Chatterbox issue 47

Chatterbox 47 December 2008 page number 1

ChatterboxWho is this woman?page 29

Sandy’s Indiapage 12

£1

44 pages of local news views and stories

WINTER ISSUE (No.47)December 2008

Produced in Avoch for Rosemarkie, Fortrose, Avoch, Killen & Munlochy www.chatterboxnews.co.uk

Community Newspaper of the YearHighlands & Islands Media Awards 2008

The new “sails” sculpture glows in the sunshine at Avoch’s “Lazy Corner” just af-ter being erected on 3rd October

Chatterbox photo

Halloween PartyP.L.A.Y. group eventpage 2

http://www.chatterboxnews.co.uk

http://www.chatterboxnews.co.uk


Next Issuein March

Please submit all material as soon as possi-ble. The next issue will be published at the

beginning of March.

Press date will be 14th February.

We will do our best, but we regret we cannot guarantee the inclusion of any material

received after the press date.

ChatterboxCommunity Newspaper of the Year

Highlands & Islands Media Awards 2008

Founded by Jack Malpas, September 1997

Copyright

Printed and published quarterly in Avoch by

Chatterbox Community NewsgroupClaire Divine, Hon. Secretary, 18 Mackenzie Place, Avoch IV9 8QP

[email protected]

Chatterbox provides a vehicle for any member of the community to demonstrate his or her opinions or beliefs, so long as these are not defamatory or offensive. The publication of submitted articles should not be taken as any indication that such opinions or beliefs are supported or promoted by Chatterbox or any of its produc-tion team members.

EditorialTel: 01381 [email protected]@chatterboxnews.co.uk

Editor: Mike Noble

Story editor: Fiona Taylor

Story writers: Fiona Taylor Sandy Mitchell Linda Bailey Kitty MacWilliam

Design: Mike Noble

ProductionLayout: Mike Noble

Printing: Mike Noble Sandy Mitchell

Distribution: Kitty McWilliam

Winter Chatterbox 2008On other pages in this issue, No. 47 …

4 Netball Cheese5 Amenities Association Community Council6 Flu jabs Golf7 Letters8/9 “Old Fishertoun”10 Community Garden plan 4 stars for Dolphin Trips Think pink11 Charles Kennedy on the Post Office Card Account12-15 Sandy Mitchell’s Kerala trip16 Salsa Groove18 Avoch Outdoor Bowls Club19 Wild about your garden Local food discussion Fresh steam at the Station20 Cromarty Camera Club Bord launches Gaelic fund Amenities meeting; Salsa Party21 The disappearing garden McEye cartoon22/23 Playpark clean-up Air ambulance at Avoch24/25 Community Council meeting with Police26 Amenities Association Sandra27 Sunflowers28/29 Old portraits - who are they?30/31 The lace goonie32 North Rising celebration34 Change to alcohol licensing law36 Composting37 Crossword38 Quit smoking Dog poo blues Senior citizen’s parties39 Nature Notes40 Lifestyle: Beware of the cold41 Walking: The Eagle Stone and Cat’s Back Councillor’s Corner42 Tractor rally43 Cromarty Film Festival 10K for Eoan44 Remembrance parade

The P.L.A.Y. group, set up to raise funds for the Play Park, (see p. 20) held a Halloween party for local youngsters in the

Avoch Community Centre and raised £100.

So once again here we are in the run-up towards Christmas! It has been quite an eventful year in Avoch, with the completion of the Lazy Corner project and significant alteration works at the Harbour. The perennial crisis with support for the Amenities Association has been once more overcome and everyone is settling into their own private preparations

for the Festive Season. At Chatterbox we are feeling pretty well established on a sustainable financial base, and continue to receive magnificent sup-port from our readers and advertis-ers. What we do need, though, is more people to share the workload. Trevor Powell is leaving us for a new life in Essex and his departure will leave a big gap in our

contributions. So if you are inter-ested in keeping in touch with what goes on in your community and would like to help grow the maga-zine, why not join us? You don’t need any experience - we’ll soon show you what’s needed! Just bring your en-thusiasm. Do all enjoy a wonderful Christmas and New Year - and then why not give us a ring?

EditorialMike Noble, Editor


Post, phone or e-mailSend your story, letter or advert to

The EditorAvoch & Killen News Group

Duthac, 7 High Street, Avoch IV9 8PTor telephone

01381 620777

or by Email, [email protected]@chatterboxnews.co.uk

or [email protected]

AdvertisingTel: 07769 [email protected]

Advertising Manager: Linda Bailey

We acknowledge with thanks assistance received from the Highland Council through the Black Isle Ward Councillors’ Discretionary Budget, from the Sangster Memorial Trust and the National Lottery through Awards for All.

AdministrationSecretary: Claire Divine [email protected]: Margaret LeggattChairman: Sandy Mitchell [email protected]

Advertising ratesOur rates are based on 53p per column centimetre (using our standard 7-column page layout). A panel the size of this one currently costs £6.89 for a single insertion on a B&W page and a full page in colour is charged at £120. For details of charges for all sizes between these two extremes, please see our website.We give discounts for block-booked ad-verts (4 over a year) and we advertise for voluntary groups without charge.

Photo courtesy of Jackie Patience

Red sails in the High Street

The art installation at Avoch’s Lazy Corner was completed on Friday 3rd October, when the “sails” were in-stalled by the artist, Sam Barlow. A few days later the lights, including those in the new bus shelter, were connected up to the street lighting circuit. The sculpture is intended to evoke the spirit of the sails of a “Zulu” fishing boat, and not to be an exact reproduction of them. In this it succeeds magnificently. On the day of installation they were glowing wonderfully in the autumn sunshine (see cover)

The new “sails” sculpture was

completed at Avoch’s Lazy Cor-

ner on 3rd October, the base hav-

ing been fitted during the previ-

ous couple of days. The “sails”

are made using a hot-dip galva-

nized structural frame covered

with 3mm corten steel sheeting.

The corten is brilliantly used to

give wonderfully organic shapes,

with a natural rust colour very

similar to the colour of the old

zulu sails. It is amazing how the

artist has created natural, fluid

shapes from a material so rigid

and unyielding as steel.

The colour of the old zulu

fishing boat sails was called

“cutch”, coming from the “bark-

ing” process. Bark was imported

(from which country we are not

sure) and was boiled up to make

“barkit” and this “barking” of the

sails and nets preserved them.

The process removed the oil of

the herrings from the nets and

used to be done in coal hulks in

the harbour - they had steam

engines and provided the means

of heating the water. It was also

done by the burn near Gowan's

Place, the water being obtained

from the burn.

Lazy Corner inhabitants

seem to have taken the “sails” to

their hearts and accepted them

as part of the Avoch scene. And

this wonderful evocation of the

days of sail acts as an apt re-

minder of the very strong links

which Avoch has with the sea

and of the many local lives which

have been lost to it, both re-

cently and in earlier times. See,

for instance,

http://www.avoch.org/html/arti

cle.html


A.R.JACKQUALITY BUTCHERTel: FORTROSE (01381) 620357Mrs Jack’s Silver Award steakpies and meallie-jeemies,home cooked meats, freshlysliced local baconVictoria pork sausages

Pleased to meet you with meat to please youPersonal service at High Street, Fortrose

In BriefAvoch Primary School

Miss Hammond, Depute Head Teacher, finished her work at Avoch School and left for Lesotho on Tues-day 4th Novem-ber. During Miss Hammond’s time at Avoch, she contributed greatly to further-ing the school’s continuing im-provement pro-gramme. The school will miss her professional-ism and happy personality. The school’s Enter-prise this term will be support for the Drop-in Centre for Street Children in Maseru.

Mrs Barber has been appointed full-time teacher to P5. Mrs Webb, Principal Teacher, will be sharing some of the Depute Head Teacher’s job, which will also mean having supply staff in the P7 classroom to allow Mrs Webb to undertake extra duties.

New locks for Centre

Avoch Amenities Association is in the process of obtaining quotes on a new lock system which will prevent copying of keys and will therefore ensure that only those who have paid for the use of facili-ties will be able to access the Avoch Community Cen-tre.

Best Cheese- It's Official!

Congratulations to Highlands & Islands Local Food

Network member, Connage Highland Dairy, whose

delicious Crowdie has scooped the prestigious title

of 'Best Cheese' at the British Cheese Awards

(www.thecheeseweb.co.uk ).! The Clark family at

Milton of Connage, Ardersier, have been producing

hand crafted organic cheeses for only two years

and have already won a host of impressive awards.!

British Cheese Awards Chair, Juliet Harbutt, said,

"With 84 other Scottish cheeses vying for the Best

Scottish Cheese Awards this year, including several

past Award winners, this very delicately flavoured

fresh cheese from newcomers, the Clark Family,

had to be truly outstanding to beat off such stiff

competition. But that is exactly what their Connage

Crowdie did.! They should be very proud and I

hope their success will help focus attention on

some of the milder but subtly flavoured cheeses

now made in Britain."

You can now visit Connage cheese pantry

from 10am to 4pm, Wednesday to Saturday and

buy direct from the creamery door.! Treat yourself

to a selection box or sample a variety of cheese,

oatcakes and chutneys.! You may even be lucky

enough to see the cheese being made.! For more

info, tel 01667 462000 or visit

www.connage.co.uk.

Visit the HILFN website at www.hilocalfood.net

Newly formed team nearly win

the day!Jermaine McCracken

Red Kites netball team from Highland competed in

the Orkney Netfest on Saturday 18th October. The

Highland team,!consisting of some of the best

players from the Highland area who were avail-

able,!travelled to Orkney via the Gills Bay ferry on

Friday afternoon.!The organisation of the whole

event was excellent with 9 teams competing from

all over Scotland and over 90 women being hosted

by!Netballorkney. The sports facilities at the

Pickaquoy Centre Arena were fantastic with two

full size netball courts indoors. The programme

involved all teams playing a 20 minute game

against each other with some local competitive

rivalry from the Orkney and Shetland teams on the

day.

All the players enjoyed the weekend so

much and would like to thank the Orkney Netfest

organisers for such a great event. The whole

weekend was so well organised!with scorers, time

keepers and umpires all doing a great job.

The!players from across Scotland!were so com-

petitive but very friendly and the Highland players

are keen to bring the event to the Highlands in the

future.

http://newsletters.plexusmedia.co.uk/t/1/l/wtkdd/tkyuulul/www.connage.co.uk

http://newsletters.plexusmedia.co.uk/t/1/l/wtkdd/tkyuulul/www.thecheeseweb.co.uk

http://newsletters.plexusmedia.co.uk/t/1/l/wtkdd/tkyuulul/www.thecheeseweb.co.uk





WE SERVICE ALL TYPES OF VEHICLES

Burnside GarageA & R MacArthurAVOCH ONE STOPMaintenance, Service and Repair, MOT, all types of vehiclesJET CAR WASHBatteries, Tyres and all accessoriesLong Road, Avoch Tel 01381 620355

In BriefFeasibility study for Ten-nis Courts

Avoch Amenities Association agreed at its AGM to make an appli-cation for funding a feasibility study to investigate the cost of develop-ment of the Ten-nis Courts and its relation to the potential profit from the possible sale of the land. This could also involve a survey to determine whether the pro-ject would be welcomed by the community.

CCTV

The recent van-dalism at the Avoch bus stop has resulted in the Police being informed of pos-sible culprits. The CCTV in the shop has been recently up graded and now there is 24hour CCTV coverage of Lazy Corner.

Smiley faces

The problems of speeding cars through Avoch village may be reduced with the introduction of “Smiley Faces”. The Community Council has been told they will be in place within the next 2 months.

Named

The new houses above Ormonde Terrace, Avoch, have been named Moray Wynd by the Developers.

People power!Back from the brink of ex-tinction, Avoch Amenities Association held its AGM on 22 October, and the fol-lowing officers and repre-sentatives were elected for 2008-9. Executive Committee:

Chair: Jane Smith, Vice Chair:

Janice Macleman, Treasurer:

Gordon Killbourn, Secretary:

Caroline Dobson, Bookings Sec-

retary: Jenye Monckton, Health

and Safety Officer: Gordon

Clark, Ordinary Member: Dun-

can Macleman (Repairs)

Council:

Representatives of Clubs and

Constituent Bodies: Martin Gill-

Community Council, Dawn

Walker-Toddlers Group, Jane

Jardine- Indoor Bowls, Mike No-

ble- Chatterbox, George Brodie-

Bowling Club, Lynne Hyslop-

Brownies, Lorraine Lingard-

Youth Club.

Councillors Billy Barclay

and Craig Fraser also attend

meetings ex officio.

Full Members: Louisa

Taylor, Duncan Macarthur

Since the meeting Louise

Coull has agreed to represent

the Avoch Under 5’s group.

If you wish to to raise any

matter with the Association,

please contact the Association’s

Secretary, Caroline Dobson, on

01381 620840 or

[email protected]

Community Centre book-

ings can be made through

Jenye Monckton on 01381

At present Avoch Amenities

Association is a voluntary body

with charitable status. Secretary

Caroline Dobson explained at

the recent AGM that if there

were any legal issues or unpaid

debts the office bearers would

be personally responsible and

also that it is not possible for

the Association to buy or sell

land or to enter into contracts,

which could cause problems in

the process of applying for

grants for major projects.

The Association could

become a company limited by

guarantee and in this case Di-

rectors of the company, usually

office bearers, would only be

liable for a given sum (usually

set at £1) in event of legal

problems (other than instances

of misconduct by an office

bearer). This would, however,

involve more paper work each

year and the accounts would

need to be done in a different

form which would be somewhat

more expensive. A paper by

SCVO explaining matters in

more detail had been sent to

members of the Association by

email prior to the meeting.

The AGM agreed with out dis-

sension that it was necessary to

offer the additional protection

to office bearers and members

of the association and Caroline

was authorised to progress

matters further.

Association exploring its legal status

Sad to say, Trevor Powell and his

wife, Nita, are moving to Col-

chester, Essex, at the beginning

of December to give

support to their oldest

daughter who is expect-

ing their first grand-

child.

He sends best

wishes to everyone

from them both and has

asked us to thank eve-

ryone who has made their stay

on the Black Isle such a pleasant

experience. Trevor says,”Since

moving to Avoch in August

2004 we have had a great time

and would particularly like to

thank the staff and customers at

Morning Noon and Night, the

members of the Indoor Bowls

Club, Avoch Amenities

Association, Rosemarkie

SWRI, various local craft

groups, Highland Liberal

Democrats and last but

not least the team on

Chatterbox itself.”

