Strange to see that other governments and people are having some of the same problems that we in America face. Here's a news item from the Scotsman.com.
Lewis wind farm vetoed – but green target 'will still be met'
SCOTLAND is still on course to hit its renewables target, the energy minister insisted last night, after he pulled the plug on plans for Europe's largest wind farm.
Jim Mather finally rejected a proposed 181-turbine development on Lewis, which provoked a fierce "environment-versus-development" debate over nearly four years.
Supporters said it was a lost opportunity to advance Scotland's renewables industry and the fragile economy of the Western Isles. It had been claimed the project would bring in £600 million annually and provide hundreds of jobs.
Ministers had indicated in January that they were "minded to refuse" the plan, and yesterday's announcement delighted objectors who said it was a rational decision to protect the environment.
Mr Mather said the Lewis Wind Power (LWP) project was incompatible with European law, as it would have had a serious impact on the Lewis Peatlands Special Protection Area. The land is designated under European Commission regulations because of its important birdlife.
However, he insisted the rejection did not mean there could not be wind farms in the Western Isles, nor did it affect the government's commitment to renewables – its target was still to generate 50 per cent of Scotland's electricity from renewables by 2020.
An action plan on how to develop renewables in the islands is to be completed in the autumn.
At present, 454 wind turbines are operating in Scotland, with a further 203 approved. Applications have been received for 1,700 others in 28 locations, including another two in the Western Isles.
Mr Mather said: "There is 6.4 gigawatts of renewable development either under construction or in existing or planned applications, well over twice the current installed renewables capacity of 2.8 gigawatts.
"Even allowing for refusals, we are well on the way to meeting our ambitious target to generate 50 per cent of Scotland's electricity demand from renewables by 2020."
But the Highland Renewable Energy Group said yesterday's decision was a social and economic disaster for the islands and raised major questions about the Scottish Government's commitment to renewable energy.
Bill McAllister, the group's secretary, said: "The Scottish administration cannot, in all strategic logic, decide to reject nuclear and opt for renewable energy instead, and then reject the large-scale scheme without which the administration has no chance of reaching its own renewable energy supply targets."
He said the future of a new interconnector between the islands and mainland was also now at risk.
Gareth Williams, of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, warned that, if the decision was allowed to set a precedent, it could mean large parts of Scotland near designated sites would now be closed to development.
The Liberal Democrats called for ministers to publish a strategy for the future of energy in Scotland.
LWP, meanwhile, said it was considering its next move. Kevin Murray, the firm's representative on Lewis, said the rejection represented a "huge missed opportunity". He went on: "For the sake of our generation and the generation coming after us, we need renewable energy. We also need this for the economy – fuel prices are going through the roof, fish farming is struggling, as is Harris Tweed."
It had been claimed the wind farm would employ more than 400 people and bring in £6 million annually to the islands, as well as using the former oil fabrication yard at Arnish for turbine manufacture.
Angus Campbell, the vice-convener of Western Isles Council, said the decision was "deeply disappointing and perplexing in view of the Scottish Government's renewable energy policy to make Scotland the green powerhouse of Europe". He added: "The government has got the balance between the environment and the socioeconomic benefits of the wind farm completely out of kilter."
The £500 million project has been controversial since it was put forward in October 2004 by LWP, a consortium of AMEC and British Energy.
Out of 11,022 representations, 10,924 were against the plan, with only 98 in favour.
Environmental bodies feared potential damage to the peatlands, which are home to species such as golden eagle, merlin, red throated diver, golden plover, dunlin and greenshank.
Stuart Housden, the director of RSPB Scotland, said the rejection of the project sent "a strong message that in meeting our ambitious and welcome renewable targets, we do not have to sacrifice our most important environmental resources".
Catriona Campbell, of the protest group Moorlands Without Turbines, said she was delighted while Alasdair Allan, the islands' SNP MSP, said the decision brought to an end a long and painful debate.
Precious peatland
THE Lewis peatlands are regarded as one of the most extensive and intact areas of blanket bog on the planet and one of Scotland's most important wildlife areas.
The development would have covered an area of 24,797 hectares (61,248 acres), much of it in the Lewis Peatlands Special Protection Area, the second largest in Scotland.
Environmentalists claimed the wind farm would hit populations of red-throated divers, black-throated divers, golden eagles, golden plovers and dunlins.
It was also felt that construction would cause irreversible damage to the structure of the peat and that carbon dioxide would be released.
But LWP said greenhouse gases released during construction would be cancelled out by the clean energy produced by the turbines within seven months. Dr Tom Dargie, who carried out analysis for LWP, said that the long-term structure and function of the peatland habitat was not under threat.
Charity has the clout to fly in face of controversial building proposals
WITH more than a million members, the RSPB has considerable power to influence decisions.
The charity, which last year had funds of almost £80 million, has fought vigorously against Lewis Wind Power's proposal to build a wind farm on peatland at Lewis.
The RSPB argues that renewable energy targets can be met without needing to threaten environmental resources. The RSPB, the largest conservation charity in Europe, has had similar clout when opposing other high-profile developments, such as Donald Trump's controversial plans for championship golf courses at Menie Estate north of Aberdeen.
Along with Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Government's conservation adviser, the RSPB has objected topart of the development being built on an site of special scientific interest, saying it could damage wildlife.
The organisation has an army of 12,200 volunteers and 150,000 youth members. It has 200 nature reserves covering about 130,000 hectares, which are home to 80 per cent of the country's rarest or most threatened bird species.
The charity, which was founded more than a century ago, is supported by a network of 175 local groups and there are at least nine volunteers for every paid member of staff.
The bulk of the charity's income is spent on conservation projects, maintenance of reserves and education schemes. It counts among its success stories the decision by governments in India, Nepal and Pakistan to ban Diclofenac, a veterinary drug that is wiping out vultures.
More than 1,000 RSPB members attended the Stop Climate Chaos Rally in London in November 2006.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
It's not only in America
It seems that Scotland is also having its troubles.
Bank crisis, high street blues and now petrol pumps could run dry
The government’s response to the crisis of 2000, which saw cars queuing at petrol stations, would be the template if the strike at Grangemouth goes ahead.
SCOTLAND is facing its biggest energy crisis since the fuel blockades of 2000 which brought the country to a grinding halt. Then, petrol stations ran dry as truckers and farmers blockaded oil depots in protest at rising fuel duties. Now, as a strike at Scotland's sole oil refinery looks inevitable, filling stations across the country have only three days worth of fuel left.
Contingency plans are believed to have been drawn up to bring fuel up from refineries in England, such as the Stanlow facility in Cheshire, if the strike goes ahead as planned next weekend. But industry insiders believe that widespread and protracted petrol shortages are almost inevitable.
Fears have also been expressed that it could result in domestic power cuts, supermarket food shortages and put the emergency services and hospitals under severe pressure.
Grangemouth distributes more than 200,000 barrels of fuel every day and supplies petrol station across most of Scotland as well as parts of the north of England. Even a brief halt to production and distribution would have considerable knock-on effects.
A spokesman for the UK Petroleum Industry Association, which represents the country's nine major oil body, said filling stations had between three to seven days' fuel supply left, depending on their location.
He said: "Grangemouth is a significant oil refinery for the whole of Scotland. The danger is that people will dash out and stockpile fuel and generate shortages. Filling stations in the main towns and cities are usually resupplied two to three days a week – while in rural areas it is around one a week."
During the fuel blockades of 2000 hundreds of petrol stations across Scotland were forced to close with the severe shortages having a knock-on effect on buses, trains and supermarket supplies.
David Capitanchik, a national security and oil industry expert with Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said a Grangemouth strike could have an even more severe impact as electricity is generated at the site.
"Any significant stoppage could cause serious fuel shortages in Scotland and beyond for a month or longer. It is does stop functioning then it could also have serious effects for domestic power supplies.
"I have heard it said in the past that any terrorist attack on Grangemouth would mean lights going out in parts of London. If the plant is brought to a halt by strike action then there is no doubt that it would be a very serious matter and peoples' domestic power supplies could be affected.
"It could also potentially impact on the movement of food supplies and the emergency services."
The problem for supermarkets is that they operate a "just in time" delivery system enabling them to cut down warehouse stocks, relying on regular deliveries to keep shelves filled. A day without deliveries would wipe out some stocks of chilled and perishable goods.
Other products would begin to run out within three or four days, although supermarkets say they can last a week without deliveries of most goods.
Supermarket giants Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's and Morrisons have contingency supplies of fuel in their distribution centres which would be used in the event of shortages.
Fuel shortages would also leave water, gas and electricity companies without supplies to carry out repairs. The Scottish Government last night said it had "initiated appropriate contingency measures" but did not divulge details.
However, the fuel blockades of eight years ago give an insight to the likely UK-wide response to industrial action at Grangemouth.
Then Tony Blair readied the Army, with 80 fully-loaded military tankers and 160 troops moved to secret locations across the country. Business leaders said the crisis cost the country £250m a day.
Shops began rationing food, schools were closed, factories told workers to go home and farmers warned that livestock would starve.
In 2000 several hospitals were forced to cancel all routine operations and many ambulance services were forced to limit how many emergency calls they could respond to.
The stress on services meant the NHS was put on red alert for the first time in more than a decade.
Agreements mean that this time supplies from England will get through to the emergency services and hospitals.
However, it may see non-vital ambulance journeys being temporarily cancelled and other non-emergency incidents being put on hold.
The Federation of Small Business in Scotland believed the impact on strike could have a disastrous effect on the economy.
Spokesman Stuart Mackinnon said: "This has come totally out-of-the-blue and is terrible news for Scotland's small businesses.
"We would encourage both the unions and the management to get around the table and get this sorted."
Top prices
Even when it is available, the rising price of oil is driving UK fuel prices up to unprecedented levels, writes Marc Horne.
As ever, Scotland's most rural and remote areas are worst affected.
The Welcome Inn filling station at Lower Barvas, on the Isle of Lewis, may well be selling the most expensive petrol in the country.
Last night, unleaded petrol there was £1.20.9 a litre.
Richard Mackay & Sons at Durness, Sutherland, is thought to be selling the dearest diesel, at £1.32 a litre.
However, neither comes close to matching the prices of the Chelsea Cloisters filling station in London. There the cost of a litre of unleaded petrol is £1.34.
If you know of more expensive fuel, contact Scotland on Sunday at mmacleod@scotlandonsunday.com or phone 0131-620 8430
Consumers cutting back on treats as credit crunch bites
Murdo MacLeod, Jen Lavery and Samantha Novick
SCOTTISH consumers are cutting back on many of life's little luxuries as the credit crunch continues to bite.
Families hit by a wallet-crippling combination of rising food costs, soaring petrol prices and mortgage hikes are increasingly substituting budget options when it comes to shopping and services.
Last month, research by Scotland on Sunday revealed that living costs for many middle-class Scottish families would be between £1,000 and £4,000 more in the coming year, driven in part by an 11% increase in the typical shopping basket.
Many shoppers have been forced to find ways of sparing the pennies. They include:
• Avoiding £25 taxis by taking £2.50 night buses instead;
• Shunning £750 Highland dress outfits outright in favour of a £350 kilt and hiring the rest of the outfit for £65.
• Booking holidays in Scotland rather than flying overseas, with one budget hotel chain saying bookings for May are up by more than 20%.
Across the UK, budget shops are benefiting from the economic downturn as shoppers turn away from the high street where sales have slumped by 1.6%.
Primark, the discount clothes retailer, has seen trade increase by 4%. Aldi, the budget supermarket, has reported a 25% increase in sales.
John Keogh, proprietor of Greenock kilt firm Keogh and Savage, said: "We are noticing a difference because of the credit crunch. And it's in sales of Highland dress. Instead of buying the whole thing, they are instead buying the kilt and maybe hiring the rest. We also notice that, while previously you would see people come in and say that they wanted a complete outfit, just because they wanted it, it's now very much a special thing – say a 21st or a 30th or a 40th."
Taxi firms say the change has been noticeable for just over a month.
Andrew Walker, who runs D&S Cabs in Dunblane, said: "Yes, it is certainly noticeable. Not very many people are out taking taxis any more – and the pubs are quieter and the restaurants are quieter. We are definitely noticing an impact on our income."
Cut-price retailer TK Maxx – where a £130 designer Quiksilver coat can be bought for £50 – is among the winners. It said the economic squeeze would lead to it opening new stores in Scotland.
Spokeswoman Helen Gunter said: "Our value proposition is certainly very likeable during times like these. TK Maxx is very popular with people looking to save. We are currently doing very well in Scotland and will be expanding."
In addition, restaurants north of the Border have been telling suppliers to cut costs.
One wine supplier said: "This is my third recession and it's following a familiar pattern.
"Restaurants are talking to suppliers about how to cut costs – they will be using cheaper cuts of meat, for example. As far as wine is concerned, because of the weakness of the dollar, we are looking to source wine increasingly from dollar-based economies such as Chile and Argentina in order to cut costs.
"Very rich people are less affected by recessions and will continue to eat out. For the rest of us, eating out will return to being something of an occasion, like it used to be."
A spokesman for cut-price hotel chain Travelodge said bookings for Scottish leisure breaks had increased sharply.
"We are already seeing a 22.5% increase in bookings for the May bank holiday and that trend is being reflected at our 23 Scottish hotels, showing that more people are opting to take their holidays here. What we're finding is that travellers who would otherwise go for more expensive hotels are saving money by going for discount hotels."
The increase in discount hotel bookings is in sharp contrast to the overall hotel sector, where occupancy rates fell 1.3% in three months.
Shoppers at the Meadowbank Centre in Edinburgh admitted they were being squeezed.
Support worker Deborah Reilly said: "I've seen reports and I have felt we've had to cut back a bit recently."
Nick Gladding, an analyst at Verdict research, said: "It is clear that people are cutting back on discretionary spending. Electricals, furniture and DIY items are all showing signs of the slowdown.
"There is going to be a cloud over the consumer economy all year. And there are signs that middle-class shoppers are trading down, with discount stores doing very well out of people's belt tightening."
Fiona Moriarty, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: "Things are slightly different in Scotland compared to the rest of the country. We're slightly helped by the fact that council tax is not going up by so much, and we have more people working in the public sector so they are not as much affected by the downturn."
Bank crisis, high street blues and now petrol pumps could run dry
The government’s response to the crisis of 2000, which saw cars queuing at petrol stations, would be the template if the strike at Grangemouth goes ahead.
SCOTLAND is facing its biggest energy crisis since the fuel blockades of 2000 which brought the country to a grinding halt. Then, petrol stations ran dry as truckers and farmers blockaded oil depots in protest at rising fuel duties. Now, as a strike at Scotland's sole oil refinery looks inevitable, filling stations across the country have only three days worth of fuel left.
Contingency plans are believed to have been drawn up to bring fuel up from refineries in England, such as the Stanlow facility in Cheshire, if the strike goes ahead as planned next weekend. But industry insiders believe that widespread and protracted petrol shortages are almost inevitable.
Fears have also been expressed that it could result in domestic power cuts, supermarket food shortages and put the emergency services and hospitals under severe pressure.
Grangemouth distributes more than 200,000 barrels of fuel every day and supplies petrol station across most of Scotland as well as parts of the north of England. Even a brief halt to production and distribution would have considerable knock-on effects.
A spokesman for the UK Petroleum Industry Association, which represents the country's nine major oil body, said filling stations had between three to seven days' fuel supply left, depending on their location.
He said: "Grangemouth is a significant oil refinery for the whole of Scotland. The danger is that people will dash out and stockpile fuel and generate shortages. Filling stations in the main towns and cities are usually resupplied two to three days a week – while in rural areas it is around one a week."
During the fuel blockades of 2000 hundreds of petrol stations across Scotland were forced to close with the severe shortages having a knock-on effect on buses, trains and supermarket supplies.
David Capitanchik, a national security and oil industry expert with Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said a Grangemouth strike could have an even more severe impact as electricity is generated at the site.
"Any significant stoppage could cause serious fuel shortages in Scotland and beyond for a month or longer. It is does stop functioning then it could also have serious effects for domestic power supplies.
"I have heard it said in the past that any terrorist attack on Grangemouth would mean lights going out in parts of London. If the plant is brought to a halt by strike action then there is no doubt that it would be a very serious matter and peoples' domestic power supplies could be affected.
"It could also potentially impact on the movement of food supplies and the emergency services."
The problem for supermarkets is that they operate a "just in time" delivery system enabling them to cut down warehouse stocks, relying on regular deliveries to keep shelves filled. A day without deliveries would wipe out some stocks of chilled and perishable goods.
Other products would begin to run out within three or four days, although supermarkets say they can last a week without deliveries of most goods.
Supermarket giants Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's and Morrisons have contingency supplies of fuel in their distribution centres which would be used in the event of shortages.
Fuel shortages would also leave water, gas and electricity companies without supplies to carry out repairs. The Scottish Government last night said it had "initiated appropriate contingency measures" but did not divulge details.
However, the fuel blockades of eight years ago give an insight to the likely UK-wide response to industrial action at Grangemouth.
Then Tony Blair readied the Army, with 80 fully-loaded military tankers and 160 troops moved to secret locations across the country. Business leaders said the crisis cost the country £250m a day.
Shops began rationing food, schools were closed, factories told workers to go home and farmers warned that livestock would starve.
In 2000 several hospitals were forced to cancel all routine operations and many ambulance services were forced to limit how many emergency calls they could respond to.
The stress on services meant the NHS was put on red alert for the first time in more than a decade.
Agreements mean that this time supplies from England will get through to the emergency services and hospitals.
However, it may see non-vital ambulance journeys being temporarily cancelled and other non-emergency incidents being put on hold.
