Chatterbox 108

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Page 2 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

Black Isle Chatterbox

A View from the Black Isle

Printed and published quarterly for the Black Isle

by Chatterbox Community News Group 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.

Publication does not mean articles are the opinion of the magazine or its production team.

Send stories, letters and adverts to: The Editor, Chatterbox, Burnside Cottage, Newhall, Balblair, Dingwall, IV7 8LT; phone 01381 610315; email editor.chatterbox@gmail. com

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The Summer edition of Chatterbox will be on sale in June. Deadline for articles, photos and adverts is May 1st.

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The Team

Editor/Layout: Russell Turner editor.chatterbox@ gmail.com Advertising: advertise.chatterbox@ gmail.com Secretary: Liz McKinlay 07709 200132 lizzymac4402@gmail.com Treasurer: Aileen Battye treasurer. chatterbox@ gmail.com Chairman: Liz McKinlay Reporters: Sandy Mitchell, Anna Ginestri Chatterbox was founded in September 1997

by Jack Malpas ISSN 2399-1879 We support the Black Isle Tourism Team

A manhole left stranded in the water shows the power of the storms that have eroded our coast.

Storm-hit club seeks your help Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club is appealing for support following recent storm damage to the links.

Chatterbox is happy to share extracts from its post which appeared on Facebook. Our own report, on the following pages, details the challenges the club faces.

O

ver the last 12+ months, we have met with various representatives from the Highland Council and Scottish Water to highlight the coastal erosion issues which unfortunately were realised with the storms at the end of October last year washing away around 5-6 metres in places. This whole process has been slow (not on our part) with so much time being spent by the sub-committee to try to get some help/assistance in the main from Scottish Water and the Highland Council.

The initial project cost to protect the 1st tee area and the 2nd tee area alone with rock armour (around 110 metres to cover both tees and the areas around the tees) will be £140,000 + VAT. At Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club we need to think of our members, the many visitors who travel to play here from around the world and for future generations to come. We also have to think about members of the public being able to gain access to the left side of the 1st and 2nd holes as they walk towards Chanonry Lighthouse to either watch the dolphins, to Cover: Jill Anderson – enjoying her retirement

walk their dogs or just to enjoy the stunning scenery this area offers. From a golfing perspective, the areas BETWEEN the 1st and 2nd tees will also be a priority going forward but with no real support, this is proving to be really difficult.

The foreshore is owned by the Highland Council yet they are unwilling to do anything of any note and where the path for members of the public to use was evident before, the storms have taken this away and the Highland Council have stated that they do not see the protection of the path as being a priority!

The associated costs to restore and protect this unique area of land will run into the tens of thousands so we hope that you will support us in this project. All monies/donations received will be ring-fenced for carrying out the necessary works to restore these areas to how they once were.

The direct link to our Go Fund Me page (which includes images of the damage/erosion) is as follows: https://gofund.me/e82cd493 You can also gain access to the same page through our own club website which will include some images of the erosion and damage we have unfortunately suffered by clicking onto the link below: https://fortrosegolfclub.co.uk/coastal-erosion/ Anything you would be willing to contribute will be ringfenced for the coastal erosion issues.

Pages 20-21

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 3

News Near the golf course first tee. The damaged wire cages (gabions) show the position of the coastline before Storm Ciaran in early November 2023.

Page 4 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

News An aerial view south towards Chanonry Point shows the extent of erosion along the golf course.

Land washed away as storms lash our coast

By Sandy Mitchell

B

etween 31st October and 4th November last year, Storm Ciaran struck the coast of the Black Isle between Rosemarkie village and Chanonry Point. I missed seeing the effect of this until a second stormy weekend from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th February. What I saw and on the Saturday experienced was the awesome destructive power of the sea.

A substantial slice of the east side of the Ness has simply disappeared. Where the original coastline had extended is now marked by three mini islands – biscuits of concrete each topped with a manhole cover. The public right of way which had run along the grassy edge beyond the golf course fairways had in many places been washed away.

On the Friday of that February weekend it was low tide and several big digger excavators were building a barrier of rock armour along the side of the caravan park to the sea-wall part of the beach promenade. On Saturday, and with the combination of the high winds of ➤

The Scottish Water ‘island’ shows the position of the original coastline.

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 5

News another storm and exceptionally high tides, breakers were towering towards the shore sending great showers of spray onto the promenade, part-flooding sections near the caravan park.

Along the golf course I watched breakers swarming up over the burst and distorted wire cages – called gabions – that had previously formed the coastal defences. The bigger waves reached all the way up to the limits of the October destruction, flinging flotsam, seaweed and foam onto the edge of the golf course where a line of red posts mark the out-of-play limit. How much has been lost can be seen by those three islets standing solitary on the beach beyond the second tee.

I reckoned that damage on this scale had not happened in living memory and even made me wonder if anything like it had happened since the formation of the Ness and its partner spit over the narrows between Fort George and the village of Ardersier. They had been formed around 10,000 years ago when a melting retreating glacier dumped great quantities of sand, gravel and other stuff it had dragged from the interior. End moraines, as geologists call them.

I wondered why, after whatever long period, Storm Ciaran could have had such destructive energy. As ever these days I went online to find answers. Most of what I learned came from a Met Office video on YouTube together with other bits of information from climate experts.

The man at the Met said that Ciaran had been picking up energy from the unusually

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Approaching high tide on Saturday 10th February. warm surface of the Atlantic as it rushed towards Europe from the south-west. The most striking detail was that the storm was accompanied by an extreme low pressure of 950 millibars. He called this “very, very low” and to illustrate the point said the last similar low – of 959 millibars – was in 1916.

The effects of Ciaran were felt more much further south with heavy rain and strong winds

causing flooding in the south of England.

Wind gusts in the Channel Islands topped 100mph, a promontory in north-west France recorded almost 130mph while in Bulgaria there were tornado speed winds of 160 mph.

And my guess is that as the wind circled round the centre of the low it whipped up the North Sea and the Moray Firth to do the damage we now see along the Ness.

News Right: A GF Job machine installs rock armour along the caravan park boundary.

Below: A scene of devastation near the golf course car park.

Such events and their relation to global warming I will come back to. However I did want to know more about the ongoing repair and defence work currently being undertaken.

Here the Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club have been more than helpful. Club secretary Mike MacDonald passed my questions on to a sub-committee dealing with the effects of the erosion damage and one of the members got in touch and has given me a lot of useful information not just about the work itself but also how and by whom it was to be paid.

The builders of the rock armour with their big machines were from GF Job. The Club say there are plans to prioritise protecting the first and second tees of the course – where the worst damage has occurred. This will involve rock armour of the kind already being installed towards Rosemarkie. The Club owned the land out to the limits of the line between the manholes but Highland Council owns the beach.

Funding for the rock armouring works has been promised but the Club considered it necessary to carry out the works regardless to protect the golf course.

At the first tee 31 metres of rock armour will cost £50,000. Scottish Water, because of the damage to their outflow pipe – the three surviving islets being the visible evidence – will contribute half of this sum. In turn Highland Council has offered £6,500 towards reinstatement of the right-of-way path washed away in the Ciaran storm; 55 metres of rock armour at the second tee will cost £49,000.

The Club has sought financial help from other sources. Despite what their spokesman described as “terrific support” from our local MSP Kate Forbes, a Club request was turned down by Nature Scot (once called the Nature

Conservancy). Similarly a request for help from the local Common Good Fund was also rejected.

This is doubly disappointing since the same Fund is apparently paying out £90,000 for the rock armour being installed along the border of the Rosemarkie caravan park where the wire-cage gabions were damaged. I wondered was this because the ground there doesn’t belong to the Caravanning and Camping Club but to the Council itself. Incidentally, I was told that the Common Good Fund money comes from the rental of Fortrose Town Hall, the Fortrose Bay caravan park, the Rosemarkie caravan park and, ironically, from the Golf Club car park.

The Club is very concerned at the health and safety risk to pedestrians along the edge of the fairways from golfers teeing off from the first tee. Its concern is that the edge of the fairway is now much closer to the playing area by the 5-6 metres mentioned earlier. Accordingly the

Club is making plans for a soft engineering solution between the two areas of rock armour, to reinstate the Club’s ownership back to its original limit as currently defined by the three exposed Scottish Water manholes.

This was made all the more urgent by the recent February storm encroachment. It seems important that people of the Black Isle are made aware not only of this dramatic example of coastal erosion, but also the practical and financial implications of making good the damage – as well as providing a striking local example of planet-wide dangers of global warming.

Beyond what happened with Ciaran and the events around 11th February lies the bigger question. Can we expect more and more severe Ciarans in the future?

In this connection I append the views of some climate scientists. Rising sea-surface temperatures – in our case of the North Atlantic – appear to be a key to future events. ➤

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 7

News Weather extremes including droughts and floods have been predicted for some time now. October has been the wettest ever recorded in Scotland.

According to Zeke Hautfather of Berkeley Earth Science: “Humanity is on course to experience the hottest February on record after records broken each month going back to May 2023.”

From Joel Hirschi – associate head of marine systems modelling at the UK National Oceanographic Centre: “The planet is warming at an accelerating rate. We are seeing rapid temperature rises in the oceans, the largest reservoir of heat. The amplitude by which sea temperatures were broken in 2023 and now in 2024 exceed expectations, though why this is happening is the subject of ongoing research… El Niño (a cyclic heating event) is now weakening which should ease temperatures in the equatorial Pacific from late spring or early summer. But if the North Atlantic remains warm at that time this could herald intense hurricane activity.”

Hurricane specialist Michael Lowry says much the same thing with sea temperatures which “astonish seasoned observers… particularly across the main Atlantic development region where most category three or stronger hurricanes form.” And he adds: “These temperatures are as warm in mid-February as they are typically in mid-July… Incredible.”

