Dell Directory October 2020

October 2020

THE DELL DIRECTORY

HEALTH:

LOCAL WALK:

TECHNOLOGY:

PLUS: notes from a small village, LYNNE'S COLUMN, Puzzles, and more inside!

THE DELL DIRECTORY

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T

he clocks go back this month to mark the end of the strangest BST we’ve lived through, and into an autumn with more unknowns than ever. However, it’s comforting that nature’s routines carry on regardless, and I love the Local Environment column this month - the sedge warblers doing their thing before they head south for the winter, and other birds to look out for locally as the season changes.

A new column from Lindsay and Gilmour starts this month. “Ask your Pharmacist” will cover how your local pharmacist can help with your family health needs on a nonappointment, on-your-doorstep basis. This month they kick off with smoking cessation.

A local walk with a view this month; House of the Binns is a 20 – 25 minute drive, and includes the wonderful changing colours of an autumn woodland as well as open parkland and features of historic interest.

There are various options nearby for refreshments afterwards - I recommend New Hopetoun Gardens’ Orangerie tea room.

New Hopetoun Gardens are also running a tree festival and fairy gardens to visit during October and November so it makes the drive doubly worth it.

With the wonderful range of columns from all our usual contributors, I hope you enjoy the magazine this month!

u can know yo Did you be to receive subscri issue of The w each ne ectory online?

Dell Dir cribe here Subs bscribe scot/su konect.

COVER IMAGE: Halloween: Have a Spooky but Safe time this year. @KonectMagazines

THIS ISSUE Local Walk: An autumn ramble with a view.... 8 Ask Your Pharmacist...................................... 12 Puzzles............................................................ 12 Health: Puppies, Children and Bones........... 15 Local Lab........................................................ 16 Local Environment: Sedge Warblers............. 20 Lynne’s Column......................................................24 Notes from a Small Village...................................26 Local People: Morag Dunbar.............................32

The Dell Directory is distributed to 5,500 homes in the Colinton, Craiglockhart and Kingsknowe areas. There are 11 copies a year with a joint issue in Dec/Jan.

HELEN-JANE SHEARER Editor

E: editor@konect.scot

CHARLENE GAFFNEY Account Manager

M: 07772 941899 E: charlene@konect.scot THE DELL | 3

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THE DELL | 7

House of Binns: An ancestral home with a rich history

For views a bit different from what you get in the Pentlands, but not too far away, the House of the Binns near Linlithgow offers a short woodland walk, lovely panoramic views, historic interest and a parkland with picnic spots. It is lovely any time of year and makes a colourful autumnal walk as the leaves change colour.

Owned by the National Trust for Scotland, House of the Binns is the ancestral home of the Dalyells; the site was chosen for its proximity to Linlithgow Palace. There is plenty of rich history to explore here in the family stories. The first Baronet (1615–1685) was General Tom Dalyell, “Bluidy Tam,” famous for brutally defeating the Covenanters on behalf of Charles II at the Battle of Rullion Green in the Pentlands. The most recent occupant was the late Tam Dalyell MP. The house is closed at present but the grounds are free for you to wander; the gates close at 5.30pm.

Strut like a Peacock on a colourful Autumn walk Looking North: Stunning views over the Firth of Forth and Blackness Castle

The approach drive (off the A7904 near Mannerston Holdings) meanders up through a field of sheep to a car park close to the house.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be greeted by the resident peacocks. I counted eight peacocks plus two babies the day I was there; there may be more.

The walk starts beside the house, and is an easy trail through the woodland. It’s not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs as there are steps and tree roots to navigate. You emerge from the woodland into a field, and head up towards a tower.

The tower is a folly built in 1826 as a result of a wager; Sir James Dalyell and his friends had an after-dinner wager on who could come up with the best way of wasting £100. It sounds like the sort of thing wealthy young men would do, but Sir James was 52 years old at the time and didn’t really have anything to prove! The story is on the benches that surround the tower, I’ll leave it to you to read it when you go!

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Binns Tower, Dalyell’s Folly and The Wager are all names for the turret located at the top of a steep hill on the ‘House of the Binns’ Estate

Linger at the tower to take in the wonderful views all around. To the North, look out over Blackness Castle and the Forth to the Cleish Hills and the Ochils. To the south, over the bings to the Pentlands which make for a lovely skyline.

