Musings from the Merse
Monday, December 29, 2008
No Reds under the Bed
Those involved in a long running campaign to save the Red Squirrel in the Borders will not share the sentiments expressed in this letter from the latest Berwickshire
- Grey squirrels are beautiful, intelligent and highly adaptable animals and yet there appears to be an intolerance – even a hatred – of them by some people.
Demands for their death come largely from just two sources: those with vested interests, and so-called conservationists who whimsically favour one animal over another. We should not forget that, not so long ago, red squirrels were accused of all the things for which the greys are now blamed. As a result, hundreds of thousands of reds were killed – driving them to near extinction.
It is not the fault of grey squirrels that they were brought to this country 130 years ago and, despite everything, have thrived. To kill en masse such a hardy species flies in the face of Darwinism – it is the killing of the fittest.
Finally and most importantly, squirrels feel pain. That they can legally be beaten to death in a sack, trapped, shot or even drowned by ‘pest’ controllers, is an indication of how unfeelingly savage our society has become.
Anyone wishing to find out more about the hidden motives behind wildlife culls can order a free copy of With Extreme Prejudice: the culling of British wildlife by calling 01732 364546 or emailing info@animalaid.co.uk.
KATE FOWLER-REEVES,
I have on several occasions waited patiently in the hide in Paxton House for a sighting of the Red Squirrel. Once, only once, after 30 minutes, I was rewarded with one making its way towards its nut container. Unfortunately I was unable to suppress a sneeze and off it went. Never to reappear. I have not seen once since.
Nor have I seen a Grey. Perhaps the Reds have wiped them out?
Never trust a Red, Senator Joe McCarthy used to say.
Monday, December 01, 2008
TWITCHERS
A bloggee has mentioned the possibilty of being observed as curtains twitch in a certain Borders 'hill' village. Huttonian has just come across this ditty penned (?typed) by a local bard recalling an incident which I was told was true when we first moved into Hutton eleven years ago. Curtain twitching is surely not confined to the Hills-or even to the Borders
Neighbourhood Watch
‘Community Alert’ some call it here.
Oxymoronic surely.
Our rural calm is soporific.
Unbroken by any suspicion
of criminal intent ever since
the village burglar was apprehended
escaping from the scene of his crime
on a stolen bicycle.
He might even have got away
had he not been walking the bike
uphill. (He had nicked the one
without gears.)
Now if you venture through the village
in its post neutron bomb like emptiness
all you get is
the occasional curtained twitch
of the neighbourhood watch
going about
your business.
(When Hutton got its speed limit it celebrated with its Neighbourhood watch notice as well)
Labels: Borders, Neighbourhood Watch, The Hills
Sunday, October 26, 2008
What Borders?
If you go here Yes BBC Scotland-local news, you might expect to find something going on in the Borders? Borders? Where's they? Put 'Borders' or to be dangerously specific 'Scottish Borders' into the regional search engine on that page, what do you get? Nothing-sorry can't find you.
Yes, if you look closely at the choice of regions there is South Scotland. So something sometimes happens in South Scotland-but the Borders, shown separately in the dinky wee map- is a news free region. 'Happy is the country which has no history' somebody once said. So to have no news is surely blissfully happy. Or just
pig ignorant.
(the image, for the benefit of BBC Scotland, is of the Borders. As you can see its all downhill from there)
Labels: BBC Scotland, Borders
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
LAID BACK IN DUNS
A bloggee helping with a bit of complicated DIY or in our case GAFTDI popped out to the local branch of a Borders wide hardware shop to get screws for the curtain rail in the small house in Duns.
Door locked but a small message :
OUT FOR A MO
BACK IN A JIFFY
(Signed Joe)
A visiting Eastern European with a PH.D in English Literature might find this a bit puzzling. How many Mos in a minute? How many Jiffies in an hour? (Do Time Travellers carry Jiffy Bags? Discuss)
But it is a part of slow moving Borders life. Manana? Insh'allah Bukra? No we have no such sense of urgency in these parts.
And if he is not there in a Jiffy?
Come back in a couple of ticks. Or, being in the Merse, a shake of a lambs tail
A bloggee helping with a bit of complicated DIY or in our case GAFTDI popped out to the local branch of a Borders wide hardware shop to get screws for the curtain rail in the small house in Duns.
Door locked but a small message :
OUT FOR A MO
BACK IN A JIFFY
(Signed Joe)
A visiting Eastern European with a PH.D in English Literature might find this a bit puzzling. How many Mos in a minute? How many Jiffies in an hour? (Do Time Travellers carry Jiffy Bags? Discuss)
But it is a part of slow moving Borders life. Manana? Insh'allah Bukra? No we have no such sense of urgency in these parts.
