I decided a month or two back to take part the Polaroid 10k race series here in Scotland. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the series, and as the 10k has been a distance I’ve sometimes struggled with (compared to 5k and half marathon’s, my times are a bit below where they “should” be according to time predictors), it seemed like a great opportunity to try attacking my PB.
As there are four events in the series, I decided the first event was really more of a “see where I am” event. The Helensburgh course is also a bit hillier than the 2nd and 3rd events, so if I was going to dent my PB, a bit of patience was in order. My training over the last couple of months has been pretty well focused on the 10k events. A good few sharp sessions pushing my pace and making me feel comfortable. Fellow Glasgow parkrun race director Alan and I have met up on a few occasions now and sneaked in some decent sessions during the week, which complimented my running club sessions nicely. Throw in some good mileage, and I’ve been feeling pretty good about where I am.
So after collecting the chip for timing, lined up at the start, finding a spot at the back of a group of runners from my running club. Didn’t want to set off too fast, and thought keeping pace with them would work nicely. After the start, I was feeling very comfortable. Unfortunately I’d made the mistake of trying out a new setting on my race watch (Garmin 304), and that setting involved it beeping at me if I was under/over pace. Not bad when I’m out training on my own, but beeping watches annoy me in races. So I faffed about and managed to switch off the mode I was using (Virtual partner, if you’re interested), but in doing so noticed it inserted an extra ‘lap’ and also paused things, which threw things out a bit until I restarted it. Consequently my record of the run is a bit messed up, and it’s hard to be precise about km markers.
The course had been adjusted from usual, due to some gas works, and I understand it was a tiny bit hillier than normal. But the hill training I’ve done meant it was easy to keep my effort constant and make good progress in the slightly hillier first half. My pace in the first few km seems to have been around 4:25-4:30 mark (I’d been thinking of something closer to 4:20). But I enjoyed the wide, largely straight roads which gave great targets to head for and a nice bit of consistency, and room to pass runners.
After about 4k I realised my pace was a fair bit slower than I’d been after, so decided to pick things up somewhat. I’d long since past most of the group I’d set off with, so began creating targets, goals, picking off runners and reeling them in. I hit 5k at around 22m42s minutes (hard to tell exactly given my watch laps were out; basing this on Ascent calculated splits), and started to think a negative split was very much on the cards. The second half felt a bit flatter than the first half, so that helped too. Best of all though I felt like I was doing almost all of the passing. Perhaps a couple of people passed me, but if they did, they didn’t get far away. My average pace was falling nicely, and my last couple of km were safely in target 4:15-4:20 range. Broken out by my GPS software, it seems my mile splits were 07:17, 07:20, 07:14, 07:13, 07:09, 06:46 and an average of 06:25 for the last .2 miles. Tasty.
The only negative from the run was through a silly mistake I made as I neared the end. I’d got it in my head the finish was around a particular corner. When I rounded it, I was dismayed to see another 300-400m ahead of me before the corner! I did the right things though: dug deep, kept at it, didn’t lose focus (picked off a couple more runners) – and crossed the line in 44:07, which is a new PB by 20s from my previous best last year, and a negative split. 1st 5k at around 22:42, and 2nd 5k in around 21:25 (give or take a few seconds). I felt in fine form too. Tired from the last km push, but not overly exhausted.
Besides the negative split, I’m feeling quite pleased at getting my race strategy – bar the precise pace – pretty much spot on (a rare occurrence in my experience). Didn’t really feel like I put in my maximum effort, and certainly don’t really feel any adverse affects today. Plenty more in the tank (good job too, I’m running Strathclyde parkrun for the first time!). So the goal for the next event in the series next Thursday is to pick up the pace more to get my time down into the 43 minute range. Aiming for 4:17’s or so in the first half, and then see if I can pick it up any more in the second half.
All in all, a great event, and a superb way to spend a lovely evening. Some spectacular views over the Clyde, some great support out on the course, and a challenging route, and absolutely excellent organisation: Easily one of the best organised paid events I’ve taken part in.
