"Don't Panic, Don't Panic"

Responding to the threat of global terrorism, the government has been sending out booklets to every household in the country, advising them on what to do in the event of an "emergency"- such as a bomb attack, chemical or biological "incidents" or major conflagrations. These have been dropping through letter boxes during August and there has also been a TV and newspaper advertising campaign highlighting the advice. The booklet lists useful items we should all have available in our homes - such as bottled water, tinned food, a battery radio (with spare batteries), first aid kit and a mobile phone. A wide range of organisations have assisted in its creation to ensure that it offers the best possible available advice in simple terms with practical, common sense information. Unfortunately, given recent floods and landslips, there is no advice in the booklet on how to deal with such natural disasters.

Helicopters Rescue 57 Trapped Motorists

About 14 vehicles were trapped on the A85 road in Glen Ogle, north of Lochearnhead in Stirlingshire on Wednesday. Torrential rain (a month's average rainfall in one day) caused two major landslips, bringing mud, rock and trees down onto the road in front of them and behind them. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, though the occupants of one vehicle escaped only seconds before it was pushed off the road. Emergency vehicles were unable to get through as there was concern about the possibility of further landslides. Rescue helicopters had to winch 57 people (and a pet dog) from the ground and take them to safety. Some of those trapped were tourists. While some were upset at the disruption to their trip, others described it as "an exciting incident". They were seen busy taking photos and video as they were being rescued. The road was still closed over this weekend and contractors fighting to clear the mud and debris and rebuild the embankments say they don't know when it will reopen.

Delay for Report on Delays?

It's one of those "you couldn't make this up" situations. There were articles in the press last Sunday that the report by the Fraser enquiry into the cost over-runs and delays in the construction of the new Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh was itself going to miss its completion target dates. Lord Fraser, whose inquiry into why it cost $431 million to create the new legislature and why it was many years late, was supposed to be published by the end of August or, at worst, early in September. But newspapers claimed that the revised date (a phrase often used to describe the latest guess on when the parliament building might be completed) for the report is now the middle of September, at the earliest. But the Fraser enquiry team immediately issued a rebuttal, claiming that "late August or early September" was still the target. There is a concern that the inquiry findings - and the inevitable acrimonious debate thereafter - could still be a major topic and overshadow the official opening of the building by the Queen on October 9. 13,366 documents were submitted to the enquiry and there were lengthy verbal discussions during the course of the inquiry process. Lord Fraser has undertaken to advise in advance anyone criticised in the report before it is published to give them the opportunity to come back to him. It is understood that these letters have not yet been issued.

Holyrood Dress Rehearsal

Invited members of the public and civil servants tested out the new parliament building at Holyrood in Edinburgh this week, in preparation for the start of the new session on September 7. They took part in "debates" in the impressive chamber. Hopefully the Members of the Scottish Parliament will debate something more useful than the tongue-in-cheek discussion on the subject: Is Abba or the Bay City Rollers the greatest pop group ever? The members of the public involved were asked for their views on the operation of the building, including the adequacy of signs, the quality of the cafeteria - and how easy it was to find the toilets.

Consumer Spending in Scotland Still Rising

Retail sales growth in Scotland dipped slightly in July from 8.2% in June to a still strong figure of 7.4% - which was nevertheless well ahead of the UK average of 4.3%. The Scottish Retail Consortium says that consumer spending in Scotland has been ahead of the UK as a whole in every month since last July. Of course, Scotland has been coming from a lower base, historically, but sales in non-food stores have been strong. The figures seem to show that consumer confidence is still very positive, despite the recent rises in base interest rates.

Scottish House Prices Still Rising Strongly

A series of increases in base lending rates by the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee (from 3.75% in February, by 0.25% increments, to 4.75% in August) appear to have taken some of the steam out of rocketing house prices in England. The latest report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says that prices were static in the Midlands and East Anglia and even falling in some areas of southern England, while there were only moderate increases in other parts of England and Wales. But in Scotland prices are still continuing to rise, with growth over 10% in the three months to the end of July. Another report, this time by the bank Lloyds TSB Scotland, suggested that house prices in Glasgow had risen by nearly 30% in the last twelve months, the fastest rate of growth in Scotland. Of course, the Scottish market has not been so volatile as in the south and over the last few years prices have not been going up so fast. Since Scots tend to be more prudent borrowers and do not have repayments taking such a high percentage of their net income, they are more able to cope with rising interest rates.

