* The opportunity to see the ever strong Strathpeffer Pipe Band whenever you can. Other Pipe Bands are having difficulty retaining the full complement of 16 pipers and drummers. Young talent comes through but heads off to further education or jobs elsewhere. Cost can be prohibitive with uniforms costing around £600 and instruments taking the outlay to over £1000.
*A cyclist doing the Grand Slam, which takes in all six Cities of the Six Nations, will cover 1800 miles from Rome to Murrayfield and should raise a million pounds.
*For the first time, Scotland is to export timber to France. Set to sail from Troon, Ayrshire, the order will make up for shortfalls in Scandinavian supplies to France.
*As well as adult volunteers, the 2405 (Dingwall) Squadron and other Squadrons are currently looking for new Cadets aged between 13 and 18 yrs. A Flying Officer from the Dingwall Air Training Corps has enjoyed training which involved cross-country skiing in Bavaria. Young people are offered a chance to experience gliding, shooting, drill, sports, first-aid, and radio controlled aircraft flying. skiing, parachuting and canoeing are offered annually.
*A scheme aiming to turn around the fortunes of the Wool Market will promote the "green" credentials of Wool in the fashion and furnishing worlds. Woollen products across the UK and Commonwealth countries will be adorned with a Green label.
*From April, BT's free evening call period will last from 7pm to 7am, rather than 6pm to 6am.
*Baking gently for 20 minutes is the most effective way of cooking rhubarb to produce the best combination of the plant's Polyphenols and Chemotherapy agents which can kill cancer cells.
*Nearly 5,000 people sent banknotes to the Bank of England for a refund in 2008, claiming they had been chewed or eaten. 2,000 people confessed to 'money laundering' - £82,125 worth was ruined in the wash! A special unit takes account of size of fragments, the presence of serial numbers and the "promise to pay the bearer".
*What's in a name? In the case of the Aberdeen Angus bull, 75,000 guineas. His name is Balmachie Black Bear. He is son of Rawborn Lord Ross out of Bleback Blackbird, a Bleback Lord Hornblower daughter…
*A vet group has warned that rhododendron poisoning is usually rare, but is less so this year. With snow covering the ground, sheep will eat anything green, including rhododendrons. Salivation followed by rapid deterioration, signals the need for prompt treatment.
*Headteachers in Scotland are concerned that tens of thousands of would-be students could be rejected as applicants could be rejected as applications for places have risen by 31%. Even private schools in the UK have, in some cases, had pupils with 'straight A's' turned down.
*Just days before a stronger grocery suppliers' code of practice came into force, Supermarket chains had demanded hefty price cuts from farmers. Although retailers say it is not in their interests to treat farmers badly, the NFU want to see an Ombudsman focusing on the strengthened code, not sitting back and waiting for complaints! *Some 'enterprising' midnight raiders have taken to lifting tons of sand from the Duke of Argyll's estate on Tiree. They have been warned that carrying on (or off?) will result in prosecutions.
*Parsnips last for months in the ground, getting sweeter once they are frosted. They need a long growing season, so for next Winter's enjoyment, plan to sow in March or April.
*Every month tens of thousands of patients in Scotland fail to turn up for consultations with Doctors and other health professionals. A BMA consultant said "if illness is not life-threatening or painful, we are becoming far more robust at putting people off the waiting list".
*Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, looking back to the 1940's said "We were the original recyclers, we collected waste paper, bundled it, weighed it (it earned one penny - 'old money' - a hundredweight...) then pulled it onto a cart to the collecting point. *An open letter from the Scottish newspaper industry points out that the Scottish Government's plan to discontinue Local Authority announcements in Scottish newspapers will prevent the information reaching large numbers of the public, thereby broadening the existing divide between the 'netters' and the 'non-netters'.
*More than 8 out of 10 respondents rejected a proposal to legalise hunting stags or bucks all year round and plans to shorten the protection period for hinds also met with a similar reaction. Thank goodness! Our roads are too busy to walk along, so we need clear times of safety in the Hills for ourselves and the animals which live there.
Pam Morrison
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