Thought for the Week
Who would have thought we would have been socially isolated for almost five months.
We have lived in strange times which none of us has ever experienced before. We have adapted to many different situations and we have coped.
Tentatively we tip-toe cautiously on our first post lockdown steps and look around us with just an air of trepidation.
We hear stories of those who have abused the instructions to be careful and there are consequences.
If we neglect to be careful, we will pay the price and will endanger lives.
We know the deadly virus has not gone away, yet it lulls some into a false sense of security in believing that it is safe to go back to normal.
It is not.
However, there is an opportunity to meet up with loved ones, provided the rules are observed.
With many others we have been blessed to enjoy the company of family and friends recently and what a joy that has been.
One of the many blessings was in such a simple pleasure.
Jane had never seen sea glass before and was enchanted as the morning tide brought in these multicoloured jewels.
The sun danced on the waves and the surf delivered glass of green and blue, white and pink.
But what makes sea glass special?
‘Sea glass is reverse gem.’ Traditional gems - diamonds, rubies, emeralds - are made by nature and refined by humans. Sea glass is originally made by humans (bottles and jars) but refined by nature to become smooth frosty beach-found gems.
Delighted with her treasure, Jane packed them away along with happy memories of a few special days by the ocean.
Blessings come in many shapes and colours.
Drax Group’s iconic Cruachan hydro electric power Station is to undergo a £1million upgrade to modernise its turbine control system.
The upgrade will see the station’s current programmable logic controller computer system replaced with a new design to put the station at the cutting edge of energy technology to improve Cruachan’s efficiency. Control system builders ITI will undertake the design, installation and commissioning of the upgrade across the station’s four units.
The power station, constructed in a cavern within Ben Cruachan on the shores of Loch Awe, played a critical role in stabilising the country’s electricity system throughout the Covid-19 pandemic due to its flexibility. The plant can generate power in less than a minute when needed and can also store excess electricity from the grid like a giant battery, a service which was called upon when the low electricity demand during the lockdown coincided with periods of high wind power in Scotland.
The plant’s reversible turbines pump water from Loch Awe to an upper reservoir on the mountainside to store excess power from the grid. The stored water is then released back through the turbines to generate power quickly and reliably when demand increases.
Mull of Kintyre music festival (MOK Fest) has taken its virtual 2020 event to new heights by beaming a unique Scottish rendition of David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ to the International Space Station.
The annual music festival teamed up with the Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC), in the running to become the UK’s first spaceport, to record the unique set, featuring local band Slainte Davaar Allstar’s cover of Bowie’s iconic track.
With the festival moved online this year the organisers came up with the idea of partnering with the old airbase and its unconventional location for the exclusive gig.
The set was performed on the former top-secret RAF base runway – nearly two miles long and one of the longest in Europe – for current Commander of the ISS Chris Cassidy and Cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, as they orbit the earth at 17,000mph.
Event manager Iain Johnston of JIG Events said: ‘The Mull of Kintyre Music Festival has encouraged people to visit Kintyre from all parts of the globe since its inception 28 years ago and we were naturally disappointed, like every other event organiser up and down the country, to have to cancel this year. However, what better way to turn it into a positive than to take our music interstellar.
‘We hope the ISS astronauts enjoy their Scottish welcome just as much as we enjoyed making it. As far as stage backdrops go, it might not be quite as impressive as Chris Hadfield’s, but it’s still pretty unique!’
The Gigha Hotel has been shortlisted in the annual Good Food Awards.
But, with voting having closed on August 14, sadly it is too late to vote for your favourite.
A posting on the Gigha Hotel Facebook page read: ‘As many of our guests will know, our chefs are passionate about serving delicious food and have been working hard to create the very best locally-sourced dishes for you to enjoy.
‘That’s why we are thrilled to see their efforts recognised in this way.’
The winners will be announced in November, so fingers crossed.