My husband often mentions that he thinks I’m deaf. I can’t work out whether he’s right or if it’s a severe case of MSHS (Marital Selective Hearing Syndrome) the symptoms of which appear to become more severe the longer one spends living with one’s spouse. So, I was pleased to see in the Craigvinean Surgery update that the 3rd March is World Hearing Day – an event designed to draw attention to the importance of early identification and intervention for hearing loss. To celebrate they are launching an App to check your hearing. I’m going to get the app and do the test and we can settle this once and for all. My guess is that it’s a combination of age catching up with me combined with MSHS.
A good reason to try for the best possible hearing is to enjoy the 16th Niel Gow Festival to the utmost. Click here for all the events happening over the weekend. Particularly interesting is the concert on Saturday morning when Pete Clark will give a recital in Little Dunkeld Church on one of Niel Gow’s favourite fiddles. It was amazing to hear Pete play a fiddle that had last been played in the first world war at the Remembrance Day service at the Cathedral back in November. Hearing music coming out of an instrument such as these is an incredibly powerful way to link us back to our history. It will be a treat for everyone who attends to hear a fiddle played by Niel Gow once again making music for us today.
Hopefully this month will see the safe return of our pair of ospreys to the Loch of the Lowes after their 6,000-mile round trip to Africa. It is a continual source of amazement to me how they manage that migration. Let’s wish them happy landings. If you, or anyone
you know, would like to take part in the 24 hour osprey nest protection program please contact the Perthshire Ranger: (perthshireranger@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk). Also don’t forget that you can keep an eye of what’s going on at their nesting site via the webcam: https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-todo/watch-wildlife-online/loch-of-the-lowes-webcam For more information see the Loch of the Lowes Article.
One final thought on how we can check our hearing is to go along to the Birnam Library Quiz night on 29th March and see if  you can earwig on what neighbouring tables are coming up with for their answers. It will be a fun evening and provide support for our Great Little Library. Please put a team together and join in.

Sally Robertson

For those residents who have contacted me over recent weeks and not received a reply, I can only apologise. I have spent the last few weeks recovering from Quadruple heart bypass surgery.
Whilst the NHS has been the subject of much criticism of late for one reason or another, I can only speak of the first rate treatment and care that I have received. All of the staff, from the Consultant Cardiologist to the Porters who made sure that I got to the right department at the right time, worked tirelessly from morning to night and I will be eternally grateful for the way that I was dealt with. The fact is, on average, 41 people a day die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Scotland. These are fathers and mothers, grandparents, even sons and daughters. There will be another 41 tomorrow.
It occurred to me that research is so vital. Heart Research UK has helped halve deaths from heart attacks. Stents, bypass surgery and even heart transplants are now everyday occurrences. Heart of Scotland is a fundraising appeal to raise and spend money in Scotland on vital medical research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease it is a fantastic opportunity for everyone in to play their part in taking on heart disease. This is a hugely important cause in Scotland, one which so many of us have been touched by in some way and I would urge you to support them.
The beginning of the year is always a busy time in the Council calendar. The settlement figure from the Scottish Government has been received and as I write, the setting of our own budget is in its final stages. There is limited money to go around and it is our job as Councillors to make sure that your council tax is used wisely. In order to obtain a fair budget there will be winners and there will be losers. It gets more difficult with each passing year to approve a budget that pleases anyone let alone everyone but I will certainly be fighting for our services especially in rural areas.
I was really pleased to see that the West Stormont Woodland Group (WSWG) now have a constitution and can introduce a free Membership scheme to help promote WSWG’s objectives. This is a great organisation to get behind to help retain and manage some of our wonderful woodlands. Why not take a look at their website at https://www.weststormontwoodlandgroup.org.uk and even better, why not sign up?
I am really disappointed to see the amount of rubbish strewn around the area, especially around the Lochs. Whatever happened to the Keep Britain tidy campaign? There are plenty of bins available throughout the area for rubbish, it can even be taken home with you for disposal. Let’s not spoil our surroundings. On a similar subject, there seems to be an increase in the amount of dog fouling. As a responsible dog owner, I find this particularly upsetting. If you see someone allowing their dogs to foul without clearing up, please report it. If you are able to get some evidence ie photographs or details of the offender, then it makes it easier to do something about it.
I do not hold regular surgeries, I prefer instead to make myself available on a mutual basis. If you have a particular issue that you wish to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me by either email: ijames@pkc.gov.uk or by telephone 07557815546.