Scottish Employment Market Improves

Recruitment consultants have reported that there has been a sharp increase in the number of placements and that there is a substantial rise in the number of vacancies, with shortages of suitably skilled applicants. That is exerting inflationary pressure on average wage rises. Labour market conditions have improved for twelve successive months and the rate of improvement is marginally faster in Scotland than in the rest of the UK - the first time that has happened since the summer of 2003.

One Man Forces Public Enquiry Over 20 Pence

An employee of Fife Council from Glenrothes has forced the Scottish Executive to hold a public enquiry into the proposed increase in the tolls on the Forth road bridge from 80 pence to £1, the first increase since 1986. Legislation requires a public enquiry if even one person objects to an increase in tolls - and one person has done just that. However, the public enquiry will not take place until October and will delay implementation of the higher charges. This will cost the Forth Estuary Transport Authority £6,000 a day in lost revenue. The objector is not just fighting the increase - he argues that the construction costs were all paid by 1994 and that no charge is made for use of other main roads. Motorists pay the charge because they have little alternative other than a long detour via Kincardine Bridge (which is free). Campaigners against he toll on the Skye bridge expect to have tolls on their bridge removed by the end of the year. There are under 700,000 vehicles a year on the Skye bridge and 22 million on the Forth road bridge. But increasing tolls on the Forth Bridge is part of a government strategy to encourage motorists in the much busier central belt to leave their cars behind and use the (heavily subsidised) public transport network.

High Speed Ferry Between Fife and Edinburgh?

Perth-based transport company Stagecoach is reported to be looking at the viability of running a high speed ferry service between Kirkcaldy or Burntisland in Fife to the Edinburgh port of Leith. If the shortest crossing was used, it could speed across the Firth of Forth in ten minutes, with onward bus links into the capital. In the early 1990s, a ferry service connecting Fife with the southern shore failed, largely because it berthed at Granton, further along the coast, with a poor bus service into the centre of Edinburgh. But Leith, housing the administrative offices of the Scottish Executive, is thought to be a much more attractive option for many commuters. If enough travellers used the service, it could postpone or eliminate the need for a second road bridge across the Forth.

Rise in International Visitors

Only recently, the government's survey of tourism for the first three months of 2004 showed a 4% fall in the number of people coming to visit Scotland. But the half-year results from the international passenger survey published this week show passenger numbers from Europe to Scotland are up by 18%, compared with the same period last year. And the number of long-haul passengers across the Atlantic are up by 7% while long-haul passengers from Asia and the east are up by 6%. VisitScotland is predicting that 2004 could be a bumper year for tourism as a result of these figures. Despite the spells of bad weather over this summer, which may well have affected the number of short-stay trips by people from England - a major source of tourist revenue - hotel room occupancy rates are reported to have increased.

Third Time Lucky for Wind Farm

A £20 million project to create a wind farm on the hills above the Dornoch Firth has been given approval by the Highlands Council at the third time of asking. Opponents had argued that the turbines on land north-east of the summit of Beinn Tharsuinn, near Ardross, north of Inverness, was near the Dornoch Firth National Scenic Area and would impact on unspoilt landscape in the area. The power company was forced to make a number of amendments to their scheme and reduce the number of turbines from 20 to 17. While this was not a major reduction, it has meant that they will now be situated away from the hilltops, reducing the visual intrusion.

Worst Harvest Since 1985?

