Will Seil ever be he ame again? Course it will

[Bit of a Mink]

Well I think it was Spiderman declaring that all the Snipe have been chased away for three years possibly,
.Never fear, the mink has been out raking around and can tell you they have merely moved to higher ground over the road and towards Ardencaple. They were thinking of doing this before the peckers came as they felt safer there owing to a mysterious lack of birds of prey in that area.
After all, it is only a strip, a mere ribbon of this Island being affected by all the burrowing going on. There is a whole lot more to this place that down between the road and the water from Clachan Seil to Balvicar.
One can roam over hills and fields and dabble around the shore on the westside and never see a soul or hear a pecker going.
I dont know of any badger holes or foxes dens between the road and the sea but I know of plenty further up the west side and down in the woods. All the rabbits [or most of them] have been wiped out not by us minks but by the latest outbreak of "Myxsie" I cant spell it. The place is littered with carcases.
The grass will grow again, look at how quickly the scrub creeps in.
The deer will come down from the hill again to eat your gardens, and the owls havenot gone anywhere.
It isnot all gloom and doom. A bit of adversity usually brings out the best in folk but all I can hear is whining from most quarters.
Is there anyone who agrees with an old mink or is all hope lost?
By the way. who is this "Nonny mouse", she sounds quite tasty, and I have to agree with you Seventh, Minks actually can be quite smelly especially after a night at The Light of India and a couple of pints of lager.

[Eric the Viking]

I agree with you minkie - Seil will be 'he ame' again

[Seventhseil]

Saw the guff on the letters page of the Oban times..... the irony of these folks living in a former industrial waste site complaining about a wee bit of work.......
I have to agree bit o' mink if they were to get out their car or even visit Easdale they would escape the "danger".

[Pentlandpirate]

Why so gloomy? What is 'bad'? Everything is relative.

Our best friends, he's a fit 62 year old, works for a company that makes airbags for cars. Remember not so long ago cars just had one air bag in the steering wheel, then they put one in the dash for the passenger. In no time cars had four airbags with side airbags. Then came curtain airbags, knee bags, etc, so that now most upmarket cars have eight airbags at least. So business was good. So good they decided to expand, but in Romania, where it was cheaper. He lost his job on Thursday. That was bad enough, with Christmas coming and poor prospects at his age to get a job in the collapsing job market. His wife was expecting it, and already living on her nerves. She's 51 and been a department supervisor in Woolworth's for the last 12 years.

They have their health, they have family and friends around them, the dole and a hint the government might give them a 'holiday' on payment of their mortgage.

We hear about 600 here, 3000 there, 400 somewhere else losing their jobs in the UK, almost every day now. We don't tend to hear about the hundreds of smaller businesses laying off 5 or 6 workers EACH, every day.

It's terrible too that pensioners are suffering the 'wage cut' of significantly reduced earnings from their life savings........ but is it 'bad'?

We hear about gun and knife crime. About children being abused. Billions wasted on NHS IT systems that don't work. An NHS lottery with treatment. Broken schools. Broken society. But is what we've got 'BAD'?

Who are we to moan and bitch over a bit of mud? What kind of sh*t must it be that we think we've got it 'bad'?

When so many children in the world can't even get clean water to drink, or any sort of school to go to, or nourishment and health treatment to give them a chance to survive through to adulthood, etc, etc.

We're not at war (Iraq and Afghanistan are an expedition), we have our social safety nets in place, someone is working hard in crap weather to ensure our water is cleaner. What is a bit of (clean) mud?

All those who think it's a problem please go for a nice sunny (reality-check) holiday in somewhere like Sudan or Zimbabwe.

[Eric the Viking]

Full of festive goodcheer I see, Pentland.

Nice to put things in perspective though.

Are you doing the Rev I.M. Jolly gig at Hogmany?

[Pentlandpirate]

Will Seil ever be the same again?

No, nowhere is ever the 'same again'. Life evolves and each day is a new day. There is the prospect that Seil can be a better place!

Yes, we can be happy and cheerful!!!!!

And with the doom and gloom, don't those of us who have a little less to complain about feel a little more sense to help those who are less fortunate? Could the recession and depression pull people back together again in a way that might not have been seen since the Second World War? It would be nice if 'good' could come out of 'bad'.