And if he is not there in a Jiffy?
Come back in a couple of ticks. Or, being in the Merse, a shake of a lambs tail
Labels: Borders, Inshallah, Laid back Borders
Monday, October 13, 2008
Waiting on Selkirk
The Borders Digital Roadshow hit Duns on Saturday as part of a public education programme preparing the masses for the analogue switch off in much of the Borders between 6 and 20 November. Here as in many other aspects of Life the Merse leads the UK-only a small bit of Cumbria has irrevocably moved into the Digital Age ahead of the Borders.
Huttonian is up with the game with his spanking new flat screen HD ready, Olympics prepared, Credit crunch beating, Digital enhanced TV apparatus. That's the sitting room sorted. But in the kitchen a small,squat, uncool heavy analogue TV set lurks, unconverted and unrepentant at its increasingly cliff hanging existence. Come 6 November, D Day, a blank screen and irritating hum. But I wonder. The digital area maps are fuzzy at the edges, rather like the South of Scotland, NE England weather diagrams and Scottish News comes through blurred and buzzing, enhancing the Salmond image but distorting most else. Northumberland/ Tyneside is clear and sharp. So it may be that we are, in this part of Duns, not served by the Selkirk transmitter-the one that fades away next month but by Chatton analoguing away until 2012? White on the map in 'Switch on to Digital-page 5) and not pink in that swath covering a large amount of the region from Berwick South Westwards.
So I am tempted to wait until 6 November and see what happens, or not see as the case may be.
No signal. No problem. TV dinners in the sitting room.
I'll let you know
The Borders Digital Roadshow hit Duns on Saturday as part of a public education programme preparing the masses for the analogue switch off in much of the Borders between 6 and 20 November. Here as in many other aspects of Life the Merse leads the UK-only a small bit of Cumbria has irrevocably moved into the Digital Age ahead of the Borders.
Huttonian is up with the game with his spanking new flat screen HD ready, Olympics prepared, Credit crunch beating, Digital enhanced TV apparatus. That's the sitting room sorted. But in the kitchen a small,squat, uncool heavy analogue TV set lurks, unconverted and unrepentant at its increasingly cliff hanging existence. Come 6 November, D Day, a blank screen and irritating hum. But I wonder. The digital area maps are fuzzy at the edges, rather like the South of Scotland, NE England weather diagrams and Scottish News comes through blurred and buzzing, enhancing the Salmond image but distorting most else. Northumberland/ Tyneside is clear and sharp. So it may be that we are, in this part of Duns, not served by the Selkirk transmitter-the one that fades away next month but by Chatton analoguing away until 2012? White on the map in 'Switch on to Digital-page 5) and not pink in that swath covering a large amount of the region from Berwick South Westwards.
So I am tempted to wait until 6 November and see what happens, or not see as the case may be.
No signal. No problem. TV dinners in the sitting room.
I'll let you know
Labels: Borders, l Merse, Switch to Digita
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sodden Flodden
In all the excitement of sorting out the small house in Duns Huttonian completely missed the annual foray to Flodden Field- a central part of Coldstream Civic Week. This years oration was given by our former MSP Euan Robson in filthy wet conditions and you can read all about it here
In response to enormous popular demand I reproduce an annual tribute to Flodden:
FLOGGING A DEAD FLODDEN
Once more they are at it .
Repeatedly, annually.
(Since 1513, probably)
Reivers, Reivers’ Lasses,
Coldstreamers, ‘Wynsome Maides’.
Battlefield orations by real live
Generals. In full plumage.
Sods carried in triumph.
English sods to a Scottish town.
Tattered, ragged Saltires unfurled
Ancient oaths retaken.
For what?
To commemorate
a glorious victory?
No!
A disastrous defeat cutting down
the Flower of Scotland.
Can you imagine the
celebrations
had they won?
I pity those
poor English incomers
who live near
Bannockburn.
Unlike those of us
in the Borders
they can’t take refuge
in the smugness
of past victories.
For them there is
no escape from
that uniquely Scottish condition:
Braveheartburn.
In 5 years time it will be the 500th anniversary of Flodden.
Watch this space
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Freecycling Down Hill
Huttonian is intrigued by the latest 'wants' ad in Berwickshire Freecycle:
HI everybody i am looking for a standard greenhouse, and large whisky bottles for keeping loose change in please read this and i would be
much appreciated to anyone who can help.
