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Prince Charles and Camilia visit Borders textile industry today

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The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, Prince Charles and Camilla, are visiting three leading Borders textile organisations today.

In his role as Patron of the Campaign for Wool, the Duke will firstly travel to Robert Noble Mill of Peebles to tour the site and meet staff.

He and the Duchess will then move south to Galashiels to meet students from Heriot Watt University’s School of Textile and Design, as well as watch them weave and knit.

And finally the couple will head to Hawick to see Johnston’s of Elgin staff and learn more about the company.

Full coverage in tomorrow’s Southern.


Selkirk top cricket league despite below par performance

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SELKIRK cruised to an emphatic 148 run victory over an outclassed and under strength Edinburgh Accies side at Philiphaugh on Saturday.

The visitors won the toss but that was to prove their last substantial moment of supremacy.

Indeed, Selkirk’s openers got off to a fast start, cruising along at five runs an over for the first hour of play. Though the pitch was green and still prone to uneven bounce, conditions for cricket could scarcely have been finer. Philiphaugh was swaddled in sunshine and all seemed right with the world as the home side cantered past 100 for the first wicket.

Captain John Everitt had enjoyed one let off but, in general, he and Greg Fenton were in complete control. Fenton, in particular, proved severe on anything over-pitched or drifting towards his leg-stump. A number of elegant flicks off his pads were a feature of his innings.

At 111/0 when drinks were taken Selkirk were well-placed to compile an intimidating total. Provided, that is, they kept their wits about them. They did not. Fenton slapped the first ball after the resumption of play - a full toss no less - straight to midwicket to be dismissed for a fine 44 that could, and perhaps should, have been much more.

Though Darren Fenton rattled along to a brisk 28 he too succumbed to a moment of rashness when well placed to make a significant score. Everitt, meanwhile, played a tired drive and was caught and bowled by Ramsay for 60.

Though the tail wagged moderately, Selkirk needed the assistance of Extras - who made 45 - to pass 200 and though a total of 212 always looked as though it would prove sufficient the home side knew they should really have reached at least 250.

Ten wickets fell for 101 runs which, while not as calamitous as previous horrifying collapses, was still a poor return on such a promising and substantial start.

Nevertheless, it soon became clear that the Edinburgh Accies were in no fit shape to threaten Selkirk’s total. If neither Paterson nor Reid enjoyed much luck with the new ballot they at least had the consolation of producing miserly spells that left the visitors a long way behind the required run rate.

Though Paterson made the first breakthrough, it was Darren Fenton whose wickets proved crucial. His three scalps ensuring that Selkirk’s victory was all but inevitable. And as Accies’ scratched around it became clear that Selkirk only needed to muster some quantity of patience in the pursuit of the final wickets that would seal victory. Greg Fenton claimed another three wickets while Reid chipped in with one before Rory Banks took the final wicket with the fourth ball of his first over. Accies were all out for 64.

Since Dunfermline Carnegie were defeated by Peebles County, Selkirk have replaced the Fifers at the top of Division Five of the East of Scotland league, adding extra spice to next week’s confrontation between the top two as the Borderers cross the Forth and venture into Fife.

Netball league on target for success

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A PILOT netball league established by Borders Sport and Leisure Active Schools team in the central Borders has been heralded a hit.

The league is aimed to give local Primary school netball teams the chance to play regularly against each other on a full size court and competitive matches were held every Thursday over a six-week period (from April 25 to May 30) at the Queens Leisure Centre in Galashiels.

Organised by Borders Sport & Leisure Active Schools Coordinators Lesley Patterson, Gemma Ross and Karen Cornwall, five Primary schools participated in the league: Lauder, Newtown, Melrose, Langlee and Knowepark.

Ms Patterson said: “This project has been a great success. It has brought together schools from different towns and enabled the children to develop their skills, play competitive games and socialise together. We would like to thank all the pupils and teachers involved and especially Gwen Bradley who assisted by umpiring the Games each week.”

Due to the support for the programme, it is planned to run a similar initiative at the start of the new school year. Any Primary Schools within the Galashiels, Earlston and Selkirk areas interested in becoming involved should contact Gemma Ross on 07887471129.

Golf news ‑ Mid’s Medal

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IN last Saturday’s June Medal competition, sponsored by Border Safeguard, the good weather resulted in good scores and there was none better than Eric Middlemas who didn’t miss a single fairway and finished with a two for a marvellous nett 62.

In second place was another steady player, Billy MacDonald on 64, with a pack of six golfers on 67.

