Got a call from the printer yesterday. Which was ominous, even more so as he hadn’t replied to my Monday morning email. Getting an actual telephone call rang the alarm bells. Usually it’s me chasing him: “The first batch of books will be ready to collect on Friday morning.” Phew! Huge sigh of relief.
But don’t rub your hands just yet. The first people to get copies of the ‘Scottish Rally Championship 1990-1999’ will be those who have supported this project from the start. And what is most flattering and encouraging to note is that each of the advertisers in the first book wanted to be part of the second so my ever grateful thanks goes out to 5 Star Car Deliveries for their valued sponsorship, Tunnock’s Bakeries, Dom Buckley RSC, Andrew Wood Motorsport, MOL Plant/Armstrong Group, Royal Aero, Mabie House Hotel and the Scottish Rally Championship, itself. I couldn’t have done it without them.
However, with this book being bigger, more help was sought and my grateful thanks go out also to Calluna Circuits, New Pig, Nexus Systems, Creative Designs, IDM UK and Dicksons ‘The Sackmaker’.
If I needed any reassurance that this project was worthwhile then the enthusiasm of those above is testament to that. Having said that, I still bear the brunt of the cost so if anyone else wants to come on board for the next book (the 2000s) you’re more than welcome – but it ain’t cheap!
Once that’s done, it’s all go for Monday night, and goodness only knows what that will bring. The venue as before is a traditional village bowling club so don’t expect a wide range of traveller’s snacks, just crisps and reasonably priced nectar. After Monday evening is over the books will go on general sale later in the week and I’ll let you know when they have been added to the website.
Dalserf Bowling Club in the village of Ashgill is easily accessible heading east from Junction 8 (Canderside Toll) on the M74 at Larkhall.
There’s a set of traffic lights on the A71 between the Motorway and Garrion Bridge but turn off at this junction towards Ashgill – some local worthies still think these are Christmas decorations left over from a couple of years back, but city-folks will recognise them for what they are.
One other thing, if you haven’t been to a CCC club night
before you will drive past the entrance to the Bowling Club at least once
before you see it. So dinnae worry, we’ve all done it! It’s a tight left on to
an unsurfaced narrow road between the first and second wee hooses. There’s a
fairly big car park at the foot of the lane on the right with access to the
Bowling Club entrance from there.
What3Words: ///trespass.flashing/toffee
In the previous post I mentioned that the National Scottish Library has some seriously early books in its collection, and they will of course be joined shortly by the ‘SRC history’ volumes, and whilst conducting my historic research in these ancient tomes seeking the origins of stage rallying, I came across some names which bore an eerily familiar similarity to names we all ken today.
There was the Lord Jonathan, who was the royally appointed ruler of the forest roads and toll-taker from road travellers, and there was also a mention of one Jock Strongarm, a siege engine driver from Galloway. Other names which had a somewhat familiar ring to them included Donald Heggis, Desmond the Dangerous and there was special mention of a highwayman in the Dumfries area called the Bogey-Man.
Other names which struck a chord included Robber Roy Campbell and Scotland’s answer to Robin Hood, Kenneth of the Wood who was apparently a feared charioteer and ‘bush mechanic’, perhaps the earliest written use of the word mechanic. Euan Thumburnt was another weel kent character and so-called because he burnt his thumb regularly firing the gunpowder in his flintlock pistol!
There were also many other references to a chap called James Hogg, aka the Ettrick Shepherd a nationally respected poet from the Borders over 200 years ago, and one wonders if Louise Aching-from-Walking, a shepherdess from the Borders was any relation?
But here’s a puzzle, who was James S McRaLLYe. Was this the origin of the word ‘rally’ and is Jim McRae actually older than he’s letting on? I think we should be told.
So if proof were needed that the printed word will outlast the ‘word in the cloud’ here it is!!
One final point, Malcolm won’t be hanging around till late – he has an early flight on Tuesday morning, but he’s still awfy keen not to miss this!
Yee – Haaa