Balmullo Community Council Newsletter 2017, [issue five]
Cover Photo (Andrew Falconer): The Kelpie Marquettes can be seen on Bruce Embankment, St. Andrews until 23rd October.
Online newsletter www.issuu.com/balmullo
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GREAT SPOTTED & GREEN WOODPECKERS
ANDREW FALCONER The Green Woodpecker (Picus Viridis) is 40-46 cm in length with a wingspan of 67-73 cm. Adult birds are obviously green, with a red crown and nape, black patch around a pale eye and a distinctive yellowish rump. The “moustache” is black in females but with a red centre in males (see photo). Juvenile birds are paler green but heavily spotted all over. They can be found in open and mixed woods, also mature farmland with pasture and trees. They feed mainly on ants so spend time on the ground. They are often spotted flying off strongly, with the yellow rump standing out, again with a very undulating flight. Their song is like a series of loud, laughing notes – unmistakeable once heard “Yaffle” is an old name for them. You will hear this frequently around Tentsmuir Forest in Spring and may be lucky enough to flush one from the ground on a quiet path with the yellow rump prominent as it flies off. I’ve also seen one near Milton Farm in the past. Photos courtesy of John Anderson, Crail.
These two Woodpeckers are the only members of their family likely to be seen in Scotland and both can be seen in or near Balmullo with a bit of luck. The Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) is 23-26 cm in length, with a wingspan of 3844 cm. Adults have basically black and white plumage, with the black crown and moustachial stripe being obvious features, also the whitish belly and red vent area below. Males have a red patch at the back of their head (see photo) but this patch is black in females. Juvenile birds have a red crown with a black edge. They can be found in all kinds of woodland, large parks and gardens. Often their call – a short, sharp “squeak” or their loud “drumming” in Spring, is heard before they are seen, typically clinging to the trunk or branches of a tree and working their way upwards. Their undulating flight is also a noticeable feature. The woodlands around Cuplahills, Logie Farm and Lucklaw Hill are all good places to find them and they will come to bird feeders occasionally (just once in my garden).
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Balmullo Chairman Colin Finlay 870578 colinfinlay52@gmail.com Treasurer & Newsletter Andrew Falconer 870496 anfalconer@tiscali.co.uk Vice-Chairman: Alison Jeffrey 870674 alison@balmullo.net Secretary: Sue Smith 870221 secretary@balmullo.net
CONTACTS
WHAT’S ON?
OCTOBER 4TH
5TH 9TH 11TH 12TH
Minute-Secretary: Councillors: Ina Cameron 870253 twaauldgoats@btinternet.com
COMMUNITY COUNCIL
18TH
John Normand janormand1@gmail.com
BURNSIDE HALL COMMITTEE MEETING 7.30 PM. SWI MEETING. HAIR & NAIL CARE – LOUISE DINSLEY. BURNSIDE HALL. 7.15 PM. COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING. BURNSIDE HALL 7.30 PM. ALL WELCOME. BALMULLO SURGERY FLU CLINIC. 9.00 AM–12.00 PM NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY LEUCHARS & DISTRICT GARDENING & CRAFTS CLUB. TALK BY SALLY LORIMER ON WILLOWHILL GARDEN, NEWPORT. BURNSIDE HALL. 7.30 PM. ADMISSION £2.50 LEUCHARS SURGERY FLU CLINIC. 9.30 – 12.30. NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY. AUTUMN FLOWER SHOW. BURNSIDE HALL 1.30 – 4.00 PM. ADMISSION £2.50
Gwenyth Mitchell 870010 gwenyth@balmullo.net
28TH
Peter Lomas 870848 pil77@btinternet.com
NOVEMBER
fife
2ND 4TH
councillors
Jonny Tepp Phone 078 4091 9734 Email cllr.jonny.tepp@fife.gov.uk Tim Brett 01382 330905 cllr.tim.brett@fife.gov.uk Bill Connor 077 1866 8792 cllr.bill.connor@fife.gov.uk
13TH
SWI ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. BURNSIDE HALL. 7.15 PM. CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR. BURNSIDE HALL. 11.30 AM – 4.00 PM. COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING. BURNSIDE HALL 7.30 PM. GUEST SPEAKERS. ALL WELCOME.