From the tower, you have two options: through the gate closest to the tower and back down into the woodland to complete the short woodland circuit, which comes back out near the house where you started. You pass the remains of General Tam’s smoke house on the way down.

Or, from the tower, strike off across the open field (it’s waymarked) for a longer parkland walk. The grass is quite long, and at the bottom of this field there is a gate which, when we went in September, was accessed by an unavoidable and very muddy patch.

Sturdy boots suitable for a bit of mud are recommended if you take the parklands walk.

Bear to your right to follow the trail past “Paddy’s Cottage.” There are various little trails and plenty of picnic spots to be found in this corner of the estate, so you can divert, and there is a wet woodland which is a wildlife haven. Following the waymarked path, you walk beside a burn at the edge of an arable @KonectMagazines

field until you arrive at a wooden bridge. This was the old southern approach from the road to House of the Binns. The wee old stone bridge that you see here carried carriages in the late 18th century over the burn and up the approach to the house. Bear right over the bridge; you are now on the route of the old southern approach.

It takes you to the walled garden (closed for safety reasons) and past the old stables where The Royal Scots Greys – the regiment founded

by General Tam Dalyell – stabled their horses (also fenced off for conservation work). The trail takes you back to the drive you came in on, and back to the car park.

After your walk, treat yourself to refreshments a few minutes along the road at New Hopetoun Gardens. There is a wonderful orangerie tea room open from 10am to 4.30pm with indoors and outdoors seating. During October, they have a Tree Festival on with fairy gardens to explore in New Hopetoun Woods. See newhopetoungardens.co.uk See: nts.org.uk/visit/places/house-of-binns

This article was written by Helen-Jane Shearer. Helen-Jane is the editor of Konect and lives in West Lothian with her family.

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PUZZLES

ASK YOUR PHARMACIST

CROSSWORD

Want to quit smoking?: Come and chat to your friendly community pharmacist.

We know that stopping smoking can be daunting but it’s even more important than ever to protect your heart and lung health in this new COVID-19 world we find ourselves in.

Nicole Misstear We provide a FREE stop smoking service including explaining the medications available and 1 to 1 support at a time that suits you and we do it in a welcoming and accessible environment close to home.

Solution in the November edition ACROSS: 1. Fog (4), 3. Travellers (8), 9. Table support (7), 10. Entrance (5), 11. Clarifications (12), 14. Epoch (3), 16. Sphere (5), 17. To drink (3), 18. Uses camera (12), 21.Largesea(5),22.Lawngame(7),23.Mixing(8),24.Steak(4).

DOWN: 1. Mumbled (8), 2. Snooze (5), 4. Poem (3), 5. Ice-box (12), 6. Proverbs (7), 7. Painful (4), 8. Untangled (12), 12. Amid (5), 13. Alcoholic appetiser (8), 15. Accomplish (7), 19. Dwelling (5), 20. Grave (4), 22. Tin (3).

• Explain the medications available to help you stop smoking • Offer group or 1 to 1 support at a time that suits you

We’re sorry that the grid for the September crossword was wrong, and hope you enjoy this month’s crossword as usual.

• Support you - every step of the way - to help you succeed

Solution in the November edition

SUDOKU

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Community pharmacists are ideally placed to advise people on how to stop smoking, providing friendly and expert advice on this and many other health concerns. Did you know, we can:

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HEALTH

Puppies, Children and Bones Puppies are wonderful, aren’t they? They seem to have boundless energy, amazing enthusiasm for life and unlimited affection for those around them.

Along with the joy of having a puppy in the family comes the responsibility of looking after it properly. Puppies can develop specific bone and joint problems if they are over-exercised as they grow. In fact, vets and breeders recommend that puppies have only 5 minutes exercise off the lead per day for every month old they are until they are fully grown. The growth plate, or growing portion of a dog’s bone, may not be fully formed until the dog is just over a year old.

Children and teenagers can also develop bone problems with exercise as they grow. Younger athletes can develop specific injuries at the foot and knee due to the differences in the structure of growing bone compared with adult bone.