I am not sure how many people could offer a 'standard' greenhouse whatever that is-Standard Kew, room for 400 Routemasters? Standard Berwickshire Laird with seating for 200? Bog Standard bendy Metal with cheap glass? -but worth a punt I suppose. The large whisky bottle is also intriguing. How much loose change will readily fit down the neck? My 40oz (nearly empty, since you ask) Glenfiddich will just take 5p pieces-20p nope, pound coins no way. . I suppose you could fold up some of those fairly rare Scottish One Pound and slip them down the bottle together with a model of the Cutty Sark in full sail. But difficult to retrieve with Christian Aid hammering at the door.
It may be of course that he would like big bottles for the fun of breaking them in half and keeping the bottom bit for the 'loose change'. Top end, if jagged enough would make a neat personal (defensive) weapon for a night out in Eyemouth
Mind you perhaps he has the largest collection of 5ps in the free world and is saving
them for a wet day. Like today or any day in Dumfries
Huttonian is intrigued by the latest 'wants' ad in Berwickshire Freecycle:
HI everybody i am looking for a standard greenhouse, and large whisky bottles for keeping loose change in please read this and i would be
much appreciated to anyone who can help.
I am not sure how many people could offer a 'standard' greenhouse whatever that is-Standard Kew, room for 400 Routemasters? Standard Berwickshire Laird with seating for 200? Bog Standard bendy Metal with cheap glass? -but worth a punt I suppose. The large whisky bottle is also intriguing. How much loose change will readily fit down the neck? My 40oz (nearly empty, since you ask) Glenfiddich will just take 5p pieces-20p nope, pound coins no way. . I suppose you could fold up some of those fairly rare Scottish One Pound and slip them down the bottle together with a model of the Cutty Sark in full sail. But difficult to retrieve with Christian Aid hammering at the door.
It may be of course that he would like big bottles for the fun of breaking them in half and keeping the bottom bit for the 'loose change'. Top end, if jagged enough would make a neat personal (defensive) weapon for a night out in Eyemouth
Mind you perhaps he has the largest collection of 5ps in the free world and is saving
them for a wet day. Like today or any day in Dumfries
Labels: Berwickshire Freecycle, Borders
Sunday, July 06, 2008
SOMETHING ELSE IN LIEU?
This months Big Story is:
Eyemouth and Coldstream to get town attendants
Towns top of the list to have public toilets refurbished
«
"Unattended toilets can give a very bad impression to visitors"
John Byford, SBC
By Janice Gillie
COLDSTREAM and Eyemouth are top of the list to have their public toilets refurbished and also to get a town attendant each, responsible for cleaning the toilets and other general duties around the town.
Across the Borders there are currently seven public toilets that are manned and charging 30p but income over the past year has fallen to £67,371, equating to 11,000 less visits and the cost of providing attendants is £180,000. Last week Scottish
Borders Councillors agreed to abolish charges at the toilets in Hawick, Jedburgh, Peebles, Melrose, Galashiels, Kelso and Selkirk with immediate effect and instead they would focus on improving the unattended public toilets across the region, described as often neglected, dirty and the target of vandals.
And, the meeting heard attendants were hardly run off their feet, especially in the winter. On one day in February this year, the toilets in Peebles were used by just six customers.
"This part of the service is making a substantial loss," said John Byford, SBC's head of environmental services.
"In places like Jedburgh and Peebles, bus loads of visitors are stopping at the free, unattended toilets and some of these facilities give a very bad impression of the Borders," reported Mr Byford.
It was accepted that the unattended and less frequently cleaned toilets were those most likely to be used by visitors to the area and "will almost certainly be creating a poor impression of the Borders for visitors who use them".
The report to councillors goes on: "The removal of charges could provide a very good public relations opportunity to demonstrate support for tourism in the area, and significantly improve impressions that our towns leave on visitors and locals alike. This is particularly true of "gateway" towns like Hawick, Jedburgh and Coldstream."
The attendants will be redeployed on a "broader range of environmental duties", including monitoring, cleaning and locking up the unmanned facilities, plus carrying out litter and dog fouling patrols.
In Coldstream a new town attendant would clean the toilet and immediate surrounds, the car park, Henderson Park and the main street on a frequent cycle throughout the day.
Eyemouth would retain both its existing public toilet blocks and the new town attendant would also carry out street cleaning, warden duties within the town centre, including toilet checking and cleaning throughout the day.
"I can give a guarantee that the attendants will visit all our toilets in our principal towns at least once an hour seven days a week to clean them up and combat vandalism," said Councillor Len Wyse.
"These staff will be visible, more productive and will become better known by local people, so developing their 'ownership' of these facilities," said Mr Byford. "They will become directly associated with the quality of the services provided, helping to build accountability and civic pride."
He said he would also consider a suggestion from Councillor Nicholas Watson (Borders Party) that a secure means should be arranged for satisfied members of the public to leave voluntary cash donations at all public toilets, thus bringing in some income to the council.
