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hiking • railtrails • reviews • maps
Burnt Mt & Boston Lot Lake
4⭐ 3-4 mi hikes • 370-660ft gain • Medium
https://www.trailspotting.com/2023/08/burnt-mt-boston-lot-lake-lebanon-nh.html -
hiking • railtrails • reviews • maps
Burnt Mt & Boston Lot Lake
4⭐ 3-4 mi hikes • 370-660ft gain • Medium
https://www.trailspotting.com/2023/08/burnt-mt-boston-lot-lake-lebanon-nh.html -
hiking • railtrails • reviews • maps
Burnt Mt & Boston Lot Lake
4⭐ 3-4 mi hikes • 370-660ft gain • Medium
https://www.trailspotting.com/2023/08/burnt-mt-boston-lot-lake-lebanon-nh.html -
Millions of SHIB Burnt Ahead of Epic Shibarium Launch - Shiba Inu (SHIB) has been on everyone’s radar today as there has been a confluence of imp... - https://coingape.com/millions-of-shib-burnt-ahead-of-epic-shibarium-launch/ #24/7cryptocurrencynews #shibainu(shib) #polygonzkevm #shibarium #base
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Millions of SHIB Burnt Ahead of Epic Shibarium Launch - Shiba Inu (SHIB) has been on everyone’s radar today as there has been a confluence of imp... - https://coingape.com/millions-of-shib-burnt-ahead-of-epic-shibarium-launch/ #24/7cryptocurrencynews #shibainu(shib) #polygonzkevm #shibarium #base
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Millions of SHIB Burnt Ahead of Epic Shibarium Launch - Shiba Inu (SHIB) has been on everyone’s radar today as there has been a confluence of imp... - https://coingape.com/millions-of-shib-burnt-ahead-of-epic-shibarium-launch/ #24/7cryptocurrencynews #shibainu(shib) #polygonzkevm #shibarium #base
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Fish appetizer "Burnt the hay". Both the name and the appearance are not bad. And the toy tractor only complements the idea... A smile appears on your face automatically ☺
#restaurant #restaurants #mastodon #yummyfood #food #foodish #tastyfood #creativetoots #creative #yummyinmytummy #foodporn -
(Late) #ChurChallenge #Cultober
5 - “Burnt out ends of smoky days / The stale cold smell of morning / The streetlamp dies, another night is over / Another day is dawning.” (Memory - Cats)
(Aka: a good excuse to draw my Iori’s bandmates again❤️)
(Yeah, I used the line after because no matter what, I kept singing this one rather than the one used for the prompt, can’t helpt it lol)
#KOFXV #ioriyagami #八神庵 #fediart #mastoart -
How fires are permanently displacing Montrealers and reshaping neighbourhoods
Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-fires-displacing-residents-9.7198371
CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1419-this-is-montreal/episode/16214622-burnt-out-how-fire-displaces-montreal-tenants
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Comment les incendies déplacent les Montréalais•aises de manière permanente et reforme les quartiers// Article en anglais //
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How fires are permanently displacing Montrealers and reshaping neighbourhoods
Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-fires-displacing-residents-9.7198371
CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1419-this-is-montreal/episode/16214622-burnt-out-how-fire-displaces-montreal-tenants
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Comment les incendies déplacent les Montréalais•aises de manière permanente et reforme les quartiers// Article en anglais //
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How fires are permanently displacing Montrealers and reshaping neighbourhoods
Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-fires-displacing-residents-9.7198371
CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1419-this-is-montreal/episode/16214622-burnt-out-how-fire-displaces-montreal-tenants
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Comment les incendies déplacent les Montréalais•aises de manière permanente et reforme les quartiers// Article en anglais //
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How fires are permanently displacing Montrealers and reshaping neighbourhoods
Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-fires-displacing-residents-9.7198371
CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1419-this-is-montreal/episode/16214622-burnt-out-how-fire-displaces-montreal-tenants
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Comment les incendies déplacent les Montréalais•aises de manière permanente et reforme les quartiers// Article en anglais //
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How fires are permanently displacing Montrealers and reshaping neighbourhoods
Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-fires-displacing-residents-9.7198371
CBC Listen: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/1419-this-is-montreal/episode/16214622-burnt-out-how-fire-displaces-montreal-tenants
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Comment les incendies déplacent les Montréalais•aises de manière permanente et reforme les quartiers// Article en anglais //
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This kind of infuriates me. The County waits until 3000+ acres and 30+ structures have burnt before issuing the burn ban. This despite ample warning that the fire conditions last week were going to be off the charts.
Commissioners issue burn ban for Logan County – Guthrie News Page #okwx #logancounty #guthrie #oklahoma https://guthrienewspage.com/commissioners-issue-burn-ban-for-logan-county/ -
Touring isn’t only about the scenery: sampling traditional foods is an obligation. From Sare in the northern Basque Country we savoured Gâteau Basque | Pastel Vasco | Etxeko Biskotxa, a traditional pie-like cake made of a buttery, shortcrust pastry typically filled with cherry jam (📷1) or vanilla cream. In southern Basque Country we sampled Tarta de Queso | Gazta Tarta, the crustless, creamy & caramelized or “burnt” cheesecake originating from San Sebastian but now widely available (📷2); we acquired ours in Zumaia. In the Asturian mountain village of Asiegu we shared a meal of delicious chorizo sausages, corn fritters served with strong Cabrales blue cheese & apple jelly (📷3), & tender roast 🐐 kid. Our host poured small amounts (a culín) of the almost flat local sidra | cider from a height over a special bucket (📷4); doing so releases tiny bubbles, the temporary fizz imparting texture & flavour that—for our part in the performance—should be consumed within seconds before it reverts!
🇫🇷#france 🇪🇸#spain #basqueCountry #asturias 🇪🇺#europe 🚀#travel 🚐 #camperVan #nomad #roadTrip #vanLife
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How to feel better when you’re almost burnt out: 🌟 Listen to this video. If you feel moments of loneliness, inner struggles, or anxiety, you’re welcome to share what’s on your heart. Here, every experience is met with grounded understanding and loving compassion. You deserve to find more peace and meaning in every part of your journey.
See link in my profile. With Love and Light 💗
🌟
#AchieveYourGoals #LifeGoals #DreamBig #LiveYourBestLife #Confidence #LifePurpose
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Video made with AI tools. -
#TTRPG #GMing #advice #facilitator #GMless
Stop being the "dancing monkey" for your RPG group and discover how GM-less systems and decentralized play can turn a burnt-out Forever GM into a lifelong Player of Games.
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Tyme’s and Killjoy’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025 By Steel DruhmTyme
I’ve spent much of my 2025 thinking about privilege. Not in the sense that the media has conditioned me, or us, to think about it, but in a way that I’ve employed to shift some of the mundane aspects of life onto their respective heads. For instance, it’s a privilege to look in my closet and have to decide what to wear each day. It’s a privilege to look in my kitchen pantry to figure out what I’ll eat for breakfast or, better yet, which coffee cup I’ll drink from. I could go on, but there’s a word limit to these intros. Suffice to say, I really tried to dwell on my blessings rather than my challenges this year.
And despite the blessings of my professional life, which bestowed upon me the incredible privilege of being really fucking busy for the last “whatever” number of months, I’ve been equally, yet much less facetiously, blessed in my personal endeavors as well. For, in addition to having a bountiful roof over my head, a vehicle to get me back and forth to my extremely privileged job, a dog I can honestly say I will have NO idea how to say goodbye to if I don’t go first, and a wife that, despite the ups and downs of a normal, healthy marriage, continues to love me, I have the distinct privilege of contributing my trve opinions on all things musically heavy, or adjacently heavy, here on the best heavy metal blog in the world! And now comes the part where I give thanks.
Thank you, first and foremost, to everyone who reads this blog every day. Without you, none of this would be worth doing. At least for me, who read, lurked, and commented for years before working up the courage to actually apply for this subservient existence. Thank you to this newest crop of freshly demoted n00bs and to my list mate Killjoy and the rest of the Freezer Freaks Crew—Alekhines Gun, Owlswald, and Clarkkent1—who, through perseverance and a buttload of patience, managed to survive nearly two years on ice to land in the crosshairs of the commentariat’s adverse, and always wrong, opinions.2,3 Thanks as well, to ALL the senior staff who are way nicer than they’d have you believe,4 except Grier, who’s even nicer than everyone else. And finally, the editors, the man himself, Dr. AMG, for seeing enough in me to bring me over, and Steel, who runs the tightest, most compassionate ship I’ve ever had the privilege of sailing on. Thanks, boss!