The Federation of Small Business in Scotland believed the impact on strike could have a disastrous effect on the economy.
Spokesman Stuart Mackinnon said: "This has come totally out-of-the-blue and is terrible news for Scotland's small businesses.
"We would encourage both the unions and the management to get around the table and get this sorted."
Top prices
Even when it is available, the rising price of oil is driving UK fuel prices up to unprecedented levels, writes Marc Horne.
As ever, Scotland's most rural and remote areas are worst affected.
The Welcome Inn filling station at Lower Barvas, on the Isle of Lewis, may well be selling the most expensive petrol in the country.
Last night, unleaded petrol there was £1.20.9 a litre.
Richard Mackay & Sons at Durness, Sutherland, is thought to be selling the dearest diesel, at £1.32 a litre.
However, neither comes close to matching the prices of the Chelsea Cloisters filling station in London. There the cost of a litre of unleaded petrol is £1.34.
If you know of more expensive fuel, contact Scotland on Sunday at mmacleod@scotlandonsunday.com or phone 0131-620 8430
Consumers cutting back on treats as credit crunch bites
Murdo MacLeod, Jen Lavery and Samantha Novick
SCOTTISH consumers are cutting back on many of life's little luxuries as the credit crunch continues to bite.
Families hit by a wallet-crippling combination of rising food costs, soaring petrol prices and mortgage hikes are increasingly substituting budget options when it comes to shopping and services.
Last month, research by Scotland on Sunday revealed that living costs for many middle-class Scottish families would be between £1,000 and £4,000 more in the coming year, driven in part by an 11% increase in the typical shopping basket.
Many shoppers have been forced to find ways of sparing the pennies. They include:
• Avoiding £25 taxis by taking £2.50 night buses instead;
• Shunning £750 Highland dress outfits outright in favour of a £350 kilt and hiring the rest of the outfit for £65.
• Booking holidays in Scotland rather than flying overseas, with one budget hotel chain saying bookings for May are up by more than 20%.
Across the UK, budget shops are benefiting from the economic downturn as shoppers turn away from the high street where sales have slumped by 1.6%.
Primark, the discount clothes retailer, has seen trade increase by 4%. Aldi, the budget supermarket, has reported a 25% increase in sales.
John Keogh, proprietor of Greenock kilt firm Keogh and Savage, said: "We are noticing a difference because of the credit crunch. And it's in sales of Highland dress. Instead of buying the whole thing, they are instead buying the kilt and maybe hiring the rest. We also notice that, while previously you would see people come in and say that they wanted a complete outfit, just because they wanted it, it's now very much a special thing – say a 21st or a 30th or a 40th."
Taxi firms say the change has been noticeable for just over a month.
Andrew Walker, who runs D&S Cabs in Dunblane, said: "Yes, it is certainly noticeable. Not very many people are out taking taxis any more – and the pubs are quieter and the restaurants are quieter. We are definitely noticing an impact on our income."
Cut-price retailer TK Maxx – where a £130 designer Quiksilver coat can be bought for £50 – is among the winners. It said the economic squeeze would lead to it opening new stores in Scotland.
Spokeswoman Helen Gunter said: "Our value proposition is certainly very likeable during times like these. TK Maxx is very popular with people looking to save. We are currently doing very well in Scotland and will be expanding."
In addition, restaurants north of the Border have been telling suppliers to cut costs.
One wine supplier said: "This is my third recession and it's following a familiar pattern.
"Restaurants are talking to suppliers about how to cut costs – they will be using cheaper cuts of meat, for example. As far as wine is concerned, because of the weakness of the dollar, we are looking to source wine increasingly from dollar-based economies such as Chile and Argentina in order to cut costs.
"Very rich people are less affected by recessions and will continue to eat out. For the rest of us, eating out will return to being something of an occasion, like it used to be."
A spokesman for cut-price hotel chain Travelodge said bookings for Scottish leisure breaks had increased sharply.
"We are already seeing a 22.5% increase in bookings for the May bank holiday and that trend is being reflected at our 23 Scottish hotels, showing that more people are opting to take their holidays here. What we're finding is that travellers who would otherwise go for more expensive hotels are saving money by going for discount hotels."
The increase in discount hotel bookings is in sharp contrast to the overall hotel sector, where occupancy rates fell 1.3% in three months.
Shoppers at the Meadowbank Centre in Edinburgh admitted they were being squeezed.
Support worker Deborah Reilly said: "I've seen reports and I have felt we've had to cut back a bit recently."
Nick Gladding, an analyst at Verdict research, said: "It is clear that people are cutting back on discretionary spending. Electricals, furniture and DIY items are all showing signs of the slowdown.
"There is going to be a cloud over the consumer economy all year. And there are signs that middle-class shoppers are trading down, with discount stores doing very well out of people's belt tightening."
Fiona Moriarty, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: "Things are slightly different in Scotland compared to the rest of the country. We're slightly helped by the fact that council tax is not going up by so much, and we have more people working in the public sector so they are not as much affected by the downturn."
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Some Scottish Facts
Fact of the Day
In 1689 followers of the Covenanter Richard Cameron, who had assembled at Edinburgh to guard the Revolution Convention of Estates, formed into a regiment under the Earl of Angus. The Cameronians were disbanded in 1968.
Clan Gunn: Gerek, my Scottish novel, takes place in 1650, when the Covenanters were running rampant against the Royalists. Although the Gunns were not really connected to the war in great numbers, I have taken one of the Clan and made him a hero.
In 1689 followers of the Covenanter Richard Cameron, who had assembled at Edinburgh to guard the Revolution Convention of Estates, formed into a regiment under the Earl of Angus. The Cameronians were disbanded in 1968.
Clan Gunn: Gerek, my Scottish novel, takes place in 1650, when the Covenanters were running rampant against the Royalists. Although the Gunns were not really connected to the war in great numbers, I have taken one of the Clan and made him a hero.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Finding new stuff
I didn't put anything in the blog today about Scotland or Ireland. I often wonder if people even bother to read those things. I must admit I find them interesting and it keeps my interest in those two Celtic countries.
I tend to write about Celtic characters. Having come from Albany, New York, which by default is an Irish city, I feel I know more about the Irish than I do about the Scots, but there is something about a Scot in a kilt...something about the strong, silent type........or it is just my fantasy. lol
I tend to write about Celtic characters. Having come from Albany, New York, which by default is an Irish city, I feel I know more about the Irish than I do about the Scots, but there is something about a Scot in a kilt...something about the strong, silent type........or it is just my fantasy. lol
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Scotland's Troubles in Green
Wind farms or peat bogs: Scotland's green dilemma
Campaigners say building wind farms on peatland will release the very carbon dioxide that renewables are meant to reduce.
POETS and scientists alike have sung its praises. The vast swathe of peatland that covers much of Lewis is held in high regard for its environmental qualities and the rich wildlife it sustains.
Scotland's vast expanses of peat bogs are regarded as our equivalent of the rainforests, and 17 per cent of the world's "blanket bog" is in this country. In all, Scottish peatlands cover some 1.9 million hectares and contain about two billion tons of carbon – roughly four times the UK's annual output – as well as "sucking in" carbon from the atmosphere.
But the wild land on Lewis could be turned into an industrial landscape if the building of 176 turbines is granted approval, and other vital peatlands face the same fate.
Campaigners against the proposal say building a renewable energy facility on an area of peatland is a massive contradiction, as it will release the very carbon dioxide that renewables are meant to reduce.
The Scottish Government has said it is "minded to refuse" the £500 million project but has yet to make a final decision. If it does go ahead, thousands of tonnes of peat would be excavated from the moor and huge amounts of concrete and aggregates poured into the ground to accommodate the foundations, roads and sub-stations.
The effect on the peatland, which has been built up over thousands of years, is a growing concern, not just on Lewis but in other parts of Scotland under pressure from the renewables race.
Last week, the Scottish Government approved an application for a 35-turbine development at Gordonbush, on the edge of the Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands Special Protection Area, despite local and national objections.
With dozens of applications either approved or awaiting a decision, a campaign is being stepped up for a moratorium on erecting wind farms on peatlands. Today, a meeting in the European Parliament in Brussels will hear of the damage that can be done to such land by the building of turbines and surrounding infrastructure. It has been arranged by Scottish MEP Struan Stevenson, who said peat bogs formed a crucial part of the world's "air-conditioning system".
He said: "Peatlands and wetland ecosystems accumulate plant material under saturated conditions to form layers of peat soil up to 20 metres thick – storing on average ten times more carbon per hectare than other ecosystems.
"In the headlong rush to cut carbon emissions, the EU and the UK government are throwing money into renewable energy without any coherent planning strategy to determine where wind farms should and shouldn't be built.
"The result is there are dozens of outstanding planning applications to build giant turbines on blanket peat bog in Scotland, causing immense damage to the environment and releasing vast quantities of – in other words, achieving the exact opposite of what was intended.
"The first thing a contractor does before constructing giant wind turbines, access roads, pylons and associated infrastructure on peatland is to drain the area, thus releasing all of the stored into the atmosphere. The peatland is also subsequently destroyed as a carbon sump, stopping any further carbon storage.
"Damage to peat can extend as much as 250 metres on either side of any excavation, so the peat will gradually dry out over the years, resulting in an ongoing release of carbon.
"The whole hydrology of the area will change forever and once damaged, peat can never be replaced. By destroying peat bogs in this way, these wind farms would create more carbon emissions than they would ever save." At today's seminar will be Sutherland residents who objected to the Gordonbush plan. Victoria Reeves, of the Landscape action group, said: "In other parts of the UK, people are trying to restore their peatlands because, as they gradually deteriorate, they are no longer able to absorb from the atmosphere and are also releasing it into the atmosphere, so you have a double whammy."
The John Muir Trust is commissioning new research on the effect of carbon releases from peatland. Helen McDade, its policy officer, said: "It's clear the science on this is not well established. One of the key things on carbon emissions from disturbed peat is how much of a peat bog is disturbed if a (wind-farm] scheme goes ahead. Until that is clear, it would be foolhardy to carry on."
Clifton Bain, climate change policy officer with the RSPB, said the effect on peatland depended on the location and size of development.
He said: "You avoid the most important, best condition peatland – these are places you just cannot replace. After that, it may be possible to design a wind farm in such a way that it reduces the carbon, but you have to think what effect it will have on the wildlife. This is a habitat that supports incredibly important bird populations. We have been calling for a long time for guidelines to help steer wind-farm developments away from these important habitats."
According to the Scottish Government, blanket bog is the most widespread peatland type in Scotland, particularly in the uplands, and is the one most commonly affected by electricity-generation developments.
A spokesman said: "We recognise the role peatlands play in storing carbon. Maintaining and enhancing carbon stores will play an important role in our overall approach to tackling climate change."
Jason Ormiston, the chief executive of Scottish Renewables, the green- energy trade body, said: "Struan Stevenson pitches a theory that has at its heart a fatally flawed premise and chooses to ignore experience of existing wind-farm development on areas of peat, where not only have the projects proved significant cutters of carbon emissions but have involved habitat restoration with a net gain of peatland in and around the site."
Campaigners say building wind farms on peatland will release the very carbon dioxide that renewables are meant to reduce.
POETS and scientists alike have sung its praises. The vast swathe of peatland that covers much of Lewis is held in high regard for its environmental qualities and the rich wildlife it sustains.
Scotland's vast expanses of peat bogs are regarded as our equivalent of the rainforests, and 17 per cent of the world's "blanket bog" is in this country. In all, Scottish peatlands cover some 1.9 million hectares and contain about two billion tons of carbon – roughly four times the UK's annual output – as well as "sucking in" carbon from the atmosphere.
But the wild land on Lewis could be turned into an industrial landscape if the building of 176 turbines is granted approval, and other vital peatlands face the same fate.
Campaigners against the proposal say building a renewable energy facility on an area of peatland is a massive contradiction, as it will release the very carbon dioxide that renewables are meant to reduce.
The Scottish Government has said it is "minded to refuse" the £500 million project but has yet to make a final decision. If it does go ahead, thousands of tonnes of peat would be excavated from the moor and huge amounts of concrete and aggregates poured into the ground to accommodate the foundations, roads and sub-stations.
The effect on the peatland, which has been built up over thousands of years, is a growing concern, not just on Lewis but in other parts of Scotland under pressure from the renewables race.
Last week, the Scottish Government approved an application for a 35-turbine development at Gordonbush, on the edge of the Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands Special Protection Area, despite local and national objections.
With dozens of applications either approved or awaiting a decision, a campaign is being stepped up for a moratorium on erecting wind farms on peatlands. Today, a meeting in the European Parliament in Brussels will hear of the damage that can be done to such land by the building of turbines and surrounding infrastructure. It has been arranged by Scottish MEP Struan Stevenson, who said peat bogs formed a crucial part of the world's "air-conditioning system".
He said: "Peatlands and wetland ecosystems accumulate plant material under saturated conditions to form layers of peat soil up to 20 metres thick – storing on average ten times more carbon per hectare than other ecosystems.
"In the headlong rush to cut carbon emissions, the EU and the UK government are throwing money into renewable energy without any coherent planning strategy to determine where wind farms should and shouldn't be built.
"The result is there are dozens of outstanding planning applications to build giant turbines on blanket peat bog in Scotland, causing immense damage to the environment and releasing vast quantities of – in other words, achieving the exact opposite of what was intended.
"The first thing a contractor does before constructing giant wind turbines, access roads, pylons and associated infrastructure on peatland is to drain the area, thus releasing all of the stored into the atmosphere. The peatland is also subsequently destroyed as a carbon sump, stopping any further carbon storage.
"Damage to peat can extend as much as 250 metres on either side of any excavation, so the peat will gradually dry out over the years, resulting in an ongoing release of carbon.
"The whole hydrology of the area will change forever and once damaged, peat can never be replaced. By destroying peat bogs in this way, these wind farms would create more carbon emissions than they would ever save." At today's seminar will be Sutherland residents who objected to the Gordonbush plan. Victoria Reeves, of the Landscape action group, said: "In other parts of the UK, people are trying to restore their peatlands because, as they gradually deteriorate, they are no longer able to absorb from the atmosphere and are also releasing it into the atmosphere, so you have a double whammy."
The John Muir Trust is commissioning new research on the effect of carbon releases from peatland. Helen McDade, its policy officer, said: "It's clear the science on this is not well established. One of the key things on carbon emissions from disturbed peat is how much of a peat bog is disturbed if a (wind-farm] scheme goes ahead. Until that is clear, it would be foolhardy to carry on."
Clifton Bain, climate change policy officer with the RSPB, said the effect on peatland depended on the location and size of development.
He said: "You avoid the most important, best condition peatland – these are places you just cannot replace. After that, it may be possible to design a wind farm in such a way that it reduces the carbon, but you have to think what effect it will have on the wildlife. This is a habitat that supports incredibly important bird populations. We have been calling for a long time for guidelines to help steer wind-farm developments away from these important habitats."
According to the Scottish Government, blanket bog is the most widespread peatland type in Scotland, particularly in the uplands, and is the one most commonly affected by electricity-generation developments.
A spokesman said: "We recognise the role peatlands play in storing carbon. Maintaining and enhancing carbon stores will play an important role in our overall approach to tackling climate change."
Jason Ormiston, the chief executive of Scottish Renewables, the green- energy trade body, said: "Struan Stevenson pitches a theory that has at its heart a fatally flawed premise and chooses to ignore experience of existing wind-farm development on areas of peat, where not only have the projects proved significant cutters of carbon emissions but have involved habitat restoration with a net gain of peatland in and around the site."
Monday, April 14, 2008
Auld Lang Syne
Top-secret plan for Auld Lang Syne to head for the New World
View GalleryBy Craig Brown og Scotsman.com
STORED in a custom-made safe within a walk-in strongroom in the depths of Glasgow's Mitchell Library is one of the original manuscripts of Robert Burns's Auld Lang Syne. It does not see the light of day too often.
But later this month, the precious 220-year-old script will be carefully packed into a carry case, padded with polystyrene cut specifically to cushion and secure it and transported across the Atlantic.
With the manuscript under lock and key until it has reached its destination, the prestigious Grolier Club in Manhattan, even the exact date of the journey is a closely guarded secret. When the revered cargo arrives, it will become part of the Scotland Week celebrations in New York.
Unique even among the six remaining copies of what is arguably the best-known song in the world, the document is an irreplaceable part of Scottish cultural history. The remaining music sheets are scattered across the United States and Scotland.
Karen Cunningham, head of libraries at Culture and Sport Glasgow, will accompany the manuscript on the journey.
She said: "The manuscript is in very good condition and we'll have it packed in a way that there won't be any damage.
"The Mitchell's insurance demands we follow strict guidelines when transporting the manuscript. As soon as I arrive, I'll take a car and install it personally at the Grolier Club. My staff have been talking to their staff, and they're happy with the storage and presentation conditions and security."
She added: "It's lasted all these years, and it's more robust than people imagine, but I certainly won't be leaving it lying about."
While in New York, Ms Cunningham will be giving a lecture on the manuscript and the Mitchell Library.
Written by Burns in 1788, the manuscript only came into the library's possession in 1998, after being bought at auction in New York for almost £200,000.
Though Burns is credited with writing the definitive version of Auld Lang Syne, it is believed to have originally existed in Scots oral tradition.
Valued at £250,000, though priceless in terms of historical importance, the manuscript has never been in a major Burns exhibition. That will change next year when it goes on display as part of Homecoming Scotland, a series of events for the 250th anniversary of Burns's birth.
Tom McWilliam, VisitScotland's area director for Glasgow, said: "Scotland Week gives us a fantastic platform to showcase Glasgow and Scotland. Our programme will focus on Homecoming Scotland, showing US consumers why they should come to Scotland in 2009 to join us in our year-long celebrations. The Burns manuscript will be an important element of this."