Mr Byford will prepare a report for September on a major refurbishment programme with the facilities at Coldstream and Eyemouth already identified as priorities and work undertaken as soon as possible. Other facilities must be upgraded to comply with disability discrimination legislation, while warm water and hand drying facilities should be incorporated where practicable. His report will include a survey of usage to be carried out this summer.
Had councillors rejected the revised programme of toilet provision in the region the toilets at both Coldstream and High Street car park, Eyemouth would have been demolished "to incorporate pay stations and achieve Disability Discrimination Act compliance".
"The appearance of our public toilets both outside and inside affects the public perception...some of the existing decoration schemes are to say the least bizarre, resembling more a set from a science fiction film, with their silver walls, than a public toilet," said Mr Byford."
Huttonian has been campaigning for some time to have 'pay as you pee' abolished in the Borders so this is good news for the cross legged and impecunious. 30p per is daylight robbery-obviously the good people of Peebles (no pun intended) have shared this view-hence one unofficial Town motto-' Welcome to Peebles: Where Peeble Hold Their Water'!
The Blog welcomes the advent of the new Super-Loo Gauleiter. Visiting the facilities 24/7, (not to mention dog patrols, making themselves better known to townsfolk, tackling vandals and 'other environmental duties')is a challenging job description and I hope the little china soap dishes will soon be overflowing with gratuities from grateful customers. And how about sprucing up the toilets in a more imaginative way-hot air blowers and warm water are all very well but lets think bigger: access to the internet from the comfort of your seat,eye level digital TV screens at the urinals (in the Gents as well) Starbucks Coffee machines, A selection of groceries giving new meaning to the concept of convenience shopping, (merely concentrating on Durex Dispensers are so last century) and individual names for each lavatory complex taking a leaf from the Pub tradition recalling historical events, folk culture, literature etc : 'A Slash of Distinction'' 'The Meeting of the Waters' ' The Relief of Mafeking' 'Stand and Deliver' 'The Number Twos Detective Agency' 'Down in the Dumps' 'Ps and Qs' '(or the other way round in the more popular watering holes)*
Hutton Think Tank would welcome suggestions for its local version of The Good Loo Guide.
IMAGE : Galashiels-dream on
* That's enough Loo signs' Blog-ed
Labels: Borders, Public loos, Toilet Training
Thursday, June 26, 2008
death on the grouse moors
is a headline in the electronic Berwickshire recording yet another wild life murder in an area, sadly, notorious for such incidents. The story coninues:
Red kite dies days after shooting
SICKENING: Superintendent Mike Flynn of the SSPCA with the dead red kite.
"This is a very bad news day for the Borders"
By Kenny Paterson
ANOTHER crime against wildlife in Berwickshire has occured after the sickening death of a rare bird of prey.
An injured red kite was discovered lying on an upland grouse moor in the county last Monday by a doctor and his children out walking.
The juvenile female was taken to a wildlife vet where x-rays showed she had a shotgun wound on her wing and also her backside.
The red kite, which was in good breeding condition, appeared to be making good progress but three days later she suffered a painful death after a post mortem showed massive internal damage.
It is thought the red kite was downed with a shot to the wing from long distance while flying and its liver was ruptured with another pellet.
The death of a red kite follows the discovery of two badgers killed near Whitsome last month by illegal snares.
And in January, 25 poisoned baits were laid out around Greenlaw killing six buzzards, the highest recorded number designed to kill birds of prey in one location.
Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Superintendent Mike Flynn said: "This is the second iconic bird to be persecuted in the Borders alone following the poisoning of a female golden eagle last August.
"Red kites are very distinctive and would not be mistaken for a crow or the likes. In my 21 years with the SSPCA I have never known the shooting of a red kite and this is a very bad news day for the Borders. The vet at the Berwick Swan Trust was treating the wing and it seemed to be responding but the internal injuries were too great and the kite died. It would have been very distressed and it would have been a slow painful death. It is a pointless and senseless killing."
Anyone convicted of shooting a red kite faces a jail sentence of up to six months or a £2,000 fine under the Wildife and Countryside Act. A specialhotline (0870 2404832) has been set up for anyone with information about the shooting.
I suspect that some game keeper somewhere is unrepentant.
The Lairds need to get a grip
Labels: Borders, Red Kite Gamekeepers
Saturday, June 14, 2008
To Chirnside at 8.45. The Early Bird getteth the Quality Press*
I got my Grudian all right but only a pile of Scottish Edition Daily Mails:
Sorry no English Daily Mail today said my favourite (only) newsagent. No demand for them
But last Saturday you had four?
Yes, said the guy behind me, them b****** have moved on.
Moved on? One family from the south? English Daily Mail for him, one for her, third for Granny and the fourth for his sandwiches at work.