This chimes with the views of Maximilian Herrera who tracks extreme temperatures around the world. He says that in the first half of February, at thousands of met stations across the world records have been smashed by “huge margins” and that “climate history is being rewritten”. His most striking example is that on 14th February “a temperature of 33.9 was recorded in Morocco – which is 5C higher than the average for July.”

A cautionary note is sounded by Katherine Hayhoe of the Nature Conservancy regarding the uncertainty about the interaction of different factors, saying: “We do not fully understand every aspect of how complex the earth system is responding to the unprecedented radiative forcing,” but adding, “it is happening much faster than ever documented in the past… we are more likely to underestimate the impact of these changes on human society than to overestimate them.”

A final word from Mr Herschi: “Such risks will increase every year unless human carbon emissions are slashed and forest clearance reversed.”

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A close-up view of the damage near the first tee, looking south.

News

New face joins the Chatterbox team We’re happy to report that our Facebook appeal for new team members was a success.

H

ello everyone, I’m Anna Ginestri. I am originally from a small town called Strathaven around 25 miles from Glasgow. I then relocated to Perth for six years where I trained to be a primary teacher. I moved to the Highlands just over two years ago and fell in love with the Black Isle where I now live.

When I saw that Chatterbox was looking for some new contributors I thought it sounded like a great opportunity!

I am enjoying learning about the local area, exploring the beauty spots and attending all the different markets and events on offer on the Black Isle. I look forward to hopefully bringing you some good and interesting articles.

Jigsaw appeal helps raise charity cash W

e would like to thank the readers of Chatterbox who responded to our request for jigsaws. Unused or new but complete were much appreciated. Once a month we attend the local community markets in rotation. Thanks also to those that attended the markets and made donations in exchange for a jigsaw or two. Last year we raised £613.41 and are looking to continue this fundraising during 2024.

If anyone still has complete jigsaws, new or used, that they would like to donate we would be happy to collect them from anywhere on the Black Isle. Email: blackisleneedtoplay@ gmail.com or phone 01381 621533 Please view our website – www.spanglefish.com/Black IsleNeedToPlay. We have been assisting young people since 1993 and this will give you more details of what we do. If anyone would like to get involved we would be pleased to hear from you.

Jo Finn Black Isle Need to Play

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 9

News

Your chance to play a part in Groam’s future

By Cindy Campbell, Manager Groam House Museum

T

he museum has been busy during the quiet winter months, preparing for our seasonal re-opening on Monday, 25th March. Our Pictish Stones exhibition will remain and the ‘Tracing the Celtic Knot’ exhibition upstairs will have new objects on display. Our gift shop team has been busy finding new local crafts and Celtic items to pique your interest too. With free admission, there’s every reason to pop in, see what’s new on display and browse gifts available to purchase.

With the advent of the new year, Groam House is now also under new direction. Our chairman of many years, Doug Maclean, has stepped down – but don’t worry, he’s still a trustee and regular museum attendant! We Richard Hotchkis – bringing lots of experience to Groam House.

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want to thank Doug for leading the museum through several challenging times, providing the guidance, expertise, and moral support to keep our museum going.

We are pleased to announce that Richard Hotchkis has been elected chairman of Groam House Museum. Richard has considerable experience in economics, working on development projects in Botswana, as an investment manager in Manchester, and as director of investment companies in Guernsey, before settling with his wife in Fortrose in 2019. Having a love for museums, he was with Saddleworth Museum in the Pennines for 25 years, during which he helped develop it into a fully accredited museum with a curator and education service. We look forward to seeing where he leads Groam House in the coming years.

I hope you’ve read this far, because now is the part where we’re asking for your help.

Groam House Museum is on the edge of so many exciting opportunities! And we need

News

Museum volunteers during an outing to Burghead Pictish Fort with Prof Gordon Noble your help to make it all happen. We are a small, local, independent, volunteer-driven museum, and it’s the incredible group of committed volunteers who are the heart and soul of this museum. We are looking to recruit many new volunteers this year, and we hope you’ll consider joining us as we expand our collections and facilities, offer new events, and find ways to meet the challenges facing our local communities.

Our work is varied and sociable, and joining the volunteer team is an excellent way of making friends and learning new skills. There are also special benefits for volunteers, affectionately known as “Groamies”, including coffee mornings, history group outings, shop concessions, use of the museum library and more.

Your time could be as little as a couple of hours a month, or as many hours as you’d like to offer. You don’t need to have any skills, we offer

training wherever needed and as much support as you need, and *bonus* we offer travel reimbursement as well. All you need is a cheerful attitude and a willing heart. Volunteer opportunities include: l Museum Attendant – People willing to work a three-hour shift in the museum at least once a month, greeting visitors and ringing up sales on the till. Full training is provided, and you can opt to work alone or paired up with someone. We are hoping to open with extended hours this season, but we can’t do it without your help. This one is rather urgent, as we open on 25th March! l Fundraising/Events team – People who like to socialise, arrange workshops, think up unique events our communities would enjoy, or are willing to lend a hand to make them happen. With all the traditional sources of funding cutting their grants and offerings at

the same time the cost of living rises, we need to find new ways to fundraise which also give back to the community. l Education Team – Our Educational Outreach volunteer spent last year developing a Curriculum for Excellence lesson plan on the Picts, supplementing a gap in the local educational offerings. We now need to grow our Educational Outreach team and build on the momentum, as there is high demand from the primary and secondary schools in the area.

This could be assisting behind the scenes, delivering lesson plans to pupils, or helping us develop new loans boxes. This area of museum outreach is really taking off. l Climate Ambassador – Are you passionate about saving the earth? This is a project being driven by Museums and Heritage Highland, who have provided a Climate Mentor to help us become more green. You don’t need to ➤

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 11

News have any experience, their mentor will work with you to develop a more climate-friendly plan for the museum. l Road Signs – We need someone to hammer the road signs into the ground at certain locations before an event and retrieve them after.

We’re looking for someone with their own transport and able to swing a mallet. It’s a great way to vent your frustrations in a healthy manner. l Book Movers – Speaking of strong people… we are looking for a youth group who would be willing to help us set up and take down our semi-annual book sale in the village hall. We have a storage area of books that needs to be moved into a vehicle, then into the hall onto tables, then back to storage again at the end of the sale. If you have a local youth group looking for volunteer experience (plus some free books in exchange for their labour), please get in touch. l Administration – Managing any or all of the notice boards, postal mail, weekly firealarm testing, children’s activities supplies, day book messages, electricity, IT and water bills, etc. This ideally will be individuals who are able to access the museum reliably each week during the season to complete process-led administrative activities in the building. l Rota – Scheduling each month’s shifts by contacting volunteers to identify when they are able to work. This is a task which could be done from home and requires keeping in touch with others l General info email inbox responses – We are looking for someone to filter through the

spam and respond to the genuine enquiries which come in by email. This could be done from home, and will require interacting with a variety of people in the museum to identify answers. l Art UK online shop – We have this already set up, but there’s so much more we could be doing with it. We already have some people involved and are looking for more. Again, this could be done from home, as most of our collection items are in a digital catalogue. It will require working with our collections team to learn what we have and can sell online, how to describe it, working with the Art UK technology to upload it to the online print-on-demand store, and someone who can understand how to use the promotional opportunities via Art UK. l GHM Online Shop – We are looking for someone to project manage the fulfilment side.

The website is ready, but we need to establish our shipping policies, create the process for daily shipments, packaging, returns, etc. Ideally this person has some experience with managing online shops, or is eager to learn. l Membership organisation review – This is a short-term project. We are part of so many organisations, and it’s time for a review of which ones we belong to and whether we are benefitting from them, plus an evaluation of other organisations which might be better.

Another task which could be done from home, this will require communicating with members in the museum to understand what we currently use and need. l Awards – We are looking for someone who will look for awards we could be nominated

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for. Awards raise awareness and profile of the museum, drawing tourists to the Black Isle.

We’ve won several in the past and could likely do so again if we were putting ourselves out there, we just need someone on the lookout and willing to apply for us. l Sponsorships – Great for someone who knows lots of people and can bend their ear, or wallet! We are looking for someone to take a sponsorship package and negotiate with businesses to make it worth their while. l Tourism Ambassador – We need people to help us determine how to better engage with tour groups and develop ticketed events the museum can offer. l Translations Project (sourcing translations of museum object labels) – We are not looking for someone to translate (unless you can!) but rather someone who can identify the languages we need, look for translators, identify costs, potentially source grant funding, etc. We receive many international visitors each year, and it would provide a better experience for them if they could read about what they were looking at. l Additional Trustees – Looking to the future, we will need new trustees. If you’re interested or know of anyone who would be beneficial to Groam House, please get in touch.

We offer plenty of social opportunities, training, and support, and it’s just a really great group of people to be around. If you have some time and would be willing to help with any of the above, please get in touch with me on 07752 207014 or at admin@groamhouse.org. uk. We hope to see you this season!

News

Sgt Flora Thomson and PI Sgt Glen Cameron on parade with existing and prospective cadets.

Photos: Russell Turner

Cadets seek new recruits

By Russell Turner

A

rmy Cadets on the Black Isle are looking for new recruits to swell their ranks.

In its heyday, the Fortrose Detachment of the 1st Battalion The Highlanders Army Cadet Force numbered 20 members, but that was 20 years ago. Membership now stands at four or five cadets plus their leader, Sgt Flora Thomson, and Probationary Instructor Sgt Glen Cameron.

“I joined intending to do two years,” said Flora. “In September I’ll mark my 20th anni-

versary! I’ve learned first aid, taken piping and drum major courses, and even spoken to the Queen at Balmoral.

“We’re not recruiting for the Army but cadets can join if they want, and some have.”

