Boarding @ Home: Day 25/84: On the Jacobite Trail during & after lockdown!

Remember remember the 5th of November … … that was the day in 2019 when fifty and more joined a Colloquium at the Story Telling Centre in Edinburgh under the aegis of the 1745 Battle Trust. Talk was of 'whether a Jacobite Trail was a worthwhile idea to develop first across Scotland but eventually to Ireland, England, France and Italy'. Its purpose would be to heighten awareness and give greater accessibility for students and tourists alike to the myriad locations and artefacts for which those present held historic and economic responsibility. Mike Taylor had done a great deal of groundwork to gather them together and the not unexpected outcome was: Yes, if it can be suitably arranged. The Colloquium could be well described as ipsedixitism, sharing beliefs with the already converted, needing no further explanation. Of all the inputs that day perhaps the greatest impact came from VisitScotland's sharing of how they had worked with Sony to create an Outlander Trail based on the eponymous tv drama. Its focus is of course factitious Jacobitism whereas our's is the mythological version. Was this an example of paredoilia, seeing a pattern in a random stimulus, or could it be a template we could imitate or develop? About now a cohort from amongst the colloquiates under our leadership was expected to be opening discussions at VisitScotland to explore whether such an initiative as this could fly with their support …. but that has yet to happen. What might we do, if anything, during lockdown? Serendipitously, quoted in the Daily Telegraph, Professor Andrew Oswald of Warwick University reminded us yesterneve that 'we need a sense of social purpose to be happy and to think and act positively in face of any crisis. But that requires leadership that enlightens us as to how and when the crisis will be over - a long haul is ok as long as the destination is clear'. So ACTION THIS DAY as Winston often commanded. Start now .. its gestation will surely be at least 24 months and the crisis of Covid19 will be mastered by then. Muster that cohort and flesh out the Trail.

April 16th is no ordinary day in Scotland's calendar. It's a very significant Jacobite date .. in 1746 The Prince and his Highlanders were soundly defeated by the Duke of Cumberland at Culloden. The Gaelic language was to be supressed along with the wearing of tartan and our predecessor Lord Prestoungrange, Scotland's Lord Advocate, sitting as an MP at Westminster was to be party to changes to the law that destroyed the Clan and Baronial systems. This year commemoration of that battle was perforce accomplished virtually but the image from 2019 was available to reinforce the poetry readings and music shared this year.
Deadheading the daffodils and a welcome supply of San Pellegrino I've been promising myself and Avril that I'd deadhead the daffodils - a good display this year - for three weeks now. She suggested bacon and two eggs + fried olive bread as a boost and it certainly helped me with the task. We undertook square wheel reduction exercises for Avril's Cactus too this afternoon as the return service for online purchases seemed to be blocked; the item just made small parcel category so it could be slipped into the Collingtree letterbox. Exhausted I retired to catch up on my reading and emails to find Annika Wolf back in a flash from VisitScotland looking for more information and a regular update so that she can give our activities a welcome boost as we go ever more digital. The news tonight suggests 3 more weeks of lockdown; at that rate the total population will be half way to the original 84 days purdah we over 70s were given at the outset. However, the evening was enlightened when Henry of Dolphinstoun managed to conjure a bag full of San Pellegrino for our store. Tapadh leat Eanraig