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450,000 trees set to be planted in woodland scheme - Herald Scotland | News | Transport & Environment

450,000 trees set to be planted in woodland scheme - Herald Scotland News Transport & Environment

Hope this scheme goes ahead we need the forest for many reasons not just for soaking up carbon. Wildlife and ameity woodland is in desperate short supply nationwide, though we in the Highlands do have more woodland and wild areas than most. We have also done our bit for wildlife and environment by planting 20,000 native trees on our own land at Errogie South Loch Ness, have a look at our About Us Page

Check labels for trickery when shopping

It is so easy to take things for granted, something a number of shops these days are using to trick us into parting with a bit more of our hard earned cash.
Take yesterday for an example I wanted tipex tape and picked up a twin pack just assuming it is cheaper and of course environmentally friendy, (only one plastic carton instead of two) same packaging  for a twin pack as for a single pack, but wait, I happenned to check and incredibly the two single packs are £1 cheaper than the twin pack.
Now I call that deceipt.
Two plastic cartons for the bin and yet they are cheaper!! WHSmith shame on you! a name we all know and love? It is now common practice to do this, and just because we have all been brought up to assume bigger is cheaper they try to cash in on the times our guard is down to trick us out of another few pence.
Next time you are in the supermarket, WH Smiths or any shop in fact you will regularly find twin packs are MORE than single packs.
Is this called marketing? Where will it all end?      

My New Website

Just thought I should tell you about my new website, Loch Ness Cottages for years I have tinkered with my own self catering cottage website always using it to try out new ideas etc. Time came I just needed it to look a bit more presentable.
You know when there are only 2 barbers in town and one has nice hair and the other has rubbish hair you should choose to go to the one with rubbish hair because you could work out that he had cut the other barbers hair.  Perhaps that's not a good analogy but so often people in a trade don't have time to look after their own home, garden, decorating, or as in this case, website. I asked Steven from Redkite to do it while I was away on holiday, well I am so pleased he did it for me without any fuss and you know what's best about this site? it is simple to always know where you are on it.  Not so sure about the content though! i am working on it, but I guarantee it is all totally honest!! well see what our visitors have said about us if you doubt me Tripadvisor    

Google street view at Loch Ness

Google cameras are out and about at Loch Ness, I was walking in Glenliath a very quiet lane on South Loch Ness and quiet here means just a handful of cars a day use the road and guess what comes past? the Google car with the funny tower of cameras atop. Well they really are getting into the nitty gritty now and good for them, I love it.

Trying to find somewhere to eat at Loch Ness

When looking for places to eat its just amazing how many places, hotels etc don’t put vital information in a prominent place on their website.

This example of an hotel in Fort Augustus I want to advise clients to go out for a meal I go to the website of a local Fort Augustus hotel to see if their restaurant is open to the public, I checked every page on the site and nowhere even in the restaurant page does it say  either if the restaurant is open to the public or even whether it is for residents only.

It is generally the rule in England that hotels are hotels and restaurants are restaurants and only occasionally the twain meet. Hotels in Scotland frequently open to public but as many English people wouldn’t know that so Scottish hotels really need to state their position on whether, public, families, etc are welcome or not as the case may be. Coming from England I would always check if a hotel restaurant was open to public before going there.

So having failed to find out from the site if I could recommend  the hotel to my guests I decide to phone up to find out… Amazingly there was no phone number anywhere on the site either! its a shame this nice looking site, obviously fairly new doesn’t give the important information that people visiting it need.

I gave up and looked elsewhere.  

Technorati Tags: Hotels,Fort Augustus,Loch Ness,websites,Highland Club Scotland

FW: Highland Club Tennis court

I thought as an owner of one of the Old School apartments this might be of interest to our friends and neighbours at the abbey who seem to be getting more and more used to seeing strangers wandering all around the abbey grounds. So thank you Caroline for sending out the circular below to members of Fort Augustus Business Initiative pointing out that the abbey grounds are privately owned and not an extension of the village of Fort Augustus.

---

From: info@fortaugustus.org
Subject: Fw: Please circulate
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 14:44:40 +0100

----- Original Message -----

From: Caroline

Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 7:15 PM

Subject: Please circulate

Hi,

I have just received a call from the Abbey, who are experiencing irate residents because they notice that non residents are using their tennis court. Apparently, it has been indicated from the Fort Augustus Tennis Club that it is acceptable for the community of Fort Augustus & its visitors to access & use the Abbey Court.

I would like to speak on behalf of the Club & stamp out such notion because although we have had previous authorisation to use the Abbey court, whilst the community one was being resurfaced & upgraded, we have certainly not made it common knowledge that the Abbey court is for use if the Fort Augustus Tennis Club Court is occupied. Why would we offer visitors or the community to use the Abbey court when we have just spent a huge amount of time & effort upgrading the one at Bunoich Brae?

Use the Abbey court at your own risk – we at the Fort Augustus Tennis Court certainly do not condone it!

On the other hand, if anyone is interested in membership of the brand new court – let me know – thanks,

Caroline