This week's Berwickshire devotes its entire front page to the big demonstration protesting the planned closure of the cottage hospital. Huttonian reckons that the 'exclusive' from the under cover 'Streamer-see previous post was punchier and more readable The paper however covered some of the placards carried during the demo including the to the point 'Save our hospital' via the meaningless 'Develop 0r die' to the slightly silly 'Get ill in Coldstream you might as well jump off the bridge' (Hardly a vote of confidence in the existing hospital!) The letter column carries several epistles including one raising the issue of Eastern Berwickhire, which includes our two wee villages as being a neglected area


SIR, - Whether or not marching 'people power' will deflect the superannuated troglodytes of the Borders NHS from this chosen path, the Coldstream protest march was an encouraging sign of the feelings of the threatened people of both Coldstream and Jedburgh. With Coldstream being in Berwickshire, therefore outwith the bounds of the 'Rugby Triangle' there is always a feeling of being somewhere around the ' coos tail' in what ever decisions emanate from the assortment of ivory towers and/on Bullshine castles that purport to have own interests at what passes for their hearts.As has been said before the sad sight of abandoned Trafalgar House is testimony enough to the compassionless bureaucratic mind.God knows, the further east in Berwickshire that one goes, the 'A Coos Tail' syndrome manifests itself in many more ways as to how our council tax payments benefit us so little - and there's damn-all sight of things improving.

The coos tail syndrome might well apply to the closure of Hutton and Burnmouth primary schools both in the deepest east and given that the most productive part of a coo is the tail region it could be that interesting modern book of philoposhy 'The Pooh Complex' could well apply to this area-what is however not clear is why the' superannuated troglodytes ' ruling in favour of the denizens of the 'Rugby Triangle' live in Ivory Towers and or 'Bullshine (shurely shome mishtake blogg-ed?) Castles' rather than in caves which is their normal habitat? Plenty of caves in Eastern Berwickshire if they feel a move coming on and they would at least provide some protection from coos tails or indeed from bullshine from whatever part of the anatomy of that noble beast it may emanate. Or have I got it wrong?  ¶ 9:25 AM