Results: 1, E. Middlemas nett 62; 2, W. MacDonald 64; 3, M. Wood 67; 4, J. Rae 67; 5, R. D. Ballantyne 67.

There were 16 twos in all , but only three players scored them at the nominated holes - 9th and 16th - D. Smith, W. MacDonald and C. Niven.

Speedway: Young guns firing at Shielfield on Saturday

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SPEEDWAY fans have an interesting event in prospect on Saturday, with a first-ever visit to Shielfield Park by Dudley Heathens, the leading club in British speedway’s National League.

Berwick Bandits’ boss John Anderson is delighted to be able to be promoting a meeting for younger riders, and will offer a turnstile price of only £8 for adults, with children of 15 and under entering free.

Representing Berwick will be a squad labelled the Northern Raiders, captained by Tweedmouth schoolboy Liam Carr and featuring Australian youngsters Micky Dyer and Max Fricke.

Dyer was a popular Bandit last season, while 17-year-old Fricke is the current Australian U-21 Champion.

The Heathens will be backed by a healthy number of travelling supporters, have the brilliant Adam Roynon leading their side, returning from serious injury but nonetheless justly rated as one of the UK’s brightest prospects. He is joined in their colours by Berwick favourite Paul Starke, who races in Dudley’s colours in the National League when not on call for the Bandits.

Berwick training officer Gary Flint – who will act as team manager for the Northern Raiders – was responsible for setting up the event, and to help balance the books, is offering a special deal of £70 for supporters to sponsor either a rider or a heat.

“If they want to be keen, and sponsor a rider and a heat, we’ll do a special deal on that for only £100,” added Flint.

To sign up as a sponsor – and encourage younger local riders – potential backers should call Gary Flint on 07597-057413.

“We can only put this match on at such a low admission price because of the generosity of our sponsors” admitted John Anderson.

“So we would be grateful to anyone who can help us by getting in touch with Gary Flint.”

“I should also place on record our sincere thanks to Berwick Rangers FC, who are giving us the use of the stadium that night for a peppercorn rent”.

Saturday’s teams will line ups:

Berwick (Northern Raiders): 1, Micky Dyer; 2, Tamas Sike; 3, Paul Cooper; 4, Adam McKinna; 5, Max Fricke; 6, Luke Crang; 7, Liam Carr (captain).

Dudley Heathens: 1, Adam Roynon; 2, Gareth Isherwood (rider-replacement); 3, Paul Starke; 4, Dan Greenwood; 5, Lewis Blackbird (captain); 6, Max Clegg; 7, Nathan Greaves.

Jammy appointment for Murryfield Wanderers

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FORMER Hawick YM boss Jammy McFarlane will join Murrayfield Wanderers in the role of head coach next season.

A former Scottish club rugby coach of the year McFarlane joins Murrayfield Wanderers following five successful seasons with YM during which he guided them to the National One trophy and the Borders Shield in 2011/12.

Currently the Kelso rugby development officer McFarlane has a wealth of experience in both codes of the sport having previously held the Head Coach role with Hawick RFC and also Carlisle Rugby League FC.

Murrayfield Wanderers currently play in the Championship B league where they finished one place above YM, in fourth, last season.

Prince Charles and Camilla visit Peebles, Galashiels and Hawick

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Prince Charles and Camilla enjoyed a textile tour of the Borders today.

Their Royal Highnesses, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, took in Robert Noble Mill in Peebles before travelling to Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textile and Design and finally Johnston’s of Elgin in Hawick.

Their visit to Heriot-Watt was delayed as low cloud in Peebles forced the Royal helicopter to remain grounded in Edinburgh, with the Prince of Wales and his wife instead using a car to get to Peebles and Galashiels.

Camilla, wearing a knee-length sage dress, and Charles, in a Hunting Stewart modern tartan kilt and Royal Regiment of Scotland tie, were told how the school is one of the oldest of its kind in the world, now specialising in design and technology of textiles, colour and fashion.

As they prepared to leave for Hawick, Charles received a framed sketch of wild birds made and presented by Rose Thomasson, while Camilla was handed a printed silk scarf produced by fellow student Lesley Marr.

And the couple were also presented with a Royal baby blanket, made of 100 per cent Cashmere from Johnston’s of Elgin and designed by lecturer Emily Quinn, to give to the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, ahead of her expected first child with Prince William next month.

Lesley said: “Camilla seemed to like my scarf – she put it on right away.