The manuscript will go on display in the Grolier Club, then the Bryant Park New York Public Library from 30 March to 6 April.
The Grolier Club of New York is America's oldest and largest society for book lovers. Formed in 1884 and named after Jean Grolier, the Renaissance collector renowned for sharing his library, it aims to foster the study of graphic arts.
LITERARY LEGACY
THE popularity and literary worth of Burns' Auld Lang Syne has meant the surviving six manuscripts of the text are scattered between Scotland and the United States.
Two of the other original manuscripts are in the Burns Cottage Museum in Alloway. The remaining three are in the Library of Congress, the de facto US national library, based in Washington DC; the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York (although not on public display), and the Lilley Library, at the Indiana University Bloomington, in the US.
Experts believe the song was originally transcribed by Burns for a collection of old Scots songs called A Select Collection of Scottish Airs which was then published by George Thomson in 1793.
Burns, who in addition to his role as poet was also a collector of folk songs, accompanied the manuscript with the note: "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man's singing, is enough to recommend any air."
However it is widely accepted that he finished the lyric himself.
There is some doubt as to whether the melody used today is the same one Burns originally intended, but it is widely used both in Scotland and in the rest of the world.
The full article contains 741 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
View GalleryBy Craig Brown og Scotsman.com
STORED in a custom-made safe within a walk-in strongroom in the depths of Glasgow's Mitchell Library is one of the original manuscripts of Robert Burns's Auld Lang Syne. It does not see the light of day too often.
But later this month, the precious 220-year-old script will be carefully packed into a carry case, padded with polystyrene cut specifically to cushion and secure it and transported across the Atlantic.
With the manuscript under lock and key until it has reached its destination, the prestigious Grolier Club in Manhattan, even the exact date of the journey is a closely guarded secret. When the revered cargo arrives, it will become part of the Scotland Week celebrations in New York.
Unique even among the six remaining copies of what is arguably the best-known song in the world, the document is an irreplaceable part of Scottish cultural history. The remaining music sheets are scattered across the United States and Scotland.
Karen Cunningham, head of libraries at Culture and Sport Glasgow, will accompany the manuscript on the journey.
She said: "The manuscript is in very good condition and we'll have it packed in a way that there won't be any damage.
"The Mitchell's insurance demands we follow strict guidelines when transporting the manuscript. As soon as I arrive, I'll take a car and install it personally at the Grolier Club. My staff have been talking to their staff, and they're happy with the storage and presentation conditions and security."
She added: "It's lasted all these years, and it's more robust than people imagine, but I certainly won't be leaving it lying about."
While in New York, Ms Cunningham will be giving a lecture on the manuscript and the Mitchell Library.
Written by Burns in 1788, the manuscript only came into the library's possession in 1998, after being bought at auction in New York for almost £200,000.
Though Burns is credited with writing the definitive version of Auld Lang Syne, it is believed to have originally existed in Scots oral tradition.
Valued at £250,000, though priceless in terms of historical importance, the manuscript has never been in a major Burns exhibition. That will change next year when it goes on display as part of Homecoming Scotland, a series of events for the 250th anniversary of Burns's birth.
Tom McWilliam, VisitScotland's area director for Glasgow, said: "Scotland Week gives us a fantastic platform to showcase Glasgow and Scotland. Our programme will focus on Homecoming Scotland, showing US consumers why they should come to Scotland in 2009 to join us in our year-long celebrations. The Burns manuscript will be an important element of this."
The manuscript will go on display in the Grolier Club, then the Bryant Park New York Public Library from 30 March to 6 April.
The Grolier Club of New York is America's oldest and largest society for book lovers. Formed in 1884 and named after Jean Grolier, the Renaissance collector renowned for sharing his library, it aims to foster the study of graphic arts.
LITERARY LEGACY
THE popularity and literary worth of Burns' Auld Lang Syne has meant the surviving six manuscripts of the text are scattered between Scotland and the United States.
Two of the other original manuscripts are in the Burns Cottage Museum in Alloway. The remaining three are in the Library of Congress, the de facto US national library, based in Washington DC; the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York (although not on public display), and the Lilley Library, at the Indiana University Bloomington, in the US.
Experts believe the song was originally transcribed by Burns for a collection of old Scots songs called A Select Collection of Scottish Airs which was then published by George Thomson in 1793.
Burns, who in addition to his role as poet was also a collector of folk songs, accompanied the manuscript with the note: "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, and which has never been in print, nor even in manuscript until I took it down from an old man's singing, is enough to recommend any air."
However it is widely accepted that he finished the lyric himself.
There is some doubt as to whether the melody used today is the same one Burns originally intended, but it is widely used both in Scotland and in the rest of the world.
The full article contains 741 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
740 miles of Scottish coast is crumbling into sea
View GalleryBy David Maddox Scottish Political Correspondent
SCOTLAND'S seas and coastline are facing a new series of threats because of rapid climate change, The Scotsman can reveal.
The first report into the state of the nation's seas highlights the fact that 12 per cent of the country's coastline is already subject to serious erosion, and that is set to get worse.
The report, Scotland's Seas – Towards Understanding Their State, was ordered by Richard Lochhead, the Rural Affairs Secretary, to provide an analysis of what needs to be done to protect Scotland's marine environment and to help inform forthcoming marine legislation.
The authors warn that climate change will bring stormier seas, higher sea levels and bigger waves. They claim that 740 miles of Scottish coastline has already suffered serious erosion problems, increasing the risk of more flooding and damage to the natural habitat of wildlife.
The report also states that sea temperatures are now rising at between 0.2 and 0.4 per cent per decade compared to 0.07 per cent 100 years ago.
There is also evidence that water acidity levels are increasing in some areas, which adversely affects wildlife such as bottlenose dolphins. But the report admits there are gaps in the knowledge on bottlenose dolphins, which are believed to be in decline in the Moray Firth and along the east coast.
Populations of common seals and Arctic terns are being dramatically reduced, although some species like gannets have seen an increase in numbers.
The report, which was drawn up by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Fisheries Research Council (FRC) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), once again underlines the problem of the over-fishing of cod in Scottish waters and says stocks are in a dangerous state.
Worries are also raised about some of the life forms at the bottom of the food chain – zooplankton – which are the diet for many seabirds.
The authors said that 34 special areas of conservation have been set up in Scottish seas and are showing "favourable signs" of improvement but that it may take "decades or even centuries for full recovery in some cases."
Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the environment, said: "Climate change is a truly global issue and can only be tackled if we work together.
"Our seas play a vital role in regulating our climate and are a lifeline for the communities that live around them. Our winters are getting wetter and warmer, sea levels are rising and coastal erosion is increasing. Our marine wildlife is now having to cope with these as well as other pressures, and is beginning to suffer as a result. Our marine industries also have to cope with changes. These are happening now and we must take action."
However, it was not all bad news, as Scotland's seas are much cleaner than they were in 2000. The report noted that 94 per cent of Scottish waters are now "clean and safe" and there has been a 72 per cent reduction in unsatisfactory or seriously polluted waters to just 90.5km of coastline in total.
Chemical contamination levels in samples taken from estuaries are also down, although 30 different types of metal, including cadmium, mercury, lead, copper and zinc, are present.
Problems remain with litter on Scottish beaches – 90 per cent of the rubbish contains plastic and 80 per cent comes from land-based sources, usually through fly-tipping or being casually discarded.
The report says more needs to be done to manage chemical discharges from towns and farms.
It also highlights the importance of the seas to the Scottish economy. Marine-based industries, including fishing but excluding oil and gas, are worth £2.2 billion in Scotland and employ around 50,000 people.
Robin Cook, the chief executive of the Fisheries Research Services (FRS), said: "Scotland's seas are rich, diverse and productive.
"This report forms an important step in ensuring the sound stewardship of our marine environment and the protection of the many thousands jobs that are dependent on our seas."
And SEPA chief executive Campbell Gemmell said: "There is a vast amount of work already being carried out. This is the first step to a more comprehensive and detailed report on the state of the marine environment, due in 2010."
SNH chief executive Ian Jardine added: "As a maritime nation, we have a long history of studying and exploiting our marine natural resources. In the 21st century, our challenge is to use our marine environment sustainably. Most of the population of Scotland has an interest in marine issues, even if that's to enjoy a day out on a clean beach.
"But we know there are challenges ahead in agreeing how best to use these resources, and protect them in the face of climate change and threats from new, invasive species.
"To ensure the future long-term health of Scottish seas, it is essential to maintain a balance between sustainable exploitation of marine resources and the protection of wildlife and natural features. This important report will help us all to co-ordinate action for our seas."
WARMER, HIGHER, STORMIER
THE most obvious example of climate change is the rate at which the seas are warming up. This is now at 0.2 to 0.4 per cent per decade compared to 0.07 per cent a century ago.
About 12 per cent of the coastline is at serious risk of erosion, which is increasing because of rising sea levels.
In Aberdeen the sea is rising at a rate of 0.7mm a year, but at some places, such as Lerwick, the level has decreased slightly since 1957.
The report also suggests that the seas will get stormier, with higher waves creating surges that could create further coastal erosion.
This could damage habitats and cause problems for areas such as Moray which are prone to flooding.
ECONOMICALLY VITAL INDUSTRIES
MARINE agriculture is worth £2.2 billion to the Scottish economy and employs around 50,000 people, according to the report.
The biggest employer is fish processing, accounting for around 14,000 people. It was worth £481 million to the economy in 2004-5.
Building and repairing ships and boats, once Scotland's biggest industry, was worth £312.9 million and employed 7,216 people.
Sea fishing had 2,684 people employed and made £149.5 million. Fish farming covered 2,468 people and had an income of £121.7 million.
Oil and gas brought in £20 billion in 2005, one-fifth of the total Scottish gross domestic product. It employs around 145,000 people.
VULNERABLE WILDLIFE POPULATIONS
UNCERTAINTY surrounds the future of bottlenose dolphins. The authors believe that numbers have declined. This fits in with recent concerns of the Green Party about the impact of oil exploration in the Moray Firth.
The number of common seals has almost halved since the mid-1990s, but the grey seal population has shot up by around 25,000.
Many bird populations have also fallen, although actual numbers are not given. The proportion of breeding Arctic terns are down by 95 per cent since the mid-1980s; Arctic skuas were down 63 per cent and little terns 54 per cent. This could be due to a 70 per cent drop in zooplankton since the mid-1960s, the main food source for many seabirds.
METAL CONTAMINATION
SINCE 2000, there has been a 72 per cent improvement in the waters off the Scottish coast, with stretches totalling 90.5km still unsatisfactory or seriously polluted. It means that 94 per cent of the coastal waters are now clean and safe.
The report also notes that contamination levels in estuaries are down, although the authors say that more work needs to be done and note that over 30 metals, including copper and zinc, are still present in samples taken from the seabed. It says nitrogen levels in urban and agricultural discharges need to be better managed.
The report also highlights litter as a major problem, with 80 per cent of it coming from land-based sources.
PROTECTING OUR MARINE LIFE
THE Scotsman is campaigning to protect our precious marine life. We want:
• A network of marine reserves and protected areas to be created to safeguard sites properly
• A system of marine planning, effectively zoning areas for appropriate use, to safeguard important fishing grounds from offshore wind farms and other projects
• A single organisation to administer this system
• Scotland to be given control of conservation to the 200-mile boundary with international waters
It is hoped that many of these issues will be dealt in a Scottish marine bill, which has been promised by the Scottish Government. A draft UK Marine Bill was published in Westminster last week.
SCOTLAND'S seas and coastline are facing a new series of threats because of rapid climate change, The Scotsman can reveal.
The first report into the state of the nation's seas highlights the fact that 12 per cent of the country's coastline is already subject to serious erosion, and that is set to get worse.
The report, Scotland's Seas – Towards Understanding Their State, was ordered by Richard Lochhead, the Rural Affairs Secretary, to provide an analysis of what needs to be done to protect Scotland's marine environment and to help inform forthcoming marine legislation.
The authors warn that climate change will bring stormier seas, higher sea levels and bigger waves. They claim that 740 miles of Scottish coastline has already suffered serious erosion problems, increasing the risk of more flooding and damage to the natural habitat of wildlife.
The report also states that sea temperatures are now rising at between 0.2 and 0.4 per cent per decade compared to 0.07 per cent 100 years ago.
There is also evidence that water acidity levels are increasing in some areas, which adversely affects wildlife such as bottlenose dolphins. But the report admits there are gaps in the knowledge on bottlenose dolphins, which are believed to be in decline in the Moray Firth and along the east coast.
Populations of common seals and Arctic terns are being dramatically reduced, although some species like gannets have seen an increase in numbers.
The report, which was drawn up by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Fisheries Research Council (FRC) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), once again underlines the problem of the over-fishing of cod in Scottish waters and says stocks are in a dangerous state.
Worries are also raised about some of the life forms at the bottom of the food chain – zooplankton – which are the diet for many seabirds.
The authors said that 34 special areas of conservation have been set up in Scottish seas and are showing "favourable signs" of improvement but that it may take "decades or even centuries for full recovery in some cases."
Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for rural affairs and the environment, said: "Climate change is a truly global issue and can only be tackled if we work together.
"Our seas play a vital role in regulating our climate and are a lifeline for the communities that live around them. Our winters are getting wetter and warmer, sea levels are rising and coastal erosion is increasing. Our marine wildlife is now having to cope with these as well as other pressures, and is beginning to suffer as a result. Our marine industries also have to cope with changes. These are happening now and we must take action."
However, it was not all bad news, as Scotland's seas are much cleaner than they were in 2000. The report noted that 94 per cent of Scottish waters are now "clean and safe" and there has been a 72 per cent reduction in unsatisfactory or seriously polluted waters to just 90.5km of coastline in total.
Chemical contamination levels in samples taken from estuaries are also down, although 30 different types of metal, including cadmium, mercury, lead, copper and zinc, are present.
Problems remain with litter on Scottish beaches – 90 per cent of the rubbish contains plastic and 80 per cent comes from land-based sources, usually through fly-tipping or being casually discarded.
The report says more needs to be done to manage chemical discharges from towns and farms.
It also highlights the importance of the seas to the Scottish economy. Marine-based industries, including fishing but excluding oil and gas, are worth £2.2 billion in Scotland and employ around 50,000 people.
Robin Cook, the chief executive of the Fisheries Research Services (FRS), said: "Scotland's seas are rich, diverse and productive.
"This report forms an important step in ensuring the sound stewardship of our marine environment and the protection of the many thousands jobs that are dependent on our seas."
And SEPA chief executive Campbell Gemmell said: "There is a vast amount of work already being carried out. This is the first step to a more comprehensive and detailed report on the state of the marine environment, due in 2010."
SNH chief executive Ian Jardine added: "As a maritime nation, we have a long history of studying and exploiting our marine natural resources. In the 21st century, our challenge is to use our marine environment sustainably. Most of the population of Scotland has an interest in marine issues, even if that's to enjoy a day out on a clean beach.
"But we know there are challenges ahead in agreeing how best to use these resources, and protect them in the face of climate change and threats from new, invasive species.
"To ensure the future long-term health of Scottish seas, it is essential to maintain a balance between sustainable exploitation of marine resources and the protection of wildlife and natural features. This important report will help us all to co-ordinate action for our seas."
WARMER, HIGHER, STORMIER
THE most obvious example of climate change is the rate at which the seas are warming up. This is now at 0.2 to 0.4 per cent per decade compared to 0.07 per cent a century ago.
About 12 per cent of the coastline is at serious risk of erosion, which is increasing because of rising sea levels.
In Aberdeen the sea is rising at a rate of 0.7mm a year, but at some places, such as Lerwick, the level has decreased slightly since 1957.
The report also suggests that the seas will get stormier, with higher waves creating surges that could create further coastal erosion.
This could damage habitats and cause problems for areas such as Moray which are prone to flooding.
ECONOMICALLY VITAL INDUSTRIES
MARINE agriculture is worth £2.2 billion to the Scottish economy and employs around 50,000 people, according to the report.
The biggest employer is fish processing, accounting for around 14,000 people. It was worth £481 million to the economy in 2004-5.
Building and repairing ships and boats, once Scotland's biggest industry, was worth £312.9 million and employed 7,216 people.
Sea fishing had 2,684 people employed and made £149.5 million. Fish farming covered 2,468 people and had an income of £121.7 million.
Oil and gas brought in £20 billion in 2005, one-fifth of the total Scottish gross domestic product. It employs around 145,000 people.
VULNERABLE WILDLIFE POPULATIONS
UNCERTAINTY surrounds the future of bottlenose dolphins. The authors believe that numbers have declined. This fits in with recent concerns of the Green Party about the impact of oil exploration in the Moray Firth.
The number of common seals has almost halved since the mid-1990s, but the grey seal population has shot up by around 25,000.
Many bird populations have also fallen, although actual numbers are not given. The proportion of breeding Arctic terns are down by 95 per cent since the mid-1980s; Arctic skuas were down 63 per cent and little terns 54 per cent. This could be due to a 70 per cent drop in zooplankton since the mid-1960s, the main food source for many seabirds.
METAL CONTAMINATION
SINCE 2000, there has been a 72 per cent improvement in the waters off the Scottish coast, with stretches totalling 90.5km still unsatisfactory or seriously polluted. It means that 94 per cent of the coastal waters are now clean and safe.
The report also notes that contamination levels in estuaries are down, although the authors say that more work needs to be done and note that over 30 metals, including copper and zinc, are still present in samples taken from the seabed. It says nitrogen levels in urban and agricultural discharges need to be better managed.
