The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Preached in Dundee
“I came across writings from my great grandfather recently,” emails David Robinson of Brechin. “Most of my family was born and lived in the English Midlands.
“However, I recently rediscovered the diary, which covered 1888 to 1891, of my great grandfather, Rev John Yair, and was reminded of my Scottish heritage.
“He was born in 1864 near Stirling, the son of a quarryman, and became a Baptist minister. Rev John was sent to Jamaica and I suppose he would be seen as a missionary there.
“He came back to Scotland, and Tayside in particular, from time to time to raise funds and his diary reveals aspects of life in Dundee in the 1880s.
“Rev John preached in several places locally and, by coincidence, he preached at St Peter’s Church, which is a stone’s throw away from Blackness Primary which my two grandsons now attend nearly 150 years later.
“He was obviously a devout Christian, but his priorities differed by today’s standards. He mentions visiting a ‘poor degraded house’ in the Hilltown. The couple were ‘drunk and using profane language’ for which ‘God would judge them guilty.’
“After describing the meagre contents of this couple’s squalid house, Rev Yair got
them ‘both down on their knees crying for mercy.’ What seemed to have been the final straw, and the worst part of this situation for my great grandfather, was that they were living together unmarried! Shock, horror!
“I have attached a couple of photographs, taken in the 1880s, of him with his
parishioners in Jamaica. He is on the left of the group and in his pulpit in St Lucia, Jamaica.”
Understanding cravings
Reaching for the sugar regularly can be a telling sign of certain behaviours and bodily needs that may need addressing, according to Dr Rachel Evans, a psychologist in eating disorder recovery.
Dr Evans says: “When people are craving something sugary, they will often try and have something healthy instead of succumbing to their desire for sweet food, or if they do give in to their cravings, then they will feel guilty like they are ‘out of control.’
“A craving is essentially your body and mind giving you information. Craving sugar is normal and satisfying these cravings doesn’t make your eating habits ‘bad’.
“When we are hungry, we tend to think about food a lot more because our brain is trying to alert us to the fact that we need to eat. To prevent cravings, ensure meals are balanced, satisfying and include protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.
“Many people struggle with a deprivation mindset and try but fail to be successful in restricting what they eat. As we want what
we can’t have, we tend to crave sugary foods whilst we are trying to restrict them. What actually helps to reduce that is eating in moderation and ditching strict diet rules.
“If we automatically crave sugar at a certain time each day, the craving could be habitual. Common timings include the 4pm slump, after dinner or even first thing in the morning for an energy boost.
“To combat this, it’s important to work out triggers and avoid or remove them. Try and swap the behaviour for one that still ensures a reward, just not sugary foods.”
Don’t call back!
“People who try to steal your money over the phone are getting desperate,” writes an Angus reader.
“I’ve just listened to a recorded message from a ‘government department’, threatening me that I had to phone back at once because it is a legal requirement to return a call to a government department.
“How the scam would work I don’t know, although how to prevent it I did know. But I miss the drama of slamming a phone down on someone offensive. Pressing a tiny endcall button on your handset doesn’t give the same satisfaction.”