The detachment meets on Monday evenings in the hall behind Fortrose Cathedral – the same building where Flora’s grandfather, Valentine Charles Smith, led the local Sea Cadets.

Cadets, who must be between 12 and 18, most recently helped at the Black Isle Gathering and took part in the Remembrance Parade.

Forthcoming activities include a Fieldcraft

Weekend at Fort George in May, where cadets will learn weapons handling and sleep overnight in the woods, and a camp at Otterburn in July featuring paddleboarding, abseiling, an overnight expedition and a trip to Beamish museum.

Anyone interested in joining the Fortrose Detachment should initially fill in the online form found as https://armycadets.com/cadetmore-info/?unitId=498 Adult helpers are also needed – at least two adults must be in attendance at all times. To express interest go to https://armycadets.com/ volunteer-more-info?unitId=498

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 13

News

Studios prepare to open doors

C

romarty Open Studios will take place over the weekend of Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June from 11am-4pm each day. Cromarty Open Gardens will take place the same weekend.

This year a small group of artists and makers will be taking part: Liz Hall (mixed media), Emma Nightingale (glass), Beth Hall (paintings), Jim Pennie (woodturning) and Neil Thomson (paintings). Over the next few months we will make announcements about others that will be joining us.

To find out more, receive the latest updates and details about workshops over the weekend, follow us at www.facebook.com/ cromartyopenstudios Emma Nightingale

Raddery House project makes further progress

By Bev Smith, Chair, Raddery House Ltd

T

he winter has been a very exciting and busy few months in our efforts to turn Raddery House into a community hub.

The project has steadily gained momentum, although progressing slower than hoped. This is not surprising given its complexities. Support from other stakeholders, the community and partnerships continue to grow as the project details are worked up.

Raddery House was also delighted to receive help from Jamie Halcro Johnstone MSP, Kate Forbes MSP and Rhoda Grant MSP, as well as the continued invaluable support from many organisations and others, especially Highland Council’s ‘Young People’s Champion’, Councillor Dr Chris Birt.

We are delighted to have the support and guidance of several organisations including CHAS, Archie’s, Young Lives versus Cancer, Age Scotland and the Kirriemuir Dementia project.

Having secured funding for a further feasibility study and in-depth business plan, Highland Council awarded time to use it and consultants have been engaged to carry out the work.

By popular demand we hope to hold another open day on site at Raddery to show and discuss the updated plans to the community and interested parties.

We look forward to meeting with the community again. Please show support of the incredible project by becoming a member of our organisation (it is free). This allows us to update you on progress and upcoming events.

Contact info@radderyhouse.com for a membership form or to offer your skills.

Ian Rankin tickets on sale in Culbokie C

ulbokie Community Trust is delighted to announce that Ian Rankin will be making a return visit to Findon Hall on Saturday 13th April, 7 for 7.30. He will be in conversation with local crime writer Neil Lancaster. Previous events with both Ian and Neil have quickly sold out so we recommend getting your tickets soon.

Tickets are £20 per person, to include in the interval a finger buffet and tea/coffee. BYOB if you wish – with glasses please! Tickets can be reserved at event@culbokiect.org (to be paid in cash on the door) and are on general sale at the March Culbokie community market and at the village Spar.

Books will be available for purchase and signing and there will be a raffle so please don’t forget to bring some extra cash! All proceeds, as with all our events, go towards the development of further facilities for Culbokie.

We look forward to seeing you at what we know will be a great evening.

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News

Faster broadband for the Black Isle is network’s aim L

othian Broadband Networks is to introduce its full-fibre broadband network across the Black Isle as part of plans to cover all of the Highlands within the next three years.

LBN, which has already built network and provided services from Evanton up to Helmsdale including Alness, Tain and Invergordon, began building work on the Black Isle in February. This aims to improve broadband speeds and connectivity throughout rural Scotland.

Trading as Highland Broadband, homes in the area will be able to access a range of broadband packages with speeds ranging from 100Mbps up to 2Gbps; LBN also offers social tariff products for anyone who is in receipt of a universal credit or on a state pension.

“It is thrilling to be able to continue to expand our ultrafast broadband network throughout the Highlands,” said

Gavin Rodgers, CEO of LBN and formerly head of a national fibre delivery organisation at Virgin Media. “While the Black Isle is the first new build of 2024, we will shortly announce further expansion plans which will further close the digital divide.

“In terms of data usage, our customers in the Highlands use twice the UK national average showing the level of appetite there is for gigabit capable digital connectivity.”

Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said: “With digital connectivity becoming an increasing necessity, access to fast and reliable broadband is more important than ever. I hope that improved connections will continue to unlock key opportunities for households and businesses on the Black Isle and the wider Highland digital economy.”

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 15

Black Isle People

Nursery couple take their skills to Africa In January, Duncan and Yuriko Ross of Poyntzfield Herb Nursery “migrated” from the Black Isle winter to an equatorial climate.

They spent much of their time helping out in the herb and vegetable garden at the Mbagathi Steiner School which lies just south of Nairobi on the edge of a national park and Masai land. It was founded in 1989 and has grown due to the strong demand for a different form of education and because it helps under-privileged children.

Duncan tells their story.

I

n theory, January is dry season, but the wet season continued with incredible tropical downpours and spectacular thunderstorms.

However being just south of the equator a day of sunshine soon restored the warmth, and the downed power lines were re-erected.

The school provides education for about 400 children of whom about 80% come from socially and financially disadvantaged backgrounds; there are 120 boarders who have caring house parents. The secure compound of 20 acres contains 12 classrooms, accommodation houses, office, kitchen/dining hall, workshops and other ancillary buildings.

They are all well blended into nature with a biodiverse “treescape” of interesting native trees but also fruits like avocado, mango and orange. These provide a cooler, clearer, air that also supports a great variety of fascinating aerial wildlife, such as the chirpy weaver birds that have woven nests usually near the end of a tree branch. The colourful sunbirds drank nectar from the tree blossom.

The hippos seen in a nearby lake.

Just outside the safety of the compound we saw the tracks of small antelope, impala, buffalo, hyena and lion. We heard the call of the hyena at night and there was a hippo and its young one in a nearby lake. They came out and grazed locally at night. At a nearby Masai homestead, cattle and goats were corralled at night to keep predators at bay.

The school’s curriculum is based on the Waldorf/Steiner way with children helping and learning where their food comes from by getting taught and involved with making organic compost, weeding and harvesting of produce in the two-acre productive vegetable garden.

Crops are grown in a healthy organic rotation with carrots, leeks, beetroot, kale, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, chilies and pumpkins all doing well. They are grown on raised beds for ease of culture and drainage. Fruit trees like mango, guava and avocado are interplanted, the whole

Page 16 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

shaded by some tall grevillea trees. Compost is provided by seven cows which are hand-milked twice a day. Other crops were maize, alfalfa, sugar cane and sweet potato.

In the kitchen the children also give some help with cooking food (the older boys also liked to make chapatis), serving meals, cleaning tables and washing up. Before each meal, the food is blessed with a lovely song and it is quite something to hear each class singing in successive harmony before eating the wholesome nutritious food. For some children the regular meals during term time are their only way of obtaining sufficient nutrition. The boarders also wash their own clothes and clean their accommodation inside and out every day.

The school has 53 staff (including 22 teachers) admin and financial staff, cooks, house parents, maintenance men, drivers for the

Black Isle People

School boarders hard at work on wash day.

Right: Duncan offers some tips on European herbs. three buses, farmers, gardeners, cleaners, groundsmen and night watchmen. The team leader is Judith Brown originally from Aberdeenshire.

We also spent some valuable time with one of the teachers, Rose Ingala, who was very knowledgable of the local herbs and how they can help us. She is from the Kamba tribe, well known for their plant lore. There are 42 tribes in Kenya, all with different languages, but English is usually spoken. We visited the nearby Masai homestead and went on a walkabout with an older man to discover the many remedies they use for themselves and their cattle and goats.

Towards the end of our stay we gave a guided tour to the teachers so that the European herbs in their garden can be of use when necessary. At the moment lemon grass gives a lovely fresh and healthy herb tea and there are ➤

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 17

Black Isle People many others. The role of rosemary tea for “remembrance” was discussed for enhancing memory before an exam or test; in contrast lavender tends to calm and soothe.

I was invited to play Scots tunes on the fiddle for some of the music classes. They already knew Mairi’s Wedding but I added others with the stories behind them. The children were full of attentive enthusiasm and learned in a joyful warm way, the applause creating so much happiness.

At the end of our stay I played a longer session outside to the boarders, who danced along so well with the natural rhythms that are part of their culture and heritage. One of the other and many memorable moments was at night when the warm vibrant atmosphere was enlivened by the sounds of birds and insects “singing” in the trees, not far away the hyena sometimes “sung” its distinct call.

Several of the stories about the children’s backgrounds are tragic, for example their mothers were either raped at an early age or deserted by their partner on becoming pregnant. Some have no choice but to live in a single-roomed shed with no running water. The only work available is casual and poorly paid and getting enough to eat can be difficult for the children in the school holidays. The mothers apply to the school so that their offspring do not have to go through the traumas that they have endured.

Yuriko has been sponsoring children for about 15 years and on the grapevine news went out that we were visiting, so one of the ex-students came to see her. Dennis Mutinda trav-

Yuriko and Dennis, one of her former sponsor children. elled from Ukambani at the other side of Nairobi to do so. He is now 24, a fine young man and is a self-employed welder. l If you would like to donate this can be done via www.steinerschoolmbagathi.co.ke Donations can also be specific, for example providing meals during holidays. If you would like to sponsor, contact either Mercy Njoki or

Page 18 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

Judith Brown at enquiries@ steinerschoolmbagathi.co.ke Sponsorships keep the school running so are the most important.