The above average levels of rainfall this summer has had a devastating impact on grain and other crops. Thousands of acres of oil seed have been written off because the seed pods sprouted, making it virtually useless. Spring barley, much of it used to make beer and whisky, is deteriorating in the fields and a lot of wheat has turned black. Many farmers have been unable to cut cereal crops because the ground has been too soggy for combine harvesters. Vegetable growers have managed to keep supplies going to supermarkets, but a lot has had to be rejected because it is not of the required quality. Prices are not likely to rise, however, as the rest of Europe, where the harvest is over, have produced good quality crops and imports will keep prices down. Soaring fuel costs will also make the drying of wet grain expensive, even when it can be harvested.

Take-Off For Aberdeen to Copenhagen Service

Scandinavian Airlines is to start a new air service between Aberdeen and Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The start-up costs will be subsidised by the Scottish Executive's Route Development Fund - the 24th service to be assisted by the scheme. Copenhagen is seen as a major gateway to Scandinavia and northern Europe and is a major hub for SAS.

Aiming High

Drumkinnon Tower, at Loch Lomond Shores visitor centre, is not exactly the Empire State Building (1250ft tall) or the CN Tower in Toronto (1815ft). Standing just 120ft high and impersonating a Scottish castle or round tower, it opened in 2002. But the attraction is not short on ideas for publicity. The company operating the tower on behalf of Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire is about to apply to join the World Federation of Great Towers, based in Melbourne, Australia. They accept that they may be told to "get lost" or "come back when you've grown taller" but it is claimed there is nothing in the rule book which says that a tower has to be above a certain height to become a member. There seem to be only four requirements - applicants must be shaped like a tower, they must be a symbol of tourism in their town or country, they must have an observation deck for tourists and the construction must be complete with the tower open and functioning. Drumkinnon satisfies all these criteria with flying colours. A spokeswoman for the World Federation (which has 23 members around the world) commented that they would be interested in receiving an application from Drumkinnon Tower as "we don't have any members in Scotland." Now there's a surprise...

Scotland's Newest Clan - the English

A researcher at Dundee University claims that the English are more of a Scottish clan than many Scots since they are now the largest, most successful and most integrated immigrant group in Scotland today. Dr Murray Watson (who was born in Scotland but has lived in both the West Indies and southern England) published a book recently entitled "Being English in Scotland: A Guide." This was based on interviews with a number of English people living in Scotland. Now he is researching what happened to thousands of English who came to work in Scotland in the 19th century. Contrary to popular myth, they were not the landed middle-class but many came to work in knitwear mills and heavy industry. They integrated quickly and more completely than other immigrant groups - partly because they found local Scots to be friendlier than in the more insular English communities they had moved from. This integration has continued in the 20th century - with many English-born people now living in Scotland becoming more Scottish than the Scots. Mike Russell, the former Scottish National Party spokesman on culture and a current contender for leader of the party, was born in England and now speaks Gaelic. In 1849 there were 39,000 English people in Scotland, representing 1.5% of the population. Now there are 408,948 English-born people, 8.1% of the population, according to the 2001 census.

Scottish Wasp Population Buzzing

According to pest control companies (and personal observation) wasp numbers in Scotland have taken off this year. The cause appears to have been last year's hot summer and mild weather this year. Call-outs to deal with wasps have jumped by 20% this year. Although most people tend to wave their arms when a wasp approaches, the experts say that the best way to deal with a wasp is simply to ignore it - wasps are not interested in people and will only attack when threatened.

Police Offer Motorists Coffee

Drivers the world over often feel that they are being persecuted by radar speed traps and by mobile police patrols. But if a policeman asks motorists at three designated lay-bys in the Scottish Borders to "please get out of your car" they may well be offered a cup of coffee instead of a speeding ticket. The police are targeting drivers on long journeys or tourists coming back from airport flights - the objective is to cut down on the number of accidents caused by tired drivers. In addition to the coffee, drivers will also be given advice and cautioned that the only real solution to tiredness is taking a break and getting some sleep. The only problem with these tactics is that the drivers whizzing past the lay-by are possibly even more in need of coffee and a break. The main times for fatigue-induced crashes are between 4am and 6am and in the mid-afternoon.