The report also highlights litter as a major problem, with 80 per cent of it coming from land-based sources.
PROTECTING OUR MARINE LIFE
THE Scotsman is campaigning to protect our precious marine life. We want:
• A network of marine reserves and protected areas to be created to safeguard sites properly
• A system of marine planning, effectively zoning areas for appropriate use, to safeguard important fishing grounds from offshore wind farms and other projects
• A single organisation to administer this system
• Scotland to be given control of conservation to the 200-mile boundary with international waters
It is hoped that many of these issues will be dealt in a Scottish marine bill, which has been promised by the Scottish Government. A draft UK Marine Bill was published in Westminster last week.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Snippets from Scotland
Got this from an on-line newspaper, called Scottish Snippets........love reading all these little bits of news.
Tartan Week To Go Down Under?
So far, the support of the Scottish Government to Tartan Week has been
concentrated largely in the USA, particularly in New York with the parade
along Sixth Avenue and other events. The tourism agency VisitScotland has
also hosted the first Scotland in Toronto Week to tap into the Scottish
ancestry of many Canadians. Now Scottish Culture Minister Linda Fabiani has
suggested that she is keen to strengthen links in the Antipodes, with a
Scotland Week in Australia. The Scottish Government is trying to change the
name of the event to "Scotland Week" to focus on the modern aspects of
Scotland - and also halved the budget this year for the event in the US to
around £400,000. So there are some mixed messages coming across.
7,000 Bikers Roar into Children's Hospital
Around 7,000 motor cyclists and their passengers roared into the Royal
Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, Glasgow - to hand deliver thousands
of chocolate eggs to egg-cited young patients. This has become an annual
event organised by the Motorcycle Action Group which raised £30,000 for the
event last year.
Britain's Biggest Meteorite
Scientists from Aberdeen and Oxford universities have uncovered evidence
that the largest meteorite ever to hit the British Isles struck an area
near Ullapool in the west coast of Scotland - 1.2 billion years ago. The
unusual rock formations in the area were thought at one time to be caused
by volcanic activity, but with no volcanic vents or sediments nearby, that
theory had often been questioned. Now the researchers have found material
that had been ejected by a meteorite impact, spread over an area of 30
square miles. They estimate that the object must have been more than half a
mile wide and created a crater seven miles across. Craters on Earth tend to
get eroded, so the scientists are pleased to have found the new evidence.
Top of the Pecking Order
The Big Garden Bird Watch 2008, organised by the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds, shows that the chaffinch is the most commonly-sighted
feathered friend in Scotland's gardens. Those taking part saw on average
5.43 chaffinches over an hour, when the survey was run in January. The
second most common bird reported was the house sparrow, followed by the
starling. Even though the total numbers were smaller, the blackbird was the
most widely-seen bird, found in over 90% of gardens. But being territorial,
blackies are rarely seen in any numbers in the one garden. For the first
time the colourful siskin flew into the top ten - their numbers bolstered
this year by Scandinavian immigrants. Overall, the survey suggested that
fewer birds were seen compared with last year. Last summer's poor weather
may have taken its toll of fledglings although milder winters also meant
fewer birds came in this year from the countryside to feed in gardens as
they had enough food in the wild.
Tartan Week To Go Down Under?
So far, the support of the Scottish Government to Tartan Week has been
concentrated largely in the USA, particularly in New York with the parade
along Sixth Avenue and other events. The tourism agency VisitScotland has
also hosted the first Scotland in Toronto Week to tap into the Scottish
ancestry of many Canadians. Now Scottish Culture Minister Linda Fabiani has
suggested that she is keen to strengthen links in the Antipodes, with a
Scotland Week in Australia. The Scottish Government is trying to change the
name of the event to "Scotland Week" to focus on the modern aspects of
Scotland - and also halved the budget this year for the event in the US to
around £400,000. So there are some mixed messages coming across.
7,000 Bikers Roar into Children's Hospital
Around 7,000 motor cyclists and their passengers roared into the Royal
Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill, Glasgow - to hand deliver thousands
of chocolate eggs to egg-cited young patients. This has become an annual
event organised by the Motorcycle Action Group which raised £30,000 for the
event last year.
Britain's Biggest Meteorite
Scientists from Aberdeen and Oxford universities have uncovered evidence
that the largest meteorite ever to hit the British Isles struck an area
near Ullapool in the west coast of Scotland - 1.2 billion years ago. The
unusual rock formations in the area were thought at one time to be caused
by volcanic activity, but with no volcanic vents or sediments nearby, that
theory had often been questioned. Now the researchers have found material
that had been ejected by a meteorite impact, spread over an area of 30
square miles. They estimate that the object must have been more than half a
mile wide and created a crater seven miles across. Craters on Earth tend to
get eroded, so the scientists are pleased to have found the new evidence.
Top of the Pecking Order
The Big Garden Bird Watch 2008, organised by the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds, shows that the chaffinch is the most commonly-sighted
feathered friend in Scotland's gardens. Those taking part saw on average
5.43 chaffinches over an hour, when the survey was run in January. The
second most common bird reported was the house sparrow, followed by the
starling. Even though the total numbers were smaller, the blackbird was the
most widely-seen bird, found in over 90% of gardens. But being territorial,
blackies are rarely seen in any numbers in the one garden. For the first
time the colourful siskin flew into the top ten - their numbers bolstered
this year by Scandinavian immigrants. Overall, the survey suggested that
fewer birds were seen compared with last year. Last summer's poor weather
may have taken its toll of fledglings although milder winters also meant
fewer birds came in this year from the countryside to feed in gardens as
they had enough food in the wild.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Historical article
I just found this article from the Schenectady Gazette in New York and thought I'd put it on the blog. It's quite interesting and in keeping with some of the historical novels that I've done--and I just might use this piece as a start of the sequel to Clan Gunn: Gerek.
Focus on Mohawk Valley History
Sir William Johnson brings Scots over
By Bob Cudmore
Saturday, April 5, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The year before he died, Sir William Johnson saw to it that hundreds of Scots came to his vast land estate in the American wilderness, an area that today is occupied by the cities of Johnstown and Gloversville.
Johnson came to America in 1738 from Ireland and built an alliance between the British colonial government and the native Iroquois people. He became Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
He constructed a fortified home in Fort Johnson and then a mansion in Johnstown, Johnson Hall. Both buildings are historic sites today. As a military leader, Johnson won a major battle against the French in 1755 at Lake George.
After the victory, Johnson was made a baronet and granted 100,000 acres of land the British previously had secured from the Mohawks. The land parcel was known as the Kingsborough Patent.
To populate this area, Johnson tapped into a tide of immigrants from the highlands of Scotland who were coming to America at a fast clip between 1770 and the American Revolution.
The Highlanders were a proud and strong people, who had strong loyalties to their clan chiefs. Many of their chiefs had been killed in the bloody but unsuccessful effort to install Prince Charles on the British throne in 1745.
The Highlanders fierce but futile resistance in 1745 had the unusual effect of convincing British authorities that Scottish soldiers would be effective in the British Army as the empire expanded in America. Also, times were hard in Scotland and many Highlanders simply opted to take a chance in the New World.
Johnson advertised leased land on his Kingsborough Patent through New York City agents, and convinced 400 Scots of the Highland Clan MacDonnell to settle on his property.
Many of the Scots who settled the Kingsborough Patent arrived in 1773, some of them on board a ship called the Pearl that came to New York harbor.
The Highlanders arrived under four chiefs, the MacDonnells of Aberchalder, Leek, Collachie and Scotas. Their land grants ranged from 100 to 500 acres.
After Sir William died in 1774, many of his Scots tenants were drawn into the Revolutionary War on the British side.
Some 300 of them followed Sir William’s son John into exile in Canada when the war broke out and served in the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, sometimes called Johnson’s Greens or the Royal Yorkers. Their final stand was in 1781 near Johnstown itself.
Those who survived the war lost their lands in New York to the new government. The British granted the Highlanders lands in Ontario, Canada where some of their descendants still reside.
In 1959, an Episcopal priest, Duncan Fraser, came to serve in Johnstown and wrote note cards with the names of each of Johnson’s tenants plus information about some of them.
Wanda Burch, site manager of Johnson Hall in Johnstown, said that people studying genealogy often ask to see Fraser’s notes. This year, Burch transcribed Fraser’s notes and composed an introductory essay. She plans to produce a small booklet for visitors interested in their Scots ancestry.
Burch said that Fraser, who is deceased, was in search of his own history when he began researching the individual names on the tenant list but provided valuable information for others as well. Burch developed a friendship with Fraser’s widow Dorothy who lived on William Street.
Burch said people wonder why the Highlanders, who lost their own lands to the British, fought so fiercely for the British in the American Revolution. One explanation she has heard is that the Highlanders felt that in each case they were not fighting for or against someone—they were fighting for their homeland.
Focus on Mohawk Valley History
Sir William Johnson brings Scots over
By Bob Cudmore
Saturday, April 5, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The year before he died, Sir William Johnson saw to it that hundreds of Scots came to his vast land estate in the American wilderness, an area that today is occupied by the cities of Johnstown and Gloversville.
Johnson came to America in 1738 from Ireland and built an alliance between the British colonial government and the native Iroquois people. He became Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
He constructed a fortified home in Fort Johnson and then a mansion in Johnstown, Johnson Hall. Both buildings are historic sites today. As a military leader, Johnson won a major battle against the French in 1755 at Lake George.
After the victory, Johnson was made a baronet and granted 100,000 acres of land the British previously had secured from the Mohawks. The land parcel was known as the Kingsborough Patent.
To populate this area, Johnson tapped into a tide of immigrants from the highlands of Scotland who were coming to America at a fast clip between 1770 and the American Revolution.
The Highlanders were a proud and strong people, who had strong loyalties to their clan chiefs. Many of their chiefs had been killed in the bloody but unsuccessful effort to install Prince Charles on the British throne in 1745.
The Highlanders fierce but futile resistance in 1745 had the unusual effect of convincing British authorities that Scottish soldiers would be effective in the British Army as the empire expanded in America. Also, times were hard in Scotland and many Highlanders simply opted to take a chance in the New World.
Johnson advertised leased land on his Kingsborough Patent through New York City agents, and convinced 400 Scots of the Highland Clan MacDonnell to settle on his property.
Many of the Scots who settled the Kingsborough Patent arrived in 1773, some of them on board a ship called the Pearl that came to New York harbor.
The Highlanders arrived under four chiefs, the MacDonnells of Aberchalder, Leek, Collachie and Scotas. Their land grants ranged from 100 to 500 acres.
After Sir William died in 1774, many of his Scots tenants were drawn into the Revolutionary War on the British side.
Some 300 of them followed Sir William’s son John into exile in Canada when the war broke out and served in the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, sometimes called Johnson’s Greens or the Royal Yorkers. Their final stand was in 1781 near Johnstown itself.
Those who survived the war lost their lands in New York to the new government. The British granted the Highlanders lands in Ontario, Canada where some of their descendants still reside.
In 1959, an Episcopal priest, Duncan Fraser, came to serve in Johnstown and wrote note cards with the names of each of Johnson’s tenants plus information about some of them.
Wanda Burch, site manager of Johnson Hall in Johnstown, said that people studying genealogy often ask to see Fraser’s notes. This year, Burch transcribed Fraser’s notes and composed an introductory essay. She plans to produce a small booklet for visitors interested in their Scots ancestry.
Burch said that Fraser, who is deceased, was in search of his own history when he began researching the individual names on the tenant list but provided valuable information for others as well. Burch developed a friendship with Fraser’s widow Dorothy who lived on William Street.
Burch said people wonder why the Highlanders, who lost their own lands to the British, fought so fiercely for the British in the American Revolution. One explanation she has heard is that the Highlanders felt that in each case they were not fighting for or against someone—they were fighting for their homeland.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Hitorical fact
Historical Fact of the Day in Scotland
It was on today in 1652 that the Honours of Scotland - consisting of the sceptre, sword and crown - were smuggled to safety through the siege of Dunottar Castle by the wife of a Scottish minister. Oliver Cromwell had destroyed some of the regalia of the English crown and was intent on doing the same to Scotland's royal symbols. The wife of James Granger, minister of the parish of Kinneff near Stonehaven, then buried the Honours underneath the church where they remained until the restoration of Charles II.
My book Clan Gunn: Gerek takes place two years before the above happened. The book takes in the tenor of the times and how it might affect the lives of Highlanders.
It was on today in 1652 that the Honours of Scotland - consisting of the sceptre, sword and crown - were smuggled to safety through the siege of Dunottar Castle by the wife of a Scottish minister. Oliver Cromwell had destroyed some of the regalia of the English crown and was intent on doing the same to Scotland's royal symbols. The wife of James Granger, minister of the parish of Kinneff near Stonehaven, then buried the Honours underneath the church where they remained until the restoration of Charles II.
My book Clan Gunn: Gerek takes place two years before the above happened. The book takes in the tenor of the times and how it might affect the lives of Highlanders.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Here's to Scotland
Fact of the Day
The first use of anesthesia in a medical operation occurred today in 1842. Dr Crawford Long used ether to bring about a state of unconsciousness when he removed a tumor from the neck of a patient, thereby ushering in a new age of painless surgery. Another pioneer in the use of anesthetics was Scotland's James Young Simpson, who conducted experiments with chloroform. To read how The Scotsman reported Simpson's historic work, see the www.Scotsman.com Digital Archive
The first use of anesthesia in a medical operation occurred today in 1842. Dr Crawford Long used ether to bring about a state of unconsciousness when he removed a tumor from the neck of a patient, thereby ushering in a new age of painless surgery. Another pioneer in the use of anesthetics was Scotland's James Young Simpson, who conducted experiments with chloroform. To read how The Scotsman reported Simpson's historic work, see the www.Scotsman.com Digital Archive
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Interview with Patricia Guthrie
Here's the promised interview with Patricia Guthrie, author of In the Arms of the Enemy.
1) Have you ever owned a thoroughbred?
Yes, I’ve owned two.
2) What has been your experience with them?
Two were ex-race horses that didn’t like to run ahead of other horses. So, they were lucky enough to be sold as riding horses.
I used them as riding horses and showed a little, although I could never afford to aim for the big time.
I rode them hunt seat, until I discovered I hated jumping and thought dressage was pretty cool. (in recent past years, I’ve worked more with quarter horses and trained and showed a few for close friends)
I loved working with the thoroughbreds when I had them, but my riding experience wasn’t quite up to what they required. Fortunately, I didn’t know that at the time. Luckily, I didn’t get thrown, especially from the seventeen-hand horse.
Seabee was a good horse but our bodies just didn’t fit together. Oh brother. I traded him to a woman who was short than me, but a much more experienced horsewoman. She hunted him with great success. Her horse was part thoroughbred, part quarter horse.
So began my love affair with quarter horses. But, that’s another interview.
3. Have you found them to be wild and excitable as claimed?
It depends on the horse. Thoroughbreds are bred for running, for speed, so to be successful; they have to have the drive, spunk and action. They’re excellent campaigners not only on the track but in dressage, in the jumping arena and as riding horses.
4. Experience on the race track.
Some, but none professionally. I enjoy watching the horses run and enjoy following their racing careers. When I was a teenager I could spot out the names of every Kentucky Derby winner. Now, when I have time I love to go to the track and watch every type of person milling in the crowds and through the barn area.
3) I am not familiar with the name you mentioned before, regarding euthanizing healthy horses for the insurance money. I thought you were talking about the show horse circuit, where George (can’t remember his last name-but I do remember that he was very wealthy and rode jumpers) had a horse put down in order to collect the insurance money. I know he was put on trial, but I don’t remember what came of it.
(I believe that was his brother, Silas Jayne who was a bad--an evil excuse for a human being. He died in prison, where he still controlled the “horse mob.” I purposely avoided writing this story in the horse show circuit. I live in the area)
Euthanasia implies humane. There’s nothing humane about the way some of these people murder the horses. You’ll find this inhumane horror in every aspect of the horse industry that involves money. Lots of money.
4) What’s your next book about?
Waterlilies Over My Grave, a romantic suspense, should be out in September of 2008. This is about a woman who leaves a career and an obsessive psychotic, psychiatrist ex-husband to take a job in a resort town half-way across the country, only to find he’s followed her with deadly intentions.
As I have three collies at home who help me with my writing at all opportunities, I’ve honored them with a place in my book. Lady, a tri-color collie named Lady. She loves getting into the action. At one point she sniffs out a bomb, in another she points to a bad guy, but her people don’t quite have her instincts. Lady helps get the bad guys. She’s in quite a few of the scenes.
After that, I’m working on paranormal romantic suspense. The heroine inherits a castle in Romania inhabited by drug dealers. This one has a horse in it that belongs to a nine-year-old boy. The horse wears a straw hat. I haven’t worked out her name or breed yet.
5) Are you going to continue with a horse theme or something related to the industry?
Yes. I have a mystery outlined, but it’s still in the changing-planning stage. Horses will be a main part of the story and background.
6) How often do you ride?
As often as possible, but not nearly enough. I’m working out a new schedule, where I hope I’ll be able to utilize my time better. (if that’s possible, sigh)
7) And when do you find time to write?
See question six. (LOL) I’ve been writing for ten years and even when I retired from the teaching field, to write full time, I discovered that being an author is a little different than being a writer. Being an author
entails having a little bit of a bi-polar personality. Part of you has to be reclusive to concentrate and focus on your plot/put yourself into the scene. The other part of you has to be bubbly and effervescent to market your book and meet the public.
1) Have you ever owned a thoroughbred?
Yes, I’ve owned two.
2) What has been your experience with them?
Two were ex-race horses that didn’t like to run ahead of other horses. So, they were lucky enough to be sold as riding horses.