Trevor has been a

tower of strength to

Chatterbox and his many pho-

tographic and layout contribu-

tions will be sorely missed. We

send our grateful thanks to him

and wish them both good for-

tune in their new life.

Farewell, TrevorMike Noble

mailto:[email protected]



Christmas At Munro’sChristmas Decorations, Real & Artifical Christmas Trees, Indoor & Outdoor

lights, Seasonal Pot Plants & our own Planted Baskets, Books, Gifts, Christmas Hampers, Holly Wreaths & Posies, Bird Food & Feeders, Garden Gift Vouchers

MUNRO’S NURSERIES

Bogallan, North Kessock, Inverness Telephone 01463 731210

Open Mon - Sat 9am - 5pm • Sun 12noon - 5pmMerry Chris

tmas

from Holly

FLU VACCINESThe Fortrose Surgery has supplies of

influenza vaccine and asks entitled pa-

tients to book their appointments now.

All patients ‘at risk’ are entitled to a free

flu jab. This includes:

! 65 years of age and over (or turning

65 soon)

! Diabetics

! Heart, Renal, Respiratory or Liver

disease sufferers

! Immunosuppressed patients

! Carers (paid or unpaid)

! Poultry workers

Get your flu jab now!

If you do not fall into one of the above

categories but feel you are at risk or

have a specific need please speak to your

GP or the practice nurse to see if

you can receive the vaccine.

If you already have an appointment for

other reasons - and you are entitled to

a free flu vaccination - you will be offered

the injection at your visit, so there is

no need to book an additional appoint-

ment. The vaccination can be

administered by GPs, nurses and health

care assistants.

Fortrose surgery closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2nd January - otherwise business as usual.

The Annual Prize Giving cere-

mony was held at the Fortrose

and Rosemarkie Golf Club on

Saturday 25th October. There

was a very good turnout, as

normal, although many of the

prize-winners were absent. The

ladies’ section has its own

method of listing prize winners,

which we have not received, but

no major prizes were received

in this section by Avoch Ladies.

The Junior section at the

club has held a high standard

for a number of years and it

was good to see so many there

to collect their prizes. Although

there were no local youngsters

from the village in the prizes,

amongst the winners were

Lewis Reid and Jordan Hossack

with Philip Schier-Macrae win-

ning a couple of competitions.

Stuart Hillis was also a winner

on four occasions in the Junior

section but also picked up the

special prize for outstanding

junior golfer of the year.

In the gentlemen’s sec-

tion Robert Jack capped his re-

cent return to golf with the

Club championship handicap

prize, having beaten the course

manager Kevin Fowler late in

June. Mike Macdonald, the club

secretary, collected the Scratch

prize, with Chris Gaittens as

runner-up.

To a golf outsider the Club has a

bewildering array of some 26

cups and trophies up for grabs,

plus a number of medals. Win-

ners names listed this year in-

cluded Garry Moore, Maurice

Brown, Ike Fraser, Garry Keith,

Bruce Main & Willie Wilson,

Shane MacKenzie, Philip Schnier-

Macrae, Mike Macdonald & Bruce

Main, Alistair Burns, Ian Belford,

William M Skinner, George Mcle-

man, Lewis Reid, Calum Maclen-

nan, Alan Drever, Steven McGre-

gor, Tom Lloyd, Rory MacLeman,

John MacDonald, Richard Carey,

Robert Jack, Wallace and Mal-

colm Gardiner, Malcolm McAr-

thur, Alistair Tait and Stuart

Hillis. -Ed.

GolfKeithPatience


LUCAS & INGRID STORY AND SON

STORYBELGIAN MASTER CHOCOLATIERS

HOME AND HANDMADE CHOCOLATES TO OUR OWN RECIPES

65 High StreetFortrose

Tel: 01381 622302 Mob: 0776 606 0511

Shop in Victorian Market, InvernessORDERS ALSO TAKEN IN FORTROSE

LETTERSJack Malpas

Dear Mike,

Please will you insert this “Thank You” in the December issue:

Audrey Malpas and family extend their sincere thanks to relatives, friends and neighbours for the kind expressions of sympathy following their sad loss.

The support and help we have received is very much appreci-ated.

Also, many thanks for donations for Cancer Research UK/Avoch Congregational Church, amount-ing to £350.

Many thanks

Audrey

RNXSMike Noble, Esq,

Editor, Chatterbox.

8th November 2008.

I wrote to Captain Norman MacDonald re my service in the R.N.M.S. Although I knew his father, he was in the R.N.X.S. a bit earlier than me. In the 1950's I stayed in Kingussie and certainly would not have travelled to Inverness even al-though I enjoyed my time with the R.N.M.S., as it was in my time.

The photo which was in "Chat-terbox" was not from a news-paper but from an original photo. I have a few taken at the time and have sent copies to Captain MacDonald.

Nancy Forsyth,

Avoch.

Lee on the mendHi Mike

Lee and Jenni Carmichael would like to thank everyone for all their cards and well wishes and support!during Lee's recent ill-ness and operation. They were all greatly appreciated and we would like everyone to know that Lee got the all clear from the surgeon, everything was removed successfully.

Thank you all again.

Jenni & Lee

Thanks from AnnieAnnie and Alan would like to say a very big thank-you to all of you who made our joint Big 50th such a success. Thanks for all the gifts and cards and (if you made it) for coming along to the Station Hotel to join in the celebrations. Thanks a heap.

Our Fortrose shop at 67 High Street opens on 1st December

Award for AlastairHi Mike,

As mentioned in the last edition of Chatterbox,

Alastair Cochrane was awarded a prestigious pho-

tographic distinction. Alan Gawthorpe, President

of the Scottish Photographic Federation, paid a

surprise visit to Inverness Camera Club to present

Alastair with his medal and certificate.

!

Thanks,

Lynda


Avoch Post Officeand The Other Shop

NEWSAGENTS & STATIONERSTelephone 01381 620340

Hot drinks and piesCold drinks & milk Crisps SweetsFull range from Cromarty Bakery

Toys Cards for all occasions

NEWSPAPER DELIVERIES7 DAYS A WEEK

Struggling with your housework?Unable to cope with the work load?

Cupboards needing cleaned?Dusting and hoovering a speciality

SPIK’n’SPANContact Louise MacKay on

07725 897 536

Unfortunately the tide was in, so the foreshore below "Reyta Breyg" (Henrietta Bridge, which played such an important part in the making. of the "Dock") could not be seen. No wonder people said that the fisherfolk were tough and resilient if this was the weather they regularly had to contend with. Luckily those members who had ventured out could always retreat to the warmth of the Heritage Centre and reminisce with their "Auchie" friends.

In recent months visits had been made to many of the old fisher villages on the south side of the firth - Alturlie, Petty, Connage, Stewarton, Campbel-town and Delnies. In the case of Delnies, the "toun" had com-pletely disappeared, and of the others only a few fishermen's cottages, family names and the memories of the elderly re-mained. It was not so with Avoch.

Old "Auchies", like all the north-east fisherfolk, belonged to a close! knit group with a tendency to keep themselves to themselves. They looked after one another and for social and economic reasons married young, usually among their own, though it must be said that they occasionally found a hus-band or wife from across the water.

They were devout, espe-cially after the revivalist move-

ments of the 19th century, and they were very superstitious. To this day they avoid using certain words such as "swine" and "pig", and if by chance! such words are uttered there is a quick scramble to touch "cauld iron". It was recognised that the "Auchies", like the fishers of Ardersier, were better off than their contemporaries who worked the land.

Currently, only one boat works out of Nairn and there are none at Inverness or Cro-marty, yet there are still 16 boats registered in Avoch, giv-

ing employment to some 50-60 men. When did it all begin and, more pertinently, why does Avoch still maintain a hold on this age-old livelihood from the sea?

To try to find an answer and learn something of the in-side story of the "Auchies" and their village, the club turned to Sandy Leitch of the Avoch Heri-tage Association, whose name is among those of the large family groups in the viIlage - as are Patience, MacLeman and Jack.

Lewie Patience, of the Avoch Fishermen's Co!opera-

tive, joined in the chat and Wil-lie Forsyth, clerk to the Harbour Trustees, provided a copy of his father's 1960 account of the work of this important body of men.

Researchers have been greatly aided by the observations made by the Rev James Smith, in what was one of the more compre-hensive of the Statistical Ac-counts of the 1790s. Peter An-son remarks, in his book "Fish-ing Boats and Fisherfolk", that "If only some of the other par-ish ministers had given us such valuable details as did the Rev Smith we should be able to re-construct the life of the Scottish fishermen of 100 years ago far better than it is

actually possible from other contemporary documents".

Anson himself did a great service too by producing an accurate line drawing of Avoch in 1929. The viewpoint is known so it is possible to de-tect the changes that have oc-curred since that time. The sketch shows the distinctive units that make up the village - High Street struggling closely under Braehead; Seatown, with its planned streets of terraced cottages named after members of the Mackenzie family of Rosehaugh, and the "Dock".

This is the oldest part of the village which, in earlier days, was a veritable maze of thatched but-and-bens, closes and alleyways. Further west,

Old fishertoun survives in face of the oddsA fretful wind buffeted the street corners as thirty warmly clad members of Inverness Field Club walked around Avoch on Saturday afternoon. The clouds hung low; the sea was restless. lain MacAskill had talked of sunshine and showers, but in reality there was very little of the former. From Willie Forsyth's up at Geddeston the distant outline of Or-monde Terrace was blurred by the hard driven sleet. Slate roofs glistened and the smoke drawn from all manner of chimney pots added to the winter gloom.

Inverness Field ClubReproduced from an article in

The Inverness Courier22nd January 1993


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beyond the "breyg" over the Goose burn, are the lime-washed cottages of "Reyta", the "storoos" (grain stores) and skippers' houses.

According to the minister there was only one boat in Avoch in the 1690s. Seatown developed during the following century until, at the time of his account in 1793, there were 93 families living there who were in some way associated with the sea. He details the quest for the "kessacks" (herring), sea-sonal variations in the work, the size and value of the catches and their markets. Nor does he neglect the role of the womenfolk whom he describes as hardy and robust.

The minister knew a great deal about the boats, the "skufteys" (inshore boats) and the "scaffeys" (yawls) and the skills of the men who sailed them. He noted that they could handle over 700 square feet of sail on a 30ft vessel and find their way to fish off the North-umbrian coast. (This was in stark contrast" to the contem-porary Cromarty minister who considered the fishermen there to be too timid to venture far out to sea, having become ac-customed to the large shoals of herring that formerly came into the firth.)

"What a pity", wrote the Rev Smith, "that such men had not been regularly taught navi-gation or have larger vessels to manage."

His thoughts included ideas for improving the fisher-men's income. He knew of the scheme introduced by George I in 1718 to provide a govern-ment bonus for every barrel of white herring exported .beyond the seas.

He realised that if the Avoch men could take advan-tage of this they could gain the capital to purchase "busses"

(the factory ships of those days) and so compete with the Dutch who cured their herring while at sea. Patently, the "Auchies" had a thinker among them.

The boats, named "Zulus" because they were introduced during the Zulu wars, were to come later. Considerably larger than the Scaffeys, they carried a crew of seven and, up to World War I, they were used for the summer fishings off Wick, Cas-tlebay and Yarmouth.

In 1846 there were 48 boats of all types, and by 1910 the number had risen to 93, providing work for 339 men and boys. The number declined to 58 by 1930 but significantly 26 of these were motor-driven.

Around the Moray Firth, fishing communities died prin-cipally through lack of harbour facilities. At Avoch the original stone pier was built in 1814 by Sir Alexander Mackenzie to a design by Thomas Telford. The harbour was completed in 1906 aided by grants and loans from the Fishery Board.

The east breakwater was added in 1912 and renovated to its present standard in 1948. In 1960 George Forsyth, then clerk to the Harbour Trustees wrote: "Looking at the harbour today it is easy to take everything for granted and fail to give credit to the men of a past generation whose labour, ingenuity and determination made its con-struction and development pos-sible."

The Harbour Trustees came into being in 1903, when the Avoch harbour order re-ceived the Royal Assent. Before then the harbour committee had made such a strenuous ef-fort to raise money that they were able to give the Trustees £1800. As Mr Forsyth says: "To raise £1800 in those days must have been a stupendous under-taking" and obviously shows a

strong commitment to fishing and the maritime activities of the villagers.

The relative importance of the former is reflected in the 1946 composition of the Trustees when, for the first time, all four elected representatives were fishermen.

Why then has fishing pre-vailed in Avoch when it has vir-tually disappeared from the in-ner Moray Firth west of Hope-man? A harbour was built in Cromarly in 1785 and as far back as the reign of Queen Anne there was a prosperous herring industry but no fishing boats have been registered there since World War II.

At the end of the day, and after looking at all the available facts, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that fish-ing has survived because of the character of the people, bound together by tradition and trag-edy and driven by a unity of purpose.

Someone said on Satur-day that fishing was "in the blood and in the genes" so per-haps the Old Testament words "look to the rocks from which ye are hewn" should be given due consideration.

Where did the Patiences, MacLemans and the others come from? There are many theories but, whatever the truth, the "Auchies" looks and distinc-tive language indicate origins different from the rest of the Black Isle folk.

Now the last thatched roof has gone. Most of the fish-ermen have chosen to build new houses away from the sea. Soon the black tangle of old powerli-nes that criss-crosses the "Dock" will be no more, thus enhancing further the already clean and orderly appearance of a Black Isle vilIage that is full of interest.




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The tennis courts area in the cen-

tre of Avoch has been lying, dis-

used and deteriorating, for a sub-

stantial number of years now. Sev-

eral successive Amenities Associa-

tion committees have grappled

with this problem patch, all ulti-

mately unsuccessfully, and it is a

cause for general regret that this

central area of the village is still in

such a state of disrepair. A sum,

believed to be £3,000, is still due

to be paid by adjoining developers

towards the cost of upgrading the

area.

Several proposals have re-

cently been mooted for the Tennis

Courts and the current AAA com-

mittee wants to consider all of

these, including the possible sale

of the area and use of the funds

generated to provide an all-

weather sports surface elsewhere,

adjoining the existing Community

Centre.

There were days when the

Amenities Association held a sub-

stantial area of the village centre

on behalf of the community and

much of this has gradually been

sold off or otherwise disposed of

for safekeeping, so that today the

tennis courts and bowling green

areas are the only land now held

by the Association.

