Gift to the town

The photograph below was sent in by William Duff of Dundee, who says: “I took this picture a few years ago at the small church in St Valery in France, just down from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.

“It was a gift to the town by the local councils of the Highland area and dedicated in June 1990. Our connection with the town of St Valery is that my father-in-law, James Markie, served with the 4th Battalion, Black Watch.

“He never really spoke about his time during the war, but he may have been in or passed through the town again. We will never know sadly, as he passed away in 1971.”

Bacterial spot – if your plant is showing black edges lesions, brown spots with yellow halos or the leaves are browning and breaking off at the edges it may have bacterial spot.

The best way to save it is prevention and mechanical control at the first sign of symptoms of bacterial leaf spot.

Mealybugs – these sap-feeding insects can infest lots of different plants, including those found in the home and in a greenhouse.

They weaken plants and leave a sticky substance on leaves and stems causing the growth of sooty moulds. Ensure that dead leaves and prunings are removed from the area quickly as they may have eggs living on them.

Rust – rust can go undetected for a while, causing plants to turn weak before being spotted. The underside of leaves will develop orange pustules. This is particularly common in vegetables. Remove all affected leaves and consider a fungicide if plants are badly affected.

Grey mould – it is soft fruits such as strawberries, blackberries and raspberries which are susceptible to grey mould.

It is more common to find this problem when plants have been grown in humid conditions such as in a greenhouse. If this is the case, ensure you have a good ventilation system and that the plants aren’t overcrowded.

“Regarding a recent photograph of Seaview Primary in Monifieth,” emails Alastair Tait, “this picture shows the class in 1955. You can identify some of the pupils four years on from the earlier photo. I’m in the back row and can remember most names including two future golf professionals – Ian McLeod and Dennis Allan.”