I used them as riding horses and showed a little, although I could never afford to aim for the big time.
I rode them hunt seat, until I discovered I hated jumping and thought dressage was pretty cool. (in recent past years, I’ve worked more with quarter horses and trained and showed a few for close friends)
I loved working with the thoroughbreds when I had them, but my riding experience wasn’t quite up to what they required. Fortunately, I didn’t know that at the time. Luckily, I didn’t get thrown, especially from the seventeen-hand horse.
Seabee was a good horse but our bodies just didn’t fit together. Oh brother. I traded him to a woman who was short than me, but a much more experienced horsewoman. She hunted him with great success. Her horse was part thoroughbred, part quarter horse.
So began my love affair with quarter horses. But, that’s another interview.
3. Have you found them to be wild and excitable as claimed?
It depends on the horse. Thoroughbreds are bred for running, for speed, so to be successful; they have to have the drive, spunk and action. They’re excellent campaigners not only on the track but in dressage, in the jumping arena and as riding horses.
4. Experience on the race track.
Some, but none professionally. I enjoy watching the horses run and enjoy following their racing careers. When I was a teenager I could spot out the names of every Kentucky Derby winner. Now, when I have time I love to go to the track and watch every type of person milling in the crowds and through the barn area.
3) I am not familiar with the name you mentioned before, regarding euthanizing healthy horses for the insurance money. I thought you were talking about the show horse circuit, where George (can’t remember his last name-but I do remember that he was very wealthy and rode jumpers) had a horse put down in order to collect the insurance money. I know he was put on trial, but I don’t remember what came of it.
(I believe that was his brother, Silas Jayne who was a bad--an evil excuse for a human being. He died in prison, where he still controlled the “horse mob.” I purposely avoided writing this story in the horse show circuit. I live in the area)
Euthanasia implies humane. There’s nothing humane about the way some of these people murder the horses. You’ll find this inhumane horror in every aspect of the horse industry that involves money. Lots of money.
4) What’s your next book about?
Waterlilies Over My Grave, a romantic suspense, should be out in September of 2008. This is about a woman who leaves a career and an obsessive psychotic, psychiatrist ex-husband to take a job in a resort town half-way across the country, only to find he’s followed her with deadly intentions.
As I have three collies at home who help me with my writing at all opportunities, I’ve honored them with a place in my book. Lady, a tri-color collie named Lady. She loves getting into the action. At one point she sniffs out a bomb, in another she points to a bad guy, but her people don’t quite have her instincts. Lady helps get the bad guys. She’s in quite a few of the scenes.
After that, I’m working on paranormal romantic suspense. The heroine inherits a castle in Romania inhabited by drug dealers. This one has a horse in it that belongs to a nine-year-old boy. The horse wears a straw hat. I haven’t worked out her name or breed yet.
5) Are you going to continue with a horse theme or something related to the industry?
Yes. I have a mystery outlined, but it’s still in the changing-planning stage. Horses will be a main part of the story and background.
6) How often do you ride?
As often as possible, but not nearly enough. I’m working out a new schedule, where I hope I’ll be able to utilize my time better. (if that’s possible, sigh)
7) And when do you find time to write?
See question six. (LOL) I’ve been writing for ten years and even when I retired from the teaching field, to write full time, I discovered that being an author is a little different than being a writer. Being an author
entails having a little bit of a bi-polar personality. Part of you has to be reclusive to concentrate and focus on your plot/put yourself into the scene. The other part of you has to be bubbly and effervescent to market your book and meet the public.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Baby Seals
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Irish Roots Cafe
I just found this wonderful blog and site. Do go there, especially if you're a Fitzgerald.
http://www.irishroots.com/blog/
Monday, March 24, 2008
This coming Thursday, I'll be hosting an interview with Patricia Guthrie. Hope you all tune in.......... Here's some information to whet your appetite.
Book Summary of In the Arms of The Enemy
WANTED: ASSASSIN TO KILL RACE HORSES ON DEMAND
FLEXIBLE HOURS-GOOD BENEFITS
Light Sword Publishing announces the release of Patricia A. Guthrie’s first published novel “In the Arms of the Enemy.”
When the death of a racing stable’s prize horse and his trainer is blamed on the stable’s owner; his son, Adam Blakely, goes undercover convinced that the trainer’s partner, Maggie McGregor, is the killer.
Determined to leave the tumultuous world of horse racing, Maggie returns home to try and find peace. When a handsome horse owner moves his horse into her father’s boarding stable and asks Maggie to train his horse, family finances dictate that Maggie accept--and that’s when the accidents begin.
Drowning in deception and lies, Maggie and Adam search for a killer and uncover an insurance scam so insidious, it threatens to rock a horse racing empire and bring the killer to their doorstep. They need to learn to:
Keep your friends close; but your enemies closer.
Review magazine "Affaire de Coeur" says, "With a strong mystery and a sizzling romance, Ms. Guthrie captivates readers from the start. This is an enjoyable thriller with a plot that will keep you guessing until the climactic end.”
* * * * * Rated five stars
AUTHOR BIO
Patricia A. Guthrie is a resident of Park Forest, Illinois. A recently retired music teacher from the Chicago Public Schools (May Community Academy and Chicago Vocational Community Academy) and former opera singer, Author Patricia A. Guthrie is now an avid horse owner, dog obedience trainer and writer. Ms. Guthrie lives with three feisty collies who act as “ghost writers” and help her write at every given opportunity.
This story is dedicated to those horses lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians whose mission is to save and protect them.
In the Arms of the Enemy By Patricia A. Guthrie
www.paguthrie.blogspot.com
www.patriciaanneguthrie.com
www.myspace.com/paguthrie
Book Summary of In the Arms of The Enemy
WANTED: ASSASSIN TO KILL RACE HORSES ON DEMAND
FLEXIBLE HOURS-GOOD BENEFITS
Light Sword Publishing announces the release of Patricia A. Guthrie’s first published novel “In the Arms of the Enemy.”
When the death of a racing stable’s prize horse and his trainer is blamed on the stable’s owner; his son, Adam Blakely, goes undercover convinced that the trainer’s partner, Maggie McGregor, is the killer.
Determined to leave the tumultuous world of horse racing, Maggie returns home to try and find peace. When a handsome horse owner moves his horse into her father’s boarding stable and asks Maggie to train his horse, family finances dictate that Maggie accept--and that’s when the accidents begin.
Drowning in deception and lies, Maggie and Adam search for a killer and uncover an insurance scam so insidious, it threatens to rock a horse racing empire and bring the killer to their doorstep. They need to learn to:
Keep your friends close; but your enemies closer.
Review magazine "Affaire de Coeur" says, "With a strong mystery and a sizzling romance, Ms. Guthrie captivates readers from the start. This is an enjoyable thriller with a plot that will keep you guessing until the climactic end.”
* * * * * Rated five stars
AUTHOR BIO
Patricia A. Guthrie is a resident of Park Forest, Illinois. A recently retired music teacher from the Chicago Public Schools (May Community Academy and Chicago Vocational Community Academy) and former opera singer, Author Patricia A. Guthrie is now an avid horse owner, dog obedience trainer and writer. Ms. Guthrie lives with three feisty collies who act as “ghost writers” and help her write at every given opportunity.
This story is dedicated to those horses lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians whose mission is to save and protect them.
In the Arms of the Enemy By Patricia A. Guthrie
www.paguthrie.blogspot.com
www.patriciaanneguthrie.com
www.myspace.com/paguthrie
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Scotland today--
I just found this bit of news from an online paper called "Scottish Snippets."
Scotland's Population at 20-Year High
Figures released by the Registrar General Office for Scotland show that
Scotland's population is at its healthiest level for more than 20 years.
The reason is that there were more children born in 2007 than any year
since 1997, with the fifth consecutive increase in births on the previous
year. But less than half the babies born had mothers who were Scots - the
baby boom is being generated by one in three infants with mothers born in
the Eastern European countries which joined the EU in 2004. The Registrar's
figures also show that the number of marriages fell, and is now nearing its
lowest number since Victorian times when the population was smaller. Some
49.1% of last year's births were to unmarried parents. The provisional
statistics show that there were 57,781 births in Scotland last year.
Despite being the highest in 20 years, that is half the level of the early
1960s. Scotland's population has steadily increased since 2003 when the
population was 5.06 million. In 2006 it had risen to 5.12 million - the
highest since 1985 - and all the signs are that there will be a further
increase in 2007. It's not that long ago that Scotland's falling population
was regarded as "chronic" after two decades of decline. There were
predictions that it would fall to below five million by 2009 and below four
million by 2041.
Scotland's Population at 20-Year High
Figures released by the Registrar General Office for Scotland show that
Scotland's population is at its healthiest level for more than 20 years.
The reason is that there were more children born in 2007 than any year
since 1997, with the fifth consecutive increase in births on the previous
year. But less than half the babies born had mothers who were Scots - the
baby boom is being generated by one in three infants with mothers born in
the Eastern European countries which joined the EU in 2004. The Registrar's
figures also show that the number of marriages fell, and is now nearing its
lowest number since Victorian times when the population was smaller. Some
49.1% of last year's births were to unmarried parents. The provisional
statistics show that there were 57,781 births in Scotland last year.
Despite being the highest in 20 years, that is half the level of the early
1960s. Scotland's population has steadily increased since 2003 when the
population was 5.06 million. In 2006 it had risen to 5.12 million - the
highest since 1985 - and all the signs are that there will be a further
increase in 2007. It's not that long ago that Scotland's falling population
was regarded as "chronic" after two decades of decline. There were
predictions that it would fall to below five million by 2009 and below four
million by 2041.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
More about the Dingle Peninsula
Special thanks to Steve MacDonogh for contributing
this extract from "The Dingle Peninsula"
Travel/Local History; ISBN 0 86322 269 2
Dingle is one of the most favoured spots in Ireland for the independently minded visitor. The National Geographic Traveler has described it as "the most beautiful place on earth". Bounded on three sides by the sea, it combines in its landscape the ruggedness of rocky outcrops and cliffs with the soft shapes of hills and mountains, skirted by coastal lowlands. For those who stay only briefly the scenery is what the Dingle experience is all about: the view of the Blasket Islands from Slea Head; the harbours, mountains, cliffs and strands; the view from the Connor Pass. Indeed, every part of the peninsula offers attractive and often dramatic views.
Roads lead over the mountains and along the coasts between irregular grids of mortarless stone walls surrounding small fields. The main road from Tralee divides at Camp: one route continues along the northern coast to Castlegregory, dividing again when one road turns towards Cloghane and another rises high to the Connor Pass over the mountains to Dingle. The other route from Camp rises to a mountain pass above Gleann na nGealt, the beautiful "valley of the mad", and descends to Anascaul and thence, after a series of hairpin bends, to Lispole and a long straight road to Dingle. From the direction of Killarney and Castlemaine another road enters the peninsula along a narrow coastal strip beneath the Slieve Mish mountains past the beautiful long strand at Inch and turns inland through a pass to Anascaul.
The Connor Pass road is undoubtedly the most dramatic route to take, though it is not suitable for heavy vehicles or caravans. As it swings towards the south it rises at the side of a large valley formed by glaciers that came from a semi-circle of coums or corries in the surrounding mountains. From the top of the pass there are breathtaking views in fine weather of lowlands, mountains and sea.
High vantage points provide the best position from which to take in the sweep of the landscape, and most of the main roads on the peninsula cross mountains at passes. The road to Dingle via Anascaul does not rise as high as the Connor Pass, but it is high enough to provide magnificent views of the coast of Tralee and Brandon Bays, of the landscape on the southern side of the mountain range, and of the Iveragh Peninsula across Dingle Bay.
To the west of Dingle the most scenic route winds around the coast via Ventry to Slea Head, from which the view of the Blasket Islands is a sight that stops many visitors in their tracks. From Slea Head the road continues along the coast to Dunquin, thence to Ballyferriter, from which one road crosses by Mám na Goaithe, the windy pass, to Ventry; another goes further north to themám at Baile na nÁth (Ballynana), the townland of the height. From this pass one road drops down to Milltown and Dingle while another continues north to Kilmalkedar, Ballydavid and Feohanagh, and meets a road which leads along the foot of Mount Brandon to a low pass back to Dingle.
From Dingle the Connor Pass road rises steeply, and in its higher reaches rocky mountain slopes and cliffs at one point named Faill na Seamróg, the shamrock cliff tower above to the left. At the bottom of the descent from Connor Pass to the north the road swings right to Castlegregory and Camp, and turns left to Cloghane and Brandon, finally coming to a halt on the cliffs at Brandon Point. From here there is a fine view of Brandon and Tralee Bays, the spit of sand out to the Maharees, and the whole northern side of the peninsula, while above and behind stands the imposing mass of Mount Brandon.
These are the main routes through the peninsula, each of them opening up a landscape rich in visual variety and interest. But there are also countless roads off the main routes and countless narrow bohareens, or country lanes, and for visitors who have time to do more than drive once through the peninsula, getting off the beaten track is the best way to explore the area.
The hills, coastline and countryside yield their qualities most readily to the walker. There is a depth in the appeal of the landscape which goes beyond the contemplation of beautiful scenery, for the countryside is dotted with the historical remains and artefacts of past centuries. The Dingle Peninsula possesses a quite extraordinary concentration of archaeological sites. These are not massive structures of great splendour, such as Newgrange or Stonehenge; but they are in their modesty more characteristic of the ages from which they survive. In the number that have survived in this small area lies a magnificence and splendour of its own.
The archaeological remains testify physically to the rich culture of the past, and the peninsula is also an exceptionally rich repository of folklore and of Irish traditional culture. Largely isolated in recent centuries from the mainstream of European and Irish economic, social and cultural change, Dingle, in common with other parts of the west of Ireland, long maintained traditional values and customs. Today in the area to the west of Dingle town Irish is very much the first language; many of the ancient customs which were observed for many centuries and had their origins before the advent of Christianity have died out in the last sixty years, but some survive. Some holy wells are still visited for annual devotions, and the day after Christmas Day is celebrated with the festival of "hunting the wren". Traditional music and dance play an important part in many people's lives, despite the counter-attractions of multinational pop culture, and the traditional small boats of ancient design, the naomhóga or curraghs, are still built and used.
For many people the most abiding impression, and one which has drawn visitors back year after year, is perhaps the most difficult to define. It has to do with the pace and rhythm of life, about which there is a subtle joke to the effect that the Irish language lacks a word that conveys the same sense of urgency as the Spanish mañana. It has to do with lifestyle, with a certain sense of ease, calm and relaxation. There is no one word that adequately describes it, but it is expressed in chance encounters. Visitors stop to ask for directions and find themselves drawn into conversations which are long, fascinating and charming. People used to the coldness of New York, Frankfurt or London are surprised to find the person next to them at the counter of a Dingle pub commenting upon the weather and wondering if they are enjoying their visit, where they have come from, how long they are staying and what they think of the present state of the world. However, a great deal of change occurred during the 1990s. Tourist numbers and facilities increased and prosperity grew substantially, and those involved in tourism increasingly spoke in terms of Dingle as a product to be promoted, adopting the full panoply of modern marketing perspectives. Partly the change was generational, with more young people happily able to remain living in the area. Nevertheless, there remains a certain laid-back informality, which visitors who stay for a while soon find is part of the experience, part of the attraction of the place .....
Inevitably, the visitor¹s response to Dingle is an individual one. Many visit for the contact with Irish spoken in a natural, native way and for the insight that offers them into Irish life and culture. Others visit because it can be a kind of paradise for the hill walker; others to observe sea-birds or the arctic alpine flora. For many the atmosphere of simply being there, of impromptu meetings or musical sessions in pubs, is like a restoring breath of fresh air to which they will wish constantly to return.
There must be few for whom the surrounding presence of the sea does not provide abiding images: the fishing boats in Dingle Harbour, the long sweeps of strand on the northern coastline, at Inch, Ventry and Smerwick; the sound between the Blasket Islands and Dunmore Head; the black naomhóga at Dunquin Harbour; the power of sea against rocks at Clogher and Brandon Creek.
The peninsula¹s position at the extreme western edge of Europe gives it a dramatic setting as it faces into the vastness of the Atlantic. It has also meant that its history has been shaped both by isolation from the more developed countries of Europe and by periods of close trading contact with Europe. What attracts many visitors to the area has much to do with the comparative isolation from intensive economic development, from the central political, social and cultural concerns of the industrialised nations. Elements of the ancient cultural well-spring of Indo-European civilisation survived here long after they had been obliterated elsewhere; in terms of physical remains, the lack of economic development and the prevalence of superstitious inhibitions have meant that a great number of archaeological sites are still intact.
More recently many of the elements that give the Dingle Peninsula its particular character have been under heavy attack from modernising influences. Physically an enormous change in the very scenery of the peninsula has been taking place, and continues, as spruce trees march in ever more massive battalions across the landscape, which used to be characterised by long, uninterrupted stretches of blanket bog. The comparative prosperity of recent decades has enabled people to build new homes, and many have opted for singly sited white bungalows, which are now scattered over the countryside, with particular concentrations in strip developments along the roadsides. The strongest influence on the area is no longer farming or fishing; rather, it is tourism, and there has been debate in recent years, with some believing that the more tourists and the more tourist developments of any kind the better, while others have questioned how much tourism and of what kind is appropriate. Modernisation and prosperity are very welcome in themselves, but they do bring changes which place both old virtues and old vices under threat, and different people view such changes differently. However, it is still true to say that the life of the area possesses distinctive characteristics; that there is an elaborative and imaginative quality to local speech most marked in Irish but also present in English. But these are qualities which reveal themselves to visitors who stay for a while and who have an ear for such things.
