With the death of Lady Jean Fforde it feels as if an era has come to an end. Lady Jean was deeply involved in many Arran voluntary groups and activities and was held in high regard by islanders for her good works here over many years. One of her last actions was to gift the green at Lamlash to the council and so allow the start of work to protect it from erosion by the sea.
However her family’s company, Arran Estates, the major landowner on the island, serves as a reminder of the on-going scandal of land ownership in Scotland, having been involved in some high-profile evictions of tenants in recent years.
In 1999 Lady Jean was listed alongside Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Prince of Dubai, who owns a 63,000-acre estate in Wester Ross, as one of the ten lairds with most to fear from land reform. The list was compiled by Andy Wightman, now a Green MSP and author of a comprehensive analysis of land ownership in Scotland, published in The Sunday Times. “These are landowners who are throwbacks to the Victorian period when lairds were masters of their dominion,” Mr Wightman wrote.
It remains to be seen whether the Scottish Government’s admirable land reform promises will come to anything, or whether things will carry on as before or indeed now deteriorate further on Arran. Many will remember that Lady Jean’s son, Charles Fforde, once accused the Scottish Land Commission of “bizarre behaviour in line with Leninist principles”.
COAST has begun to hold public meeting around the island to discuss the proposed expansion of the Lamlash Bay fish farm. The photo was taken at the well-attended Kildonan Hall meeting on the 19th October.
Following on from my previous article of the South Arran MPA and more specifically the No Creel Zone (NCZ) off Kildonan it has become clear to me that there are some who disregard the existence of the NCZ as it is an inconvenience to them and when asked about their creeling activities reply with obfuscation and bluster. Such a response to designed to project an air of authority and knowledge of the subject which, I assume, is hoped will avoid the need for any further explanation or discussion. This is a tactic that may have worked in the pre-internet age but a quick and easy bit of online research lays bare the lie.
The film for the 12th November at 8pm will be Still The Water (Japan. 2014. Director Naomi Kawasi. Cert. 15. 114 mins).
Set on the subtropical Japanese island of Amami, during the full-moon night of traditional dances in August, 16-year-old Kaito discovers a dead body floating in the sea. His girlfriend Kyoko will attempt to help him understand this mysterious discovery. Together, Kaito and Kyoko will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life, death and love.
Music Arran have an exciting evening in store for jazz fans on Saturday 18th November - and not only for confirmed jazz fans, as the concert is sure to be a pleasure for all comers. New Focus, started by saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski and pianist Euan Stevenson, has been described as one of the most appealing, most beautifully realised projects to emerge on the Scottish jazz scene in recent years. On this occasion Konrad and Euan will be supported by Mario Caribe on bass and Alyn Cosker on drums. A special extra pleasure for Arran will be the participation of Joni Keen supplying vocals. Joni is of course well known on Arran, both as the host of the Arran Lodge (Altachorvie) and as a brilliant singer, but her fame in the latter capacity spreads way beyond the island: here is a chance to hear “the best female jazz voice in Scotland”, as she has been described. New Focus has also been widely hailed in Scotland and abroad, and both Konrad and Euan have received several awards. To sum up in the words of the Glasgow Herald: “There’s something truly special going on in the musical minds of saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski and arranger, composer and pianist, Euan Stevenson... Original music that exists virtually in a world of its own... aesthetically pleasing… just plain damned heart-lifting.” Those who come along on the 18th can enjoy all this.
The mass of flying insects in parts of Germany has fallen by three-quarters in the last 27 years. Since the territories sampled were all nature reserves in some way protected from pesticides and other disturbance, the implications are alarming: winged insects may be flying to oblivion across much of Europe, according to the Climate News Network.
The cost to natural ecosystems and to human economies could be devastating. Insects pollinate 80% of wild plants, feed on species that could otherwise become pests, recycle plant and animal waste, and are themselves food for 60% of birds. One calculation places the value of wild insect pollination at $57bn a year in the United States.
As the cold weather starts to set in, more and more potholes may start to appear on roads – a dreaded issue for both drivers and local councils. New research presented in a scrolling animation reveals just how deep Scotland’s pothole problem goes, and it is far worse than it appears on the surface.
A freedom of information request by Confused.com, the driver saving site, reveals a total of 154,310 potholes were reported to the region’s councils in 2016 – more than in any other UK region. Each local authority was asked for the minimum depth of a road defect to be considered a pothole, and this figure was aggregated against the total number to reveal a depth of over 6km (6,364m). The animation allows users to visualise the true depth of the region’s potholes combined, scrolling passed iconic recorded depths such as the bottom of the English Channel (174m), Loch Ness (230m), and the Mediterranean Sea (5,270m). Users can then scroll all the way passed the Mariana Trench (11km) and the world’s deepest man-made hole (12.3km) into the Earth’s upper mantle (30km) before arriving at the combined depth of the UK’s 1,033,486 potholes. This is over 40 km deep and 3.7 times the depth of the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
New Home For World’s Oldest Clipper Ship By John Kinsman of Coastwatch St Monans
The world's oldest clipper ship, the City of Adelaide (the Carrick) will have a permanent home under a proposed Port Adelaide marine precinct. The state government is planning to move the ship to dock 2, and include a pedestrian bridge and road access.
The City of Adelaide dates back to 1864 and is being restored by a group of volunteers, after being moved to Adelaide from Glasgow a few years ago. The project director says the precinct upgrade will better cater for a large number of people already visiting the ship "We get a lot of tours coming from people who look at the ship and there is nothing else to do around it" said Peter Christopher. "With the other activities, they will be able to come and make a day of it and that will be a real tourist hub". Work on a master plan for the area will now begin.
As the long hot summer draws to an end the days are getting wetter windier and cooler and the nights are drawing in my thoughts are turned to a nice hearty autumnal dish. This is a variation of the traditional Greek bean stew fassolada. It is warming, rich - very moreish and entirely suitable for non-vegans. I like to serve this with freshly made crusty bread - but then I like to serve everything with freshly made crusty bread!
1. An offer of a full consultation process. This is disingenuous at best. Anderson acknowledges the level of local opposition but deliberately avoids any commitment to abide by the wishes of the local community. Bottom line? – The full consultation promised is nothing more than a PR exercise. SSC will go through the motions carefully avoiding any open public meetings where they can be challenged fully intending to ignore the wishes of the local community. Why? Money. SSC have made their plans and they involve expansion of their operations on Arran for profit. They have clearly stated (see The Arran Banner 9th Sept 2017) that ‘..Arran is an area where we wish to strengthen and increase our operations’. That is their stated policy and they are not about to give up the opportunity to make more money because of annoying local opposition which they consider more a nuisance than something to respect and take seriously. This is not a consultation process it is a fait accompli.
Sonnetby Edna St. Vincent Millay
What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.
Thus in the winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.
The Story Behind Who Changed the New Testament and Why
by Bart D Ehrman
Ehrman is an eminent biblical scholar and is currently the James A Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina who according to his Wikipedia entry is one of North America's leading scholars in his field which focuses on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus and the development of early Christianity. I think it is safe to say that the words of Ehrman have enormous gravitas and must be taken seriously.
I'm writing to let you know that the Tenants' Association has received
£10,000 from Awards for All Lottery Fund to carry out a year long
learning programme "Learning and Laughter@Glen Estate" aimed at older
people in the community.
The programme will include afternoon concerts and talks on Arran life,
a language programme Lingo Flamingo to combat dementia, T'ai Chi and
gardening classes to enhance the lovely new landscaping works at Glen
Estate.
