Sunday, March 20, 2005
Frog Dodging
03/20/2005
Saturday and Sunday have given us spring weather, dry, sunny and warm. We still have a stiff southwesterly breeze, but we are not complaining. Sunday lunch at Arichastlich with the Kerrs, or more accurately with Erica as John is away getting the seaweed harvesting boat ready for the forthcoming season. Dearest Dotty and I learn of a Saturday night at the Lee’s thirtieth anniversary bash in Glasgow. A great success, although Erica describes the strange feeling of walking into a room full of people not seen for thirty years as daunting! I was pleased to hear that several neighbours complained about the noise. Dotty and I drive back round to Glen Trollaigh in the gloaming and experience the first frog dodging of the year, this is much earlier than usual, and I am not sure why frogs chose to sit on the tarmac surface of the road in the dark terrifying elderly drivers. Do they enjoy the smooth feeling of the road surface, are they seeking mates, are they migrating from hibernation ponds to the riverbank? Who knows, but trying to avoid squashing hundreds of them requires great skill. We also see several good stags and put up a great many woodcock whirring away from the roadside, could they be feeding on the frogs, squashed or whole? Ah, the joys of country life. A small Ardbeg before the Great Bed of Trollaigh beckons, no fire tonight as the temperature does not drop below ten degrees at night, Although, it looks like the skiing is virtually finished. Yours Aye, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Integrity, What Integriy?
03/19/2005
Friday brings more misty rain in a southwesterly breeze. The river Trollaigh reaches full flood levels with the road impassable. It is lovely and mild with all sorts of birds enjoying the fifteen degree spring weather. The rain keeps me chained to the desk and only Mhairi bringing me the odd coffee and toast interrupts my toils. I have been taken to task about my doubting Gordon Brown’s integrity, I answer with a few points. Firstly, Mr Brown claims that we have higher employment than ever before. He does not mention that over one million jobs have been lost in manufacturing industries, and that his figures are boosted by ignoring the 2.7 million people of working age who are not available for work because they claim Invalidity Benefit (a wheeze that the Maggie Thatcher introduced).Young people seeking work are also not included, however he does include the 300,000 jobs that he has created in government departments and their agencies. Secondly, Mr Brown claims that inflation is under two percent, I have no idea what costs he ignores to come up with this lie. If I look at our own domestic costs for, energy, telephone, postage, local taxes and services and fuel for the car (we must use this as we have no access to public transport), the year on year increase is almost six percent. Thirdly, Mr Brown is always trumpeting on about huge amounts being pumped into education, health and law and order. The fact is that our local school has closed, we are about to lose our local policeman and our medical centre has been merged with another, sharing doctors. Nationally we are short of thousands of teachers, dentists, doctors, nurses and policemen. Where is all this additional funding going? Mr Brown’s “prudent” policies also include finding the cash for the odd war. Do not even get me started about Pensions, that would require several pages! Here’s to Saturday and the forecast is fair. Yours Aye, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.