FIRST came that ominous hum, the menacing harbinger of a threat as yet unseen.
The ears now well and pinned back and hairs triggered by an in-built sixth sense bristling on the back of the neck, anxious eyes started to scan the horizon for visual confirmation of what was to come and from whence.
Then, as if from nowhere, a Buchon Messerschmitt 109 dropped dramatically from the cloudless sky, tearing with single-minded, blood-thirsty intent towards one of the mightiest fortifications in the country.
As days out on your doorstep go, the weekend's Celebration of the Centuries at Fort George took some beating.
The memories came flooding back for a generation old enough to remember the real thing. I stumbled across an old neighbour who admitted her stomach had been churning at the mere sound of the incoming single-seater aircraft, once the backbone of the German Luftwaffe.
The ensuing "dogfight" between the Messerschmitt and an avenging Spitfire was a simply thrilling highlight of a truly memorable day. People talk about trying to bring history to life and here was a perfect example. You would need look no further for an insight into the skill and courage of the wartime fighter pilot operating at times on little more than a wing and a prayer.
Moments before the dramatic aerial reenactment, some of the thousands attending had been on the dance floor learning the steps of The Lambeth Walk to the irresistible accompaniment of a swing-era big band. While members of the younger generation gamely fumbled their way through the steps, a few old timers effortlessly reeled back the years as their feet responded to moves perhaps last attempted 50 years before.
The hugely successful event was organised by Historic Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government which is charged with safeguarding the nation's historic environment. And what an environment it is. Fort George can claim to be the finest example of 18th-century military engineering anywhere in the British Isles.
It was, of course, begun in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden (1746), which crushed the final Jacobite rising. It took over 20 years to complete and in the event it was never attacked. It remains virtually unaltered today and still serves as an important military base. It is also the only property in the care of Historic Scotland still serving its original purpose.
The ongoing political manoeuvrings over defence cuts could be viewed from a historical perspective by the 6,000-plus people attending over the weekend.
From the Romans through the Vikings right up to the present-day armed forces, every aspect of warfare and armed conflict could be mulled over in context.
It was fascinating to watch staged reenactments from centuries ago which resembled nothing so much as a present-day playground brawl (minus the swords and poleaxes, of course). Turns out that as a human race we've never been that great at getting on with each other.
It wasn't all about sweaty warfare though with one of the best-attended "sideshows" a demonstration of how a monied lady of the 1540s would have gone about putting her outfit together. It was an insight for modern-man as to why it takes their loved ones quite so long to get ready for anything. Some of the old ways "We have three or four baths a year, whether we need them or not" have, happily, changed.
The Celebration of the Centuries was also an insight into the whole sub-culture of historical reanactment. Players, all of them apparently volunteers doing it for the sheer love of it, had travelled from all over country to be part of it.
Fierce-looking Roman soldiers proved to be surprisingly approachable and amenable to children keen to get their hands on their swords and shields. It was the same with the present-day soldiers who watched attentively as small children handled today's cutting-edge weapons of warfare.
I had to wait behind a Redcoat in the queue for ice cream and found myself standing next to a centurion in the gent's during a much-needed comfort break.
It seemed a suitably surreal ending to a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking day out.