Chirnside, slightly depleted, population wise
and
Ethnically cleansed, again.
* Daily Mail possibly excepted?
(The Image is presumably from a non Mail reader?)
Labels: Borders, Daily Mail, English newspapers
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Lets Hear it for the rabbit
The silly season is surely open us when that organ of record, the Berwickshire News has, as its lead story : NINE DAYS STUCK DOWN A RABBIT HOLE BUT TERRIER BROOK IS NONE THE WORSE FOR HER ORDEAL Yippee.
The front page also carries a large photo of the 'mongrel terrier' being comforted by her owner and son from whom Brook escaped chasing rabbits and then spent 9 days in a burrow before being dug out. Bringing the affair 'to a perfect conclusion'
The lesson apparently is -if you lose a pet never give up hope, miracles can happen.
Another lesson could be learning how to discourage your best friend, especially if intellectually challenged, from chasing inoffensive wild life. Perhaps they believed that mongrels are especially intelligent and would only go places from which it can easily return.
Not a word about the rabbits.
(we don't know whether or not the image is of the rabbit that Brook chased. But possibly similar, so will have to do)
Labels: Borders, Rabbits, Silly dogs
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Back to the Borders
It is good to be back in the Borders proper-Dumfries has the air of being in deepest Alba athough barely 30 miles from England-and to find that we are moving along with the usual rites of Spring -selection of the Greenlaw Maid, the Duns Reiver and Reiver's Lass, Wynsome Mayde etc etc-we will have a really good view of these rituals from the Small House in Duns. And we know that the Silly Season is approaching fast when the Berwickshire has room in its letters column for another effusion from the Regent of Scotland :
#SIR, - What was in Ian Smith’s article in both the Berwickshire News and Berwick Advertiser recently, headed respectively ‘Lords dismiss Berwick moving into Scotland’ and ‘Lords minister dismisses Berwick move to Scotland’ calls for this response as a further contribution from here to the ‘Great Berwick Debate’.
Berwick north of the Tweed is, under the still valid 1329 Treaty of Edinburgh/Northampton, legally and constitutionally in the Kingdom of Scotland so has not to be moved into it and so also no referendum of its population is required nor any negotiating over it with the Kingdom of England.
MICHAEL RITCHIE,
Greenlaw.
I suppose someone cares?
Meanwhile in the ongoing open online Poll in the paper the People of Berwickshire (Scotland) do not favour having Berwick upon Tweed (England)'back' into Scotland (Scotland) and feel happy that it is in England (England).
Perhaps we could all give this 'issue' a rest and concentrate on important matters-like the Wynsome Mayde and all the other exciting commemmorations of the 15th and 16th centuries.
It is good to be back in the Borders proper-Dumfries has the air of being in deepest Alba athough barely 30 miles from England-and to find that we are moving along with the usual rites of Spring -selection of the Greenlaw Maid, the Duns Reiver and Reiver's Lass, Wynsome Mayde etc etc-we will have a really good view of these rituals from the Small House in Duns. And we know that the Silly Season is approaching fast when the Berwickshire has room in its letters column for another effusion from the Regent of Scotland :
#SIR, - What was in Ian Smith’s article in both the Berwickshire News and Berwick Advertiser recently, headed respectively ‘Lords dismiss Berwick moving into Scotland’ and ‘Lords minister dismisses Berwick move to Scotland’ calls for this response as a further contribution from here to the ‘Great Berwick Debate’.
Berwick north of the Tweed is, under the still valid 1329 Treaty of Edinburgh/Northampton, legally and constitutionally in the Kingdom of Scotland so has not to be moved into it and so also no referendum of its population is required nor any negotiating over it with the Kingdom of England.
MICHAEL RITCHIE,
Greenlaw.
I suppose someone cares?
Meanwhile in the ongoing open online Poll in the paper the People of Berwickshire (Scotland) do not favour having Berwick upon Tweed (England)'back' into Scotland (Scotland) and feel happy that it is in England (England).
Perhaps we could all give this 'issue' a rest and concentrate on important matters-like the Wynsome Mayde and all the other exciting commemmorations of the 15th and 16th centuries.