Golden Wedding

A reader of this Newsletter, who now lives in New Zealand was detatched to RAF Kinloss in August/September 1954 and went into Inverness for a Saturday evening at the cinema. He spotted a wedding taking place and took a photograph which is shown here. The couple will be celebrating their golden wedding any time now and may still be together. If anyone in Inverness (or elsewhere) recognises the bride and groom, please drop an e-mail to the editor at Scottie@RampantScotland.com.

Weather in Scotland This Week

Torrential rain returned to Scotland on Wednesday as some areas had their usual monthly rainfall in 24 hours. There was some flooding and major landslips on the A85 road in Stirlingshire (see item earlier in this newsletter). Although there were a number of flood alerts along many rivers, surprisingly there were no major incidents. On Thursday, there was more thunder and lightning - Callander in Perthshire recorded 200 lightning strikes in just an hour and 22,000 customers in the north-east of Scotland were left with no electricity after electricity pylons were damaged. Engineers, who described conditions as the worst they had ever seen, were following the weather front and repairing the damage as the storm passed on. Weather forecasters are advising us to have sandbags ready next week as they are expecting Scotland to be hit by the remains of Hurricane Danielle, which is heading our way.

This week's illustrations of current flora and fauna in Scotland show first of all a Rudbeckia growing in the Cambo Estate in Fife. This photograph - and the first one below of a striking red and white dahlia below, were both taken in the rain, from under an umbrella!

There were some good spells of sunshine this week too - much to the relief of the butterflies. The Small Copper looks quite menacing, and this butterfly is indeed quite a bruiser. It will chase off other butterflies, many 50% larger than he/she is! There are no such aggressive tendencies shown by the Small Tortoiseshell, feeding on a Buddleja in the Finlaystone Country Estate in Renfrewshire. There were large numbers of butterflies feeding on the flowers during a sunny spell on Friday afternoon - mainly Peacocks but also some Small Coppers and Small Tortoiseshells.

Monkey Puzzle Botanist Remembered

Archibald Menzies was born in Aberfeldy in Perthshire in 1754 and later became a naval surgeon. But he is now best remembered as one of the first Europeans to scientifically describe new species of plants from North America. He brought back many new plants to the UK, including the Chilean pine - better known by its popular name, the Monkey Puzzle Tree because of its sharp, pointed leaves. The 250th anniversary of his birth was celebrated this week at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh with the presentation of a monkey puzzle sapling grown from seed to the Clan Menzies Society. This will be planted in Weem Wood near Aberfeldy. Surprisingly, this variety of pine is fighting for survival in its native South American forests and the Royal Botanic Garden is helping to ensure its future by growing 200 trees in a Chilean rainforest.

Pipers Persecuted

By coincidence (surely) the World Pipe Band Championships last Saturday coincided with the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the College of Piping in Pitt Street, Glasgow. The college principal took the opportunity to speak out about the noise control measures which are about to be introduced by the Scottish Executive. Designed to protect people from noisy neighbours and other anti-social behaviour, the principal says they will make it difficult for pipers in Scotland to practice without falling foul of the legislation. He commented that when the Piping College was first set up, there was a complaint from the madame of a brothel upstairs who said the noise was putting off her customers.... Now, he says the Scottish Executive are persecuting pipers in a way "we have not seen since the prohibitions after the Battle of Culloden." Of course, with the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band (seen here at the World Pipe Band Championships) on the side of the pipers, maybe there is no need to be worried?

