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I can hear the faint whistle of Storm Floris outside my flat window as I write up this month’s positive newsletter.
I do enjoy a good storm. Distant thunder rumbling, lightning’s flash and crackle. How much lighter the air feels afterwards.
Oh, and these cows who are on the loose in North Lanarkshire today after a fence was blown down.
I digress. Thankfully, folk have remained safe so far. There has been a fair amount of travel disruption, yes. A couple power outages and angry Edinburgh Fringe visitors too. But largely tame and uneventful otherwise.
Now, tame and uneventful are two words I certainly wouldn’t use to describe last month. I mean, Donald Trump’s trip to Scotland alone ...
But this is a positive newsletter. So, the less said about the convicted felon the better.
To get us started, I’d like to highlight the Isle of Eigg which has announced a full boycott of Israel amid its genocide in Gaza.
The community-owned island on Scotland’s west coast is home to 120 people, all of whom are members of the Isle of Eigg Residents Association (IERA) – which has now made public its support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
For example, it means the island’s only shop will stop stocking goods from Israeli firms as well as its biggest supporters – including Coca Cola due to its alleged links to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
An important example of collective action.
My wee granny always used to tell me that Scotland has the best strawberries and raspberries in the world.
She, of course, was telling the truth.
And even more folk will be able to enjoy them in 2025 with the news that soft fruit farms in Scotland are enjoying an impressive season, with strawberry yields nearly doubling compared to 2024.
A warm, sunny spring is credited with giving crops an early boost, leading to larger, juicier berries making their way to supermarket shelves across the UK.
In other Scottish success, our computer games industry has bucked global trends by continuing to grow at “substantial” speed, according to data released by the Scottish Government.
Figures show employment in the sector in Scotland has doubled over the last 10 years.
Major game franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Minecraft have emerged from Scotland over the years. And it looks as though that success is only set to continue.
In conservation news, a jellyfish that resembles a thistle (below) has been seen for the first time in 50 years in a rock pool in South Uist.
For decades Depastrum cyathiforme has not been seen, with fears it was globally extinct.
The stalked jellyfish was last seen in Roscoff, northern France, in 1976.
But holidaymaker Neil Roberts found the jellyfish after turning over a rock and examining the sea life underneath last month.
If you think Edinburgh doesn’t already have enough festivals, you will be delighted to hear the announcement last month that a series of talks and workshops on health, the creative arts and video games will be held during a festival on knowledge in September.
Myriad issues – including personal data, the use of Scots language, future cities and a range of other social topics – will be discussed during the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) Curious Festival of Knowledge – which will be held from September 6-14.
This one is for scientists.
In an “extraordinarily significant find,” geologists from the University of Aberdeen have been able to settle a scientific debate dating back more than a century after discovering that the cracks in the Earth, called volcanic fissures, helped create much of the Inner Hebrides.
Well, that’s it for me! Have an ace August one and all.
If there’s anything you think should be included, please don’t hesitate to ping me an email: james.walker@newsquest.co.uk