Labels: Borders, Regent of Scotland, Reivers
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
THE RING (RE)CYCLE
There are a number of areas where the Borders are vastly superior to Norn Iron-golf not being one of them I hasten to add-but top of Huttonian's list is recycling. The Borders was late into the act-we here had Blue (recycling) and Brown (Garden Waste) when the Reivers were in short pants but now compared to the highly restrictive regime in Norn Iron the Borders are a recyclers paradise in comparison
We have huge Blue wheelie bins: Newspapers fine; Magazines ok but no envelopes. They have gum and Gum is CONTAMINATION. And no, means no. The environmental hygienists, aka Refuse Collectors, akawell Bin Men (Persons) are instructed to scrutinise contents of said bins and if they find CONTAMINATION-envelopes,pizza boxes, hard back books, plastic wrapping,, yoghurt pots, plastic bags, bubble wrap, margarine tubs,pill containers, wall paper, shredded paper (including plans for WMD) paper bags (Yes paper bags) wrapping paper-the list goes on and on-then the BINS WILL BE REFUSED and perhaps if the eh/rc/bm are in a foul mood tipped all over the pavement and danced on. And any garden earth found lurking amongst the weeds, clippings etc in the Brown Bins will cause the BBs to be LEFT WHERE THEY ARE.
Mind you there is one inducement not yet introduced to the Merse. The EHs can award the accolade of 'Recycler of the Month. to say, Mrs Finola Bedworthy of Dun Bombin, Falls Road as her pristine blue bin contains nothing except back issues of the Reconstructed Terrorist, the daily organ of the Real IRA, , neatly folded and unread. No cash prizes but if you win the award often enough you can claim a new bin at the discounted price of £25. Collect it yourself from some recycled H Block depot in Lisburn. weekdays, between 10 and 1015.
THe wife is contemplating to take our recycling, plastic bags, envelopes, yoghurt pots and all back to Hutton. And if there is no room for the golf clubs;
tough.
There are a number of areas where the Borders are vastly superior to Norn Iron-golf not being one of them I hasten to add-but top of Huttonian's list is recycling. The Borders was late into the act-we here had Blue (recycling) and Brown (Garden Waste) when the Reivers were in short pants but now compared to the highly restrictive regime in Norn Iron the Borders are a recyclers paradise in comparison
We have huge Blue wheelie bins: Newspapers fine; Magazines ok but no envelopes. They have gum and Gum is CONTAMINATION. And no, means no. The environmental hygienists, aka Refuse Collectors, akawell Bin Men (Persons) are instructed to scrutinise contents of said bins and if they find CONTAMINATION-envelopes,pizza boxes, hard back books, plastic wrapping,, yoghurt pots, plastic bags, bubble wrap, margarine tubs,pill containers, wall paper, shredded paper (including plans for WMD) paper bags (Yes paper bags) wrapping paper-the list goes on and on-then the BINS WILL BE REFUSED and perhaps if the eh/rc/bm are in a foul mood tipped all over the pavement and danced on. And any garden earth found lurking amongst the weeds, clippings etc in the Brown Bins will cause the BBs to be LEFT WHERE THEY ARE.
Mind you there is one inducement not yet introduced to the Merse. The EHs can award the accolade of 'Recycler of the Month. to say, Mrs Finola Bedworthy of Dun Bombin, Falls Road as her pristine blue bin contains nothing except back issues of the Reconstructed Terrorist, the daily organ of the Real IRA, , neatly folded and unread. No cash prizes but if you win the award often enough you can claim a new bin at the discounted price of £25. Collect it yourself from some recycled H Block depot in Lisburn. weekdays, between 10 and 1015.
THe wife is contemplating to take our recycling, plastic bags, envelopes, yoghurt pots and all back to Hutton. And if there is no room for the golf clubs;
tough.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Planning. Trouble at t'mill
Its good to know that our very transparent planning system sometimes seems to work: Cognoscenti should once again visit:
http://eplanning.scotborders.gov.uk/publicaccess/tdc/DcApplication/application_searchresults.aspx
and look at the 2nd application under the Hutton and Paxton Community Council bailiwick: House at Hutton Castle Mill. Bloggees with average memories will recall how popular response has led to an unpopular planning application for four new houses, just down the road, being withdrawn. People power in the form of an angry (but reasoned) comments recorded on this website helped to ensure that with the developer having second thoughts.Does not often happen but good sense prevailed.
In the HCM case the 'associated documents' are worth a read. In support of an application to build a house for a gamekeeper on site to look after the pheasantery, Guinea fowlness, salmon and trout fishing, self catering converted mill on behalf of the main agent for a syndicate who lives in Paxton-excellent idea. But wait- this document is dated November 2004! And we can recall that there actually is a house, recently built and lo and behold the occupant is no other than the gamekeeper who has been in occupation of a very pleasant dwelling for a couple of years. All the other papers, including the formal
application relate to a new house-bungalow- for, yes, a gamekeeper (indeed the same self guy), with exactly the same justification as the original application three and a half years ago. Urgency is stressed as the agent in Paxton really needs some one on the spot to look after his interests in the depths of the Whiteadder valley.
One can only speculate. And one does.