In what follows the attempt is to convey, in moving through the peninsula, examples of the elements that are characteristic of the area. It is not possible to provide information about everything; nor would one wish to. After all, the best kind of exploration is the kind you do yourself. There are many archaeological remains on the peninsula: there are fine megalithic graves, standing stones and early Christian settlements, not to mention ringforts, ogham stones and castles. The archaeological survey of the Dingle Peninsula, published in 1986, proved a four-year task for a team of archaeologists.
And so, in this book, I have given detailed background in relation to just one example of each kind of archaeological site, while others are mentioned more briefly. To be comprehensive about the archaeology, folklore and history of the area would require many books: quite apart from archaeology, some sixty books have come out of the Blasket Islands, Dunquin and Ballyferriter alone; and the archives in the Department of Folklore in University College Dublin include some 100,000 pages of material from the Dingle Peninsula.
There is a luxury of material and of choice. The choices taken in this book of where to stop on the road and look in some detail would certainly not be everyone¹s choices; there are things and places described which other observers would consider insignificant, just as there are places and things not described which perhaps should have been. But the area is genuinely rich in all kinds of interest, and if this book succeeds in providing some information about every part of the peninsula while leaving an appetite for more, then it will have succeeded in its purpose.
The Dingle Peninsula by Steve MacDonogh
this extract from "The Dingle Peninsula"
Travel/Local History; ISBN 0 86322 269 2
Dingle is one of the most favoured spots in Ireland for the independently minded visitor. The National Geographic Traveler has described it as "the most beautiful place on earth". Bounded on three sides by the sea, it combines in its landscape the ruggedness of rocky outcrops and cliffs with the soft shapes of hills and mountains, skirted by coastal lowlands. For those who stay only briefly the scenery is what the Dingle experience is all about: the view of the Blasket Islands from Slea Head; the harbours, mountains, cliffs and strands; the view from the Connor Pass. Indeed, every part of the peninsula offers attractive and often dramatic views.
Roads lead over the mountains and along the coasts between irregular grids of mortarless stone walls surrounding small fields. The main road from Tralee divides at Camp: one route continues along the northern coast to Castlegregory, dividing again when one road turns towards Cloghane and another rises high to the Connor Pass over the mountains to Dingle. The other route from Camp rises to a mountain pass above Gleann na nGealt, the beautiful "valley of the mad", and descends to Anascaul and thence, after a series of hairpin bends, to Lispole and a long straight road to Dingle. From the direction of Killarney and Castlemaine another road enters the peninsula along a narrow coastal strip beneath the Slieve Mish mountains past the beautiful long strand at Inch and turns inland through a pass to Anascaul.
The Connor Pass road is undoubtedly the most dramatic route to take, though it is not suitable for heavy vehicles or caravans. As it swings towards the south it rises at the side of a large valley formed by glaciers that came from a semi-circle of coums or corries in the surrounding mountains. From the top of the pass there are breathtaking views in fine weather of lowlands, mountains and sea.
High vantage points provide the best position from which to take in the sweep of the landscape, and most of the main roads on the peninsula cross mountains at passes. The road to Dingle via Anascaul does not rise as high as the Connor Pass, but it is high enough to provide magnificent views of the coast of Tralee and Brandon Bays, of the landscape on the southern side of the mountain range, and of the Iveragh Peninsula across Dingle Bay.
To the west of Dingle the most scenic route winds around the coast via Ventry to Slea Head, from which the view of the Blasket Islands is a sight that stops many visitors in their tracks. From Slea Head the road continues along the coast to Dunquin, thence to Ballyferriter, from which one road crosses by Mám na Goaithe, the windy pass, to Ventry; another goes further north to themám at Baile na nÁth (Ballynana), the townland of the height. From this pass one road drops down to Milltown and Dingle while another continues north to Kilmalkedar, Ballydavid and Feohanagh, and meets a road which leads along the foot of Mount Brandon to a low pass back to Dingle.
From Dingle the Connor Pass road rises steeply, and in its higher reaches rocky mountain slopes and cliffs at one point named Faill na Seamróg, the shamrock cliff tower above to the left. At the bottom of the descent from Connor Pass to the north the road swings right to Castlegregory and Camp, and turns left to Cloghane and Brandon, finally coming to a halt on the cliffs at Brandon Point. From here there is a fine view of Brandon and Tralee Bays, the spit of sand out to the Maharees, and the whole northern side of the peninsula, while above and behind stands the imposing mass of Mount Brandon.
These are the main routes through the peninsula, each of them opening up a landscape rich in visual variety and interest. But there are also countless roads off the main routes and countless narrow bohareens, or country lanes, and for visitors who have time to do more than drive once through the peninsula, getting off the beaten track is the best way to explore the area.
The hills, coastline and countryside yield their qualities most readily to the walker. There is a depth in the appeal of the landscape which goes beyond the contemplation of beautiful scenery, for the countryside is dotted with the historical remains and artefacts of past centuries. The Dingle Peninsula possesses a quite extraordinary concentration of archaeological sites. These are not massive structures of great splendour, such as Newgrange or Stonehenge; but they are in their modesty more characteristic of the ages from which they survive. In the number that have survived in this small area lies a magnificence and splendour of its own.
The archaeological remains testify physically to the rich culture of the past, and the peninsula is also an exceptionally rich repository of folklore and of Irish traditional culture. Largely isolated in recent centuries from the mainstream of European and Irish economic, social and cultural change, Dingle, in common with other parts of the west of Ireland, long maintained traditional values and customs. Today in the area to the west of Dingle town Irish is very much the first language; many of the ancient customs which were observed for many centuries and had their origins before the advent of Christianity have died out in the last sixty years, but some survive. Some holy wells are still visited for annual devotions, and the day after Christmas Day is celebrated with the festival of "hunting the wren". Traditional music and dance play an important part in many people's lives, despite the counter-attractions of multinational pop culture, and the traditional small boats of ancient design, the naomhóga or curraghs, are still built and used.
For many people the most abiding impression, and one which has drawn visitors back year after year, is perhaps the most difficult to define. It has to do with the pace and rhythm of life, about which there is a subtle joke to the effect that the Irish language lacks a word that conveys the same sense of urgency as the Spanish mañana. It has to do with lifestyle, with a certain sense of ease, calm and relaxation. There is no one word that adequately describes it, but it is expressed in chance encounters. Visitors stop to ask for directions and find themselves drawn into conversations which are long, fascinating and charming. People used to the coldness of New York, Frankfurt or London are surprised to find the person next to them at the counter of a Dingle pub commenting upon the weather and wondering if they are enjoying their visit, where they have come from, how long they are staying and what they think of the present state of the world. However, a great deal of change occurred during the 1990s. Tourist numbers and facilities increased and prosperity grew substantially, and those involved in tourism increasingly spoke in terms of Dingle as a product to be promoted, adopting the full panoply of modern marketing perspectives. Partly the change was generational, with more young people happily able to remain living in the area. Nevertheless, there remains a certain laid-back informality, which visitors who stay for a while soon find is part of the experience, part of the attraction of the place .....
Inevitably, the visitor¹s response to Dingle is an individual one. Many visit for the contact with Irish spoken in a natural, native way and for the insight that offers them into Irish life and culture. Others visit because it can be a kind of paradise for the hill walker; others to observe sea-birds or the arctic alpine flora. For many the atmosphere of simply being there, of impromptu meetings or musical sessions in pubs, is like a restoring breath of fresh air to which they will wish constantly to return.
There must be few for whom the surrounding presence of the sea does not provide abiding images: the fishing boats in Dingle Harbour, the long sweeps of strand on the northern coastline, at Inch, Ventry and Smerwick; the sound between the Blasket Islands and Dunmore Head; the black naomhóga at Dunquin Harbour; the power of sea against rocks at Clogher and Brandon Creek.
The peninsula¹s position at the extreme western edge of Europe gives it a dramatic setting as it faces into the vastness of the Atlantic. It has also meant that its history has been shaped both by isolation from the more developed countries of Europe and by periods of close trading contact with Europe. What attracts many visitors to the area has much to do with the comparative isolation from intensive economic development, from the central political, social and cultural concerns of the industrialised nations. Elements of the ancient cultural well-spring of Indo-European civilisation survived here long after they had been obliterated elsewhere; in terms of physical remains, the lack of economic development and the prevalence of superstitious inhibitions have meant that a great number of archaeological sites are still intact.
More recently many of the elements that give the Dingle Peninsula its particular character have been under heavy attack from modernising influences. Physically an enormous change in the very scenery of the peninsula has been taking place, and continues, as spruce trees march in ever more massive battalions across the landscape, which used to be characterised by long, uninterrupted stretches of blanket bog. The comparative prosperity of recent decades has enabled people to build new homes, and many have opted for singly sited white bungalows, which are now scattered over the countryside, with particular concentrations in strip developments along the roadsides. The strongest influence on the area is no longer farming or fishing; rather, it is tourism, and there has been debate in recent years, with some believing that the more tourists and the more tourist developments of any kind the better, while others have questioned how much tourism and of what kind is appropriate. Modernisation and prosperity are very welcome in themselves, but they do bring changes which place both old virtues and old vices under threat, and different people view such changes differently. However, it is still true to say that the life of the area possesses distinctive characteristics; that there is an elaborative and imaginative quality to local speech most marked in Irish but also present in English. But these are qualities which reveal themselves to visitors who stay for a while and who have an ear for such things.
In what follows the attempt is to convey, in moving through the peninsula, examples of the elements that are characteristic of the area. It is not possible to provide information about everything; nor would one wish to. After all, the best kind of exploration is the kind you do yourself. There are many archaeological remains on the peninsula: there are fine megalithic graves, standing stones and early Christian settlements, not to mention ringforts, ogham stones and castles. The archaeological survey of the Dingle Peninsula, published in 1986, proved a four-year task for a team of archaeologists.
And so, in this book, I have given detailed background in relation to just one example of each kind of archaeological site, while others are mentioned more briefly. To be comprehensive about the archaeology, folklore and history of the area would require many books: quite apart from archaeology, some sixty books have come out of the Blasket Islands, Dunquin and Ballyferriter alone; and the archives in the Department of Folklore in University College Dublin include some 100,000 pages of material from the Dingle Peninsula.
There is a luxury of material and of choice. The choices taken in this book of where to stop on the road and look in some detail would certainly not be everyone¹s choices; there are things and places described which other observers would consider insignificant, just as there are places and things not described which perhaps should have been. But the area is genuinely rich in all kinds of interest, and if this book succeeds in providing some information about every part of the peninsula while leaving an appetite for more, then it will have succeeded in its purpose.
The Dingle Peninsula by Steve MacDonogh
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Dingle Peninsula
My book, Lost Son of Ireland, takes place on the Dingle Peninsula. I decided to put some of the research I found, on this blog.
There is no other landscape in western Europe with the density and variety of archaeological monuments as the Dingle Peninsula. This mountainous finger of land which juts into the Atlantic Ocean has supported various tribes and populations for almost 6,000 years. Because of the peninsula's remote location, and lack of specialised agriculture, there is a remarkable preservation of over 2,000 monuments.
It is impossible to visit the Dingle Peninsula and not be impressed by its archaeological heritage. When one combines each site's folklore and mythology, which have been passed orally from generation to generation through the Irish language, one can begin to understand how unique and complex is the history of this peninsula.
THE STONE AGE
The southwest of Ireland has traditionally been seen as having few Neolithic monuments. The recent discovery of a series of Passage Tombs outside of Tralee has reopened the debate. It is now felt that many of the hilltop cairns and possibly some of the standing stones date to the Neolithic. It is also likely that the cup and circle rock art is Stone Age rather than Bronze Age. It is during this period that the first farmers appear, living in more permanent structures, and showing a certain skill with the craft of pottery. Stone is the main material used in tool and weapon making. Large stone tombs are built to house the dead, and possibly also for ritual use. Some of the tombs of this period show incredible architectural skill in their orientation on the setting sun during the Winter Solstice.
There is no other landscape in western Europe with the density and variety of archaeological monuments as the Dingle Peninsula. This mountainous finger of land which juts into the Atlantic Ocean has supported various tribes and populations for almost 6,000 years. Because of the peninsula's remote location, and lack of specialised agriculture, there is a remarkable preservation of over 2,000 monuments.
It is impossible to visit the Dingle Peninsula and not be impressed by its archaeological heritage. When one combines each site's folklore and mythology, which have been passed orally from generation to generation through the Irish language, one can begin to understand how unique and complex is the history of this peninsula.
THE STONE AGE
The southwest of Ireland has traditionally been seen as having few Neolithic monuments. The recent discovery of a series of Passage Tombs outside of Tralee has reopened the debate. It is now felt that many of the hilltop cairns and possibly some of the standing stones date to the Neolithic. It is also likely that the cup and circle rock art is Stone Age rather than Bronze Age. It is during this period that the first farmers appear, living in more permanent structures, and showing a certain skill with the craft of pottery. Stone is the main material used in tool and weapon making. Large stone tombs are built to house the dead, and possibly also for ritual use. Some of the tombs of this period show incredible architectural skill in their orientation on the setting sun during the Winter Solstice.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Answers to those questions
Answers:
1. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.
2. Ireland forever. (Extra credit answer: Gaelic.)
3. Londonderry Air. The lyrics were written by an English lawyer named Fred Weatherly to a traditional tune.
4. Green representing Roman Catholics, orange representing Protestants and white in between representing living together in peace.
5. Hearts, moons, stars and clovers. Shapes added to later versions of the cereal included horseshoes, pots of gold, rainbows and red balloons. (Extra credit answer: "They're always after 'me Lucky Charms." Or, "They're magically delicious.")
6. You can hear the angels sing. The lyrics are: "When Irish eyes are smiling, sure 'tis like the morn in spring. In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing. When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay. And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they steal your heart away."
7. French. Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French.
8. Father Flanagan. (Extra credit answer: "There is no such thing as a bad boy.")
9. To scare away the devil.
10. Four. The usual distilling age is 7 to 8 years. Premium Irish whiskies are aged many more years.
11. Sinead O'Connor.
12. A cobbler or shoemaker.
13. Somebody I adore. The lyrics are: "I'm looking over a four-leaf clover that I overlooked before. One leaf is sunshine, the second is rain, third is the roses that grow in the lane. No need explaining, the one remaining is somebody I adore. I'm looking over a four-leaf clover that I overlooked before."
14. "Manly, yes, but I like it too."
15. Charles Parnell in a movie titled "Parnell."
16. Water of life. It is a shortened version of the Irish word uisgebeatha. Uisge means water and beatha means life.
17. Lamb or mutton chops.
18. Finnegans Wake.
19. In the water. It is a seaweed found along the west coast of Ireland. Also called carrageen, it is used as a thickener in puddings, soups, ice creams, cosmetics and medicines.
20. 1845 to 1849.
(Total up your right answers and if you can still count that high… yer too damn sober, laddie/lass. Ye’ve missed the whole point o’ the Day. Try again… G’day t’ ye.)
1. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.
2. Ireland forever. (Extra credit answer: Gaelic.)
3. Londonderry Air. The lyrics were written by an English lawyer named Fred Weatherly to a traditional tune.
4. Green representing Roman Catholics, orange representing Protestants and white in between representing living together in peace.
5. Hearts, moons, stars and clovers. Shapes added to later versions of the cereal included horseshoes, pots of gold, rainbows and red balloons. (Extra credit answer: "They're always after 'me Lucky Charms." Or, "They're magically delicious.")
6. You can hear the angels sing. The lyrics are: "When Irish eyes are smiling, sure 'tis like the morn in spring. In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing. When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay. And when Irish eyes are smiling, sure they steal your heart away."
7. French. Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French.
8. Father Flanagan. (Extra credit answer: "There is no such thing as a bad boy.")
9. To scare away the devil.
10. Four. The usual distilling age is 7 to 8 years. Premium Irish whiskies are aged many more years.
11. Sinead O'Connor.
12. A cobbler or shoemaker.
13. Somebody I adore. The lyrics are: "I'm looking over a four-leaf clover that I overlooked before. One leaf is sunshine, the second is rain, third is the roses that grow in the lane. No need explaining, the one remaining is somebody I adore. I'm looking over a four-leaf clover that I overlooked before."
14. "Manly, yes, but I like it too."
15. Charles Parnell in a movie titled "Parnell."
16. Water of life. It is a shortened version of the Irish word uisgebeatha. Uisge means water and beatha means life.
17. Lamb or mutton chops.
18. Finnegans Wake.
19. In the water. It is a seaweed found along the west coast of Ireland. Also called carrageen, it is used as a thickener in puddings, soups, ice creams, cosmetics and medicines.
20. 1845 to 1849.
(Total up your right answers and if you can still count that high… yer too damn sober, laddie/lass. Ye’ve missed the whole point o’ the Day. Try again… G’day t’ ye.)
Happy St. Patrick's Day
A Wish for a Friend
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!
Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers—
Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours—
Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,
And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Trying something different
Chances are you may find yourself celebrating the Irish holiday in your favorite bar, tavern or saloon. If you want to kick-start the party, try out these 20 questions of Irish trivia. Topics run the gamut from history to pop culture and test your knowledge of all things Irish. They can be used to set up spirited bar games and contests. You can form teams or let anyone shout out the answers. Have awards for the winners or make the losers buy a round for the house. Be as formal or as raucous as you want. The choice is yours on how to play. May the luck of the Irish be with you. You can even just do it by yourself as you cry in your green beer.
Questions:
1. What are the names of the members of the Irish rock band U2?
2. What does "Erin go bragh" mean? (For extra credit: What language is it?)
3. What is the alternative title of the song "Danny Boy"?
4. What are the colors of the flag of Ireland?
5. What were the shapes of the marshmallow pieces in the original Lucky Charms cereal? (For extra credit: What does the leprechaun say as a sales pitch for the cereal?)
