their last guests: Sean Connery, Annie Lennox and Amy Macdonald.
This afternoon, the family is meeting William Wallace, an old Grandma's friend, a local hero, who has a very beautiful story of bravery and honour to explain. After this visit, The Jones are preparing their suitcases again because Paris is waiting for them.
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace, in Scottish Gaelic UilleamUallas, is a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297. He was appointed Guardian of Scotland and served until his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk in July 1298. In August 1305, Wallace was captured in Robroyston, near Glasgow, and handed over to King Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn, and quartered for high treason and crimes against English civilians.
Since his death, Wallace has obtained an iconic status far beyond his homeland. He is the protagonist of Blind Harry's 15th-century epic poem The Wallace and the subject of literary works by Sir Walter Scott and Jane Porter, and of the Academy Award-winning film Braveheart.
William Wallace
William Wallace was a member of the lesser nobility, but little is definitely known of his family history or even his parentage. When Wallace was growing up, King Alexander III ruled Scotland. His reign had seen a period of peace and economic stability. On 19 March 1286, however, Alexander died after falling from his horse.
The heir to the throne was Alexander's granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway. As she was still a child and in Norway, the Scottish lords set up a government of guardians. Margaret fell ill on the voyage to Scotland and died in Orkney on 26 September 1290. The lack of a clear heir led to a period known as the Great Cause, with several families laying claim to the throne.
With Scotland threatening to descend into civil war, King Edward I of England was invited in by the Scottish nobility to arbitrate. Before the process could begin, he insisted that all of the contenders recognize him as Lord Paramount of Scotland. In early November 1292, at a great feudal court held in the castle at Berwick-upon-Tweed, judgment was given in favour of John Balliol having the strongest claim in law.
William Wallace
Edward proceeded to reverse the rulings of the Scottish Lords and even summoned King John Balliol to stand before the English court as a common plaintiff. John was a weak king, known as Toom Tabard or Empty Coat. John renounced his homage in March 1296 and by the end of the month Edward stormed Berwick-upon-Tweed, sacking the then-Scottish border town. In April, the Scots were defeated at the Battle of Dunbar in East Lothian and by July, Edward had forced John to abdicate. Edward then instructed his officers to receive formal homage from some 1,800 Scottish nobles, many of the rest being prisoners of war at that time.
On 11 September 1297, an army jointly led by Wallace and Andrew Moray won the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Although vastly outnumbered, the Scottish army routed the English army. John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey's feudal army of 3,000 cavalry and 8,000 to 10,000 infantry met disaster as they crossed over to the north side of the river.
In April 1298, Edward ordered a second invasion of Scotland. Two days prior to the battle 25,781 foot soldiers were paid. More than half of them would have been Welsh. There are no clear cut sources for the presence of cavalry, but it is safe to assume that Edward had roughly 1500 horse under his command. They plundered Lothian and regained some castles, but failed to bring William Wallace to combat; the Scots shadowed the English army, intending to avoid battle until shortages of supplies and money forced Edward to withdraw, at which point the Scots would harass his retreat.
The English quartermasters' failure to prepare for the expedition left morale and food supplies low, and a resulting riot within Edward's own army had to be put down by his cavalry. In July, while planning a return to Edinburgh for supplies, Edward received intelligence that the Scots were encamped nearby at Falkirk, and he moved quickly to engage them in the pitched battle he had long hoped for.
William Wallace
By September 1298, Wallace resigned as Guardian of Scotland in favour of Robert the Bruce, Earl of Carrick and future king, and John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, King John Balliol's nephew.
Wallace evaded capture by the English until 5 August 1305 when John de Menteith, a Scottish knight loyal to Edward, turned Wallace over to English soldiers at Robroyston near Glasgow. The site is commemorated by a small monument in the form of a Celtic cross. Letters of safe conduct from Haakon V of Norway, Philip IV of France, and John Balliol, along with other documents, were found in Wallace's possession and delivered to Edward by John de Segrave.
Wallace was transported to London, lodged in the house of William de Leyrer, then taken to Westminster Hall, where he was tried for treason and for atrocities against civilians in war, sparing neither age nor sex, monk nor nun. He was crowned with a garland of oak to suggest he was the king of outlaws. He responded to the treason charge, I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject.
Today, The Jones have continued their English classes. They have revised The Comparative of Superiority and Shall.
After working some Social English, the family has created some writings about their Hogwarts' friends, who they miss a lot, although Harry Potter has joined to them in their trip.
The family has been talking about Ireland, its kind people and its generosity and about how to work there and learning English at the same time. Later, The Grandma has been talking about Easter in Naples and Les Caramelles an ancient Catalan tradition. Both events are celebrated during Easter Sunday.
