Hawick Linden46

DunBAR0

There didn’t appear to be any Mad Friday hangovers for Linden as they produced their best form of the season, writes Gary Alexander.

Gary Lowrie forced his way over for the opening try with only three minutes on the clock.

Minutes later, skipper Graham Colville drove himself over the try line and then added another five pointer following a cleverly-executed tap and go from Sean Goodfellow. Kirk Ford converted from the touchline, before scoring a penalty.

With half-time approaching, Goodfellow’s delayed pass put Ford under the posts and the stand-off converted to stretch the Linden lead to 27-0 at the break.

The Royal Blues started the second half with Colville going over for his hat-trick.

David Lowrie’s offload was gratefully received by brother Gary, who went under the posts and Ford’s conversion made it 39-0.

Into the final quarter, a sustained period of Dunbar pressure was defended excellently by Linden as they simply refused to give anything away.

Some aggressive defence turned the ball over and Steven Anderson spun out of a tackle to race over for Ford to convert.

Kelso77

Hillhead/Jordanhill0

This fixture looked to be a close contest on paper as Kelso have been performing well of late and Hills produced a good display against Selkirk the previous week.

Sadly, the visitors arrived at Poynder Park with only 17 players and faced an uphill struggle from the off.

Kelso were solid up front and were demolishing Hills in the scrums and on six minutes, after a powerful drive, Ian Wallace touched down. Andrew Skeen converted on what was to be a good day all round for the Kelso stand-off.

Hills immediately bounced back, although the Kelso defence was very stubborn and extremely difficult to break down.

There was a five-minute spell where both teams seemed keen to share the ball due to a few handling errors, and neither seemed keen to really settle down into the game.

Further tries from Dom Buckley, Frankie Robson and Skeen, who also kicked two more conversions and a penalty, saw the hosts 29-0 up at the break with the bonus point in the bag.

It was more of the same after the restart, and Kelso showed no signs of taking their foot of the gas with tries coming from Gregg Minto, Skeen, Chris Riddell, Max Gordon, Max Wilson, Greg Ponton, Frankie Robson and Mark Wilson, Skeen adding four more conversions.

Jed-Forest 10

Watsonians6

Two first-half tries from No8 Mat Meek and replacement Ryan Miller cancelled out Brian Walls’ two penalty kicks for the visitors, keeping Jed in touch with the teams above them.

The second period was for the rugby purist, with no scoring, but still entertaining in the way Watsonians continued to attack the home line and the way Jed turned defence into attack.

Robbie Shirra-Gibb was named man of the match on his debut.

The decision by councillors only a week ago to splash out £3.5million on a permanent home for the Great Tapestry of Scotland at Tweedbank has already stoked up a fair bit of controversy – just cast your eyes to the letters’ section of this page for starters.

Opponents highlight cuts to local authority services – some affecting society’s most vulnerable – when they question the council’s spending priorities.

Those in favour of housing the tapestry in a visitor centre claim it will help maximise the economic benefits from the Borders Railway, which terminates at Tweedbank. Indeed, a business case – put together by consultants at a cost of £40,000, we should add – claims the attraction would draw in 47,000 paying customers annually.

However, the artwork has already been on a tour of Scotland and many of those who wanted to view it will have already done so, placing a heavy reliance on visitors from south of the border and abroad.

During this time of austerity, many Borderers are feeling the economic pinch – for some a big squeeze – and it will take a lot of convincing for them to believe that this is a good use of council taxpayers’ cash.

Perhaps a quotation from Marmion by Sir Walter Scott (former resident of nearby Abbotsford – a successful tourist attraction) may be appropriate for them:

St Boswells woman Wilhelmina Hay spent last weekend in the cells after her niece taunted her that she was having an affair with Hay’s girlfriend.

Hay, 34, snapped when 18-year-old Vickie Hay claimed that she was seeing her aunt’s partner.

The auntie confronted the 22-year-old woman and lashed out at her, slapping her in the face. As the argument raged in a closed bedroom, the niece telephoned the police and Wilhelmina, also known as Betty, was arrested.

Following Friday afternoon’s bust-up at the house in Springfield Terrace, St Boswells, the aunt appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court on Monday afternoon.

Prosecutor Tessa Bradley said the incident happened at the accused’s home where, up until the events unfolded, she lived with her sister, partner and niece.

Ms Bradley explained: “What appears to have happened is that the aunt appears to have had some issue with what the niece has said. Vickie told her aunt that she had been having an affair with her girlfriend.

