Celebrating Crieff: a skull, a book and a bottle of ginger beer

Today was officially a Work Day and as I have 55,000 words to write before Christmas I wouldn't normally skive off. However, the electrician was visiting today, installing a new fuse box to replace the old one, which was so ancient that were a fuse to blow we would have to mend it with wire. I don't find it very easy to work with someone in the house, so I decided to go and investigate the CELEBRATE CRIEFF exhibition which is on from 1st to 14th September. CELEBRATE CRIEFF is not just an exhibition - there is also a programme of events including a "Ghost Walk" which promises to be suitably blood-curdling. The exhibition itself includes local crafts and produce, a historical timeline and some very interesting curios.
This wasn't just idle sightseeing (cough). I am currently working on a trilogy set in Flanders (the first book, Silent Saturday, is coming out in the UK in April 2013) so I spend most of my working time thinking about Flanders or indeed "visiting" it via Google Street View. Somewhere down the line, though, the last book of the trilogy will have been completed and I shall be thinking about settings for new projects. With this in mind, I like to investigate local history and explore atmospheric locations such as old churches and castles, storing up inspiration for the future.
Here are some pics from the exhibition! I particularly like the ginger beer bottles.

Above: I never knew there used to be a "Crieff Aerated Water Company"!

Above: a book about witchcraft and demonology rests 

incongruously between two innocent-looking bookends! 

Above: according to this display, Crieff is laid out according to ley lines, 

with the parish church right at the centre! 

Above: part of a display about witchcraft. Several "witches" were burnt locally. I have previously blogged about the Dunning witch whose memorial stands on the road outside that village. 

If you are within travelling distance of Crieff you can find out about the exhibition and events on the CELEBRATE CRIEFF Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/celebratecrieff/