A few years ago a Parish-

wide questionnaire showed that

there was substantial opposition

to the idea of selling off the area

or using it for car-parking and

many people still seem to feel that

it would be a shame to sell off the

Community garden plan for Avoch tennis courts

last remaining piece of open space

owned by AAA on behalf of the

community.

Kathleen Green and David

Thompson have been working on

one idea - their proposal is for a

"village garden" scheme, in which

the area would be transformed

into a communal garden, for grow-

ing fresh produce that could be

sold locally, thus helping to sus-

tain the project.

They want to incorporate a

seating area, for local people to

meet up and have a "blether", and

to provide secure storage facilities

for gardening equipment

Kathleen says, “We envisage

that the project would encourage

and promote communication be-

tween generations and acceptance

and understanding between all

sections of the community.”

And, of course, this pro-

posal would retain the green heart

of the village within community

control.

Anyone interested or want-

ing to engage in the garden pro-

ject will be warmly welcomed - any

help would be very much appreci-

ated. Kathleen says that anyone

wanting more details about the

proposal should feel free to phone

her for a chat on 01381 620034.

AAA wants all ideas for the

area to be made public, so that

people can make up their minds as

to what may be best. So if you

have a good idea, please send it in

and Chatterbox will be pleased to

publish it. -Ed.

4 stars forAvoch Dolphin TripsDolphin Trips Avoch has been awarded four-star grading for Wild Life Experience by Visit Scotland. A pilot scheme was run in 2006, when DTA were awarded a very strong three-star status after an unannounced, anonymous visit by the assessors. This has now been upgraded to four stars.

Gwyn Tanner, pleased as punch with the award, said, “It’s all down to Paula - she did all the work.” He also said that he intends to hold his prices at this year’s level for the coming year, “to help people beat the credit crunch.” However, his business is obviously very dependent on the price of fuel for its profitability, and he said that if it does increase again it may be necessary to intro-duce a £1 per person surcharge.

Gwyn and Paula extend their very best wishes to everyone for a Happy Christmas and a Good New Year.

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The recent Avoch & Killen Community Council meeting at Avoch Community Centre, at which developer’s plans for housing at Rose-haugh Estate were displayed for examination and discussion.

Chatterbox photo


Charles Kennedy

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Van in Munlochy, Avoch & Fortrose on Thursdayin Fortrose & Cromarty on Tuesday

A welcome change of heart on the post office card account Last month brought with it a major parliamentary victory for common sense – and for the future of vital services in Black Isle communities. Responding to ever-growing pressure from opposi-tion parties, backbenchers, the National Federation of Subpost-masters and – in no small part – directly from communities the length and breadth of the UK, Ministers dramatically scrapped their plans to axe the Post Office Card Account and abandoned a tendering process to award a new contract for local delivery of pension and benefit payments. The public concern about the proposal had been huge – well over one thousand people sent postcards from their local branch to express their opposi-tion in Ross, Skye & Lochaber alone. The Government’s plans caused a great deal of worry to a significant number of older people who rely on their local post office. For many in the Highlands & Islands, the local branch is literally the only ac-cessible place where money can be obtained. And – in no small part thanks to the dedicated work of subpostmasters – to many communities the post of-fice means a lot more than that. Beneath concern for the immediate effect of losing the card account lay the looming likelihood of an estimated 3,000 further branch closures in the wake of what would have been the single biggest withdrawal of Government business to date. I do not think that it is any exag-

geration to say that the prog-nosis for the branch network as a whole would then have been very bleak indeed. A few years ago, the Chief Executive of Royal Mail told MPs that – for the purposes of administering their postal service alone – he would envis-age needing 4,000 local offices, and closing the remaining 10,000. The overwhelming weight of those closures would fall on rural communities like ours – going way beyond the Government’s own closure pro-gramme earlier this year. The point – then and now – was that the Post Office needs to be more than a place to send letters and parcels if it is to be viable at all in its current form. Now, for the first time, there is a glimmer of hope that the Government will accept that argument. It has always been extraordinary that – at a time when trust is so hard to come by – Ministers seemed so de-termined to regard the Post Of-fice as a liability rather than an asset. Now, thanks to people power, the post office’s pension and benefit business has been secured, at least until 2015 – and hopefully beyond that too. But there are no grounds for complacency. The true test of the Government’s conversion will be the zeal with which it follows this principle into other areas, undoing the damage of recent years. The return of the TV Licensing contract to post offices would be a good start, but it should only be the tip of the iceberg as far as the poten-tial of the post office network is concerned. The future of each and every post office is now all

about confidence – the confi-dence of Ministers, the confi-dence of current and future subpostmasters, and the confi-dence of their customers. With or without the post office card account, the steady erosion of the branch network will con-tinue if Ministers return to run-ning down its future, and ac-tively discouraging customers. The trickle of ‘temporary’ branch closures (which has al-ready resumed following the ‘planned’ closures of last win-ter) has got to stop. Ministers have got to make it happen – and if they now set about doing so, they will have my full sup-port.

A peaceful and happy Christmas At risk of becoming part of the sometimes unwelcome early onrush of Christmas into our lives, I will take this oppor-tunity briefly to wish Chatterbox readers a very happy festive season and a great new year ahead in 2009. With the new President taking office across the Atlantic, it promises to be an interesting year ahead. There is bound to be some disappointment – and we will all need to keep focused on the real economic difficulties we face – but there is also the prospect of a change of mood on the world stage which can only be welcome. The message that we are stronger united is not a new one, but the new resonance it has acquired in President-Elect Obama’s hands opens up truly global possibili-ties that have been neglected for much too long.


Sandy’s Kerala diary

I HAD BEEN IN KERALA for five

days, had attended a colourful

Hindu temple festival, visited the

port of Fort Kochi – and had

even been taken by my host Dr

Varma up to the old Cochin royal

palace – now a rather dilapidated

museum – where his great-uncle

had ruled as the last Raja of

Cochin. He told how he remem-

bered as kids they had rushed

round the palace flushing all

seventeen of these newly fit-ted ‘thrones’ - the first in the

country.

Now, my plans to travel

around by bus overruled, I was

bumping my way up from the

tropical coastland in a little

white Tata car – about the size

of a Clio – heading for the hill

town of Munnar. My driver was a

dapper little man called Laiju.

At first the landscape was

coastal - all rice paddies, coco-

nut groves and bananas but

soon we were passing fields of

pineapples then, a bit higher,

shady groves of rubber trees.

This was new to me and we

stopped and strolled down

among the slender trees, each

with a diagonal vein guiding the

white fluid into a plastic cup –

very low tech!

Story and photos by Sandy Mitchell

KERALA: HIGH COUNTRY AND

TROPICAL RAINFOREST


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The landscape as we

climbed was wonderfully green

with all kinds of hardwood trees.

We passed cocoa-bushes and

fields of coffee. Then the forest

thinned and we were in steep

valleys, the slopes covered in

scrub. The bones of the land-

scape showed through, huge

rounded granite boulders.

We joined groups of In-

dian tourists at spectacular over-

looks and waterfalls. At one, lo-

cal women were selling spices,

vegetables and

fruit – but unex-

pectedly big

bright bunches of

carrots. As young

Indians took pic-

tures of each

other in front of

the fall a woman

bent double wash-

ing carrots in the

tumbling waters.

After hours

of climbing by zig-

zag roads we

reached the hill

town of Munnar,

about five thou-

sand feet above sea-level. It

straggles along the left bank of a

slow river – the Muthiripuzha - in

a steep valley with lines of tea-

bushes rising to the highest visi-

ble slopes. I have a plain room

in the very plain S.N. Hotel. It

adjoins a busy trucker-style café

and next door there’s a spice

store. I am told briskly at recep-

tion there will be hot water from

six to nine in the morning. There

is a phone by my bed and the

cable hangs loose from a hole in

the wall.

I eat in the restaurant

listed by Lonely Planet and order

their recommended butter

chicken. They were right. It is

served with jeera (cumin) rice

and a pot of cardamom tea. The

sauce is a warm orangey brown

and glows with the scents of

fresh spices. Cost? Just over a

pound. It’s cold in the night and

I ask for a second blanket. The

boss says for the last month

overnights have been 0oC. I be-

lieve it.

I take morning and eve-

ning walks out of town following

the Muthirupuzha River with

mist coiling over the surface and

the dark green slopes of tea-

bushes rising to the hilltops.

Almost everyone I meet – stu-

dents and school kids, a passing

truck driver, estate workers, of-

fer a wave or a friendly greeting.

Some stop for a chat always

wanting to know what I think of

Kerala. Just some of the older

folk pass, heads down and si-

lent. On the river-banks huge

purple convolvulus and big trees

with great bunches of orange

flowers – I discover later these

spectacular trees were intro-

duced from Brazil. I use my new

bird book to identify some birds

– long-tailed shrikes and the

aptly-named red-whiskered bul-

bul. It is wonderfully cool –

though after the first night I had

to ask for another blanket for

my bed.


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In BriefVillage Officer

Di Agnew, Black Isle Ward Man-ager, has secured the services of the two mobile work-ers while there is no Village Officer in Avoch. This is to include strimming where needed. The Community Council is now looking for some-one with their own insurance who can do this sort of work. A Job description has been written.

Youth Cafe

The Fortrose Youth Cafe has now reopened, but more parental involvement is urgently needed (See Billy Barclay on p. 37)

Craft Classes

The Monday night Avoch craft group has started again for the winter and all are welcome. The ladies are settled down making their crafts and on a bleak winter’s night it is good company. Jacquie is looking forward to seeing the ladies each Mon-day night at 7.30pm. in the Avoch Congrega-tional Church Hall.

We make a day trip to a

nature reserve that takes us

winding up out of the forest

zone to bare granite sugarloaf

mountains and sparse

grassland – at an eleva-

tion around 8,000 feet.

The views are fabulous

but the wildlife scarce

and I hear a few grum-

bles from Indian tourists

tramping uphill, wonder-

ing why they had both-

ered.

Munnar itself is a

jumble of workshops,

stalls and shops. In the

main road, one stretch

has a barber, a tyre-

repairer, a dealer in skins, a

tailor and stalls selling fritters

and chai. And my favourite – a

tiny stall set a bit apart – The

Infant Jesus Radiator Works.

From Munnar we de-

scend through miles of

tea estates and into tropi-

cal rainforest and the lit-

tle town of Kumily in the

foothills and on the edge

of the large Periyar Tiger

Wildlife Park. As we travel

downhill the roads dete-

riorate as if in tea country

there is more money

around - for there are new

schools, smartly painted

churches and temples. We

pass fine stands of hard-

wood trees, well spaced, and

below, the height of bracken,

wild cardamom, and then fur-

ther down whole plantations of

them.

Details that stick in the

memory: women returning from

tea slopes, swaying elegantly in

their saris as they head for the

weighing station, each with a

great net of tea balanced on the

head; a cattle truck, high-sided

but open, the beasts with long

curving horns staring out over

the tailgate; a bus with bright

curly-wurly paintwork and the

name-board “Mary Matha”; each

small village with a line of auto-

rickshaws and open taxi-jeeps.

In Kumily I have a dark,

cool, comfortable room in the

Golgothri Home Stay and my

host helps me book for next day

an 18km ‘border hike’ in the

national park. Next morning is

damp and misty when I

meet the only two other

participants – a young

Australian couple, Matt

and Louise. We have a

ranger with a rifle and

two local guides – re-

ferred to by other Indians

as ‘tribals’. Years back

they had been persuaded

to stop poaching by get-

ting these ranger jobs.

Definitely poachers

turned gamekeepers.

They wear wellies or

open sandals and sprinkle

brown powder over bare skin to

ward off the leeches. We are

given kind of bootee-puttees,

also dust- sprinkled. These are

very necessary, for as you walk

you see myriads of the wee

beasties, like tiny white

cobras, swaying up out of

the leaf-litter, activated by

the overnight rain.

At first we follow a

faint track past the tribal

village, dusty huts behind

cane screens. Hens, cats,

puppies and bairns stare

quietly, smiles are readily

returned. I had worried

about my flimsy shoes and

the note on my tour ticket

which said threatening things

about the ups and downs. It

turns out the pace is gentle and

we stop often to look and ad-

mire. The young Ozzies turn out


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to be knowledgeable naturalists

and the guides are great at find-

ing and showing. We stop to

watch rare parakeets and king-

fishers, mynas, doves and dron-

gos. We see a rosewood tree

from which bleeds bright crim-

son sap, a jack-fruit tree with the

world’s biggest fruit, a tiny co-

bra making a question-mark

against a tree trunk. One ranger

shows us a little plant: when

touched the leaves start to

tremble and furl themselves like

tiny umbrellas. The other chap

brings a fresh-water crab col-

oured like a treacle-toffee. We

watch the daftly named ‘greater

racket-tailed drongos’ float from

side to side of a forest glade.

They are about the size of a

blackbird but with tail streamers

a metre long that float out be-

hind as they fly. One tree has

almost been rubbed through by

elephants and the trail is pitted

with elephant droppings like

inverted footprints.

We stop twice to eat and

each time the guides light a wee

fire by the side of a stream and

using just a few twigs heat curry,

boil water and cook up rice

cakes in little pot-bellied metal

stoves that do the trick in no

time. As ever the food is deli-

cious.

The way grows steep,

winding through thickets of cane

which we are told is not bam-

boo and at last we emerge onto

a grassy ridge above the rainfor-

est. But mist or cloud en-

veolopes us and we can see little

– we are here about the

height of Ben Nevis. One

guide is sent prospecting for

animals but before he gets

back the mists clear and we

see on a wide grassy saddle

below an elephant and her

calf and in the trees beyond a

small herd of buffalo.

Our descent is through

head-high grass, then the

‘bamboo’ belt and finally the

rainforest – which now is true

to its name, for it pours

steadily for the last hour or

two. Yet in the gentle humid-

ity you are just lapped in wet

warmth, and squelch on re-

gardless.

In the evening when, as

agreed, the three of us meet

for a meal, Matt told how his

boots had been full of leeches

when he took them off. At

once I think of my own shoes,

cast off carelessly near the

bed, and I sit, fork poised,

imagining the craturs cheer-

fully emerging, crawling up

the bed-legs, over the pillow…

I need not have worried

for when I get back and tap

the shoes against an outside

wall only a rattle of tiny wiz-

ened corpses fall out. The

dark little world between my

puttees and my socks had not

been for them.

Next morning we head

for the Kerala coast and the

fabled Backwaters - but that is

another tale for another day.


