Fearnan Village Association

Upcoming Events

6^th and 20^th March: Games Mornings. The Mclean Hall offers two more Games Mornings this season, on the 6th and 20th March, after which there will be a break. 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.

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

Celebrating Burns

There were no speeches, toasts or Immortal Memories at our Baking for Burns tribute to our national bard and lyricist at the end of January. But it was an excuse to enjoy some more traditional Scottish baking, and we did have some excellent Scottish music and even a little dancing.

The offerings on the table included mini Scotch pies, haggis ‘sausage’ rolls (very popular!), a Loch Tay fudge cake, Dundee Cake, treacle scones, shortbread and much more. Many thanks to all the bakers.

Extra special thanks to Doug, Hilary and Angus who provided a wonderful selection of Scottish music, helping to create a great atmosphere. The irrepressible Doug also led the dancing!

Don’t miss our next event The Pancake Pop-Up on Shrove Tuesday 4^th March.  Freshly made sweet and savoury pancakes to suit all tastes.

Fearnan Book Club Review of ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ by Sue Monk Kidd

Judith writes:

The novel’s main protagonist is 14-year-old Lily who lives with her abusive father and African-American maid, Rosaleen. Lily has a hazy memory of how her mother died and this, together with her guilt that she might be responsible, has shaped her young life. Rosaleen is arrested and beaten up after spitting ‘snuff juice’ on the shoes of three white men. Lily breaks her out of hospital and the two go on the run, heading to Tiburon, a place written on the back of an image of the Virgin Mary which Lily’s mother had owned.

She sees the same ‘Black Mary’ image on a jar of honey in a store and follows directions to the makers: the Boatwright sisters, August, May and June, who are all black. Invited to stay with the sisters, as Lily’s mother had before her since August used to be her nanny, Lily and Rosaleen learn the sisters’ ways, are involved in the crises of their lives and Lily learns about bees.

Lily finally learns the truth about her mother who had stayed with the sisters to escape her husband. Her mother had returned to the family home to retrieve all her possessions, including Lily, but was disturbed by her husband returning early. In the ensuing fight, Lily is meant to have picked up her mother’s gun which, accidentally discharging, kills her mother. In the final chapters, Lily’s father arrives, agrees to allow Lily to continue living with the Boatwright sisters and suggests (although not quite confirms) that Lily was the one to accidentally kill her mother.

The book was generally well-received with most enjoying the story. The characters, especially the Boatwright sisters and Rosaleen were well-crafted and interesting although, since the point of view was that of Lily, some would have liked to hear more of other characters’ inner thoughts. The prose was considered engaging with wonderful descriptions and images, such as dragonflies flying as though they were stitching up the air. Some questioned the likelihood of Rosaleen spitting on a white man’s shoes and the rather far-fetched coincidence of Lily and Rosaleen landing at the very same house which Lily’s mother had also done before her. There was some reflection of whether the deep prejudices that divided the society at the time were realistically portrayed. However, most believed that the overt, and covert, racism was not the main message of the book; rather it was about finding love, healing, and purpose in unexpected places.

Up-Coming Events in Fearnan

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

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.

Northern Lights

The Northern Lights can be quite elusive and easy to miss, but every so often we get lucky.

Let’s hope the appearance of this aurora in the skies over Fearnan on 1st January is a good omen for 2025!

Fearnan Book Club 10^th Anniversary

Linda writes:

At our first meeting of 2025, we celebrated 10 years of the Fearnan Book Club. The details of the very first meeting were recorded on the FVA Blog so we were able to look back and see that it took place on the 20th January 2015, having been postponed for a week due to bad weather!

The first book read was The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith. Many of the original members still attend and the group has now grown to 12 members (we also know there is a wider circle of Blog readers who include our selected books on their own reading lists). We are a very enthusiastic group of readers who have enjoyed reading a wide range of genres over the years. We take turns to choose the book and enjoy being challenged when the book selected is something we might not otherwise have read.  Our discussions are far reaching and over the years we have explored many themes and, of course, haven’t always agreed! Even during Covid lockdown, we selected and reviewed books monthly online.

