The "Autumn" of a house-mouse !

 I'm in the throes of reading and very much enjoying, a host of John Mortimer books and took the liberty of plagiarising one of his titles since it so closely resembles my life as a "Septuagenarian".

Not I hasten to add, that I see myself as a Caledonian version of "Rumpole", rather more that Mortimer's analysis of his later years does in some ways resemble my life in my seventh decade ! 

Having said that, in Wilma/Bunty I do have a much better half in "She who must be obeyed". I suppose that a predilection for port could also count and since there is no equivalent of "Pomeroy's" in Inverness, then the "Inverness Caley Thistle Supporters Club" fulfils the role more than adequately! 

Further investigation into Rumpole though has also highlighted our joint love of Fried Breakfasts and Steak and Kidney Pudding, yet I have managed to stop the nicotine as opposed to Horace's love of cheroots.

The title comes from a quotation from Byron (who by the way went to school in Aberdeen);

So it is with age, that it becomes increasingly difficult to carry out such mundane tasks as putting on ones socks, bending to tie shoe-laces (the answer there is to buy slip on shoes).

Bending down for any task, comes with its own dilemmas, insofar that the blood seems to drain from the heart straight to the brain and induces some form of vertigo! 

The worst effect is that of having been a smoker for akin to half a century, the breathing (essential for life itself) is almost a form of PT with gasping as though at the end of an assault course.

My favourite participative sport was Golf, now though only with the aid of an "Electric Buggy"! Fortunately the beautiful course at Aigas near Beauly has one for hire at a reasonable rate and the course is a mere 9 hole effort.

Bunty makes this an ideal autumnal outing and if she keeps improving will be taking me to the cleaners and not just metaphorically.

 

Two wheeled "Dumplings" ignore cycle lanes to use the pavement !

 

 I actually applaud the increased use of bicycles since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic ! What does get on my wick is the number of numpties who for reasons best known to themselves choose to ride their bikes on the pavement !

The dictionary definition of a "pavement" is;

"a raised paved or asphalted path for pedestrians at the side of a road."

For the benefit of the numpties who choose to ride their bikes on the pavement and obviously don't understand words with more than two syllables;

A "pedestrian" means someone who walks as opposed to using a vehicle/bicycle !

There is actually a law on the statute books of the UK going back to the 19th century prohibiting the use of pavements by cyclists, a fact that is obviously going over the head of the lycra clad muppets with the half easter egg helmets

STAY OFF THE PAVEMENTS MUPPETS 

Itinerant "Travellers" found camping in Wester Ross

 In a somewhat futile attempt to evade scrutiny about various matters of state on his desk in 10 Downing Street, Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson escaped to the Highlands of the country in which he is held in lowest esteem possible, Scotland !

Despite the so called secrecy surrounding his planned and announced "holiday" in Scotland, Boris was found in a not so remote area of Wester Ross a mere 6 miles north of the delightful village of Applecross.

Bunty and I have sampled and enjoyed the beauty that is Applecross and the direct road to the village which frankly is not for the faint hearted  or indeed anyone with a nervous disposition:

Single track with passing places will test your forbearance and your fellow travellers road manners as you wend your way to the gem that is Applecross.

Nonetheless, de Pfeffel Johnson was some 6 miles further up the coast on the less hazardous route ! Having rented a holiday cottage and presumably then decided to erect a tent (for either his security entourage or Wilfred his dog) in a farmers sheep field but without permission and indeed took the liberty of starting a fire in the same field!

As his whereabouts became common knowledge (if you're a Daily Mail reader since they broke the story), his security team decided that his blubbery Etonian body could easily be seen from the road and any potential sniper would have to be blind not to be able to hit the target, it was back to London and the safety of Downing Street.

Needless to say the right wing press are all spouting bile about the SNP having exposed this location and endangering Mr Blobby despite the inescapable fact that it was the Tory mouthpiece the Daily Mail who ran the story.  

SCOTLAND WANTS HIM IN POWER HE'S OUR BEST ADVERT FOR INDEPENDENCE !!