Councillor Ian James

Is freedom of Conscience and Religion possible?
We are living in a day and age where extremism seems to be taking the upper hand in our world. In many places we see not only extreme groups causing shameful acts of terror but also political parties with extreme ideas becoming part of governments and winning the support of the majority within their countries. It seems that extremism begets extremism, and many people believe that the way to combat people who are fanatics is to become fanatic yourself.
Recently Pope Francis was invited to an interreligious meeting in the United Arab Emirates. It was the first time in history that an important figure within Christianity has been invited on an official visit to the Arabian Peninsula. I believe this was a historical moment of significant importance not only to Catholics but also to all Christians, and indeed for all human beings.
What is the message it conveys?
The message is as important as it is simple. If I have the freedom to choose the religion which I believe in my conscience to be the best one, so have you. I do not have the right to impose my opinion on anyone even if I am hundred percent convinced that I am ‘right’ and you are ‘wrong’. Why is it so difficult in our world to understand that even though we have different opinions about things and about religion too, we can and should respect, love and support each other? Why do we find it so hard to stand up to the temptation of imposing our ideas and opinions on others? It is ok to be different, humans were different from the very beginning and nowadays through the many means of communication our differences have become more noticeable to all and so even greater the need not just to be tolerant but the need for true love which respects the other person even in his or her differences.
I believe what I am saying to be so simple that one is tempted to think that it hardly deserves to be the main topic of an article in our times. You don’t need to be a member of any religion to understand this. We call this common sense. Yet as they say common sense is not so common and extremism is one of the major problems of our times; unfortunately, it seems to spring up like a weed in every part of the world.
I can’t help it but ask why? Why in our times with all the scientific and technological progress we have made, does it seem we are regressing in our thinking and behaviour to levels that we thought belonged only to history?
What I am about to say might at first glance seem contradictory. I believe that what is causing this is the fact that many in our societies are drifting away from being part of authentic Christianity in its different forms. Many think that the time for us to be part of an organized religion is over, yet when they see others who are ‘different’ from us, coming into our environments and being committed to their faith they feel threatened. Firstly, we have to accept that we are living in a globalized era and the idea of building walls to keep the people who are different out is absurd. We have to accept that we are living in a time when the mixture of cultures and peoples is inevitable. What we need to do, rather than stop this process or start pushing people out, is to find a way to make it work. Secondly, the reaction of many is to start being defensive of what they think identifies them. Very often this includes religion and people who not only don’t practice any form of Christianity anymore but who might define themselves non-religious will start defending not what is true Christianity but a pseudo Christianity: I mean by this the understanding of Christianity by people who stopped practicing their Christian faith, and hardly understand anything about it.
True Christianity does not need to be defended militarily.
Every time we have done that we failed miserably. True Christianity is to be lived authentically and it will spread and grow even where we thought it is dead. Christians are not strong when they unite to fight against an enemy. Christians are strong when they show love and respect for every human being, even their enemies.
Saint Francis of Assisi in the year 1219, that is exactly 800 years ago visited the Sultan of Egypt Malek al-Kamel. In an age here Christians were involved in crusades to take back the Holy Places, and the mentality was to get rid of our enemies, Saint Francis had the wisdom from God to see those who are different as brothers and sisters that first of all need to be loved. May we Christians of today learn an important lesson from these events that is to respect each other and every single human being and secondly that the only weapons we can use if we want to be followers of Christ is Love and Forgiveness.

Fr Edward Vella