Now! To the LIST!!!
#ish. Antinoë // The Fold – When I snagged this late-year gem back in November, I had no idea it would have me shuffling my list. With a little more time, I’m sure it would have moved up the ladder, but as it stands, Antinoë grabbed my (ish) spot easily. With little to no instrumentation beyond her piano, Teresa Marraco crafted something so beautiful in its basic-ness that I was entranced. Her delicate melodies evoke vibes that are as much Darkher or Tori Amos5 as they are Emperor or Dimmu Borgir, and I am definitely here for it.
#10. King Witch // III – In a year when Messa released a new album as well, the fact that King Witch is sitting on my year-end proper list and not Sara Bianchin and company speaks volumes about the job Laura Donnelly, Jamie Gilchrist, and Rory Lee did on III. Whether crooning over wispy acoustics or belting out doomily powerful tones over rock-heavy riffs, Donnelly is the star of the show, and her performance had me swooning. From the minute I first heard “Suffer in Life” with its swing-heavy riffs and killer vocals, I was happy to take King Witch’s III for a spin over and over, and it’s been part of my regular rotation since summer.
#9. Imperishable // Revelation in Purity – As the year wore on, I became increasingly sure that I may have underrated Imperishable’s Revelation in Purity. In fact, I found myself returning to it several times, forgoing subsequent spins of albums I’d rated higher. With their Nile and Olkoth pedigree, Imperishable’s expert blend of blackened death metal hit an overtly swirling sweet spot for me. The songwriting on Revelation in Purity, while not groundbreaking, is expertly executed, rendering its quality undeniable. And when you toss in those very Alice in Chains-like grunge passages, akin to a cherry on top, it was easy for me to put Revelation in Purity on my year-end list.
#8. Mutagenic Host // The Diseased Machine – Mutagenic Host’s The Diseased Machine was the first album I successfully coveted and secured from the sump pit alllll the way back in January of this year. As a freshly demoted staff member at the time, I was overly excited at the opportunity to take it on, and the album surely didn’t disappoint. Mutagenic Host does death metal the way I like it: low-brow, Neanderthalic, and brutally chuggy. It’s a tenuous thing to run across something you deem so good so early in the year, but The Diseased Machine has definitely stood the test of Tyme and proved worth every point of the quarter-pounder I placed on it.
#7. Igorrr // Amen – My fancy with Igorrr has always been somewhat of a passing one. I was nowhere near the listener who would’ve been part of the band’s early target audience (Mousissure, Nostril). Still, I found more common ground with 2017’s Savage Sinusoid and even more with 2020’s Spirituality and Distortion. But when those first electronic beats of Amen’s opening track, “Daemoni,” poured out of my speakers for the first time, I was completely plugged in to Igorrr’s chaotically beautiful brand of metal madness. Amen’s surprisingly accessible break-cored, trip-hopped blackened death ‘baroque’ it’s big boot off in my ass, and I’ve been relishing and wallowing in its avant-garde pain ever since.
#6. Cave Sermon // Fragile Wings – Cave Sermon’s Divine Laughter was something I’d definitely missed out on in 2024. When Thus Spoke covered Cave Sermon’s rapid follow-up, Fragile Wings, in April, however, I vowed I wouldn’t sleep on Charlie Park’s solo black metal project this time around. And I’m certainly glad I didn’t. Words like ‘wistful,’ ‘exuberant,’ and ‘playful’ were tossed about in Thus’s excellent write-up and really homed in on what made listening to Fragile Wings such a connective experience for me. Imbued as Fragile Wings is with upbeat sadness, Cave Sermon proved that I can get on board with post metal, and to be honest, any metal that sounds this good is worth the time spent. And seriously, what is that cover?!6
#5. Crippling Alcoholism // Camgirl – Inspired by a subreddit I’m glad I never stumbled across, Crippling Alcoholism’s provocative moniker steels those who’d approach the band’s output with a certain sense of visceral anticipation before hearing even one note. My love for the disturbingly creepy With Love from a Padded Room led me to the pink, candy-wrapped murderpop of Camgirl with nary a moment’s hesitation. I gladly signed on to plumb the depths of weirdness I knew would exist, but could not have anticipated the absolute fathomless darkness lurking within Camgirl’s saccharine sweetness, especially as revealed with subsequent spins. A disturbing diatribe on hopelessness, disappointment, loneliness, and sex in the digital age, Camgirl wraps its message in a deceivingly poppy form of electronica that, when all is said and done, will have you wondering what the fuck just happened. I love it.
#4. Dax Riggs // 7 Songs for Spiders – Dax Riggs may be one of the more underrated artists of the last thirty years, and while I know I’m not the only one who rejoiced in the recent resurgence and subsequent touring schedule of one of the ’90s best sludge acts, Acid Bath, I also realized a new album will probably never materialize, at least not under that moniker. Instead, the universe graced us with 7 Songs for Spiders, Dax’s first solo effort in nearly 15 years. Filled with simplistically haunting melodies sung in Riggs’s inimitable style, 7 Songs for Spiders strummed every one of my fuzzed-out, laid-back heart strings and has remained consistently satisfying since its January release.
#3. Maud the Moth // The Distaff – I stumbled across Maud the Moth in 2023 while exploring the ever-expanding milieu of performers associated with my favorite artist Darkher. Searching Amaya López-Carromoero’s back catalog, I dove into 2015’s The Inner Wastelands and 2020’s Orphnē, emerging a fan of Maud the Moth’s quirky neo-classical piano-led operatics. When The Distaff popped up in the sump, I was glad to see Dolphin Whisperer snag it, knowing his words would do the album eloquent justice. Soaring in scope and execution, Maud the Moth proffers her most complex yet beautiful release to date. Filled with classically executed vocal acrobatics and massive amounts of intricate instrumentation, The Distaff is less a thing just to be listened to, as it is a thing to be wholly experienced. As immersive a piece of music as I’ve heard all year.
#2. Structure // Heritage – M-A-S-S-I-V-E is the word that best describes Structure’s Heritage, which is to say it’s big, sad, and “heavy as fook!”7 Every time I threw this beast on, and the album opener began crawling forth, it conjured the same cinematic image in my mind’s eye. A lone, bloodied warrior, fists clenched, head bowed, wind-swept and rain-soaked hair hanging down, muscles taut and twitching in furious sadness, standing in a field full of his fallen brethren as a lightning-laced deluge washed the blood of dead soldiers into the hungry ground. Then, slowly, he casts his gaze skyward, anguished tears streaming, contemplating his sole survivor existence, and screaming at the thunder-filled heavens “Will I deserve to live on?” Every time, that’s what I see when I listen to “Will I Deserve It,” and every time I break out in goose bumps with a lumpy throat and welling eyes. Heritage came as close to being my number one as to make the two offerings at the top of my 2025 list nearly interchangeable.
#1. Dormant Ordeal // Tooth and Nail – I know I underrated Dormant Ordeal’s fourth album, Tooth and Nail, for, despite giving it the 4.0 treatment, the sheer excellence of this record has only improved over time. April was THE month for me this year, yielding my two favorite metal releases and leaving Poland’s metal map deeply staked with a big, black-and-gold Dormant Ordeal flag. In true, warrior-like fashion, Maciej Nieścioruk and Maciej Proficz soldiered on without sole founding member Radek Kowal, which opened the door for Chase Westmoreland to waltz in and give my favorite drum performance of the year. From the brutally effective “Halo of Bones” to the excellent, Dylan Thomas-inspired “Against the Dying of the Light,” there wasn’t an album I returned to more this year than Tooth and Nail, its visceral riffs and razor-sharp edges leaving long-lasting scars. But in a good way, you know? It’s with profound pleasure that I dutifully crown Dormant Ordeal’s Tooth and Nail my album of the year.
Honorable Mentions
- Cryptopsy // An Insatiable Violence – This thing is an ass kicker. Full of satisfying death metal brutality and, like it or not, my favorite since the classic None So Vile.
- Pissgrave // Malignant Worthlessness – Thirty-one minutes of absolutely insane death metal that will melt your ears into maggot-infested pus. Soooooo good.
- Messa // The Spin – It’s Messa, fool! ‘Nuff said. There was no way I was getting out of 2025’s Listurnalia without mentioning the new album from one of my favorite doom bands.
