15 posts tagged “helensburgh”
A story in our local press this week. I knew the Tait family well. Richard's older sister Louise was in my class at school. She went on to become a journalist and broadcaster. Richard was a clever and likeable lad. Well done to him!
A BOARD game creator from Helensburgh is celebrating after selling his company to a US toy firm for over £39 million.
Richard Tait, the brains behind hit game Cranium, has hit the jackpot with the multi-million pound deal with toy giant Hasbro.
Cranium, which has racked up sales of 15 million in 30 countries, was devised by Richard, 43, after a weekend playing board games with friends.
Richard, who is based in Seattle, persuaded his friend Whit Alexander he had a winning idea and Cranium Inc was born.
The pair went on to create a series of other hit games using the same process.
He said: “The achievements we have had with this company — creating the third best-selling game in the world, winning awards — I believe it had a lot to do with the creativity and perseverance that is there in my Scottish roots.
“I do not know what I will be doing next.
“I will be reflecting and spending time with my family.”
I sit in a very early example of a planned town. Helensburgh which celebrated its bi-centenary as a burgh in 2002, was developed in the nineteenth century. The west of Helensburgh (the posh bit which contains Hill House) is built on an almost perfect grid system of tree lined streets. Many of the large houses therein now have bungalows built in their huge gardens and many of the large villas built originally by wealthy Glasgow businessmen are now divided in to flats. However the planned aspect remains in tact and it is a pleasant environment, created before any modern day planning regulations were introduced.
I would imagine the original, well to do, burgh fathers saw the desirability of this layout and created planning by laws to maintain the shape and development of the town.
Alastair over at the Heart Monitor makes the point that Planning Regulations introduced at the end of WW2 by the reforming Labour government (surely the most significant period of government in Britain in the 20th century) protected the general population from the wilder excesses of the ruling classes. In other words no matter how wealthy or powerful the individual or business, if they want to build anything from an outhouse to a factory they have to go through a planning process. Plans are submitted and will often be decided by a committee of local councillors who in general will act on the advice of their council's officials and lawyers. The current regulations date from 1972 and therein lies a problem. Anyone in Scotland or indeed any part of the UK can see that this legislation needs changed.
Large, unsightly single story buildings are springing up everywhere on brown (and green) field sites to the economic disadvantage of town centres. Where councils pay lip service to regenerating town centres, If Tesco or Marks and Spencers come along, a coach and horses will be driven through local planning policy to accomodate them. Of course a retail impact survey will be done showing that the already hard pressed local businesses will only be impacted by a few percent. This will translate to another half a dozen empty properties in the town a year down the line. Tesco/Sainsburys M&S and the cooncilors care not a jot.
The recent decision by Aberdeenshire Council to reject the Trump Corporation's proposals for a housing development and golf course north of Aberdeen threw up another problem of the planning process. Is it fair to ask a committee of local councillors to decide the fate of such a project? Is it perhaps along the lines of the Scottish Junior Football Association being asked to draw up the fixtures, rules and regulations for next seasons Champions League (although maybe a fair case could be put for that!). The actions of the SNP government in calling in the development for a public enquiry or judicial review has been much criticised. Is it illegal? Is it sleaze? Well I can't answer that but I feel they had little choice but to do something. Those who oppose the government's move will say that it is undemocratic if not illegal. Yet the majority of the people in the area seem to be in favour of the development. I would suggest that the decision by the council committee was undemocratic. In fact they turned the usual local council modus operandi on its head. Normally it's "everybody gets what nobody wants" whereas in Aberdeenshire it would seem that "nobody gets what everyone wants". I wonder if those bemoaning the overriding of democracy were so respectful of the poll tax? Somehow I doubt it.
Those who think that the local MSP (in this case Alex Salmond) shouldn't be aligning himself with a developer might be interested in Lomondgate a new £60m office, residential, retail and leisure development on the site of the former Diageo Bottling Plant in Strathleven, Dumbarton. The Chairman of the Development Company is the Local MP!
