Bowling along
Aha! The first sign of spring for me was in last week’s Oban Times in the shape of a photograph of those grand souls assembled for the opening of Oban Bowling Club’s new season.
I spent too long perusing the photograph and was only a tad surprised by how many faces were familiar. The members are a splendid bunch and I wish them nowt but the best for the season ahead.
I have dabbled with bowls years ago and one of my very early efforts resulted in a sporting claim to fame which I must, of course, regale you with. It was, I think, about 1982 and I was a young reporter very early in my career at the Stirling Observer. I was shanghaied into partnering a very accomplished bowler named Matt Quinn, one of the print workers in the caseroom, in the annual Stirlingshire Printers’ Cup.
We triumphed and lifted the trophy at Stirling Bowling Club though, truth to tell, I contributed hee-haw!
High notes
I found myself intrigued the other day by the story in The Oban Times about the boom being enjoyed by trad music. It seems that VisitScotland has research that shows a surge in interest, with more than one-third of us now listening to trad music.
Makes sense to me. Just a few years ago - seven or eight - I could probably count on one hand the number of times I had paid any attention to trad bands. Now I’m a fan, particularly of Skerryvore and Skipinnish and a few others.
It seems I am far from alone though; pleasingly and encouragingly, the research shows it is the younger generation (not old farts like me) who are turning to trad.
Let us hope the trend continues.
Same old story
Huzzah! The ferry MV Glen Rosa has been launched. Then the bubble was rapidly burst with a further delay to MV Glen Sannox. Both were supposed to have been ready way way back in 2018.
The inability to build and deliver these ships on time is an absolute disgrace.
What do you think? Send your comments to editor@obantimes.co.uk
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