- Depravity // Bestial Possession – This thing blew my socks off and, had I gotten more time to spend with it, might have threatened to rattle the cage of my list order for sure. Death metal done right.
- Diabolizer // Murderous Revelations – I had been in a death metal drought when I picked up Murderous Revelations; its traditional, no-frills approach hitting me hard. This one came so close to listing for me, I could smell its charred, crispy, burnt ends.
- Lipoma // No Cure for the Sick – Gurgly gore vocals over a circus parade of melodic death metal riffs. What’s not to like? I had tons of fun with this thing.
- Puteraeon // Mountains of Madness – Puteraeon was a band that had never been on my radar. Mountains of Madness’s mature aesthetic, great storyline, and engagingly crafted melodicism took me entirely by surprise.
Song o’ the Year:
‘Twas a mother-fookin’ toss up between my top 2 albums. I flipped a coin, so close was the race. (Heads) Structure // (Tails) Dormant Ordeal.
WINNER(?):
Structure – “Will I Deserve It” – Satisfyingly goose-bumpy!8
Killjoy
The fact that I’m writing this list feels nothing short of surreal. When I became a regular reader of this blog in 2019, I had a strong interest in metal but a knowledge of only a handful of its subgenres. I did not expect to make it this far when I auditioned, but somehow I became a member of the Freezer Crew. Although we were initially forced to huddle together for warmth to survive the n00b trials, as time went on, I developed a deep respect for all of my Crewmates. Their camaraderie and encouragement were great motivation for me to keep writing this year, even when it was tough. We were even allowed to organize a special edition Rodeö! I’m so proud to associate with them.
On a more somber note, I was sad to see many of the longtime writers who helped me fall in love with this site slip into the abyss we sometimes call “non-suspicious sabbatical.” While I will miss reading their eloquent words, their legacy and contributions will always influence and inspire me.
And now for some thank yous. I’m grateful to AMG Himself for creating the site and allowing me to run rampant with my questionable opinions. A gorilla-sized thanks to Steel Druhm for keeping day-to-day operations running and being the kindest, cruelest taskmaster I could hope for. Thank you to my list mate, Tyme, for making my musical tastes seem better by association. Finally, I’d like to publicly thank my wife for being so supportive of my new hobby.
I’m excited for what awaits in 2026 (which hopefully includes more power metal than I managed to review in 2025)!
#ish. Kauan // Wayhome – Kauan has demonstrated time and again that their ability to compose evocative soundscapes is unmatched in the post-rock sphere. Wayhome draws a little bit from different eras in Kauan’s fruitful career to form a richer, warmer experience. Each individual instrument—acoustic and electric guitars, strings, voice—is a crucial brush stroke in a breathtaking panorama. This is some of the most enchanting music I’ve ever heard.
#10. Anfauglir // Akallabêth – When I first grabbed Akallabêth for review, I was blissfully unaware of the 72-minute runtime (but probably should have had an inkling). After spending some time with it, I became blissfully aware of how awesome it is. Based on the chapter of Tolkien’s The Silmarillion chronicling the 3,000-year rise and fall of the island of Númenor, Akallabêth is as epic in sound as it is in scope. Mrs. Killjoy was more interested in the concept than the music, but it still made for some fun conversations. While the long runtime makes it a bit harder to revisit than the other entries on this list, this is my idea of a great symphonic black metal album.
#9. In Mourning // The Immortal – Progressive death metal comes in all shapes and sizes, and I tend to be drawn to the more emotive flavors. When Disillusion released Ayam a few years ago, it took me a while to understand the hype. In a similar manner, it took longer than it probably should have for me to appreciate The Immortal. I don’t know why this was, but in both cases I’m glad I stuck with them. In Mourning’s signature combination of earnest melodies and energetic riffs is now embedded in my mind and heart.
#8. Asira // As Ink in Water – Due to journalistic circumstances that I won’t discuss with fans, I was fortunate enough to obtain this promo earlier than I normally would have. Good thing, too, because As Ink in Water turned out to be a grower for me. The vocals proved much less popular in the comments than I anticipated, but they are the biggest reason why this record resonates with me. The buttery-smooth guitar and bass lines are another big factor. The fact that As Ink in Water was released during the tail end of 2025 might mean it appears on fewer top ten lists, but it should not be missed.
#7. Judicator // Concord – I don’t have a long history with Judicator. I am part of the seemingly small minority that prefers the post-Cordisco era, although I admit that I need to spend more time with their earlier work. Concord sees Judicator returning to their heavy/power metal roots after an experimental foray into progressive territory (which I also loved!). Other than brief saxophone and fiddle segments, there aren’t any fancy frills this time, only lots of guitar hooks and infectious choruses. And, in this case, that’s more than enough to make me happy.
#6. Valhalore // Beyond the Stars – I don’t normally see the point in quibbling about scores, however, I feel that Beyond the Stars was soundly underrated. It’s a distillation of everything I love about peak Eluveitie and Æther Realm. The folk instrumentation blends perfectly with the fast-paced melodic death metal elements. The interludes cleverly foreshadow and ease the listener into the subsequent songs. I also love the tender vocal performance by Anna Murphy towards the end. Beyond the Stars is a fun and emotional journey from start to finish.
#5. Gloombound // Dreaming Delusion – I’m always down to sample funeral doom, but it takes a very special kind to keep me coming back. Gloombound expertly walks the difficult balance between atmospheric and stimulating music. The overall sound is that of a soul trying to escape imprisonment, whether physical, emotional, or mental. Dreaming Delusion makes me feel different emotions every time I listen, but chief among them is a crushing awe.
#4. Phantom Spell // Heather & Hearth – I love uplifting, feel-good metal (this should not come as a surprise by now). So, it was almost inevitable that I would love the nostalgic keyboards and guitar solos of Heather & Hearth. But, for some reason, it took AMG’s landmark blog post about the evils of Spotify for me to really pay attention to Phantom Spell. I’m grateful I did, because I might have missed out on one of the most addictive pieces of progressive rock I’ve ever heard.
#3. Halocraft // The Sky Will Remember – Halocraft quickly became one of my favorite bands since I discovered them early this year. Their purposeful yet dreamy brand of post-rock is practically custom-made for me. This year, they expanded their creative limits by writing two very different records. I’m partial to The Sky Will Remember, but don’t miss out on its companion, To Leave a Single Wolf Alive, for a gloomier vibe. Their prior albums are really good too, and I listen to them just as often.
#2. An Abstract Illusion // The Sleeping City – “If not 4.5, then why 4.5 shaped?”, one of you rabble-rousers quipped about my review of The Sleeping City. The truth is, the more time I spend with it, the more I wonder if maybe I did underrate it. I’ve somehow grown to love The Sleeping City even more in the months since I awarded it a 4.0. Sure, the production leaves much to be desired, but there aren’t any other notable qualities that I would consider faults. It won’t appeal to the exact same audience as the legendary Woe, but I have plenty of room in my heart for both (and likely whatever An Abstract Illusion devises next). It was such an honor to write about this wondrous record.
#1. Black Narcissus // There Lingers One Who’s Long Forgotten – When I plucked There Lingers One Who’s Long Forgotten from the promo pit, I was a little skeptical about music made with only bass and drums. It turns out, though, that this minimalist approach—along with excellent songwriting, of course—was the key to unlocking a new realm of possibility within the post-rock genre. The bass blooms unfettered in this distraction-free biome, and the drum tone is crisp and refreshing. The two instruments intertwine to engender a spirit of companionship and exploration. There Lingers One Who’s Long Forgotten will always have a special place in my heart, and I am grateful to Black Narcissus for sharing this gift.
Honorable Mentions:
- Crimson Shadows // Whispers of War – As a parent of two children under age five, I am not often in the mood to be overstimulated by the media I consume. However, Whispers of War is so fun that I have to make an exception. The addition of melodic death metal feels like such a natural progression to the signature DragonForce style that conquered my naive teenage heart circa Guitar Hero III.
- Wyatt E. // Zamāru Ultu Qereb Ziqquratu Part 1 – My very first score safety violation! After spending more time with it, I can understand how some might see this as incomplete or underdeveloped, though I’m willing to give Wyatt E. the benefit of the doubt while I wait for Part 2.
- Bergfried // Romantik III – I’m a sucker for a good rock opera. Romantik III is undeniably rough around the edges, but not in a way that rubs off any of its charm. To the contrary, in my opinion.