Whilst this may not be a site of Special Scientific Interest, its close proximity to the Loch Lomond National Park can be seen in the photo left (the expanse of water at the top of the picture is Loch Lomond)
Of course there are differences in the two projects but there are similarities too. Dumbarton's tradional whisky producing industry is shrinking in the same way as the North East oil boom. Regeneration is needed in both cases.
I simply don't know if the Trump proposals are "a good thing" and really any view on that would be subjective. Some see it as a millionaire's playground others as a source of employment and inward investment for the area. Whatever it is should the yay or nay be down to a small committee of councillors?
And while we're on the subject I wonder how many retail parks there are in Aberdeenshire? I also wonder how Union Street is faring compared to 20 years ago? The answers to these questions would perhaps give an indicator of the calibre of decision by Aberdeenshire council and their concern for the environment.
Footnote: I do realise that Aberdeen City Council is a different body. The point remains though as you could substitute and rural Aberdeen town or village for Union Street. It's hard to see how the Trump proposal would negatively impact on other employment/investment in the area.
Old buildings look great when floodlit. This is the West Kirk in Colquhoun Square Helensburgh tonight.
Last night's meeting of the Whisky Tasting Club was without doubt the best yet. We were entertained by stories songs and poems by Robin Laing who is known as "The Whisky Bard". Robin's repertoire was punctuated by a tasting of some rather excellent Speyside single malts.
Robin has written a book on a subject very close to my heart called The Whisky River which details the 55 distilleries of Speyside, tells you about their history and and product and along the way lists some interesting anecdote, story or poem attached to each. Having got the book last night I have only skimmed it but it is fascinating stuff.
Robin is an expert on Scotch Whisky. Very often experts and connoisseurs of whisky will have a preference towards the smoky peaty taste of Islay Whisky but Robin is a man after my own heart. He likes Speyside malts so much that he has written a song about the jewel in the crown of the genre, Aberlour A'Bunadh. Crikey! it's a love song about whisky!
One of the products tasted last night was Glenrothes from the Rothes distillery (not of course the Fife new town of the same name). A fascinating story relating to the distillery and a ghost who allegedly haunted the place was recounted by Robin.
After the rebuilding of the Rothes still house in 1979 one of the stills (still 4) was giving trouble and not performing to the same level as the other stills. Several of the stillmen had reported seeing a ghost whilst working there alone. In appearance this ghost was unmistakably that of a well known Rothes character Biawa Makalaga who had died in 1972. Biawa was butler to Major James Grant of the Glen Grant Distillery. Biawa's full story is HERE . The workers had mentioned this to Paul Rickards, head of spirit quality at the distillery. Rickards had known Biawa since 1962 and also knew professor Cedric Wilson, a pharmacologist who had developed a keen interest in the paranormal. Professor Wilson surveyed the site using dowsing techniques and concluded that the construction of the still house had damaged ley lines (the existence of which is dismissed by conventional science but recognised by some who would contend that science is merely one portal to our understanding of the world). Professor Wilson ordered the engineers at the site to sink two stakes of pig iron in to the ground to "repair" the ley line. Paul Rickards reported that "a silence decended and tension lifted" after Professor Wilson's intervention.
Another point of interest was that Professor Wilson declared he had made "contact" with Biawa's ghost and that he had now departed the scene. Still 4 apparently gave no more trouble from then on. Whether you believe in these things or are a full blown sceptic, its a great story, especially when quaffing a dram!
Another of Robin's songs recounted the time in 2003 that the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay came to the attention of the US Defence Threat Reduction Agency - ("Our mission to safeguard the US and its allies from weapons of mass destruction"). The small distillery had webcams from which internet browsers could view the day-to day running of the diustillery. The webmaster received an email from "Ursula" who told him that one of their cameras was a bit wonky. The webmaster emailed back thanking Ursula and on further enquiry found that he was corresponding with the DTRA who had been monitoring the place as a potential security threat! The full story is HERE
This is Robin Laing's amusing musical account of the incident.
The next soiree of the club is a visit to Auchentoshan Distillery near Clydebank on 8th December where we will be transported there, have a buffet and a wee selection of the product of the place.
Details of Robin Laings work can be accessed by clicking on the link at the top of this posting.
Footnote: "The Angels' Share" is the considerable amount of loss by evaporation of whisky during the distilling process.Lucky old angels!
I took these this afternoon at the site of the former Craigendoran Pier. Autumn light is great for landscape photography and you often get a clearer picture than you do on summer days. The sky tends to be more interesting too. I have currently on loan from a friend a Canon 195 camera. Great fun.
OK fast and loose without a safety net etc. This is my first attempt at a photo montage. I wrote a song today (I always seem to have the muse on a Sunday) to back it and this is the result. When I say wrote a song it is a series of verses with no chorus and they are just a few thoughts on a theme.
I took this one this morning.It is the view from Ardmore just before the car park for Ardmore Point. You can just see Helensburgh in the mid right of the picture. My kids tell me the horse's name is Tia.
Incedentally at the time just behind me was an almost perfect saltire in the sky formed by a long cloud and a jet trail. I couldn't get a decent shot of it because of the position of the sun. However it surely means Scotland are a stick on to win the rugby!
Looking out from our upstairs front window this morning I can see the QE2 at Greenock. Forty years ago this very day I attended the launch at Clydebank of what was then known as the Q4. My dad had secured us tickets on the Waverley paddle steamer for the event and we had a great view of the proceedings.
Although I was only eight at the time I remember certain aspects of the day very clearly. There was great speculation on what the ship was to be named. The latest Cunard liner had hitherto been referred to as Q4. The other thing I remember is the surprise of actually seeing the ship. She wasn't finished and to me she looked like a rusty hulk of metal. The fact that she slid off the slipway in reverse did nothing to soften the disappointment.
I remember a souvenir edition of the Daily Record being on sale on the Waverley which contained a free poster of an artists impression of the finished ship.
In the end HM the Queen, as the lever smashed the bottle of champagne named the ship after herself and there was an audible AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! from her loyal subjects as the secret was finally revealed. Then there was thunderous applause and cheering from the crowd who almost to a man woman and child, yours truly included, tucked their union jack under their arm as they clapped - then reverted to waving the flag once they'd finished.
It was a celebration of Britishness the like of which would be difficult to imagine in Scotland today.
This photo shows the QE2 passing the tail of the bank in 1994. Helensburgh is the town in the background on the opposite side of the River Clyde.
On placing this photo I noticed the Cafe Continental in Gourock (The white gable-end on the waterfront just below the stern end) which I can recommend for a bar lunch (Original decor and floor tiles from the early 1900's).
Edited to Include This
A 2-0 victory for the Sons (not a game reminiscent of the 1970 world cup final but a win's a win).A very colourful pageant it was with the Sons in their new bright gold strip and the wee Rovers in all red. The ref wore blue but really would have been more suited to a donkey fancy dress. Referee supervisor Hugh Dallas (nicknamed "Wishing Well" due to Celtic fans tradition of chucking coins at him) mustn't have known whether to laugh or cry at Mr Robertson's performance. Anyhoo two goals from Tommy "The Snail" Coyne (one a very dubious penalty) settled the game. I don't actually care if Tommy's a bit slow if he can keep up that kind of scoring rate.
I renewed my acquaintance with Rovers Director Patrick Rolink whose day (night?) job is as a stand up comedian. He told of a gig at his local golf club last week. He went in to a routine of how his wife takes his bookings and drives him so's he can take a small libation to calm the nerves. "There's a gig come in for the Masonic Lodge at 9:00pm next Saturday" said Pat to his missus. "Isn't that the ultra conservative, right-wing secretive organisation that hates catholics?" said Mrs R. "No dear that's the golf club you're thinking of" said the bold Patrick. Needless to say he's not being asked back there.
Pat was a speaker and auctioneer at Craig Brittain's Testimonial and did a grand job. It's always great to meet up with him as it is one of those rare occasions I feel slim. He was just back from a successful stint at the Edinburgh Festival.
In the evening it was a sojourn to Helensburgh's premier Curry House, No. 28 for a lovely meal to celebrate our (eeek!) 24th wedding anniversary.
It used to be you couldn't get a seat in No.28 on a Saturday so we had booked. However we could have got in nae bother. The prices on the menu seem to be moving at inverse proportion to the number of people going there!
However their Chicken Jeera Balti, a dish with cumin seeds,green peppers, diced onions, red chillies and dressed with corriander is worth every penny.
Last night I was out with a couple of friends I hadn't seen in a while. We went to a 'new' pub in Helensburgh The Logie Baird named after the t.v. inventor who was born and raised here. It is actually a conversion of an old cinema The La Scala and I reflected that the last time I'd been in this building years ago was to watch a movie.
The pub itself is ok I suppose and fairly typical of the kind that are springing up everywhere. All things to all people, families welcome, food etc.
I find these places (particularly at night) the height of sensory overload. In one corner, in fact in two corners, there was a screen showing the France England rugby match. On two other screens a girl band, who my colleagues advised were the Sugababes were strutting their stuff. In another location a d.j. was playing records/cd's/mp3's and rabbiting on between them. He had flashing lights and a kind of oil lamp thingy too. Och! it was ok and it was good to see my friends even if we had to raise our voices to be heard amidst the cocophony (I wonder if they're going to take live bands?)
Anyway I got a taxi home with Keith who actually lives a few doors away from me but works in locations all over the world (last night he regailed us with tales of Chicago, Denver, Amsterdam etc.) hence the reason we don't bump in to each other as much as we might. More asiduous followers of the blog may realise that this is the same Keith who introduced me to the local whisky tasting club and has a fine collection of single malts.
We went to his place for 'a nightcap' and he introduced me to Aberlour A'bunadh ( meaning 'the origin' in Gaelic). Aberlour is a Speyside distillery which takes its name from the village in which it is situated.
Aberlour a'bunadh is a natural single cask strength malt whisky. Taken directly from specially selected sherry casks it is bottled as simply as possible without the use of modern filtering methods or the addition of water.
The three main characteristics that distinguish Aberlour a'bunadh from the other single malts are:
Original Cask Strength means that the whisky is bottled at the strength of the cask, which in the case of the first batch of a'bunadh is 59.6%. Not diluted, the whisky possesses a greater aromatic complexity. Most malts of the old days were cask strength.
Not Chill-filtered. Today most malt whiskies are chill-filtered to prevent the whisky becoming cloudy when adding water or ice. This process, which did not exist in the 19th century, removes some richness and mouth feel as well as some fruit and sherry character. Aberlour a'bunadh is a true replica of the old days' malts.
Only the best Sherry Butts, which previously held oloroso, have been selected by Douglas Cruickshank, Aberlour's Distillery Director. These casks are the rarest and the most precious used for whisky maturation. Again, they were used in the old days when sherry was imported from Spain in casks which were then left empty sitting in UK ports or ships. (Thanks to the Aberlour website)
Let me tell you that this is the finest whisky I can remember tasting. Keith recommended taking a little sip without water first. The taste and the sensation were absolutely sublime. I added a little water to release the full flavour and let me tell you this is a QUALITY dram.
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A 19th-century-style whisky matured exclusively in Spanish oak Oloroso sherry butts, then bottled at cask strength. Dark, luxurious and powerful; a superb after-dinner malt. ColourDeep, rich amber. Nose An intoxicating aroma of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange, harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso sherry. Taste Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger, spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with sherry and oak. Full-bodied and creamy. Finish Robust and intense, with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak.Aberlour a'bunadh is currently available in France, UK, Duty Free and is soon to be exported to other countries around the world. We checked in on Glasgow band The Long Walk Home myspace site because Keith's lad Ross is their drummer. They're doing pretty good having completed a UK tour. |
A second glass was poured just as we got the guitars out for a wee session (Keith and I first played music together at school) and I was as Para Handy used to say 'In Trim'. Do yourself a favour and buy a bottle of this!
I rolled home after 2 am. Ratarsed.