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In the grooveClaire Divine

Saturday 15th November saw a great morning of

fund raising activity at Avoch Community Centre.

Avoch Under 5’s, led by Louise Coull and Avoch

Primary Out of School Club (Groove), led by Kim-

berley Ferguson, provided a morning of sales,

baking and snakes! The successful event raised

£600, which is being split between the two

groups. Both groups struggle to find the funding

for resources that children need, and this event

has given a hard-earned boost to their funds. Lou-

ise and Kimberley would like to thank everyone

who helped and contributed on the day, and also

to the Community for such great support. The day

featured snakes for holding and photographs, T-

shirt and glass painting, hair braiding, plenty of

stalls, a tombola, raffle and other activities. There

was baking to take away and tea, coffee and cakes

to sit down to as the kids wandered around trying

out all the different activities, many draped in

their favourite snakes!

The funds are being spent directly on chil-

dren’s toys and resources, and at Groove the kid’s

have already given Kimberly their wish list of new

toys that they would like to see at their After-

School Club. There are still places available and

this service can be used regularly or on an “as and

when needed” basis, so don’t ever be stuck for

after-school care for your children. Kimberley can

be contacted for any enquires after 3pm (week-

days) on 07765401696.

Having missed their usual monthly Friday Social in Novem-ber Jermaine’s Salsa Dance Class group is combining the normal end of month social with a! Christmas party on!Wednesday 10th December! at the Spectrum Centre. The session has been ex-tended to 10.30pm and will!in-clude social dancing. The cost is only £8 per person for class and social.

And then, on Wednesday 17th, the next week, there will be a one hour warm-up at the Spec-trum centre from 7- 8pm, fol-lowed by a car pool dash to Forres to join with the Latinomoves Xmas party at the Mosset Tavern where there will be social dancing and performance from 9pm on-wards. The first class in Inverness will be priced normally but you can alternatively pay £9 for the night which includes a seat in a car to and from the event. There are limited places available!so please arrange with Matthew or Jermaine before the night.

If you go to the!Thursday night classes at the Perrins Centre in Alness, you’ll have the oppor-

tunity of a Jermaine free social night on Thursday 27th Novem-ber. The hall is paid for so please come along and practice your moves. Classes will continue at the Perrins Centre on Thursday nights until 18th December 2008. All students are encouraged to join in the Spectrum Xmas party events.

The Kilmorack group is planning a fund-raising Cuban Celidh for Friday 30th January for the new hall, so do!come and join in.

The Class at Fortrose Town Hall on Thursdays at 7pm - 8.30pm will continue until Thrus-day 17th December. Catherine Donald will be travelling to Aus-tralia in the new year so classes will resume in March 2009.

And don't forget that the salsa shop has great ideas for salsa shoes and clothes.

See http://shop.salsanorth.co.uk/catalog/

Everyone at Salsa North wishes you a great time over the Christmas holiday..

Salsa through Christmas

Jermaine & Campbell McCracken

Grand Christmas Draw 2008 Avoch Primary School Parent Council

Family Ticket to Landmark4 tickets for 'Sleeping Beauty' at Eden CourtTour and Lunch at the Scottish ParliamentLuxury HamperFootball signed by Ross CountyBottle of House of Lords Whisky… and much, much!more!Promoter Serena Ferguson, Avoch Primary!School Parent Council.! Tickets 50p each.! Draw to be made on 19th December 2008 at Avoch Primary School.

For tickets email! [email protected] or contact Sarah Atkin (Parent Council Chair) on 07951 634461.




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Phones01381 621 38201463 715 171

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Do us all a favour!Throw your empty packet in the bin!KEEP OUR STREETS TIDY

When the Hugh Sutherland Me-

morial Cup was played on 30

August there were only 13 en-

tries. At the semi-final stage

Avoch (George Patience, Marga-

ret Patience & Jimmy Skinner)

met Tain (A Hutcheson) and

Fortrose (Billy Barclay, Mark Bar-

clay & George Chalmers) met

North Kessock (George Smith).

Unfortunately Avoch did not get

through to the final, which was

won by Fortrose. Tain were

runners-up.

The next day the Avoch

team of Lewie Patience, Bob

McClymont and Ecky Patience

reached the semi-finals in the

North Kessock Triples.

Because of the Avoch

Fishermen's Association outing

on 27th September and bad

weather on 4th October, the

Bessie Brown Memorial Cup was

held over. It will be played in

May next year.

An excellent meal in the

pavilion, provided and served

by the ladies of the club

brought the season to an enjoy-

able end, after which Megan

Patience presented the club tro-

phies. Kathryn Logan won the

Ladies Championship, with

Margaret Patience as runner-up.

Ecky Patience won the Gents

Championship and George Bro-

die was runner-up. Ecky was

also runner-up for the T A Pa-

tience Cup, which was won by

Bob McClymont. Bob also won

the B Macintosh Cup and

runner-up was Jane Jardine. The

Silver Jubilee Cup was taken by

Gerry Carolan ond Bob McCly-

mont, with Dan Macleman and

George Patience as runners-up.

The green opens again

next year at the end of April.

Until then the only club meeting

will be the AGM in February.

George Brodie, Secretary, AvochOutdoor Bowls Club

A satisfactory end to yet another year

Chatterbox photo


Local food discussionHIGHLAND SEMINAR TO TACKLE

CHALLENGES OF LOCAL FOOD PRO-

DUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION

Highlands and islands food producers will meet

near Aviemore next month in a two-day seminar

to discuss issues around local food production

and distribution.

The event is Highlands and Islands Local Food

Network’s (HILFN) 3rd annual conference and will

be held at Loch Insh Watersports Centre, Kincraig

on Wednesday December 3 and Thursday De-

cember 4.

A key item in the agenda is the challenge of local

food distribution. Jo Hunt, HILFN chief executive,

will lead discussions on the possibility of creating

a local food trading hub for the region.

The lack of abattoir and butchery facilities faced

by meat producers will also be tackled, with

speakers coming from Skye, Moray and Aber-

deenshire to share ways of overcoming these bar-

riers.

Other sessions include making the most of the

media to promote local food, and sharing best

practice among local food producer groups.

Delegates will also visit Alvie Estate, including the

Delfour hatchery, Alvie Strawberries and Kincraig

Stores to hear how the estate functions as a local

food producer.

Places are still available for HILFN members and

non-members.

For further information contact HILFN on 01381

600525 or [email protected].

Wild About Your GardenThis is a new 30 minute BBC show focusing on wildlife gar-dening. The show broadcasts on Wednesdays at 2030 on BBC ONE until Christmas Eve and there are plans to repeat in the New Year in a 45 minute format.Each week WAYG features a dif-ferent garden being transformed into a wildlife haven. To encour-age audience engagement it has embedded calls to action and a fantastic new website - www.bbc.co.uk/wildaboutyourgarden! The site has been cre-ated by the BBC Breathing Places web team and, as such, also links closely to the BP site. If you are running any relevant wildlife gardening events, we would be happy to promote these for you on the Breathing Places Event Finder at: www.breathingplaces.org . If you have ticked the wildlife gardening theme box when en-tering them, this will ensure they come up in searches made by our audiences for events near them. Before you register your events and if you haven’t al-ready done so, you will have to register as a Breathing Places partner.

The Station Hotel in Avoch has been given yet another lease of life with its take over on the 15th September by Alyson and John Gibb of The Plough, in Rosemarkie.

The pub still belongs to the brew-ery, Oxford Inns, which restricts what can be done with the premises, but John and Alyson decided to take the pub on as they see an opportunity to do more at such a large establishment, compared with what they can provide at The Plough. They see the future of the Station as being very dif-ferent to The Plough, though, and have no intention of replicating what they do in Rosemarkie.

John believes a village as large as Avoch should have a good pub, with plenty of entertainment. Over the next few weeks keep your eyes on the Station as the intention is to have live music, social nights, discos and perhaps a return of the pub quiz. John wants to see the Station become the social hub of the village, go-ing back to it’s busy and lively self as it was a few years ago.

Any community group or fund raising group that needs a venue is welcome to contact John to see how he can support their endeavours. There is no charge for using the pub for such group events, such as the Race Night which Avoch Primary Parent Council held on the 14th Novem-ber.

The food at the Station is being provided by the chefs from the Plough, but with an emphasis on local pub favour-ites and a menu reflecting local demand and pockets. There is no intention to pro-vide the kind of dining that is available at the Plough, though, as John says “It’s not what the locals want”.

The future of the pub? That de-pends on who uses it. John and Alyson are open to any suggestions from members of the community as to what they would like to see at the pub. But just remember that at present there’s no food on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

John and Alyson can be contacted at The Plough Inn on 01381 620164

Fresh steam at the Station

http://www.breathingplaces.org/



http://www.bbc.co.uk/wildaboutyourgarden




http://www.breathingplaces.org/


The annual competition for

camera clubs across the High-

lands and Islands, now in its

11th year, was held at Cromarty

on Saturday 22nd November

2008. 70 prints and slides were

presented from Isleburgh (Shet-

land), Thurso, Nairn, Inverness,

East Sutherland, Dingwall and

Cromarty, with over 80 photog-

raphers from around the region

in attendance at the Victoria

Hall, Cromarty.

Councillor David Alston

opened the event, which was

supported by The Highland

Council, The Cromarty Trust,

spanglefish.com and other local

organisations and firms who all

Cromarty Camera Club Hosts ‘The Highland Challenge’

gave generously. Professional

photographer Donald Fisher

from Scourie gave thoughtful

comments on each of the en-

tries, which were projected

digitally. Dingwall Camera Club

took the trophy as the highest

scoring club. The highest scor-

ing Colour Print and Mono-

chrome entries belonged to

John Ross of Inverness, and the

highest scoring Slide belonged

to Lesley Simpson of Dingwall.

The photograph shows (left to

right) Bob Hunter and Lesley

Simpson of Dingwall Camera

Club, and John Brierley, Chair-

man of Cromarty Camera Club.

15 October 2008!

BÒRD LAUNCHES FUND TO GROW

GAELIC INCOMMUNITIES

!

A challenge fund worth £150K for community

projects to grow Gaelic is being launched by

Gaelic development agency, Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

The Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd fund

will be available in each of the next three years is

to support community- focused initiatives that

seek to strengthen learning and usage of Gaelic

and match the objectives of the National Plan for

Gaelic.

The fund is open for applications from

community organisations, voluntary groups, small

businesses and other organisations that wish to

promote grass root Gaelic language activities in

communities or networks.

Further information and application forms

for Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd are available

by contacting Bòrd na Gàidhlig on 01463 225454,

or email [email protected] or on the Bòrd na

Gàidhlig website at www.bord-na-gaidhlig.org.uk.

Don’t forget the AAAmeeting!

A Council meeting of the Avoch

Amenities Association will be

held on December 3rd 2008 at

7.30 p.m. in the Upper Hall of

the Community Centre. All are

welcome to attend. If any one

has any matter to be included

on the Agenda please notify me

as soon as possible.

Caroline Dobson

Secretary

Avoch Amenities Association

Chatterbox needs more helpers

The magazine still seems to want to grow, as more material is submitted for each succeeding issue, but growing it will not be possible without more willing helpers to share the workload.We have now secured a good standard of print equipment and a sustainable financial basis, but more people are needed to help with all aspects of our production, from Reporting to Print Management.

COME AND JOIN US! EXPERIENCE NOT NEEDED- JUST ENTHUSIASM!

Salsa party!

There is going to be a great

Xmas Salsa Party at the Spec-

trum Centre on Friday 19th

December 7pm- 11pm.

Information will be on the Salsa

North website at

www.salsanorth.co.uk

The local Salsa class is in For-

trose Town Hall with Catherine

Donald on Thursdays 7-

8.30pm .

http://www.salsanorth.co.uk/



http://www.bord-na-gaidhlig.org.uk/

http://www.bord-na-gaidhlig.org.uk/

http://www.salsanorth.co.uk/


McEye

THE ARTIST

He struggled

with the

cornfield day

after day…

never quite

getting it

throwing himself

around in despair:

knowing that just

as with life’s other

talents……

as with all

living had to

offer……

He couldn’t

resist drawing

the shortest

straw

but he never

cut his ear

off

The case of the disappearing gardenOn the 18th September, Dun-

can & Susan Macleman and

their neighbours, Sandy & Iso-

bel Ross, got a bit of a shock

when water started appearing

out of the garden of 33 Mack-

enzie Place. At that stage the

leaking water main was a minor

inconvenience, but they were

all in for a shock - their back

gardens suddenly subsided

leaving an almighty mess (and

Duncan & Susan's shed in a 6'

deep hole!)

Scottish Water has admitted

liability, due to the failure of

the ageing asbestos-cement

water main, and have awarded

the reinstatement contract

works to Pat Munro, Alness.

These works are due to start on

Monday 1st December and are

programmed to be completed

by Christmas.


The P.L.A.Y. group pose for a group photo

Avoch play-park tidy-up on 6th October

Photos by Trevor Powell- - his last photogaphic contribution to

Chatterbox. Trevor is leaving the- area and will be sorely missed.


Perhaps you haven’t yet heard of P.L.A.Y (“Park-life for Avoch Youngsters”), a sub-group of Avoch / Killen Community Council. It’s a small group of people, but with big ideas!

They are aiming to raise

enough money (in a variety of

ways) to return Avoch Play-Park

(in the centre of the village) to

a satisfactory condition for cur-

rent users and anybody who

would like to use it.

Perhaps a toddler using a

baby swing, an older child us-

ing a climbing wall/spider-web,

or anyone from a teenager to

your granny looking for some-

where to rest or have a blether

or just simply to sit in the sun.

The group expects it to

be a long journey and would

like to invite you to join or as-

sist in any way that you can.

Hazel Carmichael says,

“We began this experience by

having a park tidy up on Satur-

day 6th October. This was well

attended and we thank all who

helped make it a success. Then

we held a Halloween Party in

Avoch Primary School, which

was also very well attended and

raised a total of £100 profit.

Then they held a “Pam-

pered Chef Ready Steady Cook

challenge”, on Saturday 22nd

November, where an audience

watched a delicious meal be-

ing prepared and was then

invited to taste the end prod-

uct. Dawn Walker says, ”Our

Ready Steady Cookers were

Susan MacLeman and Derek

Martin and his sous chef Di-

armuid Martin.! (Our Sea Scout

Leader was the winner!) A

good time was had by all.! We

made around £130.! Many

thanks to all who joined us on

the evening, and to those who

gave donations.!Thanks also

to Shona Leggatt for the deli-

cious shortbread.”!

