'Several Perceptions'

It is a little known fact that the great Angela Carter’s father was from MacDuff.  A fishing town on the opposite side of the River Deveron.  She herself visited, and hated it.  Although I can no longer find the reference for that, when I read it, I found it surreal that Angela Carter may have trudged those hilly streets.  In a huff.  She may have stood a’top the Hill of Doune, Temple of Venus at her back, solemnly vowing to get the hell out of dodge and be a re-writer of fairy tales, in her own voice.  

Samuel Johnson loathed Banff apparently, and caught the coach on to Cullen to breakfast.  Not much pleased him, let’s be honest.  Lord Byron’s maternal grandmother, Lady Gight, was a resident of Banff, and Byron lived here as a boy, after his father had gone through not only his own fortune, but the dowry brought to him by Byron’s mother.  It was all going on up here, back in the day.  Rabbie Burns, magicians, masques, Admirals and Sea Captains, heroes of Trafalgar, Dukes, Royal Princesses and ‘Tiny’ Morison’s heaviest fly-caught salmon.  (Her record stands).

Nowadays, the big story is the opening of the new Aldi in MacDuff.  Bless us all, no masked balls for us, no jet-setters or huntin’ shootin’ fishin’ toffs visiting Queen Victoria’s daughter in Duff House.  (Although KC3 did come here when he was the Prince of Wales and I, amongst others, shook his hand.  A lunch was apparently prepared in Duff House, which he had helped to ensure was repaired and re-opened (Duff House, not the lunch), but he left to fish in the Deveron instead.  Inspired by ‘Tiny’, no doubt). 

Went to Aldi for a look.

Suspect Angela would have made a dark fairy tale out of it indeed.

https://www.britainexpress.com/Macduff.

https://www.deveron.org/the-morison-trophy/the-story-of-mrs-clementina-tiny-morison/

https://banffmacduffheritagetrail.co.uk.

Credit: ‘Several Perceptions’, Angela Carter.  1968.  Heinemann, London