Plean

Mindful that my bus pass might be beginning to rust up, I entrained ( enbussed ?) for the bewitching little village of Plean.

Plean is one of the so called Eastern Villages, along with Cowie and Fallin. For "Eastern" read "former mining".
Being on the main A9 between Falkirk and Stirling, Plean has not fared as badly as some of the isolated rural pit villages.

Once 90% cooncil hooses, there are now thriving pockets of "bott hooses" and the remaining municipal stock seems to be tidy and in good repair.

While most folk work away from the village, there is one major employer who seems to be doing well. Now on a large, well equipped site, they started up, ironically, in the disused former pit head buildings.

Tempting as it was to pop in for a spot of banter with Jack, Victor and Boabby, the barman, I set off at a brisk pace up the quaintly titled President Kennedy Drive. Well, when I say brisk, you know what I mean.

                                         My objective.

                                  Sic transit gloria mundi

                                 The wildflower meadow

                    Lots of these little Common Spotted chaps

    And lots of these little beauties - Greater Butterfly Orchids

The North bing. It didn't used to be here. It used to be about half a mile away, brooding and overhanging the A9 as you passed the pit entering the village from the Larbert direction. It was decided to move it back into the estate and spread it about and landscape it. And how did they move it ? They built a giant conveyer belt. Yes they did !. All the hardware is long gone, but I had hoped to find the remains of the track. Must have been looking in the wrong place.

All things considered, better than sitting on my arse waiting for God !



Fox attacks wind farm

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/climbing-legend-trump-is-right-about-wind-farms.18157808

Good stuff. Sad but true that "household names" carry more clout with the public and politicians than faceless organisations like the MCoS.

Air Guitar

The new computer came with built in software which allows me to actually watch you as you read my blog, or indeed do anything at all in front of your computer screen.
Now I'm not going to go into detail - what goes on in the Blogosphere stays in the Blogosphere- but, dearie me ! The state of
some of you !!

 
However I have noted that a surprising number of you are quite adept at the old air guitar, and I have decide to hold an online master class for your benefit

So, to start with a bit of a warm up Plugged in? Amp switched on?
Then take it away, Francis





Well, that was pretty average. The footwork needs some work , though. Try this little set-piece




Much better. Now lets work on the sustain and finger vibrato. And of course a key element here is the appropriately tortured facial expression





If you are feeling confident, you can try this, but be careful if you have a bad back!




Right, you're on your own. Keep practicing and I'll see you next week for our advanced class.

Oh, and put some pants on, eh.

Walk up to your knees...

Just an advanced heads up for those interested in organised walking. There is a major (10,000 plus expected ) walk planned for my local Stirling area this Saturday.

Organised by the aptly titled LOO of Scotland with expected participation  from  ABOD, EDL/SDL, BNP and various English Premiership "casuals", the route is a mere three miles over paved surfaces with minimal inclines. Which is good if you are a sweaty fat bastard with a big bass drum.

While most of the route is through the the centre of the city in order to cause maximum disruption, it also takes an apparently illogical loop through what the BBC would call "the predominately Catholic Raploch area". Here you will have the opportunity to discuss late-17th century Irish military history with the locals, while asserting the ascendancy of the reformed church in Scottish society. There may be minor scuffles at this point, but one of the walk organisers will sort things out by greeting the police officer in charge with a hearty handshake.

Afterwards, there will be tea and scones ( well actually the local equivalent - Buckfast and kebabs) for the participants and the usual "tiny minority" will disgrace themselves.
And, as if this wasn't attractive enough, there will be music.





And one of the tunes you will hear will be Jock o' Hazeldean, which,I have to admit, can sound good even when played by a swaggering flute band.
But I prefer this version, by a man whose Irish immigrant roots and left-wing politics epitomises everything your fellow walkers abhor (fear?).




See you there, then. I'll be the one in the bowler hat with the rolled umbrella. Oh, and the sash.

Another man done gone.

It's the sports jacket I remembered first - a dark green hairy effort worn with cavalry twills and a black droopy moustache set in a rather florid, moon face.
He was in the first tutorial group I attended, and  we went for coffee afterwards. We were never mates. Friends ? - maybe, or just fellow students. He was a leading light in the Conservative Society, which made him a bit of an endangered species in '60s student politics, and subject to a lot of ridicule and abuse which he bore with unfailing good humour.
Ken went on to become a TV reporter and then a big shot in BBC Scotland. Died today "after a long illness".
A  good man, I think.

The Shame of Scotland's High Streets !

Promenading along the main shopping thoroughfare of the respectable cathedral city of Dunblane, I was horrified to discover this window display in full view of children and sensitive pensioners.

What sort of depraved individual would patronise such a den of iniquity ? I spoke to one young man who was attempting to shuffle out  unnoticed with his purchase in a plain brown wrapper. He claimed that he had only gone in for a mince round, and by the look of him I could well believe it !

Reasons for posting on my blog N0 67

I'm totally, completely and utterly fed up.
So there.
Just thought I'd share that with you.