RUNNING AN EVENT? EMAIL ANFALCONER@TISCALI.CO.UK
Useful Contacts Burnside Hall Keeper Lynn Murphy 870466 GALA Committee 07780335250 http://balmullogala.weebly.com Community Police Officers 101 Peter Holmes & Ewan McIntosh Non Emergency Police 101 Dog Warden 0345 155 0022 NHS24 111 Rev. John Duncan 870038 jduncan@churchofscotland.org.uk
M.P. Stephen Gethins 657765 M.S.P. Willie Rennie 656361 Doctors @ Balmullo 871164 Balmullo Primary 659451 Bell Baxter High School 659459 Madras College 659402
Advert Prices Small £5, Half Page £10, Full Page £20. You can rent advertising space on a month by month basis or on a longer term basis. The Balmullo Newsletter has a circulation of 700 and is hand delivered FREE of charge. TO ALL ADVERTISERS – Please check your advert. If you would like to remove it or change it in any way, please let us know.
Statements made or opinions expressed in this Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Balmullo Community Council or any of its officers.
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MONTEATHS Accountants & Tax Consultants APPOINTMENTS: MORNING, AFTERNOON or EVENING OUR OFFICE, YOUR HOME or PREMISES
Self-employed and employee your partner/spouse Many in this category pay their assistant £680 mthly = £8160. And this avoids any monthly PAYE bill. However it may be worth £400-£600pa to increase the salary to £11500 and pay some Paye each month. Option - If the salary stays at £8160 and the spouse hasn’t any other income then it should be possible to arrange for £1150 personal allowances to be transferred to the other spouse providing the other one earns less than £43000. Option – Perhaps the partner spouse could have a company car. The “benefit” value added to the £8160 may well be less than the £1150 tax threshold while the employer gets full tax relief on all vehicle costs. However, there will be an employer’s NIC bill at 13.8% x benefit every July.
It’s not only government employees who can get pay increases over 1%! If you are concerned about substantiating the increased “wage” then ask the partner/spouse what jobs they do to assist. The list will be long. FINANCIAL ADVICE
WE HELP - WE SAVE YOU MONEY FULL ACCOUNTANCY AND COMPLETE TAXATION SERVICES WWW.MONTEATHS.COM Cairnfield, 14 School Road, Balmullo, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 0BD Tel 01334 870343 - Fax 01334 871004 E mail : morag@monteaths.com
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BOB DRONSFIELD Bob Dronsfield lived in Balmullo with his wife Kath for many happy years. He was well known to many and was a photographer with the Courier and Fife Herald during which time he took many pictures of the Gala and other village events. Bob was involved with the founding of Heart Start and was chairman of our Community Council for many years. He was also a richly deserved recipient of the George Gray Trophy. He had a very interesting and varied life, joining the Navy at 16 and during the second world war was stationed in Singapore with Mountbatten at the time of the Japanese surrender.
Bob and Kath moved to Scotland and ran a large hotel in Ayr before moving to Invergowrie where Bob worked at the paper mill. They then lived in Newport before buying a house in The Mount in Balmullo in the late 1970’s. They had a long and happy marriage until Kath passed away in 2006. Bob continued to live in the cul-de-sac in The Mount and in spite of his advancing years, he continued to drive and was a wonderful friend and neighbour. He passed away in June after a bout of illness and had an amazing 97 years. He will be sorely missed by all his friends and neighbours.
BEAUTIFUL FIFE
ANDREW FALCONER
My wife and I recently attended the Beautiful Fife awards ceremony in Glenrothes. We were delighted that Balmullo was once again awarded a Silver Gilt certificate. We would like to thank all the keen gardeners in Balmullo, whose colourful and tidy gardens enhance the image of the village. We would
like to thank personally those who have helped directly by watering and feeding planters near them – Derek Calder, John Erskine, Sue Forrester, Elizabeth Kerr, Kim Laverty, Lynn Murphy, Zoe Sanders, Fiona Shepherd and George Smith & Christina Jack.
REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2017
REV JOHN C DUNCAN MBE
Balmullo - Burnside Hall 9.30am Act of Remembrance Danny Connolly CF, Chaplain to Leuchars Station After the church service the Poppy Wreaths will be Leuchars - St Athernase Parish Church 10.50am laid at the War Memorial at Leuchars Cemetery. Remembrance Service with HM Forces and Padre
JULY 200 CLUB WINNERS
AUGUST 200 CLUB WINNERS
HOW TO JOIN
£50
Mrs Bishop, Pitcairn Drive
£50
Mrs Brill, The Mount
£20 £20 £20 £20 £20
Mrs Campbell, Hillview Road Mrs Watson, Smithy Road Mrs Rolfe, Anderson Drive Mr & Mrs Lee, Borthwick Place Mrs Sanders, Lucklawhill
£20 £20 £20 £20 £20
Mrs Nicolls, Pitcairn Drive Mrs Page, Borthwick Place Mr Flipovitc, Pitcairn Drive Mr Chappell, Mansfield Road Dr & Mrs Fyfe, Lucklawhill
£10 £10 £10 £10 £10
Mrs Carr, Pitcairn Drive Mrs Lawson, Mansfield Road Mrs Cairns, Greenacre Mrs Hunter, Pitcairn Drive Mr Boyd, Lucklaw Road
£10 £10 £10 £10 £10
Mr Mason, The Mount Mrs Clark, Pitcairn Drive Mrs Noble, Hillview Road Mr Harcus, Pitcairn Drive Mrs Mackie, Pusk Farm
It's easy to join the 200 Club. Call or email Ina at t w a a u l d goats@btinternet.com or call 870253. It only costs £1 per entry per month, and you can enter as many times as you like. We are currently trying to raise money for various Balmullo community activities and projects. GOOD LUCK!
Appointments not always necessary Mon Closed Tues 9-3 Wed 9-5 Thur 9-8 Fri 9-6 Sat 8-3 Sun Closed
15 Main Street Leuchars 01334 848625
Colin Finlay Qualified Electrician Any jobs Large or small
Discounts for OAPs Balmullo 870578 Mobile 07828 547395
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ANNOUNCEMENTS Speed Limit Lucklawhill - The proposal to reduce the speed limit to 30mph has been agreed and should happen in the near future. Pitcairn Drive - The dilapidated street signposts still require refurbishment and this will be chased up by our councillors. Parks and Open Spaces – Iain Barbour, the Team Manager for Fife Council, has taken early retirement and has been replaced by John Haskell. Dog Fouling – A reminder that dog fouling can be reported to the Dog Warden by telephone on 03451 55 00 22, or online at www.fifedirect.org.uk/ dogfouling, or by e-mail to
BALMULLO COMMUNITY COUNCIL Local people can check their bin collection dates online by visiting www.fifedirect.org.uk/bincalendar. Simply enter your postcode to check your next collection date and the bins being collected. If you do not have access to a computer, tablet or smartphone you can visit your local library, where computers are available to print your bin calendar. Staff at Fife’s libraries are able to help you with this. The print cost for a colour bin calendar is 25p. For more information on waste and recycling at Fife Council visit www.fifedirect.org.uk/waste. Coffee with Cops - Due to poor attendance at the Leuchars “Coffee with Cops” we are looking at attending local coffee mornings in the area. If there are any in Balmullo who would be interested in having us can you please make us aware. Balmullo Pharmacy Application – Dr. Frances Elliot, Medical Director NHS Fife, and Dr. Evelyn McPhail, Chief Pharmaceutical Inspector NHS Fife will be attending our meeting on 13th November to discuss and answer questions on the application by Raymond Kelly, which was rejected on 30 June 2016. The next meeting is in Burnside Hall at 7.30pm on Monday 9th October.
safercommunities.officers@fife.gov.uk. Celebrations of people in Fife - If you know a resident who is reaching 100th Birthday, or 60th Wedding anniversary (+ every 5 years thereafter!) – you can request civic recognition (details available on request!). Get your bin calendar online! - People across the Kingdom are urged to go online to easily access their bin calendar for 2017/19. Rather than delivering a paper copy of bin calendars to all households across Fife, the council is keeping costs down and reducing the impact on the environment by hosting them A copy of the Minutes will be available on the shelves at the Post Office. online.