Finally, The Jones have created a story to practise the three most important elements in a composition: adequation, cohesion and coherence. Before, The Grandma had explained the story of the bagpipe, the most popular instrument in Scotland, as important as the Loch Ness, cradle of one of the most wonderful legends: Nessie.
Noelia Jones inside Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness
This afternoon, the family is visiting Loch Ness because they want to meet Nessie and enjoy one of the most beautiful places of the world: the Highlands.
Fifty years ago, in a day like today, The Grandma was visiting Loch Ness for first time in her life. It was an experience impossible to forget for two reasons: because of the beauty of the place and because that day Martin Luther King was killed in Memphis. It was a senseless tragedy like everybody that someone use violence or force to shut up opinions and freedoms. The history shows us that you can kill a person but not his/her ideology meanwhile other people continue his/her struggle: We shall overcome!
Loch Ness, in Scottish Gaelic Loch Nis, is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 kilometres southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 16 metres above sea level. It is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich.
At the northern end there is the Bona Narrows which opens out into Loch Dochfour, which feeds the River Ness and a further section of canal to Inverness, ultimately leading to the North Sea via the Moray Firth. It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil.
Paqui Jones inside Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness
At Drumnadrochit is the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition which examines the natural history and legend of Loch Ness. Urquhart Castle is located on the western shore, 2 km east of Drumnadrochit and lighthouses are located at Lochend (Bona Lighthouse) and Fort Augustus.
Loch Ness is known as the home of the Loch Ness Monster, also known as Nessie, a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next. Popular interest and belief in the animal's existence has varied since it was first brought to the world's attention in 1933.
In Scottish folklore, the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie, is an aquatic being which reputedly inhabits Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, and is often described as being large in size, with a long neck and one or more humps protruding from the water. Popular interest and belief in the creature has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal, with a few disputed photographs and sonar readings.
The Jones at Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness
The creature commonly appears in Western media where it manifests in a variety of ways. The scientific community regards the Loch Ness Monster as a phenomenon without biological basis, explaining sightings as hoaxes, wishful thinking, and the misidentification of mundane objects.
The creature has been affectionately called Nessie, in Scottish Gaelic: Niseag, since the 1940s.
The word monster was reportedly applied for the first time to the creature on 2 May 1933 by Alex Campbell, water bailiff for Loch Ness and a part-time journalist, in an Inverness Courier report.
On 4 August 1933 the Courier published a report by Londoner George Spicer that several weeks earlier, while they were driving around the loch, he and his wife saw the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life trundling across the road toward the loch with an animal in its mouth. Letters began appearing in the Courier, often anonymously, claiming land or water sightings by the writer, their family or acquaintances or remembered stories. The accounts reached the media, which described a monster fish, sea serpent, or dragon and eventually settled on Loch Ness monster.
The Grandma with Niseag in Loch Ness, 1968
On 6 December 1933 the first purported photograph of the monster, taken by Hugh Gray, was published in the Daily Express; the Secretary of State for Scotland soon ordered police to prevent any attacks on it. In 1934, interest was further piqued by the surgeon's photograph.
That year, R. T. Gould published an account of the author's investigation and a record of reports predating 1933. Other authors have claimed sightings of the monster dating to the sixth century AD.
The earliest report of a monster in the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St. Columba by Adomnán, written in the sixth century AD.
According to Adomnán, writing about a century after the events described, Irish monk Saint Columba was staying in the land of the Picts with his companions when he encountered local residents burying a man by the River Ness. They explained that the man was swimming in the river when he was attacked by a water beast which mauled him and dragged him underwater.
Although they tried to rescue him in a boat, he was dead. Columba sent a follower, Luigne moccu Min, to swim across the river. The beast approached him, but Columba made the sign of the cross and said: Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once. The creature stopped as if it had been "pulled back with ropes" and fled, and Columba's men and the Picts gave thanks for what they perceived as a miracle.
Believers in the monster point to this story, set in the River Ness rather than the loch itself, as evidence for the creature's existence as early as the sixth century.
Sceptics question the narrative's reliability, noting that water-beast stories were extremely common in medieval hagiographies and Adomnán's tale probably recycles a common motif attached to a local landmark. According to sceptics, Adomnán's story may be independent of the modern Loch Ness Monster legend and became attached to it by believers seeking to bolster their claims.
Today, The Poppins have studied more aspects of English grammar: some Social English, First Conditional and the modals Should and Can. The family is still in Scotland enjoying the country and its people. Today, they’ve written some postcards and they’ve read another chapter of OscarWilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
They’ve received the visit of MJ, who has travelled from Barcelona to The Highlands to talk about the PET Exam. Finally, they’ve been playing some games after talking about the origin of Catalan and Scottish Guards and how important have been Mount Etna (Sicily) and Eyjafjallajökull (Iceland) volcanoes in our past History.
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