I’ve long disliked our voting system. It has given the Labour and Tory parties absolute Westminster power for years. But by their share of the popular vote they’ve been minority governments. That also correlates with a long-term decline in turnout, a decreasing engagement with politics, and many voters finding their votes count for nothing because they live in a ’safe’ seat: Only about 100 seats changed hands in this election.
These days I live in Glasgow. The definition of safe Labour territory. All seven constituencies here have returned Labour MP’s this time around, as they have done for years. But I got to wondering what the actual share of the vote was, and how behind Labour is this city, really?
The problem for me with the electoral system is that the way people vote has fundamentally changed. We used to vote for local candidates to represent us in parliament: our system – one that’s been unchanged for a long time – reflects that with local constituencies and individual names on the ballot paper. There was no broadcast media when it formed. However, despite this, voters now vote for and associate primarily with parties – and not individual candidates. This perhaps most recently exemplified by leadership debates, to the way the media reports the election, and the decline in local engagement (Glasgow South had just one hustings). I’d therefore suggest most voters would be hard-pressed to name their “preferred” party candidate as they go to vote: rather they’re mainly looking for party symbols.
I know there are proponents of First Past The Post – amongst them my returned MP – but low turnout in ultra-safe constituencies, and the disenfranchisement of many, is the price that’s paid. The electorates desire for representation by different parties are ignored, and often (although not in my constituency) more people vote for other parties than the winning candidate, than support them. This is not a long term sustainable approach.
I don’t hold for arguments for ’strong’ governments being ‘necessary’. Coalitions work in Germany, and many other places. They work very well in Scotland, as also does a minority government right now. To suggest we can’t get used to coalitions is to dismiss the electorate as unable to cope with compromise. Goodness me, wasn’t it actually refreshing to hear our politicians reflective about compromise this morning?
The detail is 417,578 people were eligible to vote in Glasgow, and 229,223 did so. A turnout of 54.89% – Compare that to the national average turnout of 65.1% (as of 4pm). 10% lower where there is a predominant assumption that Labour will win. To me that suggests that FPTP in safe seats (which is most), does not encourage engagement. Even if you add a little for the fact that the dynamic in Scotland is different, with the Scottish parliament controlling much of the ‘domestic’ agenda we see picked over in the national media.
If we look at how the votes were cast, based on the four main parties across the region, the SNP secured 17.32%, the Liberal Democrats 13.70%, Labour 56.2%, and the Conservatives 7.63%. Other parties just 2.83%. If we take the total vote and allocate out Glasgow’s 7 seats based on that – in a simple proportional way (it assumes people would have voted the same in different systems, but as we have no measure of what their preference would actually be, it’ll have to do), Labour would get 4 seats, the SNP, Liberal Democrat and Conservatives would get 1 seat each. Quite interesting to compare it to the Glasgow regional votes in the 2007 Scottish parliament elections (Labour 38.2%, SNP 27%, Liberal Democrat 7.2%, Conservative 6.7%, Green 5.2%).
So in short, 43.8% of people in Glasgow, who cared enough to vote, did not support the Labour party, for which the city is assumed to be loyal. Of course, Labour is still very much the dominant party even looked at this way, but it’s not the 100% support that the 7 returned Labour MP’s suggest. Plus turnout across Glasgow was 10% lower than the national average. If people actually felt their vote would matter, how much higher would it have been?
We have the system we have. Congratulations to the MP’s who were returned, and I trust and hope they’ll execute their tasks well.
My issue with the system remains that as a result of voting patterns shifting to parties, not candidates, and the voting system not reflecting that, a large proportion of the electorate are disenfranchised. Their votes do not count, because the boundaries are arbitrary, and we insist on returning the candidate with the most votes, not candidates that reflect the will of the people.
Solutions? I think the Scottish parliamentary electoral system is excellent. We maintain the constituency link that’s so important, and have regional MSP’s who are allocated based on share of the vote. The only draw back is the party list system that has, so I’d argue for a wider involvement of the public in selecting candidates – a primary of sorts – before they go on that shortlist.
I know many people disagree it’s necessary to reform our voting system (not least, my MP), but the cost of not working to revise the system to ensure that it reflects the wider will of the people will be reducing turnout, reduced engagement in politics, and a continuation of the strange situation where a handful of ‘marginal’ seats determine who actually takes power. The voters in a hundred or so constituencies are where Governments are decided, not the country as a whole, and that can’t be right.
Glasgow may well always be heavily Labour, but it saddens me that a large minority of voters – such as myself – are being ignored, simply because we have an outdated voting system that reflects a bygone age.
My apologies for the continued lack of posts. When I’m not working, out running, doing Glasgow parkrun related things, or helping out with parkrun HQ techie things, I’m either cooking or trying to spend a bit of time with Frances.
I’ve also had a bit of a strain in my left foot the last couple of weeks. I suspect a too-tight shoelace a while back, and a slightly odd profile to my feet (oh the things you learn reading this), have bruised or strained something. So I’m doing the sensible thing and resting: Just a few easy paced runs. Think that’s done the job so hope to be back to normal soon and, most importantly, back to some speed training. A shame, as things were really starting to come together for a 5k or 10k PB challenge. Ah well.
Anyway, Frances had an early start on Sunday for work (which sadly lasted most of the day), so I grabbed the opportunity to go ‘give back’ a little and support a couple of friends, the many Bellahouston Road Runners, and plenty of parkrunners I recognised, who were running in the Balloch to Clydebank Half Marathon. I’d run this myself last year (1:40:57) as build up to my London Marathon, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I do hope to run it again next year.
We then nipped down to Alexandria to support the runners after a few miles, before heading to The Hill (via the BP garage for a nice cup of coffee). I remember I got a lot of support from Brendan and Nick last year at this spot, as it’s the last notable incline before the descent into Clydebank.
I’d hoped to get to the finish, but managed to get into a bit of a fiddle trying to park up, so all the people I’d been hoping to support across the line had already finished by the time I got there. Everybody seemed to have a good run, and a few PB’s along the way. I think the Bella ladies got three of the top four positions, which is great. A great effort at the front of the gents event too, with a new-comer to the half marathon distance storming away.
But anybody completing the half marathon distance deserves congratulations. It’s a great distance in itself, but also great marathon preparation. Looking forward myself to trying to do a few more half marathons this year.
I took part in the inaugural Edinburgh parkrun on Saturday, an event that was special in very many ways. The weather was absolutely perfect, the course was beautifully flat, it was exceptionally well organised, there was a huge turnout, I got a new 5k PB, and – best of all – it really felt like parkrun had properly arrived in Scotland, joining Glasgow parkrun, of which I’m one of the Event Directors.
It did require rather an early start to get over (never popular in our household), not least because I wanted to have a chat with the guys who were behind the event. I was also determined to keep my distance from them when things were getting under way, I know all too well how busy it can be being in charge of a parkrun event, and how much more stressful it can feel when it’s the first, and distractions don’t help.
Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the man who started parkrun five years ago, was along, so it was great to have an opportunity to have the first of many catch-up chats with him whilst we waited for the event to get underway. Sadly my warmup wasn’t quite as long as it should have been, but I was keen to join the start crowd for the announcements, and quite touched to get a mention in their acknowledgements.
I was feeling good for a PB, having been pushing myself in training recently, and am feeling increasingly comfortable running with the fastest group in my training set. The last 12-18 months have felt a bit ‘flat’ on PB’s. My 5k hasn’t improved at all, and my 10k has just settled into the low 44’s. Perhaps half-marathon and marathon training have taken a bit of the focus away, but mostly I think I’ve settled into a comfort zone and have been reluctant to push myself a bit harder, so I was feeling it was time to try that little bit harder, on a course that was conducive to a PB.
