Fracking

So the latest news is -

        Fracking is going to produce much more gas than previously thought - IN England. 

So - if Scotland becomes independent - we will have what is left of the North Sea Oil - which is not very much and going fast. 

However, England will have loads of fracked gas - which Scotland will have to buy - with money raised by already hugely increased Scottish taxes.

Of course by then we will have a ruined landscape covered in turbines producing  some power  - but only when the wind blows - and we will have no tourists wanting to come and admire our ruined scenery.

Scottish businesses are against independance

It's official - the first proper poll (Ipsos Mori) of Scottish businesses, shows overwhelming hostility to the prospect of separation.
56% believe that independence will harm the business prospects of their company
72% believe that independence would have a negative impact on the business environment in Scotland

If the northeast passage is viable will Ullapool become a big port ?

A gas tanker has powered it's way across the top of the world and has entered Japanese waters - a hugely symbolic moment - a new shipping route between Europe and the East - Wow.
So - Norway is going to sell it's gas to Japan. What else can happen? A shipping route may open up passing Ullapool on Scotland's West Coast and turning it from the beautiful sleepy little fishing port it is at the moment, into a thriving and ugly commercial centre.
Which would be best I wonder?

Mysterious paper sculptures made from books

We went to a small but fascinating exhibition of mysterious paper sculptures made from books, in The Scottish Poets Library, in Edinburgh. Book lovers have been entranced by a gradual revelation of a series of these, by an anonymous artist, left in various Edinburgh institutions. The exhibition finishes on Saturday 8th December
"Does a book on being read remain a book"

Dovecot Studios of weavers in old swimming pool

       After lunch in town with old friends, we decided to visit The Dovecot Studios, pronounced 'doocot' in the Scottish way. This is an extraordinary and wonderful home to tapestry weavers based in what was an old Victorian swimming pool. For a while it was housed in an old dovecot in Corstophine hence it's name.
       You can watch the weavers working at their looms. Each stitch is done individually and often in a different colour  and sometimes in a different stitch type. Some of the tapestries are huge.
It must require huge patience.  Founded in 1912 by the Marquis of Bute, there is at present a beautiful exhibition of hand made carpets.

A wee train outing

We were asked out to Sunday lunch. How nice that such traditions still happen. However as we are without our car, since it had its argument with the deer (see earlier blog), and being far too far to walk we decided to catch the train. This was not to be one of those terrifying intercity trains which goes past so fast that you feel you might be sucked into it. It was a sedate little inter-village train. The first one of the day arrived into Edinburgh at 12.30 crammed with excited people coming to do their Christmas shopping. We got on and had a very comfortable easy journey. We had a delightful lunch and then did the journey in reverse catching the 5.30 train back in to Edinburgh - where it immediately filled with all those same Christmas shoppers and a  million bags full of shopping. What a civilised way to travel and inexpensive. Our host advised us to produce our Edinburgh pensioner's bus-pass, so as to procure a reduction in the fare. But this no longer happens and the fare is really very reasonable. Long live the train

The SNP are not more Scottish than other Scots

      I don't often get too cross about political stuff  -

BUT sometimes the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) do annoy me. 

Just because they want to vote for an independent Scotland, they are implying that it makes them more Scottish than  those that don't. How dare they? 

      Every Scottish person has an equal right to be passionate about all the wonderful things that are Scotland, - such as our amazing scenery, our music and dancing, our clothes and tartan, our patron - Saint Andrew, our history, our architecture etc. 

     Saying that you want independence does not mean that you value these things more than someone who does not. That is just plain crazy