- Moron Police // Pachinko – Talk about a late-year list disruptor! Pachinko is a wild and addictive whirlwind of prog/pop rock that I know for a fact I’ll still be spinning next year.
- Braia // Vertentes de lá e cá – Vibrant folk rock with a huge array of instruments and musical influences. This didn’t get nearly as much attention as it deserves.
- Aganoor // Doomerism – Okay, maaaaybe I overrated this by half a point. But it’s still really solid psychedelic stoner doom with catchy riffs and lush instrumental breaks.
- Ancient Bards // Artifex – Am I only including this one for sentimental reasons? Probably. But it does contain some of my favorite songs of the year (“My Prima Nox,” “Soulbound Symphony,” “My Blood and Blade”) that I still revisit regularly.
Song o’ the Year:
Judicator – “Concord”
#2025 #Aganoor #AnAbstractIllusion #AncientBards #Anfauglir #Antino #Antinoë #Asira #Bergfried #BlackNarcissus #BlogPosts #Braia #CaveSermon #CrimsonShadows #CripplingAlcoholism #Cryptopsy #DaxRiggs #Depravity #Diabolizer #DormantOrdeal #Gloombound #Halocraft #Igorrr #Imperishable #InMourning #Judicator #Kauan #KingWitch #Lipoma #Lists #Listurnalia #MaudTheMoth #Messa #MoronPolice #MutagenicHost #PhantomSpell #Pissgrave #Puteraeon #Structure #TymeSAndKilljoySTop10IshOf2025 #Valhalore #WyattE -
Unicursal THE MAGIC IS STILL Propaganda from Hermetic Library Office of the Ministry of Information https://hermetic.com/information/the-magic-is-still/index
#propaganda #AleisterCrowley #poetry #burnt #fire #will #crimson #kill #master #magic
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Unicursal THE MAGIC IS STILL Propaganda from Hermetic Library Office of the Ministry of Information https://hermetic.com/information/the-magic-is-still/index
#propaganda #AleisterCrowley #poetry #burnt #fire #will #crimson #kill #master #magic
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Unicursal THE MAGIC IS STILL Propaganda from Hermetic Library Office of the Ministry of Information https://hermetic.com/information/the-magic-is-still/index
#propaganda #AleisterCrowley #poetry #burnt #fire #will #crimson #kill #master #magic
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Unicursal THE MAGIC IS STILL Propaganda from Hermetic Library Office of the Ministry of Information https://hermetic.com/information/the-magic-is-still/index
#propaganda #AleisterCrowley #poetry #burnt #fire #will #crimson #kill #master #magic
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Video ~ UN Says Dozens Burnt Alive During Goma Munzenze Prison Jailbreak In Congo
UN Says Dozens Burnt Alive During Goma Munzenze Prison Jailbreak In Congo />#Issues #Congo #DRC #EAC #Goma #Kinshasa #Kivu #Masisi #Munzenze #SouthAfrica #Tshisekede #UN ©February 8th, 2025 ®February 8, 2025 11:53 pm United Nations, UN says dozens of inmates with more than 150 female prisoners alongside their babies were burnt alive on January 27, 2025 when some detainees at Munzenze…
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First sip is toasted nuts, plums, and maybe the burnt remains of a cinnamon stick. It's not terrible, but it's going to take some getting used to.
#Beer #Review #Wildbräu #Schwarzbär
https://www.bfbcping.com/2026/05/wildbrau-schwarzbar-black-lager.html -
Sot Down (John Hibey)
Besides Linkin, there were a few others that could not stomach life under the hills. The smell of the dugouts was terrible, the echoing of the nightwind pierced their ears, and to them, sleep inside resembled death in a grave. They would stay up all night huddled together in the face of the wind, interlocked arms and legs as a block, and sleep a bit once the Sun burnt off the night wind. They were a resilient people, of whom Linkin called himself one, beaten down by wind, which howled in their ears and burnt their skin, and were tortured by the Sun’s heat of the day. But they were proud. They weren't no Gravers, mudstuck, dirtstank sleepers in tunnels. No, they were the WindBlown.https://sevenstorypublishing.wordpress.com/2026/05/12/sot-down-john-hibey/
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Because of careful planning, sheer {un}luck and Quantum Entanglement, I can add significantly important components to this present that I have gotten, a very short while ago, to boost the functionality of this very nice, made and produced in the UK, Nano computing system of which you can see the name in the photograph {Alt text included}
I can go from the basic storage that was provided in the present 🎁 all the way up to Two Hundred Fifty Six GB. I even got a very nice Red White enclosure with an important cooling fan for the system, with the inclusion of cooling blocks!
I also got a neat 27 Watts USB-C power supply for the system.
The only things missing are the two Micro HDMI to HDMI cables.
That also means that I cannot power up the system and see what actually goes on.
What I can see however, is that the moment I apply Power to the system, the status Led goes from dark to red stays a second or four at that state, then becomes green which means that the POST has executed successfully.
**Note
The unluck, I was referring to, is the fact that the 256 GB microSD card has been extracted from my extremely broken Xiaomi Redmi Note 12S Android, which lived for just a year and a few months before it catastrophically burnt itself out due to extremely extremely poor cooling Management in the system.Xiaomi put a high performance battery in a casing without a super high performance cooling system. From day one that phone reached between 39 and 46° C on the battery which means that the actual temperature was about 15° higher.
Due to that failure of Xiaomi I know have a Fantastic micro SD card free for my nano Computing System!
Now that is neat#NanoPC #64Bits #microHDMI #LPDDR4x #8192GB #POE #PCIe #HAT+ #GPIO #TRXcom #Cam #NCC #NTC #CMIIT #IFT #Abrocon #AMATEL
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Spotted this charred tree in the wild. Im assuming these burnt scars are from a lightning strike? Pretty amazing! The tree branches above looked quite healthy.
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Tod’s Mill: the thread about the mill that just wouldn’t burn down
This thread was originally written and published in November 2024.
On January 16th 1874 a calamitous fire engulfed the largest and most modern flour mill in Scotland, almost completely destroying it. £168,000 worth of damage was caused, split roughly equally between the loss of the mill itself and its stocks of grain and flour; around £24.3 million in 2023. This mill was Tod’s Mill – or to give it it’s formal name, the Leith Flour Mills – and its proprietors were A. & R. Tod.
1940s business letterhead for A. & R. Tod Ltd, Leith Flour Mills, Leith. Via Mills ArchiveA. & R. Tod were the brothers Alexander (1811-1888) and Robert (1826-1897) Tod, the sons of Marion Gray and James Tod. James was the village baker of Ormiston in East Lothian and his position required him to deal in grain, as at this time most bakers bought their own grain and took it to their local mill for processing into flour. James left bakery behind to pursue business as a grain merchant, in which he prospered.
The family were thus able to ensure each of their eleven children received a good start in life; their sons were all well educated and found good positions as apprentices. Alexander – and later his younger brother Robert – were apprenticed to bakers in Edinburgh, after which they followed their father and went into partnership as grain merchants. The census of 1851 records them as living in a fashionable Edinburgh townhouse at 14 Leopold Place with their parents; Alexander and his father being Master corn merchants and young Robert a Journeyman. Having established themselves in that trade, in the mid 1850s they took the lease on the water-powered Stockbridge Flour Mill on Baker’s Place. The business grew rapidly, the Tod’s earning a reputation for the best quality of baker’s flour and soon outgrew the confined premises at Stockbridge. So it was in 1859 construction began of a large, new, steam-powered mill, by the wet docks on Commercial Street in Leith. This project was completed by the end of that year.
Tod’s Mill, looking west along Commercial Street, in 1895. Photograph by John McKean, © Edinburgh City LibrariesOn account of the unsuitable nature of native wheat, Scottish bakers baked with flour milled from imported foreign grain; traditionally from Europe but increasingly from Australia and Canada. With its expansive new docks and railway connections, Leith – not traditionally a milling town – was an eminently sensible place for a mill and would come to equal Glasgow as a centre for Scottish milling. The Tods’ new works cost £33,000 – about £4.7m in 2023 – and saw 27 pairs of grinding stones in operation. They were expanded only a few years later in 1861 at a cost of £50,000 (£7.6m). Demand could still not be met and so in 1869 a third extension was added at a cost of £12,000 (£1.8m). This final phase of development saw the mill operating a total of over 100 pairs of grinding stones and employing three shifts, each of around 300 men and boys. The operation ran day and night stopping only on Sundays, grinding 7,500 quarters (quarters of a hundredweight, or 28lbs – or 95.2 metric tonnes in total) of wheat a week, filling 8,000 bakers sacks of flour. The mill rose to 7 storeys on Commercial Street and its 180 foot high chimney was double that height, dominating the locality.
