TIME TO RE-GROUP - ALASTAIR'S OFF TO UNI; ISHBEL GETS HER KEYS

It is now young Alastair's turn to leave home. He's 17 years old.  (They start school in Scotland at 5 years old.)  He has been accepted to study medicine at St Andrew's University which is in the north-east of Scotland.  

This is a country with many institutions for tertiary education: universities, colleges, The Conservatoire (music and drama in Glasgow), technical institutions, agricultural colleges etc etc.  I know he'll find St Andrew's a good fit; it's a university town with bookshops and an interesting history. It's one of the earliest universities established in the UK.  Alastair is interested in history and is a great reader.)

Time of head off!  As Iain used to say, "The best view is looking back!"

 Outside his dormitory door with young Ellie (10.5 in her last year of Primary School)

And things just keep getting better...Ishbel (18 3/4 yrs) now has her own flat.  She is going into her second year at Stirling University to be a Paramedic.  Here she is with her keys outside her new abode which is located in 'downtown' Stirling.

Harriet(12)  in June with her tea-bag hat.  She started her first year of high school last week.

* * * * * * * * * 

It is so good to follow their movements as they head off into their new lives. It certainly reminds me of heading off at roughly that age.  Yes, there were a few differences: I had a car; I had only one university to go to and it was a day's drive away in the big city of Vancouver.  I lived in dorms for the first year which I greatly loved and remember the joy of making new friends many of which I kept all my life.

However, sadly, some of these people are no longer with us.  Indeed, this is now a fact of life at my great age of 81 years. Folk are suffering from dementia (or their spouses are), some are undergoing cancer treatment; some, sadly, have died.  

Keeping up on the lives of the grandchildren certainly helps offset these sadnesses around me at the moment (like buses, everything seems to come along at the same time).  Luckily I inherited my mother's method of offsetting such times by keeping busy. She was a great one for 'kitchen therapy' i.e pull out the baking tins.

To that end here is something from my 'test kitchen'...Hobnob biscuits from the Great British Bake Off episode this week. The recipe is under the photo.

Pru Leith's Recipe for Hob Nobs

ROBERT'S BOOK aka ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER

I came across the term "Roberts Book of Rules” (can’t remember where) and I said to myself “Hold on… I know that term!” but couldn’t bring it to mind.  I looked it up, as one does these days on Google, and, indeed, it is something I learned at school namely, it is the book of rules for parliamentary procedure.

"Robert's Rules of Order" is the name of the standard manual for parliamentary procedure, ensuring meetings are conducted smoothly, fairly, and efficiently. Originally written by General Henry M. Robert in 1876, the book provides a guide to conducting meetings, the duties of officers, and the proper way to handle motions and debate.” [|Widipedia]

"The book is about procedures for meetings and not about what is "legal" (i.e. it is not a law book)."  

Now I drink coffee regularly with Iain’s classmates from school (Lenzie Academy).  They are all professional people.  They had never heard of this; they had certainly never learned anything like this at school.  My recollection is that we spent quite a bit of time on this topic at school.  And I also recall that if there ever was a problem in a meeting one could interrupt proceedings stating  “Get the Roberts Book so we can sort this out!”

Somehow I assumed it was British.  I suppose I thought of the UK parliament and that there must be a manual on how to conduct a meeting.  Well it is American.  A military man Henry Roberts put it together in 1876 after attending meetings which were disorderly.  In the UK the House of Parliament meetings are still disorderly, well... at least... noisy in the chamber!  I think it's fair to conclude they have never heard of the 'Robert's Book'!   

It is still on the go; now in its 12th edition (2020).

 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

August 14th, last week, was the first day of school for Harriet (12) and Ellie (10.5).  Harriet started secondary school at Bearsden Academy and Ellie goes into her last year of Primary School at Mosshead Adademy in Bearsden.

Mairi took this photo outside the back door just before they headed off.  Note the 'L' plate on Mairi's car. Ishbel is going to sit her driving test in October so she is out practicing now.

A missed opportunity this morning.... sitting at my computer I enjoy seeing the youngsters (and possibly their mums/dads) walk to school past my house.  Craighton Primary School is where they are headed.  With their white blouses and blue uniforms the march by either in groups or maybe on their own.

But...my eye caught a red shape moving along the pavement [or sidewalk if USA or Canada]. I stood up and there was a juvenile fox trotting along behind a dad and little boy quite unaware of him as they walked on towards the school.  And there was I...with no camera!

My attempt to generate an AI image using Chatgpt.... time take = 15 minutes!

B C FERRY COLLISION IN ACTIVE PASS AUGUST 2, 1970 - MY MEMORY

This week I came across a video I had never seen before which was on YouTube.  It was an event that happened 55 years ago.  I remember it because I was in the area at the time.

The event was the collision on August 2, 1970, of the BC ferry 'Queen of Victoria' with a Soviet freighter 'Sergey Yesenin' in Active Pass, the narrow straight with a bend in it. This pass is about the halfway position in the ferry's route between  Vancouver on the mainland the south end of Vancouver Island. There were 3 fatalities.

Ferry collision August 2, 1970   

The video was taken by a lad on a fishing boat who captured the moment.

Only now, all these years later have I ever thought about it (!).  It seems the pilot on the Soviet vessel radioed ahead to check for vessels that might be on his course but due to a mismatch of radio frequencies, he did not receive an answer (so did not alter course.)

Where was I in all of this?  It was a Sunday. I had driven to Victoria to visit my grandmother for the weekend and was on my way back to Vancouver.  I headed to the Swartz Bay (south end of Vancouver Island) ferry terminus to catch the ferry to the Tsawwassen ferry terminus on the mainland. 

I assume it was mid-afternoon.  All was well and fairly uneventful until we approached Active Pass.  I gradually became aware that everything went quiet in the passenger lounge area and people were slowly moving to the windows looking out.  "What's going on?"  "Did you not know? There was a terrible accident with the earlier ferry!"

I recall arriving in Tsawwassen terminus and seeing the ship (which had been heading to Victoria and had been towed back to Tsawwassen). She was tied up with her port side open showing mangled steel, and looking like a big giant had put an axe into her side.

Apparently this accident lead to (a) passengers not being allowed to remain in their cars below decks and (b) safety drills prior to sailing.