Where an adult would develop a painful tendon with overuse, a child or teenager will develop pain at the junction between the tendon and growing bone. These junctions are called “apophyses” and when inflamed, are referred to as “apophysitis”. Two of these conditions are Sever’s Disease (SD) and Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD).

Sever’s Disease (SD) is the common name for calcaneal apophysitis which is characterised by pain at the junction between the heel bone (Calcaneum) and the Achilles tendon. It occurs in active children between the ages of 7 and 14 years and develops during a growth spurt when the muscle / tendon unit becomes tight as bone grows longer. The child will complain of pain with activity, particularly running and jumping, which eases with rest. It can occur in one or both heels. Pain can increase when he or she stands on tiptoe and so to avoid this, the @KonectMagazines

child may walk with a limp. The heel bone can be sore to touch.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) is apophysitis of the tibial tubercle, the spot just below the knee cap where the patella tendon inserts into the bone at the top of the shin.

This spot can be swollen and tender to touch.

OSD usually develops in active adolescents during the 2-year period in which they grow most rapidly. This can be between the ages of 8 - 13 for girls and 10 – 15 for boys. Pain can occur in both knees but most often occurs in only one. Very often, the hip flexor muscles, the hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles are found to be tight.

What is the best way to treat these conditions?

Initially, treatment is geared towards reducing the symptoms with the general principles which apply to all injuries. Rest from the aggravating factors, but remember that rest is relative. Activities that do not cause pain such as swimming or cycling can be continued.

Ice can be used to help the local pain and inflammation. Treatment should also involve a regular stretching programme for tight muscles.

We have met many dedicated young athletes who follow stretching programmes regularly to improve their symptoms quickly – and then they have no excuse to avoid taking the dog out!

The health column is contributed by McNaughton Physiogrange, Edinburgh www.physiogrange.co.uk THE DELL | 15

LOCAL LAB

How do we mitigate climate change?

Adam Smith’s Panmure

House

Take part in an open debate and quiz scientists about how we can combat climate change.

As the world grapples to avert economic and societal disaster in response to a global pandemic, we shouldn’t forget that there is an environmental disaster on the horizon.

Climate change is an issue with fundamental implications for all of society.

Scientists from Heriot-Watt University are researching a wide range of solutions to climate change, from smart systems to renewables, energy efficient construction to rapid scale up of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies.

But climate change cannot be solved by scientists alone, and so in October, the university is launching a new series to enable all of society the chance to debate, discuss and influence how the world adapts to an unprecedented rate of environmental change.

The Hutton Series on Climate Change is a series of events taking place across 2020-21 at Adam Smith’s Panmure House, bringing together a diverse cross-section of experts, business leaders, scientists, and concerned 16 | THE DELL

citizens in the service of one simple aim - To identify ten key priorities, innovations and actions to mitigate the climate crisis.

Panmure House in Edinburgh is the final remaining home of globally renowned philosopher Adam Smith.

During his twelve-year tenancy between 1778 and 1790, he regularly hosted key luminaries of the Scottish Enlightenment to debate the most pressing issues at the brink of the first industrial revolution.

More than two hundred years later as the world grapples to avert environmental disaster by shifting to new energy sources while recovering from a global pandemic, the Hutton Series aims to recreate these groundbreaking discussions – both virtually and at the

same historic location in Edinburgh’s world heritage site.

The first event on 6 October will feature speeches by the environmental and polar scientist Professor Sir Ian Boyd, former chief scientist at DEFRA and member of SAGE, and the CEO of Natwest Group (formerly RBS), Alison Rose. Member of the public can submit real-time questions to the debate panel, and share their own thoughts and solutions. Further details are available online ( www.hw.ac.uk/hutton )

The Local Lab column is contributed

by Heriot-Watt University to engage the public in a range of their research projects. @KonectMagazines

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LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

Sedge Warbler: Showing Off During an early walk around the Wester Inch ponds, Bathgate, a small bird with a loud call was making his presence known.

He soon found the highest point in the bushes and started filling the sky with his song, showing off to the females and defending his territory. The sedge warbler makes quite the introduction! They’re common throughout Summer when they head to our shores for breeding season.

again. Our favourites include the flocks of fieldfare, redwing, and waxwings all who love to gorge on our berry covered trees and bushes. Waxwings are so popular there are Twitter accounts dedicated to reporting their appearances, normally to be found in a supermarket car park by a busy road!

