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" ... man to man, the world ower,

Shall brothers be, for a' that."

Robert Burns

I keep the words of Robert Burns at the top of this section.  They NEVER cease to be relevant.

The wise words "An eye for an eye will leave everyone blind" are usually attributed to Mohandas Ghandi.  For too many regimes, and indeed individuals, the determination to assert their dominance takes precedence over the voice of reason.  And why? To salvage pride, boost ego, ensure continuation of a dynasty?  Whatever the excuse, the narrow, blinkered vision of these ruthless individuals and their disciples refuses to see what really matters.  They try to impose their will and the innocent majority suffer the consequences.

Forget about religion and race.  Basic humanity is what matters.  Call out the bullies and dictators for what they are, whoever they are and wherever they are.

Mid-December, and a period of sustained high barometric pressure has brought freezing temperatures and beautiful sunny days.

Sadly, one of our visiting Whooper Swans (a juvenile) was killed when he collided with a power line.

Our weather during the first half of November has been incredibly mild, with very little wind or rain.  This has prolonged the display of glorious autumn colours, with the leaves remaining on the trees quite a bit longer than usual. In mid-month, an airstream from the Arctic brought the first really cold days, but with high pressure persisting to give us blue skies and sunshine.

Whooper Swans and Greylag Geese have joined our resident Canada Geese in the stubble fields.

September is here, and that means a lot of fishing. Of course, a lot of fishing does not necessarily mean a lot of fish!  But I did have a good day on Loch Broom (the Perthshire one, not the sea loch in Wester Ross) - 17 wild Brown Trout, all caught and released.  Such beautiful creatures!

The weather in August was a mixed bag, with some very warm sunshine on occasion, but a lot of windy days.  This was especially true during our recent trip to Ireland.  We took a fortnight to drive around the perimeter of this beautiful country (clocked up 1,700 miles!).  I was hoping to catch an Atlantic Bass on fly, but the weather put paid to that.  It was a grand trip, never the less.  And I did have a grand day on the legendary Lough Currane with Neil O'Shea.

Earlier in the month I enjoyed playing for classes at the annual RSCDS (Royal Scottish Country Dance Society) Summer School in St Andrews.  That was a week of warm, sunny weather.  I played for two excellent teachers - Lyndsey Ibbotson and David Queen, and the participants were a truly international crowd, with many having travelled from Japan and North America.

The beginning of June and some very warm weather was quickly blown away by very cool winds from the north-west. A temporary setback - hopefully!

But at the end of May there came the very sad news of the passing of my good friend Rod Paterson.  His velvet vocals graced the albums of Jock Tamson's Bairns, The Easy Club, Ceolbeag and, most recently, Bring In The Spirit.

And featured in Bill Bryden's terrific productions "The Ship" and "The Big Picnic".  He will be sorely missed.

The month of May and some warmer weather has arrived (at last). Most of our summer migrant birds have returned and I have heard Cuckoos. 

It's not all good news however.  I'm very sad to to report that the male Osprey of the pair nesting at Loch of the Lowes was found dead at the beginning of the month.  This leaves the female sitting on eggs and faced with the dilemma of leaving them exposed to the cold and to potential predators while she goes to find food. 

Thursday night Sessions in Dunkeld - The popularity of the Taybank Session continues!  (Get there early i.e. before 8pm) The other, much slower, session is now at Erigmore in Birnam (up St Mary's road, behind the Birnam shop), also beginning circa 8pm.

April and fresh snow on the hills is a reminder that Winter still has a hold.  Yet daffodils are blooming and migrants are returning from their winter quarters.  I've seen Osprey, Chiff Chaff and Sand Martins. (We had fabulous sunshine for the Niel Gow Walk during the recent festival!)

Scotland's trad music scene lost two great characters this month:

the fabulous pianist Joan Blue of Forgandenny and button box legend Fergie MacDonald of Acharacle, both lovely people and fine players.   

March, and one bit of good news this year is that commercial fishing for Sandeels is to be banned in Scottish waters.  But this is possibly too little too late.

These important wee fish have been exploited for years, primarily for processing into feed for farmed salmon , pigs and other livestock.  Modern fishing technology enables boats to encircle and hoover up entire shoals. And only 10% of the feed is converted into biomass i.e. 10 tonnes of Sandeels may yield 1 tonne of Salmon.  (And that's whole salmon, not all of which is used by the consumer.)

Dwindling stocks of Sandeels affect the many seabird species which largely depend on them for food.

And pollution and parasites from marine fish farms affect Scotlands wild migratory fish populations (salmon and sea trout) which, in some locations, have been virtually wiped out.

Those with vested interests (or lacking knowledge of the facts) justify this "perfect storm" of disasters on the grounds of jobs in rural areas plus the export value of the produce. And the general public are largely unaware and unconcerned about something which is occurring out of sight below the water surface.

Anglers are only too aware of the plight of our fisheries.  They know the waters they fish and have watched the decline of catches over the past 50 years.

Consider the above when next you ponder the purchase of some Salmon - or indeed any other farmed fish.  (The small Sea Bass sometimes displayed on fish counters are often farmed in sea cages in Mediterranean countries including Greece.)

That was the good news.

There has been much sadness, including the continuing persecution of innocent people in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine, and in other countries which fail to make the headlines. 

And recent weeks have seen some old friends departing this world, including Ian Green of Greentrax Records.  Ian was a great champion of Scottish trad music for decades and will be sadly missed.

December and ,now we've passed the winter solstice, the hours of daylight begin to increase and thoughts turn to spring and the year ahead.   

A bit late off the mark with my October news (it's the 30th as I write).  It has been a very wet month in Scotland, with much disruption and damage.

Farewell to another old friend, Lindsay Porteous.  Lindsay was quite a character - some would say eccentric - master of the Jaw Harp and maker and collector of unusual musical instruments.  I first encountered him as a member of the Fife-based folk group "Heritage" in the 1970s.  He travelled throughout Europe with the band and made many friends.  He will be remembered by many, even those who made only a brief acquaintance with him and his bag of assorted whistles, ocarinas .... you name it!