POINTS FROM THE SECRETARY’S EMAIL We are receiving updates from Protect Scotland about any potential terrorist threats. The local police have issued a report to this committee. The summer 2017 edition of the Community Resilience Newsletter is available. The North East Fife superfast Broadband website is now live. http://www.nefifesuperfast.org.uk/ The road closure between Thai Teak and Clayton will continue until 9th October. Planning matters that require to be published in the press are now going to appear only in The Courier on a Thursday. The majority of people now access their information from the internet. Community Empowerment and Common Good
THANK YOU
SUE SMITH Property: Consultation on Draft guidance” has now been published and can be found at https:// consult.scotland.gov.uk/local-government-policy/ community-empowerment-and-common-goodproperty Fife Health and Social Care Partnership Annual Report has been published. Newsletter from Fife Adult Support & Protection is available at https://www.fifedirect.org.uk/adult protection. As an additional service, food waste bags will be on sale at £1.30 a roll at Leisure Centres at Newport, St. Andrews and Cupar.
BOB & FRANCES HERD
The Committee (we are all on the committee) would Despite the weather, we managed to raise £1060 for like to thank everyone who came to our “Open St. Athernase Church restoration. Garden Strawberry Tea” on Sunday 11th June 2017.
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BALMULLO SWI
JAN REDPATH
President Ann Falconer welcomed members, and several new members, to our first meeting after the summer break, on Thursday, 7th September, 2017. Our Guest Speaker, Mr Bill Duff, local Bee Keeper and Gardener was introduced to the members. Mr Duff gave a most informative talk, on the life cycle of Worker, Drone and Queen bees. This led on to how honey is produced and collected. Bill entertained the members, with several amusing anecdotes about himself and other bee keepers, over the years. He explained why beeswax candles are better for your health, home and environment, as opposed to those made from paraffin wax, thereby explaining why they are more expensive to produce. Bill very kindly donated two home made ‘Christmas Tree’ beeswax candles, to our monthly raffle, together with a jar of honey for us to taste, Competition Winners : - from his own bees, Cake made using Honey 1. Grace Steven 2. Jill Dhanjal 3. Penny Wiles
using pollen collected in the local area. All the members were able to taste this honey, on freshly home made scones. Members and their guest, thereafter enjoyed a delicious light supper, prepared and served by the Committee. The raffle was then drawn and Competition Winners announced: Our next meeting will be on Thursday, 5th October, 2017 at 7.15pm, where we will welcome the owners of Earthen Images, well known for their ‘Methil Moggies’. Competitions will be:Photo of yourself with a previous hairstyle 2 x filled vol-au-vents Flower of the month
Item with a Bee theme 1. Penny Wiles 2. Gina Baird 3. Chrissie Hannah
Flower of the Month 1. Mary Campbell 2. Gina Baird 3. Vera Finlayson
As always, new members will be made very welcome.
SEMOLINA SHORTBREAD Ingredients
1. 1. Pre-heat the oven to 150°C, gas mark 2
2. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub together until crumbly. 3. Bring together to a dough, using your hands. Now transfer the dough to the prepared tin and press it out evenly, smoothing it out with the back of a tablespoon. Then prick it all over with a fork and, using the prongs of the fork, press quite firmly round the edges to make a patterned border. 4. Bake the shortbread near the centre of the oven for 1 to 1¼ hours until it is pale gold. Then allow the shortbread to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before cutting it into 12 wedges. Remove them to a wire rack to get completely cold, then sprinkle with sugar before storing in an airtight tin.