There are three ways: to a named child, as a general sponsor or a class sponsor. Duncan has information about some of the children needing sponsors if you would like to contact him.

Email duncanwross3550@gmail.com

Black Isle People

Runner sets his sights on charity finish lines Y

ou might think that one half marathon would be quite enough as a charity fundraiser, but a Newhall runner is taking on three – plus a marathon for good measure.

Russell Turner’s first outing is the Inverness Half Marathon on 10th March, but that was never the plan.

“I was already signed up to run the Virtual London Marathon in April when I heard about young Ailsa Fraser from her stepdad, Keith Robinson, who plays in the same band as me,” he said. “She was nine and had just been diagnosed with bone cancer. That led to her right arm and shoulder being amputated.

“She’s still going through chemotherapy and has to stay in Glasgow with her mum, Gayle, away from the rest of her family. Young Lives vs Cancer has been a big support for them so I wanted to raise some money in Ailsa’s name.”

Russell’s training plan called for a 13-mile run two weeks before the marathon, on 21st April, so he added the London Landmarks Half Marathon to his running calendar. When he discovered that another 13-mile training run coincided with the Inverness HM, it seemed like fate.

“Then I saw the Alloa Half Marathon was the week after Inverness and decided to go for that too. The band means I don’t get many free weekends so I’ve got to grab the races when I can, even if it means that my marathon training plan is now in pieces!” Russell plays bass with Inverness wedding band City Limits; Keith is singer and guitarist.

Russell, who is 65 (and editor of this fine magazine), started big by making his first race the 2018 London Marathon. Since then he’s run several more half and full marathons – some to raise money, some for fun – and hopes to complete his first 100k ultra marathon in July.

Russell finishing the London Marathon in 2019 when he ran for Cats Protection.

This time he’s raising money for Young Lives vs Cancer.

“I never dreamed I’d be a runner,” he said, “especially as I’d never been sporty in the past, but it seems I’m hooked now. Although I’ll never be a record-breaker, it’s satisfying hitting the distance targets, and there’s always a great

atmosphere at the mass participation events, whether it’s a 10k or a marathon. If I can raise some charity cash at the same time, that’s a bonus.” To contribute, go to www.justgiving. com/page/bassman66

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 19

Black Isle People

Customers will miss Jill’s well kent face J

ust before Christmas Jill Anderson, a stalwart of the Rosemarkie community, retired from her job at the village shop, the Spar. Jill had worked at the shop for 33 years and almost everyone who has shopped there over all those years will know her face.

Working anywhere for such a long time without a break, as employers have come and gone, is a testament to Jill’s commitment, loyalty, skills and value as an employee – something recognised by the current shop proprietors, Mark and Claire Hemsworth.

“Jill was already a staple of shop and community life when we took ownership of Rosemarkie Stores over 10 years ago,” said Claire. “She helped introduce us to the daily routine of the village store and its customers, remaining a friendly, helpful and reliable staff member throughout.

“Loving the social aspect of the job, Jill was always ready to have a blether, exchange banter or even talk about her beloved football team, West Ham. Since she has left, shop customers,

the High Street and ourselves have all missed the huge, popular character that is Jill. Thank You Jill and best wishes for your retirement.”

However, a village shop is much more than

‘Since she has left, shop customers, the High Street and ourselves have all missed the huge, popular character that is Jill’ a place local people go for a few messages, and it’s here that Jill has really come into her own.

The shop is a community hub, it’s a place where people meet every day. It’s a place where if you don’t turn up for a few days someone

Page 20 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

will notice and the word will get out that maybe something’s wrong. For many who are more elderly and isolated, social contact at the shop is the only contact they will have for days.

It’s a central point where there is information about what’s going on locally and if you are a “lost’ tourist it’s the face of the local community pointing you in the right direction.

For many local kids it’s the place they try out their first independent transactions and have to learn (in the nicest possible way) that some behaviour is acceptable and some is not.

This community service does not happen by accident and it does not happen at all if those in the shop can’t be bothered. Jill could be bothered and she poured kindness, compassion, humour and care into her job. Jill knew her customers, their achievements, their exciting moments, their difficulties and their problems and that knowledge allowed her to find the right word for everyone. Thirty-three years of service gave Jill an insight into local residents that almost no one else has. Babies

Black Isle People

Saying thanks to Jill for her years of service are Amanda Mackay (left) and Claire Hemsworth. Right: Jill and husband Tommy. became adults, adults became elderly, the fit and active got ill and recovered. Local people moved away and new folk moved in and Jill’s knowledge and place at the heart of all that grew and grew.

Imagine a local child of five excitedly going into the shop with their first pocket money 33 years ago. They are now almost 40 years old, grown up with kids of their own and if they have stayed local, Jill has been an ever-present in their lives. Never intrusive but always interested and concerned, Jill has been one of the forces that makes our village a community; not just a place to live.

As her colleague, Amanda Mackay, has said: “Working with Jill for the past 33 years has been a joy. It’s been great working with someone who is not just a colleague but also a good friend. She has always been there to offer some motherly advice whenever it was needed.

“I remember one day an elderly gentleman fell off his bike onto the road. Jill was the first person to help him back up and make sure he was OK, showing her caring side. I will miss Jill’s smiling face when I come into work but I want to wish her a very very happy retirement.

I wish her the best of luck finding a hobby she enjoys. I suggest going on holiday a lot. She deserves it!”

Working in the village shop has not been Jill’s only contribution to Rosemarkie village

life. Jill and her husband, Tommy, lived opposite the shop at 28 High Street for more than 30 years. During that time, Jill was the church caretaker and also custodian of the village hall, so her impact and importance to Rosemarkie should not be underestimated.

Jill would play down her part in that and she will blush at any kind words or praise she receives so in an understated sort of way we

should understand her contribution and celebrate Jill’s 33 years of service not just to the shop, but to the Rosemarkie community she loves.

The future for Jill while retired will not be inactive. She hopes to concentrate even more on her Avon round, have more frequent holidays and like all celebrities, she wants to spend more time with her family!

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 21

Black Isle People

Roddy’s perfect place was just a mile away

By Anna Ginestri

W

hen Roddy MacInnes grew tired of his daily commute and decided to set up in business for himself, the ideal premises turned out to be only one mile from home.

Now, after many years travelling to Inverness, then Muir of Ord, Roddy’s trip to work takes him from Jemimaville to Newhall Bridge, where MacInnes Motors was established just over a year ago, next door to Newhall Smiddy.

“I have around 19 to 20 years of experience repairing both cars and bikes,” he said. “I used to potter about with both when I was young.”

Roddy – originally from Culbokie, where his family stretches back many generations – secured his first mechanic job in Inverness at the age of 16, then went on to work in a garage in Muir of Ord for 11 years before setting off on his own venture. The success of this business can be seen just in driving past.

“The best part of having my own business is

being able to help local people,” said Roddy, who also contributes to the local community.

“We were proud to sponsor the Inverness Red Kites last year.”

The firm’s sponsorship went towards a successful team building day for the Red Kites, a squash team for women and girls started up by Ashley, Roddy’s partner, and a friend of hers.

Their focus is to give opportunities for fitness, training, social play and competition in a friendly and welcoming environment.

Page 22 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

As well as helping locals, motorbikes are another of Roddy’s passions and his main hobby. Some readers may know Roddy as a familiar face from Inverness & District Motor Cycle Club, or from zooming around fields on the Black Isle on his dirt bike – with permission from farmers of course!

However, four wheels are never far from his mind, although he has less interest in the flashier end off the market. Ferrari or Lamborghini is not for him.

“I find classic cars the most interesting to work on. They have less electrics. My dream car would be a classic car too, probably a Vauxhall Nova.”

Roddy enjoys his work, but knowing what he knows now he has simple advice for any car enthusiast wanting guidance on a future career: “Look into auto electrics. It can be a very complicated job, but it’s well paid and it’s a much cleaner and tidier job than being a mechanic.

There’s also not many people doing it.”

But Roddy doesn’t mind getting his hands

Black Isle People

Roddy MacInnes – enjoying life as his own boss.

Photos: Anna Ginestri dirty. He can assist in carrying out MOTs and services, as well as replacing clutches and timing belts, fitting tow bars, repairing trailers, and carrying out most other vehicle repairs.

“When someone calls or messages, if it’s a light on the dash or a noise coming from the car, usually we would just ask them to come round to the garage there and then, or at a time that suits, so that myself or Connor [a new employee of MacInnes Motors] can have a look at the issue, or take the vehicle a quick drive.

We will then let the customer know a rough price and date of when we would be able to fix the issue, and can advise them on whether the car is safe to drive.”

Looking to the future, Roddy says: “I’d like to carry out MOTs on site. We do offer MOTs but these are currently carried out at other local garages.” Roddy also mentioned that he doesn’t “yet” offer bike repairs… which could be good news looking to the future for any local bike enthusiasts.

MacInnes Motors is open from 8am-6pm Monday to Friday. Contact is by phone, on 01381 610744, or through Facebook message.

If you do call, you may be met with the kind voice of Ashley, Roddy’s partner who works part time in the office. l Roddy, I’d like to say a huge thanks for your time (when you are already so busy!), and for being patient, approachable and answering my many questions for my very first article on behalf of Chatterbox – thank you! l www.facebook.com/macinnesmotors1 Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 23

Black Isle People

Refurbished bench marks musical legacy

By Steve Bramwell, BIMS Trustee

C

hanonry Point is well known for its wild winter winds, but if you chanced to walk there in the hope of catching sight of dolphins or even a humpback whale in the recent December or January gales, you might have been disturbed by the sound of hammers and drills being wielded by a few windswept members of the Black Isle Men’s Shed. Our mission – to refurbish the memorial bench dedicated to distinguished Black Isle musician and composer John Bevan Baker, originally commissioned by the Black Isle Singers to whom he was the choirmaster.