The group also had a stall at

Avoch Amenities Christmas

Fair in the Community Centre,

Avoch on Saturday 29th No-

vember and is now looking for

more ideas and support, so if

you feel that you can help in

any way please contact them

on;

[email protected]

or look out for their next

meeting which will be on Fri-

day 12th December at 7.30pm

at the Station Hotel.

P.L.A.Y.The Avoch “Parkie” was also the scene of a different kind of activity recently when the ambulance helicopter landed on an emergency mission to Raigmore Hospital. It landed first at the Harbour and then in the Park. And we’re pleased to say that the lady concerned was successfully

delivered to Raigmore and was subsequently returned home. Our best wishes go to her.

Photo courtesy of Jacquie Patience




meaning that it is led by the wishes of the communities they serve. Every two years there is a public consultation of 4,500 people in the Highland Region to identify what priorities the communities wish the police to focus on. The outcome of the most recent survey identified that the number-one concern was speeding vehicles, sec-ondly dangerous driving. Dog fouling and youth issues were the remaining concerns in-cluded in the top six in the survey. Road traffic policing is therefore a high priority in this area, and the presence of the Road Traffic Unit in Dingwall helps with the policing of road traffic issues.

PC Carl Alexander, our local PC, has been based in the Black Isle for 4 months. He commented that it appears that the Black Isle community is less inclined to report incidents, compared to, for example, Dingwall. The Black Isle has the same issues as Dingwall and Inverness, including young people (YP) hanging out on the streets, like at Lazy Corner in Avoch, and also speeding cars through Fortrose. He stressed that not all YP hanging out on the streets are causing trouble or committing crime. It is, as in other areas, a core of YP that this is attributed to. The Police do what they can to engage with YP, and perhaps that is something the community as a whole could do?

At present the lack of a local drink by-law in Avoch tended to attract YP, because they could drink on the street in Avoch. (But note that we

understand that a by-law has now come into force. -Ed.) It was also noted that the level of ac-tivities fluctuates with the bus timetable. There was a sugges-tion that the Police should pre-empt this and be a step ahead of the buses, but it was pointed out that there is also intimidat-ing behaviour on the buses and that drivers don’t seem to have any method of dealing with this. The media have also played their part in creating a culture of fear which induces people to feel more vulnerable. A member of the com-munity expressed concern at what would happen if an adult (male) approached a group of YP because of their anti-social behaviour, concerned that if anything untoward did happen, there is a much higher chance of the adult being on the receiv-ing end of blame or even prosecution for challenging the YP. It was agreed that sense of Civic responsibility has dimin-ished and also YP know their rights and will exercise them more freely. What has been lost is YP’s understanding of any sense of responsibility. Some-one asked what has happened to parental responsibility for these YP?

Litter:

The Police were asked what they do regarding littering, and whether anyone has ever been prosecuted for littering in this area? The Police see littering as a low priority, as they focus on the “Policing by Consent” model mentioned earlier. However Fly Tipping, also a criminal offence, is given a higher priority. The Police are aware that this causes annoyance in Communi-ties, but have to focus on drink driving, speeding etc. It is also very difficult to enforce as no one drops litter when Police officers are about! In the “Excel-lence in Community Policing Survey” two thirds of respon-dents consider it the Council’s responsibility to deal with litter and issues such as stray dogs.

Under-age drinking:

A member of the community stated that this problem has worsened over the last few weeks. Again the lack of an al-cohol by-law was mentioned. However another community

Avoch & Killen Community Council invited speakers to their meeting on 6th October in Avoch Community Centre, to consider anti-social activi-ties and related matters.Inspector Matthew Reiss and Karl Alexander Northern Con-stabulary, Simon Jeffrey Area Youth Development Officer and Wanda Mackay, Youth Development worker, Cro-marty attended. Martin Gill chaired the meeting, welcoming everyone and inviting Inspector Reiss to give the Police’s perspective on the anti-social activities being experienced in Avoch.

Inspector Reiss pointed out that he covers the whole of the Ross-shire area. The North-ern Police force covers the Highlands, an area which has a land mass similar to that of Belgium, has 750 Police Offi-cers divided into 4 shifts to give 24-hours cover. At any one time there are approximately 187 officers on duty (plus extra cover at peak times) in the Highlands. A new shift pattern starting in January will increase peak-time cover and give less cover at “quieter” times of the day. This is the smallest num-ber of officers in any of the forces in Scotland, and Inspec-tor Reiss was highlighting this point to give the community an idea of how low the police numbers are in our area. For example, at the time of the meeting there were only two officers covering the Black Isle, from Muir of Ord to Cromarty to North Kessock.

The Police employ a pol-icy of “policing by consent”,

Anti-social behaviour in Avoch.

A meeting of Avoch & Killen Community Council on 6th October

Second prize winner in the Clubs for Young People an-nual photography competition, open to all young people who were members of affiliated clubs. Young people were invited to capture one of the following in a photo: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, and community in-volvement.


Simon Jeffrey, Area Youth De-velopment Officer gave the fol-lowing information:

There are 29 Youth Workers in Highland, and our local worker is Robby Russell, based at Fortrose Academy. He could not attend tonight, but another Youth Worker, Wanda Mackay, who covers Cromarty, was attending to give the com-munity a perspective from pro-fessionals working directly with YP in the area. Simon stated that he is anxious that YP learn about their responsibilities and not just their rights. In building better relationships with YP, the Community as a whole needs to engage more with them, and he reminded everyone that YP only spend 15% of their time in school and schools are not the only arena for engaging with them.

Wanda Mackay reflected on the perceived trouble that YP cause, and pointed out that this is mainly at weekends, and that generally the village is very quiet from Monday to Thursday. At weekends many YP in our area have little to do. In Cro-marty, for example, there are 20 different groups where YP have plenty to do. These are also of mixed age groups. Wanda is very pro-active in Cromarty, and has been asked to create opportunities for YP in Culbokie. Are parents in Avoch willing to put in the time and support that is needed to create opportunities for YP? The only activity that seemed well sup-ported was football.

Councillor Barclay com-mented that if parents had turned up for the AGM of the Youth Café at Fortrose it would not have had to close. However, since then there has been some response, but mainly from older members of the community - ther has been no response from any parent under 50 years of age. A paid Youth Worker was needed to work at night, espe-cially at the Youth Café. High-land Council has been talking about a paid worker, but noth-ing has actually been done. Councillor Barclay has given his time as a volunteer every Friday and Saturday night. Although it does now have enough mem-bers on the Committee to re-open, the Youth Café desper-ately needs more volunteers.

member stated that the current situation is not as bad as it was 25 years ago, and that it is only bad on certain nights. The Community Council (CC) ap-plied for an Alcohol By-law over 18 months ago and was in-formed on the 9th September 2008 that it has been put for-ward to the Scottish Executive. It is expected to take some time to come to fruition. The com-munity was encouraged to can-vass the MSP on the matter.

The Police made it clear that for them to act on under-age drinking they have to wit-ness a YP take a drink and swal-low it. They can take drink away from a YP, who can be charged if drunk and incapable. Under 16’s are not prosecuted for drinking offences - they are referred to the Children’s Panel. It is seen as a huge cultural is-sue and in many cases parents condone drinking or are not concerned with their child’s behaviour.

It was stated that chil-dren as young as 12 have been found drunk in the street. The Police have no record of re-ported incidents of this nature in recent months and stated clearly that at this age this is clearly a Child Protection issue which would have been re-sponded to if it had been re-ported. The Police stressed again the need for the commu-nity to report such incidents, but to bear in mind that the Police do need detail. Complain-ing that there is a group of YP hanging out in the street is not enough for the Police to act on.

The issue of an “Unruly Certificate” was discussed. This is an absolute last resort re-sponse as it authorises the Po-lice to take a child into Cus-tody. It is issued for extreme behaviour, none of which has been witnessed in Avoch. The community is reminded that for the Police to take anyone into custody there have to be two Officers present and the person will be taken to Inverness, as there are no custodial facilities on the Black Isle.

The Police believe that the influence of parenting in the early years can have a huge effect on the behaviour of YP as they grow up. Parenting has a crucial part to play in creating YP character and behaviour.

The Police were asked if they would like to see the commu-nity do more (and if so what?) and agreed that the community needs to provide activities etc. for YP. But they also empha-sised how important it is for parents to do things with their own children and young people and to engage with them in activities that YP were inter-ested in.

A question was asked as to what the community can ex-pect from the Police? It was thought that the Police can di-rect more attention to issues in Avoch, and increase their pres-ence at weekends where possi-ble. The Police are keen for the Community to understand that it is only a small minority of YP who create problems because of anti-social/criminal behav-iour and again encourage the Community not to be scared of YP. Inspector Reiss also said that a new, additional Officer had been identified for For-trose. However, there would still be only one Sergeant for the Black Isle and one Inspector for the whole of Ross-shire.

Asked whether YP were interested in an all-weather pitch in the village, at the old Tennis Courts, Wanda re-sponded that yes, she was aware that this was something that YP were hoping for in the village.

Recent vandalism at the bus stop had resulted in the Police being informed of possi-ble culprits. The CCTV in the shop has been recently up graded and there is now 24-hour CCTV coverage of Lazy Corner.

The problems of speed-ing cars through the village might soon be reduced with the introduction of “Smiley Faces”. The Community Council has been told they will be in place within the next 2 months.

Finally, it was agreed that the Community Council and Youth Workers need to estab-lish and maintain a good work-ing relationship.

The Chairman thanked the in-vited guests for their time and insight into the issues dis-cussed and, after the guests had left, there followed usual Community Council Business.

In view of the high level of public interest in thesematters, we publish here a full account of this part of theCommunity Council’s meeting.Our report is based on the Secretary’s minutes of the meeting.


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Tel: 01381 620108Mob: 07889 307982

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ORMONDEARCHITECTURE ! DESIGN ! PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• Planning Permission• Building Warrant• S.A.P. Ratings• Project Management

PROFESSIONAL & FRIENDLY SERVICE

(t:) 01381 621080 (m) 07717 572958(e) [email protected]

The Scottish Episcopal Church

on the Black Isle

welcomes you to our worship

over Christmas and New Year

St Johns, Arpafeelie

CRIB SERVICE

5.30pm Christmas EveCHRISTMAS DAY EUCHARIST

9.45am, Christmas Day

St Regulus, Cromarty

CHRISTINGLE AND CAROLS

7.30pm, Tuesday 23rd DecemberCHRISTMAS EUCHARIST AND CAROLS

7.30pm, Christmas EveCHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE

9.45am, Christmas Day

St Andrews, Fortrose

CHRISTINGLE AND NATIVITY SERVICE4pm, Sunday 14th December

MIDNIGHT MASS11.30pm,Christmas Eve

CHRISTMAS DAY EUCHARIST11.30am, Christmas Day

If your child would like to take partin the Nativity, please ring Verity on

01381 620575before Sat 6th December !

Farewell to Sandra

Sandra Patience, for many

years stalwart leader of the

Avoch Under-5’s, left the play

group in July. One of the

mums organized a surprise

presentation evening in the

conservatory of the Station

Hotel on Friday 19th Septem-

ber. Sandra says it was lovely

to see all the children, parents,

grandparents and ex col-

leagues, who presented her

with an inscribed garden

bench, a beautiful patio rose, a

basket of fruit and some

money. She also says, “I would

like to thank everyone for their

generosity and give my special

thanks to Shirley Kelly, who

organized the evening,”

Additional Musicians for Salsa Band wanted

Bonkers about Bongos? Crazy for Congas? Barmy about Bass?

A Salsa band has started in the Inverness area on Thursday nights and

is looking for some additional members. In particular, it needs some

more percussion players (not drum kit), plus bass and trombone

players. Other instruments would be considered too.

So if you enjoy Latin music and want to join,

please contact Campbell on:

E: [email protected]

T: 01381 600477

M: 07710 226095

Great stuff!Janice MacLeman says that there

has been a magnificent response

to the Avoch Amenities Associa-

tion’s request for donations. And

she wants to thank everyone - for

their money donations and for the

various donations of prizes and of

cooking ingredients, which will all

go towards the Christmas Fayre on

29th November. It will be difficult

to get a report of the Fayre into

Chatterbox, because of the need

to get printing started around that

time, but let’s hope there will have

been a good turn-out, to give a

much needed boost to AAA’s

funds. And the need for funding

will still be there, even after the

Fayre is over, so please keep send-

ing in your donations. Everything

will be very gratefully received!




39-41 Harbour Road, Inverness IV1 1UA Tel: 01463 222123

Personal TrainingQuote: PT12/08 for a FREE Personal Training session with our In-House Personal Trainers. (Value £25)

email: [email protected]

In Avoch, Jacquie & Don Patience’s sunflower (see Jacquie’s picture, left) reached a height of 11 feet 4 inches tall. This was when Jacquie wrote in on the 30th of September, and she said, “Not bad, as some are only three feet - a bit of fun.”Meanwhile Rose-markie was also producing sun-flowers with height aspira-tions. In William Skinner’s photo, right, Barbara is up the ladder measuring one which topped10 feet 5 inches!

Specta

cula

r su

nflow

ers


Do you know this family?This lovely picture, apparently of four generations of one family, together with several others, was given to me by Betty Patience, a former teacher at Avoch Primary School, now retired. Betty says that the plate glass negatives from which they were printed were found in a cardboard box on the top shelf of the walk-in cupboard of a ground floor classroom in the school in January 1977. The late Mr. Donald Macleman made prints from them. Up to now nobody has been able to identify the family, but perhaps some of our read-ers may be able to. I must say that, even to me as an incomer, there are familiar features in some of the faces. Mike Noble, Editor.


… and who is this lovely young woman?


Under New Management!!We have a great range of Gifts for all the family, Cards, Stationery and Jewellery……including

hand-made beaded jewellery made by Deb Small, Munlochy

NEW IN - Calendars and Diaries for 2009. Christ-mas Wrap, Cards, Perfumes and cosmetics

Come in and have a browse!!!

J P CarsPrivate Car Hire

Long and Short Distance

Tel: 01381 6214570782 483 2343

" "Get netted!

Do you need internet access? Chatterbox now has broadband internet access at Avoch Community Centre. You can use your own equipment to access wirelessly or we can provide use of our equip-ment. Just ask.

(Conditions apply)

Dear Kwite,

Ye’ll be winnerin fit

wye ye hivna’ heard fae

me for sic a lang time.

