The Daily Thistle
The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland
Wednesday 1st November 2017
"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. All the Loony’s are out this morning, cars being driven fast, with the radio at maximum volume.. lots of drunks in the down town area, tumbling out of the local disco/dance club so Bella and I will walk in the other direction and avoid all the suspect places.. Halloween brings out the idiot in all countries and Estepona Spain is no exception… Lots of Local and National Police cruising the streets as we walk and a 6ft 200lb guy with a big black dog should be enough to put most Zombies off any form of encounter… and as I am typing this and you are reading it you know that all is well as I am back home with a steaming cup of coffee next to me and Bella sound asleep on my foot… so stop worrying…
GIANT TUNA CAUSES 'FRENZY' AT COLONSAY SALMON FARM…. Salmon farmers off a Hebridean island have rescued a 300kg (47-stone) Pacific blue fin tuna after it appeared in one of their pens. Marine Harvest staff at Colonsay said they were stunned to see the fish, which is normally associated with the warmer waters of the Pacific. They said they spotted the 3m-long tuna after noticing "a feeding frenzy" near their salmon enclosures. The fish was eventually caught using a net and crane and returned to the sea.
Farm manager Ali Geddes said: "We'd noticed a lot of activity around the southern part of the farm - there seemed to be a real feeding frenzy going on with the dolphins and porpoises. "It's now clear they were chasing a tuna. These things can move at real speed - up to 50mph - and it seems to have burst through the foot of the pen like a torpedo. "Thankfully the tuna seems to be unhurt and none of our own fish have escaped. "The hole the tuna made was more like a slash than a round hole and we called in divers who repaired it within a few hours." Atlantic blue fin tuna are common in Scottish waters, but Pacific blue fin tuna are rare because of their preference for the warmer waters of the North and South Pacific oceans. The salmon farmers used a special panel net, normally used during harvesting to allow smaller fish to swim through the gaps, to contain the huge tuna. A landing craft crane was then used to lift the fish into a large basket before it was released into the open sea before swimming away. Ben Hadfield, managing director of Marine Harvest Scotland said: "It could have been a very different story and it's testament to their skills that this beautiful fish is still alive and well."
HILLWALKERS URGED TO WEAR BRIGHT CLOTHES…. Hillwalkers are being encouraged to wear bright coloured clothing after a man's orange survival bag played a part in saving his life after he got lost. Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team said the walker from the Glasgow area had to spend a night in the hills near Glen Strathfarrar. He got lost on Friday after making a navigational error.
His bag was spotted on Saturday during a search involving more than 30 people from five mountain rescue teams.
The survival bag also helped to protect the hillwalker, who was described as being well equipped, during his night out in the open.
Dundonnell MRT's leader Donald Macrae said: "I want to thank all the teams that supported us in this search. "The area we had to cover was potentially massive and being able to drawn upon the support of neighbouring teams - Torridon, Kintail, RAF Lossiemouth and Sarda - showed great teamwork. "The missing person was well equipped, including a bright orange survival bag and it was this that certainly contributed to him surviving the night and being found." Mr Macrae added: "I would encourage anyone venturing into the hills on their own to be confident in their navigational skills. "In general it is challenging to see someone on the hill if they are wearing dark coloured clothing. I would suggest, if you are lost that, if you can, wear some bright colours as they can provide great contrast to a grass or heather background."
'VAMPIRE SKULL' SWORD KILLER JAILED FOR 18 YEARS…. A man who murdered another man with a "vampire skull" fantasy sword in Fife has been jailed for at least 18 years. A judge told Star Trek fan Adrian Hynd that the killing was "brutal and bloodied". Hynd stabbed Alexander Forbes, 25, more than 100 times during an attack at his home in Kirkcaldy on 2 January. Hynd, who claimed he acted in self defence, was given a life sentence and told he must serve at least 18 years before being considered for parole. At the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Ericht told Hynd: "You invited various people back to your home after the pub. "The next morning, Alexander Forbes lay dead on your floor... your ornamental collector's sword embedded in his chest." Hynd was earlier convicted of murder following a trial in Edinburgh.
￡1M COUNCIL FRAUDSTER ORDERED TO PAY BACK ￡50,000…. A former Dundee City Council IT officer who stole more than ￡1m from the authority has been ordered to pay back less than ￡50,000. Mark Conway, 52, was jailed for five years and four months in August after stealing the money between 2009 and 2016. Prosecutors used proceeds of crime legislation to take Conway back to court, where he agreed to pay ￡49,979. Conway will sell his home in Brechin to raise the sum. The order also gives the Crown the power to seize more than ￡800,000 of any money and assets Conway acquires in the future. Conway previously admitted stealing ￡1,065,085 from his former employers after running up debts on gambling websites. Specialist casework procurator fiscal Liam Murphy said: "Mark Conway took a significant amount of public funds from a local council while he worked there in a position of trust.
"We will continue to pursue Conway to make sure as much of that public money can be recovered."
POLICE CLOCK DRIVER AT 124MPH ON MIDLOTHIAN ROAD…. A driver has been caught by police travelling at 124mph in a 60mph zone in Midlothian The 26-year-old has been charged with speeding by police. The man who was driving a Renault Megane Sport car was clocked at 124mph at about 15:20 on Saturday on the A68, near the Cousland Junction, near Dalkeith. The 26-year-old will now be reported to the procurator fiscal.
On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,
Our look at Scotland today is of a Blue Fin Tuna.. rather impressive...
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 Wednesday 1st November 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