The Banchory Fly: Community Magazine

The Banchory Fly: Community Magazine The Banchory Fly is a FREE Community Magazine with News, Views & Events from and around Banchory.

A winter-warmer recipe for cold, snowy days. Perfect for the weekend.Happy cooking.
09/01/2026

A winter-warmer recipe for cold, snowy days. Perfect for the weekend.

Happy cooking.

Thinking about trying something new this January?The Granite City Chorus are offering a free singing course - friendly, ...
08/01/2026

Thinking about trying something new this January?

The Granite City Chorus are offering a free singing course - friendly, relaxed, and open to all. A great chance to give singing a go and meet some lovely people.

Tuesday 13 January at 7.30pm
Fountainhall at the Stocket Church
Harcourt Road, Aberdeen, AB15 5NZ

Always grateful to be the editor of The Fly.Thank you to everyone who reads and supports the magazine!
07/01/2026

Always grateful to be the editor of The Fly.

Thank you to everyone who reads and supports the magazine!

Snow still here, and the bird feeder very much in use.The homemade bird mix doing its job.Photos TheImages.co.uk
05/01/2026

Snow still here, and the bird feeder very much in use.
The homemade bird mix doing its job.

Photos TheImages.co.uk

Wishing you a very happy New Year from The Banchory Fly!
01/01/2026

Wishing you a very happy New Year from The Banchory Fly!

Why do we have 12 months - and why were ten days deleted in 1582?Short answer: astronomy, maths, and a lot of political ...
31/12/2025

Why do we have 12 months - and why were ten days deleted in 1582?

Short answer: astronomy, maths, and a lot of political ego.

A year is about 365.24 days.
A Moon cycle is about 29.5 days.
Twelve moons almost fit into a year. Almost.

Ancient cultures shrugged and chose the least bad option. Not perfect. Just familiar enough to stop riots.

The Romans originally had 10 months - March to December.

Yes, December literally means tenth.

Then winter turned up uninvited, so January and February were awkwardly added. Problem solved. Except not really.

Later, Julius Caesar said “I can fix this” and introduced the Julian calendar:

• 12 months
• 365 days
• a leap year every four years

It worked brilliantly.
For about 1,600 years.

The problem was tiny. Just 11 minutes wrong per year.

Over centuries, that error quietly stacked up. Seasons drifted. Spring arrived early. Easter started sliding toward summer. The Church noticed. Deeply unimpressed.

So in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII did something bold.

He did not argue with the Sun.
He edited the calendar.

Ten days were deleted.

In much of Europe, Thursday 4 October was followed by Friday 15 October.
No birthdays.
No missing rent.
No time to complain before it was already gone.

People protested. Of course they did, and people argued. Loudly. Some believed their lives had been shortened. Others demanded their days back.

And yet nothing happened to time at all.
Only our shared agreement about it changed, and we argued about that for generations.

Not everyone accepted it straight away.
Britain and its colonies refused to adopt the new calendar until 1752, when they finally deleted eleven days of their own. People went to sleep on 2 September and woke up on 14 September.

We still use this system because:
• it mostly keeps seasons aligned
• it works globally
• nobody wants to redesign time again

We live with uneven months, leap years, and February quietly suffering for ancient mistakes.

The calendar is not a system of order.
It is proof of how long we have been negotiating with the Sun and losing by fractions of a minute.

P.S. Early calendars are reconstructed rather than fixed systems. This is the commonly accepted version historians use. Calendars are messy because history is messy.

Deeside Walks - Craigmore Wood Walk 🌲A great 4.2-mile loop through Craigmore Wood at Potarch - peaceful forest tracks, a...
30/12/2025

Deeside Walks - Craigmore Wood Walk 🌲

A great 4.2-mile loop through Craigmore Wood at Potarch - peaceful forest tracks, a touch of local history, and plenty of fresh air.

It is an easy walk, well waymarked, and perfect for stretching legs, clearing heads, and pretending January is going to be sensible.

Start and finish at Potarch Bridge, around 2 hours at an easy pace.

Ideal for a calm wander, before the world switches back on.