1876 Town Plan showing the mill in its locality. To the north (top) of the map is Leith Docks, to the east (right) can be seen the railway yard of the North British Railway. The mill is bounded by Commercial Street to the north, Prince Regent Street to the south and Couper Street to the west. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandThe story of the Tod brothers is one of restless and relentless modernisation and expansion; they constantly sought out the latest new technology for their mill. In 1869, a new granary building was added on the junction of Prince Regent Street and Couper Street. This six-storey building had a floor area of 14,000 square feet and had six cart entrances, arranged in a “drive through” manner so that carts could load or unload under cover without having to back up or turn back on themselves. This latter building is all that now remains of the mill, converted into a block of houses known as North Leith Mill.
The former 1869 granary building, now North Leith Mill houses. Note the lintels above the former cart entrances.The Tods were well respected around Leith and were generous benefactors to the community. They “never ceased to take a practical, kindly and personal interest in the welfare of [their] servants“. They ran the mill in a benevolent manner having taken all their employees into a form of co-partnership for the purposes of profit sharing. In 1872 they announced a 5% bonus on wages, raising it to 7.5% in 1873 as the result of a prosperous year. The workers respected that their employers were practical men, familiar with their shared trade having worked their way up, and they appreciated their direct manner of dealing with them in the broad Scots of country boys.
It was on the fateful evening of January 16th 1874, around 730PM, that the alarm was raised when a fire was discovered in the mill’s oldest wing. It spread rapidly and had taken complete hold of that part of the works within half an hour. Spreading relentlessly, by 10PM it had entered the third of the mill’s three wings – circumventing a fireproof boundary wall by creeping over the rooftop. By 1AM, despite desperate efforts to contain the spread, the whole of the main mill block was ablaze from end to end. The fire reached its zenith at 2AM and it was not until between 5 and 6AM that it was finally under control. It was said that Leith was so brilliantly illuminated “that at almost any point one could read with ease in the streets, and the reflection could be seen for miles around“. People turned out in their hundreds from the burgh to gawk at the unfolding calamity, reinforced by thousands from Edinburgh drawn from afar to the spectacle. They came to be thrilled and terrified by the noisy pyrotechnic display; flames, sparks and smoke were ejected out of the the hundreds of small windows and each time a floor collapsed, machinery was sent crashing into the depths of the blaze below.
Contemporary engraving of the 1874 fire, the observer’s point of view is on the far side of the wet docks, looking south towards Commercial StreetThe entirety of the Leith Fire Brigade (two steam engines) and much of the Edinburgh Fire Brigade attended. So intense was the heat from the fire that it was not possible to stand on Commercial Street opposite and the sandstone of the walls was seen to split and peel off in large flakes. As the masonry weakened and the internal structure tying the building together burnt out or collapsed, the external walls of the mill began to bow out dangerously. At 10PM the top 2 storeys of western gable on Couper Street gave way and collapsed onto the street below followed around twenty minutes later by the entire wall, all 450 feet in length and 4 remaining storeys of it. When it became clear that all was lost with the mill the hopes shifted to stopping the fire spreading to nearby tenements, bonded warehouses and shipping in the Queen’s Dock. The wind blew sparks and burning detritus towards these vessels and they had to be hauled to the eastern end to keep them from catching fire.
It is not too much to say that the destruction of these mills is in some respects a national disaster: for when it is taken into account that there was not a place from Carlisle to Shetland to which they did not send flour, their stoppage cannot fail to occasion inconvenience to trade and affect the grain market in a greater or less degree.
The Fife Herald, 22nd January 1874When the flames had finally died down there was an awful spectacle to be seen: “those portions of the walls of both mills that have not fallen tower, in mid air, reminding one of the ruins of an old castle, while below there is a burning mass which still requires all the efforts of the firemen to prevent it from breaking out into a fire of considerable magnitude.” Only the fireproof boiler house, engine house and their chimney remained in one piece along with a detached flour store on Prince Regent Street and part of an adjoining tenement used as offices on Couper Street. In the month before the fire, the Tods had imported half a million quarters (6,350 tonnes) of grain into Leith. All that remained were were 500 sacks of grain and flour that workers had bravely salvaged from the stores during the blaze, now piled up in Commercial Street. Such was the extent of the destruction that a definite cause for the fire was never found; but it was thought likely that an Archimedes screw for moving flour in one of the Dressing Rooms had overheated for lack of oil in its bearings.
The Tods were fortuitous that their entire premises and stock were well insured and that their safe had been carried out of the offices before they were destroyed. Nevertheless there was a real worry in Leith that the brothers would take the insurance money and retire. Indeed Alexander, aged 63 and fifteen years his brother’s senior, decided to do just that. So it was with much local cheer that in March of 1874 it was announced by Robert that he had decided to carry on the business and that the mill was to be restored on a new plan. Determined to make it as fire-proof as possible he set off on a tour of Europe to inspect the latest in mill operations and fire-proofing.
After reconstruction the mill settled back down to a prosperous and relatively uneventful existence. In 1882 it was thoroughly modernised by converting it from grinding stones to steel rollers, with the three different wings of the mill each set up to produce a different grade of flour. The industrious new peace was shattered on Monday 5th April 1886 at 1230PM, when a “terrific explosion” erupted from the Exhaust Room, situated above the boiler house and directly below the lofty chimney stack. The explosion blew out the upper storey of the boiler house (where the exhaust room was located), reducing the two-foot thick walls of solid stone to rubble. Tragically the collapse of the walls onto the foot of Prince Regent Street killed a Leith Corporation street sweeper at work and two young brothers playing there, William and James Orchardson. A third brother – John – and another boy were scalded by the release of steam from a cracked pipe. They were pulled injured from the rubble as were three men at work in the boiler house.
“Tod’s Mill After the Explosion, 5th April 1886”. Looking up Prince Regent Street from Commercial Street © Edinburgh City LibrariesThe room in which the explosion originated contained machinery to vent hot air laden with fine flour dust from the mill. Somewhat ironically this was meant to reduce the risk of fire and explosion within the mill itself. Help came first from the garrison of Leith Fort, whose firefighters turned out with their engine, before they were joined by the regulars of Leith Fire Brigade. Further assistance came from the sailors of the gunboat HMS Elk which was tied up in the Queen’s Dock nearby. Despite the upper walls and roof being totally blown off the boiler house the damage to the boilers, the engines and the mill itself was minimal. Initial fears that the chimney stack might collapse proved unfounded.
Leith Fire Brigade, 1890. Firemaster James Brown, centre front with large beard, was in charge in 1886 too and led the emergency response to the explosion at Tod’s Mill. © Edinburgh City LibrariesOnce again the mill was rebuilt. Alexander Tod died in 1888 leaving an estate valued at £97,221 4/5, or about £16.2m in 2023. After retirement he had dedicated himself to the life of a country gentleman at St. Mary’s Mount in Peebles. He spent his days fishing in the Tweed, his evenings in Edinburgh at musical concerts and allowed himself to indulge a little in politics, being a firm public supporter of Gladstone.
Tod’s Mill, Goad 1892 Insurance Map of Edinburgh and Leith, Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandRobert continued to run the business for the rest of his life. He was not a man of the public stage but was known universally by the public as a man of philanthropy. He was long a director of the Leith Hospital; was a founder and trustee of the new Magdalene Asylum at Gorgie; of a convalescent home at Balerno; and of the Leith Association for Improving Condition of the Poor. Around the burgh his charitable work was extensive including supporting the Sailor’s Home, the Leith Industrial Schools and the Leith Gymnasium for Working Lads and Girls. His time and energy for these causes was matched by contributions from his deep pockets. In later life he sponsored Sunday evening concerts in Leith to try and attract those who had not attended church and who might otherwise be drawn to less wholesome evening pursuits.
Robert Tod in later life, from newspaper clippingIn 1894, Robert converted his sole partnership of A. & R. Tod into a Limited company with the shares taken up principally by himself, his two eldest sons (Thomas and George), the general manager, the chief clerk and department heads of his mill. He died in 1897 at his mansion house of Clerwood, near Corstorphine in eastern Edinburgh. His passing “was received in Leith… with deep regret by all classes of the people… Tod’s death [was] regarded as a public loss“. He left an estate of £180,424 11/3, around £30m in 2023. This did not include the extensive land and mansion of Clerwood which passed to his son Thomas.