“We are all graduating on Friday (tomorrow) so this visit has made it extra special.”

Likely ­Lowland lads set for new league

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THREE Borders football teams are set for big changes after SFA members unanimously backed plans to introduce a Lowland League.

Vale of Leithen, Gala Fairydean and Selkirk will all know by the end of this week whether their applications to join the new set-up, which is ready to be in place by next season, have been accepted.

At the organisation’s AGM at Hampden Park on Monday, no representatives of Scotland’s 93 member clubs voted against the proposal for the feeder division.

Vale secretary Alex Currie told The Southern: “Things are moving ahead very quickly now and there are some very exciting times ahead for clubs who wish to achieve at the highest levels possible.”

The new league would act as a feeder to the Scottish Football League, with the winners involved in play offs with the Highland League winners, and the successful side then facing the bottom team in the Third Division.

However, it is not yet clear whether promotion will be introduced immediately, with SFL clubs potentially rejecting the move at its AGM this week.

The East of Scotland League is expected to continue independently in a revised format which will include the addition of a Hibernian reserve team who were recently voted in.


Happy birthday for book festival

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The legendary “Voice of Golf” Peter Alliss will open the 10th Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival when the curtain goes up later today.

Alliss’s appearance is one of several sell-out shows at this year’s event, and he is joined on the opening day of the 2013 festival by favourite regulars Alexander McCall Smith, Tom Conti and Allan Massie, one of Britain’s bestselling historical novelists, Simon Scarrow, and by the author of a fascinating account of life as a base camp doctor in Antarctica, Gavin Francis.

Throughout the four days, the festival welcomes back several familiar faces and regular events from the last 10 years, but also introduces some new ones, and stages some events which are completely unique to the festival.

These include a specially- commissioned theatrical performance of Sir Walter Scott’s epic poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel, with Joanna Lumley taking a lead role; the announcement of the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2013; a rare appearance by the “father of Tartan Noir”, William McIlvanney; best-selling writers Dame Stella Rimington, Kate Mosse and Tom Holland, and raconteur extraordinaire John Sessions.

Other not-to-be missed events include appearances by one of Britain’s most lauded writers, Hilary Mantel; a hilarious double-act with two fiction writers, Mark Billingham and Christopher Brookmyre; Neil Oliver on the Vikings; Gary Mulgrew, one of the NatWest Three speaking about his gruelling experiences; the return of the popular format Melrose Mastermind, with Sally Magnusson again in the chair and a new but equally-erudite panel; the actress Phyllida Law speaking about her account of caring for her mother as she struggled with dementia; and a series of events marking the 60th anniversary of the conquest of Everest.

The Family Book Festival promises a treat for families, from Sally Magnusson’s ‘Horace the Haggis Hunter’, Francesca Simon’s ‘Horrid Henry’, Laura Dockrill’s ‘Darcy Burdock’ and Lauren Child’s ‘Ruby Redfort’ for younger children, to cutting-edge fiction for older children, including bestselling authors Darren Shan and Charlie Fletcher.

The live events with Peter Alliss, Joanna Lumley, Hilary Mantel, Stella Rimington and Neil Oliver are all sold out at the time of writing, but tickets are available for the streaming of Hilary Mantel, Stella Rimington and Neil Oliver’s events into separate marquees within the festival site.

There are some family day passes still available for both Saturday and Sunday.   For just £30, a family of two adults and up to three children can see up to five or six events in a day, which is great value for a family coming to the book festival.

One of the UK’s most prestigious book prizes, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, sponsored by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, and worth £25,000, will be announced at a public event tomorrow at 7.45pm.

The Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival takes place at Harmony Garden in Melrose and, as ever, it will provide further inspiration in its well-stocked bookshop, plus refreshment at Marmion’s Café Bar and Over Langshaw Farmhouse’s ice-cream stand. There will be free wi-fi around the garden courtesy of GB Telecom, and lots of free outdoor entertainment for children.

Festival director Alistair Moffat told The Southern: “In 10 years, we have grown from one evening in the Wynd Theatre to a four-day event in Harmony Garden welcoming 13,000 people – a vital driver for the local tourist economy.”

The Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival takes place in Harmony Garden, Melrose, from today until Sunday and the full programme is available at www.bordersbookfestival.org.

Ticket prices range from £5 to £14. Box Office: 0844 357 1060 and online.

Mark Entwistle reviews the final two books on the shortlist for the Walter Scott Prize

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Reviews: The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng/The Streets by Anthony Quinn

In his new novel, The Garden of Evening Mists, author Tan Twan Eng quotes a Chinese proverb – “The palest ink will outlast the memory of men”.

