Sometimes referred to as the "wheelwright of the heavens", self-educated astronomer and itinerant lecturer, James Ferguson was born today in 1710 in Rothiemay. Showing remarkable intelligence and keen interest in all things mechanical, his only formal education was at the age of seven for three months to the grammar school at Keith. In 1734 he went to Edinburgh, where he began to make portraits in miniature, by which means, while engaged in his scientific studies, he supported himself and his family for many years. Subsequently, he settled at Inverness, where he drew up his Astronomical Rotula for showing the motions of the planets, and places of the sun and moon. He wrote various papers for the Royal Society of London, of which he became a Fellow in November 1763. Throughout his life, he devised astronomical and mechanical models. Ferguson's deep interest in his subject, his clear explanations, his ingeniously constructed diagrams, and his mechanical apparatus rendered him one of the most successful of popular lecturers on scientific subjects.

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Bannocks, Singing Hinny, Shortbread, Tablet, Dundee Cake, Scotch Pies, Butteries, Oatcakes, Bridies, Black Bun, Clootie Dumpling, Flies' Cemetery, Tattie Scones ... open the cookbook today and dig out grandmother's recipes! The world's oldest oven was discovered in Croatia in 2014 dating back 6500 years ago! That's a lot of historic expertise behind today's cooking and baking techniques! This tartan has been designed to represent and congratulate the baking industry in Scotland and to celebrate 125 years of its official representing body, Scottish Bakers. It was designed and gifted to the Scottish Bakers by Carr's Flour, and takes its colours from the organization's logo. The inaugural meeting of the Scottish Association of Master Bakers took place in 1891 at the Royal British Hotel in Edinburgh, and today the current headquarters is at Bakers House in Dunfermline, Fife. 🍞 🥞 🍰 🧁 🍪

Fear not, Gluten-free adherents! There are plenty of gluten-free Cinnabon recipes should you wish, not to mention a tartan to go with a gluten-free lifestyle!

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and related species of grains and is what gives traditional bread its unique texture and helps dough rise by trapping gas bubbles during yeast fermentation.

Many people choose to avoid gluten in their diet and in personal products. Gluten is often unexpectedly present in foods such as beer or soy sauce and is sometimes used as a stabilizing agent in ice creams, ketchups, and other foods. Gluten may also be present in cosmetics, hair products, and other dermatological preparations!

Some people must avoid gluten because they have celiac disease, an autoimmune condition where even tiny amounts of gluten damage the small intestine and cause long-term health problems. Others avoid it due to non-celiac gluten sensitivity or intolerance, which can manifest in a myriad of symptoms.

Increasing research suggests that some wheat intolerance attributed to gluten may instead be linked to the widely used herbicide glyphosate. Studies note the rise in wheat intolerance (and even the triggering of autoimmune responses) parallels increased glyphosate use and that glyphosate residues may disrupt the gut microbiome and affect metabolic pathways leading to a whole host of downstream symptoms.

Glyphosate is often sprayed as a pre-harvest desiccant on non-GMO wheat, especially in North America and parts of Northern Europe. By contrast, many continental European countries restrict or ban this practice. Some people with sensitivities (but not celiac disease) report they can tolerate wheat products from countries that do not use glyphosate this way.

If you are a member of Clan Glufree, this fruit and vegetable coloured tartan was designed to help spread awareness of the reasons for and challenges of living gluten free! 💛 💚 💛 💗 🌿 🥕 🍅 🌽

Scotch-Irish in your ancestry? You may have ties to the Appalachian Mountain range, formed over a billion years ago, running from the Island of Newfoundland 2,050 miles southwestward to Central Alabama in the United States. Pioneers from the British Isles led early expeditions into the wilds of the American continent and later. Irish Protestants from the northern counties of Ireland – dubbed “Scots-Irish” or “Scotch-Irish” – developed passages and settlements in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the Highlands of Northwest North Carolina, and portions of Central and Eastern Kentucky. This tartan embodies the uniquely blue-green of the Great Smoky Mountains peeking through silvery mists, combined with deep, rich browns of the earth and the coal black of the forest floor and the mysterious cave systems that honeycomb these ancient mountains. Two red lines converge in the black emulating eerie red eyes staring out at you; an homage to the unique folklore of the region. Appalachian folklore is particularly rife with tales of strange beings and sightings, giving rising to generational myths and superstitions passed down through the oral traditions of both native tribes and early settlers. Of the many tales coming from the Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, is a Cherokee legend, describing a race of small, bearded white men who lived in the mountains long before the Cherokee. The men were said to possess all the land from the Little Tennessee River to Kentucky, with a line of fortification from one end of their domain to the other and lived in rounded log cabins. They were said to have large blue eyes and fair white skin and were sun-blind during the day, emerging from their homes only at night to hunt, fish, wage war and build their fortifications. Because they could only see in the dark, the Cherokee called them the Moon-Eyed People. Some believe they were descendants of a small group of Welshmen who came to America long before the Spanish and settled in the Smoky Mountains around 1170. As the legend goes, the Moon-Eyed People eventually abandoned their homes and traveled west, never to be seen again. But there are plenty of apparitions and sightings still to be had. So if you are taking a kilted hike today ... it doesn't hurt to carry a good luck charm or two! 👻 ⛰️ 🌖 👁️

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