EXACTLY 163 years ago the people of Inverness were terrorised by the raging, rising waters of the Ness, swollen out of all recognition as huge gouges were carved in the town's upstream defences by the pounding power of incessant, frightening levels of rainwater descending from the mountains, gathering snowfall in its maw and surging down Loch Ness with ever increasing velocity.
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THE cowboy philosopher Will Rogers observed that income tax has made more liars out of people than golf. I reflected on that the other day when observing the old Customs House which still stands on the south side of Inverness High Street.
I was reminded of the wee boy who swallowed five pence in Eastgate Centre and, as he choked and shoppers screamed, a man dashed forward, squeezed the child hard and the coin flew out its mouth. The grateful mother asked if he was a paramedic. He replied: "No, I work for the Inland Revenue."
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THUNDERING hooves down Bruce Gardens, the exhortations of busy jockeys along St Valery Avenue. That might give some senior citizens palpitations as they set off for the Post Office. Not actually fantasy, for the mounts and jockeys were there before the streets and houses.
Horse racing is actually a venerable sport in the Highland Capital and Dalneigh was, for a long time, its racecourse. The Cheltenham or Ascot of its day to the folk of the burgh and wider area
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TRANSPORT secretary Philip Hammond reckons the railways are "a rich man's toy" and are used by the better off which is why some fares are, in his words, "eye-wateringly expensive." He is also indicating that more ticket offices will close over the next couple of years, forcing people to book online instead.
Mr Hammond obviously does not take cognisance of the essential service that rail connections offer to and from places like the Highlands and its great value to jobs, business and tourism as well as its important social dimension such as visiting friends and relatives.
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