I don’t know about outlasting the memory of men, but Eng’s lush and languorous prose, much like his native Malaysia itself, means The Garden of Evening Mists is guaranteed to linger a long, long time in the memory of the reader.

Short-listed for the Booker Prize and winner of the Man Asian Literary Prize, the novel is Eng’s second and comes five years after his stunning debut, The Gift of Rain.

As with his first work, the Japanese occupation of Eng’s homeland during the Second World War is the ever-present backdrop to the slowly-unfolding story of retired judge Teoh Yun Ling.

Ling has taken early retirement from her position high up in the country’s public service after being diagnosed with a condition which will eventually wipe away her memory and powers of language.

Before this happens she must resolve some unfinished business and so makes the journey to Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands and the house and garden, Yugiri, which she inherited from Aritomo, a former exiled gardener to the Emperor of Japan.

Eng uses a complex series of flashbacks to tell of the intriguing relationship between Ling and Aritomo.

What starts out as an uneasy acquaintance slowly evolves into one of apprenticeship, then love and, lastly, Ling becomes Aritomo’s final, living creation with a full-body tattoo known as horimono.

For those who love Japanese culture, Eng’s forensic research of gardens, tea ceremonies, tattooing and Zen will enthrall and delight readers.

Ultimately, The Garden of Evening Mists is a tale of remembering and forgetting. It will take a long time for the reader to forget this sumptuous, wonderful book.

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Author Anthony Quinn has managed to resurrect Victorian London, with all its poverty and privilege in his novel, The Streets.

Whether it be the big houses of the wealthy or the slums inhabited by poor, he describes this now long-gone world with poignancy and pin-sharp detail.

But it is not all doom and despair, with Quinn still managing to include elements of dark comedy and the possibility of love.

It is 1882, and the novel’s central character is David Wildeblood, a 21-year-old from Norfolk who arrives in London to start work at the offices of a famous man.

As an “inspector” for Henry Marchmont’s hugely successful weekly The Labouring Classes of London, his job is to investigate the notorious slum of Somers Town, near the new St Pancras Station, recording house by house the number of inhabitants, their occupations and standard of living.

By mapping the streets in this way, Marchmont intends to show the world the stark realities of poverty in its greatest city.

Wildeblood is befriended by Jo, a young coster, and his sister, Roma, and from them learns the ways of the hawkers and traders, sharpers and scavengers, magsmen and mobsmen who throng the teeming byways of Somers Town.

It is a place domained by the survival of the fittest, but one which could all be changed thanks to a radical plot by a cabal of prominent citizens.

What the Walter Scott Prize judges said…

“This novel is refreshingly different and contains a cornucopia of wonderful material and evocative descriptions, from opulent ballroom to appalling slum tenement. Anthony Quinn is an excellent writer, and themes of loss of identity and community are universally well-covered here.”

Listings

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Today

Did we really land on the Moon? with Professor Martin Hendry (talk): Buccleuch Centre, Langholm. 1.30pm. £5. Tel: 013873 81196

The Audience – NT Live (drama): Pavilion Cinema, Galashiels. 7pm. £16 (£14). Tel: 01896 752767

tomorrow

Budapest Cafe Orchestra (live music): Eastgate Theatre, Peebles. 7.30pm. £15. Tel: 01721 725777

Saturday

Katie Johnston and Mark Wilson (live music): Kelso Old Parish Church. 7.30pm. £8 (students free). Tel: 01573 420279

Children’s Craft Event: Hive, Galashiels. 10am. Free. Tel: 01896 756300

Star Quality (dance): Eastgate Theatre, Peebles. 6.30pm. £9. Tel: 01721 725777

What Did the Astronauts Leave Behind? with Dr Stuart Clark (talk): Buccleuch Centre, Langholm. 2pm. £3. Tel: 013873 81196

SUNDAY

Sax Ecosse (live music): Paxton House. 2.30pm. Free. www.musicatpaxton.co.uk

Singing Kettle (kids entertainment): Tait Hall, Kelso. 1pm and 3.30pm. £11.50 (family £42). Tel: 01573 224269

Sandi Thom, supported by Torino (live music): Volunteer Hall, Galashiels. 7.30pm. £15. www.borderevents.com

MONDAY

Sticky Kids Funky Monkey Singalong (kids entertainment): Peebles Burgh Hall. 10am. £5 (teachers £4). Tel: 0141 416 1846