Conservative "values" are a figment of Bojo's imagination !

 In the past, the Tories have (with some justification it must be said) accused Labour Governments of profligacy when it comes to the nations finances!

Surprise, surprise then that the UK National debt is now at £2 trillion and to put that into some sort of perspective; If you spent £10,000 per day every day since the pyramids were built, right up until today then you still would not be broke. Now some of that debt will obviously be due to the economic affects and measures taken to nullify the Covid Pandemic!

But it is a fact that there were 4 recessions during Thatcher's reign and a further 3 during Major's term and this is the only way Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson will be remembered in terms of Conservative and Unionist history. 

will be that he presided over the largest borrowing requirement in the history of the UK !

An after thought when we're discussing indebtedness and an apparent inability to give the needy fiscal help such as the NHS. 

This, notwithstanding the apparent shortage of funds it appears that his government has sanctioned a 27% increase in Peers allowances and expenses and Bojo has increased their number by 5% when he included the new raft of flunkies in ermine.

The political Richter Scale is starting to register as despite his puerile attempts to woo the North of Britain a.k.a. Scotland, the demand for Independence is on an inexorable rise with the formal figures at 55% - 45% pro Independence and informal responses much higher.

SAOR ALBA THA GLE MHATH !!

"Quisnam igitur liber" (Who then is free?)

In quoting the Roman poet Horace; "Who then is free"

Who indeed, is actually free in this United (?) Kingdom and the answer is most assuredly not the man or woman in the street nor indeed the countries within it!

"Freedom" is the ability to act or change without constraint.

If only we could indeed, act or change the politics of the Tory Party under the rule of Dominic Cummings and his glove puppet Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson.

The latest furore/manure to be catapulted into the fan is the educational catastrophe, which in fairness has hit all four nations under the collective "Butchers Apron". 

However, when the Scottish Government dealt with the dilemma of grades in the absence of actual exams due to the Pandemic in the first instance, there was the predictable backlash from Tory and indeed Labour sources, trying vainly to attack the S.N.P. for having the temerity to carry out the remedial action which as of today the other three countries have actually followed !

This devolved area of Educational responsibility is one of the few wherein the 4 constituent parts of the UK can be divergent and as such, demonstrates clearly that Scotland and our larger neighbour England are frankly at odds.

Notwithstanding the devolved areas, there is a chasm opening up between the political entities governing the two largest parts of the UK. 

The Tories have started to send their "big guns" (relatively speaking) on forays into Scotland, but notably only on day-trips. Sunak, Gove, Sharma, Patel, Shapps and last but by no means least De Pfeffel Johnson himself.

Notably none of these so called Cabinet Members has been anywhere near a town or city with a population in excess of 5,000 people. Could it be that they are all shy, sensitive individuals who shun publicity?

Now it appears that Bojo, Carrie and Wilfred (aged 4 months) are "camping" somewhere remote in Scotland !  The quote from his former mistress Petronella Wyatt puts that into perspective;

'Boris and Carrie are going to spend part of their Scottish holiday camping,' Petronella tweeted, ‘That will finish off their relationship. Boris can't cook and Carrie only likes deluxe private villas in hot places.’

The fact remains that Boris de Pfeffel Johnson has been on the Scottish equivalent of the "Witness Protection Scheme" in that no one has seen him and if the 5 star Fairmont Hotel constitutes a "camping" holiday then I'm in line for the next Prime Ministership.

Rambling here a bit though as the original point is that; who is free?

SCOTLAND WILL BE SOON.

The long and winding road to the death of the "Labour Party" in Scotland

 Since its birth 120 years ago with its centre left philosophy, the Labour Party have found a natural home north of the border. 

 

Keir Hardie (A Scot from Lanarkshire), Ramsay MacDonald (A Scot from Lossiemouth in Morayshire) and Arthur Henderson (A Glaswegian) were amongst the principal architects of this movement to improve the conditions for the working classes.  

The principal roots then of the Labour Party, stemmed and were nurtured in Scotland !  