I set off and settled into what felt like a comfortable pace. It’s an out and back course, so great for being able to mentally break up the sections even without a GPS device giving me splits. There were also km markers at this first event, which was helpful to be able to lock on to targets. I was delighted to get a 3:57 split for the first km, but conscious that was perhaps a bit optimistic to maintain, so eased off slightly for the next km, which I managed in 4:10. A tough session on Wednesday ensured my mind was in the right place: I knew I could maintain this sort of pace for over 5k, all be it with recovery breaks, so it was all mind over body.
The half way point was naturally enough the turn back point, which is an immense boost; Really enables you to focus on the work ahead, and keep the effort up. My 3k split was 4:12, so pace was looking consistent, as I focused on what I find the toughest section of the race – the 3-4km where you’re really beginning to feel things, and need to dig in and battle those demons niggling away. 4km went by at 4:18, so slightly down, but easy now to focus on the end: It was in sight! A few supporters in the last stretch said I didn’t look like I was working too hard, but I knew I was, and somehow managed to find a tiny bit extra to cross the line with a 4:08 split, and a 20:43 overall time, a PB by 16 seconds from over a year ago, and the first PB of any sort for quite a while.
I’ve always felt it’s important not to push so hard that you’re sick at the end: I’m determined to enjoy my running first and foremost, times come after that! This time I pushed it a bit harder than I had done before, and kept my dignity (just!), and even remembered to take a token at the end of the funnel (the shame I’d have felt if I’d forgotten!).
Naturally chuffed to find myself with a spangly new PB, and feel there’s much more to come where that came from. I’ve a real sense of determination to push my times, particularly in the short-medium distance events, over the next six months, and a sub-20 5k and a low-40’s 10k time feels like it’s not all that ridiculous now.
The post-run parkrun chat went on for a long time – we finally headed back towards Glasgow around 2pm, having stayed for coffee and cake whilst the Edinburgh team did their results, and discussing various parkrun plans and ideas. The Edinburgh team did spectacularly well, and blew apart the first-event attendance record, with 204 participants. With Glasgow parkrun having 193 runners, that meant that almost 400 runners were taking part in parkrun events in Scotland on Saturday.
Huge congratulations to the Edinburgh team for staging a great event on Saturday, the first of many. And as the awareness of parkrun continues to grow in Scotland, we’ll surely see more events starting wherever there are determined individuals who fancy stepping up to make it happen. Sterling, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness are surely only a matter of time. Perhaps even a second event in Glasgow before too long (largely we just need an event director who wants to drive it forward). With coverage such as this piece in the Sunday Herald featuring parkrun rather prominently, awareness is growing all the time
When I joined my running club, Bella, I was keen to try different types of running event. Largely that meant different distances, and a spot of cross country and trail running. But hill running just wasn’t something I’d thought I’d find myself including. Hill runners, to me, seemed one stop short of ultra-marathoners, and to be looked at a bit carefully…
But as time passed, I’ve got to know one or two, and rarely heard a bad thing said about the activity. Whilst on holiday, I also read a wonderful book “Feet in the Clouds: A Tale of Fell-Running and Obsession” (highly recommended to any runner), which sowed a few seeds in my mind, and began to feel that perhaps it wasn’t quite so bad after all. After all, you don’t have to run up the hills – just do your best to get up and down again as quickly/safely as possible, and enjoy the experience.
So when my Road Running club decided to organise a hill run – The Bella Ben Venue Challenge – it seemed like a custom made opportunity to try it out. I knew there’d be plenty of hill-running newbies taking part, so I wouldn’t feel completely outpaced.
The weather forecast though, wasn’t too promising. High winds and rain seemed to be on the agenda, as a low-pressure decided to sit over the northern reaches of Scotland. The Forth road bridge was closed to high sided vehicles. 80mph winds. I’d been assured though that a run would happen, regardless of the forecast, so seemed rude not to go and see what it was all about. It was all in a good cause too, proceeds going to Lomond Mountain Rescue team, so despite a slightly concerned wife, and baffled comments from my Glasgow parkrun co-organisers, I set off up to Aberfoyle and into the Trossachs to run up a hill not that far from where I was married last year.
