A little light in the gloom ...

You needed a strong stomach to digest the news this week. No, not the ups and downs of the economy - although the plunging pound and rising unemployment will make more than a few people queasy. No, I'm talking about the horrific stories about children that have featured so prominently this week - and it's hard to find the words to express just how truly awful these cases are.
The short, tragic life of Baby P in Haringay, the killing of two toddlers by their young mother in Manchester and the trial of Shannon Matthews' parents and guardians - each tragedy makes you question what kind of society we have become. Three young lives lost and another ruined by the very people who children depend on to love, nurture and protect them. Of course mistakes have been made, the inevitable enquiries will now follow and I'm sure that some official spokesperson will soon insist that 'lessons have been learned and we are already acting on the recommendations made in the report'. And I'm equally sure that it won't be too much longer before we hear of another Baby P. somewhere in the country - another wee life cut tragically short, failed by inadequate parents and a system that is over-stretched to the point where it cannot provide a safety net for our most vulnerable. It's deeply depressing.
Amid the gloom, I was fortunate enough to attend three events this week that did much to lift the spirits. One was the launch of our local Children's Parliament exhibition in North Edinburgh Arts Centre. Many of our young kids are a real inspiration and, as an Ambassador of the Children's Parliament, it was a particular pleasure to see lots of people (not only parents) attending the launch. The children were fantastic and they should feel justly proud of their work. The second was at Oaklands Special School, where the children - many with extremely complex special needs - thought about others and did their level best to 'move a mile' to support Children in Need. Humbling.
The other event was the Kind Kids Awards at Ocean Terminal - four local schoolchildren were among 30 to receive certificates from the Lady Provost to mark their special contribution to making the world around them a better place. The event took place on World Kindness Day, and I went along after watching a news broadcast filled with the horror stories I talk about above. So three real-life horror stories and three uplifting events. Confusing? You bet.

Domestically, my old cat has been in the wars. He's getting on a bit now (an 'elderly gentleman' acording to my vet) and came into the house last weekend with his nose and mouth covered in blood. At first we thought he'd been involved in a scrap, but we were later informed that he's been hit by something - I guess we'll never know what, but 'it' broke his jaw and forced the removal of six teeth. And - something else to restore your faith in human nature - the vet also discovered an air gun pellet in his leg when he was x-rayed. She tells me that she's sure that, if all the cats in the city were x-rayed a good percentage would contain airgun pellets. Sickening. Anyway, the old boy is back at home with his jaw wired up, very quiet but enjoying the attention and getting back to his old self - hopefully he will soon be fit enough to take the odd wild slash at me again; then I'll know his recovery is complete! While he recovers from his accident, I am slowly recovering from the £300+ bill - he's worth every penny, though ...

And finally, D Day is almost upon us. Yes, after months of waiting and postponements Forth Neighbourhood Partnership's Fairer Scotland Fund decisions will be made tomorrow. I've been to many 'important' meetings over the years, but this will undoubtedly be the most difficult I've ever taken part in. Seventeen projects to fund, £800,000 shortfall in the pot - not a lot to look forward to, I fear. However at least staff, boards and clients will at last know their fate come tomorrow evening - the waiting has become unbearable for many. It would be great to be the bearer of good news but I just can't see it: it's looking grim.

Sorry for being a bit downbeat this week - things, as the old song said, can only get better! To brighten things up just a little I've added add a nice autumn waterfall picture taken recently near Kinloch Rannoch, but I'm still using my old Mac and some functions don't appear to be accessible (including spell-check, so apologies for that) . If it goes pear-shaped t'll just have to wait until next week, when I also hope to make a somewhat jollier posting. We'll see ....