In the Highlands

On my second evening in Scotland I had one of my favourite dishes. - haggis, with turnips and boiled potatoes - or 'neeps and tatties' - plus gravy.
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In Ano Korakiana on time as promised we see one side of the beautifully crafted new doors for the restored Band Room below Venetia.

Η παλιά ξώπορτα - the new old doors, matching the dress

Αργότερα, λίγο πριν το σούρουπο, στη μικρή γκαλερί της Στέφανι και του Ουέλσυ Κλάς στον Άη-Γιώργη, παρουσιάζονταν η αναπαλαιωθείσα εξώθυρα του παλαιού κτιρίου της Φιλαρμονικής, εργασία που είχε ανατεθεί προ μηνός στο ζεύγος των Ουαλών που κατοικεί στο χωριό μας. Η έμφαση στη λεπτομέρεια που επέδειξαν οι τεχνίτες, εντυπωσίασε…
But the ill news is that there have been fires, some almost certainly arson, in many parts of Corfu:

Hi Simon... anychance of bringing me a haggis back over with you. Silly season here right now, just taken teal for a swim and was talking to 3 firemen who are on standby as the water planes are flying over head to help put out another fire over at trompetta . They tell me there were 10 fires yesterday on corfu , with 6 planes and 2 helicopters helping to put out fires at kassiopi, skripero again ( same place as last year only nearer to the village) trompetta mountain top along to paleokastritsa , on the paleokastritsa rd. They told me one man of around 60yrs old had been arrested but they said that is only what they have heard. As I am writing this the water planes are flying over us to trompetta....Cheerio Mark

And from the village website on the same subject:

Το ασταμάτητο σήμαμα στον Άη-Νικόλα χθες το καταμεσήμερο, δεν προμήνυε καλές ειδήσεις. Η περιοχή γέμισε μέσα σε λίγη ώρα από καπνούς, που υπέκρυπταν φλόγες. Μεγάλη πυρκαγιά είχε φουντώσει στο Κράτσαλο και οι καπνοί απλώνονταν σε μεγάλη έκταση. Μέσα σε λίγα λεπτά, άλλη φωτιά ξεκίνησε «στα δικά μας», πίσω από το λόφο του Φέγγαρη, σε γεφύρι του κεντρικού δρόμου προς Παλαιοκαστρίτσα. Η φλόγες «άρπαξαν» την πλαγιά του λόφου, κατακαίγοντας. Άμεση ήταν η κινητοποίηση της Πυροσβεστικής και των τοπικών "δυνάμεων" πυρασφάλειας, αλλά και πολλών κατοίκων του χωριού και της περιοχής. Οι επικεφαλής των Τοπικών Συμβουλίων Άνω και Κάτω Κορακιάνας (Φωκίων Μάνδυλας και Γιώργος Παπαδόπουλος) συντόνιζαν τις ομάδες «ατάκτων» εθελοντών. Σε λίγες ώρες η φωτιά είχε δαμαστεί, αλλά οι άλλες μεγάλες φωτιές στην Κέρκυρα συνεχίζουν το καταστροφικό τους έργο...In few hours the fire (on the side of the hill near our village) had died down, but the other big fires in Corfu continue their devastating work.

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Meanwhile Amy and I and a friend of hers who lives in Contin went walking in the hills passing the afternoon on the private road that runs along the north side of Glen Orrin, enjoying the quiet, seeing far.

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A strong view from Richard Pine in the Irish Times - his letter from Greece:

...The overall malaise seems unanswerable. International commentators share the UPF’s concern. Steve Forbes, editor- in-chief of Forbes magazine, says the opportunities for Greece are enormous if the entrepreneurial spirit evident in Greeks worldwide can be unleashed at home. He is deeply critical of the role played by France and Germany in the euro zone crisis, saying: “It is not politics that is going to cure the country. It is going to be fundamental restructure. Politicians are in their own little world.” Roger Cohen, a columnist with the International Herald Tribune, has gone further, saying Greece should not have been allowed to join the euro. He regards an “orderly default” as “the best imaginable outcome”. Mark Mazower, an American historian of modern Greece, says that as a result of the crisis “we are all small powers now”. By which he means a challenge by Greece to “the mandarins of the EU” would put the future of Europe in question – something he believes is essential, as the core countries do not understand the periphery.