1910 directory advert for A. & R. Tod Ltd.Despite the passing of its founding partners their Mill went on as it always had and the name Tod remained a benchmark across Scotland for quality flour. On December 2nd 1921 the mill was once again rocked by an explosion of flour dust but this time there was no fire and no injuries, damage being limited to windows blown out in the mill and broken in the surrounding streets.
The last calamity to beset the mill took place on September 6th 1943 when a granary, constructed on the corner of North Junction Street and Prince Regent Street, caught fire. It was quickly engulfed and the fire precautions failed to stop the spread across a connecting gantry to the 1869 granary over the road. The efforts of the fire brigade did however stop any spread further into the mill, an adjacent bonded warehouse and neighbouring tenements. There were no injuries but the loss of grain was hard felt during the period of wartime scarcity and mountains of charred and toasted wheat spilled out into the street through the broken windows. Fifty local residents were made temporarily homeless due to water and fire damage to their homes and were evacuated to hostels that had been prepared for air raid victims.
Fighting the mill fire of 1943 from a contemporary newspaper photograph taken looking down Prince Regent Street from North Junction Street, showing the gantry connecting the 1869 granary (left) with another that had been built on North Junction Street (right).The North Junction Street granary was completely gutted, its roof gone, its floors and one of its exterior walls collapsed and it had to be pulled down. The 1869 granary was badly damaged above the 3rd floor level and was reduced to that height as a result. It is for this reason that in the 1944 Ordnance Survey town plan of Leith the 1869 granary is drawn as an unshaded outline, denoting an un-roofed structure, and the building opposite is missing entirely.
1944 OS Town Plan of Leith, Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandFlour milling was always a dangerous business; the risks of explosion and fire were an ever present hazard, not just to the Tods but to all millers. In the 100 years from 1850 to 1950, no fewer than 11 other notable fires and explosions afflicted the mills of Leith:
DateMillOutcomeFebruary 1859John Hay, Leith WalkMill largely destroyed, granary and contents savedMay 1862J. & R. Lawson, BonningtonMill entirely guttedJune 1869Gibson & Walker, BonningtonOlder section of mill badly damagedAugust 1874Gibson & Walker, BonningtonFire containedJanuary 1888J. & A. Lawson, Leith WalkRoof destroyedOctober 1894G. Wilson & Co., SwanfieldRoof destroyed, machinery damagedSeptember 1897SCWS, Junction MillsBoiler fire. ContainedFebruary 1903J. & A. Lawson, Leith Walk Roof and top floor machinery destroyedFebruary 1910J. Wilson & Co., Swanfield£9,000 damage (c. £1.4m in 2023) February 1916SCWS, Chancelot MillsTop floor and grain cleaning room destroyedJanuary 1931J. Wilson & Co., SwanfieldFire containedTable of Leith flour mill fires and explosions, 1850-1950Once the largest and most modern mill in Scotland, Tod’s Mill was eclipsed in the second half of the 20th century by two newer and larger mills built nearby; the 1955 Caledonia Mill of Joseph Rank Ltd. and the 1970 (New) Chancelot Mill of the Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society. Tod’s Mill soldiered on into the 1960s before closing, being demolished in the mid 1970s and replaced by a rather grim-looking red brick Job Centre office in 1979.
Lindsay Road, looking down Commercial Street to Tod’s Mill, now and a photo taken by John R Hume in 1970, © HES. Reproduced courtesy of J R Hume #April5 #Fires #Industries #Industry #January16 #Leith #Mill #Millers #Mills #September6 -
The Burning of the “Brilliant”: the thread about the loss of a Leith steam packet and the death of Captain Wade
The PS Brilliant was one of the earliest steamships in Scotland, built by James Lang in Dumbarton for the Leith & Aberdeen Steam Yacht Company (of Leith) way back in 1821 – just nine years after the pioneering Comet introduced this type of vessel to the world. Her owners were based at 22 Bernard Street in Leith, the commercial quarter of that town and where many a shipping and merchant company based itself.
Post Office directory for Edinburgh and Leith, 1825-26, show appendix entry for the Leith & Aberdeen Steam Yacht CompanyApart from the addition of the steam plant and paddle wheels, the Brilliant wasn’t really that different in form or construction from a sailing coaster and in common with early steamers was also rigged as a sailing vessel, for times when either there were favourable winds (to increase the speed or make her more economical) or when the mechanical propulsion broke down. She was fairly small; displacing 159 tons, being 120 feet (36.6m) long, 20.5 feet (6.2m) wide 8in the beam, with an 8 foot (2.4m) draught below the waterline and had a crew of 10
Plans of the Brilliant, shown as an example of a steam packet in “A Treatise on Marine Architecture” by Peter Hedderwick, 1830. Photograph from the fold-out plates sold at auction in November 2025The little ship proved successful and reliable vessel in service and plied the east and north coast of Scotland over the years following her launch, originally between Leith and Aberdeen and soon adding intermediate stops in Fife or Dundee along the way. Summer saw her sailings extended to Inverness and even Wick. She was joined in service by sister ships the Sovereign and Velocity. An advert in the 1839-40 Edinburgh and Leith Post Office directory shows that the company’s ships sailed from Leith to Aberdeen every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with reverse journeys departing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, with a 14s fare for cabin passage or 7s for steerage. Her master was Cawfield Wade.
Coastal steam packets proved themselves in service – they could move against the wind as well as with it – and could therefore keep a faster, more reliable timetable. Before there were long distance railways in the country, they were the fastest way for people and trade to move (so long as you wanted to keep to the coasts). The industry saw a flurry of speculative investment followed by the realities of business, which resulted in a consolidation of the various companies. In 1826 Brilliant‘s owners merged the rival Aberdeen & Leith Shipping Company to form the Aberdeen & Leith Steam Packet Company and a little over ten years later in 1837 it merged with others to become the Aberdeen, Leith, Clyde & Tay Shipping Company, usually shortened to just the Leith & Clyde Co. Under this ownership we can find Brilliant in the fateful year 1839 in Lloyd’s Register.
Lloyd’s entry for 1839 for the Brilliant. The figures record where she was built, dates of previous repairs and re-engining, her insurance condition, registered dimensions, master (Campbell at this time), ownership, and her usual route of Aberdeen and Leith.Brilliant’s usual southern terminus was of course the Port of Leith. In the engraving below after a painting by W. H. Bartlett we see a paddle steamships arriving at the quayside – note the boarding gangway hung off the back of the paddle box – and we can allow ourselves to imagine that this might be the Brilliant (although the position of the funnel and single mast says otherwise…)
Engraving after an 1828 original by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd by T. Higham, “Leith Harbour from the Pier” showing a steamer arriving at the quayside. Credit: Edinburgh & Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City LibrariesBecause of the poor state of the Port of Leith in the 1820s and 30s the ship often sailed instead from the Trinity Chain Pier, which had been built as a speculative scheme to provide a steamship pier less affected by the tides of the Forth. She could quite possibly be one of the small steam ships seen in the picture below.
“Newhaven Harbour and the Chain Pier, looking east” coloured print of an engraving by R. Brandard after W. H. Bartlett, originally published c. 1840.By 1839 Brilliant was sailing thrice a week from her home port of Aberdeen, to Leith, under Captain Cawfield Wade. The journey took about twelve hours, although she had managed it with the wind at her back in only ten and three quarters, and called at intermediate piers along the Fife and Angus coast. The schedule was well maintained, intermediate stops took only 5-10 minutes and were conducted offshore: passengers who wished to join or leave the steamer were rowed out to meet her from those ports. Once a week in the summer she would make a run from Aberdeen to Inverness and back again.
Of Captain Wade we know relatively little as his death predates statutory registers and surviving census records. In 1835 he was the master of the Aberdeen & London Shipping Co.’s smack Aberdeen Packet, sailing between those ports. He had then been a mate (officer) in steamships on the Aberdeen and Leith route before being promoted to master of the Brilliant, which seems to have been his first command in that company. He married Lilias Reid in Aberdeen in 1837, a farmer’s daughter from Alford, and we know he had a brother William, also “a mariner in Aberdeen“. I can find neither of these men in Scottish parish birth registers however Wade is an uncommon name in these parts at the time. The Caledonian Mercury would however later describe him as a son of Stonehaven.