To mark the occasion, Frances had created one of her legendary carrot cakes decorated beautifully with a stack of books, one of which was ominously titled ‘Murder in the Hall‘, complete with dagger and spy glass. Elaine got the evening under way by opening a very large bottle to toast the club.

We looked back at our favourite books over the years and reminisced over books enjoyed. Since 2016, at our annual pre-Christmas meal, we have voted for our favourite book of the year.

2016: His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
2017: The Dry by Jane Harper
2018: The Other Hoffmann Sister by Ben Fergusson
2019:  The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz; The Lost Man by Jane Harper (Joint)
2020: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
2021: The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri; Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior;The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey; 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world by Elif Shafak
2022: The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
2023: The Bookseller of Inverness by S.G. McLean
2024: Rose Nicholson by Andrew Greig

We look forward to another 10 years of sharing and discussing our chosen books, starting with The Whalebone Theatre.

At our first book club meeting of 2025, we reviewed The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn. This was a substantial read, and we were glad we’d allowed ourselves two months to read it.

This book received an overwhelmingly positive response from the group who were impressed by such a beautifully written, well researched and compelling debut novel. It is a historical fiction family saga which explores many themes.

It follows the lives of three siblings, Christabel, Flossie and Digby from their childhood between the wars to the dangerous undercover roles they played during WW2. The setting was Dorset where the family lived in a grand country house with the associated lifestyle which was well described. The heroine, Christabel is brave and headstrong. We found her escapades both amazing and amusing. The children were allowed to have a wild, unsupervised childhood which shaped their characters. They find a whale washed up on the beach in 1928 and use the rib cage to build a theatre where their imagination can come to life. This in some way compensated for the lack of affection from their parents and their strict governess. We followed the children through the decades as they grew up to find their place in the world. We predicted the death of one of the siblings which illustrated the futility of war. We commented that Flossie experienced the biggest life journey. Her romance with a German POW was well portrayed. The characterisation was excellent, and we recognised many of the secondary characters as being typical of that era and class.

Some found the first part slow but agreed that this was necessary to introduce and develop the characters. The book was in five different time periods and gathered pace as the family dynamics changed and the children grew as individuals.

As we reflected on the book, many of us recalled images in the story that impacted on us e.g. Christobel planting a flag in the whale to claim it, the camaraderie of pre-war training in Scotland, the joy of playing with a wooden sword.

Playacting, love of the stage and the activities around the Whalebone Theatre are themes throughout the book. Christabel stages a play about the end of the war, and it finally opens as a venue for local children as she imagines a future for it.

Our next read is the 2001 novel, ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ by Sue Monk Kidd. It is set in 1964 during the civil rights era. It is a powerful story of the ability of love to transform our lives. It was also adapted for the 2008 film of the same name.

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.

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

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:

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

Saturday 14^th December: Mulled Wine & Mince Pies

And 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.

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

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.

That’s our programme up to the middle of the year, we will publish our events for the rest of the year shortly.

Past Events:

Remembrance Sunday 2024

The service was well attended and led by Shirley Shearer.  As ever, Cath had decorated the war memorial beautifully making it really stand out. Afterwards, tea was served by the FVA in the village hall, and many who had attended the service came to catch up with friends and neighbours.

A collection for Help for Heroes raised an impressive £98.37. Many thanks to all those who donated.

Some years ago, we researched the stories of the 8 men who are remembered on the Fearnan Memorial, and if you would like to read about these brave young men, you can find the article here .

Good News for Red Squirrels!

With the help of partners, landowners and local volunteers, the project is monitoring squirrel numbers across Scotland, managing the impact of squirrelpox, and helping to combat the spread of grey squirrels in key strategic areas.

Results from the nationwide survey, which took place between the 30 September and 6 October, show that during the week 1802 people reported over 2500 squirrel sightings, the second highest result to date and a 30% increase from 2023.

Contributions by the public also helped to detect low density grey squirrel incursion northwards in Perthshire and other Lowland areas, aiding conservationists in their efforts to protect the red-only population of the Scottish Highlands – the largest red-only area left in the UK hosting around 80% of Scotland’s native squirrels.

Fearnan Book Club Review

Linda writes:

We found it a gentle, easy read, although perhaps slow to get going. It was set in the wild, remote landscape of Eday, part of the Orkney archipelago. Interesting comparisons were made between his previous city life in Glasgow and his new rural environment.

We enjoyed the descriptions of the landscapes and his observations of the birds and weather as well as the lives of the people in his new community. We could relate to the hard working, down to earth, local crofters most of whom, could turn their hand to anything and coped with the harsh climate. We were enlightened about peat banks and peat cutting! 

Opinions varied regarding the doctor. He had a massive responsibility and had to deal with many situations himself due to the isolated location, lack of facilities and equipment and distance from the nearest hospital. This brought different stresses from life in his city practice. 

Some felt it was “too frothy” and a romantic view of a rural GP. He also took on a range of roles, minister, vet etc. Was he narcissistic? Did he think the world revolved round him? Some felt he lacked warmth or enthusiasm and that there was little social interaction for him and his family of five children. Others felt he had a massive responsibility and coped well with the immense challenges that his new life presented. 

The title of the book reminds us of the importance of listening to our heart as well as to the rhythms of the landscape. 

Although our opinions of the book or the doctor may have differed in some respects, we all agreed that we had enjoyed the discussion generated by the wide range of topics that arose from reading this book.

The Book Club’s next read is The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn and the Club members will be having their Christmas/end of term meal where they choose their book of the year for 2024.  

Up-Coming Events

If on-line surveys aren’t for you, come and chat at these venues:

• 10am – 12pm Fortingall Village Hall
• 2pm – 4pm Mclean Hall Fearnan
• 6pm – 8pm Reading Rooms Kenmore

There is more information about the Community Plan later in this Blog. Do please take the opportunity to contribute.

A Cuppa, some Homebakes and a Chat

There will also be the opportunity to play Indoor Curling, Quoits and Table Tennis, should the fancy so take you.

Past Event:

Halloween Pop-Up Coffee Shop

Good to see old friends and also some new faces.

On offer were Toffee Apple Cake, Gingerbread, Pumpkin Cake, themed cupcakes, chocolate spiders and skeleton gingerbread men.

Tom and Anna from Warm Connections joined us making their well-informed advice available on keeping warm over the winter whilst managing winter fuel costs and remaining environmentally sustainable – as well as providing free LED light bulbs!

Community Action Plan

Information about the Community Action Plan for the Loch Tay area, commissioned by the Glenlyon and Loch Tay Community Council and the Kenmore and District Community Council, has already been circulated by several organisations, so rather than repeat the same info, we are using this space to emphasise the importance of taking part in the associated survey.

The Plan that emerges from this process will provide clear evidence about what needs to be protected in our area and what new things need to happen to improve lives and places. Community Enterprise, an independent social enterprise with a specialism in community action planning, is supporting the process.

This is the link for the on-line survey, which will take roughly 20 minutes:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LochTay-Community-Survey

If you would prefer, you can attend one of the drop-in meetings that have been arranged and chat to Kate Sarti about the things that you would like to see covered in the Plan. You can do this on Monday 11^th November at:

• Fortingall Village Hall – 10.00 am– 12.00 pm
• Fearnan Village Hall – 2pm – 4pm
• Kenmore Reading Rooms – 6pm – 8pm

Please take this opportunity to have your say about Fearnan now and in the future.

Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir

This Blog has followed the fortunes of the Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir at successive Mods over the years, partly because its members include a number of very local people, and partly because the Choir is so good at bringing home the silverware! And this year was no different in that respect. Alan Brown, our ‘Choir-espondent’, has written a very interesting report on the Choir’s appearance at the mod this year, and it provides a number of insights into this national event that will help non-Gaelic speakers to understand the work that goes into participating, and how performances are judged.

Royal National Mod Report by Alan Brown

Each October Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir makes its way to the town or city chosen to house the Royal National Mod, the festival of Gaelic culture attracting competitors and audiences from across the world. In towns such as Airdrie or Paisley the Mod atmosphere can be lost a few streets away from the main venues but in this year’s choice – Oban – there is no chance of that happening.

Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir has been in existence since 1967. It’s a popular choir, has appeared on radio and television, dipped its collective toe in audio/video recording projects, sung in sunny Spain and all over not-so-sunny Scotland and won the highest awards for Gaelic and music at the Royal National Mod both individually and collectively.

So, another year, another Mod? Same old story? No, not this time! This was a Mod with a difference.

An Comunn Gaidhealach, the parent body of the Mod, issues very specific rules and guidelines for competitors in all its events, whether performing music, reciting, drama and, of more interest to us, singing. As well as solo, duets and quartets there are hard-fought competitions in Choral Music and these events are the focus of our visit. A whole year’s work goes into one long day’s performance.

For those readers who like some explanatory notes, there is more to choral singing than meets the ear. You may well know that a choir divides into four parts – soprano, alto, tenor and bass, with further occasional subdivisions. Sometimes all sing the same tune; sometimes something else happens. All pretty straightforward so far but, crucially, what has to emerge from all this individualism is a Choir Sound, so important that I have capitalised it.

Not stray voices, however sweet or robust; not soft and tender passages swamped by the charge of the anything-but-light brigade. One sound. Our geographical location means that our members from much further afield have to rely on the extremely useful but extremely limited phenomenon of Zoom. How can there be a Choir Sound when the choir is a bank of screens of disembodied heads? A Choir Sound comes only from a choir singing together. In person.

But such is the resilience of this Choir that we have established ourselves in the topflight despite having no native Gaelic speakers. The top choirs from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and, of course, the Islands have a regular conveyor belt supply of nurses, teachers and students from Gaelic-speaking areas who move to the cities and bring the language as their natural tongue.

When you consider also that each competition is judged on a total of 200 marks – 100 for Gaelic and 100 for music – we are very grateful to our Gaelic Tutor Gilliain MacDonald who though not a native speaker has graduated from university to be qualified to teach in Gaelic Medium Schools.

But to the competitions. The Friday saw us competing against the many friends we have met on our travels. The morning event is for sung Puirt a Beul or Mouth Music and we performed well against the top choirs.

Afternoon was the Margrat Duncan Trophy where we were singing two songs with which we had struggled over the preceding months. All seemed to click, however, and we gave an excellent performance. We were disappointed to be placed 4th with the marks very close but delighted to be placed first equal with Glasgow Govan and win the Stafffinders Quaich for Music!

With the pressure off, the Massed Choirs event on Saturday morning was the expected colourful highlight after marching behind a pipe band through the centre of Oban and assembling as a huge choir at the Railway Pier. The Mod banner was handed on to the Lochaber 2025 Mod Convener and that was Mod Obainn 2024.

A Mod with a difference it certainly was in another way. It was the final time Musical Director May Brown would conduct the Choir at a Mod. Her 16 years at the helm was marked by the Association of Gaelic Choirs with a special presentation during the Massed Choirs.

She will hand over the baton after a Concert as guests of Aberfeldy Community Choir in December. The Gaelic Choir will always welcome anyone interested in joining through a love of Gaelic music. We meet on Mondays in Aberfeldy Town Hall at 7.30 pm. Look out for our monthly news column in The Quair.

Future Social Events

Past Events:

MacMillan Coffee Morning

Linda writes:

The annual MacMillan Coffee Morning, hosted by the Hall Committee, was held recently in the McLean Hall. Everyone who attended was very generous with their donations and enthusiastically tried competitions, bought raffle tickets and goods from the sales table.

We also had donations from non-attenders for this great cause raising a total of £480. The hampers which were kindly donated by the Kenmore Bakery and the Courtyard were won by Louise Carney and a visitor from Morenish. 

 Hazel Brockie was the winner of the Colin the Caterpillar cake by guessing almost exactly how many coffee cups were on a poster.

Many thanks to all of our enthusiastic and generous guests and to the great team who contributed with setting up, baking, helping on the day and clearing up. Your efforts were much appreciated by all. 

Fab Friday

Lesley writes:

Of course, there was a delicious home baked afternoon tea with opportunities to chat and interact with old and new friends. 

Table Tennis, Indoor Curling, Quoits and board games were enthusiastically played, and expertise shared. Lesley and Frances would like to thank everyone who came along to take part and those who supported and helped in any way to make this event a success.

Quiz Night

Linda writes:

The previous winning team of Judith, John, Pat and Alistair held on to the McLean Hall Quiz Night shield for another few months.

Our next quiz will be held in Spring 2025, so you have time to sharpen up your quizzing skills and perhaps your knowledge of collective nouns! 

The money raised on the night, along with donations and the raffle, will be shared between the hall and the SCAA. Thanks to Elaine for her quiz setting and to everyone who helped, took part and generously donated.

Fearnan Book Club Review

Linda writes:

In September we reviewed Rose Nicholson by Andrew Greig, a contemporary Scottish writer. The author cleverly wove a fictional narrative through an interesting and dramatic period of Scottish history.

One of the group who never reads historical fiction, was full of praise for the ‘carefully written book with a complicated plot’ and rated it as a first class piece of writing which was historically accurate.

The book follows the young student Will Fowler, of low birth but full of ambition, as he begins his studies at St. Andrew’s university. The character was well developed and grew on us as we read on. The other characters were considered believable.

A vivid picture was painted of life at the university at that time and also gave an insight into life in general in Scotland at various levels of society. The studies of philosophy, religion and literature were mainly conducted in Latin which we thought must have been very challenging. One of the group was interested to read the author’s ‘take’ on the university a hundred years after the centre of learning was moved from Dull. (Historical Note: Dull was an early centre for pagan learning and around the 7^th century St Adomnan, the Abbot of Iona, founded a monastery at Dull, which became a centre for scholarship, a form of early university. Teaching began in St Andrews in 1413, and the university was formally constituted in 1413.)

The other main characters, the siblings Rose and Tom Nicholson (a fellow student) are from a poor fishing family. Rose, a beautiful, young fisherwoman, was intelligent, opinionated and educated beyond her social level mainly by her brother. She was restricted by her gender and class and spoke out about the injustices imposed on women by the church. She and Will are linked romantically and his passion for her is well written. We willed her to stop talking herself into trouble with her outspoken opinions. 

As always in the group opinions differed. Some struggled with the complex politics and history but loved the characters. One felt it painted a sanitised picture of the time, too clean, too romanticised and needed to be rougher. For some, historical fiction was not their thing and didn’t read on. It meant a lot to one of the group who knew the area well and was familiar with the old houses which still cluster round the harbour. She commented that the 16th century college of the book was now St. Leonard’s School. The family of Auchterlonie, the golfer in the book, still feature in St. Andrews life.

Lots of old Scots words are used throughout the book but a helpful glossary is included. Most of us found that we didn’t need to refer to it and recalled the language of our grandparents. 

We did learn that a bejant was a first-year student and how the academic red gown is worn, indicates which year the student is in. This tradition was introduced with the gown post Reformation. The gown is gradually lowered as the student progresses. 

We agreed that the ending was pulled together well and was left open for Will to choose what to do next. 

The September Social on Saturday 14^th provided an enjoyable social opportunity for friends and neighbours to get together. There are plenty more social events coming up in the next few weeks and they are listed below.

Friday 4th October: Fab Friday in the McLean Hall 2-4pm

During the first week in October, Age UK are encouraging events to be held by communities offering social activities that welcome folk to come along and have some fun.  

Japanese Knotweed

As reported in the last Blog, the initial treatment phase of Japanese Knotweed that took place in 2023 has been followed up with a further application of treatment.

In addition, initial treatment has also started on another large clump and these huge stems need to be injected with weed killer which is then drawn, by the plant, into the rhizomes and kills them.

The photos show Jenny (somewhat dwarfed by the Japanese Knotweed) hard at work in her fetching hazmat suit and injection gun to hand.

And Finally……. A Cautionary Tale!

This is a cautionary tale for all the Silver Surfers in the village!

The Computer Swallowed Grandma

The computer swallowed grandma.
Yes, honestly its true!
She pressed ‘control’ and ‘enter’
And disappeared from view.

It devoured her completely,
The thought just makes me squirm.
She must have caught a virus
Or been eaten by a worm.

I’ve searched through the recycle bin
And files of every kind;
I’ve even searched the Internet,
But nothing did I find.

In desperation, I asked Google
My searches to refine.
The reply from it was negative,
Not a thing was found online.

So, if inside your Inbox,
My Grandma you should see,
Please Copy, Scan and Paste her
In an email back to me.

Fearnan Diary

Here are some of the events taking place in the next few weeks:

Japanese Knotweed Update

Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant affecting many areas of Scotland. In Fearnan, it grows along the loch shore and inland by the burn that flows down by the Brae.  Fortunately there is a plan  to deal with it, thanks to the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI)  a 5-year project which aims to work with local organisations and volunteers to control invasive non-native species along riversides in Northern Scotland, for the benefit of our native wildlife and communities. 

Four volunteers from Fearnan have undergone training on how to control Japanese knotweed and apply the appropriate weedkiller. 

The initial phase of Japanese knotweed eradication started last year in September and continued until the first frost.   However, it is necessary to continue to control the plant every year, at this time of year and may take 3-4 years to complete.

Our intrepid team (above) are about to start work on this year’s treatments and Joe has provided this update

Joe writes:

Following the work carried out to inject and spray JKW along the Loch shore bordering Fearnan, approximately between the speed limit signs at either end of the village, and a couple of other areas in the village, we are about to have another session to “mop up” the remnants.

Last year, during two sessions at the end of August early September, the majority of the work involved injecting weedkiller into the stems of the JKW. Injection is the optimum means of attacking the large well-established stems of JKW; injecting a dose of weedkiller into the hollow, bamboo like, stems. This is then drawn, by the plant, into the rhizomes and kills them. For the smaller stems the weedkiller is applied by a spray.

An inspection earlier this year showed that although the treatment had been very successful, as expected, however, there are still some “stragglers” remaining.

We are over the next few weeks hoping for some dry, windless days to allow us to address these “stragglers” which, due to their size, will need to be sprayed. The expectation is, that should we be able to get this dry window this year, that this should clear up the JKW in the village.

If anyone feels they may have seen any JKW around the village it would be very helpful to know where, so that when Mark Purrmann-Charles of the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative is here we may address it.

(If you would like to report any sightings of JKW, please let any member of the team know, or email the Blog – fiona@fearnanvillageassociation – and I will pass on the message.)

More Plant News!

It is a medicinal fungus mainly used to treat various forms of pain in China and is classed as inedible/poisonous.

Fearnan Book Club Review

Linda writes:

The book reviewed by the group in August was ‘The Gathering Storm’ by Lynne McEwan, an atmospheric crime thriller. 

This was considered an easy read and an interesting concept, although some of the events were perhaps not believable eg. exploding haggis! Although it was a complex plot with a lot going on, it was not difficult to follow. However, the story was not considered memorable, and some didn’t want to continue reading the series.  

It is one of a series of novels featuring DI Shona Oliver as the main character. Some commented about enjoying reading about a female detective. We also felt that there will have been detail in the previous books that would have helped clarify references to her past.

Most of the group liked Shona and her daughter Becca. Her unusual back story involved her husband being in jail, she was running a B& B and was also a lifeboat volunteer. We were amazed at how much she managed to achieve in her busy life and at how she kept going with such a turbulent private and work life. In the midst of all this, she had an affair with the man she was protecting. One of us compared it to Eastenders!

She and her daughter were in danger with death threats being made linked to her husband’s conviction. The bodyguards Ric and Ben, detailed to look after them, were well portrayed and one felt they even deserved their own book. 

We found the dipping in and out of the Scot’s language off putting and felt there should have been continuity. 

The setting was interesting, with a film featuring Robert Burns being shot on an island in the Solway Firth. 

Some felt the ending was weak, rushed and let the story down. It didn’t feel well plotted and (Spoiler Alert!) allowing the murderer walk away didn’t feel true to Shona’s character. 