The Planning department at mediumheidyins level, at least, don't seem too impressed and having pointed out that there is one house there already -not a bungalow as it happens- (a fact omitted from the application and its supporting docs) reminds the applicant that permission was given for that house on the understanding that it was for just one building and for the purposes (tied to a gamekeeper) stated in the 2004 application, wonders,politely, what in earth is going on, and suggests equally politely that it might be best if the application be withdrawn.
It might indeed.
Strike one for the Planners.
For once.
In the meanwhile the Guinea Fowl at the mill peck on happily, seemingly not caring if they are to have a two house gamekeeper, or not.
Labels: Borders, Hutton Castle Mill, Planning
Friday, March 07, 2008
Not All Rubbish, Apparently
The Environmental Hygienists aka the Bin Men are becoming more picky with regard to what they remove from the 'kerbside' on their weekly swoop on rural communities. Although you can recycle (at last) most non food things including the ubiquitous plastic bag (as long as it is not a black bin bag) the pre removal inspection has seemingly become more searching. Last week, at the bottom of Kirk Lane which services 5 houses and the village hall several bags were not removed and tossed contemptuously aside-fair enough within the letter of the law they were black bin bags and should have been inside the appropriate wheelie bin receptacle but you might have thought it would not have been too much trouble to flick them into No1 Lorry with the rest of the non recyclables. Much much worse was at Duns last Wednesday, Huttonians purple for paper and cardboard plastic sack, although clearly containing just those useful commodities was left lonely, isolated, unloved on the road side (we have no kerb) whilst every one elses offerings were carted away. What kind of message is this for newcomers and neighbours? Whoa! Nuclear Waste in brown envelopes? Not touching that.
So I had to drive it all the way back to Kirk Lane and can confidentally expect its removal at approximately 1002 hours today. And next Wednesday , outside the small-house-in-Duns I will hover, just below the horizon, guns run out, battle flag hoisted,Kismet Hardied, just to make sure that the boys in the van do their act of public service, thoroughly and without discrimination.
And save the planet.
(The image is of unbagged rubbish in an unspecified place-not thought to be Berwickshire and certainly not Kirk Lane even after a wild night at the Village Hall)
Labels: Borders, Environmental Hygenists, Recycling, Rubbish
Monday, February 18, 2008
Slurry with the whinge on top.
The zephr is from the north-so is odour of pigs. Well actually slurry. AS those deathless lyrics in a great (Western) Borders Musical had it:
When we hit that road, hell fer leather,
Cats and dogs'll dance in the heather,
Birds and frogs'll sing all together and the toads will hop!
The wind'll whistle as we rattle along,
The cows'll moo in the clover,
Whiteadder ripple out a whispered song,
And whisper it over and over:
“Will that smell go on for ever
go on forever and never stop?
Surely it won’t never stop?
In that shiny, little surrey with the fringe on the top! “
I can see the stars gettin' blurry,
'cos my eyes are watering, my eyes are smarting
My runny nose is really hartin’
Mud on the Road, Mud on the wheels
Life in the country is down at heels.
Who gives a toss* if the Bull has mated
Life out of town is overrated
Halt the Surrey, Curse the Slurry
Get on the wagon
And have a whinge on top
* No pun intended
(Thankyou Old Grey Wolf for this image of genuine (as in 'seats are of genuine leather)Hutton Slurry.
Labels: Borders, Country odours, Slurry
Friday, January 04, 2008
The weather forecast said ' Rain becoming drizzle later' so of course it snowed. Very hard. And it froze. Cutting Hutton off from the rest of the known world -mainly because being the New Year Scottish Borders Council lacked the 'Resources' to grit the roads. Resources preferring the comfort of their own homes, a dram or two, and New Year Telly to gainful employment. These images were taken 10-15 minutes after the blizzard started. And today it is as if yesterday had enjoyed balmy zephyrs and blazing sunshine.
I wonder if that is it for the year?
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
WI launches crusade for licensed brothels
is a head line in The Times On-line-reflecting the Thunderers tabloid approach to most stories. It opens:
They are better known for making jam, selling cakes and stripping off to make calendars for charity. Now the Women’s Institute has started a campaign to license brothels to protect women who work as prostitutes.
The village of Holybourne in Hampshire is the unlikely birthplace of this crusade. Members of the WI branch there were deeply moved by the events last December when five street prostitutes were murdered in Ipswich.
The branch made licensing brothels the subject of its motion for debate at the autumn meeting of the Hampshire WI Federation, which has 6,000 members. The motion received almost unanimous backing and Hampshire WI will now go to the national organisation and mount a lobbying campaign to try to persuade local councillors and MPs to change the law.
