Colin

Scalloway Hall DOES in fact support the right of Scalloway Fire Festival to make any decision it sees fit BUT, reserves the right to question wisdom given the circumstances. Brae and Northmavine Fire Festivals might be just a p**** up but, Scalloway has long since passed that stage.

It is my understanding that the decision had nothing to do with licences. Scalloway Hall would have been made available for the dates suggested and the indication from others at the meeting who are also involved with other venues were positive. Availability of bands, at the time of the meeting, was an unknown quantity that could have been resolved with a little effort. Bar Licences were not an issue. All the venues have licences until 1am and an occasional licence for a further extension can be obtained with 10 days. Tickets already purchased could have remained valid. The police could have been notified of the changed date. Lastly, the vote for cancellation was not unanimous as at least one person declared an interest and one other abstained.

Hmmm... Either way, would a postponement not be in order rather than a cancellation? It is my understanding that a postponement was proposed but there were even objections to that and that the vote was split. In my opinion, a split vote does not constitute "very well supported". As for it (the cancellation) being a (not) well supported decision? It might have passed at last nights meeting but, what about the credibility and damage to it's reputation of the Fire Festival itself? What about all the disappointed people who have purchased tickets? What about the squad members who were not consulted? What about the people who have made expensive travel arrangements to get here for it? What about the inconvenience (not to mention the embarassment and damage to reputation) to the Halls and other venues who have to issue refunds against sold tickets, cancel entertainment, and cancel food & drink orders?. It is a pity that the Halls and other venues were not officially invited to attend the meeting given that the decision has had such momentous implications for them. It seems to me that the Fire festival might have forgotton about all the hard work that these venues put in to make the event a success (it certainly depends their goodwill and co-operation) and that, in order to ensure that this cannot happen again, a constitutional mechanism should be put in place at the earliest opportunity.

Because the Jarl's baby son is in hospital South. On the mend and getting better, thankfully, and I wish them well. Contentious decision though and, judging by the way my phone has been ringing, not very widely supported.

For anyone that's interested, Scalloway Fire Festival has been cancelled for this year.

Both J W Gray & Co and Hughson Brothers (and possibly some others) operate their own bonded warehouse facilities.

It's a pity that the opening post was so emotive. Referring to Ronnie Eunson and his "cronies" (don't like that word) as "thick" and "stupid" is not going to get many people on side. I wasn't at Scalloway Hall for the meeting but, personally, I am opposed to the scheme on the grounds that I think that it is "inappropriate" for what has become a residential area. Before anyone jumps on the 'it's an industrial site' bandwagon, I would like to point out that some of the former "industrial" units now house a vetinary practice and fish shop which are IMHO "retail". I would have liked to know just where was the 'place'. After all, the business plan would have outlined just how many animals they intend to process and this would (in theory) indicate the level of additional traffic expected through a fairly compact housing scheme that contains quite a number of "young" families. Resulting, no doubt, to an annual "cap in hand" trek to the SIC for the funding to keep it going. And the vacated premises might be ideal for conversion to shops etc. Far better that than requiring those that don't drive to walk quite a distance into Scalloway proper. As an aside, I did suggest (rather tounge in cheek) to our esteemed local councillor that, if the Convenor could champion a bridge to Bressay then, she might gain some leverage (in return for her support) for a small bridge/walkway accross the East Voe.. A considerable saving in shoe leather for pedestrians.

Supply and demand. There are fewer chippies open at the moment.

Yesterday, I had a fairly heated discussion with a company from whome I was going to purchase a single chip. Cost of chip £98. Delivery (by courier) £25 (£10 over 'standard' for being offshore) No way was I going to pay so much for delivery of a single chip and, I thought quite reasonably, pointed out that it could be sent by RM Special Delivery for about £7. The response I got was the usual bull***t. RM is 'unreliable' etc. Told them to stick the chip and bought it from another company who were £3 dearer but very happy to use SD.

£250,00 well spent?? Now, about my dahlias...

Scalloway JHS (and, no doubt, others) have the same problem. Lights seem to be on at all hours and they're intrusive in the extreme. The old chestnut "security" doesn't really wash with me.. If it IS and issue, why not use a simple PIR motion detector to switch them on when required? As for the yellow vans. I was passed by 7 or 8 (lost count) of them in the space of a few minutes on Friday. All except one with a single occupant.

Make it an "issue" the next time those who are ultimately responsible (the councillors) want your vote. After all, you pay them (via your Council Tax etc.) to take your rubbish away and, within reason, they should not be permitted to dictate terms. Wheelie bins, for me anyway, would be a problem especially as I have no storage space, a fairly narrow path and, 5 steps to negotiate before I reach the pavement. A not uncommon scenario in these parts.

Springbank Electronics in Scalloway?

Surprised that no one else has asked but, what is the quoted speed (RPM) of the drive. Some of the faster spinning ones take a while longer to spin up and stabilise particularly if there's a lot of other stuff demanding power at the same time (PSU again..) Did it come with any software? Seen some drives (very few) that have to be pre-configured from a bootable CD. Another possibility is the SATA cable. Because it's a 300Mbs 1Tb drive you might need to purchase a 'high quality' cable to handle the data rates. Personal experience indicates that some of the SATA cables supplied with MOBO's are 'adequate' and no more. Also worth considering is the MOBO itself. Maybe it isn't quite up to it's quoted spec. If you can, try setting the BIOS to 'Safe Settings' mode (Most of them seem to have this or something similar)

After the other 2/3 then?

Taking 'Spending a Penny' to extremes.

Even as a last resort, I would NOT try this.. http://www.overclockers.com.au/image.php?pic=images/newspics/11nov/7.jpg

My Brother in Law did his PHD on witches in Shetland and might have some information. Also worth noting that the house at Berry Farm used to be the hangmans house although I have no idea of any dates etc.

Not against various groups fund raising in this way but, if I see bag packers at the Co-op I turn around and leave.. Had to many sour looks for refusing the ones I don't think I should be supporting.

I believe that all the regular service buses on Shetland are 'low floor' and have adjustable front suspension to further improve access. The bus service(?) (and I use that word advisedly) however, sucks, with little or no movement after 5pm. Best to get yourself somewhere near a ferry. Plenty of ramps etc. and a 16 hour a day service.

It's breathtaking that they can suggest 100%+ (or therabouts) extra for 'contingencies'. Looks like we're finally going to get a proper hole to throw all the money into.

My favourite approach to female callers is (with as sleazy a voice as I can manage); Hi, what are you wearing?. I hope it's something nice.. Doesn't take them long..

Wales is, used to be?, a great place for nicknames. The local baker (name of Richard) was known as "Dickie Crumb." "Dai the Liar" needs no explanation "Georgie 9" because there were 8 other George's on his shift. "Cap & Gown" because he had been to university. "NorthEye" because one of his eyes looked in a different direction to the other. "X" A giant of a man and lock forward for the village rugby team. There were a lot of other nicknames given in Welsh that just wouldn;t stand translation. Strange thing about it is that they were all proud of their nicknames and often used them in place of the real one.

Haynes Manuals aka The Beginners Guide to Percussive Maintenance..

Hmm. Everything except "stagger". I'd better not try drafting any peace treaties for a while..