Another side of Lesley Riddoch

CRAZY CYCLIST QUERY

 

Does anyone know this crazy cyclist? I'd love to see if he was up for being a guest on Riddoch Questions to MAYBE challenge conventional wisdom about life on two wheels!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o

JAM TODAY

We've just recorded a budget edition of Riddoch Questions at the Social Enterprise Trade Fair in Edinburgh's Corn Exchange – and it was lively stuff. Our panellists (right to left) were Labour's Andy Kerr, The Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition's Laurie Russell, Lubna Kerr CEO of WHY (Wellbeing, Health and You) and the 20 year old Fraser Doherty creator of Superjam (and that's what we are all holding! It's got no added sugar and does taste great – Fraser came up with the idea from his grannies recipe when he was 14. If he could only sing Fraser should be on Britain's Got Talent!)

Anyway we discussed the budget, whether Alistair Darling bottled the chance to make radical change, whether the profit motive has brought Scotland to its knees (the answer was an overwhelming no – it's what you DO with the profits that makes a difference with these social entrepreneurs) and whether Scots have the skills needed to get out of our present economic hole. And did our audience want a maximum wage?

Listen in on Friday 24^th at 1.15 on Radio Scotland, listen again, or catch the prog as a podcast on this website next week.

TERMINAL 5 BLUES

I'm finally calming down in Heathrow Terminal 5 after missing a flight north by minutes. I know – this marks me out as a numpty on many counts. First for missing flights (SO pre credit crunch) second for thinking there is any point in moaning/special pleading or even describing the scenario and third for demonstrating my inability to accept the truth – I was late.

Well alright, I was late. But....................

The boarding pass I printed out after checking in online said the BA gate closed 18.05 for an 18.25 departure. Going through security at 17.50 I was told to go back. It appeared I'd been deemed a no-show ten minutes earlier and taken off the flight. Er wot? Suppose I was lurking outside the gate after a bout of I-dont-like-being-herded-like-a-cow syndrome?

"That wouldn't happen. They knew you had not cleared security."

"Well why put the time check in closes if the key time is clearing security? I thought I had time to get there."

"But you didn't."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH.

The "good" news? I actually saved money by buying a brand new ticket rather than trying to upgrade my existing one. Gee thanks. And waiting for three hours in this ungenerous free wifi-free zone I've just been moved from the Pret a Manger tables because they shut at 8pm. It isn't anyone's fault. And in fact some people have been absolute stars.

The genuinely Italian waiter at the fabulous Carluccios restaurant OUTSIDE departures brought great food, a new bottle of fizzy water when I spilled mine and my laptop computer when I left it behind in a fit of brain meltdown. And the BT openzone phone service chap who immediately texted a username for the 45 minutes of broadband I bought to write and post this rant. When technology and human pleasantness combine, the world is vaguely bearable again.

But only vaguely.

I have now decided to cancel every human endeavour I'm involved in to protest against today's ....stuff. Childish, self defeating, and bound not to happen. A bit like a good time in Terminal 5 actually. Grrrrrr.

 

 

 

 

Maggie Fyffe’s Big Birthday Bash

We spent the weekend on the People's Republic of Eigg where the laughing island matriarch, Maggie Fyffe was celebrating her 21^st birthday.... again. Her daughter Tasha did a great job of keeping the party secret. But as ferry after ferry deposited clumps of old friends, the penny must've started to drop. The party was meant to kick off in the village hall at 8.30. Or 9.30. Or 10pm with great fiddle playing from Ailidh Shaw and retinue. Near midnight a red carpet was hastily laid and a fairly skeletal looking "Queen" was ushered in to present Maggie with a scroll of 60^th birthday messages ... and supposedly her MBE. There was much hilarity when the mask came off to reveal that Maggie's husband Wes was the gilded lady. And even more when Maggie practically jumped backwards through the window in shock – which proves that Wes is not a practised cross dresser. There was very little sleep that night and quite a lot of dancing. We left on a special Sheerwater charter on Sunday – and just to prove he is still King of the Cetaceans, Ronnie veered off in pursuit of porpoises near the entrance to Arisaig. If anyone wants to see whales, sharks, and dolphins this year don't bother heading north, west or south. Go to Arisaig and take a dander over to Eigg, Rum, Muck or Canna on Arisaig Marine. The rest comes almost naturally......

Bilbao and San Sebastian

Little old globe trotter me! This week Chris and I were in Bilbao, Spain for a meeting of EquiMar -- a European group of 61 scientists, marine device developers, biologists and energy companies from 11 countries, charged by the EU to devise industry standards by 2011 so governments can decide which devices to invest in --Feisty is responsible for publicity and the Equimar website (www.equimar.org).

There was some anxiety amongst the academics about developers heading out to sea with devices that haven't been properly tested. Cameron Johnstone, of Strathclyde University's Institute of Energy Systems Research Unit, put it most colourfully: "Scotland's marine energy industry must learn from the failure of Scotland's banks to avoid toxic investments. Developers tempted to short circuit the tried and trusted development process run the risk of incurring huge losses and undermining confidence in the ability of tidal and wave devices to deliver significant amounts of power to the grid. That's why we need to encourage developers to work steadily from computer modeling to tank testing, small scale testing and sea trials before moving to full scale deployment of marine devices. Of course, it's tempting to miss out the crucial middle steps -- but Scottish banks provide a strong, cautionary example of what can go wrong with mass deployment of an idea that simply looks good on paper." Amen.

 

At the weekend –we headed to San Sebastian on the Basque Northern Atlantic coast - it was pretty cold. Perhaps that made the explosion of beach-loving energy by the locals even more impressive. Right from the wee small hours people were doing "La Concha walk" – walking, jogging, cycling the length of the perfect parabola of beaches around the bay. Well dressed ladies wore flatties, older gents wore trainers, everyone had brightly coloured brollies (so a wee burst of rain didn't send them indoors) and a group of elderly women swam in water so cold Mr Smith wouldn't even paddle in it. Major respect. And uplifting to see fit, healthy people immersed in the fabulous nature on their doorsteps. Meanwhile the UK government decided gardening would count as a health spin-off from the London Olympics. European travel doesn't broaden the mind these days as much as deepen the despair.

There's a new Education Aftermath available

After the Peebles audience drew breath in the Riddoch Questions' Education Debate; the crew opened the faders, put more tape in the machine and asked for more. And they got; more voices, more questions and comments in the Education Debate Aftermath.

This week's Riddoch Questions and a special camera operator...