As ye ken, I cam’ up

here tae bide in Ross-

shire gie nearly

seeventy years ago.

I wis aboot forty fin

the wifie fa makit me for her

gan’ awa claes deet wi’ thon

affie flu’ efter the 1918

fechtin’. I wis shifted here

wi’ her dochter fin she got

merrit. Fae that day on I

wis pit in atween ither

aul’ claes an’ I never sa’

the licht o’ day again till

ma’ new misstress’s gran’

geets cam tae bide.

The wee quinie winted

tae play at “Here comes the

bride”, then it wis back tae the

quinie’s hoose a’neath a thing

ca’d a car port. Her grannie

geed us aul dishes tae play wi’

an the quinie used dockin’

seeds fir oor tea, bit I got a

forky tail in mine, I jist canna

stan’ forky tails.

Anither day the Quinie

took me tae the skule, an I wis

in for a richt shock. The geets

were da’en a “project”. Noo, in

oor day ye’ll min’ Kwite, the

geets scrieved on a slate wi’ a

scallie, an’ they caerit a wee

boxie fit eased tae be their

faither’s aul bogie roll tin. It hid

a wee cloot inside tae dicht

their slates. Noo a days they

watch a box wi’ pictures, nae

winner they canna coont or

spell very well. They dinna use

their brains at a’ noo. They hiv a

wee black boxie an they press

the buttons on’t an’ it comes

up wi’ a’ the answers richt awa.

If ye wint tae buy een, it’s ca’d

a computer.

I heard the quinie’s

grannie sayin’ that fin she went

back tae the skule efter the

simmer holidays she got a

doze o’ casta ile, some sul-

phur wi’ serrup an’ she hid a

wee camphor baggie tied

roon her neck tae keep awa’

the germs. An’ every day

she hid tae tak’ a speenfu

o’ cod liver ile an’ malt.

Ony wye this grannie o’

the quinie’s must hae

thrived on a’ that stuff,

fir she his hardly a grey

hair in her heid, an’ she

his a her ain teeth, an’

she’s a penshioner! Bit I wis

telt this grannie wis a bit o’ a

limmer. She pit her twin

breethers in a guana bag an’

rolled them doon the stairs -

an she fed her baby sister wi’

worms, because the baby wis

greetin’ an’ the quinie’s

grannie thocht she wis hungry.

Well, things were gan’ a richt

till the quinie wis shifted tae

Forres. Ye ken that’s the toon

thon loon fae England ca’d

Shakespeare scrieved aboot, fin

he telt a thon lees aboot oor

King MacBeth.

As I wis sayin’ a’ thing

wis a’ richt bit wi’ the quinie

aye watterin a’ her grannie’s

floores wi thon muckle roozer, I

wis gettin’ affie fule an a’

clarted wi’ dubs, so there wis

naethin’ for it bit the washtub,

sae I thocht, that wis fit wi’s

gan’ tae gie me the biggest fleg

o’ ma life.

In oor young days, as ye’ll min’

fine, fin we were fule, we’d be

pit intae a tub o’ het watter, an

scrubbed up an’ doon on a

board wi’ thon green soap,

then a puckle squeezes in’ an’

oot o’ caul watter an’ pit oot

tae bleach on a bush or on the

girse. Dae ye mine the day thon

billy-goat fae the Manse trampit

a’ ower us, an’ got the mis-

tresses’ steys stuck on his

horns? An’ of course the Minis-

ter’s wife wis nae Lily Langtry,

sae they turned up at the neest

Kirk Roup.

Weel, I wis pit intae this

big muckle box wi’ a wee roon

winda, an’ I thocht “Here’s nee

gan tae be lockit awa’ fir ani-

ther seeventy years. Bit,” says I

tae ma’sel’, “at leest this time,

fin the door is steekit I’ll hae a

wee keekoot noo an’ again.”

I hidna’ that oot o’ ma moo’ fin

I heard a cleek, an’ there wis

this almichty gush o’ watter,

then mercy me, I wis on the

pint o bein’ droont fin a the

ither claes started lachin’ at

me. Weel, I wisna gan tae show

them hoo feart I wis, sae I

stopit hostin, gritted ma teeth,

at least they wir’ a’ ma ain - the

ither claes hid mooths as if

they’d been sookin’ lemons a’

day.

Then stinken’ stuff like

green semolina cam froothin’

up roon me. I wis coupit a’

wyes. Ma yachie toots got a

snorrled up wi’a floory thing

ca’d a negligee an’ a fite thing

they pit in tae mak’ the washin’

smell nice, got stuck in ma lug.

Speak aboot ooter space - I

thocht ma end hid come. Ma

body wis in sic a sotter, ma hair

The Lace Goonie

by Nancy Forsyth


Eilean DubhThe new Black Isle Restaurant

Eilean Dubh

E DE DWe want our menus to reflect the best of what the Black Isle has to offer and will be using as much fresh local fish, meat and produce as we can get our hands on!

Anne and Graham Law

To book, please call us on 01381 620690

LOCALFREE-RANGE

EGGSWe can lay them

on your doorstep!90p for 6 eggs

Anne ChanceEaster Balmungie Farm

Telephone: 621006

Phone Avoch (01381) 621000

AVOCHCOMMUNITY CENTRE

for all your functions and indoor games

Hire Rates -UPPER HALL

! One Off Use:" Flat Rate of £ 6.50 per hour. ! Regular/Long Term User:" Flat Rate of £ 5.50/hour.

! Fundraising:" Flat rate of £10.00 per session (hourly rate for less than 2 hours)""

MAIN HALL! Flat Rate of £ 6.00 per hour."

Special rates and arrangements foradult & teenage parties

For bookings or more information please contactAAA Bookings Secretary

Jenye Monckton, telephone 01381 621430

Jo’s GardenEnterprise

Easter Balmungie Farm, Eathie Road

by RosemarkieTel. 01381 621006Bedding Plants Perennials Herbs

Free Delivery on the Black Isle

wis a ravilt an’, michty me, the

thing started tae gang fester

an’ fester an’ I wis sae dottled I

didna care ony mare. I felt a

richt gype.

Then a’thing went quate, an’

the door opened an’ I got oot. I

wis fair fooshined, bit fin I

gethered ma’sel the gither an’

takit a keek at ma’sel’ - I

couldna’ believe ma’ een. I wis’

real bonnie an’ fite. I heard the

wifie say tae her man, “Ye

canna get cloots like that noo.”

Me! a cloot!

That’s nae the end o’ ma

trachles. I wis hung oot tae dry

on a thing that gaed roon an’

roon. I thocht here we go again.

Bit I got a fine chance tae tak’ a

keek at the ither claes. They

were a’ colours - fit a lot o’

painted hussies. Mercy me,

some o’ thon things wid mak

Casanova blush. Ye could see

richt thro’ them, some o’ them

wad scarce hap yer doup. An’

the names they ca’ themsel’s

noo. A sark is a shirt, a semmit

is a vest, an’ they hevna’ got

steys wi fish beans noo, they

hiv grippit things ca’d pantie

girdles, an’ div ye ken fit they

ca’ you, Kwite? A slip. Did ye

ever hear sic blethers, there’s

nae bloomers nor lisle stock-

ings either - they weer things

ca’d tights - the bloomers are

tied tae the stockin’s and the

stuff they mak’ them oot o’ is

ca’d nylon.

Bit the daftest sicht I saw

fin’ I wis hingin’ oot tae dry,

wis a mannie rinnin’ a lang the

road wi green combies on. I fair

thocht he’d gan’ aff his heid,

fin I heard the posh negligee

say, “There’s George out jog-

ging.” I wis jist thinkin’ tae

masel’, “If they hid tae chave as

hard as we hid tae, Dod widna

need tae gae oot rinnin’. Nae

winner the fowk hae arthritis,

wifies wear wee bits o’ skimpit

nylon an’ mannies wear things

ca’d boxer shorts. Lang draw-

ers, an’ bloomers hiv gan’ oot

the windie, sae tae speak.

Thon’s an affie wye they

hiv o’ ironin’ noo. You an’ me

wis used tae the wifie pitten an

iron in tae the fire an’ fin it wis

reed het, she’d pit it in tae an

ironing box wi’ a solid brass

bottom, then we widna get

burnt. Noo a days, they hiv a

fantoosh thing ca’d a steam

iron wi’ a lang string that gets

pit intae the wa’ an’ tae het it

up they press a thing ca’d a

switch. An’ the fleg ye get every

time the thing gies a hiss at ye

every noo an’ again, an’ spits

oot watter in yer een.

Before I gang, Kwite, I

like it fine up here as lang as I

dinna get stappit awa in thon

kist again fir anither seeventy

years. Min’ ye, it disnae look

like it, for the quinie’s grannie

has pit me in atween nice saft

paper, alang wi’ ither claes,

aboot ma ain age, wi’ affie nice

smellin’ lavender in her best

bedroom. Bit I’ll niver forget

the wee quinie fa’ takit me oot

tae play “Here comes the Bride.”

She’s growin’ up hersel’ noo,

an’ maybe her wee quinie’ll tak’

me oot when she comes tae

play. Bit I’ll nae get sic a fleg,

mind ye, the wye things are

gan’ ma next wash’ll be on the

moon.

Yours aye

‘Goonie’


In Avoch, on the north east coast

of Scotland is Ormond Hill,

where Avoch Castle - also known

as Ormond Castle - once stood.!

The Castle served as the strong-

hold of the Moravia (de Moray)

family in the 13th century.! On

the 31st May 1997 a cairn was

built and dedicated to the mem-

ory of Andrew de Moray and his

family's place in the history of

Scotland and the Wars of

Independence.! Each year the

Saltire, hung from the flagpole

incorporated into the cairn, is

exchanged for a new one in sa-

lute to de Moray's legacy.!! This

year, about 70 de Moray sup-

porters gathered in Avoch and

marched the one mile walk to

Ormond hill to mark the occa-

sion before retiring the old Sal-

tire and raising the new one.!

Attendees included SNP MSP Rob

Gibson who narrated the story of

Andrew de!Moray.

North Rising celebration, 17th May 2008

Annual Celebration of Andrew de Moray and the North Rising 17th May 2008 See more at www.freewebs.com/andrewdemorayproject

Photos, captions and text taken from the website

Up with the new

The plaque

Rob at the top of the hill

Aileen McLeod at de Moray day


Careers Scotland,Ross-shireLooking for work?Need help to plan a new route?Wanting to change direction?

Our all-age career planning service can:• enable you to make decisions and plan

ahead• help you identify your transferable skills• teach you how to create an effective CV• support you with your job applications

and interviews

For friendly, free, confidential advice and support for all agescontact us on:

Careers Scotland69-71 High StreetInvergordonIV18 0AA

Email: [email protected] www.careers-scotland.org.uk

01349 855245• Open Monday 9am – 5pm for drop-in. (closed for lunch

between 1pm-2pm)• Appointments available in Invergordon, Tain, Balintore,

Alness, Fortrose and Dingwall.• All age service – no matter your employment status.• Free, confidential advice, guidance and information

provided.

Careers Scotland is part of Skills Development Scotland


GEORGE E CHALMERSFuneral Directors

Independent Family Run BusinessThe firm’s aim is to provide a discreet affordable service with professional care and understanding.

Pre-Paid Funeral Plans AvailableComplete Personal 24hr ServiceRest Rooms Available

‘Roselea’, East Watergate,

FORTROSE, ROSS-SHIRE IV10 8TQ

Tel: 01381 620796 Mob: 0780 1466983

Holistic MassageKate Bevan Baker MA, DipHM

Fortrose, Black Isle

for appointments and enquiries

tel: 07854 085 654

[email protected]

www.katebevanbaker.co.uk

The members of the Forums are to be representative of the five key interest ar-eas, which are:

! Holders of premises licences and personal licences (licen-sees)

! The Chief Constable for the police area in which the Forum's area is situated

! Licensing Standards Of-fice for the council's area

! Persons having functions relating to health, education or social work

! Young people, persons resident within the Forum's area

Whilst the majority of Forums have now been established, if you are interested in the impact of the licensing decisions in your area then you may wish to be part of the Forum and it would be worth investigating further.

Further information on your Local Licensing Fo-rum can be found at www.local-licensing-forums.org.uk

The AlcoholLicensing Lawis changing

The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 will give members of the public more in-volvement in their local community through greater rights to comment on licensing applications and through

Local Licensing Forums.

Chatterboxcan now offer print facilities for many kinds of work for

your group or voluntary organization

Black & white or full colourcopying from paper originals or printing from

computer files (pdf ) - meeting notes and circulars,flyers, pamphlets, booklets, posters, etc.

Economic rates available to assistall voluntary workers and groups.

Please contact the Editor for more information

CHRISTMAS EVE

WARM and prepared, the house is sleeping now. Children, at last, have closed reluctant eyes. Serene as faith, the windowcandles burn, Piercing the night with radiant mysteries. Snow blurs the dreaming panes with gauzy breath, Pressing its cold, white face against the door. The sound of altar bells has died away, leaving an aching stillness, where before Sweet notes of carolling and min-gled prayer Flowed from beneath a slender, ancient spire. The spell of Christmas gilds the waiting hours _ And reminiscent cows kneel in the byre.

Joan Howes

http://www.local-licensing-forums.org.uk/

http://www.local-licensing-forums.org.uk/


Hairdressing SalonHigh Street, Avoch IV9 8PT

01381 620503Sunbed hours -Tuesday 9am - 2pmWednesday 9am - 2pmThursday 9am - 2pmFriday 9am - 2.30pmSaturday 9am - 12 noon

Brenda May’sCOME AND JOIN US!

Bridge Street, AvochTelephone 01381 620246

StationHotel

THREE BEDROOM FLAT FOR RENT IN AVOCH

The Bank House Flat is available for short term rent or self catering holiday. Accommodation includes: a large sitting room; spacious kitchen/dining area; 3 bedrooms (one double & two singles); and bath-room with shower over bath. Available for renting between December 2008 and March 2009.

Contact Wendy or Jim: Tel: 01381 620172 E-Mail: [email protected]

Currently, the Bank House and Bank Flat are for sale through estate agents Innes & Mackay. All enquiries re-garding the particulars of the property and viewings must be made through the agents: Tel: (01463) 251200

The morning after…

Alcohol ban for Avoch

We understand from a report

in the Inverness Courier on

Tuesday 18th November that

Avoch now has a ban on

drinking in public, which

came into effect on the 28th

November.

