Last Saturday’s Strawberry TeaZ was one of the best ever, with around 60 folk arriving to help consume a pretty impressive table of strawberry delights, both sweet and savoury.  We were delighted to welcome so many local residents, as well as a pleasing number of visitors and passers-by.

The photos speak for themselves:

By the end, there was hardly a crumb – and certainly not a strawberry – left.  Many thanks to all who contributed baking and helped make the event one to remember.

Cut Out for the Job?

We have two new residents!  Bob has been busy on the main Lochside road making sure the traffic slows down and observes the speed limit, while Annie (Get Your Gun) has been making sure cars maintain a sensible speed in and around the village.

We’re not sure how many tickets they have actually issued, but they really do seem to be making a difference to the speed of traffic.

Road Safety Meeting

On Monday 22^nd July, the Loch Tay and Glen Lyon Community Council hosted a meeting on Road Safety.  The roads under discussion were the A827 (mainly the Kenmore to Lawers section), the road through Fearnan and onwards to Fortingall, Quarry Road and the Glen Lyon roads.  Cllr Mike Williamson attended the meeting, along with 2 representatives from Perth and Kinross Council Roads Departments.

The main issues raised by those attending included: the fact the roads are inadequate for the size of vehicles currently using them, drivers not being used to single track roads, speeding and irresponsible over-taking, problems for pedestrians (eg trying to cross the A827 in Fearnan to the loch, or walkers on various roads), passing places (too few and not clearly marked), satnavs taking inappropriately large vehicles into Quarry Road at the Letterellen turnoff rather than at the main junction, and poor signage /overgrown signs.

The solutions discussed included:

• Reviewing the speed limits through villages on the A827 and in some cases extending the controlled zone (eg Kenmore to Dalerb);
• Vehicle Activated Speed signs; warning signs where the speed limit is about to change; and repeater signs through the controlled section; ‘Oncoming Vehicles in the Middle of Road’ signs where appropriate; and a review of pinch-points on the A827;
• Use of the Mobile Camera Van (temporary speed trap) will be applied for;
• Passing places need to be tidied and clearly marked; 
• Consider designating the stretch from Fearnan to Fortingall a Walking and Cycling Route with an appropriate speed limit;
• More prominent signage where needed;
• More passing places for Glen Lyon;
• Better signage to discourage inappropriately large vehicles from eg Quarry Road and Glen Lyon;
• Address problems created by unofficial rallies (groups of bikes, motor bikes and specialist vehicles) through Glen Lyon.

It was agreed that the Council officers would discuss the issues raised with their teams and come back to Mike Williamson with planned action and dates.

Wildlife

Keith’s been climbing trees again – this time to ring two broods, each of three osprey chicks, by Loch Tay. All were colour-ringed with a plastic ring carrying an individual code so that migrating birds can be recognised on their way to and from their winter home in Western Africa.

There are many fantastic illustrations in Keith’s new book – Glen of the Lapwing – featuring the varied wildlife of Glenquaich Estate in Glen Quaich. The book is available from Keith’s gallery (at £25) and signed copies are also available at the Fortingall Art Exhibition, where some of the artwork from the book is on display.

Book Club

Linda has provided this month’s book review:

Our book for July, The Lost Man by Jane Harper, was essentially a family drama – a gripping, compelling tale and another example of “outback noir.” This is the third novel by this author that we have read and discussed as a group and this gave us an opportunity to compare and contrast. The Dry, her debut novel, was regarded by our group as the best of the three, followed by The Lost Man, another page turner.

As in all of her novels, we were transported from the mixed weather of our Scottish summer to the consistent and unrelenting heat, dust and challenges of life in the Australian outback. Everything was affected by the environment. 

The main characters were from the same extended but discordant family with complicated relationships and back stories, which were revealed and developed as the story progressed. The narrative was told through the eyes of Nathan, one of three brothers who was struggling to make a go of it and lived a rather solitary life. When one of the brothers was found dead in the outback, the question posed was suicide or murder?

As the story progressed, secrets and lies emerged, twists and turns and red herrings were thrown in as we tried to guess who the murderer was. Finally all was revealed and the guilty family member was uncovered – but was protected for reasons that soon became apparent. Under the circumstances, it appeared to be a happy ending, but who knows!

Our read for August is Ill Met by Moonlight by W Stanley Moss, set in Crete during the German occupation in WW2. It is a true story written by one of the participants in the audacious kidnap of the German General in charge of Crete by British officers, supported by Cretan resistance fighters. 

We are also planning to watch the 1957 film, starring Dirk Bogarde, and to compare book and film.

Coming Soon

The Pop Up Coffee Shop is taking a beak in August, but will be back on Tuesday 17th September at 10.30am in Fearnan Hall.