“The aunt confronted the woman who said she still loved her. But that made the accused lash out and slapped her in the face.

“The accused and her partner went into a bedroom, closed the door and started arguing. At that point Vickie Hay dialled 999 and phoned the police.”

The prosecutor went on: “The accused was entirely co-operative with the police officers and gave a full account of what happened. She said, ‘I snapped and I slapped her as she was lying to me’. She made no reply to caution and charge.”

Defending, Iain Burke said: “She was devastated to discover her partner was having an affair with her niece. She actually discovered a fortnight ago, but was assured it was finished and believed things were back on track.

“But she was getting it thrown in her face by her niece who is 18. In a fit of temper, she has lashed out and struck her in the face.”

Mr Burke said the aunt had been in a relationship with Ms Roberts for four years and hoped they will still be able to continue. However, he added that his client was going to live at an address in Galabank, Galashiels, to let matters cool down.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence for six months for good behaviour and the case will recall on April 13.

STALKING MUM ADMONISHED

A married mother who stalked a man for more than three years after their affair ended was admonished after being of good behaviour for the past six months.

Karen Anderson, 47, was furious when she heard farmer David Gray, 28, had made derogatory remarks about her when their fling ended.

A previous hearing was told the pair had known each other socially for years and they had a “brief liaison” around 2007 and 2008 when Gray was just 22.

But after that obsessed Anderson plagued him with telephones calls and text messages and he eventually reported her to the police. Even after she had appeared in court accused of harassing him, she breached an order by repeatedly texting him over the Christmas and New year period from her home at Shawmount Farm, near Selkirk, where she lives with with her husband and two daughters, aged 18 and 15.

Anderson pleaded guilty to breaching the court order, as well as another charge of causing fear and alarm by repeatedly texting Mr Gray over a three-year period and driving past the home of his girlfriend, Michelle Cassidy.

HOUSEBREAKING ALLEGATION

A teenager appeared in private charged with a break-in at a house in Hawick.

Jordan Simpson, 18, is accused of theft by housebreaking at the property in Dovemount Place inOctober.

He made no plea or declaration and the case was continued for further examination.

Simpson, who gave a Glasgow address, was released on bail by Sheriff Kevin Drummond until his next court appearance on a date still to be confirmed.

MAY TRIAL DATE FIXED

A Jedburgh man is due to stand trial on a charge of knocking another man unconcious during a disturbance.

Darren Jones, 35, is accused of punching Andrew Crow on the head and knocking him to the ground at Williams Court in Jedburgh on March 27.

He is also charged with assaulting Kathryn Fleming by punching her on the head to her injury and threatening or abusive behaviour.

Jones pleaded not guilty to all three charges and the trial date was fixed for May 7.

TEENAGERS BEHAVED

Two teenagers who assaulted a youth have been admonished after being of good behaviour during a period of deferred sentence.

Luke Marley, 18, of Hartrigge Crescent, and Declan MacFarlane, 17, of Howdenburn Court, both Jedburgh, committed the offence during a disturbance in Jedburgh last March.

ACCUSED DENIES DRINK-DRIVING

A Bonchester Bridge man will stand trial on January 15 on a drink-driving charge.

Christian Scherfling, 51, of Shankend, is accused of driving with a breath/alcohol count of 43 microgrammes – the legal limit at the time being 35 – on the A6088 near Boncehster Bridge on November 17.

INTERMEDIATE HEARING

A Hawick man has been accused of stealing a wallet from the town’s angling club in Sandbed.

Jamie Norman, 27, of Ruberslaw Road, is also charged with assaulting Sean Owens by repeatedly punching him on the head to his injury.

Both offences are said to have been committed on September 14 when Norman was on bail.

A trial date was set for May 7, with an intermediate hearing in April.

NOT-GUILTY PLEA

Christopher Monaghan will stand trial on January 15 on a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour.

The 33-year-old, of Drumlanrig Mews, Hawick, denies repeatedly driving past a stationary vehicle in which a man was a passenger and staring at him in a threatening manner.

The offence is said to have been committed in Weensland Road, Hawick, on February 7.

COCAINE CHARGE

A Hawick man has been accused of being in possession of cocaine and cannabis.

Ryan Kennan, 24, of Peta Cottages, also faces a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

The offences are alleged to have been committed in Rosebank Road, Hawick, on June 6.

A trial will take place at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on January 15.

Ordered not to enter Kelso

A St Boswells man denies assaulting his former wife.

John McCarry, 51, of Orchard Park, is said to have pushed her to the floor, prevent her from getting up, and repeatedly slapped her to the head. The offence is alleged to have been committed at a Kelso house on September 4.

McCarry’s trial was set for January 15 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court and a special condition of bail was not to enter Kelso.

YOUTH IS BAILED

A Hawick teenager has denied three offences said to have taken place at the town’s Thorterdykes Roadhouse.

Liam Sharkey, 18, of McLagan Drive, is accused of shouting and swearing and challenging others to fight, assaulting Daniel Chandler by punching him on the head and smashing a window.

He pleaded not guilty to all three charges and a trial was set for May 21, with an intermediate hearing on April 21.

A special bail condition was fixed not to enter Thorterdykes Roadhouse.

SENTENCE DEFERRED

A Jedburgh man appeared from custody and admitted being involved in a domestic incident at the weekend.

Simon Granito pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening or abusive behaviour by shouting and swearing and punching a door.

The incident happened at the family home in Lothian Road on Sunday evening.

Tessa Bradley, prosecuting, said the builder had sustained head injuries in a road accident in 1992 and the problem exacerbates if he has been drinking.

Heather Stewart, defending, said her client could recall little about the incident, but was “extremely apologetic”.

Sentence was deferred for six months for good behaviour.

BAIL IS GRANTED

A man admitted breaching his antisocial behaviour order.

John Stuart Kevan, 48, of Galashiels, failed to leave a property when asked to do so.

Sentence was deferred and he was granted bail after giving a Wigtownshire address.

PRIVATE APPEARANCE

A Selkirk man appeared in private charged on petition with culpable and reckless conduct.

Rory McLeod, 22, is alleged to have committed the offence in Galashiels on August 29.He made no plea or declaration and the case was continued for further examination. McLeod was bailed.

A new visitor centre to house the Great Tapestry of Scotland is scheduled to open in Tweedbank in 2016/17.

It follows the decision of Scottish Borders Council to approve capital spending of £3.5million on a permanent home for the acclaimed community embroidery project.

The cash will be borrowed and repaid at £208,000 a year, including interest, over the next 30 years.

That strain on already depleted revenue resources was cited at last week’s full council meeting by Councillor Michelle Ballantyne, leader of the Conservative opposition group, who urged no action.

But with members of the ruling SNP/Independent/Lib Dem administration having been told to support the project, it was no surprise when a 21-10 endorsement was delivered after an hour-long debate.

The council’s cash commitment will be supplemented by £2.5million from the Scottish Government as part of its blueprint to maximise the economic benefits of the Borders Railway, which will terminate at Tweedbank – close to the visitor centre site.

The actual construction will cost £5million, with the £1million balance available for infrastructure improvements, including footways and the provision of car and coach parking for the estimated 130 visitors a day.

A detailed business case from consultants, hired for £40,000 by the council, projected that the two-storey circular building would, after three years in operation, attract 47,000 paying customers annually. Adult admission will be £10.

The private trust

The actual tapestry, comprising 160 hand-embroidered panels and charting the history of Scotland, will be set out in a radial pattern on the first floor.

Councillors were told that the total cost of repaying the borrowed £3.5million will be £6.3million over 30 years. A previous estimate of £8.25million had been overstated due to a “miscalculation of interest rates”.

Although SBC’s corporate services director Rob Dickson said he was unaware of any “rival bids” to host the art work, leader, Councillor David Parker, claimed other communities, including Perth, Alloa and Linlithgow “wanted the tapestry”.

Councillor Stuart Bell (SNP) felt the centre would be an attraction of “national and international significance” and that the predictions for visitor numbers contained in the business case were “compelling and realistic.”

David Page, the architect who designed the building, said the tapestry bore comparison to major similar attractions, including the Bayeux Tapestry and the Overlord (D-Day) Embroidery in Portsmouth.

Councillor Ballantyne said she was more concerned about the council’s spending priorities.

“For the last few years, this council has had to make significant savings, reducing some services and completely removing others,” she said.

“The business plan does not give me sufficient comfort to possibly justify taking £208,000 a year out of the likes of education, roads and social work for the next 30 years.”

A senior legal manager, on a gross salary of £65,000, is to leave Scottish Borders Council in the latest round of early retirement deals at Newtown, writes Andrew Keddie.

The unnamed female, a qualified solicitor, is one of six SBC employees – out of 13 who applied to quit in the past three months – whose departure was agreed at last week’s full council meeting.

The others are administrative or clerical assistants in education, social work and business support on salaries ranging from £20,000 to £29,000.

None of the employees will be replaced and their posts will now be deleted from SBC’s staffing establishment.

Councillors heard that the deals would incur one-off costs of £195,000 and result, after just over a year, in annual recurring savings of £177,000.

Conservative opposition councillor Gavin Logan sought an assurance that the senior manager’s departure would not have an adverse impact on the work of the legal services department.

Councillor Michael Cook, who has special responsibility for human resources, gave that assurance, adding that all the deals had been approved by service directors.

Two local Boxing Day derbies promise to be real Christmas crackers for rugby fans, writes Mark Entwistle.

Melrose director of rugby Mike Dalgetty is hoping his side can spoil another festive season party at Netherdale and break Gala’s run of victories in Waverley Cup games, traditionally competed for by the two near rivals at this time of year.

The Maroons have lifted the trophy three times in a row and with this year’s game at Netherdale, will be confident of making it four.

Commenting ahead of the game, Dalgetty says only bragging rights might be at stake, but added: “It’s the last game before we head for cup duty at Hawks, so it’s important preparation for what will definitely be a real challenge,” he said.

After wins over Ayr and Gala in recent weeks, Hawick are favourites for their Boxing Day Skelly Cup/Border League clash with Jed-Forest at Riverside Park.

Greens head coach Nikki Walker told us: “The priority at the start of the season for us was the league, but we’re not taking our eye off the Border League or BT Cup.”

Asked if he was comfortable with the favourites tag, he replied: “Whenever you play Borders rivals it’s always going to be a hard game, and this will be no different.”

Craig Grieve lives in the fast lane and, in the build up to Christmas, has been run off his feet in his day job in the Hawick branch of Burtons.

And, come the evenings and weekends, Craig keeps on running, for the 22-year-old Jedburgh man is an athlete of considerable note as his running performances well and truly prove.

What’s more, Craig is an athlete on a mission as he is gunning to be the first Jethart man to win the historic New Year sprint handicap since Tommy Finkle blazed to victory in 1989.

Glancing ahead to the biggest event on the open athletic calendar, which takes place on December 31 and January 1 at Musselburgh Racecourse, the Jed flyer told The Southern: “I have been training really hard for the past few months.

“In the morning, I go to the gym for an early session before I go to work. Then, I train in the evenings at Tweedbank. I don’t need any motivation for training as I just love it. I believe that if you are going to do something you should do it right, and I would like to think I am achieving this.

“I have two great coaches at TLJT in Bruce Scott and Jock Steede. They have both taught me a lot and I have a great respect for them. The set-up at TLJT is just brilliant and the club is just something else and is heading in the right direction.”

Since coming into athletics six years ago, Craig has more than made his mark on the games circuit, as well as the amateur scene.

He joined the Brian ‘Chico’ Woods running stable and made his track debut as a youth at Morebattle Games and returned the following season to take the Kelso Games sprint handicap. Since switching to the TLJT club, Craig has blitzed his way to sprint glories at Hawick Games and St Ronan’s Games, as well as pulling off a great double by twice doing the business in the Oxton Games sprint.

But he has been making his presence felt in amateur running as well.

His biggest honour so far being his silver medal in the 200m in the Scottish Indoor Championships at Kelvin Hall, Glasgow.

Turn to page 61 for marks.

An eight-man team from the Royal Scots Borderers have been in the French Alps training for an army skiing competition next year.

The soldiers – whose battalion is part of The Royal Regiment of Scotland – were conducting Nordic skiing and biathlon training in preparation for the Army Divisional Championships.

Nordic skiing is physically demanding and sees competitors race on flat cross-country routes on narrow skis, with biathlon events combining this skill with rifle shooting. The Royal Scots Borderers were training three times a day – two skiing sessions and a rifle practice on the shooting range.

Their four-week camp was conducted alongside other infantry units and the team will return to France for more intense training prior to the championships after some Christmas leave.

Private Jack McCaldin, 19, from Haddington, who is part of the squad, said: “It is amazing to get the opportunity to do something like this. It’s great to wake up in the morning and see the snow and blue skies and head out to do some training.

“I was pretty unsteady on the skis at first, but I am really getting the hang of it now – as are all the boys. My shooting has improved too from the training on the biathlon rifle.”

Cumberland and Dumfriesshire Farmers’ Mart PLC (C and D) is pleased to announce a new farm and farm related insurance service for the many clients who support C & D’s two auction marts at Longtown and Dumfries and who also provide instructions to C and D Rural, the company’s land and estate agency division.