In winter we’re treated to some exceptional bird life who come across from Scandinavia and Russia, which we’re excited to see

This column is contributed by Clare Harte and Kate Stevenson, who grew up in Edinburgh and now live in West Lothian. Together they run Scottish Sisters Photography and travel around the country to watch and photograph amazing wildlife and scenic landscapes. www.scottishsistersphotography.com

Now they’ll be heading south again and it leaves us at an interesting time in the birding calendar when our summer migrants have left and our winter visitors haven’t yet arrived, or are only starting to. As we’re now in meteorological Autumn, there’s a lot to look forward to such as huge skeins of geese flying overheard, the beautiful golden colours of autumn spreading across the trees, crunchy leaves, and horse chestnuts scattered across the ground.

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They return from October onwards so keep your eyes on the skies because they are beautiful birds who are a welcome and colourful addition to the darker days, which we can all enjoy.

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Despite the weirdly surreal year that 2020 has been so far, I am amazed to find that we’ve reached October already. In March the clocks went forward during lockdown and, at time of writing, the possibility of some form of lockdown measures or tightened restrictions looks quite high for October.

It’s been an odd six months for everyone to say the least. More than ever before we’ve had to adapt and be flexible in our thinking and our approaches to just about everything we do. This time last year we would never have imagined that this October we’d all be sporting masks, but not just for Halloween.

We often start to ‘batten down the hatches’ in October as we prepare for winter. Many families routinely head off for some late year sunshine in the school holiday week before packing the summer clothes away for another year. We let our kids out ‘guising’ or ‘trick or treating’ on Halloween then hide some of their enormous stash of sweets to sustain us during the long, dark winter nights of TV watching (or is that just me?). And as soon as Halloween is over, we start planning Christmas.

With much uncertainty still lying ahead it would be easy to feel gloomy and quite deflated that we may not be able to do things as we would like to for the foreseeable future. But if there’s one glorious thing that we’ve learned through all of this it’s that we are all marvellously adaptable and that the human spirit sometimes shines best when we’re under pressure. We’ve also been reminded how important our local services and businesses are and how, if we just concentrate on one day, one step at a time, that eventually this too shall pass.

Even if we have to stay at home more than we’d hoped, we have a wealth of technology to enable us to stay connected with others.

We can use online resources to learn new skills and tricks, join like-minded people in hobby groups or find new reading or listening material. We can continue to teach ourselves the invaluable life skill of being more present and living in the moment. And we can seek out new avenues to treat ourselves – a quick glance through the ads in the Dell Directory or other local magazines reveals some of the amazing things on offer on our doorstep from jewellery to gifts to home fragrance to scrumptious food and drink.

Let’s make October a month of new tricks and treats.

Lynne lives in Colinton with her husband and two children. She dreams of being a freelance writer when she grows up but mostly just avoids growing up!

So for October, let’s not mourn the loss of the holidays we might have liked to take or any temporary restrictions to our freedom but, instead, treat ourselves kindly and focus on what we can do rather than what we can’t.

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I’ve lived in Balerno since 1991. It’s home. But Illinois, the American state where I grew up, is also home. I’m a transplant! Growing up in a place with different customs means that I don’t always see things in the same way as my neighbour.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES I look at signs with a critical eye. Is that because I’ve spent many years working as an editor? Or was my career choice such a good fit for me because I naturally lean towards correcting signs, notices and, honestly, any form of communication?

On foot or in the car, I am always reading signs – no matter what country I’m in. Their wording and delivery have the power to annoy or amuse me. Here are some of the various reasons a sign might annoy me: They state the obvious.

If the door does not open, DO NOT ENTER. They contain misspelled words, poor grammar or incorrect punctuation.

Because of a missing “t” the veterinarian’s sign was offering consulations. The misspelling bothered me, but because the mistake made me think of consolation, it also made me laugh. It was good to know that if the vets could not cure your pet, they were willing to offer consolation (with an appointment, of course).

They advise you that they are being polite.

Polite notice: Do not walk on the grass. If you have to tell the person it’s polite, you have failed. It reminds me of drawing a picture of a cat when I was a little girl and then writing cat, with an arrow to the figure in case my artwork wasn’t good enough.