#BalmulloLife
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MAKE A DATE IN YOUR DIARY SATURDAY 4TH NOVEMBER 2017 CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR Following the success of last year's Christmas Craft Fair, the Regeneration Fundraising Commitee for St Athernase Church in Leuchars have decided to hold another on Saturday 4th November in the Burnside Hall in Balmullo from 11.30am till 4.00pm. Last year's decision to invite predominately local, professional artists, craftspeople and food producers, proved to be a great success. The quality and variety of goods for sale, at a wide range of prices was commented on by many on the day. Many of the stallholders decided at the end of last years Fair that they would want to come again if we decided to hold another, so while there will be many familiar faces this time, we have managed to attract some new and unusual traders - including Tina Scott a blacksmith, Pittenweem Chocolate and Redcastle Brewery. We plan to have a wide enough range of items at prices that will surely enable us all to make an early start on
OUR M.S.P. I recently completed my Summer Tour of the constituency. In five days, for twelve hours a day, I travelled from tiny hamlets to town supermarkets to school gates to offer assistance to constituents. In total I made 55 different stops and met thousands of people. Issues ranged from potholes to speeding, from concern about the housing development in Newburgh to a drug needle being irresponsibly dumped in an Anstruther park, from anxiety about the new housing act in St. Andrews to the capacity of GP surgeries. I have agreed to follow up on many of these issues. With some it is about getting more information and for others it is about intervening to seek a resolution. It’s a part of the job as MSP I find rewarding as it can have a real and direct impact on people’s lives. I have a great team of staff in Edinburgh and Cupar who help me and our strong team of local councillors are effective too. We can’t solve every problem but we always endeavour to try. Bank closures - I have challenged the Royal Bank of Scotland to provide evidence that the local post office branches will be able to accommodate the increased demand from Royal Bank customers when it closes its branches in Cupar and Anstruther. Parliament - Parliament started again at the beginning of September. I will be pursuing issues such as the performance of education and the NHS, the exit from the EU, the finances of the Scottish Government and the measures necessary to boost the economy. You can read more about my work in parliament on your behalf at http://www.facebook.com/
o u r C h r i s t m a s S h o p p i n g . As before there will also be a Home Baking Stall always very popular, a Bottle Stall and, our Grand Raffle with some fantastic prizes to be won. Entry is £2.50 for adults and £1.00 for children, this includes tea or coffee and home baking, wonderful value for money! Remember that we have plenty of free parking. Please spread the word to your friends about the Christmas Craft Fair; we look forward to welcoming you to the Burnside Hall on 4th November and hope that we can raise a record amount for the Church while enabling you to solve some of your seasonal shopping problems.
WILLIE RENNIE willierennielibdem Superfast broadband - I met with COINEF to discuss the new initiative to deliver superfast broadband for rural residents in North East Fife. Those struggling to get internet access should register their interest in the North East Fife superfast broadband initiative at http:// nefifesuperfast.org.uk The new website also gives you the chance to check out if you are within an eligible post code. My office is at Unit G3, The Granary, Coal Road, Cupar. KY15 5YQ. The opening hours will be weekdays 10.00 am-2.30 pm. The phone number is 01334 656361. Contact me by e-mail at willie.rennie.msp@parliament.scot You can follow me on twitter @willie_rennie O n F ac eb ook ht tp :/ / ww w .f ac eb ook .c om / WillieRennieFife On the Scottish Parliament http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/msps/currentmsps/ Willie-Rennie-MSP.aspx
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LEUCHARS AND DISTRICT GARDENING AND CRAFTS CLUB
Leuchars and District Gardening and Crafts Club held their annual Summer Flower Show in the Burnside Hall Balmullo on Saturday 5 August. Although the summer so far this year has been wet and lacking in sunshine the entries in the Cut Flower and Vegetable Sections were of a high quality with a very good display of Sweet Peas. There was also good competition in the Preserves and Baking classes. The club changes the judges every three years and this year we invited judges from Dundee and Angus all of whom were impressed with the quality of the entries and the show overall and enjoyed the buffet lunch. As the weather brightened up during the afternoon there was a good attendance of the public and Gwenyth Mitchell the Club Chairman thanked them for their attendance. She also thanked the committee and all the helpers for organising, setting up and running the Show and our sponsors for their help and all the exhibitors for putting on an excellent Show. She then introduced Mrs. Zibby Melville who presented the Trophies ably assisted by her granddaughter Eva. After the presentation Zibby was presented with a bouquet of flowers from one of our younger exhibitors Christine Loudon. LIST OF LOCAL TROPHY WINNERS The Earlshall Cup - Best Exhibit - Childrens overall F. McCandlish. The Williams Cup - Cut Flowers - G. Redpath.