Since BIMS formed seven years ago, we have installed and refurbished several benches in the communities of Avoch, Fortrose and North Kessock, so when John’s daughter Kate approached us to see what we could do for this much loved, but now dilapidated concrete and wooden bench, we jumped at the chance to bring it back to life.

It should now be of use again for the many people who visit Chanonry Point to enjoy the scenery and wildlife.

We welcome enquiries for this type of project, which brings us together to do something worthwhile for our communities, and can be contacted through our website, www. bimshed.uk The work involved replacing timber slats and making and securing new steel fixing brackets to the concrete bench ends. The timber was sourced from local merchants, planks cut and shaped to size and then proofed against the extreme weather conditions at our workshop in Avoch Sea Scout Centre before being reinstalled at Chanonry Point by our team of Nicholaas Du Preez, Zak Eastwood, and Donald Cameron.

The Bevan Baker family.

The story of John Bevan Baker (www.john bevanbaker.co.uk), the remarkable man behind the bench, is perhaps not so well known so we asked Kate and Rachel to share some of this with us and this is what they wrote.

“John, his wife June, and their young family moved to Fortrose from Aberdeen in 1964.

John had taken the job as principal musical teacher at Fortrose Academy and the family soon became integrated into the community.

“John always loved sharing his love of music and during his teaching years at the Academy, and a few years as a teacher at Avoch Primary, he put on many performances, often of his own compositions. This included a musical setting of Tam O’Shanter performed by a large choir of adults and children, as well as chil-

Page 24 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

dren’s musicals Ian the Fiddler and Oh Lord What Fools. Some Chatterbox readers might have memories of taking part in these productions.

“From 1975-82 the family moved to Glasgow though their love of the Black Isle never waned and in 1982 John, June and their two youngest children returned to live in Fortrose. Now retired from school teaching, John enjoyed a fertile final 12 years composing, teaching piano privately, and digging his beloved half acre.

“John and June’s love of nature also extended to being active environmentalists. They were longtime members of Friends of the Earth, active supporters of Trees for Life, and could regularly be found at Chanonry Point participating in the dolphin watch.

Black Isle People

Making use of the refurbished bench are Jenny Carruthers, formerly of Black Isle Singers, Rachel McBride (neé Bevan Baker) and her two daughters Ruby and Eve, and Kate Bevan Baker. Behind them are (from left) Donald Cameron, Nicolaas Dupreez, Douglas Young and Zack Eastwood. Douglas maintained the bench for 14 years.

“It was during this period that John also founded and directed the Black Isle Singers who put on many performances, including a memorable Handel’s Messiah in the former Church of Scotland. The Black Isle Singers also

regularly premiered choral pieces composed by John. Following his death in 1994 they erected the original bench at Chanonry Point in John’s memory and in gratitude for his musical legacy.”

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 25

Looking Back

Thrift in the home is

By Sandy Mitchell

O

n a visit I made to the Castle of Mey, northern home and only personally owned property of the late Queen Mother, an informative castle guide talked of life with that lady and in particular of her good Scots frugality. Among the kitchen devices, my guide mentioned one object in particular. This was the fridge. It was one of those tall roundedged American-style upright ones and reportedly well over 60 years old. Still working away fine so Her Majesty saw no need for it to be replaced. Ditto several other items of kitchen equipment.

Me too. If it ain’t bust etc. Aside from a common love of bleak and handsome Caithness this is likely the only thing Her Maj and I had in common.

In my Avoch cottage, in the cluttered sparebedroom-cum-general storehouse, stands an upright Panasonic vacuum cleaner. How old?

I’ve no idea but let’s say post World War II. It’s far better than my modern Miele at lifting crumbs from the kitchen carpet – I’m a famously messy eater. The Miele cylindrical is much better for the stairs.

This oldie I rescued from a very large shed that stood in the overgrown garden of a wee cottage in Balloch. Originally this had been just a family summerhouse but had been upgraded and insulated to become the home of my friend Sandra’s dad – a retired Yorkshire miner. As Sandra told it, he had kept himself fit by a brisk eight-mile hike uphill and beyond Balloch, a route which by happy chance passed one or two pubs where our man could drop in for a pint. He soon became well-known as one of the local characters. A good talker by all accounts and happy with life away from the pits. His passing meant the place was to be sold.

Anyway, that unlit shed was full of stuff – most of it bound for the dump by an impatient

Sandy’s Philco dishwasher may look shabby next to a modern cooker, but it does the job.

Sandra, part of getting the property cleared and ready to go on the market. The shed was unusual in that it had a high roof so there was lots of wall space. A previous owner had been a joiner and these walls were lined with hooks and shelves bearing an array of traditional woodworking tools – chisels, planes and thingies for unknown joinery purposes.

Collectors items I imagined and I’ve no idea what happened to them all. However, in the gloom I spotted two items worth being rescued. One was that Panasonic and the other a sad-looking lug-chair.

It was clearly old and not in great shape. The cotton covering had a bright big-flowered yel-

Page 26 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

low design which was torn in places revealing a grubby foam-rubber cushion interior. But the shape was elegant with bow-legs and curved wooden edges to the lugs and backrest.

So both got stowed into my venerable Volvo estate and taken back to Avoch. The upright needed just the press of a switch and spare bags were still to be got from that shoppie in the Inverness Victorian Market. Then I discovered there was an upholsterer living on one of the Black Isle’s many hidden byroads. His place was reached by a turnoff beyond Feddon Hill in Fortrose and by a farm road that wound across the land towards Raddery.

I chose a dark-blue small-patterned cloth

Looking Back

not just for Royals

The Panasonic vacuum – still No1 for cleaning up crumbs. from a many-leaved book the upholsterer showed me and a week or two later and a pound or two lighter I took the beautifully restored item back home. He had done a splendid job and the chair sits in the corner of the upstairs sitting room under the traditional wooden-plank combed ceiling with a modern standard lamp to read by. He’d told me that it wasn’t an antique but a twentieth century replica in the style of an earlier century – I forget which one. And Sandra told me it had belonged to an eccentric American lady, a friend of hers she called Mad Mary. So maybe the chair had transatlantic origins.

This chair was rescued from the shed in the garden of the Finlayson family holiday cottage where Sandra Finlayson’s dad, a retired Yorkshire miner, spent his last happy Highland years.

Downstairs in the kitchen are the usual devices. The cooker was bought in 2001 when my daughter Nina and I moved in. It had several faults and had to go. The washing machine was much older. I’d brought it to the Black Isle from Strathpeffer in the 1990s but had bought it in the 1970s from a guy on Dochcarty Road, Dingwall, who sold factory- or transit-damaged white goods at a decent discount price. I remember it had one small dent in a side panel and was still churning away fine! However, wanting to be green and reckoning it was likely now energy and water inefficient I replaced it along with a cooker from ILM in Alness.

However between these two shiny modern

beauties sits a rather dowdy-looking dishwater.

This had been left behind by former owners Darry and Rosanna, being too big to fit into the kitchen of their famous red-roofed cottage along near Henrietta Bridge. “Oldest house in Avoch,” says Darry. “How old do you think that dishwasher was when you moved Darry?”

“About six years I reckon.” That makes it about 30. It still goes and though only used occasionally it looks good for another few decades – until long after I’m away to the wherever.

So it’s over to you, good readers. Have you got a story to tell us about your own oldfaithfuls? l Email Sandy at alban.79@hotmail.co.uk

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 27

Arts and Entertainment

Busy year opens with a day at the seaside

By Nicki Slater Arts Development Officer, Cromarty Arts Trust

T

he Cromarty Arts Trust is all set for another busy year. We’re starting off March on Saturday 9th with a brilliant day out at the seaside. Black Isle artist and UHI lecturer Rosie Newman is leading a walk by the seashore to look at our Scottish seaweeds and then teaching participants to create a handmade folding book using a variety of techniques. The day is generously supported by the Highlands & Islands Climate Hub and will draw attention to the importance of caring for our natural environment and raise awareness of climate change.

There is an opportunity for more art in April when artist Sarah Galliers is teaching a Still Life Drawing and Painting weekend over 20th & 21st April.

The Redcastle Art Group are returning to the Stables for their annual exhibition in May.

Page 28 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

Anna Massie – touring with her first solo album since 2003.

Photo: Paul Jennings

Arts and Entertainment The opening night is 10th May and the exhibition is open daily until 18th May. There is always stunning work by local artists on show here, well worth a visit to Cromarty on a sunny May day.

Crafters are well catered for in April with a full weekend of beginners’ dressmaking.

Choose one of three simple but stunning dress patterns and create your own garment over the weekend. Aurore Whitworth is running a daylong class on how to make a coiled basket from natural fibres or salvaged litter rope from the beach. You’ll go home with your own beautiful basket and all set to make more.

There’s lots of music going on over these few months too, including a very exciting gig at the Stables on 23rd March with popular and extremely talented musician Anna Massie playing a solo gig. Anna is releasing her first solo album since 2003 and the Arts Trust is absolutely delighted to be one of the first places to hear it!

Friday 15th March sees the first of our music dinners in the Old Brewery. “One of Scotland’s very best singer songwriters” (The Sunday Herald), Simon Kempston, is playing guitar and singing. You can book to have a twocourse dinner beforehand and stay seated at your tables to enjoy Simon’s performance.

Spaces are limited for this small-scale and intimate evening so make sure you book quickly.

It’s great value at £35 for dinner and the gig.

(BYOB). We hope to bring more of these evenings to the Old Brewery, make sure you sign up to the Arts Trust e-newsletter to keep up to date with what’s coming up.

