That's no Eyesore. That's my houseA bloggee has suggested a new competition: the ugliest/most inappropriate/ nastiest building in the Borders-lets specialise in Ber Wick Shire to narrow the field a bit.The bloggee writes : My nominations for eyesores of the Merse could be any of the new buildings around Whitsome, but at least, despite their tastelessness, single storey, apart from that vile thing behind the old village hall. The mother of all architectural excrescences has got to be the 2-storey executive hoosie by the side of the B6437 south of Whitsome which is not only ugly and inappropriate but has the compounded disadvantage of totally pointless location being totally without views. My runner-up is the grotty little new settlement at Ravelaw or maybe that vile housing estate at...
Ye will no come back again. PleaseHuttonian understands that as part of ensuring the Borders remain 'Scotland's favourite short break destination' the county boundaries are going to be marked by appropriate greeting boards and towns will have more informative town signs, than at present referring to their claims to individual distinction. Duns for example could be:' DUNS. Scotland's Favourite Pit Stop' a reference to the Jim Clarke connection. So visitors could stop a passer by and enquire, anxiously, 'Is Duns the Pits?' AS for County boundaries, Hutton Think Tank is holding a competition for the best county border slogan. A number of entries have been received-the front runner so far being;THIS IS BERWICKSHIRE> YOU ARE WELCOME TO ITThe image shows an existing Scotland sign. This could...
A great leap backwards?It may be the weather or the problems facing the nice Mr Brown, or even the successful self publicity antics of the slippery Mr Salmond (npi) influencing the running poll in the Berwickshire which is moving steadily towards incorporating Berwick-upon-Tweed into Berwickshire: Would you be happy to welcome Berwick into Berwickshire52% Yes. it's a great idea45% No, Berwick is part of England and should remain so3% I have no opinion either way.I am not sure how many people actually vote-I did so twice this morning but the figures did not change so there may be more people taking part than I used to think. The3% 'don't cares' remains constant although I can never understand why people with no opinion care to express it? The Hutton Think Tank now back from its holiday in...
SIR, - For the umpteenth time our mean-minded killjoy government has rejected Sir Alan Beith’s (and everyone else’s) call for dualling the A1 throughout Northumberland; Minister Tom Harris (who?) lists four spurious criteria for doing nothing about it.The fifth criterion, of course, is that the territory through which the A1 runs in its semi-rural state includes Berwickshire and nowhere in this area is represented by New Labour.It is unfair that despite almost 35 years service Sir Alan is not rewarded in the same way as 28 years service by another MP/MSP with almost all the A1 in East Lothian being dualled - something to do with red being preferred to yellow maybeis this weeks star letter in the Berwickshire NewsJoy apparently equates with the ability to speed through...
Out of the Fox HolesOccasionally the Episcopalian Church of Scotland (as opposed to the Presbyterian Church of Scotland) is referred to as the 'English' Church-'the Lairds at Prayer. Not quite fair, Christchurch in Duns is certainly a noticeably Scottish establishment but there are occasions when an over abundance of Lairds justifies the epithet. Such as a 'county' baptism. Then tout Berwickshire is there. As to day-the church heaving and 'I vow to thee my country' being heard as far away as distant Roxboroughshire.Looking around the tweedy, dark suited and blue-blazered front pews I could not help dwelling on the first verse of the opening hymn-Borders version:All things Bright and BeautifulAll Creatures great and smallNow they have banned Fox huntingWe will have to shoot them...
Thankyou very much Hels of 'Country Strife' for this story of ordinary country stoats A mother and her family of three had a near miss encounter with a lorry at Whitemire stud.An eye-witness gives the following account:"I was walking back home with my two greyhounds, Poncho and Jen, when I heard the lorry approaching behind me. I turned to see where it was and pulled the dogs onto the verge. As I turned back I saw four stoats run into the middle of the road and stop. I held my breath as the lorry thundered on towards them. At the last moment they made a dash for it, and I saw them all reach safety and disappear through the hedge on the other side of the road."The above is for Huttonian in case he is having animal-story withdrawal symptoms - although he hasn't yet featured our neighbours'...
Massive Swing ShockAs seen from the perspective of the Isle de France it does not seem to matter very much but it is quite intriguing to see the steady growth of support for moving Berwick upon Tweed 'back into Berwickshire in the running poll conducted by the newspaper. Up to last week the majority was for the status quo but by never more than 2 %. Here are this weeks findings:Today's VoteWould you be happy to welcome Berwick into Berwickshire 49% Yes. it's a great idea 48% No, Berwick is part of England and should remain so. 3% I have no opinion either way. >> Hutton Think Tank Research and Analysis Section believe that a maximum of three people vote each week-Mr Ritchie, the self styled Regent of the Kingdom of Scotland is a constant yes, Huttonian a steady no and the other concerned...