Next Week in History

• August 22 1138 - Battle of the Standard at Northallerton in which King David I was defeated by the English.
• August 22 1282 - Devorgilla, Countess of Galloway founded Balliol College, Oxford. She was mother of John Balliol (who acceded to the Scottish throne in 1292).
• August 22 1567 - James Stewart, Earl of Moray and a half-brother of Mary Queen of Scots, proclaimed Regent of Scotland.
• August 22 1582 - James VI abducted and taken to the Castle of Ruthven by the Earls of Mar and Gowrie - the so-called "Ruthven Raid".
• August 22 1847 - Birth of Sir Alexander Campbell MacKenzie, musician and composer.
• August 23 1305 - Sir William Wallace executed.
• August 24 1482 - Berwick on Tweed finally ceded to England (Edward IV) after changing hands 12 times.
• August 25 1776 - Philosopher David Hume died.
• August 25 1819 - James Watt, developer of steam power, died.
• August 25 1819 - Birth in Glasgow of Alan Pinkerton, founder of the Chicago-based detective agency which bears his name.
• August 25 1930 - Actor Sean Connery born.
• August 25 1931 - Ramsay MacDonald formed a National Government.
• August 25 1942 - Prince George, the Duke of Kent, brother of King George VI, killed when his flying boat crashed into Eagle's Rock in Caithness, apparently en route to Iceland.
• August 26 1875 - Novelist and statesman John Buchan born in Perth.
• August 27 1784 - First balloon ascent in Britain by James Tytler, Edinburgh.
• August 28 1296 - Edward I of England held a parliament at Berwick to which he summoned all Scottish landholders to sign the Ragman Roll.
• August 28 1413 - Bull of Pope Benedict XIII ratified the founding of St Andrews University.

Theatre Marathon

A play lasting over eleven hours was being performed at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh this week. The play was written in the early 1920s and has only been performed in its entirety on two previous occasions. The production in Edinburgh of "Le Soulier de Satin" is being performed in French, but at least there are English subtitles. The play is a love story set in 15th Century Spain and it focuses on the romance between a knight and the young wife of a noblemen. The lovers never meet in the entire eleven hours of the play which is performed by 24 actors and musicians. Actor Olivier Balazuc, who is on stage for up to five hours, describes it as a "life experience". As for the audiences, some took to wearing airline-style socks to combat deep vein thrombosis during a performance that matched the time it takes to fly from London to Los Angeles. Quite a number took the opportunity to slip away at one of the two intervals. Which left the auditorium looking a bit sparse as it was less than half-full even at the start.

New Director for Royal Scottish National Orchestra

French conductor Stéphane Denève first led the Royal Scottish National Orchestra last October in a programme of Ravel, Prokofiev and Dvorak. When he was invited back in June, for a programme of Beethoven, Bach and Berlioz, the orchestra cheered and whistled the conductor. Now he has been appointed as the RSNO's new music director, so there should be more cheering and whistling - hopefully from the audience this time. The relationship between the director and orchestra has been described as a marriage and it is being hoped that this one will be productive. Although the RSNO is the largest classical orchestra in Scotland, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra have a higher profile. This is said to be due to the RSNO performing extremely conservative programmes - which attract larger audiences but not acclaim from the critics, who are more impressed by newer music which are regarded as more "challenging".

Edinburgh Jazz Festival Breaks Another Record

A record-breaking 25,000 people bought tickets for this year's Edinburgh Jazz Festival - an increase of 2,000 over last year. That translated into box office takings of over £500,000 for an event which is now the largest of its kind in the UK. And another 50,000 free tickets pushed the total attendance to 75,000.

ET - Come Home to Bonnybridge

The unofficial capital of Unidentified Flying Objects in the UK is heading into outer space with an extra-terresrial theme park, reputedly the size of Disneyland in Paris. The 150 acre theme park in Bonnybridge will be close to the Falkirk Wheel (pictured here) - now Scotland's third most popular tourist attraction. Dutch leisure company Global Restaround Enterprises is seeking planning permission for their visitor centre which will use the UFO theme to tell the story of Scotland's culture, its past, present and future. The 150 acre development has an option on another 100 acres. It would be based around 20 UFO-shaped buildings with visitors carried by "shuttle-craft" between them. The theme park could employ 12,000 local people (plus a few from outer space).

Wild Scotland

A campaign has been launched to promote Scotland as a destination for seeing wildlife. The project was launched by Tourism Minister Frank McAveety at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. Wildlife park operators across Scotland are joining forces for the first time to promote Scotland's wildlife experiences. Members of "Wild Scotland" have to sign a code of conduct which recognises the dangers tourism can have for the environment, with the aim of strengthening Scotland's reputation as a premier wildlife destination.