Tuesday

Pompeii live from the British Museum (exhibition): Pavilion Cinema, Galashiels. 7pm. £12 (£10). Tel: 01896 752767

Thursday, june 20

Jonathan Dormand and Marisa Gupta (live music): Mellerstain House, Gordon. 7pm. £13.50 (non-members £17.50). Tel: 01750 21687

Friday, June 21

Sleepless ‘Til Seattle (talk): Heart of Hawick). 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Tel: 01450 360688

Saturday, june 22

The Manfreds (live music): Buccleuch Centre, Langholm. 7.30pm. £19.50. Tel: 013873 81196

Riddell Fiddles (live music): Heart of Hawick. 7pm. £5. Tel: 01450 360888

Monday, june 24

Royal Opera House Live - Gloriana: Heart of Hawick. 7.15pm. £15 (£13). Tel: 01450 360688

friday, June 28

Electric Penelope (live music): Ace Centre, Kelso. Open mic from 7.30pm. £8 (£6.00 club members and concessions).

Tel: 01573 228118

saturday, june 29

No Strings Attached with Justin Robertson (live music): Gala Fairydean Clubrooms. 6.30pm. £10.

Available from Moondogs Cafe, Galashiels.

Straw house that volunteers are building near Stow

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Scotland’s first straw house began to take shape near Stow this week.

Work on the innovative build’s foundations at Muirhouse Farm started last year and the base has been laid for the oilseed rape straw construction.

Chartered builder and renewable energy consultant Iver Salvesen, of Muirhouse Farm, is behind the not-for-profit project.

He said: “I want to show that homes can be built, beautifully, safely and robustly using sustainable materials.

“Straw is a waste product of the agricultural industry and has excellent insulating qualities. As long as you give it a good hat and sturdy boots it can last forever.”

The wooden structure of the two-bedroom home comes from larch trees grown on the farm. The foundations were laid using lime rather than the more carbon-intensive cement and the building will have a green turf roof.

Iver said: “The aim is for the house to be comfortable, natural, breathing, and have a low impact on the environment. It will be super-insulated and will therefore take very little energy to heat.

“Electricity and heat for the home will come from renewable energy sources fitted once completed.”

The property will be the home of farm worker George Young and his partner Cheryl Davis, a special-effects coordinator, replacing the mobile homes the pair currently use.

Cheryl said: “It will be so much better than the trailer, which has started to leak and has huge extremes in temperature between summer and winter.”

Volunteers carrying out the work were this week attending a strawbale building course run by Rachel Shiamh of Quiet Earth, a past winner of the Grand Design Eco House Award. Future courses will include lime render, earth floor and renewable energy for the home, taught by Iver, who set up the architecture and energy efficiency consultancy Ecofitter in 2009.

Country diary

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Photographs of a demonstration for the local horse festival two years ago inspired leading classical rider and author Sylvia Loch to put pen to paper.

The Balanced Horse, the Aids by Feel not Force, was commissioned and published by Kenilworth Press at the end of last month.

The Kelso-based author’s eighth book is her last.

She told The Southern: “I always said I would stop writing horse books when I felt I had said it all. What was different about this one was the photos. Once I saw them, I knew I had to do another book. “

More than 300 people attended the dressage expert’s show for the Borders Festival of the Horse at Ladykirk, near Berwick, in 2011.

“The pictures said it all. They were much more natural and captivating than anything else I had ever seen.

“Moreover, as I explained the aids, showing my methods at that moment in time, there was a photograph for every single sequence you could think of.

“All this is much more convincing than posing for ‘pretty pictures’. It shows riding for real, reacting to what the horse needs to feel, or requires in each and every moment or movement.”

She feels the Olympics last year saw a return to more traditional, classical riding which, she said: “I have always argued is the only way to ride a horse, ethically, kindly and in a way which he understands.

“For ages, this was rejected.

“I often felt judges were looking for power rather than the total giving of the horse to the rider in dressage tests.

“The culture has been the same in many riding schools. Teachers and trainers still tend to concentrate on how to make the horse do something rather than how to ask.

“ Without understanding the latter, riding often ends in force or coercion.”

And the aim of her latest book is to confirm what riders should and should not be doing when giving aids to ask the horse for certain action.

She explained: “In classical riding you have to work with the biomechanics and psychology of the horse so that you put him into a position of balance, where it’s easy for him to give you what you want.

“In other words, you make it possible ... rather than demanding something that is hard for him to understand in the first place.”

