Events coming up in 2025…….

9^th and 23^rd January: Games Mornings. The Mclean Hall Committee’s Games Mornings will continue on a fortnightly basis in the new year. Join Lesley and Frances between 10.00 and 12.00 for indoor curling, table tennis and quoits as well as homebakes, a cuppa and a chat.

28th January at 11.00: Baking for Burns Pop-Up. The FVA’s offering is not a Burns Supper, more of a Teacup Toast to Scotland’s most famous poet and lyricist. And a celebration of the best traditional Scottish baking. £3.00pp in the village hall.

4^th March at 11.00: Pancake Pop-Up. Shrove Tuesday falls late this year, so the FVA’s Pancake Pop-Up is not until March. Join us on 4^th March for freshly baked pancakes, straight from the griddle to the plate, and lots of toppings to go with them. £3.00pp in the village hall.

29^th March 4-5pm: Fearnan Village Association Annual General Meeting. All members welcome, the venue is the village hall.

12^th April between 15.00 – 17.00: The FVA will be serving an Easter-themed Afternoon Tea in the village hall. Join us for some traditional bakes, freshly made tea and coffee, and hopefully some Spring weather.

13^th May at 11.00: Kaffee und Kuchen Pop-Up. Last year, the FVA took some Italian inspiration for one of the Pop-Ups and this year it’s a German theme, so if you think black forest gateau, apple cake, stollen or strudel, you’re on the right lines. £3.00 in the village hall.

Past Events

Mulled Wine and Mince Pies

The Mulled Wine evening was a very relaxed and enjoyable event, and a chance to catch up with friends and neighbours. The mulled wine was home made and Neil and Fran were responsible for the last minute adjustments and getting it ready to serve. We also had some non-alcoholic options along with lots and lots of mince pies.

Many thanks to Frances who made the table decorations and dressed the sparkly tree.

Fearnan Book Club

Linda writes:

In December, instead of our usual book club session in the hall, the Book Club had an enjoyable pre-Christmas meal at the Waterfront Restaurant, Kenmore. During the evening, we voted on our favourite book of the year. The winner, with the most votes, was  Rose Nicholson, a fairly chunky historical novel by the contemporary Scottish author Andrew Greig.

Before the Book Club signs off for the year, there is one more review, provided this time by Elaine.

Elaine writes:

This book, Murder Before Evensong, is the first in a series by Rev. Richard Coles, where the sleuth is Daniel Clement the Rector of the parish of Champton.  

He lives in the rectory with his widowed mother Audrey and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda.

The book was shortlisted for the British Book Awards 2023 Crime and Thriller Book of the Year, but the members of the Book Group did not feel that the book lived up to that expectation.  It must be revealing, however, that none of our group identified the murderer, although, with hindsight, there were clues.

The plot was slow initially, only speeding up once there had been the first murder. Some did not finish the book and other found it quite an effort to complete it.

Because the main character was a rector there was a portrait of parish life, demonstrating the rector’s deep faith and his care of his parishioners.  Some wondered if the book might have been biographical of Richard Coles himself.

The characters were well described and felt real. All enjoyed the character of Audrey, who was a comic foil to the rector, and there were some wonderful descriptions in the book.

The Book Group members thought that the book could be made into a good drama and, apparently, it is being dramatized for Channel 5 on television!

In January, we will review The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn when we will also celebrate 10 years of the Fearnan Book Club. 

And Finally…….

Looking for a suitable Christmas sign-off, the Blog couldn’t resist quoting a paragraph from the Christmas email sent by Alastair Barnett from Vancouver. Alastair came to Fearnan as an evacuee during WW2 and has written fondly of his memories of the village (see Talking About Fearnan – A Wartime Childhood)

“It’s that time of year again—Christmas. And with it comes a flood of poignant memories of simpler times long past: sledging in the cow park, glowing logs fading in the hearth at Springbank, paraffin lamps, wood smoke curling from every cottage chimney, gardens lying still under a thick blanket of snow, and Ben Lawers, white-capped, towering over the loch, its surface shimmering silver in the moonlight. Can you tell I find it impossible to shake childhood memories of Fearnan?”

And with those evocative images in mind, we would like to wish you:

A very Merry Christmas and

a Healthy and Happy New Year in 2025

from Fearnan Village Association