The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Saturday 12th August 2017

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. Another hot and humid morning greats Bella and I as we leave the house for the early morning walk.. but like the postman, come rain, come shine, the walk will be done… so this morning rather than walk up the hill or down to the shore, we walk through the old town, wandering past the plants on the wall, and the honeysuckle in the big new pots, through the Poet’s Square, and the new mural, turning the corner we smell the fresh bread being baked and get a friendly wave from Diago the baker, then its along the main street and turn towards the house, our walk over, coffee to be drunk, dog cookies to be eaten… and Gentle Reader things to discuss with you… 

STORNOWAY COASTGUARD RESCUE HELICOPTER IN NINE-HOUR OPERATIONS…. A Coastguard helicopter was involved in a nine-hour double rescue operation at the weekend. The Stornoway helicopter completed the medevacs back-to-back from Saturday evening through to Sunday morning. The first call saw them to airlift a patient from Western Isles Hospital in Stornoway to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The second call, as they were refueling, was to rescue an injured fisherman from a vessel 123 miles off Aberdeen.

SALVADOR DALI'S CHRIST PAINTING PACKED FOR LOAN…. One of Scotland's most famous paintings - Salvador Dali's Christ of St John of the Cross, which usually hangs in Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery, is being prepared to go on loan. The painting is to feature in the Dali/Duchamp exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. It has been unframed to allow for inspection before being packed. Henry Raeburn's Boy and Rabbit will go on show at Kelvingrove as part of a reciprocal loan agreement.

Cllr David McDonald said Christ of St John of the Cross would be one of the main attractions of the Dali/Duchamp exhibition, which opens on 7 October. "Glasgow is proud of its extensive art collection, considered by many to be amongst the finest in Europe.

"By working with respected institutions such as the Royal Academy of Arts we continue to strengthen our reputation and are able to bring outstanding works of art, such as Raeburn's Boy and Rabbit, to Kelvingrove this autumn."

GMB CONCERN OVER INVESTMENT AT MCVITIE'S GLASGOW FACTORY…. A union is seeking reassurance from managers at biscuit maker McVitie's over its long-term commitment to production at its factory in Glasgow. GMB Scotland said the company had been silent over the future of investment at the Tollcross site. More than 500 people work at the plant, which produces Hobnobs and Rich Tea biscuits, among other products. McVitie's owner Pladis said it had invested more than ￡5m at the site in the last few years.

It added employees and union representatives "will be the first to know" if there were any changes to its operations.

In a letter to the company's site manager, GMB Scotland called on McVitie's to "address concerns that funding is not being brought forward for the modernisation of production lines". The factory in Glasgow produces Rich Tea biscuits as well as other McVitie's products GMB senior organiser Drew Duffy said: "The fact that we cannot get clarity from the general site manager over the business needs and investment plan for the future of Tollcross is deeply concerning our members. "Generations of families have worked here and the workforce is highly concentrated in the local community and the greater Glasgow area, a crucial pillar of decent employment in an area of high unemployment and social deprivation. "So, from the perspective of jobs, pay and prosperity, and against the backdrop of Brexit, rising cost of living and chronic manufacturing decline, the east end (of Glasgow) desperately needs a thriving manufacturing presence at McVitie's."

BLACK ISLE SHOW 'RELEVANT AS EVER'…. The biggest agricultural show in the Highlands remains as relevant today as it did more than a century ago, its organisers have said. The Black Isle Show and the organisation behind it marked their 180th anniversary this week.

Rod MacKenzie, of Black Isle Farmers' Society, said farmers and crofters see the show as a chance to meet their suppliers face-to-face. He said this was important given that so much business is now done online. Held at a show ground in Muir of Ord, the show took place on Wednesday and Thursday. As many as 30,000 people are thought to have attended. Mr MacKenzie told BBC Alba the event's "core" crowd were farmers and crofters from across the Highlands. He said a key reason for them attending was to meet their suppliers who routinely set up trade stalls at the event. Mr MacKenzie said: "We are very much in a virtual world where you can order things by email and by phone, even from out in a field using an app on your phone. "But farmers and crofters want the physical contact with their suppliers. "Even if that contact is for just five minutes, they still want to see them face-to-face and interact with them."

BORDERS LANDMARKS SET TO TURN BLUE…. A string of historic sites across the Scottish Borders are to be turned blue to open the region's heritage festival. They will be lit up for three nights from 1 to 3 September. Lighting the Borders is a "signature event" for Scotland's year of history, heritage and archaeology. It will kick off the Scottish Borders Heritage Festival (SBHF) which runs throughout September and includes more than 200 events taking place across the region. Among the sites being lit up are Floors Castle, Ayton Castle and Neidpath Castle. In order to light Floors Castle, Scotland's largest inhabited castle which is located near Kelso, every shutter will be closed and special film placed over the floodlights. It will be the first time the castle, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Roxburghe, has been lit in this way. Roddy Jackson, Roxburghe Estate factor, said they were "thrilled" to be involved in the opening event.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today, 

Our look at Scotland today is of the Forth Road Bridge... in the mist so to speak.....

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Saturday 12th August 2017 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in 

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus