BALLATER BUGLE ON LINE

TONGUE IN CHEEK FEARLESS REPORTING WITHOUT BIAS OR SPIN
SLIGHTLY IRREVERENT, ALWAYS FAIR & BALANCED

BUGLE LETTERS


LETTERS TO THE BUGLE EDITOR
 

The Bugle welcomes letters offering thoughts and views on life in Ballater and the surrounding area. The Editor and his staff do not necessarily agree with the contents of letters submitted.

It would be appreciated if all letters had a 'tongue in cheek' flavour minus any bad language. The Editor's decision re publication is final and some may be edited for content or shortened to comply with space issues on the site.

Please state if you wish to remain anonymous.

email your letter to ballaterbugle@gmail.com

WE REPORT YOU DECIDE!

WATCH OUT THE BUGLE'S ABOUT! (It could be you!)


GOOGLE STREETS  IN BALLATER


                            

Dear Bugle On-Line  Editor


Many thanks for this opportunity to air my views.

Recently the all seeing cameras of 'Google Streets' have been photographing the highways and byways of our village. Our houses, gardens, front doors and even peoples garden sheds or offices are all now in the public domain and subject to scrutiny.

Since in some cases certain alterations or additions have been completed without proper or intensive work on planning applications etc, some of our perfectly respectable and responsible citizens might be under scrutiny.

Hopefully your internet journal that safe guards our rights even when we may be wrong, should object strongly to this gross invasion of peoples privacy.

Do we need identity cards to know who we are  ?

Do we need our government to be monitoring  the e-mail system ?

Yours
 
A concerned Ballater resident.



A SATISFIED CUSTOMER WITH DRY FEET



Dear Editor
 
I am a frequent visitor to Ballater from my home in England. Yes, I know that this disadvantages me from those of you who reside in this most charming place, yet at least I may visit. May I say that I am always made most welcome.
 
I hope that you will indulge me as I recount what that took place during my most recent visit over the weekend of  7 and 8 February, the events of which you and your readers may recall.
 
On the Saturday morning I awoke to find that there had been a most significant fall of snow. Yet unlike the residents of London there was no panic, the buses circulated and most importantly Mr Cassie opened his store on Bridge Street.
 
I thought that I was familiar with the wares on offer in this fine store and I often admire the profusion of items in a window display that must be the envy of shopkeepers the length and breadth of the land. I have made a number of purchases over the years, a favourite, and still in good service, is a frying pan. I, in common with visitors and residents alike, perhaps, underestimate the diversity of goods available.
 
My reason for thinking this? Well, you see I found myself on Bridge Street on this tempestuous morning of weather shod in entirely inappropriate footwear. My town shoes were clearly a hazard in such snowy conditions. Mr Cassie was my saviour! As he opened his store and upon noticing my predicament he announced that he had 'just the thing'.
 
I was escorted into a hitherto unknown to me part of the store where there was a range of sizes of extreme weather all terrain footwear at advantageous price. I purchased a pair of size nines and have, other than when sleeping, been smiling ever since.
 
I must stress that I have no connection with this store other than as a customer and have received no inducement, other than the joy of my Wellingtons, in writing to you.
 
Yours
 
Ivor Dryfeet
 
(remarkably my real name, I assure you)


DISCIPLINE & TODAY'S YOUTH

Dear Bugle Letters,

Firstly, I would like to thank the Editor & his staff for producing a superb on-line publication for all  Ballater residents to enjoy and the opportunity to air our views via this page.

I  am dismayed at the lack of discipline shown by the youth of today and the reluctance by parents and the authorities to enforce basic guidelines. I was subjected to strong discipline whilst at school and it never did me any harm, in fact, I haven't run down a corridor in more than 50 years! This surely, is proof enough.

Bring back the birch!


AK Ballater



BALLATER WOMEN BEWARE!

Dear Ballater Bugle Letters

LADIES, THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU ! ..... IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR MOTHER ! ... OR TO YOUR SISTER !

As the weather was particularly nice I was sitting outside Ballater’s Chocolate Gallery cafe having lunch by myself and two men came and sat down at my table.... I gave them the death look, but they just casually stayed at my table and wouldn't leave me alone.

 

I shined up my wedding ring, then placed my hand on the table and hinted that I was married and that I was not interested in them.


Luckily for me they took the hint and left, but thankfully the whole thing was captured on the Cybernaut street web camera.

 

I'm offering the picture below as a warning just in case these men are still in the area and try the same tactics with you.

 

Honestly, some men think they are God's gift ...  

