I believe Wolves and Bears were mentioned and advocated by some speakers.

What fun, well, fun if you are safely housed in your nice city and can then swoop off to the countryside now and then. No harm can come to you as long as you stay in or near your car. And keep the windows shut.

Not so good if you are a sheep or new born calf on the hill in winter weather I imagine, or it could be rough times if you are a small child walking to school, or even perhaps in the playground. Probably a bit shaky if you are a shepherd checking your sheep on the hill.

Now I’m all for restoring the ecosystem to the way it was but I suggest that we should work back through the things that have most recently been wiped out.

I think we should start off with a bit of a major gesture and get smallpox going again. That would be a start and might reduce the population a bit. All those mumps and measles which we had when I was a child weren’t very effective but TB (Or Consumption as our great grandmothers called it) could help a bit. Nothing else comes to mind at the moment, so when the above scourges have got properly established maybe we should get the wolves and bears cranked up.

In this way there would be a MORE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD and city dwellers would cop it as much as those who live in the country and have spent the last 1000 or so years making it a reasonably habitable place.

Oh, I forgot sabre tooth tigers but I fear those are rather hard to come by.

Alan

Scorraig

Download the questionnaire as a word file here.UCT Broadband Survey and send your completed return to UCT.

As some of you know I came third, highly commended in the international Baker Prize and was invited to go to the Skeabost Hotel, north Skye, where the Skye reading room is based.

Having been given personal leave by Highland, Nick and I went up there and stayed for two nights at a cosy little studio near Edinbane then moved on to the big old hotel on the shores of Loch Snizort. The studio was at Knot, which was appropriate as the poem was all about ropes!

On the Tuesday evening before the event I met the other writers. Richard Neath of the Reading Room made us very welcome and bought us drinks. See the Skye reading Room site for more information:

http://theskyereadingroom.wordpress.com/

On Wednesday afternoon I was interviewed on Cuillin FM by Charlotte Johnson. Yesterday part one of the Reading Room programme was broadcast and part two (with me included!) goes out next Thursday 7^th March at 3pm. If you want to watch it here is the link:

http://www.cuillinfm.co.uk/    If you miss it live you can still stream it!

At 7 pm the event started. There was an audience of around 50, including well known writers and the judges. Everyone said that it was hardest to go up first but in fact I much preferred this. I so enjoyed reading my poems and although I was a little nervous beforehand I just got up and did what I had to do. I had a slot of about 15 minutes.

Afterwards I was a bit dazed as people were asking me who my publisher was and what my site was. Needless to say I don’t have these things organised! It was interesting to note the other 4 winners were all full time writers, one was with her agent, one had attended St Andrews and one Harvard! I was my natural self and would say that my poems were original and heartfelt.

I was very proud and had a great sense of achievement. My certificate is up on the bookcase here at the Dome. The poem,’ Invasion’ will be published in a Reading Room anthology and also in Northwords, a free poetry magazine which goes out all over Scotland. Look out for the Spring edition. West Highland Free press may also take up the story in next Friday’s edition.

http://www.northwordsnow.co.uk/

I got the idea for the poem whilst walking the shore below the Dome. Every time that I visited there were pieces of rope lying around. When I revisited the beach they had shifted, disappeared or new ropes and tangles had arrives. I envisaged them here on Scoraig, out across the islands, Britain, Europe and the world. The subject is familiar to us all. So, here is my poem. Enjoy- the Invasion of the ropes, born here on Scoraig!

 Invasion

Ropes have minds of their own.

They migrate to one another,

corkscrew across salty seas,

multi- coloured DNA spirals,

congregate in bundles.

Some stranded on beaches,

brilliant Bluefire jellyfish,

long tentacles trailing.

Some, washed up swirls,

mini-galaxies

draped over black rocks.

Some, net-intact,

vibrant orange, fisherman yellow,

concertina diamond jersey patterns.

Some brittle with age, sun baked,

degraded, weathered, weakened,

at a touch breaking into powdery filaments.

Assorted lengths float around

deep sea orifices and eddies,

hang around in crisscross rope shoals.

Swirling, shifting slowly,

catching penetrating light rays.

Natural hemp, woven, spliced, pleated, knotted,

rough ends frayed like lions tails.

Nylon, chemical blue, orange, yellow,

white, polished, ends melted.

Lost overboard from moorings, nets, rigging lines,

drifting for days and decades.

Thin, thick, twisted cords, curled, snake entwined,

hitches, stopper knots, plaited.

Where do they all go in the end? To rope heaven?

To a giant universal rope brain with rope synapses

pulsing out messages like an international homing beacon?

Universal assembly harvested from ice scattered northern seas,

warm southern waters.

Modern art flotsam birthed from tankers, P and O’s,

Nile sloops, Hebridean yachts and local fishers,

Dover to Calais Norfolk line, Mediterranean cruisers,

shiny red funnelled Cal Macs, Japanese sampans.

Big tangles washed up on beaches all over the world,

where eyes cast over them and ghost ships cast off.