Cromarty will be filled with the sound of ukuleles in the middle of March with a whole weekend of workshops and an informal ukulele jam session on the Saturday night. Well known ukulele teacher, player and star of Celtic Connections, Finlay Allison, is here to lead the workshops. You can drop in to one or two or book all four.

May sees two evenings of trad music not to be missed. Càrnan is an upcoming and energetic Scottish indie folk trio with a funkier take on trad. With Louden MacKay on accordion, Breanna Wilson on fiddle and Arthur Brook on guitar, the band have a powerful and driven sound. The fusion of contemporary original tunes and songs, along with a firm connection to the music and culture of their roots, gives

The Veles Ensemble – heading to The Stables.

Frankie Morrow – from Glastonbury to Resolis Hall. them a fresh and unique position within the music scene in Scotland. They play the Stables on 12th May. Later in May on the 24th, popular trad trio Mckerron Brechin Ó hEadhra return to Cromarty. A traditional folk music concert, featuring three of Scotland’s finest exponents of their craft – Charlie Mckerron on fiddle, Sandy Brechin on accordion, and Brian Ó hEadhra on guitar and Gaelic, Scots & Irish song. Mckerron Brechin Ó hEadhra draw on a wealth of tunes and songs from the Gaelic and Scots traditions.

Cromarty Arts Trust have teamed up with Resolis Community Arts to bring three exciting new performances to the Black Isle; Alice in VR Wonderland, GOLD! and Frankie Morrow. Generously funded by The Touring Network, the first of these is on 6th April at the Old Brewery, Cromarty.

Alice in Virtual Reality Wonderland is a multi-sensory virtual reality experience where participants wear Oculus 2 headsets to experience Alice, The Mad Hatter and the Red Queen as you’ve never seen them before. Felt in spectacular 360 degree vision and sound, you are immersed in a unique and fantastical dance adaptation of this timeless story. It’s defi-

nitely not just for kids! Alice is running all day in half-hour slots, booking is essential and there is a Mad Hatters Tea Party happening in the Old Brewery café at the same time.

Scottish rock band Frankie Morrow are playing on Friday 31st May. This young band, based in Glasgow, are fast becoming a force to be reckoned with. Expect fresh, riotous rock songs from this ambitious quintet. Fresh off the back of a slot at Glastonbury festival, Frankie Morrow are on a mini tour of the Highlands and playing the Black Isle at Resolis Memorial Hall.

Classical music also features in March and May. Local musicians Simon Evans (violin) and Ian Sharp (piano) are giving an Easter Sunday afternoon concert of Mozart, Brahms and more. There will free tea, coffee and a tasty Easter treat on offer.

Sunday 19th May sees the Veles Ensemble arrive for another Sunday afternoon concert at the Stables. This classical string trio was founded by three young successful classical musicians: Hartmut Richter (violin), Ralitsa Naydenova (viola) and Evva Mizerska (cello).

Recent performances have taken the Veles Ensemble to festivals and concerts around the UK and Europe, including France, Slovakia and Scotland, and the ensemble has performed live on BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’. Their programme for Cromarty will be announced soon.

And finally: thanks to funding from YouthLink Scotland, the Cromarty Youth Café are working hard with youth workers and Black Isle artist Sally Purdy to design and create three brand new outdoor mosaic panels.

These panels will reflect the values, aspirations and aspects of Cromarty that are important to the young people. The work will be finished in the spring so watch out for details of the grand unveiling!

You can find out more information and make bookings for all the classes, courses, gigs and events at Cromarty Arts Trust through the website at www.cromartyartstrust.org.uk, by emailing info@cromartyartstrust.org.uk or calling 01381 66354 during office hours.

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 29

Arts and Entertainment

Cromarty all set for a criminal weekend Now in its 12th year, the Cromarty Crime & Thrillers Weekend is a firmly established event in Scotland’s crime writing festival circuit. The event on 3rd-5th May brings top talent from the world of crime writing, both fiction and non-fiction, to the Black Isle.

2024 offers an exciting programme with two literary giants heading a great line-up of local, national and international writers.

Mark Bridgeman - Trial By Jury Saturday 4th May at 9.30am – The Stables, Cromarty Guilty or innocent? You decide. Best-selling author Mark Bridgeman will be taking the part of judge, prosecution and defence when he presents the audience with a real-life murder trial – in which you become the jury.

With evidence and exhibits from the case on show, a prize for the winner, and a Q&A with the author, this promises to be an event to remember. Silence in Court!

Scottish-based writer Mark Bridgeman released his first book, The River Runs Red, in 2019. The book became an instant success and has been reprinted three times. Further bestselling titles, Blood Beneath Ben Nevis, The Dark Side of the Dales and The Lost Village of Lawers followed.

Donna Freed in conversation with Nicola White Saturday 4th May at 11.30am – The Stables, Cromarty Native New Yorker Donna Freed was placed for adoption through the now-notorious Louise Wise Jewish adoption agency (featured in the film Three Identical Strangers), and after her adoptive mother passed away, she went searching for her origins. What she discovered

Cromarty-based writer Nicola White has published numerous short stories and personal essays together with three acclaimed crime novels set in Dublin, for which she has variously won the Dundee International Book Prize, been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize and chosen as Crime Fiction of the Year by the Irish Times and the Daily Express. She is currently working on a memoir of her childhood in New York in the 1960s, for which she has received major support from Creative Scotland.

Donna Freed was a jaw-dropping crime that landed her birth parents at the centre of one of the biggest police investigations of the 1960s. Her memoir, Duplicity, My Mothers’ Secrets was called “the most amazing and remarkable story”

by The Today Show, and “a family scandal straight out of a Hollywood film noir” by The Spectator.

Page 30 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

JD Kirk, and introducing FE Birch Saturday 4th May 2.15pm – The Stables, Cromarty JD Kirk is a best-selling Scottish crime fiction author from Fort William. He has sold over 2 million copies of his DCI Logan series, based in the Highlands and Islands.

He wanted to be a writer from the age of nine, when a kindly librarian wrote his name on the spine of a notebook in which he’d written a terrible short story and put it on the shelf.

Since then, he has written over 140 books for children as Barry Hutchison, over 15 books for adults as Barry J. Hutchison, and is now thoroughly enjoying murdering people as JD Kirk.

FE Birch is an ex-cop from the North-East of England. She won the first Bloody Scotland

Arts and Entertainment

Ian Rankin

Anthony Horowitz Pitch Perfect competition in 2012 with the premise for She’s Not There, her debut novel of 2022. The sequel, Last Train Through Pitlochry, will be published soon. Her most recent work, Maman, is a twisted tale of suspense and introduces Sally Harrison, genealogy detective.

With a penchant for the dark, deep and disquieting, her work is deliciously disturbing.

Anthony Horowitz in conversation with Ian Rankin Saturday 4th May 3.45pm – The Stables, Cromarty Join these two men of letters for an afternoon of wide-ranging and relaxed conversation followed by Q&A and book signings.

Anthony Horowitz is one of the most prolific and successful writers working in the UK – and is unique for working across so many media, juggling writing books, TV series, films, plays and journalism. His work includes the bestselling teen spy series Alex Rider, two new Sherlock Holmes novels and continuation novels for James Bond. He created and wrote some of the UK’s most beloved and successful television series including Midsomer Murders and Foyle’s War. Close to Death, the fifth novel in Anthony’s Detective Hawthorne series (with a sidekick called Anthony Horowitz), will be published in Spring this year.

Ian Rankin is a multimillion-copy worldwide bestseller of over 30 novels and creator of

JD Kirk John Rebus. His books have been translated into 36 languages and have been adapted for radio, the stage and screen. Ian is the recipient of four Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards, including the Diamond Dagger, the UK’s most prestigious award for crime fiction.

Marsali Taylor and introducing Sarah Smith Sunday 5th May at 10am – The Stables, Cromarty Marsali Taylor is a successful writer of puzzle-style mysteries set in contemporary Shetland. The stars of these books are a sailing, live-aboard sleuth called Cass Lynch and her

love interest, DI Gavin Macrae. The plots are lively, page-turning and always have a surprise whodunnit twist. Marsali’s writing beautifully showcases the local life, land and seascapes of Shetland. A retired teacher, still living next door to her former school, Marsali loves sailing around the voe in her boat. Death at a Shetland Festival is the latest in the Cass Lynch series and will be published in April.

Sarah Smith is a writer from Glasgow whose debut novel, Hear No Evil, was published in 2022 and is inspired by the landmark case of Jean Campbell, the first deaf person to be tried in the High Court in 1817. Accused of throwing a child into the river Clyde, if found guilty, she faces one of two fates: death by hanging or incarceration in an asylum. But Jean’s deafness leaves her isolated and unable to defend herself, until the authorities call in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution. As Jean grows to trust Robert, she reveals what really happened on that bridge over the river Clyde. And Robert, now embroiled in this dark case, must act quickly to ensure justice is served, before it is too late.

Hear No Evil was shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel 2022, the Historical Writers Association Debut Crown 2022, and the CWA Historical Dagger 2023. It was Waterstone’s Scottish Book of the Month in February 2023. ➤

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 31

Arts and Entertainment David Alston ’The Fractured Life of Pasha Liffey’ Sunday 5th May at 11.30 – Cromarty Courthouse Pasha Liffey was the last Black man – and the only Black African – to be executed in Scotland, hanged for a murder in Larkhall, Lanarkshire, in 1905. He was only 24 and died despite the jury’s unanimous recommendation for mercy.

Born in Lesotho in Southern Africa, Liffey had travelled to Britain three times. He was a stable boy, a performer around the UK in the exploitative Savage South Africa show, a ‘runner’ for British troops during the Anglo-Boer War, a circus hand, groom, milkman, barman and boxer. He was guilty of a brutal murder but his life – with his descent into poverty and alcohol abuse – illustrates what it was to be young, poor, Black and isolated in Victorian and Edwardian Britain.

