Hunter and Lass Celebrations 2011 - rain makers or what.

For years I have taken note of the various methods and rituals adopted around the world to produce rain and try and affect or control climate change. We have Red Indians doing their famous rain dance, aircraft dropping chemicals into clouds; chickens being slaughtered, and of course the English play cricket !!!

However, here in Penicuik this ritual is tied into the annual Hunter and Lass celebrations which run this year from 21st to 28th May.
I do not think for one minute that this year's Hunter and Lass ( Andrew Murray and Adele Munro) would have expected the fantastic results
taking place.
I can see that the poor inhabitants of London are still suffering from relatively hot weather, with an impending hosepipe ban, and flowers at the Chelsea Flower Show having to be "kept back" by refrigeration - I feel sorry for them.

Never mind, while the residents of Penicuik set off on their bike rides on Saturday, the volcano was erupting in Iceland; on Sunday while we had intermittent rain and strong winds for our Custom and Classic Car show, there were tornado's in the USA, and today as a build up to the ladies football tournament, mother nature is throwing everything at us here in Scotland. Needles to say, chaos reigns, trains have stopped running north of Carlisle, the ferry's are stuck in the harbours; the M9 is blocked in three places, M8 partially closed; planes disrupted firstly by the gale force winds and later in the night probably by the volcanic ash from the Icelandic eruption !!!, part of the roof at Edinburgh airport even blew off - Not bad so far for local ceremony, there is even fresh snow falling on the Munro's (mountains over 3000 ft) in the highlands.( And my fence blew over) I cannot remember this much meteorological chaos when RGB and Kristy Browne had these roles way back in 1995.


Never mind, the "Flying Scotsman" rail service was reintroduced this morning, running from Edinburgh to London in four hours, and waved off by Graham Obree our own cycling Flying Scotsman. I can even remember when the original steam train of that name ran down the east coast in the same times. If I get a call from "Floodline" to my mobile I can always head for sunny Eagham by train.

But back to Hunter and Lass Ceremonies, tomorrow night Andy and Adele take part in their mid week ride out on horseback, no doubt aided by gale force winds., and on Wednesday I just cannot imagine what might happen.

Irrespective of the vagaries of the weather I was fortunate or unfortunate enough to have undergo another examination by the "Dynorod" man at St. John's, but the good news is that I have two years grace before the next one, unless something untoward occurs