In Brief...

* By November the fifth the future of Forestry will have come “under the spotlight” at a seminar being held by the legal firm Tods Murray. Buying, owning and tax issues are on the agenda.

* It is hoped that planning issues affecting a Weeping Ash in car park no. 1, off the Dingwall High Street, can be resolved. Meanwhile, a Tree Preservation Order will secure the status quo.

* If evidence of otters is found during a survey of a Skye quarry site the operator will have to take “all appropriate steps” to safeguard and enhance the habitat.

* A walk, which takes in the whole of the Knockfarrel Ridge above Strathpeffer has brilliant views over the Black Isle and north to Ben Wyvis, is described as “a perfect afternoon stroll” in a Sunday paper supplement. Taking in a stile, a trig point on top of Cnoc Mor, another stile and the Knockfarrel Ridge, a sculpture of three people and going down to reach the Touchstone Maze, sounds very tempting!

* If you thought that being “saved by the bell” occurred in the boxing ring now hear this:- As early as the 15th century and as late as the 19th, safety coffins were being designed so that anyone unfortunate enough to be prematurely buried could alert a watchman by means of ringing a bell on a rope set within the casket.

* The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has money to give away for restoration and enhancement of Scotland’s water environment. The aim is to deliver improvements to rivers, lochs, estuarine and coastal water bodies and wetlands. Project proposals for funding are invited before 29 January 2010. Information at: www.sepa.org.uk/water/restoration_fund.aspx

* Those who scoff at “titchy wheels and nerdy styling” of folding bikes can in fact buy a “proper mountain bike” that will fold in half (when you want it to!). Price? Unfortunately £799.

* According to the National Trust for Scotland the approval of GIANT pylons running down the spine of Scotland would be “hugely damaging”. The Energy Minister, Jim Mather, is being urged to reject the plans for 200ft pylons on the 137 mile route between the Highlands and the Central Belt. “There are viable alternatives” says the NTS chief executive, Kate Mavor.

* Hooray for the good old Nature Table! Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSi) are recommended as a resource in ‘Teaching Scotland’ magazine. Counting and measuring, poetry and prose, language, biology and chemistry, art and history and of course, geography are all to be found without a laboratory in sight.

* Responding to a published article Robert Balfour, chair of the Association of Deer Management Groups, writes “times have moved on” along with attitudes. The Deer Commission for Scotland will verify that deer numbers in Scotland are largely “in balance”, and problems in terms of deer numbers does not exist. Scottish stalking positively welcomes and can benefit from “enthusiastic men and women of all ages from all social backgrounds.”

* A newly created Kayak trail is 300 miles long and runs up the West Coast, from the Isle of Gigha to the Summer Isles near Ullapool. The sport, which uses a boat with a closed deck and a two-sided paddle, is attracting people from around the world. There are many places to explore up Scotland’s West Coast but many of them are not accessible by road. Camping equipment on board allows one to spend the night in spots previously know only to seals.

* A Government announcement states that on New Year’s Eve 2015 all non-digital broadcasting will be switched off and become Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB). But don’t chuck those radios yet, as the Government knows the 2015 analogue switch off is unrealistic! A built-in escape clause means that the switch off date has to be confirmed two years before it happens, and can only be done when 50 per cent of radio listening is done via digital services.

* Proposed reforms, stemming from what the European Commission views as “changing priorities”, will very likely result in farmers across Europe being asked to contribute towards the cost of disease prevention, and the tackling of disease outbreaks.

* Look at that huge bird with a five-foot wing span, a head of blue-white, patchworked russet and red, white patchy flecks underneath and, if the tail is forked, you will know it is the Red Kite. Shakespeare warned “When the Kite builds look to your lesser linen…” a reference to their habit of adorning nests with thefts from washing lines!

* Finally, feeling woolly, I read that a perfectly preserved woollen sock was found buried on a silty riverbank. It was over a thousand years old. British Wool say this shows the longevity of their wool, but I wonder how they knew the age of the sock?

Pam Morrison