After parking up, I headed through the paths to the start area, and sorted out registration. £5 is incredibly good value for a race, particularly for such a good cause, and given the marshals had a heck of a way to go to get to their various points.
Given the high winds, the course was altered. Quite sensibly. That the marshals – Mountain rescue team members I should add – couldn’t stand up on the ridge, it was felt appropriate to adjust the course. Even though it looked delightful at the start, we were sheltered, and I’d seen how changeable the weather was.
After the start, we headed up through hard-packed forest paths, which were really quite delightful. For a road-runner like myself, quite a novelty, but the steep inclines were taken steadily, and it felt quite odd (for a road runner) to be “allowed” to walk as much as I did. I was also determined to enjoy the experience, and not push too hard. Nonetheless, I had perhaps set off a bit too fast, so deliberately eased off and let a few folk past.
The checkpoint at the edge of the forest marked the start of the ‘real’ hill running. We were out onto exposed hillside, which had a generally visible path up, but it was heavy going. Very muddy indeed, and quite disconcerting to place your feet into what looked like wet grass, only to sink knee deep into quite slurpy mud! Thankfully my shoes didn’t come off, but it was a close thing! I put the prospect of having to wash my clothes out of my mind and just enjoyed it: It’s not every day you’re able to get quite as muddy
It was tough going at points. A few scrambles required, and if not a scramble then a bog to navigate, but my legs seemed to hold their own, although I was very grateful to finally see the lead runners approaching in the opposite direction. Fellow club runner Matt Williamson was just in the lead, and haring downhill at quite a rate. Impressive stuff, but I knew I had nowhere near the confidence to do anything like the lead runners were managing!
The top was approaching, and I was passed by plenty more fellow club runners, one or two of whom warned about the winds at the top. And I was grateful for the warning, as no sooner as the cairn that marked the turning point came into sight, the winds hit, and it was quite something. I was blown in all directions, and it was everything I could do to get to the cairn and see the incredibly resilient marshal note down my number, before turning and struggling back down, passing on the warning about the wind to everybody I passed!
The descent was, at first, wonderful for the fact that I had my breath back and could enjoy the experience a bit more. But soon found focusing on finding a safe path at the higher speed I was travelling more than made up for it. A few slips and a nearly twisted ankle made me certain to be careful, but also not to think too much. Instinct felt more reliable than trying to rationalise which path seemed better. Just get on with it!
Getting to the bottom of the exposed hill and on to the hard-packed forest paths was a welcome relief, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable run down through the forest. Rather than belt it out, I decided to enjoy the run, and fell into an evenly paced run with another runner, and we had a lovely chat as we descended. Some absolutely stunning views out over the Trossachs, with Loch Achray in the distance. After a while though I felt strong enough to push on a bit harder, and set off in search of a needed cup of tea!
Crossing the finish line (a time of 1:22:09, the winner finishing in 51:17!) was a great relief, with an enormous sense of achievement, but nothing as compared to the wonderfully warming cups of tea the club had put on in abundance, and a marvellous spread of home baking. Plenty of post-run analysis with the many experienced (and newbies like myself) hill runners. All seemed to agree the decision to adjust the race the correct one, and all seemed to feel it was a great new addition to the hill running calendar.
Looking at the course profile here (via Chris Upson), it seems there was 860m (1,800ft) of climb involved, over a 6.4 mile (just over 10k course). A few years ago I’d have felt that would be quite a decent achievement for a hill walk, but the idea of running up and down just not something to ever consider. Madness. Yet delighted to have felt able to have taken on the challenge, experienced hill running for the first time. Amusingly I even now find myself with an athletes entry on the Scottish Hill Racing website!
My legs aren’t too bad, two days afterwards. Much better than I expected to be honest: perhaps the hill work paid off! Whilst not a hill running convert just yet, I’m absolutely delighted to have taken part, and certainly going to try another hill run in the not too distant future. Living in Scotland means I have some of the best scenery in the world on my doorstep, and being able to combine seeing it and experiencing it through my passion for running, just seems an ideal combination.
The SNP are currently making lots of noise about the leadership debate, even now threatening (sorry, “not ruling out”), legal action to block the broadcast.
It’s bizarre that a party that seeks an independent Scotland should be interested in taking part in a debate between the three possible candidates for the UK prime minister, or feel that blocking broadcast would make any difference. The UK is, after all, a country they seek to dismantle. The iPlayer would certainly render any attempt to block broadcast impossible, and even if they succeeded in that, it would be, in my opinion, political censorship
Let’s face it though the debate itself won’t make much difference, but rather the heavy analysis in the papers comment pages, the selected use of key exchanges on television, are actually what will affect our judgement. That and, hopefully, careful consideration of the political situation in our own constituencies. After all, we’re electing representative candidates, not prime ministers.
If there was even a slight chance the SNP could actually form a UK government, based on polls and candidates standing, it’d of course make some sense. But a line really has to be drawn somewhere, not least the dilution too many candidates would create to an effective debate between large egos keen to score points.
I’ve certainly no objection to there being a specific Scottish leaders debate (we had one for the Scottish parliament, after all) ahead of the Westminster elections next year, but there’s absolutely no sense in the SNP, or other very regional parties, being included in the national leaders debate. After all, the topics being proposed are UK wide matters and therefore largely entirely ‘reserved’ to Westminster. The vague claim they make about such matters affecting Scotland (such as defence policy affecting the future of nuclear submarines on the Clyde), simply holds no water: There’s simply no chance the SNP can drive that policy.
“Come to me with your solutions, not your problems” is a line I like, and try to adhere to. The SNP’s posturing is entirely unconstructive, bordering on petulant. It does nothing at all to convince me this is a party that deserves consideration for a vote, unless they realise what fools they are making of themselves. One heck of an own goal so far in advance of the next election.
I’m sure everybody has childhood mantras mnemonics and rhymes they used (or had used on them) to remember key pieces of information. Others that spring easily to mind as I type are “Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vein” for the colours of the rainbow, and, strangely, BODMAS (Brackets (of) Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction) for precedence in mathematics. I hope!
As with most things learnt by rote, it’s not really much of a surprise they stick with us throughout life. Of course, they don’t necessary imbue any understanding, certainly when it comes to more complex concepts and ideas. Far better, in my mind, to teach the mechanics and principles of learning so we appreciate and understand, and can apply it, than simple mindless repetition of pieces of information.
But I still find it amusing that I catch myself automatically referring back to those mantras. In my minds eye, if I hear “westbound delays on the M8″, as well as feeling sorry for the poor sods caught in their car, my mind does a quick check which way is west relative to north.
Perhaps more amusingly (some might say concerning), is I have a recollection from when I must have been a few years old, learning my left from my right. I struggled a bit for some reason, but seemed to finally ‘get it’ at the top of some stairs at my parents’ land ladies house (a huge, vast and therefore endlessly fascinating house, near where we lived). Ask me now to ‘picture’ left and right, I’ll immediately find myself transported back there. I even remember the carpet detail, the large wooden banister rails and the carvings, now that I think about it.
I also remember my brother and I genuinely surprising my father, just a year or two back, by both recalling the number plates of all the cars he’d ever owned whilst we were growing up.
Scrapheap Challenge has been a programme I’ve always enjoyed, for it’s sheer technical and engineering interest, the enthusiastic engineers, eccentrics, the mad challenges and excellent production values and presenters. It ticked so many boxes: Great family entertainment, a good dollop of education, the thrill of a challenge and lots of humour.
But after ten years, it was clear they needed to do something new. Presenter Robert Llewellyn and Cathy Rogers were moving on, and you can’t really stick to the same format for too long without risking getting stale.
But having watched the first episode from the new version this evening, I’m left feeling rather sad that the production of the new series seems to have tried hard to keep Scrapheap, but missed the fundamentals of what made it work as a programme. Whilst they’ve got a great presenter with Dick Strawbridge, and there’s still a sense of invention, it’s not quite as madcap. It feels like there are too many people involved, and I found it really hard to find a narrative: All the contestants, family and observers seemed to be talking to an anonymous and silent off-camera interviewer, which just seemed to leave me feeling detached.
The production seems cheap too. All the sound effects from the previous version, and painfully simple graphics (including points shown right across the team-pic), and that lack of interviewer, it’s clear that budget costs have been slashed. Given how much the show is repeated on More4, I’m a bit surprised it’s not more of an investment on a show like this. But perhaps the viewing figures were falling away, so something had to give.
All said, I can’t see there being another series. They tried to keep Scrapheap Challenge, but simply forgot what made Scrapheap work. The ‘great egg race’ inspiration of the original was nowhere to be seen. What’s left seems to have many of the ingredients, but just doesn’t ’stick’ together in a cohesive way.
This morning, I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about bothering to go watch the demolition of some high(ish)-rise flats just around the corner from me. I had a grand prix to watch, a few techie things to do, and coffee just brewed. But figured I’d never actually seen something blown up, so popped around the corner and found a good vantage point to watch the demolition of two blocks of flats in Shawbridge, Pollokshaws, Glasgow.
Of course, I hadn’t recharged my iPhone, so was worried throughout it was about to run out of juice, but it just managed to hang on long enough to record it. Hopefully embedded below:
All very impressive – quite a satisfying set of explosions, and the vibrations set off a good few alarms. Unfortunately the wind direction meant the debris cloud came straight towards us, so made a quick exit. They’ve been stripping the flats down for nearly a year, so I’m pretty hopeful they got rid of the asbestos, but goodness knows it didn’t look like the sort of stuff I wanted to hang about in.
There’s also something quite poignant about watching flats collapse. After all, these were homes for many people over many years, so I couldn’t help but ponder how many people around me were watching the place of so many memories, disappear into dust and debris. The stair or flat shaft in the second building to go seemed to hang on for just a little longer, almost reflecting the reluctance that some may have been feeling.
Nonetheless, impressive stuff, and back to watch the Belgian Grand Prix (one of my favourite races of the calendar), drink coffee, and eat chocolate, whilst Frances is away for the day on the Waverley. Can’t quite understand the appeal of spending 7 hours (down from the planned 10-12 hours) on a boat. Nice for an evening cruse with jazz.
I’ve a love/hate relationship with bank holidays in Scotland.
Simply put, they’re just a bit different from England: An extra one on the 2nd January is well known. There’s also something different with the August bank holiday. It’s at the start of August, not the end. There was some half-baked November holiday for St Andrews day, that nobody observes. There’s a full list on wikipedia if you’re interested.
So far so good.
There are also a few more regional holidays up here than I ever observed in England. At times Scotland feels more like Germany, which has plenty of regional public holidays (as well as fascinating customs, in Dusseldorf, of “Möhnen” (generally any female old enough to hold a pair of scissors, brazenly cutting of mens’ ties during Carnival). I’d written a few years back about Glasgow fair, early in July.
The thing is, absolutely nobody I know really observes the Scottish ones, other than public sector employees. Ironic given banks weren’t public sector, at least until recently. There’s that little quirk corrected at least.
The private sector largely has to respond to economic demand, and national companies have to have standards – it’d be mad to disregard orders because of a local holiday most people don’t observe, or have one entire office shutting down when the rest of the company is open. Certainly almost all of my clients are based down south, and I can’t really down tools on a bank holiday, when they’re expecting me to work. One of my clients, an international company, has gone a step further to add bank holidays to staffs holiday allowance, so people have flexibility.
I suppose with a nationalist government up here, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see any standardisation of holidays across the UK. Perhaps there is something nice about having a day off when lots of people are working. Perhaps the idea of national holidays is just altogether antiquated, and we should all just get on with our lives and stop worrying. Or don’t we have enough of them right now?
Anyway, this Monday is the English August Bank Holiday, and it’s a day off that neither Frances or I had realised was coming up, so it’s a bit of a treat. So right now, I’m liking Bank Holidays.
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