
The Daily Thistle — News From Scotland
Tuesday 4th September 2018
“Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. The clouds had moved on this morning as Bella and I set out for our walk, millions of stars twinkled in the black night sky.. I love it when it’s like that.. streets were empty except for us and the sound of Bella’s Dog Tag’s and Rabies shot indicator clinking in the in the darkness, as she’s jet black, it’s hard to see her at times…
CIDER MAKER OFFERS ALCOHOL IN EXCHANGE FOR APPLES AND PEARS…. Thistly Cross, of East Lothian, has launched an appeal for unwanted home-grown fruit. A cider maker has opened its “bucket for a bottle” appeal for unwanted home-grown apples and pears. Thistly Cross, of East Lothian, said it is open to donations which it will hand-press into juice to be matured into cider.
The brewer is offering to swap donations over 7kg for cider and beer. The yearly appeal first started in an attempt to reduce waste with many locally grown apples going unused. The company said: “One of the things that make Thistly Cross Cider so unique is its blend of Scottish heritage apples, hand-pressed at their Cidershed in the heart of East Lothian — continuing a proud tradition of using apples grown across the country from a wide range of sources, including local schools, professional apple growers, estate and farm owners and the general public. “In previous years, the ‘Bucket for a Bottle’ scheme has resulted in hundreds of tonnes of apples, and Thistly are hoping to top that with this year’s #apples4cider campaign.”
EDINBURGH SET FOR UK’S LONGEST LEGAL GRAFFITI WALL…. Around 60 artists from across Europe will each decorate a section of the wall. Graffiti artists from across Europe are descending on the capital to create the UK’s longest legal graffiti wall. Around 60 artists from Scotland, England, Ireland, Poland, Spain and Germany will each decorate a section of the wall close to Ocean Terminal at the Rock the Dock Graffiti Jam on Saturday. With 330m in total being decorated — 165m on each side — the temporary graffiti wall will become the UK’s longest, surpassing the current longest one in Dundee by 190m. The council-owned site forms part of the proposed tram to Newhaven and this initiative is seen as an ideal opportunity to breathe new life into the area before work gets under way.
Rock the Dock is being jointly led by Leith-based hip-hop education organisation, The State, roller rink and indoor skatepark, The Boardwalk, and Scotland’s graffiti, street art and mural specialists, Mainline and Spectrum Arts. The event on Saturday is open to all and will run between 9am and 9pm, with three free workshops throughout the day. Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “This is a tremendously exciting project and I’m really looking forward to seeing the wall being transformed by the graffiti jam. “Rock the Dock is a great example of how the council can bring people and groups together to create something special for the local community — bringing some much-needed life to the area and supporting the work of graffiti artists in Edinburgh and further afield.”
MAN ACCUSED OF ENCOURAGING TERRORISM IN FACEBOOK POSTS…. Mohammed Hamza Siddiq, from Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway, is accused of posting extremist content on the social media site. The 37-year-old is charged with one count of encouraging terrorism and another of failing to disclose information to the police. Siddiq, formerly known as Andrew Calladine, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Thursday. He remained silent for most of the hearing and has not yet entered any pleas to the charges against him. Police became aware of his publicly open Facebook account in August 2017, the court heard. Siddiq, of Nottingham, was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on September 27.
SCOTLAND’S FIRST COMMERCIAL ROCKET LAUNCH HAILED A SUCCESS…. The first commercial rocket launch in Scotland has taken place as part of efforts to gain work at a planned spaceport in the Highlands. Skyrora saw its 2.5 metre (9ft) projectile reach altitudes of almost four miles after taking off at the Kildermorie Estate in Ross-shire. Known as Skylark Nano, it accelerated to Mach 1.45 — more than 110mph. The Edinburgh-based rocket developer was trialling technology for use on full-scale vehicles, as it bids for a contract for the forthcoming facility. Daniel Smith, director of business development, said: “This was a small but important step for us in our bid to become the go-to satellite launch provider at a future Scottish spaceport. “Huge positives can be taken from this — from the success of our portable ground control systems, trajectory analysis and ability to capture the launch with on-board HD cameras.
“We will use the lessons learned in the next stage of our test launch programme, where we’ll be going to a far more significant altitude. “For us it’s all about taking careful steps to de-risk and gain experience as we quickly evolve through sub-orbital tests towards our future orbital launch ambitions.” The commercial element of the flight was done in partnership with social media site Ask.fm.
Cargo was ejected at burnout — staying attached to the body via a Kevlar cable — and a parachute was opened at low altitude for a soft landing. The planned £17.2m spaceport will be developed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Last month it was announced the UK Space Agency would provide £31.5m of funding for the overall project. If approved, it could see a vertical launch site built for a new generation of small rockets to launch micro communication and earth-observation satellites. Melness Crofting Estate near Tongue is the proposed location. Scotland has been described as the best place in the UK to reach in-demand satellite orbits with vertically launched rockets. It is estimated the spaceport could create 400 jobs in the area. Around 2000 satellites are forecast to launch there between 2021 and 2030.
MUGGLES OF THE GLEN: WHERE POTTER FANS GATHER IN THEIR HUNDREDS…. Harry Potter fans are arriving in their hundreds at a Highlands location for two of the films adapted from JK Rowling’s books about the boy wizard. Filming of 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chambers of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, released in 2004, took place at Glenfinnan. Here, fans gather on a hillside near the Glenfinnan Viaduct to catch a glimpse of the “Hogwarts Express”. In real-life, the Express is the Jacobite steam train.
The steam train crosses the railway viaduct on its journeys along the West Highland Line. Hundreds of railway enthusiasts and tourists on holiday in the Highlands also visit the site each year to witness the spectacle. The train and the viaduct appear in a famous scene featuring Harry Potter, friend Ron Weasley and a flying car. So many Potter enthusiasts are now turning up in Glenfinnan, home to a village of the same name, that the local community is seeking funding for a new car park to cater for the visitors. There are just 50 parking spaces available at the moment, and people are parking on side roads and along the verges of the busy A830.
Some of the many visitors have been arriving to wait four hours to catch a glimpse of the Hogwarts Express. Fiona Gibson, of Glenfinnan Community Council, told BBC Scotland: “It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt. “Kids are walking on the road and, because people are on their holidays, they are not really thinking about which side of the road they should be walking on.”
She added: “We’ve had bumps and scrapes, but fortunately no fatalities.” The community hopes its planned new car park will be a wizard solution to the current parking problems.
On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,
Our look at Scotland today is of The Jacobite Express…
A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it’s always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of “Colombian” Coffee and wish you a safe Tuesday 4th September 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…
All good stuff….But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in
Be safe out there…
Robert McAngus
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