How then did this party of socialism find itself on the margins of politics in its natural homeland?  In simple terms the movement has had weak leadership allied to the drift of the Labour Party away from socialism to a right of centre party of limp "Tory Lite" politicos who are only in politics for the money and most assuredly not for the good of the electorate !

In Westminster, Labours representation there is now reduced to only a single (and frankly useless) M.P. Ian Murray.

As the jacket he wears above will show, this is very definitely a "Unionist" MP.  Even the Tories have 6 MPs in Westminster and they are frankly despised in Scotland.

In Holyrood under the umbrella of the Scottish Government, and led by probably the least successful leader the Labour Party in Scotland (Richard Leonard) the Labour grouping still manages to get fewer MSPs than the Tories and this is thanks only to the "List" system within the assembly.

That the party should be led by a political nonentity to oblivion in Scotland must concern Keir Starmer, as what was formerly the base support for the Labour Party as a whole is a skeleton of its former body !

Requiescant In Pace Labour !

Will "Bojo" actually have the temerity to come to Scotland for a "Staycation"?

 When Editor of "The Spectator" Johnson approved the publication of this poem (?) 

The Scotch – what a verminous race!

Canny, pushy, chippy, they’re all over the place,

Battening off us with false bonhomie,

Polluting our stock,

undermining our economy.

Down with sandy hair and knobbly knees!

Suppress the tartan dwarves and the Wee Frees!

Ban the kilt, the skean-dhu and the sporran

As provocatively, offensively foreign!

It’s time Hadrian’s Wall was refortified

To pen them in a ghetto on the other side.

I would go further. The nation

Deserves not merely

isolation

But comprehensive

extermination.

We must not flinch from a solution.

This frankly shambolic buffoon is rumoured to be heading to Scotland for two weeks holiday. As if his last visit wasn't embarrassing enough, where he came, he saw and he retreated after only one single day and took the precaution of staying well clear of anything resembling a town much less a city.

Of course Baxters of Fochabers is without a shadow of doubt the most visited site in Scotland which explains why he focused his visit to their soup factory and the staff were even given a day off to celebrate his visit (nothing to do with protests potentially from those vile "Nationalists" who may or may not work in this bastion of Scottish Conservatism)

Massed crowds gathered to welcome the "Prime Numptie" to Scotland's foremost visitor attraction !

I'm not a gambling man, but would put money on his not actually coming up north for a holiday under any circumstances as he knows what welcome would await him !

A windy Scottish North 500 is far from "overblown"

Bunty and I took ourselves out of the Highland Capital for a trip on the Scottish Government shielding relief.  This time we (or to be more precise, me!) could get out the car.

I suppose the pandemic has had a dreadful affect on all forms of tourism, and far be it from me to detract from that. However, the lesser number of tourists did make for the drive to be much less frenetic.

What was noticeable was the number of cars parked in such parking laybys that were available and no one near the cars. Presumably hill-walkers setting out for the various Munro's that are close to the road.

Ardvrek Castle built in the 16th century by the Clan McLeod jutting out on a peninsula in Loch Assynt in Sutherland and Bunty and I were greeted by a lady swimming out to it rather than walking over the grassy path. Oh well each to their own !

The Assynt Mountain Range in the distance, but no technology here !  With views like this though do you need it ?

We reached our destination Loch an Inbhir to give the village its Gaelic name ! 

Lochinver  was one of Bunty's ports of call when she worked for the National Health and she's been regailing me of the culinary delights of the "Pie Shop" whose stock in trade was the range of pies to make you wilt under the over-indulgence of these culinary delights.

Prior to returning it was almost "de Rigeur" to visit the Highland Stoneware shop for the lasting memory of a beautifully hand-painted plate form the "Loch Assynt" collection;

The journey back was tranquil since we cut off to head towards Lairg and most of the journey taken on single track road with "passing places". Since this is off the NC500 route it was by most standards quiet.

Crossing the River Carron by the renowned Bonar Bridge;

 

and headed towards "Inbhir Nis" via Ardross and eventually back over the Black Isle.

Almost 200 miles in this round trip, but truly worth the effort !