BILL DUFF
The Harry Ritchie Mem. Cup - Pot Plants G. Mitchell. The Cardwell Cup - Floral Art - A. Duff. The George Gay Cup - Floral Art - A. Duff. The George Spence Cup - Preserves - S. Rolfe. The Guardbridge WRI Cup - Baking - L. Hamilton. The Mrs. Haig Cup - Handicrafts - K. Addison. The Mrs. Stewart Cup - Handicrafts - K. Addison. The Scott Trowel - Novice - D. Addison. The Collier Cup - Children 6 yrs. &under - D. Addison. The Small Cup - Children 7 to 9 yrs. - N. Lee. The Greig Sibbald Mem. Cup - Children 10 to 12 yrs. - F. McCandlish. Others from the village who were good enough to enter the Flower Show were : Kyle Bell, Sophie Bell, Mary Campbell, Cameron Duncan, L. Duncan, Sue Forrester, Morag Henderson, Alison Jeffery, Aaron Lee, Gill McCandlish, Gwenyth Mitchell, Marjory Pasley, Georgina Rolfe, Andy Smith, and David Wilson. A couple of weeks earlier we had our Gardens Competition when Bob Herd held on to the Spice Cup for the Best Large Informal Garden. Others who entered their gardens and hanging baskets for competition were Elizabeth Kerr, Linda Reid, Morag Henderson, Gwenyth Mitchell, Alison Jeffery, and Sue Forrester. Personally, this year has been difficult due to a continual problem of bud drop with the Sweet Peas. This is caused by cold/damp nights which cause the buds to fall off just as they start to form. At our own show I could only manage a few vases but things picked up later culminating in managing to set up 12 vases at the Dundee Show and wining the Sweet Pea trophy. I always enjoy myself there, meeting friends and chatting away through the night. This year I finished setting up at quarter to three in the morning but it was a very rewarding show.
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MOIRA’S HEBRIDEAN ADVENTURE
MOIRA CHRISTIE
Oban was the start of the journey and in the coffee shop met George Costigan out of the film Rita, Sue and Bob too and more recently Happy Valley! He was going to walk round Iona. Arrived on Barra on Tuesday evening (ferry took 5 hours) then travelled over the causeway to Vatersay where I would start my cycle. Chic was my backup in the campervan with the dog. Left Vatersay Community Hall on Wednesday morning (after wild camping overnight) heading for Barra ferry to take me to Eriskay (ferry took about 45 minutes). Have to say the only rain I got was on Barra and soaked me in the 10 minutes it was on. Chic never saw this downpour - just my luck! Weather after this was great and Eriskay is joined to South Uist by a causeway (one of many) and the roads are quite flat with only a few mild hills to speak of. The next island is Benbecula which is reached by another causeway. Went through here very quickly and stopped only a couple of times to take photos. Off Benbecula to join Grimsay (which you would miss if you blinked) and on to North Uist and another two causeways done. Feeling I had done enough for the day we searched for a campsite and found Balranald site. Only managed to get in here as very busy. The surprise was the beach when we went over the hill to walk the dog. Stunning! Started again Thursday morning and headed over to Berneray (by another causeway) and on towards the next ferry from this island over to Leverburgh on Harris. (Took about an hour). While waiting here we met two ladies in a Romahome. One lady used to work in Pagans in St Andrews and the other had relatives in Springfield. Loved the signs on the back of their van ‘two grannies on tour’ and ‘if you think this is slow wait till we reach a hill’.