6. In the song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," what can you hear in the lilt of Irish laughter?
7. Notre Dame derives from what language?
8. What is the name of the Irish priest depicted by Spencer Tracy in the 1938 classic movie "Boys Town"? (For extra credit: What is the Boys Town motto?)
9. Before baking Irish soda bread, why is a cross traditionally slashed in the top of the loaf?
10. What is the minimum number of years that Irish whiskey is aged?
11. What Irish singer tore up a picture of the Pope on live television?
12. In Irish folklore, what is the traditional profession of a leprechaun?
13. In the song "I'm Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover," what does the fourth leaf represent?
14. In early television commercials for Irish Spring soap, a woman expresses her approval of the product by saying what phrase?
15. Movie idol Clark Gable was miscast in a 1936 movie portraying what Irish patriot?
16. What is the historical root definition of the word "whiskey"?
17. What type of meat goes into a traditional Irish stew?
18. What is the title of the final novel by Irish writer James Joyce which is known for its experimental language and free associations?
19. Where would you start looking for Irish moss?
20. What were the years of the Irish potato famine?
The answers will come tomorrow.................
Questions:
1. What are the names of the members of the Irish rock band U2?
2. What does "Erin go bragh" mean? (For extra credit: What language is it?)
3. What is the alternative title of the song "Danny Boy"?
4. What are the colors of the flag of Ireland?
5. What were the shapes of the marshmallow pieces in the original Lucky Charms cereal? (For extra credit: What does the leprechaun say as a sales pitch for the cereal?)
6. In the song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," what can you hear in the lilt of Irish laughter?
7. Notre Dame derives from what language?
8. What is the name of the Irish priest depicted by Spencer Tracy in the 1938 classic movie "Boys Town"? (For extra credit: What is the Boys Town motto?)
9. Before baking Irish soda bread, why is a cross traditionally slashed in the top of the loaf?
10. What is the minimum number of years that Irish whiskey is aged?
11. What Irish singer tore up a picture of the Pope on live television?
12. In Irish folklore, what is the traditional profession of a leprechaun?
13. In the song "I'm Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover," what does the fourth leaf represent?
14. In early television commercials for Irish Spring soap, a woman expresses her approval of the product by saying what phrase?
15. Movie idol Clark Gable was miscast in a 1936 movie portraying what Irish patriot?
16. What is the historical root definition of the word "whiskey"?
17. What type of meat goes into a traditional Irish stew?
18. What is the title of the final novel by Irish writer James Joyce which is known for its experimental language and free associations?
19. Where would you start looking for Irish moss?
20. What were the years of the Irish potato famine?
The answers will come tomorrow.................
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Some Irish Trivia
The first St. Patrick's Day on record in North America was in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737. I was unable to discover if the celebrants dyed their beer green in honor of the day.
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is much different; it's a public and religious holiday. Not saying a few beers mightn't get hoisted at O'Reilly's Pub, but in general it's a more cultural and sanctified event than its North American counterpart. People attend mass, watch parades and enjoy rugby games.
St. Patrick is not St. Patrick
Some historians believe his real name was Maewyn Succat. Even if it wasn't, it still wasn't Patrick but Patricius because he was born and raised in Roman Britain, probably on the coast of Wales.
When he was 16, Irish pirates raided the coast, taking him and many hapless more into Ireland where they were sold as slaves. Patricius remained a slave for six years, herding his master's sheep before escaping back home. He entered the church, eventually became a bishop and returned to Ireland as a missionary. He wasn't the first missionary there but does get most of the credit for establishing Christianity in Ireland.
Irish snakes
One popular legend about St. Patrick is that he stood on a hill (Croagh Patrick to be exact) in County Mayo and with a wave of his staff, banished the snakes from Ireland. However, there never were any snakes in the Emerald Isle, making this a metaphor for something else. Serpents are often associated with paganism, especially goddess worship. Within 200 years of St. Patrick's arrival, Christianity dominated the country. Still, traces of the old goddess worship remain to this day. For example, the goddess Brighid became "Christianized" as St. Bridget. And there may be a good reason the Virgin Mary is so revered in Ireland that untold numbers of girls have been given the name.
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland
St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is much different; it's a public and religious holiday. Not saying a few beers mightn't get hoisted at O'Reilly's Pub, but in general it's a more cultural and sanctified event than its North American counterpart. People attend mass, watch parades and enjoy rugby games.
St. Patrick is not St. Patrick
Some historians believe his real name was Maewyn Succat. Even if it wasn't, it still wasn't Patrick but Patricius because he was born and raised in Roman Britain, probably on the coast of Wales.
When he was 16, Irish pirates raided the coast, taking him and many hapless more into Ireland where they were sold as slaves. Patricius remained a slave for six years, herding his master's sheep before escaping back home. He entered the church, eventually became a bishop and returned to Ireland as a missionary. He wasn't the first missionary there but does get most of the credit for establishing Christianity in Ireland.
Irish snakes
One popular legend about St. Patrick is that he stood on a hill (Croagh Patrick to be exact) in County Mayo and with a wave of his staff, banished the snakes from Ireland. However, there never were any snakes in the Emerald Isle, making this a metaphor for something else. Serpents are often associated with paganism, especially goddess worship. Within 200 years of St. Patrick's arrival, Christianity dominated the country. Still, traces of the old goddess worship remain to this day. For example, the goddess Brighid became "Christianized" as St. Bridget. And there may be a good reason the Virgin Mary is so revered in Ireland that untold numbers of girls have been given the name.
Friday, March 14, 2008
More sayings
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
I just got these in an email. Thought I'd post them before St. Pat's day.
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
I just got these in an email. Thought I'd post them before St. Pat's day.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Water, water, go away
And don't come back another day. I want to get the cellar cleaned up and make a list of all the stuff I've lost. Today we had sprinkles but of snow. The sun does not want to shine.
Not writing makes my days long. What to do with myself? I fooled around with emails, my ACES group for English Setters, did my other blog but not well and heard Spitzer resign from office. What a day!
Not writing makes my days long. What to do with myself? I fooled around with emails, my ACES group for English Setters, did my other blog but not well and heard Spitzer resign from office. What a day!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Interview
I will be interviewing Pat Guthrie on the 27th
Check my other blog for the weekend's problems. lololol
For much more information about Patricia Guthrie and In the Arms of the Enemy, visit her virtual book tour site - http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Patricia+Guthrie
Book Summary
WANTED: ASSASSIN TO KILL RACE HORSES ON DEMAND
FLEXIBLE HOURS-GOOD BENEFITS
Light Sword Publishing announces the release of Patricia A. Guthrie’s first published novel “In the Arms of the Enemy.”
When the death of a racing stable’s prize horse and his trainer is blamed on the stable’s owner; his son, Adam Blakely, goes undercover convinced that the trainer’s partner, Maggie McGregor, is the killer.
Determined to leave the tumultuous world of horse racing, Maggie returns home to try and find peace. When a handsome horse owner moves his horse into her father’s boarding stable and asks Maggie to train his horse, family finances dictate that Maggie accept--and that’s when the accidents begin.
Drowning in deception and lies, Maggie and Adam search for a killer and uncover an insurance scam so insidious, it threatens to rock a horse racing empire and bring the killer to their doorstep. They need to learn to:
Keep your friends close; but your enemies closer.
Review magazine "Affaire de Coeur" says, "With a strong mystery and a sizzling romance, Ms. Guthrie captivates readers from the start. This is an enjoyable thriller with a plot that will keep you guessing until the climactic end.”
* * * * * Rated five stars
AUTHOR BIO
Patricia A. Guthrie is a resident of Park Forest, Illinois. A recently retired music teacher from the Chicago Public Schools (May Community Academy and Chicago Vocational Community Academy) and former opera singer, Author Patricia A. Guthrie is now an avid horse owner, dog obedience trainer and writer. Ms. Guthrie lives with three feisty collies who act as “ghost writers” and help her write at every given opportunity.
This story is dedicated to those horses lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians whose mission is to save and protect them.
In the Arms of the Enemy By Patricia A. Guthrie
www.paguthrie.blogspot.com
www.patriciaanneguthrie.com
www.myspace.com/paguthrie
Check my other blog for the weekend's problems. lololol
For much more information about Patricia Guthrie and In the Arms of the Enemy, visit her virtual book tour site - http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Patricia+Guthrie
Book Summary
WANTED: ASSASSIN TO KILL RACE HORSES ON DEMAND
FLEXIBLE HOURS-GOOD BENEFITS
Light Sword Publishing announces the release of Patricia A. Guthrie’s first published novel “In the Arms of the Enemy.”
When the death of a racing stable’s prize horse and his trainer is blamed on the stable’s owner; his son, Adam Blakely, goes undercover convinced that the trainer’s partner, Maggie McGregor, is the killer.
Determined to leave the tumultuous world of horse racing, Maggie returns home to try and find peace. When a handsome horse owner moves his horse into her father’s boarding stable and asks Maggie to train his horse, family finances dictate that Maggie accept--and that’s when the accidents begin.
Drowning in deception and lies, Maggie and Adam search for a killer and uncover an insurance scam so insidious, it threatens to rock a horse racing empire and bring the killer to their doorstep. They need to learn to:
Keep your friends close; but your enemies closer.
Review magazine "Affaire de Coeur" says, "With a strong mystery and a sizzling romance, Ms. Guthrie captivates readers from the start. This is an enjoyable thriller with a plot that will keep you guessing until the climactic end.”
* * * * * Rated five stars
AUTHOR BIO
Patricia A. Guthrie is a resident of Park Forest, Illinois. A recently retired music teacher from the Chicago Public Schools (May Community Academy and Chicago Vocational Community Academy) and former opera singer, Author Patricia A. Guthrie is now an avid horse owner, dog obedience trainer and writer. Ms. Guthrie lives with three feisty collies who act as “ghost writers” and help her write at every given opportunity.
This story is dedicated to those horses lost to man’s greed and inhumanity and to those humanitarians whose mission is to save and protect them.
In the Arms of the Enemy By Patricia A. Guthrie
www.paguthrie.blogspot.com
www.patriciaanneguthrie.com
www.myspace.com/paguthrie
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Danny Boy--the song
I just read this on the Internet and found out more than I wanted to know about a song I love. I found it on GoGirlfriend's Blog
Danny Boy Banned in New York Pub
The most overplayed, over-ranked and the most depressing lyrics of all time?
If you're hoping for a pint of green beer and hearty round of "Danny Boy" in pubs this St. Patrick's Day, steer clear of Foley's Pub in Manhattan. The owner, Shaun Clancy, banned it for the entire month of March.
"It's overplayed, it's been ranked among the 25 most depressing songs of all time and it's more appropriate AP News - Shaun Clancy for a funeral than for a St. Patrick's Day celebration," said Shaun Clancy, who owns Foley's Pub and Restaurant, across the street from the Empire State Building.
But Shauny Boy, it's the one Irish song we all know - I'm singing it in my head as I'm writing this!
Clancy, the 38-year-old owner, grew up bartending when he started pouring drinks at his Dad's pub in Country Cavan, Ireland. He's promised a free Guinness to anyone who'll sing an Irish song his pub's pre-St. Patrick's Day karaoke party on March 11 - as long as it's not Danny Boy.
A free Guinness? Worth reconsidering our fixation with the tune and a Google search to find a replacement? Maybe.
So, what's the Irish man's problem with Danny Boy. For starters, it was written by an English man, Frederick Edward Weatherly, who never set foot on Irish soil. Some say the song's symbolic of the Irish potato famine, while others say it's a song sung by a mother grieving a dead son or lost lover.
The song concludes, "The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying/ 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide." Maybe Shauny Boy's onto something here - it doesn't exactly sound like Irish dancing music, to me.
Martin Gaffney, 73, told the Associated Press he was happy to see the song banned. The song is "all right, but I get fed up with hearing it - it's like the elections," he said in a thick Irish brogue.
If your heart's set on crooning the sad lyrics this St. Paddy's day, get yourself to AJ's Café in Detroit where you can sing to your heart's content in a 50-hour marathon of the song.
50 hours of Danny Boy?
I don't think there's enough Guinness in the world to get anyone through that special brand of Irish Hell.
Danny Boy Banned in New York Pub
The most overplayed, over-ranked and the most depressing lyrics of all time?
If you're hoping for a pint of green beer and hearty round of "Danny Boy" in pubs this St. Patrick's Day, steer clear of Foley's Pub in Manhattan. The owner, Shaun Clancy, banned it for the entire month of March.
"It's overplayed, it's been ranked among the 25 most depressing songs of all time and it's more appropriate AP News - Shaun Clancy for a funeral than for a St. Patrick's Day celebration," said Shaun Clancy, who owns Foley's Pub and Restaurant, across the street from the Empire State Building.
But Shauny Boy, it's the one Irish song we all know - I'm singing it in my head as I'm writing this!
Clancy, the 38-year-old owner, grew up bartending when he started pouring drinks at his Dad's pub in Country Cavan, Ireland. He's promised a free Guinness to anyone who'll sing an Irish song his pub's pre-St. Patrick's Day karaoke party on March 11 - as long as it's not Danny Boy.
A free Guinness? Worth reconsidering our fixation with the tune and a Google search to find a replacement? Maybe.
So, what's the Irish man's problem with Danny Boy. For starters, it was written by an English man, Frederick Edward Weatherly, who never set foot on Irish soil. Some say the song's symbolic of the Irish potato famine, while others say it's a song sung by a mother grieving a dead son or lost lover.
The song concludes, "The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying/ 'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide." Maybe Shauny Boy's onto something here - it doesn't exactly sound like Irish dancing music, to me.
Martin Gaffney, 73, told the Associated Press he was happy to see the song banned. The song is "all right, but I get fed up with hearing it - it's like the elections," he said in a thick Irish brogue.
If your heart's set on crooning the sad lyrics this St. Paddy's day, get yourself to AJ's Café in Detroit where you can sing to your heart's content in a 50-hour marathon of the song.
50 hours of Danny Boy?
I don't think there's enough Guinness in the world to get anyone through that special brand of Irish Hell.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
The writing life
The writing life is not all it's cracked up to be. So many things get in the way--even what people say to the author.
So, I'm going to give myself an Irish blessing. "May the sun shine always in the windows of my outdoor office." That's where I'm going to hide. I am not going to listen to anyone, but sit in front of the computer until blood slips from my nostrils, so that I can write something decent...
Check the other blog if you want to know what's happened in the recent past.
So, I'm going to give myself an Irish blessing. "May the sun shine always in the windows of my outdoor office." That's where I'm going to hide. I am not going to listen to anyone, but sit in front of the computer until blood slips from my nostrils, so that I can write something decent...
Check the other blog if you want to know what's happened in the recent past.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
It's Snowing
It's snowing and snowing and hasn't stopped. I shoveled the back deck for the dogs today, the path to my office and the front porch. The snow was heavier than cement. Hard exercise for an old lady like me.
Then, of course, I wasted the rest of the day...........but I did want to write something on this blog. I hope you enjoyed the Irish blessings.
Then, of course, I wasted the rest of the day...........but I did want to write something on this blog. I hope you enjoyed the Irish blessings.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Blessings one day--snow the next
I'm sitting in my room, watching the snow fall. It's been coming down since 9:30 this morning. At first, it was light and fluffy, but, as the day wore on, the snow grew stronger and began to stick to the ground.
Actually, watching snow is lovely. The sounds of the world are muted. The bare brown of the scenery takes on a glowing white. I think I like snow better than the summer sun that often brings brown grass. Although, I must admit, autumn is my favorite time of the year.
Actually, watching snow is lovely. The sounds of the world are muted. The bare brown of the scenery takes on a glowing white. I think I like snow better than the summer sun that often brings brown grass. Although, I must admit, autumn is my favorite time of the year.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Irish Blessings
Today, a friend of mine sent me an Irish Blessing joke that was done in the same format as the ones I already know. It didn't work for me so I made her check it out at www.snopes.com She found out it wasn't true.......so I sent her some real Irish Blessings.
May ye always have...
Walls for the wind
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer ye
Those ye love near ye
And all yer heart might desire
Irish Blessing:
May ye always have work for yer hands to do
May yer pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on yer windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow the rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near ye.
May ye rise up to Heaven before the devil knows ye've died...
If any of you Irishmen out there know others, send them on.
May ye always have...
Walls for the wind
A roof for the rain
Tea beside the fire
Laughter to cheer ye
Those ye love near ye
And all yer heart might desire
Irish Blessing:
May ye always have work for yer hands to do
May yer pockets hold always a coin or two.
May the sun shine bright on yer windowpane.
May the rainbow be certain to follow the rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near ye.
May the road rise up to meet ye
And may God fill yer heart with gladness to cheer ye.
And my favorite of them all:
May ye rise up to Heaven before the devil knows ye've died...
If any of you Irishmen out there know others, send them on.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
My bad
I took a long time to get back to my blogs. Just didn't have the stuff to write. I did watch the Eukanuba and the Westminster Dog Shows and enjoyed every minute. I even watched the Eukanuba one over again yesterday. The English Setter came in second in the Sporting Dogs group and the Scottish Deerhound came in second in the Hound group. Watching it was fun, but it did keep me from writing.
I am making a pledge to myself. I am going to write every single day. I will find the time no matter what else I have to do. There will be no TV, no lying around, no reading--if the writing is not done. I am not saying how much I will write in a given day nor will I mention which novel I will be working on--unless I'm working on it. I have the suspense and the historical.
I spoke to my publisher today and she is waiting for both books. I just have to get a move on and stop feeling lazy and blocked. That's my wish for today and tomorrow as well.