P.S. The eagle-eyed amongst you, may have spotted that the cover image is of the Bow Fiddle Rock off the Moray Coast whereas the book was set around the Solway Firth. 

Here are some of the things happening in Fearnan over the autumn and early winter.

Open Gate Festival 23^rd August – 1^st September

Here’s another series of dates and some interesting local events and visits. Aberfeldy’s Healthiest Town project is launching an Open Gate Festival from August 23^rd to 1st September. It includes a mix of tours, talks and tastings as food growers open their gates to visitors around Highland Perthshire. The aim is to encourage people to eat more local, and more healthy food by showcasing the best of what is being produced in the area.

Dozens of growers and producers have signed up to the 10-day festival – from farms and professional market gardens to foragers and hobbyists. Open Gate is about inspiring us to eat more of what we grow here, enticing people with exciting recipes and hopefully even motivate more of us to grow our own or get involved in community food projects.

The programme includes visits to and activities at farms such as Tombreck Farm or Little Trochy Veg Farm. You could go Found Food Foraging with Charlotte Flower, forage for fungi with Duncan Pepper, learn about cultivating oyster mushrooms and about increasing the resilience, adaptability and biodiversity of your garden. There are films, walks and hands on activities – some great days out!  Quite a few events need to be booked, so check out the full programme here: https://www.healthiesttown.org/open-gate

Last Saturday, the Village Association hosted its first Strawberry Tea since the pandemic, and it proved to be a popular move with the 60 or so people who attended. We were delighted to welcome people from across the area – from Killin to Aberfeldy – including a number who were visitors on holiday.

It has to be said that things weren’t looking all that good on Friday, when we discovered there was a local shortage of strawberries with a number of suppliers cancelling their weekend deliveries as rain and a lack of sun had affected the crop. Fortunately, we found enough sources of berries and a big thank you to the Courtyard Shop for going out of their way to find alternative supplies.

Once things were underway, plates were quickly filled and before long, there were only a few crumbs left, as these before and after photos show!

Many thanks to all those who contributed to the baking effort and who helped us put on such an excellent table from savouries such as strawberry bruschetta and sandwiches, to sweet treats including magnificent cakes, meringues, scones and pavlova.

Scottish Charity Air Ambulance

Instead of charging for takeaways, we’ve started asking folk to put a donation in the SCAA box. Good result! Thank you for your generosity.

Fearnan Book Club Review

Linda writes:

 At our recent meeting, The Quaker by Liam  McIlvanney was discussed with enthusiasm.  This book was the winner of the 2018 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year.

Plot summary: It is 1969 and Glasgow has been brought to its knees by a serial killer spreading fear throughout the city. The Quaker has taken three women from the same nightclub and brutally murdered them in the backstreets. The novel takes its inspiration from the real-life murders that horrified Glasgow in 1968/9 by a perpetrator christened Bible John. In McIlvanney’s re-imagining, his murderer is dubbed The Quaker.

Our group thought that initially its pace was slow but then it became a page turner. It was a chilling and at times a hard read with interesting twists. 

The characters were well developed, and Cormack and Goldie had a special mention from the group. The descriptions of the murdered women and their back stories were portrayed well. The gripping chapters written from the women’s point of view ensured they were given a voice. We felt the descriptions of life and the atmosphere in Glasgow in the 1960s felt authentic and true to life. 

The Barrowland ballroom was described as a gritty, seedy place where the dancing provided an escape from reality and hard lives. Men and women sought anonymity and removed wedding rings to appear available. When seeking witnesses. this made the detectives’ job difficult as people were not keen to come forward. 

The image of the Glasgow Police Force, the chain-smoking policemen and the absence of female officers was true to that era. Many in the force in those days were from Argyll, as was Cormack, a talented  young detective brought in to solve this ongoing case and find the murderer. The Highlanders sought each other out to exchange tales and memories from their home area eg. Ballachulish. 

There was clever plotting with the interweaving of two storylines. 

Some didn’t see the ending coming but it was agreed that all aspects were pulled together and rounded off in an acceptable manner.

Our next read is The Gathering Storm by Lynne McEwan. 

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