FITNESS AND HEALTH COACHEllen Addison (DipFTST) MIRMT

is a qualified fitness coach, nutrition and lifestyle advisor with

over 10 years experience.

She will assist you to turn your life around once and for all.

If you are battling with your weight and stuck in a rut,

don’t delay and put an end to your unhappy state.

One-to-one sessions.

Recommendations available on request

2 Newton Steading, Avoch Tel: 07759 969120

jogscotland 9.30am Wednesdays“Welcome to Scotland’s very own jogging network.”

Turn up at the Black Isle Leisure Centre – 9.30am

Wednesdays (except school holidays).

Come along and join in. Very relaxed atmosphere.

Social and fun. All levels welcome. Structured pro-

gram. Encouragement and motivation in abundance.

Dress code - leisure wear and trainers.

Cost - £1 per session.

Contact jogscotland leader Ellen Addison on

07759 969120.

Check out www.jogscotland.org.uk for full details

Photo as found, Thursday 2nd October, 9.46 am. Chatterbox photo

STOP PRESS!The Avoch Amenities

Association’s Grand

Christmas Fayre on

29th November was a

grand success, making

a total of £1120

http://www.jogscotland.org.uk



http://www.jogscotland.org.uk


AVOCH FISHERMEN’SCO-OPERATIVE

35 High Street, Avoch

Phone 01381 620823, Fax 01381 621072HOUSEHOLD HARDWARE GARDENING CLOTHING

GIFTS & PET FOODItems can be ordered on request

“Not just for Fishermen”

Lewis

MaclemanPlumbing and Heating

Gallowhill, AvochTelephone 01381 620587

Mobile 07833 727434

RoWAN - Ross-shire Waste Action Network is

running a Master Composting project which will

involve households across Ross-shire. Ever

thought you could get passionate about compost?

Well there are people out there who are! If you

happen to be one of them, our Master Composter

Project Officer here at RoWAN would love to hear

from you.

With only around 25% of households in the area

currently composting their kitchen waste, there

are plenty of people out there to bring on board.

RoWAN is one of ten organisations across Scot-

land who have successfully gained funding from

the Scottish Government for a pilot scheme to

employ a co-ordinator to recruit, train and support

“Master Composter” volunteers to go out into their

local communities and promote home compost-

ing. The volunteers will offer free advice and sup-

port to householders; anything from what type of

bin is the best for their garden to hints and tips on

producing good compost.

Interested in becoming a Master

Composting Volunteer?

Depending on a volunteer’s avail-

able time and interest he/she can

get involved in running workshops,

speaking at local meetings, organ-

ising an information stall at an

event or helping people on an indi-

vidual basis with their composting.

Volunteers do not need to be ex-

perts in composting, as RoWAN will

provide training and support and

will cover expenses for volunteers

who can commit at least 3 hours a

month. In return volunteers will find

out more about composting, meet

others who are keen on composting

and gardening and make a differ-

ence to the environment.

Did you know? That at least a third

of the contents of a typical house-

hold bin can be composted. So

home composting is a great way to

reduce the amount of waste sent to

landfill!

If you share our composting passion

or would like advice on composting

at home then we would love to hear

from you. Contact telephone No.

01349 867063 or email

[email protected]

or visit www.rowanweb.org.uk.

Compost bins make a great gift -

prices start at just £6 on the Waste

Aware Scotland website

www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk,

where there is a range of compost-

ing products including wormeries.

Please quote ref: RO-MCV . Alterna-

tively ring RoWAN and we can send

you a compost bin order form.

Seasonal Composting TopTips

You are not the only one that feels

the cold – if you keep your compost

bin covered with an old blanket or

piece of carpet you will help to keep

the warmth in, which will speed up

the composting!

When it’s cold and wet it sometimes

feels easier to throw your vegetable

peelings in the rubbish bin than

face the arctic conditions outside to

get to your compost bin. Cut down

on your trips to the garden by using

your kitchen caddy. These caddies

are covered, meaning that you only

have to empty them into your com-

post bin once a week.

Ross-shire Waste Action Net-

work is a community based vol-

untary organisation. Our aim is

to support households and small

businesses in Ross-shire in re-

ducing the amount of waste sent

to landfill.

http://www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk

http://www.wasteawarescotland.org.uk


Ross-shireBathrooms Ltd

Your local BathroomInstallation Specialists

• Free Quotations and advice • All plumbing work • All tiling • All electrical work • Underfloor Heating • All joinery work • Electric/mixer showers installed

Quality Workmanship Guaranteed

Phone: Fortrose (01381) 622583Mobile: 07941 397095

Email: [email protected]

Shop at

RosemarkieWe support local

producers whenever possibleGwyn Phillips17 High StreetRosemarkie

Telephone 620206

The Avoch BakeryGeorge Street

Fresh morning goods dailyAvailable locally at

Scotmid, AvochBlack Isle Farm Shop, Fortrose

SPAR, RosemarkieSPAR, Munlochy

SPAR, KessockOrd Filling Station, Muir of Ord

and other good local stores

Across1 Gentlemen prefer this blend? So change! (7) 5 Girl on horseback endlessly (6) 9 Push Midge? (8) 10 Afterthought around mystic symbol for dried fruit (6) 12 Why appear? Yen lively at turn of calendar (5, 3, 4) 15 Bad dream in bad pearl for fortune teller (4, 6) 17 See 19 19 Rib run round drink from girders (3, 3) 20 Death prang rearranged for fool’s route to flora (6, 4) 22 Gathering around seasonal presents? (4, 8) 26 10 dims about manners of speaking (6) 27 Scottish cups? (8) 28 Direction to MacBeth? It’s a gas (6) 29 FBI in a fix? Just a bit (7)

Macross’s Scotmid puzzle

The Scotmid prizePost your solution by 1st Januaryto the Editor marked “CROSSWORD”. The first all-correct answer opened in the New Year will win £10 from Chatterbox and also a £10 token to spend at Scotmid, Avoch.

The crossword puzzle in the last is-sue, No.46, was successfully solved by Mr.A.G.Mackenzie, Fortrose. He took the £10 prize, plus a bottle of Bell’s whisky from Scotmid, Avoch.

E P S A P S ME X P O R T E D A C T I O N

T O O V S A TP O O P C H A T T E R B O X

R K N O G WS T I C K S C U R T A I N S

E I E A ZI D O L I S E S L E I G H T

L K R N OMA G A Z I N E B O G A R T

D B P F L SN O B L E C A U S E H E E P

R A A N A E MT E A C U P D I C T A T E S

D K S S H P N

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10

11

12

13 14

15 16 17

18

19 20

21

22 23

24 25

26 27

28 29

Down1 Dances smelly afterthought (4) 2 Equinox ends with cows contained (4) 3 Twice Lynam and O’Connor together? Has no hope. (8) 4 Belt goes back (5) 6 Right, newts spread around (6) 7 Athlete’s pulse? (6, 4) 8 First in, drawn from the cask, but very upset (10) 11 Mean tinned stew (6) 13 Leap year, for example, from March to May (6-4) 14 Belief in the vertical, Venetian and roller? (5, 5) 16 Gardner and sailor make Hindu deity (6) 18 Eternal gnu in den tidied up (8) 21 Vic and Bob in a bob would be so (3, 3) 23 Slump around - dried for 10 (5) 24 Hose around bottom of hose (4) 25 Woops -stop (attract attention quietly in there) (4)

Answers to No.46…


Gordon MoirQuality Butcher

RosemarkieFree local deliveriesSpeciality sausages

Catering contracts welcomeLocal venison

Quality beef, lamb & porkTel: 01381 620418

JASMINE GARDENLTD

JASMINE GARDENLTD

High Street! Avoch

CHINESE TAKEAWAY"#$%# &'"%&&

Anyone who has quit smoking, or tried to quit, knows how hard it can be. The Highland Smoking Cessation Service can help.! The service has a network of trained Smoking Cessation Ad-visers who can provide free ad-vice to anyone thinking about stopping smoking. You may want to talk to someone by phone and arrange for information to be sent to you or you may want to speak face to face with a Smoking Cessation Adviser.! He or she will discuss what options are available to help you quit and to help you prepare and plan for stopping smoking. The service is based on what has been shown to work – people are four times more likely to quit smoking if they use smoking cessation services alongside NRT (Nicotine Re-placement Therapy). Smoking Cessation Advis-ers are based throughout the Highlands, in clinics, surgeries, pharmacies and hospitals. At Fortrose Medical Prac-tice Frances Hobson, Health Care Assistant, has now been fully trained to provide smoking ces-sation advice and an appoint-ment with her can be booked by phoning the surgery (08444 772 497).! Frances has already helped 10 people give up since the beginning of the year. For other locations, con-tact the Highland Smoking Ces-sation Service on lo-call 0845 7573077.

QUIT THE HABIT

LOCAL WEBSITESPrefix all with “http://”

Health/Medical

Fortrose Medical Practicewww.fortrosesurgery.co.uk

News/events etc.

Chatterboxwww.chatterboxnews.co.uk

Sport

Avoch Amateur Football Clubavochies.intheteam.com/modules/page/page.aspx?pc=home

Fortrose Union Football Clubwww.spanglefish.com/FortroseUnion/

Heritage

Mackenzie Founda-tionwww.mckenziefoundation.us/index.php

Avoch Heritage Associationwww.avoch.org/

Community

Avoch & Killen Community Coun-cilwww.avoch-killen.org/

Avoch Amenities Associationwww.chatterboxnews.co.uk/amenities2.html

Others

Scottish Govern-mentwww.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/09/16095049

Information pro-vided without guarantee of accu-racy. Please let us know if you are aware of any changes - send to [email protected]

Mum of three Anne Marie Gol-

die of Wester Greengates in

Fortrose is sick and tired of the

very few inconsiderate dog

owners who let their dogs foul

the ‘Ness Gap’ footpath be-

tween Ness Road and Wester

Greengates. “My pushchair

wheels get covered in the

stuff,” Anne Marie explained to

Chatterbox. “I have to use the

path twice a day to reach the

school bus. My littlest daugh-

ter is just walking, but if she

toddled into it or fell in it it’s

disgusting as well as posing a

serious health risk.”

Unbelievably, some really

unkind dog-walkers are bag-

ging their dog excrement only

to toss it into hedges alongside

the path. “There are red bins at

either end of the path and so

there’s simply no excuse for

this revolting behaviour,” said

Anne Marie. “It’s such a shame

as most of the dog-walkers we

know clear up after them and

the children love patting their

Dog poo blues!dogs. But it only takes one dog

fouling the path once a day for

it to become really nasty along

here – we’ve put up posters and

put circles of flour around the

piles of dog poo, twelve at the

last count! – and so our next

step may be to take pictures

and involve the police.” Dog

fouling, it should be noticed, is

a criminal offence and punish-

able with a substantial fine.

The awkward thing for

Anne Marie is that these few

lazy dog-owners are local peo-

ple who know children use the

path regularly - and she and

other parents whose children

use the path are pretty sure

who the main culprits are.

So please save yourself

some trouble, always watch

your dog to check when it

‘goes’, and always remember to

bag it and bin it!

One can only assume

that anyone who tosses a bag

of poo into the bushes wants to

preserve it for posterity! - Ed.

Party time again!Allan Carmichael, on behalf of Lodge Rosehaugh 1216

The senior citizens’ Christmas Party nights are once again almost

here.! Lodge Rosehaugh 1216 is again providing the venue, drink

and man (woman?) power.! Janice and Mags will provide the grub

and Mike Keavey will entertain as always.! The invitations should be

out by now but if you have not received one then let Janice Macle-

man or Allan at the Fishermen's Co-op know and they will sort it

out.! The parties are over 2 nights - Tuesday 9th December and

Thursday 11th December.! The start is 7 PM both nights.! A report

on the parties will be in the next edition of the Chatterbox.

!


Nature Notes

by the Avoch Observer

C S and Mrs E L Hiddleston

DAIMLER CHAUFFEUR HIRETRADITIONAL WEDDING CARS

UNIFORMED CHAUFFEURS

Fairy Glen View, Eathie RoadRosemarkie IV10 8SJ

01381 620247Mobile: 07711 093522

www.daimlerchauffeurhire.co.uk

JACK & PATIENCEBUILDING CONTRACTORS

NEW BUILDINGS & EXTENSIONSRenovations and all types

of building work doneEstimates given

8 Ormonde Terrace, AvochTel: 01381 620752/621432/621038

Giant Hogweed, another non-native plant, can be seen growing

near Munlochy but it does not seem to have spread further east.!

Hogweed spreads by its seeds which are carried in the water of

burns and ditches.

!

Sika Deer, which are natives of Japan, were introduced into the

Rosehaugh Estate but there are no longer any present on the

estate nor anywhere else on the Black Isle.! Similar releases in

other parts of the Highlands were more successful and numbers

of these deer are present on both sides of Loch Ness and on

western estates.

!

Our native squirrel is the Red Squirrel but in the 19th and early

20th century the American Grey Squirrel was released at over

twenty locations in England and southern Scotland, sometimes

in groups of up to one hundred.! These thrived and the result is

the virtual elimination of the Red Squirrel in most of England.!

Hopefully the Grampians will prove a barrier and the Greys will

not reach northern Scotland.

!

On 31 October the Rural Affairs Secretary in the Scottish Parlia-

ment stated that invasive (not native) species of plants and ani-

mals cost the Scottish economy at least £200 million a year.! In

London, the eradication of Japanese Knotweed from the Olympic

site is going to cost £70 million.

!

Other species have been reintroduced to restore once native

populations.! Excessive hunting and the cutting down of forests

for timber and to clear wolves (this is incorrect)! in the 18th

Century resulted in the extinction of the Capercaillie.! In the

19th Century, the release of Capercaillies from Scandinavia, or

birds obtained by hatching eggs under hens, resulted in this

species becoming established again.! An introduction of these

birds to the Rosehaugh estate in 1888 was not successful but

others thrived at Brahan and Foulis, in districts in the north and

in Perthshire.! Today the large Forestry Commission plantations

on the Black Isle support this species with their roadways pro-

vided suitable habitats for these large birds.

!

Red Kites were re-introduced to the Black Isle about twenty years

ago and they appear to have thrived, although they are not as

common near Avoch as they once were.

End

!

Introduced SpeciesSome species in our area are not so welcome.!

During the Victorian era estate owners introduced

plants and animals with little thought for the

consequences.! In the news lately have been a few

species about which there is great concern.

!

