Voytek again.

I promised not to blog about the Polish fighting bear but the Berwickshire has several columns on the beast


Apparently the indefatigble Mrs O has hopes that Voytek the Polish soldier bear is after all to have a statue of him erected in Duns although he had no connection with the place. Voytek did his drinking and smoking elsewhere in the Borders based at Winfield Airport near Paxton. But Mrs O is bringing out a book on the fighting drinking beast and any publicity will not do her scribblings any harm. Let us hope that any statue is more prepossesing than the rather camp one put up to commemorate Duns' most famous son-no not Jim Clark, but Duns Scrotus who was apparently born in Dunse or Duns is called after him. Duns Scrotus or Scotus wore the origin of the first Dunce's Cap-he was a controversial figure and was thought a bit slow if not daowright heretical in his docrine.

THe bear bears watching. And save your pennies for Mrs O's tome. Disapointed in her parliamentary efforts her writing career can hardly be less sucessfull.

Can it ?

Labels: BBC. Broadcasting House. Duns, Duns Scotus, Voytek

  ¶ 6:23 PM (1) comments

 
Damping Down in Duns

What is there to do on a wet Saturday in Duns is the question two obvious tourists seemed to be asking themselves outside Nairn's the up-the- market newsagents at about 10 am. I say seemed to be as the language was not English-possibly Swedish. 'Umlout skerl eurn Ja' was the approximate response to 'Too wet for the Duns Town Trail?' A long winded 'Yes', in any language I thought. They killed a few moments watching me buy my Guardian and looked around the shop rather desultorily. ' Tur earluie fur Cafe aginn?' 'The bloke looked at his watch and seemed to agree despite the obvious charms of Hugo's.

Duns has much to recommend it on a fine dry day-Duns Law, the golf club (MPBUI) , the rather camp statue of Duns Scotus, the Castle, But it is hardly the Border's Favourite Tourist Destination when it is hissing down, even a Short Break one.

As I was leaving the Nordics to further contemplation the Distaff side asked one of the Newsagents in excellent English 'Are there other shops here' 'Finnies-the -down- the- market newsagent was mentioned.

A quick consultation :' Lette fabrkeu beste af rodden Yob*?' or vowels to that effect


And off they rushed. Almost animated, if not downright excited.

And so the long day wore on

Some one with an entrepreneurial turn of mind should produce a little booklet for such visitors:

Twenty Minutes in Duns perhaps

* Make the best of a bad job? Blog-ed

Labels: Duns, Duns Scotus, Tourists

  ¶ 12:14 PM (2) comments

 

Bog Standard

Hutton's size hardly justified a public park although there was some talk of turning Farmer H's field, opposite the Kirk into a village green-although there was a possible Faustian bargain involving a housing development at the top of the field along the Hutton Castle road. This might have gone ahead had the new village hall been sited in that field as was once mooted. Paxton, by contrast, has a very pleasing if miniscule Village Green, the result of a local (incomers mostly)initiative. After some sullen opposition mostly from the 'Ay Bees' it is now an accepted part of Village life.

But Duns, the County Town, has a Park. (The 'P' is capital but the loos are closed)The autumnal scene is pleasing enough. But if you look closely at the image (click to enlarge) you will see a slightly less pleasing water feature. Not so much a puddle as a lake and the whole surrounding area is awash after rain and rarely dries out. Why on earth the town fathers built a public facility on this Bog (Merse equals Marsh around here)history does not(apparently) relate and certainly no attempt seems to have been made to improve the drainage, or better still, take advantage of the Bography to put in a large pond. Moreover the minimalist children's playground is pathetically endowed and the only public art is a a rather camp Duns Scrotus.

Building on bogs seems to be a local obsession and one can only hope that the new (yet to be opened) Berwickshire High School does not sink deep into the marsh on which it has been constructed.

Labels: . Duns, Duns Scotus, Merse

  ¶ 10:16 AM (0) comments

  Duns Roamin? Scotus Returns


I don't know who selects what items from the Berwickshire should go on line but this week is an example of a really interesting article, well written and researched, being omitted from the website. So you will have to fork out 62p (a silly figure) and turn to page 3 where any thought of a topless filly (and in Berwickshire it would be a filly) has been abandoned in favour of the camp image of John Duns Scotus-similar to Huttonian's post of a few days back. Unsurprisingly similar as it is the same statue which graces Duns Park. Next November is the 700th anniversary of Scotus' death-the statue was to mark his birth in either 1265 or 1266; birth certificate mislaid presumably.

The writer claims Duns Scotus as the town's greatest son and even more distinguished than other famous local figures: Jim Clark (Chirnside ex Fifer) the other philosopher, David Hume-Chirnside, Alec Douglas Home (the Hirsel) Louise Aitken Walker ( A genuinely local lass- see here) and as bang up to date, Tilda Swinton. I am sure none of the other worthies wore a Dunce's Cap-another claim to fame of the late Blessed John. Anyhow you can all troop along to the Southfield Community Centre and read all about him from next Monday, Station Road*, Duns. It will probably be more interesting than the Jim Clark Museum for all except Toads. See you there.