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MOIRA’S HEBRIDEAN ADVENTURE- CONTINUED
MOIRA CHRISTIE
Sat out on the deck on this ferry the whole way as the weather was wonderful. Headed towards Tarbert and had to wild c a m p again as nowhere to book into. Felt more tired today – think I overdid it yesterday. Refreshed I started again and was determined to finish today if I could but didn’t reckon on the HUGE hill – Clisham- the highest hill on the islands at 799m. Must admit I got off and walked a bit. ): The only really big place to pass was Stornoway and you were in it before you knew it as it merged with Marybank. After this the land became bleak and desolate and I could have done with company here but ploughed on and reached the Butt of Lewis and the end of my journey – phew! Journeyed to Stornoway for overnight and headed to Tarbert to get ferry to Uig on Skye. Had to wait till 9.30 pm so arrived on Skye at 11.30pm. Headed to Sligachan to stay overnight then travelled home on Sunday. I enjoyed the experience mostly and the money I will raise for Rachel House will be worth it. (Was meant to wear one of their t-shirts but it didn’t arrive in time.) Thank you to Chic who was bored, I think, much of the time but it was reassuring to me knowing he was there.
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TWO MYSTERIES SOLVED Like many people we supply the garden birds not just with seeds but also with fat-balls, rich in energy and very popular. Traditionally, they come in plastic mesh bags, making them easy to hang up. The birds simply peck through the mesh to get bits of fat but two years ago we found that something was adopting a more ambitious approach, simply tearing the plastic mesh and removing the fat-balls whole. Who could be doing this? The starlings that were avid consumers of the fat seemed to be too small to be able to tear the mesh; crows were surely not agile enough to cling to the bags while tearing them open (and we never saw them trying); perhaps it was rats but surely a whole fat-ball was too big for a rat to carry off? Whoever was the culprit, the balls were disappearing faster than we could replace them, so we now supply some of them in the wire dispensers that are now sold for the purpose, though there are still some in mesh bags and some of them get removed whole. One morning this spring we found that one of the plant troughs looked like a miniature World War 1 battlefield – compost scattered all about, deep craters between the plants and half the plants dug out and flung aside. Who was responsible? The devastation seemed to be on too large a scale even for the blackbirds, who frequently throw large clumps of moss from the gutters onto the doorstep. The
IN PRAISE OF PONDS The pond at the low corner of Willie's Wood, from which Balmullo's burn flows, has been refurbished this year. Not only is it now larger and deeper but the overhanging trees and bushed have been removed, allowing in the light that will help the pond plants to thrive. Observing that welcome treatment made me reflect on the general paucity of ponds in the landscape around Balmullo, which makes the garden ponds in the village even more important. Important? Yes, because ponds not only enhance the joy of a garden but provide resources for so much wildlife. Not just the variety of small and often hidden creatures that live in the water but the larger, more obvious animals such as frogs, toads and newts. Added to the inhabitants of the water are all those land animals that use garden ponds. There are endless processions of birds drinking at any time of year, including the swallows that dip their beaks in the water as they quickly flit over it. This spring during the drought there were not just more birds than usual but all sorts of insects, including dozens of bees,
JEREMY GREENWOOD craters were too deeply dug for hedgehogs; and, in any case, we had not seen hedgehog poos on the lawn for some time. Fox? We have never seen a fox in the garden and there was no smell of fox, which there surely would have been had one spent time in the garden. Whoever it was, what were they digging for? The compost was fresh, so it had no juicy worms or grubs in it. A few days later we saw a crow on the drive, pecking at something. What was it? A rush for the binoculars revealed that it was a fat-ball, chunks of which the crow was breaking off and swallowing. After a few minutes, it took the ball in its beak and hopped over to the nearest flower-bed. When it emerged from the overhanging plants, its beak was empty. Inspection of where it had been revealed the fat-ball buried in the leaf litter. It is not a hard-and-fast case, of course, but the thief of fat-balls seems to have revealed itself; presumably it was also the digger of holes in the plant-trough, either making hiding places for items of food or retrieving items buried there previously. Since then, following the fledging of the young crows from the nearby nest, the whole family seems to have moved away; there have been no more thefts of fat-balls and no more assaults on the plant-troughs.