David Alston has lived in Cromarty for over 35 years and was the founding curator of Cromarty Courthouse Museum. In 2022 his Slaves and Highlanders: Silenced Histories of Scotland and the Caribbean was named the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year. He has also published a number of articles in academic journals, mainly on Scotland and slavery, and he is the author of My Little Town of Cromarty, a social and economic history.

GC Fisher – My Lockdown Novel Sunday 5th May at 12.45pm – Cromarty Courthouse GC Fisher is the pen name for Gina Fegan, a lover of stories and award-winning film and theatre producer. She was born and raised in Ireland when curiosity, impatience and a need to earn a living led her to travel the world and have many careers. From waitressing, teaching English, running festivals to working on a building site as an engineer, she has had plenty of opportunities to meet the characters who now inspire her novels.

Gina’s two Canterbury-based books, written in lockdown, feature Maeve McPhillips, a reluctant psychic detective who discovers at

David Alston

GC Fisher

the age of 40 that she can talk to the dead. Life with two teenage daughters, her eccentric mother and an unexpected house guest was hard enough during lockdown. Then a dead body turns up and her relationship with her boyfriend Det Inspector Maguire hits the rocks, Maeve has to come to terms with her growing powers. She must travel to Cromarty in Scotland to discover herself, but will she get there in time to stop the next murder?

their daughter wants an expensive Instagramworthy wedding, and the elderly gangsters are out of jail and looking for their gold. What are they going to do?

As well as the varied author talks there are two cracking evening entertainments set up for Friday and Saturday nights.

GOLD! Dark comedy crime theatre Friday 3rd May at 8pm – Victoria Hall, Cromarty A sharp new comedy with a big heart and loads of cracking pop hits from the 1980s from veteran performers Kate Stafford and Nicholas Collett. The play is based on the infamous Brinks-Mat robbery of 1983 when £26 million was stolen and never recovered.

Julie and Dave are a normal suburban middle-aged couple living a quiet life but hiding a big secret: a huge stash of gold bars stolen from some very bad men four decades ago. Now

Page 32 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

Cromarty Crime & Thrillers Pub Quiz Saturday 4th May – Fishertown Inn, Cromarty Saturday night is Crime Quiz Night in the Fishertown Inn. This will be a crime and thrillers-based quiz including a round of questions from the weekend’s authors, a great raffle and ‘Stick ‘em Up’ or ‘Cover Your A**s’, aka Heads & Tails! Quiz starts at 9pm, book directly with Fishertown Inn if you want dinner first.

You can book for individual talks and events or choose one of the various packages available: The ‘Full Sentence’: Two nights B&B at the Old Brewery, two lunches, two dinners, pub quiz & raffle tickets, and entry to the GOLD! play on Friday night. £290 – SOLD OUT The ‘Doing Porridge’ : All talks and two lunches £120 The ‘Out on Parole’: All talks £95 All booking through www.cromartyartstrust. org.uk/crime-and-thrillers

Out of Doors

Stern geese – not the best start to the day Highland gardener Patrick Vickery introduces us to his world. There’ll be more in the next edition.

I

t’s 6.30 in the morning, Scottish Highlands, a woolly hat sort of day, brittle ice, crispy coldness. I put the cackling ducks outside (they spent the night in the security of the kitchen on account of the sly fox that killed the unsuspecting hens and would almost certainly kill the cackling ducks given half a chance), fed the bleating goats, discussed the weather with the bristling cat as I guided her into the garden with a broom (useful for cat-guiding situations), checked the fat goldfish was still alive (old fish, still alive), then stooped to tie my shoe laces at the exact moment the bigeared dog (Jasper) vigorously shook his head resulting in a sequence of rapid slaps across my face with his ears. Painful.

I de-iced the car in the twilight dawning of the early morning and set off for work accompanied by a flask of coffee, smarting cheeks from oscillating dog ears and a mobile phone in case anyone should call requiring urgent assistance with an unexpected shrubbery incident. I had not gone far when I stopped to allow three stern geese to cross the road, at which point they answered my consideration by attacking the car, vicious blighters, in stark contrast to the self-liberated Highland cow further down the road who gave me nothing more than a cursory glance as I overtook her at a snail’s pace.

Geese often guarded whisky distilleries in the past, you know, providing an effective alarm system with integral deterrent (pecking) should anyone attempt to make off with a barrel or two, although in more recent times they have fallen out of favour due to their complete

disregard for the notion of intent. Intent to steal whisky – deserving of a good peck. Non intent to steal whisky – still deserving of a good peck. Not pleasant. On a par with oscillating dog ears. Give me a casual cow any time.

The morning had started badly. It could only get better. It did. A pleasant pruning, chopping and blethering sort of day ensued. I was half way up a sketchy ladder dismantling a crab apple tree when I took an urgent phone call requesting McVities Jaffa Cakes and something tasty for supper. A request for something tasty for supper is not unusual and often results in whatever I can lay my hands on in a hurry. A cheese and onion quiche perhaps? Although Jaffa cakes are easier, more

specific and to the point. Jaffa cakes, incidentally, have replaced traditional half-time oranges at football matches. Disappointing.

Shopping complete, I returned home as dusk was falling. The bristling cat sat on the doorstep with the cackling ducks waiting to be let in.

So there you are, a day in the life of a gardener in the Scottish Highlands. It is late evening as I sit at the kitchen table writing this, the house is peaceful and complete, the only sounds to be heard are the cackle of contented ducks, the snore of a satisfied and big-eared dog and the light tapping of a grammatically challenged rural rambling man on the laptop computer. © Copyright Patrick Vickery

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 33

Out of Doors

Green team sets out its regeneration plan

By Morag Bramwell, founder member and Chairperson, ROGS

R

egenerate Our Green Space (ROGS) is an incorporated group of volunteers in Fortrose and Rosemarkie dedicated to finding and developing green spaces in the area to use for a community garden, food growing, and wildlife preservation.

During the Covid lockdowns, while most outdoors activity ground to a halt one fortunate group of Black Isle residents, the Rosemarkie Allotments and Gardens Society, were able to carry on growing their own vegetables and benefitting from the fresh air at their allotments in Rosemarkie.

As secretary of the allotments I was and am still being asked if there are any vacancies and we just cannot meet the local demand for allotments which started during the Covid era.

In 2021 I was also one of the privileged participants in the Highland Good Food Conversation set up by Transition Black Isle and The Pebble Trust. The HGFC was an inspirational online conference which brought together a range of dedicated agriculturalists, nature-lovers, educators and food-growers, and which best of all brought fresh ideas about local food-growing at a time of real uncertainty.

I was convinced of the importance of keeping safe the knowledge of how to grow our own food, as communities could find themselves in real need in future times.

Thus inspired I began to think about the possibility of creating more growing spaces locally. After all, allotments are about growing your own food as close to your own home as possible and so every community that wants to should have an area set aside for this activity.

The idea took root, and a group of local resi-

Jo-Anne Pugh and Lesley Clunas help weed the new hedge planted at Easter Greengates, Fortrose. dents with a common interest in the environment, community food growing and enhancement of our green spaces for the benefit of communities and wildlife was formed and rapidly incorporated so we could put our ideas into action locally. We call ourselves Regenerate Our Green Space with a wider remit to develop community gardens where people can gather to relax.

You may have seen us in action in the area helping to plant hedges or preparing ground in

Page 34 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

the Cathedral precinct for wild flower beds by scarifying the ground and planting yellow rattle seeds which very effectively inhibit the growth of grass. In the autumn we’ll be planting wild flower seeds.

We’ll be doing a “Spring Clean” on some of the pedestrian pathways and in Cathedral Square in Fortrose on 16th and 23rd March.

We are actively searching for areas – small or large – which we can help to make more environmentally friendly. If you think there is

Out of Doors

ROGS committee members at the recent awareness day at Fortrose Co-op: from left – Alister Clunas, Morag Bramwell, Paul Dungey and Clara Delaney. Right: Trish McKeggie measures out the yellow rattle seed. one that is suitable near you then get in touch and we will take a look. We can be contacted through our website https://ourgreen.space which also links to free membership and volunteering opportunities.

Our ambitions extend to plans for community land ownership and we have secured Scottish Land Fund (SLF) backing to develop a business plan for purchase of potential unused land in the area. This could house our allotments, a community garden, maybe even a community hub if there’s space, one which would be for a variety of local groups and charities who wish to work with us that don’t have their own space for essential development like the Men’s Shed, the Mobility Trikes and a few others who could do so much more in a better facility. It can’t happen overnight, but it’s a vision we’re still keeping as we search for

land. We think this would be good for the whole community because a community garden is for everyone, and a hub with social space would be accessible for all.

We now need to hear from everyone in our communities about what you would like to see happen on land we bid for through the SLF and have set up a questionnaire to ensure we can include developments you most want to see.

The questionnaire is specifically for residents in the Fortrose and Rosemarkie postcodes as required by SLF. Please complete our survey, which is an essential part of the next phase of the Scottish Land Fund process to release funds to purchase land to be owned and used by the community.

By completing this survey, which can be done in five minutes, you will help us convince

our funders that we have local support – please help! The survey is at www.smartsurvey.co. uk/s/ROGSCommunitySurvey1/ and can also be found through https://ourgreen.space We’d like to acknowledge the HIE and Scottish Land Fund for their continuing support, and our grateful thanks to Fortrose Co-op for choosing ROGS through the Co-op Local Community Fund.

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 35

Page 36 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

Recipes From Sutor Creek

Haggis Bon Bons and Whisky Mayonnaise

Method of preparation Peel the potatoes and boil until soft, drain,

allow to steam dry then mash.

Mix the potatoes with the haggis, thyme, paprika and parsley (reserve some for garnish), check the seasoning.