Why not say: Please don’t walk on the grass? That’s polite. The reason, of course, is that the person who posts the sign has no real desire to be polite – they just want to be seen to be polite! What they really mean is KEEP OFF THE GRASS! Adding the word please would soften this directive.

They sound like “Big Brother”.

Are you tired? Pull over and take a nap.

Tiredness can kill. Maybe you should also get out of the car? Being hit by a driver that doesn’t notice your car can kill you too. I guess there isn’t enough room on the sign to add all of this helpful information.

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Sometimes mistakes on signs don’t irritate me – they make me laugh out loud! Here are some examples: They are ambiguous due to a lack of punctuation.

Cows please drive slowly (In the US cows are not allowed to drive) They are clearly incorrect, but do no real harm.

Cows - in a field full of sheep!

They tempt me to add a cheeky comment.

Thank you for driving carefully (when leaving a town or village). I want to add: Feel free to drive like a maniac again now.

No cash is held on these premises overnight (in a shop window). I want to add: However, if you are looking for an easy target, the establishment two doors down is very sloppy about the way they handle their cash.

They are dead clever.

Eat here or we’ll both starve (sign outside a restaurant).

They’re funny when read out loud.

Try a McWrap today! I saw this sign in the US a few years ago outside a well-known fast-food place, and have since learned that McWrap is no longer on the menu.

Could the name have put people off? Say it quickly with your best American accent.

To be continued next issue …

Notes from a small village is contributed

by Suzanne Green. Suzanne is a freelance writer/editor and writes regularly for The Dell Directory. She is married to Andy and they have two adult daughters. @KonectMagazines

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THE DELL | 31

orag

DUNBAR

Long-time member of the local folk music scene and Convenor of Balerno Folk Club, Balerno resident Morag Dunbar has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of Scottish Traditional Music.

Live music is temporarily off the menu, but it’s a staple of the local diet and the behind- thescenes activity goes on. Inducted for 2020 in the category of Services to the Community, it’s a recognition of Morag’s tireless work to help the community and enrich lives through her dedication to folk music.

Originally from Kirkaldy, Morag has been involved in folk music since the 1960s. At that time, the legendary Elbow Room Lounge Bar in Kirkaldy was a firm fixture on the Scottish folk circuit. She’d be there, every Thursday after school, in the audience for the likes of Archie Fisher, Hamish Imlach, The Corries and Matt McGinn.

Moving to Edinburgh to study Scottish History and English literature at university, Morag joined the Edinburgh University folk club. She recounts that there were so many opportunities in Edinburgh for folk music: The Crown Bar, Sandy Bells, Ian Green’s legendary Police Social Club, and the University Scottish Nationalist Club, a movement which has always had a strong folk music tradition that continues to this day. As she put it: “My friends all tended to be in the folk scene, so socialising and parties always ended up in music and singing sessions”.

“When I graduated and began teaching in Edinburgh, I learned to play the guitar.

Around the same time, in 1972, I moved to Balerno. The music on offer in the village at the time was just one weekly Saturday session.” Hungry for more, along with a group of friends, they started arranging music 32 | THE DELL

nights in the Grey Horse. The nights started as fundraisers for the Scottish National Party but as the event’s popularity grew, the audiences became steadily larger and more apolitical.

Up until lockdown, live music at the Grey Horse has been a constant in Balerno.

Balerno Folk Club was set up in1982, and Morag has been involved in running it ever since, alongside a dedicated committee of volunteers. Over the years, the club has given a stage to acts now household names, including Dougie MacLean, John Martyn, Dick Gaughan, and The McCalmans, who recorded their 1988 album “Listen to the Heat” live in concert at the club.

These years of involvement in the music have led to many wonderful memories, and unique moments. From being one of the judges for the best folk group competition during the Edinburgh Folk Festival and receiving a demo tape from a young Capercaillie – all still in school at the time, to visits to the TMSA festivals in Kinross and Blairgowrie. But most cherished of all are memories of those earliest days in The Elbow Room, where it all began.

Read more at projects.handsupfortrad.scot/ hall-of-fame/ This article was written by Helen-Jane Shearer, partly reproducing the information from Morag’s profile on handsupfortad. scot, and partly information from a previous Konect interview with Morag. @KonectMagazines

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