JEREMY GREENWOOD slaking their thirst. Springtime sees herons visiting, in the hope of snatching a frog that is too intent on courtship to keep its eyes open to danger; once I saw a blackbird snatch a newt from the shallows. Crows bring hard crusts to the water, to moisten them, making them easier to swallow. Blackbirds and song thrushes take beakfulls of mud and roots to bind their nests. Refreshing their feathers by bathing benefits many birds: gangs of starlings seem especially keen on their ablutions, throwing up showers of spray that sparkle in the sunlight. If you don't have a garden pond, I encourage you to build one. It doesn't have to be a big one – I know a pond not much bigger than a dustbin lid that attracts frogs to spawn every spring, in the depths of Edinburgh suburbia.
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FREE ESTIMATES INTERNAL & EXTERNAL VERY HIGH STANDARD EVERYTIME
Help Is At Hand. Gardens, Garages, Maintenance Clearing, Removal Anything Considered.
Call Andy on 079 2040 3412 or 01382 782684
Reasonable Rates
andyinnes1986@gmail.com
Call Jake On 079 6978 0956
JOHN STEVEN
WILLISON MOTORS
Plumbing and heating CORGI REGISTERED
QUEEN STREET - TAYPORT Free collection & delivery service from local and surrounding areas MOT Car Sales Servicing & Repairs
MONDAY – FRIDAY 8am to 5.30pm
3 Tarvit Court - Cupar - Fife
Saturday 9am – 3pm Sales MOT’s until 1pm
Phone 01334 653922
www.willisonmotors.co.uk
Hate Ironing?
Problem Solved
No Time To Do It?
Call Me Aileen on 07814 618402
Don't Get Steamed Up
Tel: 01382 552720
£10 per hour WILLIAMSONS TAXIS Freephone 08000 858181 Airports ~ Contracts Full / Half Day Tours Distance No Object 4 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8 Seaters 01334 476787 01334 839279 www.williamsonstaxi.co.uk
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W&J HORSBURGH FRESH Pittenweem Fish In Balmullo every
WEDNESDAY
From 10am to 4pm Or place your orders by telephone 01333 310567 07751 974615 07528 301092
DEREK B CAMPBELL Motor Engineer
KEVIN MALONEY FOR ALL YOUR DECORATION NEEDS 01334 870241 OR 07941 545052
SERVICING & M.O.T. REPAIRS Tel 870328 ‘Loanhead’ Balmullo St. Andrews KY16 0BQ
Balmullo Bowling Club Play outdoors in summer Indoors in winter
Variety of competitions and friendly matches every week No experience required. All welcome to join. Call John on 870196
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LEUCHARS QUALITY MEATS 24 Main Street, Leuchars Quality Scotch Beef Pork : Chicken : Lamb Also a selection of Steak Pies Individual Pies : Cold Meats : Eggs & Bacon Orders will be made up on request for collection: at 24 Main Street Leuchars KY16 0HN Tel: 01334 839213 Email: lqm24@icloud.com
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CLUB CARS Taxis
01334
838555
479900
info@clubcars-standrews.com www.clubcars-standrews.com
JOHNSTONE PLUMBING, HEATING & GAS SERVICES www.johnstoneplumbers.co.uk
Fast and reliable service Emergency Call-Outs 207782
MILLBANK, 28 SCHOOL ROAD, BALMULLO TEL/FAX: 01334 870691
MOB: 07966 937842
EMAIL: info@johnstoneplumbers.co.uk
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Pitcairn Plumbing Services Plumbing, Installations. Maintenance and Repairs Bathrooms and Kitchens etc. No job too small Competitive prices and Free Estimates
Tel: 01334 870619 Mob: 07917 701411 E-mail: pitcairnplumbing@tiscali.co.uk
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