Dogged does it Apparently at a very recent meeting of a Berwickshire Community Council the questionwas posed:" What happens to Dog Poo?" Presumably referring to those canine deposits lovingly wrapped in plastic bags and placed in the red containers? Some one suggested land fill sites and was then asked that if this is the case why couldn't the crap in question go into the bog standard (no pun intended) black bins and not require a special container. After all soiled nappies are acceptable in the wheelie binsNo one really knew. Hutton Think Tank's controversial Report ' Binnie the Pooh' is still at the printers and may eventually provide some answers.Which is more than Google does although there is a link to an interesting discussion on how to stop your dog eating his own...
At last the Berwickshire News will have some real Borders news to fill its front page next Thursday-a change from loony self styled Regents and the commemoration of Rabbi Burns one visit to Coldstream; local lass makes real good: Oscar for Tilda Swinton. How local? Certainly much more so than Jim Clarke and Duns Scotus although I am not sure how long she has actually spent in Berwickshire at her family home. Her fathers family have been Borderers since slightly before the year Dot. Tilda S lives in Nairn, a bit north of here-indeed north of most places but I am sure that she will be claimed as 100% one of their own in these parts. 100% may be a bit steep given that her mother is Australian so perhaps it will be appropriate that the Merse will be alive with the sound of music as people...
Bye Bye Berwick?Today's Independent has a double spread feature on Berwick upon Tweed picking up the poll on whether the town should transfer its allegiance from England to Scotland : THE ENGLISH TOWN THAT WANT TO BE SCOTTISH is the headline on Page 16.Nothing much new except I did not know that a severed arm of William Wallace (not Mel Gibson) was once displayed here after his terminal hanging drawing and quartering as recently as 1305. It has since been removed on Public Health grounds. It also again nails the myth that Berwick is still at war with Russia following the end of the Crimean war But I had not heard before that so prevalent was that belief that a formal (albeit Tongue in Cheek) treaty 1966 of peace was signed by the mayor of Berwick with a Soviet official in 1966. 'Now...
More MudSIR, - On behalf of all of those who live on or have to walk or drive along the narrow roads of Berwickshire may I please make a request to all drivers.Please do not drive on to the soft verges to pass oncoming vehicles. The result whilst everywhere is so wet is that the verges are churned up and roads are covered in mud. Please use the passing places, even if you have to reverse a few yards.says a writer to the editor if the Berwickshire.AmenThe image is not necessarily Berwickshire. But it could well be. And it is the big 4wd vehicles and the sod-you-other-drivers-tractors which are the worse...
BROONS VERSUS BUZZARDSPoor farmers get a lot of stick around Ber-wickshire: mud on roads, irritating tractors impeding Mr Toad's impetous progress, noisesome slurry, concreting over good farming land, that sort of thing. But poisoning Buzzards?The top story in the Berwickshire is headed :POISONED BAITS USED TO KILL BIRDS AT GREENLAWand describes how 25 poisoned baits to kill birds of prey have been discovered on private estates around Greenlaw, within a one square mile radius-the highest number ever recorded in one location- thus showing how, in one activity at least, Berwickshire leads the civilised world. The poison Carbofuran was discovered in carcasses of hares and rabbits leading to the death of six buzzards, two crows and a magpie over a six month period last year. A member of the...
Huttonian moves to Duns with a feeling of increased relaxation after reading the result of a recent 'knife amnesty' in the Borders with no less than 16 weapons handed over in the town: Story in the Berwickshire as follows:Public hand knives over to police16 weapons handed over in DunsMike WynneBy Simon Duke POLICE have announced that a total of 25 knifes were handed in to Berwickshire stations during a three week campaign in the Borders.The Safer Scotland initiative saw police use metal detectors in pubs and sheriff courts throughout the area, while red bins were situated at six police stations for members of the public to hand in any weapons.A total of 64 knifes were handed in, as well an axe, a scythe, a cleaver and three screwdrivers.Duns saw 16 knifes handed over, the second highest...
SIR, - Regarding F.A. Read-Powell’s letter about fedding the seals, I resent the insinuations that the flotsam, jetsom and oil comes from the leisure boats below.As the owner of such a boat I take care not to pollute the water in the harbour..If they look at rubbish in the harbour, it is plain to see where it comes from.reads a letter in this week's Berwickshire. Methinks the man doth protest too much. Of course his wretched 'leisure' boat pollutes. It can't help it- every time it's engine is switched on. And as for looking at the rubbish in the harbour too closely...It may be all too plain where some of it comes from-perhaps in some cases from enjoying the conveniences offered by leisure boating, as it were.Fedding the seals? Arcane pastime of some kind? Much better to give them food I...