The 68-year-old, originally from Edinburgh, was brought up in the pony club and hunting worlds, “but my knowledge of horses changed dramatically when I went to live in Portugal from l969 to 1979”, she said.

For there she met her late husband, a cavalry instructor who rode in the Iberian way and who introduced her to it too.

Back in Britain, she founded the Lusitano Breed Society of Great Britain in 1984 and The Classical Riding Club in 1995. She is the only British person to be awarded an honorary instructorship by the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art. She has given demonstrations around the world, including the Queen’s riding school at Buckingham Palace. Students come from far and wide for lessons at her yard. She has judged all over the world and writes part of the programme for the Spanish Riding School of Vienna when they visit the UK.

Later this year she will cast her eye over competitors at the Lusitano Annual Show.

Delinquent ­turkey’s delusions of ­grandeur

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No chickens this week. Or chicks. Or rally cars. This week I’m talking turkey. Well, one turkey in particular. A turkey that is trouble with a capital T.

My original “phew-we-escaped-the-Christmas-dinner-menu” turkeys have been poddling around here for the last three years now. Because that’s what turkeys do. They poddle. Chickens strut or scuttle because they always have a destination – feed, water, Gamford broadcasting corn in the run at 5pm (which is when they usually prefer to take their afternoon tea) – but turkeys poddle.

Turkeys have no purpose to their day. They drink if they happen to find themselves by the drinkers. They eat if you put food beside them.

Otherwise, they idle away their days like the upstairs cast of Downton Abbey. To quote the Dowager Duchess of Grantham (aka Maggie Smith): “What is a weekend?”

The minute you do something interesting – mend a fence, muck out a coop, turn over the compost heaps – they are at your elbow. Intrigued. They will lift nails out of toolboxes, peck at bags of sawdust, poke about where you’re just about to fork over some compost. Just like Dame Maggie, they have nothing better to do with themselves.

Now this particular turkey (a Bourbon Red called, unimaginatively, Cilla) has decided that to liven up an otherwise pedestrian day of luncheons, social calls and poddling, a Fun Thing To Do would be to lay her eggs – and sit on them for ages – in the chicken coop.

Large entrance? Check. She can hop in easily. Nest boxes? Check. Not so easy.

The first hint a new game was afoot was when Gamford had to extract her from one of the boxes after she had managed to stuff herself in. A turkey in a chicken-sized space. And couldn’t get out.

All you could see was the rear half of her sticking out.

Not very Dame-like behaviour. And not good for profits – she had crushed two hens’ eggs.

Next, unwilling to repeat this undignified act, she took to raking out the hens’ eggs and sitting on them in front of a nest box. Result? More crushed eggs and unhappy chickens which couldn’t get in to lay. So Gamford set to work on an anti-turkey device to make the coop entrance smaller – too wee for her, but fine for chooks. This is now in its third modification after she still managed to wriggle her way in, with just a few ruffled feathers on her back.

But, like Carson in Downton, if Gamford is cross there’s only the occasional raised eyebrow to betray it. He soldiers on, stoically sticking to the system, despite Cilla’s attempts to buck it.

Secretly, though, I am sure he’s thinking: “Wretched turkeys. Just for Christmas, not for life.”

Tree lovers needed to survey forest health

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Tree researchers are hoping “citizen scientists” will help them build up a picture of the health of broadleaved trees in the UK.

Local enthusiasts are being urged to help in the Government survey.

Berwickshire-based environment and climate change minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “Trees are a vital and much-loved part of all our lives, but, as we all know, they are increasingly under threat from pests and diseases such as chalara dieback of ash and dothistroma needle blight.

“It (the survey) only takes about half an hour to complete, but the data gathered can potentially be of great assistance to the scientists and researchers who are engaging with these issues to manage tree health more effectively.”

The research is part of the Open Air Laboratory (OPAL) project that aims to involve lay people in “citizen science”.

The survey has been designed by Imperial College London in partnership with the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), part of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Forest Research, the research arm of Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), which funded 3,000 survey packs.

Mr Wheelhouse added: “At the moment Scotland is under-represented in the survey results, so I would urge anyone with an interest in trees – or in science – to get a pack and get surveying.”

A survey pack and information – including reusable guides and tree ID poster – can be downloaded from the OPAL website at www.opalexplorenature.org/TreeSurvey


Favourite barbie ­location lost to bees

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Wow – more than a week of glorious sunshine! Could this be summer at last?