C and D has been appointed an Introducer Approved Representative (IAR) by Country and Commercial Insurance Brokers Ltd (CCiB) of Longridge, near Preston.

CCiB are a well established firm of insurance brokers with an in-depth knowledge of the agricultural sector, providing tailor-made solutions to clients’ specific insurance requirements.

Commenting upon this new farm insurance service, Robin Steel, head of C and D Rural’s land and estate agency division said: “From the very outset we were very impressed with what CCiB could offer our clients in terms of their experience of, and proven track record in, the farm insurance market and their genuine desire to establish a long term working arrangement with us”.

At CCiB, the person leading on this exciting new initiative with C and D is Kevin Coulthard, CCiB’s senior broker and a former director of Carlisle-based H and H Insurance Brokers. He said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the team at C and D and very much look forward to providing bespoke and competitive insurance solutions to their many clients”

With the start of 2015 looming, thoughts turn to reflection of 2014 and whether we view it as a good or bad year?

Most of you will have recollections of the past 12 months of disastrous commodity prices, as well as the headache of the introduction on the new Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) due to take over from the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) in 2015.

However, for once the weather has predominately been on the favourable side this year, with Mother Nature providing optimal growing conditions, as well as good periods of weather for lambing and calving. Crops and livestock had a good start to the year, after a mild winter, allowing for the potential for a successful year. Ideal growing conditions throughout the Spring and Summer allowed for an early harvest and bumper yields on many farms. This lead to a few arable records being broken, with a new OSR and Wheat record of 6.14t/ha and 14.5t/ha respectively, as well as a new UK average wheat yield record, of 8.6t/ha.

The livestock sector was also able to join in the record breaking, with Carlisle mart hosting a new world record price for a Limousin heifer, sold at 125,000 gns. This year has also seen exceptional grass growth, which will have significantly reduced livestock feed bills. As a result livestock have been turned out earlier in Spring and, with a warm October, stock have been able to graze later in the year. Stock prices have fallen from the previous year, with beef prices being nearly 70p/kg/dw less in the summer compared to 2013, however the price has recovered to around 355p/kg/dw for the end of the year. Lamb prices have just recovered to around the same price for this time last year, but, for the majority of the year, have been around 20p/kg lighter than the previous year.

Unfortunately, arable prices suffered an even worse fate, with some cereal prices dipping under £100/t and OSR struggling to reach £240/t at harvest time. Potatoes took a massive dive in July, dropping in price by about £130/t. This has obviously left arable farmers income well below that which was budgeted for a year ago. As a result, cashflows will have been tight over the last few months and many of you will have been looking forward to December... and not just because Santa Claus is coming to town. SPS cheques have been rolling out and even the RPA have claimed their very own record, reporting that they have surpassed last year’s performance on SPS by making more payments than ever before on the first banking day of the payment window. This will be a huge boost to many cashflows, even though many will be receiving a slightly smaller payment than previous years. Unfortunately for many, particularly lowland farmers, smaller CAP subsidy payments will become a common trend in the future.

The introduction of the new Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in January 2015 has been at the forefront of the farming press as there is a whole new subsidy system to understand. Unfortunately, DEFRA haven’t been breaking any records for releasing up to date information or keeping to schedule with their CAP Reform timetable. I fear there may be a mad rush in the beginning of the year as everyone will have to go through a new registration process, regardless of whether you have already been submitting your SPS forms online.

2015 looks set to be a challenging year. With the introduction of the new BPS I cannot emphasis enough how key it is to get everything in order as soon as possible. The new BPS application forms sound like they will require more detail and attention to each field. There will also be huge uncertainty of what the markets will do, with wheat futures hovering around the £140/t mark for July 2015. However, the key message to take going forward is to have a full understanding of the exact input costs for each enterprise. This will allow you to assess where improvements and savings can be made, as well as be prepared for opportunities that may arise.

Greenend Farm, near St Boswells, was the poignant setting on Friday for a nativity play and carol concert in aid of young cancer sufferers.

Staged in one of farmers Grant and Nesta Todd’s barns by Clic Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, it proved a magical and atmospheric event, and it raised an impressive £3,000.

Twenty-three local children, from four schools – Melrose Primary, St Mary’s and St Boswells Primary and Earlston High School – were joined by live animals for the production, which was led by Pooee Pitman, director of Kelso Amateur Operatic Society (KAOS).

Accompanying music was organised and played on the keyboard by the Rev Marion Dodd.

