The quaint weather vane in the shape of a cock on top of the old St Peter’s church at Peterhead drew my attention when I was visiting the old graveyard the other day.   A closer look at it shows what looks like a smiley face and traces of paint.  It must have once been very colourful.   Nothing unusual about having a weather cock on top of a tower, but it does seem very appropriate when you recall the Gospel story of Peter denying that he knew Jesus three times before the cock crowed on that first Good Friday.

The poor cock also shows signs that it was used for target practice at some time!   It was the same problem that the fish suffered which now proudly stands on top of Crimond Church spire.  The fish had been lost for many years, and when it was eventually rediscovered and placed on top of the spire again, it too showed signs of air gun damage.

Sadly the spire of the Muckle Kirk in Peterhead lacks a weather vane, a real shortcoming I feel.  Just the lighting conductor protrudes from the top.   But perhaps I am prejudiced.  I was brought up in Brechin and I could see the Cathedral spire from my Granny’s house.  I seem to remember a dragon shaped weather vane on top of the spire.  Here is a project for me, the next time I am in Brechin;  get a picture of that weather vane and see if my memory serves me right.

And while I am looking upwards, the clock faces are worth a look too.  At Crimond the lock face is unique, having 61 minutes in the hour, because of a mistake by a painter.  It also bears the inscription, “The hour’s coming”.

The Peterhead clock has multiple faces so that everyone can see the time, even though I have noticed they sometimes don’t tell the same time!

And to finish…..  a lovely drawing of the Old Parish Church, inside and out by Callum.  It has pride of place beside my desk at home.