And btw, Duns Scotus has progressed from Dunce (12 something), to Venerable (1991) to Blessed (1993). If he keeps this up, next stop Saintship?Sainthood? Saintliness? Saintsbury's?

St Duns. That will another one in the eye for Greenlaw

This is Post Number two for today. Its to make up for a blogless absence down south starting tomorrow.

Sunday. If we are spared.

Labels: Duns, Duns Scotus

  ¶ 4:49 PM (0) comments

 
Duns to rival Olympics suggests a bloggee. An event which will switch world attention from China to Chirnside or more precisely from Donkin to Duns. Read all about it at:


http://www.airmaria.com/international-centenary-symposium-on-the-mariology-of-bl-john-duns-scotus-2008/

Not Jim Clarke nor even John Hutton, but the great late Duns Scotus whose connection with Berwickshire is being widely if belatedly recognised
700 years dead. Fancy that.

Will you remember what you were doing when the Pilgrims hit town?

Book your seat in the Parish (as in Catholic) Church) now-or resign yourself to watching it live on Al Jazeera

Labels: 700th anniversary, Duns Scotus, Pilgrimage to Duns

  ¶ 7:56 AM (0) comments

  Duns Who?

At the Middle Englander party referred to in the Last Post below one guest had the courtesy to take some interest in our move to Duns, perhaps not realising that it is in Scotland. 'Somebody famous came from there?' 'Jim Clarke?' I suggested, although of course he was more closely connected with Chirnside, but why muddy the waters. 'That doesn't ring a bell' he said but then wandered off to talk to someone more interesting. Just as we were about to leave he returned bubbling with excitement-'I have just remembered your famous Duns person- a real giant in his time; oh dear' he is going to say Rabbie Burns and I will have to correct him.' 'Yes' he said : 'Duns was his name


'Duns Scrotus'

Ah well, marks for effort-not unlike the young Essex girl who rushed up to handsome young Scot kitted out in full Highland regalia.Kilt and all the trimmings 'Tell me' she gushed, glancing down to his middle region

'What exactly do you carry in your Scrotum?'

The origin of Man bag perhaps?

Labels: Duns Scotus, Highlanders, Manbag

  ¶ 10:07 AM (0) comments

 

Duns boasts a number (well two at least) of famous sons-Most notable perhaps was the late "Jim Clarke the Grand Prix racing driver (actually a Chirnside man but his 'museum is in Duns) and of course the great Duns Scotus. Wikapedia has this entry:

"Though of dubious nativity (one school would have it at Duns, in the Borders; another, elsewhere: off in Ireland) in 1291 Duns Scotus was recorded duly an ordained man of God, in Northampton, England; he was a student, and subsequently a teacher, beginning in 1293 and running through 1297, at the University of Paris, later at Oxford, and likely again at Cambridge. He was expelled from the University of Paris for siding with then Pope Boniface VIII in that pontiff's feud with Philip the Fair of France. At length, Duns Scotus settled in Cologne, Germany, in 1307.

Duns Scotus is considered one of the most important Franciscan theologians and was the founder of Scotism, a special form of Scholasticism. He came out of the Old Franciscan School, to which Haymo of Faversham (d. 1244), Alexander of Hales (d. 1245), John of Rupella (d. 1245), William of Melitona (d. 1260), St. Bonaventure (d. 1274), Cardinal Matthew of Aquasparta (d. 1289), John Peckham, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1292), Richard of Middletown (d. about 1300), etc., belonged. He was known as "Doctor Subtilis"* because of his subtle merging of differing views. Later philosophers in the sixteenth century were not so complimentary about his work, and accused him of sophistry. This led to his name, "dunce" (which developed from the name "Dunse" given to his followers in the 1500s) to become synonymous for "somebody who is incapable of scholarship", as is expressed for example in the, (now defunct) use of the "dunce cap" to punish pupils who behave badly in class.

So as with Jim Clarke D.Scotus may not be a genuine Dinger. Certainly apart from his possible birth in the Borders his subsequent connections with Scotland are a bit tenous. But as you can see he is the original Dunce-an early version of an ASBO. He used to wear a high cowl-a medieval hoodie and it was this shape which inspired the Dunce's cap as in the image above.

I get the impression that not all Dingers are too proud of this guy. He has a rather forbidding statue in the park. And an alternative town motto of Duns Dunces A' lacks a certain something.

The only image of the 'Blessed John Duns Scotus' to give him his correct style, wearing his hoodie, is also above.



* Not to be confused with an early 20th Century Motion Picture pioneer known as Dr Subtitilis-blog-ed

Labels: BBC. Broadcasting House. Duns, Dunce, Duns Scotus, Dunse

  ¶ 1:40 PM (2) comments