Pooee told The Southern the event was a real success: “This was a new approach for the Clic Sargent Carol Concert, which has previously been held in Melrose Parish Church.

“The idea came from the most enthusiastic committee members I’ve ever met – Snippet Innes, Philly Lee, Jenny Litherland and Rossie Maitland-Carew.

“They asked me if I could help way back in June. After the success of KAOS’ Wizard of Oz show, I was in need of a project so I said yes.

“I was so happy with how the nativity went. All the narrators and nativity characters performed fantastically.

“There were also some adults plucked from the audience who played their roles of shepherds, angels and a king with much aplomb. The animals were great too.

“We had three sheep, four goats, three ponies – one who was dressed up as a camel – a donkey, some chickens, a Scottie dog and, of course, Willoughby the pug, who dressed was up as a sheep. It was a fabulous kick-start to Christmas.”

Narrators were Mimi and Panda Pitman; Anna and Vanessa Grieve; Kate MacRae, Melissa Taylor, Lucy Jones, Summer Guthrie, Lucy Cathrow and Katie Bell.

Performers were Charlotte Cathrow (Mary), Blair Adamson (Joseph), Jack Helm (donkey), Ella MacRae (Angel Gabriel); Jamie Cathrow, Pippa Cuthbert, Callum and Gregor Adamson, Lexie Marshall (all shepherds); Lauren Bertram, Grace Guthrie, Bella Card and Katie Swan (all angels); Callum Adamson and Lexie Marshall (kings).

Pooee is now now back in rehearsals for next year’s KAOS show, scheduled for March, when the company will perform in the Borders premiere of The Addams Family.

It’s that time of year already when I cast a glance over the 12 months that have almost gone. Winter failed to live up to its name, but the summer was much more acceptable for a change, making wildlife watching far more pleasant.

To start with, here is a look at the first half of the year.

JANUARY

The year began with a new addition to the “Corbie” household, in the form of a tiny cockapoo pup called Treacle. Little did I know then what mayhem she would wreak for almost the whole year ahead! In the shed I discovered a trio of hibernating small tortoiseshell butterflies in my barrow and I managed to spot a rare visiting glaucous gull on the river in Selkirk. Later, a reader sent in an amazing picture of a heron stalking an egret while an otter popped out of an upturned boat on the banks of the Tweed. Near the month’s end I put up a nestbox with a CCTV camera inside, but the birds avoided it all spring, and I took part in the RSPB’s annual garden birdwatch, logging 39 birds made up of 12 species.

FEBRUARY

Treacle got her first outing in the countryside after her injections. Her boundless energy and lack of fear produced a few heart-stopping moments as she dashed along the banks of the Tweed at Innerleithen, which was in full spate. While doing a spot of mulching in the garden I disturbed a sleeping toad in the leaf-mould basket, which had amazingly survived my chopping activity with the spade. By the second week, 26 oystercatchers had arrived back on my local stretch of the Ettrick. At the end of the month I found a strange clump of clear jelly with macaroni-like bits through it on a hillside overlooking Loch of the Lowes, which I asked readers to help me identify.

MARCH

The jelly mass turned out to be the remnants of a pregnant frog which had been eaten by a predator and regurgitated. What I saw were the oviducts which turn to jelly when exposed to water (rain or wet grass). I caught my first moth of the season in my light trap – a Dotted Border. Treacle met her first hedgehog in the back garden and had her first trip to the beach at Berwick, where I managed a spot of bird watching while she tried her hand at open-cast mining in the sand. By the middle of the month, the chiffchaffs were singing, bumblebees were about, and the first frog spawn had appeared in my neighbour’s garden pond. I had great views of a male hen harrier on Langholm Moor while out for a drive. The month ended with the appearance of the first native spring flowers such as coltsfoot and golden saxifrage.

APRIL

I received word back about a ringed dead siskin which a Selkirk reader had found back in February in his garden. From the ring it was learned that the bird was two years old and was ringed in Peebles. A bit of rock scrambling earned some pictures of a spectacular clump of cowslips in a gorge near Selkirk. (The things I do for this column!) On a magical outing in Yarrow on a perfect spring day, I waxed lyrical about hearing redstarts, curlew and willow warblers and seeing mating toads, peacock butterflies and lots more. Near the end of the month I led an outing to Berwick where almost 50 species of bird were seen, including such gems as long-tailed duck and peregrine.