I am making a pledge to myself. I am going to write every single day. I will find the time no matter what else I have to do. There will be no TV, no lying around, no reading--if the writing is not done. I am not saying how much I will write in a given day nor will I mention which novel I will be working on--unless I'm working on it. I have the suspense and the historical.
I spoke to my publisher today and she is waiting for both books. I just have to get a move on and stop feeling lazy and blocked. That's my wish for today and tomorrow as well.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Enjoying dogs
I watched the Eukanuba and the Westchester Dog shows. I loved seeing the Setters strut their stuff. They are so beautiful, I'm amazed that they don't win more often. Their coats always flow in the breezes they creating while tracking down the arena, and their big, old faces are always so sad. I feel they touch the heart of everyone--especially me.
Since I have both the Irish Wolfhound and the Scottish Deerhound in two of my historical novels, I always watch those dogs as well. The Irish Wolfhound in both of the above shows was a gorgeous tan color--so extraordinary. Those hounds just lope around as if they were small horses.
I also have an Irish Wolfhound in my new Saratoga book--which I'm having trouble with, if you read my other blog--Saratoga Winter 1865 is giving me fits. Every time I work on the historical, I get a great idea for my suspense, Vengeance Is Mine. I absolutely don't know which book I'm enjoying more.
Since I have both the Irish Wolfhound and the Scottish Deerhound in two of my historical novels, I always watch those dogs as well. The Irish Wolfhound in both of the above shows was a gorgeous tan color--so extraordinary. Those hounds just lope around as if they were small horses.
I also have an Irish Wolfhound in my new Saratoga book--which I'm having trouble with, if you read my other blog--Saratoga Winter 1865 is giving me fits. Every time I work on the historical, I get a great idea for my suspense, Vengeance Is Mine. I absolutely don't know which book I'm enjoying more.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
A hound
Well, the Irish Wolfhound didn't win his/her group, but a hound won the Westminster Dog Show. The 15 inch hound won the whole bloody thing. Uno, his name, was adorable, barking and howling for his attention. And he knew he had won. In fact, the dogs seem to know when they've won. They're smarter than we realize.
The English Setter came in fourth in the Sporting Group. I didn't tell my two dogs that it hadn't won. Didn't want to hurt their feelings.
The English Setter came in fourth in the Sporting Group. I didn't tell my two dogs that it hadn't won. Didn't want to hurt their feelings.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Quick note
A quick note before American Idol. Next week I'm going to have an author, who writes books about horses, as a guest on both my blogs. Do stop by..............
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Westminster Dog Show
Tonight starts the biggest dog show in the US. There's the Croft Show in England that is bigger. When I watched the Eukanuba show last week, the Irish Wolfhound was in the top four dogs in the Hound group. It was so exciting to see him stand so proud.
I'm hoping the same dog gets to be in the final seven, which will be shown tomorrow night. Or course, I'll have to watch American Idol's Hollywood session first, but will switch to the dog show as soon as Idol is over. I tend to watch the Sporting dogs, of which I have two, the Herding group
and the Working group.
I find the shows riveting and love to see dogs stride out, so proud of themselves. They seem so gregarious and confident. The dog shows are good TV and worth watching, the ultimate realty show...
I'm hoping the same dog gets to be in the final seven, which will be shown tomorrow night. Or course, I'll have to watch American Idol's Hollywood session first, but will switch to the dog show as soon as Idol is over. I tend to watch the Sporting dogs, of which I have two, the Herding group
and the Working group.
I find the shows riveting and love to see dogs stride out, so proud of themselves. They seem so gregarious and confident. The dog shows are good TV and worth watching, the ultimate realty show...
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Irish Wolfhounds
I don't know what's making me think of Irish Wolfhound. Perhaps, it's the fact that I am using one in my Saratoga Winter 1865. I also used a Wolfhound in my book, Lost Son of Ireland. That dog was a bit different than the one (Zoah) I'm using in the new book.
In Lost Son of Ireland, the dog had been hurt and left by the side of the road by warriors of a different village. He didn't quite trust strangers until some fine Irish men spoke to him sweetly. Then he let them carry him to the village, where the heroine took care of him and helped to get him well. The Wolfhound showed them all much love as the gentle giant he was. I don't want to mention the ending because I would love to have readers read the book itself.
I love animals. Over the years, I have had a black Lab, two pure-bred Collies, an extraordinary mutt (Part chow as evidenced by the black tongue, part German-Shepherd as evidenced by his coloring and part Golden Retriever as evidenced by his body structure and his nature--he was also, the dog of my heart.) and now two English Setters.
Right now, my little girl, Abbey, has severe hip dysplasia and is on pain medication. The past two days, she seems like her old self, cute, adorable and frisky. Barney, the male, is a very serious, self-contained dog, not always sure of himself and he sure does want to please--except when it's time to come back inside and he doesn't want to. The vet put them on medication for arthritis, to be given once a day. Hopefully, they'll both feel lots better real soon.
In Lost Son of Ireland, the dog had been hurt and left by the side of the road by warriors of a different village. He didn't quite trust strangers until some fine Irish men spoke to him sweetly. Then he let them carry him to the village, where the heroine took care of him and helped to get him well. The Wolfhound showed them all much love as the gentle giant he was. I don't want to mention the ending because I would love to have readers read the book itself.
I love animals. Over the years, I have had a black Lab, two pure-bred Collies, an extraordinary mutt (Part chow as evidenced by the black tongue, part German-Shepherd as evidenced by his coloring and part Golden Retriever as evidenced by his body structure and his nature--he was also, the dog of my heart.) and now two English Setters.
Right now, my little girl, Abbey, has severe hip dysplasia and is on pain medication. The past two days, she seems like her old self, cute, adorable and frisky. Barney, the male, is a very serious, self-contained dog, not always sure of himself and he sure does want to please--except when it's time to come back inside and he doesn't want to. The vet put them on medication for arthritis, to be given once a day. Hopefully, they'll both feel lots better real soon.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Wolfhounds and Deerhounds
I just had a member of the Cambridge Writers group send me a URL. for Wolfhounds.
http://www.iwclubofamerica.org/ I went there and the dogs are glorious. They have so much information on the site, I will go back many times. My Zoah, in Saratoga Winter 1865, is an Irish Wolfhound, and, for a big dog, is adorable. I really feel that she is a character in the book and have had several people tell me she steals the scene--which, in a way, is not good, but I guess I'll correct it in the later revisions. Right now, I just love the way I have her--large, gentle but protective if she feels it necessary to be that way.
I used a Scottish Deerhound in Clan Gunn: Gerek. Dubh was a definite character and I found my other characters relying on him a great deal. He had personality and I've had reviewers tell me how much they loved him. I did, too.
http://www.iwclubofamerica.org/ I went there and the dogs are glorious. They have so much information on the site, I will go back many times. My Zoah, in Saratoga Winter 1865, is an Irish Wolfhound, and, for a big dog, is adorable. I really feel that she is a character in the book and have had several people tell me she steals the scene--which, in a way, is not good, but I guess I'll correct it in the later revisions. Right now, I just love the way I have her--large, gentle but protective if she feels it necessary to be that way.
I used a Scottish Deerhound in Clan Gunn: Gerek. Dubh was a definite character and I found my other characters relying on him a great deal. He had personality and I've had reviewers tell me how much they loved him. I did, too.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Pups
I'm feeling great now that my little English Setter, Abbey, is feeling better. She's almost up to her old style, barking to go out and letting Barney bark to come in. I couldn't believe her snarling at him the other day, so totally unlike her. But each day she feels more like herself.
I got a wonderful note from someone who knows about Irish Wolfhounds. I might contact them personally to find out what they do know. I have an IW in my book, Saratoga Winter 1865. I need more information about their nature. I'm going to the AKC (American Kennel Club) to find out the restrictions or whatevers. Let's face it, you can't have an ugly dog in a book. And Zoah is a real character and I want her to continue. She's only a youngster at the beginning of the book and, as yet, I don't have a specific goal for her.......but I will soon.
I got a wonderful note from someone who knows about Irish Wolfhounds. I might contact them personally to find out what they do know. I have an IW in my book, Saratoga Winter 1865. I need more information about their nature. I'm going to the AKC (American Kennel Club) to find out the restrictions or whatevers. Let's face it, you can't have an ugly dog in a book. And Zoah is a real character and I want her to continue. She's only a youngster at the beginning of the book and, as yet, I don't have a specific goal for her.......but I will soon.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Giants
Since I watched and cheered the Giants on during yesterday's Super Bowl, the idea of giants took hold. It made me think of the Giant Causeway in Ireland. The most beautiful cliffs in the world that look out on the ocean. Someday I'll visit.
Of course, all the Celtic men in my writings are giant. Their personalities are bigger than life. They are taller than the average bear and much more handsome. It's a nice way to live, thinking about men like that.
I have always found big Irish and Scottish men to be quite gentle unless roused by injustice. I have found them kind and helpful, good with children for they are great story-tellers and laid-back..........oh well, we'd better not go there. lolololol
Of course, all the Celtic men in my writings are giant. Their personalities are bigger than life. They are taller than the average bear and much more handsome. It's a nice way to live, thinking about men like that.
I have always found big Irish and Scottish men to be quite gentle unless roused by injustice. I have found them kind and helpful, good with children for they are great story-tellers and laid-back..........oh well, we'd better not go there. lolololol
Sunday, February 03, 2008
I just read a wonderful Google article about Riding in Ireland. I'm going to put the url down but not sure it will work this way. http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/destinations/ireland/article3287585.ece
I hope I got it all down and you can read the article. Since I love both horses and Ireland and the Irish, I really enjoyed the article.
I hope I got it all down and you can read the article. Since I love both horses and Ireland and the Irish, I really enjoyed the article.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Irish Wolfhounds
I'm having so much angst with Abbey, the English Setter, not being up to par, that I wonder how I would react to having an Irish Wolfhound. They are the largest dog in the dog kingdom. Because of that, they often go to the Rainbow Ridge by the time they are seven. I don't know whether I could handle that------------and I've always wanted that kind of dog. I understand that they are amazingly kind and laid-back. Kinda' cute and funny for their size.
I've always thought of myself as being very tall, too tall. Of course, in my day, I was. Now the girls seems to tower over me. I always had Collies because they were big. My Alex was considered a large-breed, and my vet considers my two English setters as large-breeds. I think they're medium, but I have to go along with the Vet.
I've always thought of myself as being very tall, too tall. Of course, in my day, I was. Now the girls seems to tower over me. I always had Collies because they were big. My Alex was considered a large-breed, and my vet considers my two English setters as large-breeds. I think they're medium, but I have to go along with the Vet.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday I rushed my little Abbey, English setter, to the Vet's. When he called later in the day and said he wanted to keep her longer, so that he could X-ray her, I knew something was up.By the time 5 p.m. on Tuesday came around, I was a wreck. I had the feeling that it was something serious--and unfortunately, I was right.My poor little female has severe hip dysplasia. She was groggy when I brought her home and couldn't settle down anywhere she hurt so bad. She cried most of last night, sometimes in her sleep, and I had to take her outside twice during the night. She seems a bit better today and is on the pill the doctor gave her. We will have to wait several days to see how effective they are.Consequently, I'm a wreck, only did a tiny, miniscule bit of writing Monday and Tuesday because I couldn't concentrate. Today I have to go to Red Hat luncheon for a gal who used to work at Curves and then go to Bennington to get several huge foam rubber mattress toppers. I'm going to make some comfortable beds for Abbey...knowing full-well that Barney will used them, too.
Oh, byw, my website is back up: http://www.DoriceNelson.com
Oh, byw, my website is back up: http://www.DoriceNelson.com
Monday, January 28, 2008
Bad day
Most of this weekend, I spent watching our little female dog.he just wasn't acting herself. I knew she was in some kind of pain, so this morning, Abbey went to the vet. She's there until he can find out what's wrong with her. It seems as if she's dragging one hind leg. This will be the first time that she's been all alone, without even Barney, our other setter. I'm a wreck.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Dogs
It's funny that a gal who like thing Celtic has two rescued English Setters. But I have a good reason. When we moved to this little village in the Hudson Valley, my husband and I had a mixed mutt (also a rescue) named Alex. Alex was part Chow, part German Shepherd and part Golden Retriever, but, more important, Alex was the dog of my heart. He was my special friend and I still miss him to this day.
We had to help him to the Rainbow Bridge eight days after we moved into the new house, a place on a bit of acreage that was to be for him. I held him until he took his final breath and something in me died with him.
I was devastated and went out the wrong door at the vet's. There was a huge dog in that section, waiting to get his infected ears cleaned. When I came out the door, he dragged his handler over and leaned against me, looking up and offering whatever solace he could. I didn't know what kind of dog he was and asked. When I found out he was an English Setter (I had no knowledge of such a dog.) I promised him, "If I ever get another dog, I will get one like you."
I have kept my promise. I now have two rescued English Setter. Barney, the male, is a tricolor, and Abbey, our little gal, is an orange belton. They are the sweetest dogs in the world and are still overcoming the bad parts of their lives. They have so much love to give. Barney is still somewhat apprehensive about things but he gets better and better every day.
I will have an Irish Wolfhound in my new historical, Saratoga Winter 1865.
We had to help him to the Rainbow Bridge eight days after we moved into the new house, a place on a bit of acreage that was to be for him. I held him until he took his final breath and something in me died with him.
I was devastated and went out the wrong door at the vet's. There was a huge dog in that section, waiting to get his infected ears cleaned. When I came out the door, he dragged his handler over and leaned against me, looking up and offering whatever solace he could. I didn't know what kind of dog he was and asked. When I found out he was an English Setter (I had no knowledge of such a dog.) I promised him, "If I ever get another dog, I will get one like you."
I have kept my promise. I now have two rescued English Setter. Barney, the male, is a tricolor, and Abbey, our little gal, is an orange belton. They are the sweetest dogs in the world and are still overcoming the bad parts of their lives. They have so much love to give. Barney is still somewhat apprehensive about things but he gets better and better every day.
I will have an Irish Wolfhound in my new historical, Saratoga Winter 1865.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Website Blues
I am desperately trying to do my own website and realize that it takes a lot of time--especially when you don't quite know what you're doing. But I'm going to get there. I didn't do much writing today.
I will go to the Writer's Village University tonight and see if I can do some work on one of the Word Slinger's postings of her novel. I might even post the beginning scene of my new historical, Saratoga Summer 1865. The book starts out in Ireland two years before any of the O'Malley brothers land in America. I might even try to do a quickie character study of my hero...
I will go to the Writer's Village University tonight and see if I can do some work on one of the Word Slinger's postings of her novel. I might even post the beginning scene of my new historical, Saratoga Summer 1865. The book starts out in Ireland two years before any of the O'Malley brothers land in America. I might even try to do a quickie character study of my hero...
Monday, January 21, 2008
New stuff
If you notice, I now have my books on my blog. You can click right on the Amazon.com and buy them whenever you want. A friend, Nikki Leigh, helped get this all together. I had no idea how to work on my blog other than writing a post. She showed me other things I could do. Here's to hoping I remember what and how she said everything. If I do, I've taken a step forward.
Next I have to learn how to do a website--by myself. Not an easy task for an old gal. I do have a couple of disks on Front Page--and will be using them, a little at a time. Just got to figure this all out...and move into the future.
Next I have to learn how to do a website--by myself. Not an easy task for an old gal. I do have a couple of disks on Front Page--and will be using them, a little at a time. Just got to figure this all out...and move into the future.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
What's with the hero?
I have a big decision to make regarding my Irish hero in Saratoga Winter: 1865. He starts out, madly in love in Ireland, and winds up in New York City as a policeman. Of course, I will have to discover what forensics they used then and what the duties of a police office were in those days. I have one book that looks like it will give my research a boost.
After I get him settled in New York City, I'll have to get him to Saratoga. I wonder what could happen to him to make him go there. Anyone got any ideas?
After I get him settled in New York City, I'll have to get him to Saratoga. I wonder what could happen to him to make him go there. Anyone got any ideas?
Friday, January 18, 2008
I'm home again
It's only taken me a year to reclaim this blog, but somehow they asked me if I wanted it back. Of course, I do.
Here I am writing another novel with Celtic characters. Saratoga Winter: 1865 is the second book in the Saratoga Series. Saratoga Summer: 1863 was the first book and it was all about Connor O'Malley, the oldest of the five O'Malley brothers. In 1863, two brothers came to America and landed in New York City two days before the Draft Riots erupted. The two of them, Connor and Egan, got into a great deal of trouble, had to go through the riotous action in the City. Connor managed to escape to Saratoga, just in time for the first legalized thoroughbred racing in that city.
The actions that take place during the riots were historically accurate, as was the beginning of the legalized racing. For some reason, there are no animal characters in the first book of the series, with the possible exception of two gray carriage horses and a bevy of thoroughbreds. Come join in all things Celtic and read the book, Saratoga Summer: 1863
Here I am writing another novel with Celtic characters. Saratoga Winter: 1865 is the second book in the Saratoga Series. Saratoga Summer: 1863 was the first book and it was all about Connor O'Malley, the oldest of the five O'Malley brothers. In 1863, two brothers came to America and landed in New York City two days before the Draft Riots erupted. The two of them, Connor and Egan, got into a great deal of trouble, had to go through the riotous action in the City. Connor managed to escape to Saratoga, just in time for the first legalized thoroughbred racing in that city.
The actions that take place during the riots were historically accurate, as was the beginning of the legalized racing. For some reason, there are no animal characters in the first book of the series, with the possible exception of two gray carriage horses and a bevy of thoroughbreds. Come join in all things Celtic and read the book, Saratoga Summer: 1863
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