On the afternoon of 11th December 1839, Captain Wade took the Brilliant out of Leith and headed north on what should have been just another one of her thrice-weekly scheduled runs. In the picture below we can see a steam packet departing Leith in choppy seas.
Leith Pier and Harbour, 1843 engraving by R. Wallis. Credit: Edinburgh & Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City LibrariesThe little ship headed into a choppy Firth of Forth and began her scheduled calls along the Fife coast, but weather conditions were worsening.
“Rain Clouds over the Forth”, John Houston, c. 1984 .Fife Cultural Trust for Fife Council.Up in Aberdeen Captain Morrison, the Aberdeen harbour master and pilot, was awoken from his bed by a terrible storm. It was this maelstrom into which the Brilliant would sail early that morning.
Unidentified steamer in a storm, © Aberdeen Maritime MuseumStruggling through heavy weather and violent seas and almost within sight of Aberdeen, disaster struck. At around six O’ clock in the morning when she was off the welcome site of Girdle Ness Lighthouse the deck was suddenly swamped by an unexpected wave. Cawfield Wade, at his station on the quarterdeck, could do nothing to stop himself being swept overboard and disappeared into the sea, never to be seen again. But the troubles were not over yet – the approaches to Aberdeen harbour had a fearsome reputation in Victorian times, one which was well earned. Brilliant was now wallowing through the storm towards it without her master and was about to become the first steam-powered victim of this entrance.
Brilliant’s sister ship, Sovereign, entering Aberdeen Harbour in inclement seas. Credit: Aberdeen Maritime MuseumThe sea was rushing on from the beam (her sides) as the little steamer approached the harbour entrance. Passing through a feature known as The Bar her helmsman was not able to keep her clear of the churning water around the head of the pier and she was driven side-on into the harbour wall, just below the Fittie (Footdee) lighthouse.
Fittie Light House at the end of the north breakwater, entrance to Aberdeen Harbour. OS Town Plan 1866. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandThe Brilliant was mortally wounded and this was quickly apparent to all onboard. The call to abandon ship was given but in his haste to get to safety the ship’s engineer failed to draw the fires from her boilers, which quickly began to run dry. Overheating due to a lack of water they soon set the wooden vessel ablaze. The artist J. Faddie captured the remarkable scene that night for us.
Brilliant ablaze off the Fittie Light. Note the assembled crowds being held back by soldiers on the pier and salvage attempts being made. Credit: Aberdeen Maritime MuseumMiraculously, all on board – except the tragic Captain Wade – were saved. Salvage parties were even organised to return to the burning ship and recover most of her cargo: the bow of the ship was stuck fast on pier allowing them to work in (relative) safety while the stern burnt out. We can see them on deck in the painting above. The mainmast was deliberately cut down about ten O’ clock in the morning, to stop it collapising on the workers, and an hour later the funnel and mizzen (after) mast did collapse.By sunset on the twelfth of December the ship had burned down to her waterline and the pounding of the seas was beginning to make short work of scattering her remains across the seabed and shoreline.
The body of Cawfield Wade would never be found. His will shows he left an estate of £50 (about £5,000 today), about a year’s pay for someone in his position and to his wife Lilias he left their household goods worth around £40. To his brother William he left his “suit of coloured clothes“, his best jacket and his watch (although it’s likely he may have taken these with him to his watery grave). To a man described as brother-in-law he left his “suit of black clothes“: his Sunday and mourning attire. These bequests were made with the unusual condition forbidding his “nearest in kin from troubling or molesting” his widow. Lilias lived out a long life as the “Widow of the Late Captain Wade“, running various lodging houses in Aberdeen. She died at the age of 87 in Old Machar parish in Aberdeen, her last address a respectable granite house in Margaret Street. This way of supporting herself would have been one of the few options open to her beyond remarrying.
The house were Lilias Wade died.William Wade is never heard of again, although a woman Martha Wade and a child, William Wade, are in the 1841 Aberdeen census; they may have been a wife and child or sister and nephew. That William Wade junior would become a seaman and get a master’s ticket in later life.
The entry to the harbour would prove to be treacherous for the Aberdeen steamers. Nine years later in 1848, Brilliant‘s sister – the Velocity – would be wrecked in almost exactly the same spot and circumstances, driven onto the Fittie wall by heavy seas. Again all aboard were saved but the ship and all cargo were demolished within an hour and scattered along the Torryside. In 1853, the Duke of Sutherland – at the end of a long journey from London – was wrecked in the harbour entrance with sixteen lives lost.
The Wreck of the “Duke of Sutherland” on the Torry Shore, 1853In 1863 the Prince Consort would also come a cropper. She broke her back but miraculously was salvaged, repaired and returned to service only to be finally wrecked nearby on the Hasman Rocks, a few miles south of Girdle Ness, four years later. Fortuitously there was no loss of life in either accident.
The (first) wreck of the Prince Consort on Aberdeen’s north harbour breakwater in 1863. Sir George Reid. Creidt: Aberdeen Maritime MuseumThe Aberdeen, Leith, Clyde & Tay Shipping Co. would go on to prosper, becoming the North of Scotland, Orkney & Shetland Steam Navigation Company, more commonly known as just the North Company, which connected the ports of Orkney, Shetland and the north of Scotland with Leith.
North Company share certificate from 1882Note to readers: unfortunately in April 2026, a third-party plug-in more than exceeded its authority and broke many of the image links on this site. No images were lost but I will have to restore them page-by-page, which may take some time. In the meantime please bear with me while I go about rectifying this issue.
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#Lochend #Logan #Restalrig #StMargaret -
The thread about Edinburgh and Leith under occupation; when “Gardyloo”, Christmas and being rude to Frenchmen were banned
From 1548 to 1560, the Port of Leith was occupied by a French garrison in support of the Queen Regent of Scotland, Mary of Guise. During that time the French fortified the town and made themselves generally unpopular with the locals. Such was the mutual bad feeling that in 1555 Mary of Guise’s Parliament made it an offence to speak ill of Frenchmen. I am not sure if this act has been repealed yet…
The arms of Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland (Maria de Loraine, Regina Scotie) in South Leith Kirk. CC-BY-SA 3.0 Kim TraynorOne of the reasons for the French being so unpopular was their constant requisitioning of ships – this was a town that relied on the sea for its prosperity and in doing so the occupiers were directly impoverishing its occupants. As a result of this, shipowners were in the habit of making their vessels be spontaneously elsewhere whenever they got wind that the French might need them, which created logistical problems for the garrison commander. In 1550, the French governor in Leith employed two pynours (porters) to remove and impound all the rudders of the ships of Leith to prevent them from slipping away without his say-so. Twelve days later, all Scottish vessels from Kinghorn to Crail were ordered to leave for Leith within three hours or face being forfeited with their masters put to death.
Opposing the French in Leith were Scottish Protestant lords – the grandiosely titled Lords of the Congregation, or The Faithful – backed by an English army. An English general, Randolph, noted in 1560 that “in no other country were ever seen so many particular quarrels, which daily cause many to keep off who mortally hate the French“: Randolph could not understand how the Scots resented the French occupiers so much but yet were so reluctant to fight with the English against them. He had money to finance 2-3,000 Scots troops to eject the French but could not get them “for love nor money“. The English ended up assaulting Leith under an incompetent commander, with untrained recruits and ladders that were too short to scale the walls. This amateurish attack was repulsed by the stretched, starving but competent and well entrenched French garrison. Further bloodshed was spared when Mary of Guise died shortly thereafter and a short peace was agreed, allowing the French to leave.
“Incident in the Siege of Leith”. It is not clear which party is which here and what they are fighting over. But nobody seemed to be getting along.Less than 100 years after the exit of the French, Leith would find itself once again under military occupation after the calamitous defeat in 1650 of the Scottish Covenanter forces at the hands of Oliver Cromwell in the Battle of Dunbar. Relations between occupier and occupied this time were less strained; although English rule was firm and uncompromising there appeared to be more mutual tolerance on both sides, probably both were just exhausted from nearly 12 years of bloody warfare. The population and economy of Leith had also been shattered by a plague in 1645 that killed nearly half its population.