MAY

On a lovely day in the Tweed valley near Thornylee, I encountered two singing tree pipits – quite a rarity in the Borders. I had a nice week’s break in Fife, spoiled only by the acres of oilseed rape which had me sneezing non-stop. A Clovenfords reader sent me pictures of a colony of masonry bees which had set up house in the village shop. Later in the month I marvelled at the spectacular display of wild flowers on Selkirk Hill and managed to get a decent picture of a singing chiffchaff, which I have tried to get for years.

JUNE

A dawn foray into the woods of Philiphaugh Estate near Selkirk, to carry out a breeding bird survey, was rewarded by some breathtaking scenery and a first-time record for the area of a singing redstart. Later, on a spectacularly sunny day, a lovely walk round Lindean Reservoir was enhanced by encounters with orange-tip butterflies, orchids, a family of mute swans and a chance meeting with another local newspaper columnist, The Pilgrim, whose pup Tam is slightly older than Treacle and provided a welcome distraction. A holiday on South Uist had me yearning for the hills and trees of the Borders, but marvelling at the Machair floral display and birds such as the corn bunting, twite and corncrake.

We’ll look at the second half of 2014 next week. May I wish all readers and contributors a very happy Christmas.

The Hawick-based Hugh Petrie Stoma Support Group presented the Borders Stoma Service with a camera and protection sheets following a shop-a-frolic fundraising party in October.

Pictured are Nancy Fraser, Verna Henderson, Rosemary Watt, Christine Davidson, Irene George, Fiona Gentleman, Wilson George, Rob Gentleman and Bert Anderson.

Anyone who would like to find out more about the group should contact Nancy on 01450 374017 or the stoma nurses at Borders General Hospital.

A scientist’s three-decade quest to find a rare moss thought to be extinct in Scotland has ended with the discovery of the plant in the Borders.

Water rock-bristle was last found north of the border in the late 1940s and it was feared to have died out after a series of expeditions led by bryologist Dr David Long, from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, failed to turn up any sign of it.

However, this past autumn, Dr Long’s three-decade quest finally ended with the discovery of dark-green shoots of the tiny moss on a limestone boulder, next to a burn, near Newcastleton.

The moss, whose Latin name is seligeria carnoilica, has also been recorded at a site in Northumberland and at a clutch of locations in Slovenia and Sweden. But its rarity is such that very little is known about it. Water rock-bristle was first identified in Scotland at the Black Burn, near Newcastleton, by bryologist Evelyn Lobely in 1948. But despite returning on a number of occasions to where she thought she found it originally, she could find no trace of the moss again.

Dr Long found the moss with a group from the British Bryological Society when they explored a new area of the burn in September, during a period the water level was very low.

He told The Southern this week that the Borders is surprisingly rich in bryophytes – mosses, liverworts and hornworts – due to the diversity of habitats and climatic conditions, plus the clean air and water.

“For example, on the Berwickshire coast are found several Mediterranean mosses, which only just reach north into Scotland,” he said.

“The high tops of the Tweedsmuir Hills are rich in mountain species typical of the Scottish Highlands, and the Newcastleton area has the double bonus of high rainfall, favouring western oceanic species, and limestone outcrops with their specialities such as the water rock-bristle moss.

“We can certainly expect to find a few more new rarities in all those special places,” added Dr Long.

On Friday night the Merchants came up against the Colonials, and with the two teams lying second and third, the winner was guaranteed top spot.

The last match of the Roond the Stick Bowls League before the festive break saw the Colonials have most to cheer about with an 8–0 victory, leaving the Merchants looking like they were on Santa’s naughty list.

The Colonials are now ahead for the first time with the Leafers dropping to second place.

The first game in 2015 is between two of the teams in the bottom half of the leader board, Yarrow Cats and Neverwillbees.

I’m a wildlife fanatic ... and a technophobe. However, there is a wave of technological advancement that I will readily embrace and share.

If you have a smartphone, (iPhone or Android) are you aware of the fantastic level of technical support you can access while on a walk in the countryside these days?

You can literally have everything you ever need or want to know at your fingertips.

As I’m a fan of the odd app – I have been tasked with investigating the vast array of wildlife identification/environmental-themed resources that are available (by Wooplaw Community Woodland), and I have discovered that the list is huge!

Whether you want to look at the stars, birds, bugs, trees, plants, bats, fungi or hills, there is an app out there that will help or interest you. There are also many, many ways that you can spice up a walk and get involved in very worthwhile wildlife conservation schemes. What better way to engage and encourage our gadget-loving younger (and older) generations to get involved?

