Bug & Crocus

After 16 days of DIY in Manchester we finally got home last night, tired but having thoroughly enjoyed the hard work with son and SuzyQ. It was quite strange waking up this morning to the peace and quiet of Carradale and the laid back attitude of its folks. Such a contrast with a large city like Manchester that it almost felt like we had landed on another planet!

As technology marches forward I sense the gap between the availability of services in cities compared with a remote rural location like Carradale is increasing. While son and SuzyQ were able to get the latest high speed BT internet and television services, these will not be available in this area for quite some time. 4G signals for our smart phones is another example of a service that we are unlikely to get in the near future. Indeed, I was reading in the paper this morning about the lack of basic 2G mobile signals in large swathes of rural Scotland. I was also reading that the NHS is struggling to recruit doctors for some of the more remote islands in the West Coast. It would appear one of the disincentives to making such a career move is the lack of access to social media and all the services that now abound in our cities such as theatres, shopping malls and coffee shops. While people like myself make a choice to live in a remote rural location, I feel the Scottish Government needs to get its finger out and make sure rural areas are not disadvantaged when it comes to accessing communications such as TV and broadband. Just an observation - not a rant!

Anyway, I need to get back to more serious blipping and apologise for the lack of commenting recently. The rain and grey skies ruled out a landscape today, so I settled for this little bug sitting on an Autumn Crocus in the garden.