Cromwell at the head of his Army at Dunbar, a 19th century painting by Andrew Carrick Gow. CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 Tate GalleryCromwell entered Edinburgh on Saturday 7th December, just days after victory at Dunbar. Although the remnants of the Scottish army fought on it had abandoned the city to wage a protracted war of retreat across the country. The occupation was initially marked by restraint on the part of the victors and under Cromwell’s direct orders on 27th December three of his men were publicly flogged through the town by the “Provest marschellis men” for the offence of plundering houses without orders. Another unfortunate Roundhead was strapped to a horse with a pint jug tied around his neck, his hands bound and muskets tied to his feet, and ridden around the town for 2 hours for the offence of drunkenness. In May 1652, an English officer had his ear nailed to the public gallows and thereafter cut off for toasting the King’s health.
Cromwell enters Edinburgh, from an 1886 souvenir of the Edinburgh International Exhibition telling the history of the cityCivilian administration in those days was relatively limited, but the English were sensible enough to allow that of Edinburgh to continue to function – under close observation. Leith however had no such local authority of its own beyond that of Edinburgh and so was ruled directly through military courts headed by English officers “without partiality or favour“. In November 1651 they hung one of their own troopers at the Market Cross “a gallant, stout fellow” for robbing a butcher. A soldier found drunk and swearing in Leith was bound, hit repeatedly in the mouth and tied to a pillar with “a paper bound to his breast” specifying his crimes. Relations in Leith with the English seemed to be downright cordial at times (perhaps because the locals were pleased to be relieved of the constant political and economic interference from Edinburgh) but things ended up becoming too cordial. In October 1651 English soldiers had to be forbidden from marrying Leith women without the written permission of their Major and in February 1652 this prohibition was extended to the keeping of female servants!
In Edinburgh, although the town itself had been easily taken, the Castle garrison had held out and was being besieged by Cromwell’s New Model Army. Anyone found treating with the garrison was dealt with severely. A gardener at the West Kirk (now St. Cuthbert’s Parish Church) was accused of giving intelligence to the Castle; he was taken to the city guardhouse and hung from his thumbs with burning slow matches (the sort used in matchlock firearms) between his fingers until they were “burnt to the bone“.
“Cromwell’s Bartizan, Edinburgh”, by James Drummond RSA, 1861. Oliver Cromwell surveys his newly conquered lands from a rooftop in the Old Town of Edinburgh after the Battle of Dunbar. A bartizan is an overhanging projection from a defensive wall. The solider in the background has a matchlock firearm over his shoulder, and the slow match is the fine cord that can be seen above his gloved hand. The auction listing suggests this is Cromwell at the Castle, but it was then under siege and he is lower than surrounding buildings. The original RSA listing confirms he is actually stood on a housetop.In March 1651 the English soldiers in Edinburgh mutinied due to the lack of provisions and pay; what had been sent to them by sea had been turned back by unfavourable weather. They put their own commanders in jail and “ran through the markets of Edinburgh, plundering and robbing the people of the town, so that few would go out on the streets“. General John Lambert arrived in Edinburgh at the end of November that year to restore order and to make arrangements for quartering of his army in the city over winter. He seems to have made a positive impression with the locals; on finding out that there was no local magistrate in place to dispense justice, he reinstated some of the old ones. He also ordered the Incorporated Trades to choose their own Deacons (the principal officers of the Trades, who formed a core of the Town Council). He did however maintain a right of veto over appointments and kept the appointment of the Castle’s governor to his personal choice.
Oliver Cromwell (left) and Lieutenant General John Lambert (right), 1745 mezzotint by Andrew Miller after Robert Walker, 1650. © National Portrait Gallery, London NPG D32974In December, Lambert ordered citizens in both Edinburgh and Leith to hang out lanterns and place candles in their windows or doors from 6PM to 9PM on account of the disorder being committed by the soldiers. This was observed but cost the inhabitants dearly as candles were an expensive commodity. Anybody found not complying was to be fined 4 shillings sterling, with the master or mistress of the house being thrown in the city guardhouse until it was paid. He also set about the perhaps impossible task of the cleaning up of Auld Reekie. Orders were given on the 24th December that the streets, closes and wynds in Edinburgh were be cleansed within 13 days and “no filth or water should be thrown forth from their windows upon pain of paying immediately 4 shillings sterling“. The proceeds of such fines were to be split equally between the informant and the poor of the town. Clearly it did not have a long lasting effect as just three years later the city was ordered to procure carts and horses for the carrying away of the filth.
“The Flowers of Edinburgh”, a satirical 18th century print on the traditional manner of “flushing the toilet” in Old Town Edinburgh. © The Trustees of the British MuseumOn December 25th 1651 the English authorities in Leith ordered that Christmas should be banned. The point being made here was probably moot however given it was not something that would have been openly observed or celebrated in Presbyterian Scotland. Indeed the Kirk, the usual incumbent authority on moral matters in Scottish towns and burghs, had banned its celebration back in 1640. However ten years later it had nothing like its former authority, especially in Leith where it had been evicted from its church buildings and relieved of its civic duties by the occupiers.
Entry for 2th December 1651 from the Diary of John NicollOn February 7th 1652, under orders of the Commissioners of the English Parliament who were at that time resident in Dalkeith, the symbols of the Stuart Kings’ arms, crowns and royal unicorns of the city were taken down wherever they were to be found. They were stripped from the King’s pew at St. Giles’ Kirk, from the Mercat cross, the Netherbow Port, Parliament House, Edinburgh Castle and the palace of Holyroodhouse. They were then taken to the gallows and publicly hung.
In May 1654 General Monck, who had been Cromwell’s military commander in Scotland until 1652, came once again to Edinburgh to proclaim the union of England and Scotland as the Commonwealth. He was received by the Lord Provost and Bailies of the Town Council (the most senior members of the civilian authority) in their finery. Perhaps they were mindful of the rape and pillage of Dundee committed by Monck’s men back in 1651 and set out to woo the General lest they incur his wrath. They conveyed him to a “sumptuous dinner and feast, prepared by the Town of Edinburgh for him and his special officers. This feast was six days in preparing, and the bailies of Edinburgh did stand and serve the whole time of that dinner“. They also laid on a “great preparation” of fireworks which were set off from the Mercat Cross between 9PM and midnight, “to the admiration of many people“.
George Monck by Peter Lely, c. 1665Cromwell also left it to Monck to resolve the interminable squabbles between the city of Edinburgh and Port of Leith. The latter wanted freedom to trade without interference from its neighbour, the former wanted to assert its historic legal rights to her port. An English merchant in Leith at the time said that the town had been “under the greatest slavery that I ever knew” and should subject to under Edinburgh no more than “Westminster to London.” As part of his overall strategy to pacify and control Scotland, Monck proposed enclosing Leith in fortifications as a garrison town – probably reconstructing the 1560 walls and bastions. The prospect of this terrified Edinburgh, as it would make it substantially easier for Leith to act independently. Edinburgh shrewdly counter-offered that it would pay £5,000 instead for a standalone Citadel outside of Leith – or it may be that the it was Monck being shrewd and he had played Edinburgh off against Leith to get them to finance his scheme. In the end the £5,000 citadel apparently cost many times that to build. The city would later buy it back for a further £5,000 from Charles II, so ended up paying for it twice. Although it was well engineered it was soon abandoned as a defensive fortification; the seaward walls and bastions had been impossible to protect from erosion by the sea and had collapsed within 30 years.
By May 1660, the Commonwealth was over (assisted in no small part by Monck) and the Houses of Parliament had proclaimed Charles II to be King. Orders were sent to the Governor of Edinburgh castle to fire 3 volleys from the guns, one for each of the Three Kingdoms. The chief gunner at the Castle gave the orders to his men but one refused saying that “The devil [would] blow him in the air that loosed a cannon for that purpose” and “if he loosed any cannon that day sum man should repent it“. The complainant was transferred to a gun overlooking the West Kirk. The first volley was duly fired and when this man went to reload his weapon, he recharged it with powder only for it to spontaneously discharge while he was doing so, there being a smouldering ember in the barrel. He was blown clean over the castle walls and off the Castle Rock itself, falling over 250 feet to his death. He was buried near where he landed in the West Kirk.
“The Prospect of the Castle and City of Edinburgh from the Nor’ Loch”, by John Slezer in 1693. The unfortunate gunner met his end by falling from the walls on this, the north side of the castle. © Edinburgh City LibrariesNote to readers: unfortunately in April 2026, a third-party plug-in more than exceeded its authority and broke many of the image links on this site. No images were lost but I will have to restore them page-by-page, which may take some time. In the meantime please bear with me while I go about rectifying this issue.
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