See more

About The Great Tapestry of Scotland
There is a new blog to record and share our experiences as we stitch our panel for The Great Tapestry of Scotland.
Our panel (sketch above) depicting Fingal’s cave, is part of a series of 150 that will all illustrate different aspects of Scottish history.
They will be displayed in the Scottish Parliament in the summer of 2013.

We can also create out own personal Scoraig design in the 3 panels at the bottom.

Follow our progress here.

Members meeting 20.1.10

Present: Laurence Glass (Chair) Cathy Dagg (secretary) Hugh Piggott, Jytte Piggott, Malcolm Alston, Aggie Brudenell, Jill Beavitt, Bill Burstall, Nick Lancaster, Andy Cox, Jessie Millard, Pat Sherrington, Susan MacSweeney, Joany MacGuire

1.0  Finances

There is not much to report. About £1000 has been spent on the road job over the past 2 months, and it should be possible to get another £1000 before the end of the financial year, so we are on track to spend the full road budget with the assumption that we will get the same amount again in the next financial year, but not an increase. There should be enough money in the account, together with funds raised at the forthcoming Burns Night, to pay for work on Badluarach pier shed.

2.0  Road Job

It was noted that resurfacing the 3m stretch below Nigel’s gate cost £150 for chippings. A discussion on the optimum depth of chippings ensued, with 3 inches being preferred. Work is still held back by Chris’s speed of producing chippings, but it is hoped he’ll speed up now that he has been blasting again. More chippings have been ordered but Chris probably needs reminding. (Bill will do so) It was noted that the correct cost of chippings is £86 +VAT per load. Laurence suggested a new technique of pre-mixing sand and gravel in a mixer, and a discussion ensued on the most efficient way of doing this. It was noted that nothing has been done yet about the bottom corner at Chris’ although Kevin had expressed an interest in doing the work.

3.0  Trailers

There has been some response to the note put out about unwanted trailers at Badluarach jetty. Some may be suitable to provide parts for a cobbled together road menders trailer. A second reminder will be sent out before trailers are brought over, and there will be a pause for owners to reclaim them if they wish. This will be done when the days get longer and probably in conjunction with work on the Badluarach pier shed. The aim of the exercise is also to get rid of scrap from Badluarach side, so Karl will be approached about this.

4.0  Mooring Boat

The Serena has a split in the transom that could do with repairing. The wooden boat will be tarred by Aggie when the weather gets warm enough. Laurence will take the pump to Caley Marina to get  the new diaphragm.

5.0  Lock-up Garages

Dougie and Gail wonder if there would be interest in lock-up garages at the bottom of their croft. They would build them and rent them out. We will get more information and prices before advertising further.

6.0  Solar panels for Topher’s shed

Djinni may be upgrading and replacing her present panels which would be suitable

7.0  Boat Parking

The shifting of boats to west of the pier is successful in creating plenty of room to the east, and the SCA thanks everyone who has done so.

8.0  Attracting new residents

Apologies for referring to young families in the note, as it should be made clear people of all ages will be welcomed.

Cathy suggested that the people who are trying to sell property are having no luck, and that a trial period of Scoraig life for a few weeks or months would enable people to make an informed decision about moving here before having to make the large financial commitment of buying, and that it would be in the long term interest of the sellers to allow their properties to be rented. SCA could act as agents,

Reservations about the proposal included:

• That the owners haven’t up to now been keen to rent
• That newcomers may turn out to be ‘undesirables’ who the refuse to leave
• That it’s too much responsibility or risk for the SCA to take on
• Owners of houses want to continue to be able to come and stay

Suggested alternatives included:

• Build new housing stock or create new crofts
• Build a house for the SCA to manage and let to prospective newcomers
• Contact the Highland Community Housing Trust
• Advertising campaign

Major problems for newcomers perceived as lack of work opportunities

The following actions were agreed:

Letter to house-owners suggesting letting scheme (Lathams, Paul and Sheila, Kathryn Cooper)

Targeted advertising in publications like Practical Self Sufficiency

Produce fact sheet including accounts of personal experiences of recent newcomers.

Next meeting March 24^th.

Cathy

There were beautifully handmade wreaths, candles, knitting, felting, homespun yarn, photographs, cards, plants, books, pickles, jams and much more.

The mulled wine and mince pies went down well, definitely making a few wellies sparkle.

From the money collected from the tables and refreshments £25 will be donated to the Primary School and the remaining used to advertise and run the next market.

Keep a look out for details of the Scoraig Summer Market.

Susan

Scoraig School Handbook 12

Click on the above link to dowload the doc file.

Just a little update on events.

This Wednesday 5^th    3.30-4.45pm- Cinema Club for Primary pupils- Happy Feet 2

Friday 14^th,    7.30 pm – Film Night for all ‘Hugo’

Monday 17^th    12 noon-1pm- Songs, mince pies and coffee at the Primary school building. All welcome .Please spread the word.

Wednesday 19^th- 12.30 lunch provided by the STG, Santa visit, games.

Thursday 20^th –School closes at 12.40. School opens Monday 7^th January 2013.

Have a lovely holiday from all at Scoraig School. Many thanks for your continued support.