Apart from wondering if 'crusade' is quite le mot justein this context ( 'Richard Coeur de Lion in Jerusalem Harlot Horror' to quote a 12th Century Sunne-page 2) we can only wonder if the Scottish equivalent of the WI the Women' Rural Institute will now follow suit. One, can, I suppose, speculate about brothels in the Borders but Huttonian does not want to fall into the trap sprung on a visiting CofE bishop to New York when asked for a view on the City's houses of ill repute replied, innocently: 'Oh Are there Brothels in New York?' fed the headline in a local Tabloid ' Visiting Brit Bish in search of Brothels''
No, Randy of Reston this is idle conjecture, not the start of a research programme, much less the launch of the XIth Crusade. All I do know is neither the Hutton Think Tank nor Fishwick Special Branch are 'into' local vice, as it were, nor am I aware of Sex Workers being asked to talk about their industry at meetings of local Probus, Knit and (K)Natter, Rotary, University of the Third Age, or other bodies (no pun intended) generally desperate for speakers-as Huttonian knows judging from the amount of times he has been asked to speak. Pity. Might liven up some rather dull afternoons, Knit and Knatter always excepted. Nor does prostitution seem to feature in the Duns Sheriff's court unless there is a gagging (no S or M implication) order on the cub reporter recording the cases for the Berwickshire
So we must assume that Whores and their safety is not an issue north of the Border and south of Glasga. When it is I will watch the agendas for forthcoming meetings of the Women's Guild with
Great interest.
And another thing: Members of the Women's Guild have yet to strip off for making calendars or for any other purpose-
as a group, I mean.
As far as I know, that is.
(The image of a sex worker demonstration is thought not to be from the Borders)
Labels: Borders, crime Borders., Sex Workers, Women's Guild, WRI
Sunday, October 07, 2007
RAIL RAGES
The relentless John Lamont, the Tory MSP for these parts, not content with converting the former LibDem MSP, Eaun Robson's informative 'Mound Notes' in the Berwickshire into a party political puff, has now climbed onto 'reopen Reston Station' Bandwagon, or should that be cattle truck. Apparently the re-opening of this ancient pre-Beeching halt will be a 'huge boost to the economy' and to the Eastern Borders 'infrastructure'. The sort of argument that RAGES regularly trots out with very little factual justification. How the pleasuring of 5 commuters from Reston and three more from the next hamlet will be such a huge boost to the GDP of Reston and environs has never been quantified and the thought that industry will rush to the area to take advantage of workers not having to travel by rail from Berwick or Dunbar is frankly bizarre-but Mr Lamont must think there are votes in it. Perhaps he is influenced by the chairman of RAGES claiming that Reston Station has a catchment area of 10,000. Before JL rushes off to shake them all by the hand and thrust pamphlets into unresisting hands he should consider if this statistic refers to people
Or to sheep.
Meanwhile we await with bated breath the clarification of STAG1 -'Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance' No doubt followed by STAG2. Then we will be able to have a very small party. Unless there is a change in his circumstances JL will be very welcome to bring a bottle-yes the one used by Mr Gordon Brown
The relentless John Lamont, the Tory MSP for these parts, not content with converting the former LibDem MSP, Eaun Robson's informative 'Mound Notes' in the Berwickshire into a party political puff, has now climbed onto 'reopen Reston Station' Bandwagon, or should that be cattle truck. Apparently the re-opening of this ancient pre-Beeching halt will be a 'huge boost to the economy' and to the Eastern Borders 'infrastructure'. The sort of argument that RAGES regularly trots out with very little factual justification. How the pleasuring of 5 commuters from Reston and three more from the next hamlet will be such a huge boost to the GDP of Reston and environs has never been quantified and the thought that industry will rush to the area to take advantage of workers not having to travel by rail from Berwick or Dunbar is frankly bizarre-but Mr Lamont must think there are votes in it. Perhaps he is influenced by the chairman of RAGES claiming that Reston Station has a catchment area of 10,000. Before JL rushes off to shake them all by the hand and thrust pamphlets into unresisting hands he should consider if this statistic refers to people
Or to sheep.
Meanwhile we await with bated breath the clarification of STAG1 -'Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance' No doubt followed by STAG2. Then we will be able to have a very small party. Unless there is a change in his circumstances JL will be very welcome to bring a bottle-yes the one used by Mr Gordon Brown
Friday, September 21, 2007
Its not the Mournes, not even Norn Iron but the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall, owned by the National Trust, is one of the most spectacular sights in the Borders (just in) and is off the Moffat Selkirk road below St Mary's Loch. You don't have to be a wild goat to get up the path to enjoy the view.
But it would help
Goats can always get to parts of the mountainside denied to humans-and in their case it probably helps that they can't read.
Labels: Borders, Waterfalls
