Robert McAngus
Jul 28, 2017 · 5 min read

The Daily Thistle — News From Scotland

Friday 28th July 2017

“Madainn Mhath” .…Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. Good Morning from a very humid Estepona on the Costa del Sol, very sticky this morning.. temperature is 28c but the humidity is making it feel like 38c no breeze to speak of and a lot of cloud overhead which should burn off later this morning when the sun gets up… Bella and I have done our walk, I have to say I didn’t enjoy it, the company was fantastic, but I feel like I need a shower…. I thought Bella wasn’t going to stop drinking the water this morning.. she was hot too… Well Coffee is in the cup,.. the weather is outside, so let’s see if I can find you some hot stories ……

NEOLITHIC ROCK ART APPEARS AT THE NESS OF BROGDAR…. Incised “butterfly motifs” appeared in a wall at the Neolithic site of the Ness of Brogdar as sunlight hit the stone blocks at a certain angle, according to a report in BBC News. The markings are so faint they have not yet been caught in a photograph. Antonia Thomas of the University of the Highlands and Islands said the images may have appeared to move as the sunlight traveled over them during the day. The site, located near the standing stones known as the Ring of Brodgar, consists of Neolithic ritual and domestic buildings.

MINIMUM ALCOHOL PRICING ON ITS WAY ‘AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE’…. Health secretary Shona Robison said the Scottish Government plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol “as quickly as is practicable” as the policy came under attack at the UK’s highest court. The Supreme Court has to decide whether the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 is incompatible with European Union law and therefore unlawful under the terms of the 1998 Scotland Act. Scottish ministers have prepared a draft order specifying a minimum price per unit of 50p, but neither the 2012 Act nor the order have been brought into force pending the legal proceedings. A QC for the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has told the Supreme Court in London there are a variety of better ways to achieve the Scottish Government’s aim. Scotland’s Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “We’re looking forward to the judgment of the Supreme Court on Minimum Unit Pricing and if it is the positive outcome we hope for, we will move as quickly as is practicable to put the policy in place.”

ANCIENT GAELIC STEP DANCE TRADITION BEING KEPT ALIVE…. A 26-year-old dancer from Skye is helping to bring the ancient Gaelic tradition of step dance into the 21st century. Sophie Stephenson, originally from Fort Augustus, is an expert in Scottish step dance.
She has taught and performed the traditional dance style in countries around the world, including Canada, the US, Norway and Spain, showcasing the relevance of the timeworn artform in both a Scottish and International context. Step dance is a percussive dance style that was almost lost in Scotland before its re-introduction two decades ago. Its survival can be attributed to the 18th century New World settlers who have passed down the traditional Gaelic arts to their descendants over the centuries. Like the stories, music and crafts, step dancing is still very much alive in communities across the Atlantic today, particularly in the Canadian Maritimes, and was more recently re-introduced into Scotland’s folk scene through workshops and festivals.

THE MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT ROCK ART OF SCOTLAND…. The 5,000-year-old rock art found deep in Kilmartin Glen in Argyll is a powerful reminder of the area’s prehistoric inhabitants. While no one truly knows what the markings mean, they give a tantalising insight into the ancient ways of our ancestors.

INVERNESS RALLY DEATHS: DRIVER TELLS OF MOMENT CAR CRASHED…. A driver has told an inquiry of the moment his car somersaulted into the air and was involved in a fatal accident at a rally. Graeme Schoneville recalled hearing a loud bang when his car hit a rock as he competed at the Snowman Rally in Inverness, in the Highlands, more than four years ago. He said he was then aware of a “commotion” around the vehicle as it became apparent “somebody was potentially under the car”. Joy Robson, 51, died of multiple injuries sustained at the event in February 2013. A joint fatal accident inquiry is examining the circumstances surrounding her death and the deaths of three other motor sport fans at a separate event in Scotland — the Jim Clark Rally near Coldstream in the Scottish Borders — the following year. Mr Schoneville, 31, from Lanarkshire, told the first day of evidence at Edinburgh Sheriff Court of the moment the incident unfolded, around seven miles into a nine-mile stage. He said: “We came to a corner and the road surface changed and the car began to slide, which was okay, we’d experienced that plenty of times. “As I tried to correct the slide, the car then swung in the other direction and impacted a rock.” He added that all he can then remember “was a loud bang” at the back left hand side of the Honda Civic he and his co-driver were in. “It just went black inside, the car just somersaulted in the air,” he said. “I can remember it rolling: sky, then dark, sky.” The witness told the inquiry the car landed on its wheels among some small trees. He told the court: “Immediately after the crash, the car landing, (we were) aware of a lot of people round about the car and we could obviously see a commotion and we knew that somebody was potentially under the car. “That’s why we exited the car as quickly as possible.” The people surrounding the vehicle were lifting the car, he said. Advocate depute Andrew Brown QC, for the Crown, asked him: “Presumably you were very concerned?” “Yes,” he replied. He became aware later that day that a woman had died and a child had been injured in the accident, the inquiry heard. Mr Schoneville, who began rallying in 2006, told how he has effectively not returned to the pursuit since the incident. “I tried to, it never felt the same,” he said.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of Edinburgh anyone need to make a call?

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 Friday 28th July 2017 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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