Happy walking 🌿

To our readers, contributors, and local businesses,As we come to the end of 2025, I would like to pause and say thank yo...
24/12/2025

To our readers, contributors, and local businesses,

As we come to the end of 2025, I would like to pause and say thank you. The past three years under my editorship have marked a period of real growth, change, and commitment to what this magazine can be, and I am genuinely grateful for the support, trust, and encouragement that have carried it this far.

Our community magazine has grown into a rich publication, shaped by thoughtful features, strong visuals, and collaborations that reflect the character of our town. It is supported by the people and stories of Banchory - local businesses, photographers, writers, historians, and readers who care deeply about this place.

Looking ahead to 2026, there is more to come - new ideas, new voices, and new ways of telling the stories that matter here. My promise is the same as it has always been: to keep The Fly honest, beautifully made, and rooted in community.

Thank you for being part of the journey. Wishing you a warm and restful festive season with your loved ones.

Zita x

Photography by Zita TheImages.co.uk

♻️ Aberdeenshire residents recycled 1,800 tonnes more in 2024 - thank you! ♻️New figures show the household recycling ra...
22/12/2025

♻️ Aberdeenshire residents recycled 1,800 tonnes more in 2024 - thank you! ♻️

New figures show the household recycling rate has risen to 44.7%, up from 43% last year and now above the Scottish average. That increase means over 1,800 tonnes of extra recycling in just one year – a real impact.

One of the biggest opportunities to do even better is food waste. Around 10,000 tonnes of food is still thrown away each year in Aberdeenshire, with more than 20% of black bin waste being food, even though weekly food waste collections are available.

Food waste collected is turned into energy, heat, fuel, fertiliser, and compost, helping reduce carbon emissions and support agriculture.

Free food waste caddies and liners are available from recycling centres and libraries.

Small changes at home really do add up, thank you for making a difference. 🌱

For the Winter issue of The Banchory Fly, I had the privilege of photographing the stained glass window at East Church f...
17/12/2025

For the Winter issue of The Banchory Fly, I had the privilege of photographing the stained glass window at East Church for the cover, along with the Ronnecht Bell featured inside the article.

This marks the final piece celebrating the 200-year anniversary of East Church, completing a series of four articles published across this year’s editions of The Fly.

A big thank you to East Church for allowing access, and to everyone who shared their knowledge and care in contributing to this series.

To read the piece, pick up a copy of the magazine around town.

Sometimes photography is not about creating something new - it is about honouring what is already there.

Zita
📷 TheImages.co.uk

15/12/2025

There are EIGHT MORE STUDIO SHOPPING DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

So you have plenty of time to pop past and finish (or start, we don't judge...) your Christmas gift shopping.

Banchory High street is just full of gorgeous independent businesses. Plenty of choice for the whole family, and for a quick fly cup or lunch!

🚗 Need help getting to appointments?The Royal Voluntary Service offers a Community Transport Service for adults who cann...
12/12/2025

🚗 Need help getting to appointments?

The Royal Voluntary Service offers a Community Transport Service for adults who cannot access public transport or have no other means of getting to appointments.

Their friendly volunteer drivers can help with transport to:
• GP, hospital, dentist or optician appointments
• Social clubs and hairdressers
• Visiting family or friends in hospital or care homes

It is a 1–1 service, using the volunteers’ own vehicles, and is available across Aberdeenshire.

📞 To find out more about this chargeable service, please contact the Aberdeenshire team on 01224 937110

✉️ or email:
[email protected]

A brilliant local service worth knowing about and sharing.

Address

Banchory

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Banchory Fly: Community Magazine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Banchory Fly: Community Magazine:

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Community Newsletter

The Banchory Fly is a free printed quarterly community/commercial publication featuring information and features on events and organisations in Banchory, alongside local advertising. It is also available to read online at Issuu.com.

Send us a message here if you’d like to get something in or email [email protected]

Deadlines are Feb 1 (publishing early March), May 1 (June), Aug 1 (Sep) and Nov 1 (Dec) for the seasonal issues.

Community info is included FREE where space allows.