General Outdoors/Practical (free) Android Apps

Wildlife Spotting 
Android and IOS Apps

Bob Fleet of Wooplaw Community Woodlands sent me this snippet about one of his favourite wildlife apps.

He said: “I use ‘

I hope that this wee list has enlightened a few readers to the possibilities of the fantastic world of smartphone apps. Many of the free apps have been created because of the desperate need for us to monitor (survey and record) our British wildlife – you can easily join in and make your wildlife sightings count. NB: if you do spot something interesting it would be great if you could also share your discoveries with the Wildlife Information Centre (TWIC) – info@wildlifeinformation.co.uk.

I am also very keen to hear about your favourite wildlife/ countryside apps – there are so many out there, I’d love to learn about more.

Contact me, Anna Craigen (ACES – Anna Craigen Environmental Services) on apps@wooplaw.org.uk.

Oh, the irony! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry this week. In the end I did both, in turn.

Remember we have some turkeys? It’s been so long since I wrote about smallholding that you probably forgot about the Shoogly turkeys.

Well, we had Sally and Queenie, the Kelly Bronze commercial turkeys which escaped the dinner table about four Christmases ago. They were joined by Cilla, who is a rare breed turkey, a Bourbon Red. And finally, there was Vic, a (bog) standard turkey, the slate (blue) stag (boy).

And finally is perhaps the right description, in the light of last week’s events.

Gamford was doing the rounds on the estate and got round to the usual chook check.

He topped up the food and the water, and then set about sawing some logs from the woodpile which is at one end of the chook run.

All of a sudden, there was a flapping and squawking from the chooks and they all seemed to leap away in horror from something.

That something was poor Vic, who had face-planted and was lying dead as your proverbial doornail in the middle of the run.

One minute, eating corn and socialising, brown bread the next.

Poor Vic. The chooks just couldn’t understand it, and, giving him a wide berth, patrolled around his titanic corpse in awe and wonder, like Lilliputians gawking at Gulliver.

Poor Vic.

It only seemed like yesterday we drove all the way to the mart at Carlisle to fetch him. We met his breeder, Janice Houghton-Wallace, there in the car park, for the handover.

Janice, who is the queen of all turkeys in Scotland (well, secretary of the Turkey Club UK) drove him over from Dumfries and Galloway in her white transit van to meet us (this being judged to be a good halfway point between us) from her home which she shares (depending on the time of year, if you get me) with between 100 and 200 turkeys.

This was about four years ago now, so in that time Vic had become part of our extended fur and feather family. Janice sold him on to us as he wasn’t quite good enough to have made a show bird.

But we got used to his knock knees and lumbering gait. He would never have made a stud – apart from his knock knees which are undesireable characteristics to pass on to the next generation, he was no Barry White.

In fact, he made all the right moves whilst Sally and Queenie sat there patiently.

Sadly, he was always at the wrong end. He just never seemed to get it, so, to be blunt, neither did his lay-dees.

I must admit to bursts of hysterical laughter – no, not at his inadequacy, that would be too cruel. No, I laughed as the irony of the timing of his death was not lost on me.

A few days before Christmas, when turkeys are being slaughtered by the shed-load for the Big Day, Vic had added to the tally and was not even good to eat.

We didn’t know what he had died of and at five-plus years old he would have been as tough as old boots.

Oh, the irony of standing out in the wind and sleet digging a huge hole to bury an enormous turkey just days before Christmas.

Sorry, Vic old son, I’m sorry, but I just had to laugh.

The past 12 months have, by any yardstick, been tumultuous on the political front, with the independence referendum taking centre stage.

However, as we enter 2015, it could well be a case of – in the words of the Bachman-Turner Overdrive hit – “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”.

May’s UK general election is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing for generations, with its reverberations, following on from those created by September’s referendum, standing a good chance of changing the political landscape forever.

The SNP, far from licking its wounds after the No camp’s victory, has seen it’s membership more than treble, with pundits predicting that the party will hit Labour hard.

And for those who thought they had seen the last of Alex Salmond as a political force, his recent announcement that he was aiming to be an MP again must have sent shudders down the spines of some of Westminster’s establishment figures. For them, Salmond and his SNP Commons colleagues playing the role of kingmakers is the stuff of nightmares.

Couple that with UKIP’s success south of the border, and you have a potent political cocktail indeed.

Locally, Tories are bullish about their man, John Lamont, overturning incumbent Michael Moore’s 5,675-vote majority. The MSP has form when it comes to taking on Liberal Democrats – he turfed out Euan Robson in 2007 to enter Holyrood.