Despite the lovely weather, there still seems to be a dramatic lack of insect life, especially butterflies, moths and bees. It will be interesting to see the knock-on effect of the lack of these important pollinators when it comes to fruit production later on.

Birds feeding youngsters must be finding it tough to find enough to satisfy hungry broods and probably brood survival rates will be down as a result.

At the time of writing, the two surviving blackbird chicks in my back garden nest box are coping well, with a little help from the stuff put out by the Corbie household.

On Saturday it was decided that a riverside barbecue was called for, but the question was where. There’s an unbelievable shortage of picnic spots by rivers in our area, where you can get fairly close with the car, which is necessary to transport all the required paraphernalia.

It was eventually decided that there was nowhere quite like Boleside near Galashiels – a favourite picnic spot on the Tweed for generations and it was only about 20 minutes’ drive away.

On arrival, my heart sank. I could vaguely remember reading about a dispute with the council and the landowner about maintenance of the site and I was looking at the result.

The whole area of once nicely mown grass was like an Alpine meadow – knee-deep in buttercups and dandelions, and all entrances blocked by huge rocks and locked gates.

Ideal for the bees and butterflies (if there was any!), but rubbish for a picnic/barbecue. Sadly, this “Blackpool of the Borders” is no more.

Retracing our route along the single-track road, I spotted a likely place right underneath the lofty Galafoot Bridge, at the ford where the horses cross at the Gala Day.

It was a short carry with all the gear from the car park to the water’s edge and a seemingly perfect spot.

Settling into the folding chairs with a small refreshment, I settled back to read the daily paper. The old dog lay down in the shallow water to cool off and I gave a friendly wave to a passing dinghy filled with a family enjoying the tranquillity of the Tweed. What an idyllic spot. All of a sudden, from the car park above, came an ear-splitting trumpeting noise. Unbelievably, someone had arrived with a bugle and began to practice playing the “Last Post” at full volume.

The notes played would have made Les Dawson proud. After half an hour of this, a group of teenagers arrived with a lilo and a ball and began charging in and out of the water right beside us, then a huge black Labrador careered past and if it hadn’t been for my lightning reactions, the barbecue and all of its contents would have been up in the air.

Finally, a screaming horde of black-headed gulls began dive bombing the scene to scoop up uneaten food left by the youngsters. It was definitely time to pack up.

Unless someone can suggest a more peaceful spot, all future Corbie barbecues will be held in the back garden.

Coldingham loses Blue Flag status

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Coldingham Bay has retained its Seaside Award status, but hasn’t been able to regain the Blue Flag award which it lost last year, writes Janice Gillie.

The Seaside Awards are made each year by Keep Scotland Beautiful to recognise excellent litter management, safety procedures and water quality – which Coldingham Bay has achieved consistently since 2007.

Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for environment, Ron Smith, said: “The Seaside Award flag flying at the beach, along with the brand new RNLI beach lifeguard service, means that the 20,000 people who visit it every year can enjoy a beach that is attractive, safe and clean, and we hope this will encourage even more visitors.”

A Blue Flag flew at Coldingham Bay in 2010 and 2011, but the water quality did not meet the necessary standard last year and, with the criteria even more stringent this year, Coldingham missed out once again, although it continues to be one of the country’s top resort beaches.

Local MSP John Lamont said: “It is a great shame. The Blue Flag is an internationally-recognised award that undoubtedly helped boost tourism. It is important that measures are taken to ensure that Coldingham Bay is once again given Blue Flag status when the awards are next given out.”

The sandy beach, about 200m wide, is part of the Berwickshire and North Northumberland Coast Special Area of Conservation.

PROPERTY OF THE WEEK

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Kirkwell House is a traditional detached Baronial villa in an elevated position on the northern edge of Duns and enjoying extensive outlooks to the Cheviots.

The house, which is listed (Category B) is a former Rectory and dates from the late 1800s

The well-appointed family-sized accommodation includes the sitting room, dining room, breakfast room, kitchen, conservatory/utility room, cloakroom, stores, master bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room/potential fifth bedroom, three further double bedrooms and family bathroom.

The house has good storage space, including a part-floored attic with loft ladder access.

There is an Adams fireplace in the sitting room and fittings in both the kitchen and breakfast room have limed oak and walnut units with some corian surfaces. Kirkwell House has gas-fired central heating.
The spacious garden includes lawns, flower beds, vegetable and fruit borders. There is a detached double garage along with ample off-road car parking space.

