An Aberdeenshire woman has a bone to pick with the thieves who stole a plastic skeleton from her garden.
Liz Wilson, 58, has said she doesn’t find anything humerus about the theft of one of her prized skeletons, which she poses outside her home at Deer Park Farm, just off the A97 Huntly to Banff road.
The pair of bone-afide pals frequently draw attention from passers-by.
But Mrs Wilson, who works at Duff House in Banff for Historic Environment Scotland, said she felt gravely concerned earlier this month when one of the spooky twosome – who are named after Mary Queen of Scots and her husband Lord Darnley – went missing.
When the gone ghoul was last seen on July 10, Mrs Wilson said he was wearing a football kit – as she frequently dresses the deadpan duo to reflect current affairs, such as the World Cup.
Mrs Wilson said: “It was poor Lord Darnley that was stolen, and old Mary really isn’t handling it the best, in fact I think she’s lost weight.
“They’ve always sat in the garden and I’ve always dressed them up in topical clothing for things like the Turriff Show, or Thunder in the Glens or Burns Night.
“So when the World Cup was on, I dressed him up in an Iceland kit, but of course they lost so I scored out Iceland and wrote France.
“He was last seen between 2pm and 4pm on July 10, with his France shirt, blue shorts and a See You Jimmy Hat.
“He’s a skinny fellow, without much meat on his bones, so he should be pretty easy to spot.
“I’ve had them for about seven years, it’s very strange and sad he’s been stolen because everyone who comes past gets a lot of enjoyment out of seeing what they’re wearing.”
A police spokeswoman said officers are far from bone-idle, and will not rest in peace until the culprit is unearthed.
Mrs Wilson added: “It’s not really such a big deal, but it’s really sad he’s been nicked. I have no idea who could have stolen them – we’re off the main road, so someone will have had to have driven past on purpose.
“It might have been someone angry at me for supporting France, but that’s not true – he was due to be changed the next day to have three lions on his shirt because England were playing the following day.”
Anyone with information can call the police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.