 

A Concerned Ballater Female




The two suspicious characters encountered outside the Chocolate Gallery





THE BUGLE GOES GLOBAL
 
Copyright Ballater Bugle On-Line
'Invermuick' May 2008, above, the subject of an email from India sent to the Bugle recently. The contents of the email from Morgan Findlay now living in India are reproduced below.

>>>>> Hi Bugle - enjoy your website - especially the old and new photographs.

I used to holiday in Ballater as a young boy back in the 60's.

There was an old house on the south side of the River Dee just across
the from the golf course.  The house was right on the bend of the river
and each year the river seemed to sweep off some of the bank.  I used
to worry about the old ladies who lived there.  Every year when we
returned in the spring I would quickly run round the north bank to see
if the house was still there.  The inevitable happened - one spring I
was devastated to see that half the house had fallen into the river. 
Rooms were open to the elements and it looked strange to see the
wallpaper and lighbulbs swinging in the wind.  Of course the house was
still imhabited - or so I was told.

Years later, in the eighties, on my first return as an adult I took a
wander round my old haunts in Ballater and there was the same house,
still half-perched on a now shored up bank of the river bank.  I didn't
know if anyone lived there or not.  Whatever happened to that house and 
who were the old ladies who stayed in it so long?


Morgan Findlay <<<<<



BALLATER BUGLE.

leters to the editer.


dear sirs or madams

 

i am righting the leter to youse  in order to expres my  thanks to the peeple of Ballater for my being raised there by all the comunity.  I was taught my three arse at Skool, from there I went to abuyne And lernt lots of things,  such as whats speed, Where do babies come from if you  can get a girl drunk. How to snort a line, how to sware and over things like that. 

My main thanks must go to my mates who I met at every oportuunity on the church green at ballater. And the people who provdes the Hutty on the  Green for us to use cos we really are bord. We are sorry if it stinks of urine and covered in fag ends and our dried up spit but some of my mates have no maners at all.

they helped to learn lots . Cos we are bord we like to  throw snowballs, ride bikes without lites , especially at night. and  trample the flower beds, break the seats and tables on the green and to use bad language all the time when uver people are around.

Ballater people must realise that we are bord and it is not our falt. Anoter of our favrite pastimes is to play on the swings in monaltrie park and try to brake them so that the kids can’t use them and then we throw things on the roof of the changing rooms and try to break the roof tiles it is grate fun.

 I would like to say ta to the enhancement groop who provide us with crismas lights and lovely flowers during the summer months so that me and my mates can ruin for everyone, also Aberdeenshire council for giving us village orderlies we can verbally or fysically abuse who clean and tidy toilets after we mess them up.

 I am looking forward to returning to ballater after I am let go from prison after  serving a long sentence on a trumped up charge from a ballater esident who didn’t even bother to come to court. He writ a letter from his hospital bed and it was the sympathy vote that did for me.

 Never mind not long to go and I will be with my good mates at the hutty, see you there. thanks ballater for what you have given us but do remember we are bord and what are you going to do about that.

 

Name withheld.

The Bugle has reproduced the above letter exactly as received. Remember, we report, you decide!


Dear Bugle Editor

Firstly, I would like to thank you and your staff for providing an excellent on-line publication and for the opportunity to air my views through it.

I am a Ballater resident and take my little girl to Ballater School in my car each day and pick her up after school. I have recently been informed that the school car park has possibly been ear marked by The Cairngorms National Park, Aberdeenshire Council and The Prince's Trust as a possible site for a  Donald Trump Golf Centre as the car park is so under used by the parents.

The car park has been designated as 'spare ground'.  It appears that a survey has been carried out recently to establish if the parents of children attending the school actually make use of its parking facility that was provided at great expense some years ago and came to the conclusion that it was virtually unused.

Now, I know that when I drop my daughter off and pick her up I park my Nissan 4X4 Panther, Tornado, Supreme, Grand Tourer, Exorcet  in  Monaltrie Avenue I make sure I do not park on the important yellow zig zag lines, however, I never use the car park because my little girl would then have a 75 yard walk to the school as opposed to a 50 yard one.

I am very annoyed that a rich American can come over here and open a golf centre on OUR car park although we don't use it. It is the principle that matters to me, it should not be allowed.

Should the golf centre come to fruition I hope that the authorities concerned will narrow the path outside the main gates in order to make things safer for our children to alight from the parents cars because if this is not done a serious accident could happen to one of our children especially when they leave the car into the roadway and not the pavement side.

Thank you for allowing me to air my views.

The writer of this letter wished to rermain anonymous. We report, you decide!