Mud and sewage systems????? Go bang your heads together!

[Eric the Viking]

Could the recession and depression pull people back together

What Pish! You mean like the last recession? I seem to remember the late seventies / early eighties - Thatcherism, ('there is no community'), Millions unemployed, riots in the cities, the Economic League, the GLC, Scargill, strikes, wage cuts, redudancy.

That really pulled every one together - Halcyon days indeed!

Or do we need another Falklands to do the trick Penty?

[Pentlandpirate]

Millions unemployed, riots in the cities, the Economic League, the GLC, Scargill, strikes, wage cuts, redundancy.

Yes, we put those things behind us and came out the other side better for it!

Afghanistan should be our 'Falklands'. I say shame on those who don't support our country's efforts in those parts. If they insisted that over 50's were drafted into the Army, I would go!

[Eric the Viking]

If they insisted that over 50's were drafted into the Army, I would go!

Steady on there Mainwairing - We might need you for the Home Guard!

'Fight them on the beaches' and all that.

[Pentlandpirate]

You're right! The Russians are sending bombers over our heads again. The Police can't protect us on our own streets (just lastnight a 40 year old man and his beautiful, but slight, Slovakian girlfriend were set upon by three thugs and a woman and beaten up, when one of the thugs recognised by son from schooldays and said, "Help them and I'll stick this knife in your neck!". My son ran and called the Police, but they did nothing).

We need a civil defence force to protect our shores and our people. More often than not it's only those of us with a bit of maturity who have learned a bit of respect for Life, who can be trusted to maintain the Christian values which are supposed to be the fabric of our society, even in our multi-cultural age.

[Eric the Viking]

maintain the Christian values

Hang on a minute Penty - don't we live in a democratic, secular society?

It's a bit presumptious to assume that the 'values' of the self-appointed, over 50's , the 'defenders of the faith' - in any way reflects the will or even the demographic of our modern multicultural society.

Hardly democracy is it?

Perhaps only the over 50's should be allowed to vote?

[Pentlandpirate]

Interesting point. What is the percentage of the voting population who are over 50? Is it anywhere around 50% mark yet?

Why is that you have to be 18 to vote? Should they propose that all over 75's lose their vote, because they could be senile, or even if they aren't there's no point in having any influence in life because you won't have a life in the longer term?

[Eric the Viking]

...or maybe we should just shoot eveyone when they reach pensionable age?

[Pentlandpirate]

I think pensioners should get a statutory 10 years of retirement. If they are not already knackered by then, then it's the knackers yard for them.

At least you could plan ahead: have a big 'do' on the last night!

[Seventhseil]

Straying into Daily Mail editorial territory here p.p.

[Pentlandpirate]

Straying into Daily Mail editorial territory here p.p.

Oh no! Forgive my momentary lapse of concentration. It must be an 'age' thing. Let me get some fresh air and go and talk to the chickens.

[Bit of a Mink]

Did someone mention chickens? Where is this henhouse!
Anyway,t was heartening to see some support for common sense. Lets face it, all we REALLY have to worry about is whether to have turkey or beef on Christmas day.
For myself, I am having savoury snipe with Erby dice followed by mince pies. Humble pie is also on the menu but I have never developed a taste for that. I had some lovely black truffles hidden in a hole but someone jumped in on top of them.
What's everyone else having??

[Pentlandpirate]

Presumably mink is reasonably tasty as long as you don't slash the scent gland.

I once did that when one got my brother in the throat, and even though I buried it quite deep I could smell it for months afterwards

[Seventhseil]

God P.P. your awfull depressed just now. I'm a bit worried.... perhaps you should get one of those light boxes.....or go to the church for some spiritual guidance....

[Pentlandpirate]

perhaps you should get one of those light boxes.....

Yes, someone else suggested that. I've got the whole upstairs rigged up with them, but I've had to keep the curtains and blinds closed so I'm a bit out of touch with what's going on outside. Mind you the plants are growing brilliantly well. Can you offer any advice on how I can slow my meter? My electric bill is shocking. Electric bill aside, I'm told this DIY kit can make you quite happy and I must admit the anticipation is helping reduce any depression I might have had, already. They ought to advertise these kits more widely. Not many people seem to be aware how good they are.