Roll the haggis mix into bite size balls, allow to chill.

Place the flour in a bowl, whisk the eggs in another bowl and then the breadcrumbs in the last bowl.

First, coat all the balls in the flour, then coat in egg, making sure to shake off the excess egg, then dip in the breadcrumbs. Make sure they are completely coated. Place in the fridge until needed.

To make the mayonnaise, mix all the ingredients then taste, then chill.

Place the oil in the large pan, warm to 180c, then deep fry the Bon Bons until golden, maybe 6-8 at a time. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Do NOT overload the fryer as this will drop the fryer temperature rapidly.

Keep warm, place on a plate, serve with whisky mayonnaise and sprinkle with some of the parsley.

starters, main and desserts in addition to our wood-fired pizzas. Our take-away menu can be ordered online, up to three days in advance, and you can select what time suits you best for collection. Without our customers supporting our take-away service we would not have made it through the Covid crisis – again, we would like thank our customers for letting us cook for them.

Since the start of 2024 we have hosted some fun events at Sutor Creek including tasting dinners, tapas nights and of course Valentine’s.

All of our events have sold out so we are

already looking at new events for after the summer. If you would like to receive our newsletter with advance notice of dinner events please email us your details to add to our list.

We recommend booking in advance if you plan on visiting Cromarty for any upcoming events: Mother’s Day, Sunday 10th March, reservations available 12-7pm; Cromarty Community Market, second Saturday of each month from 10.30-12.30pm at the Victoria Hall; Cromarty Open Gardens & Open Studios, 8th & 9th June.

By Graham Fox

Haggis Bon Bons 500g good quality haggis 200g mashed potatoes 3tbsp chopped parsley 4 eggs 250g plain flour 375g Pandora breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs) if available 1 tbsp dried thyme 1 tsp paprika Vegetable oil for frying Whisky mayonnaise 6 tbsp good quality mayonnaise 1 tbsp honey Whisky to taste Equipment needed: three small mixing bowls; large enough pan for frying the Bon Bons

Goodbye deli, welcome back restaurant

By Phoebe Fox

I

t’s been a slow road back but we are finally there! Sutor Creek has now returned fully to operating as a restaurant – for the first time since March 2020! We appreciate the support we received from customers since creating a hybrid deli/restaurant last year but the demand for tables exceeded our expectations so the decision was made for us. Since reopening with the new layout at the beginning of February we have enjoyed welcoming so many of our regular customers back.

Graham and his team are working on introducing new seasonal dishes that highlight the best Scottish produce that we can source. We have worked with our wine supplier to add some exceptional new wines to our list and we have some new pre-dinner cocktails for you to enjoy.

Our seasonal menu and wood-fired pizzas are available all day from noon and this has worked brilliantly for Cromarty Cinema-goers who would like a pre-cinema dinner. A lovely night out that supports two local ventures in our town – win win!

We continue to offer a take-away menu with

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 37

Creative Writing

The McSairfits

By Phadraig C Strachan

I

ken a femily doon the road- the McSairfits.

Funnily eneuch, the surname is appropriate cis they a’ hiv sair feet, apairt fae their youngest loon Sporran, bit mair aboot him later. Girnel, the faither, is a lang spauldrochie o’ a cheil – langer nor Hen Broon. He is sax fit saxteen inches barfit an’ canna drive a car unless he bores a hole in the reef sae he cin stick his heid oot o’t. His wife is Haggisina an’ shi is aafa bonny an’ smiley bit they canna make oot a werd I spik.

I hiv researched a bittie aboot the femily history. The progenitor wis Spluchan McSairfit fae Strathsharnachy at the fit o’ Bennachie in the Badlands o’ Aiberdeenshire. (1486 – 1615) A’ I ken aboot him is that he got cauld feet afore the Battle o’ Stookskailloch (1586) an’ made a “strategic withdrawal” (rinnin for his life) bit was nabbit bi Constibule Neilly McNab o’ the Strathfartlet Polis. He wis tried bi Aiberdeen High Coort an’ sentenced ti death jist for bein a coordie. It seems a bittie harsh for a mannie o’ a hunner, bit he wis hanged.

(Suspendit sentence) Syne he wis lucky cis his great grandsin Murdo McMurder, the local murderer, cam oot o’ nae wye, cut him doon, threatened ti kill abody there an’ made aff wi

his great grandpa on his cuddy – Fleetfit.

Auld Spluchan holed up for anither twinty nine year in a cave-cum-bothan in Ben Bloorach livin on his ain illegally distilled fusky an’ wolf parritch – that is parritch wi wolf meat, puddocks’ eggs, kale, neeps an’ tatties.

Affa fine. See author for recipe. Oh aye. The

Battle o’ Stookskailloch, focht atween clans Macbreenge an’ Macplout wis a draw efter extra time an’ penalties – nae ti mintion a gweed puckle stot-ups. A deid heat. Nae jist that, bit auld Spluchan merriet a quine an’ gid her nine bairns – mair nor the Broons. Shi wis Murdina McGout. Nae winner a’ their descendints hid sair feet wi names lik thon.

Page 38 Black Isle Chatterbox Spring 2024

Here is a hale screed o’ a’ the things wrang wi a’ the Clan McSairfit’s feet ti the present day. Cauld feet, sair feet, flat feet, pirn-taed feet, splay-fittet feet, Charlie Chaplin fittet feet, hen-taed feet, webbit feet, corns, bunions, verrucas, doon-at-heel feet, trinch feet, mingin feet, gout, dubby feet, barkit feet, ingrown taenails, ootgrown taenails, fitrot, cheesy feet, fa’n doon arches, yokie feet, cushie-doo taed feet, hemmer taed feet, gangrene an’ clubbit feet.

Interestingly, Girnel McSairfit’s great great great Uncle Spaver McSairfit fae Fittie hid three legs. Fin he wis aichty he sprootit a third leg efter an Isle o’ Man holiday. The legologist at The Leg Hospital, Dr Leggat, telt him it wis “something in the Isle o’ Man air” that wis the cause.

Fooiver, there his bin a miraculous cure for a’ the Clan McSairfit’s sair feet. Young Sporran his solved the problem : they hid a’ worn tackety beets an’ sheen twa sizes ower wee for centuries an’ naebody hid thocht o’ that afore, till Sporran did. Naebody kens foo they a’ wore fitweer ower ticht.

He’ll ging on an’ hae a brilliant career as Heid Consultant Fitologist at Aibertae College o’ Fitology. He’ll gar a’ the staff tae the line.

Sporran McSairfit his achieved a great feat.

Pangram’s Chatterbox Puzzle

No. 108

Post your solution to the Editor, Chatterbox, Burnside Cottage, Newhall, Balblair, Dingwall, IV7 8LT, marked “Crossword”. The first all-correct answer opened on May 1st will win £20 from Chatterbox.

Black Isle Chatterbox We couldn’t exist without the support of the Black Isle businesses which put Chatterbox on their shelves and get nothing in return – except the goodwill of their community. You’ll find the magazine on sale at:

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Avoch

Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Post Office (Fishermen’s Co-op)

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Cromarty Post Office

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Across

9 Incorrect incorrect, with one for one hundred, is canon (9) 10 Brown figure a non-starter (5) 11 Lightweight cat? (5) 12 Breed ovine ushers from a mix of sedge and hops (9) 13 Sailor at first light almost gets the bird (7) 14 A spy upset in a pickle? The opposite for baby dolls? (7) 17, 19 Fop finds joy in app rebooted (8) 19, 20 Careless crowsteps? (3, 5) 20 See 19 21 LOL! Went off colour (3, 4) 22 Army out in short month - 1 of 12 (7) 24 Short Cummings, as he was to Johnson, takes a vessel for something in which to draw (9) 26 Quiet - need to evacuate (5) 28 Watery vapour with nothing in it (5) 29 7 eels served up as a snack (9)

Spar

Down 1 2 3 4 5

Oche readdressed to make a comeback (4) Olympic niche offers a piece of cake (6) Trust of French money protecting closure (10) Dance observed puzzle (6) Learner leaves PE laundry out for shortchange (8) 6 Leap to start car (4) 7 Odd little muscle is standard (8) 8 Flower with a pupil in it (4) 13 Blacken short month around yet shorter month (5) 15 Talk too much with pipette? An awesome event! (3-7) 16 She’s lazy on the table (5) 18 Pitiable way one gets into and so forth (8) 19 Old bangers pose jail a problem (8) 22 Heard eastern DJ round dug out (6) 23 Tempting, like Othello short of nothing (6) 24 Pit - total quiet (4) 25 Musical whips (4) 27 Eels, otherwise (4)

The winner of Crossword 107 was Tom Clement, Wester Links, Fortrose

Answers to Crossword No. 107

Across – 7 Paragon, 8 Painful, 9 Asps, 10 Popularly, 12 Prost, 13 Overpass, 15 Mood, 16 Sport, 17 Doom, 18 Estimate, 20 Strop, 21 Presenter, 22 Test, 24 Acrobat, 25 Floored Down – 1 Pass, 2 Password, 3 Poppet, 4 Palliest, 5 Entrap, 6 Busy, 11 Proponent, 12 Pools, 14 Sloop, 16 Space bar, 17 Duration, 19 Icebox, 20 Stroll, 21 Pick, 23 Shed

Dingwall Spar, High Street

Fortrose John Munro, Butcher; Green Tree Gift Shop; Cromarty Bakery

Munlochy Munro’s Nursery

Rosemarkie Spar

Tore Ryefield Farm Shop Contact the editor if you would like to stock Chatterbox for sale To have Chatterbox delivered to your home, fill in the coupon below or go to www.chatterboxnews.co.uk

Spring 2024 Black Isle Chatterbox Page 39