Japanese Knotweed spreads by underground run-

ners which can grow easily through tarmac or

even concrete.! This plant has thrived in the old

kitchen garden at Rosehaugh.! Do you wonder

why a species such as Japanese Knotweed is such

a nuisance here but not in Japan?! The reason is

that, as it evolved in Japan, numbers of natural

enemies (mainly insects) evolved with it, keeping

it in check.! We imported the plant but not its

enemies.! Using these insects is one method of

control being studied by scientists at present.

continued…

!

Groups of Waxwings have appeared in

Avoch.! These birds from Scandinavia

have been seen from Orkney to Kent.!

They feed on berries such as rowan

and can be approached easily.

October saw some familiar and some un-

usual sights.! Early on the morning of

Tuesday, 28th October, a large skein of

noisy Greylag Geese flew over Avoch,

heading west.! Very late in the year for

this species, an Osprey was reported

around this time.! Perhaps it was the one

which landed earlier on a North Sea

oilrig.! Later, on the 28th, there was a

heavy snowfall, brought by winds from

the Arctic.! This is the first time I have

ever seen such an early fall of snow.


NESS HORTICULTURAL SERVICESHorticultural Consultants & Greenhouse Suppliers

8 Nessway, Fortrose, Ross-shire IV10 8SSProprietors: Ian Fraser Tel: 01381 620315

Neil Drummond Tel: 01349 864458

NESS HORTICULTURAL SERVICES

CONTACT NUMBERS

Childline0800 1111

Children First01381 620757

Citizen's Advice Bureau:Dingwall 01349 864850Inverness01463 235345

Community Advice Service 01479 810919

Domestic Abuse Helpline 0800 0271234

Family Mediation 01463 712100

Healthways, Ding-wall01349 868689

Homestart Ross/Cromarty 01349 883484

Housing:Inverness01463 710454Ross/Cromarty01349 868471Out of Hours0845 7002005

Marriage Counsel-ling 01463 712888

Men's Advice Line 0181 6449914

Police:Inverness (H.Q.)01463 715555Ross,Cromarty/Skye 01349 862444

Rape and Abuse Line 0808 8000123or 7pm-10pm01349 865316

Reach out Highland 01463 711585

Ross Council on Alcohol 01349 852438

SamaritansInverness01463 713456Linkline0345 909090

Shelterline0808 8004444

Social Work:Dingwall01349 865262Inverness01463 724040Out of Hours0345 697284

Victim Support:Highland01463 710806

Women's Aid:Dingwall01349 863568Inverness01463 220719

Information pro-vided without guar-antee of accuracy. Please let us know if you are aware of any changes - send to [email protected]

THE DANGERS OFEXERCISING AND SITTING IN A COLD ENVIRONMENTThe biggest concern for exercising/sitting in the cold is hypothermia, or too much heat loss. When you exercise/sit in a cold environment you must consider one primary factor: how much heat is your body losing?

Heat loss is controlled in two ways:1. Insulation, consisting of body fat plus clothing; and 2. Environmental factors, includ-ing temperature, wind, draughts, and whether you're exercising in the air or in the water. Each of these factors plays a role in the body's ability to maintain a comfortable tem-perature.

Insulation Although many people aspire to have a lean figure, people with a little more body fat are better insulated and will lose less heat. Clothing adds to the insulation barrier and is clearly the most important element in perform-ance and comfort whilst exercis-ing or sitting in the cold. One study showed that heat loss from the head alone was about 50 percent at the freezing mark, and by simply wearing a helmet, subjects were able to stay out-side indefinitely.Clothing is generally a good insulator because it has the abil-

ity to trap air, a poor conductor of heat. If the air trapped by the clothing cannot conduct the heat away from the body, tem-perature will be maintained. Unlike air, however, water is a rapid conductor of heat and even in the coldest of tempera-tures people will sweat and risk significant heat loss whilst exer-cising. With this in mind, you want to choose clothing that can trap air but allow sweat to pass through, away from the body.By wearing clothing in layers, you have the ability to change the amount of insulation that is needed. While many new prod-ucts can provide such a layered barrier, it is important to avoid heavy cotton sweats or tightly woven material that will absorb and retain water. Because these materials cannot provide a layer of dry air near the skin, they can increase the amount of heat your body loses as you exercise or continue to sit in a cold envi-ronment.

Keeping the hands and feet warm is a common concern when it is cold. Lower tempera-tures cause blood to be shunted away from the hands and feet to the centre of the body to keep the internal organs warm and protected. Superficial warming of the hands will return blood flow to prevent tissue damage. Blood flow will not return to the feet unless the temperature of the torso is normal or slightly higher (.5-1.0 degree Fahrenheit

(F) above normal). So, to keep your feet warm you must also keep the rest of your body warm at all times.

Check With the Weatherman Always check the air tempera-ture and wind chill factor before exercising in the cold. Data from the National Safety Council sug-gest little danger to individuals with properly clothed skin ex-posed at 20° F, even with a 30 mph wind. A danger does exist for individuals with exposed skin when the wind chill factor (combined effect of temperature and wind) balls below minus 20° F. That can be achieved by any combination of temperatures below 20° F with a wind of 40 mph and temperatures below minus 20° F with no wind. If you are exercising near the danger zone for skin exposure, it also is advisable to warm the air being inhaled by wearing a scarf or mask over your nose and mouth.

Rules For Exercising and/or Sitting in a Cold EnvironmentCheck the temperature and wind conditions before you go out and do not exercise if conditions are dangerous. Keep your head, hands and feet warm. Dress in layers that can provide a trapped layer of dry air near the skin (avoid cotton sweats and other similar materials). Warm the air you are breathing if tem-peratures are below your com-fort level (usually around 0° F).

Beware of the cold!Acknowledgement to: Age Concern Literature and Website

Life style page:Submitted by Linda Bailey


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Councillors’ Corner

Billy Barclay, Highland Councillor

[email protected]

Hi Everyone,

Over the last few weeks some of you would have seen a reduc-

tion in the large numbers of young people hanging around Lazy

Comer at weekends. We have now got most of them attracted to

the youth café in Fortrose, on most Friday and Saturday nights.

We can have up to 40 young people each night. However, this is

causing me some concern because we are at our limit in the

numbers we can take. The café was always a temporary solution

to the problem of young people on the streets and now we really

need to look at providing a bigger and more permanent build-

ing. Ideally it could be part of the Black Isle swimming pool

complex, where it would be the obvious thing to build a café as

part of the Black Isle swimming pool project - but that's not go-

ing to solve the problem in the short term. If anyone reading this

article has any solution for solving this problem I would like to

hear from them. And, again, I would like to stress the need for

volunteers to work at weekends as our numbers are few and

everyone is under pressure.

At present I am confident that the smiley faces that were prom-

ised for the village will be installed and soon be up and running,

and hopefully that will address the ongoing issues with through

traffic in the village.

Along with council officials I am having a look at ways to prevent

possible flooding to the lower parts of Avoch by re-inforcing the

banks of the burn. However, this could be a costly project so we

really have to look at our figures and how we deal with this is-

sue.

Yours sincerely

Billy Barclay

Billy Barclay [email protected]

Craig FraserMonday 23rd June 2008"""""3.00 pm – 4.00 pm atAvoch Primary School

6.00 pm – 7.00 pm at Fortrose/Black Isle Leisure Centre

"

Tuesday, 24th June 2008"1.00 pm – 2.00 pm at

Cromarty Hugh Miller Institute 3.00 pm – 4.00 pm at

Culbokie Primary School

"For council problems or queriesPlease telephone 01381 600871

or email: [email protected]

CONTACTyour Highland Councillors

The Eaglestone, Strathpeffer, and a Walk to the Cat’s Back

Article and photo by Brian Oakley

The Eaglestone, Strathpeffer, is located almost opposite the old railway station, across from the north side of the main road along a poorly sign-posted path.! The stone is almost 3 feet in height and 2 feet wide and carved on it is an arch and eagle of Pictish origin, about 1,200 years old.! The arch shape could be a rainbow, which the Picts held in high esteem.! The eagle was a symbol of tribal chieftainship and could indicate the mar-riage of an important person.

There are many legends to the stone which originally stood in Strathconon.! The popular belief is that the stone marks a tribal battle between the Munro and Macdonald or Mackenzie clans.! The Brahan Seer also foretold!four hundred years ago that Strathpeffer would be flooded after the stone fell three times and that ships would be moored at the stone which, so far, has been moved twice and is now set in concrete!! (Global Warming, etc?)

After you have seen the stone, call at the old railway station for a bite to eat and drink, then leave for the vitrified fort called locally The Cat’s Back at Knockfarrel, about a 5 mile round trip, for the fairly fit.

Turn left from the station and first left again for a steep walk to the signposted track, then left again along this track to the top of the fort.! Views from this point are superb through 360 degrees.! Return to the railway station by the same route, not by the shorter route, which is overgrown in parts.

Please note that this is a day out in good weather for the reasonably fit.




CURRENT EXHIBITION

ROSEHAUGH: THEN AND NOW

A fascinating insight to the buildings and grounds of the Rosehaugh Estate - historical and present day.From 1 May 2008 until April 2009 at Groam House Museum, RosemarkieFor opening times and full informa-tion on the work of the museum please visit: www.groamhouse.org

COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHYThe Museum is also organising two commu-nity photography projects using the environ-ment of the Rosehaugh Estate as a fascinating subject for digital photography. The projects have been funded by Awards for All and the Highland Council Black Isle Ward Fund.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDGroam House Museum relies on a dedi-cated team of volunteers who work on a rota system that can be adapted to indi-vidual’s availability. If you are interested in the work of the museum, and would like to find out more about this pleasurable and fulfilling work, please contact: Su Wompra, Volunteer Co-ordinator, on 01349 877091, or email: [email protected]

MUSEUM OPENING HOURS FOR 2008 – ADMISSION FREE1 May to 31 October: Mon. – Sat. 10am – 5pm; Sundays 2pm – 4.30pm.1 November to 7-December: Saturday & Sunday 2 - 4pm.

Groam House Museum, High Street, RosemarkieRoss-shire, IV10 8UF.Museum Tel: 01381 620961; Office Tel: 01463 811883Email: [email protected]: groamhouse.org.uk

Personal Training at the BILC

My name is

Linda Bailey,

self-employed

Personal Trainer/

GP Referral/

Health Coach at

the Black Isle

Leisure Centre,

working part time

hours.

If you require my

services or would

like more

information,

please ring me on

Mobile:

077 6969 3993

The classic tractor rallyOn Saturday 27 September it

was disappointingly WET when

33 vintage tractors set off from

Dingwall at 10.00am - but, luck-

ily, the day improved and after

visiting Fortrose, Avoch, Mun-

lochy and Beauly no one could

doubt that when the tractors

returned to Dingwall at 5.00pm,

a great day had been enjoyed

by tractor drivers and the public

alike. Our photo was taken dur-

ing their stop-over in Avoch.

This year the rally was

held to raise funds for MS High-

land, whose Secretary, Gill

McWhirter, said, “The final total

is not yet in, but looks as if it

may be between a truly fantastic

£7000 and £8000!” She also

said, “Our most grateful thanks

go to the stalwart Neil MacDon-

ald from the Heights of

Achterneed, for his tireless ef-

forts in organising the event#

and to Heather MacLennan and

her family for organising the

very successful Dance that fol-

lowed in the evening.”

See www.mshighland.org.uk

Chatterbox photo




07825 368 043www.carolinepatienceflowers.co.uk

Irrepressible as ever, former Seaforth Highlander Eoan Munro, Avoch, is planning to do a 10 kilometres sponsored walk from Cromarty to Avoch, partly via the old railway line, to raise funds to provide Wii computer games, for the Physiotherapy Departments at Ross Memorial Hospital, Dingwall and the County Hospital, Invergordon. The target is £200 for the two games, but any additional funds will go to help the East Ross group of the Parkinson’s Disease Society. The games can be played individually or in groups and can be used by all kinds of patients as physiotherapy to aid their recovery. Eoan’s preference is to do the walk at his own pace, and so would like to do it on his own, but it is possible that his next door neighbour may accompany him. He says that he was planning to do the journey carrying a full pack, but has been persuaded that perhaps this would be going a littlle too far! He will do the walk before Christmas and plans just to pick a good Saturday. Eoan asks anyone wishing to sponsor him for the walk to send their pledge to The Editor, Chatterbox, 7 High Street, Avoch IV9 8PT. Please make any cheques payable to Parkinson’s Disease Society. We’ll let you know how he gets on!

10K for Eoan

MY FAVOURITE FILMCromarty Film Festival

The organisers of the Cromarty Film Festival have assembled an im-

pressive line-up of well-known people to introduce their favourite

films, to be screened in the Cromarty Film Festival between Friday

5th and Sunday 7th December. So it’s called “My Favourite Film Festi-

val.” Details of the films, times and venues can be found at

www.cromartyfilmfestival.org. Information, tickets and week-end

vouchers are available from The Emporium, High Street, Cromarty.

Here’s the basic line-up …

KIRSTY WARK, broadcaster and

journalist with partner ALAN

CLEMENTS, head of content at

STV, introduce their favourite

film, the sumptuous romantic

epic Ryan's Daughter from

1970.

KAREN MATHESON, lead singer

of Capercaillie joins with musi-

cian and Celtic Connections Di-

rector partner DONALD SHAW,

to introduce the French classic

Tous Les Matins Du Monde

from 1993.

JANICE FORSYTH, radio and

arts programme presenter. and

ex-Blue Nile partner, PAUL

MOORE, will introduce their fa-

vourite film, the hilarious This Is

Spinal Tap from 1984.

MICHAEL CATON-JONES, Direc-

tor of Rob Roy, and one of the

few Scottish directors to crack

Hollywood introduces

My Darling Clementine, per-

haps the best orchestrated

western of all time.

DAVID MACKENZIE is the multi-

award winning Director of Hal-

lam Foe. He will introduce his

favourite but highly underrated

film, The Last Detail from

1973.

GUS WYLIE, photographer, pho-

tographic lecturer and painter,

introduces his favourite film the

classic Twelve O'Clock High

from 1949.

ROBERT LlVINGSTON, Director

Hi-Arts and film buff introduces

his favourite film the French

comedy Playtime from 1967.

BRUCE ROBERTSON, Director of

Zip 'n' Zoo introduces his favour-

ite, the Academy Award winning

My Life as a Dog from 1985.


IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

The newly restored Avoch war memorial

was this year the scene of a very well

attended remembrance service on

Sunday 9th November.

Chatterbox issue 47

Documents

Transcript of Chatterbox issue 47