Sunday and Mid-Week Football Results

Dundee United 1 Dundee 2
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 2 Dunfermline 0

Bank of Scotland Premier League Results - 21 August 2004

Dundee 1 Motherwell 2
Dunfermline 0 Aberdeen 1
Heart of Midlothian 3 Kilmarnock 0
Livingston 1 Dundee United 1
Rangers 4 Hibernian 1
Inverness Caledonian Thistle play Celtic on Sunday.

Scottish First Division Results - 21 August 2004

Airdrie United 1 Raith Rovers 1
Clyde 1 Ross County 0
Hamilton 0 Partick Thistle 1
Queen of the South 1 Falkirk 3
St Mirren 2 St Johnstone 1

League Tables

Rangers are currently at the top of the Premier League with 7 points from three games. Hearts, in second place also have 7 points from three games. But unless there is a surprising upset in the Inverness/Celtic match on Sunday, Celtic are likely to regain top spot as they have 6 points from two games. Aberdeen are 4th with 5 points.

Clyde lead the First Division with 9 points from three games, followed by St Mirren (7 points) and Partick Thistle (6 points). St Johnstone are trailing in the First Division and have yet to win a single point.

Kicked in the Goulash by Hungary

The last time Scotland played Hungary at Hampden Park in Glasgow was in 1987. The Scots won 2-0, thanks to two goals by Ally McCoist. Since then, of course, the Scottish national football team has declined to such an extent that they have not won a friendly match at the national stadium since 1996 (when McCoist again got the winning goal, in a 1-0 defeat of Australia). So the there was no great surprise when Hungary ran out winners by 3-0 on Wednesday night in front of a sparse crowd of 16,000 in a stadium with a capacity of 50,000. The Scots played with some determination in the first half, but after Hungary scored from a questionable penalty just before the interval, the Scots lost the will to win. Commentators described the Scotland display as "embarrassing and ultimately humiliating." Hungary's third goal was a fitting, farcical end - a Scots defender, Steven Pressley, attempting to clear a cross from a Hungarian winger, kicked the ball against the goal-keeper's back and it bounced into the net. The Scots team have been told that they would share a £1 million if they qualify for the next World Cup finals. The Scottish Football Association could safely have made that incentive ten times that, sure in the knowledge that they wouldn't be paying out.

Celtic Losses Mount

Celtic may have comfortably won the Scottish Premier League last year and may have spent little on new players, but the club has reported an increase in pre-tax losses for the second year in a row, despite an increase in turnover. Losses in 2004 amounted to £7.47 million. However, total debt has declined to £15.8 million and chairman Brian Quinn defended the club's record. Although there have been no new signings, apart from a one-year loan deal for Henri Camara, contract extensions have been agreed with a number of key players. And success on the field, including a good run in the UEFA Cup, again resulted in the club paying out more money in player bonuses.

When Inverness Play at Home in Aberdeen

The lengths to which Aberdeen are trying to accommodate Inverness when the latter team plays at the Aberdeen ground get more and more involved. When Inverness Caledonian Thistle play their "home" games at Aberdeen's ground, Inverness supporters will always be in the main stand - even when playing at home against Aberdeen. On such occasions, even the Aberdeen officials will be in the "away" directors' box and Aberdeen season-ticket holders will have to buy a ticket just like the supporters of any other team. But all the efforts may be overkill if the club cannot attract more supporters to make the 200 mile return trip. There were just under 2,000 spectators at the match against Dunfermline last Sunday. The numbers created a new record level for an SPL match (previously 2,245 for a St Johnstone v Kilmarnock match two years ago). The club tried to argue that some season ticket holders, who have paid for ever match, may not have turned up.

End of Road for Balmoral Castle Races

With the backdrop of a royal palace and the surrounding hills, the annual Balmoral road races have attracted a lot of top runners since they began in 1998 (including Paula Radcliffe, Liz McColgan, Yvonne Murray and Paul Tergat) as well as thousands who participated in the Great Caledonian Run. But now, faced with withdrawal of TV coverage by the BBC, Scottish Enterprise Grampian has withdrawn financial backing. Officials are hoping that alternative funding can be found to bring the event back next year, but need to find another sponsor.