A STROLL DOWN THE BALLS POND ROAD

After a lightning visit to the British Library, and a night at joel's mews residence

we went for a stroll down the Balls Pond Road from Dalston to St Pancras. Behind the station Joel took me to see the old St Pancras church where we found

the ash tree around which Thomas Hardy had the old gravestone arranged whilst he was moving the graves to build the railway. In the 150 or so years since, the roots of the tree have joined the graves stone to become something else; very strange. (more pics and info at Joel's journal)
On the way home I had my own chauffeur-driven bus (for a magic mile or two)

in search of lost times

The gravestone of great-great-grandad William Stewart, Tailor, Balmoral cottages, died 1861. Crathie Old Churchyard, Crathie, Dee-side, Aberdeenshire.

Cottages at Easter Balmoral, but most of the old ones were long demolished

The farm at Clachanturn where William was born. Once a thriving village with a market (and a maypole, I'm told) but apart from three or four houses, the mill and these steading, now ruined and overgrown. The current tenant came here from mining in West Yorkshire 20 years ago.

The farm at Balnacroft (a mile or so east of Balmoral) where William's father John was a farmer; he died some time before 1854, when his wife Elizabeth Brown died. He was probably born around 1790-94, since William, their second son was born 1816. Alexander, their first son, was born 1814. Alex is buried next to William, having died in 1880 here:

Toldhu, Glen Muick. The current tenant, who has rebuilt the place big-time, welcomed us with a glass of very decent wine.

Toldhu from the east (Toldhu means 'Black Hole' but this is said to refer to the 'Black Pool' a salmon pool on the Muick by the house.)
Glen Muick was home to a host of Stewarts in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many were tenants at Loinmuie, now a ruin, which sadly I failed to find (the OS map shows a forest path that doesnt exist any more) and also here:

Alltcaileach (next to Toldhu, down river).