Here lie the MacDougalls

A glorious day today - we took a picnic and went off down the Lerags road to have a look at the ruins of the old chapel of Kilbride, having not visited for a few years. Mrs M was particularly keen to see the graves of the MacDougalls of Dunollie. The chapel was built in 1706 on the site of a medieval parish church.
 
As we approached we could see that the ruins were swathed in scaffolding and assumed that we might not be able to enter, but as we got out of the car we met a gentleman who was apparently going off on his bike. We asked if we could go in and he assured us that we could and offered us a guided tour.
 
I had always assumed that ecclesiastical buildings belonged to the Church, or at least to some government body, but we were told that the church had belonged to the local farmer, on whose land he had bought a site to build a house. He and a friend bought the church and  graveyard, formed the Friends of Kilbride and donated it to them. The Friends set about preventing any further deterioration of the building, working under strict government rules, and this work is well under way. He made it clear that it wasn't going to be a reconstruction, purely stabilisation. Two hours later we had heard so much history and so many stories that our brains were working overtime! What a knowledgeable and enthusiastic man!
 
As a result of this extended history lesson our picnic lunch was delayed until nearly 3pm and we sat in the sun above Loch Nell listening to the cuckoos and woodpeckers and watching the bullfinches and many other birds. A very peaceful spot.
 
Because of this visit my promised cake Blip has been relegated to the status of Extra. When we cut into it this afternoon I discovered that it wasn't up to the standard that I'd hoped for. The colours had run into each other, which the plastic rings were supposed to prevent. I’m determined to have another go sometime, but using a standard UK recipe instead of the American one; it seems as if the cake mix was rather too runny and when the rings were taken out the colours got a little mixed up.
 
Quote of the Day:
 
Sir Walter Scott – “A ruin should always be protected but never repaired  - thus may we witness full the lingering legacies of the past."