Duns is a popular Borders town with a good range of amenities, including a modern high school, primary school, GP practice, shops, sporting and recreational facilities. The surrounding countryside is noted for its scenic beauty and wildlife. The rugged east coast is within easy reach, as is Berwick-upon-Tweed with its main line railway station.

­Combating ­obesity is ­ongoing project say health bosses

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A trial this month will see nutrition experts coach primary seven school children in Galashiels on healthy eating before they make the transition to high school.

The work is part of the ongoing joint council and NHS Borders Fit4Fun programme aimed at combating obesity in children. And experts have highlighted the transition from primary to secondary schools as vulnerable in terms of youngsters’s nutrition. Fit4Fun programme manager Jenny Reid said in a report: “This can be an important time nutritionally as children’s food choices expand and in many cases children are allowed to buy their lunch themselves outwith the school grounds.”

Her team of nutrition theory leaders Leanne Haining and Caroline Barron have already consulted with first year students to add to the healthy lunches and snacks information they plan.

Statistics last month from Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland found of the children entering Borders schools, whose weight was measured, 13.7 per cent are overweight, with 5.9 per cent considered obese, up on the year before when 13 per cent were overweight and 5.3 per cent obese.

One in five Primary 1 children in the region being at risk of being overweight or obese is similar to other parts of Scotland say NHS Borders and points to their Fit4Fun efforts.

In addition to planned work with Galashiels P7s, the team last week held a healthy eating session at Wilton nursery in Hawick for the younger children.

Jenny said: “The whole class was involved and parents were invited too. We did a healthy snack and talked about healthy lunches and made a wrap: it’s basic and fun. It seemed to go well.”

Both of the latest initiatives were pilots with a view to putting on sessions in other schools.

The main Fit4Fun sessions have been going for two years and are receiving the thumbs-up from participating schools, parents and children, said Jenny.

She told The Southern: “Fit4Fun seems to go down really well and the girls who take it are just so enthusiastic and the kids seem to love them. I think that has been part of its success.

“In most of the sessions they do, they will have a fun interactive section making something which tends to go down much better than lecturing.”

The programme comprises six to eight one-hour sessions spread over at least six weeks, which include nutrition and exercise topics, and are tailored to suit differing age groups.

Also key to Fit4Fun’s success is that it is aimed at and taught to the whole school, said Jenny.

“It’s very much for everybody. It’s not about whether children are thin, fat or anything, it’s for everybody. I think that’s why it’s going down so well,” she said.

Topics include the ‘Eat well plate’ covering different types of food, what bodies use different foods for and what is needed for a balanced diet; sugars, food labels and the influence of the media on food choices. There are taster and cookery sessions and another gives children ideas on how to make a healthy packed lunch.

Local company Fitborders runs Zumbatonic classes and Fit4Fun funded 30 follow-up after-school activity sessions to encourage children to continue to increase their physical activity.

“The exercise part is good, too, as it is followed up. Zumbatonic is designed for kids and the feedback from that has been brilliant,” said Jenny.

Children are also given a pack of information and worksheets. And Jenny supports schools afterwards.

Fit4Fun started in August 2011 and has run in eight primary schools in Hawick, Galashiels, Tweedbank and Kelso so far after the council gave the nutrition team a list targeting the most deprived areas in the region.

The programme is an expansion on the two-day sessions the council and health officials offered previously. And it is in addition to what children learn about food and health as part of the school curriculum.

Joint public health director Dr Eric Baijal said: “This free programme gives children an introduction to the importance of healthy eating and promotes an active lifestyle. This is extremely important as we know that young people spend a great deal of their out-of-school time in front of screens. Results so far show that children enjoy the experiences and learn a lot.”

Fit4Fun will be running in Jedburgh for the first time in August.

“The feedback’s been brilliant. The teachers have commented and they’ve had comments from parents.

“The teachers have 
improved (their health choices) as well! It’s these little things that add up, “ said Jenny.

Maxwell makes merry on M50

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The last round of the Scottish Orienteering League before the summer break took place in a warm Perthshire at Auchingarrich.

For Roxburgh Reivers, Ian Maxwell had a great run to record a rare victory on the competitive M50 course while John Tullie M55 and Lindsey Knox W50 took second on their courses.

Some of the club’s newer members were also at the race, having a taste of larger events, and are obviously benefiting from Ian Maxwell’s coaching sessions. On the W50 short course, Fiona Johnston won, with Cathy Rooney in second. The next event is at Wilton Park, Hawick, on Saturday.

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