The Grab Bag

A friend of mine posted this after seeing so much publicity about the need to keep a 'grab bag' handy.

In the Gaelic version, you'll notice you need not one but two black puddings - and a copy of Dwelly's Gaelic dictionary. I take it the latter is for the English speakers that won't be able to understand Gaelic road signs.

Then another friend mentioned mockingly that some folk think they need a survival blanket and 'mad things like that.' I take exception to that. When I worked in all the airts and pairts of the west of Scotland, I did carry a survival blanket. Plus boots and spare underwear and a coat and a rug that could be put under the wheels of my car if I got stuck in snow. And at one point or another, I used them all.

What I don't understand is why this matter has come up now. Surely the most likely reason to need a grab bag is if you're caught out by bad weather. But it's only September - near enough summer in Scotland (if you ignore the monsoon-type rain we've been getting).

I have had to deal with visitors to Scotland who arrived from London wearing scarves, hats, gloves, boots and winter coats - and sat sweltering all the time they were here.

Surely we're most likely to need a grab bag from mid-January to the end of March - you know, the time of year when we kid ourselves winter is over and manage to get caught out by bad weather.

Mind you, as I've told people, I've encountered hailstones in Fenwick in late May, so maybe it's best to be prepared.

Or is it war we're preparing for? Civil unrest? Can I expect the troops to be marching down Fenwick Road any time soon? With the Tories in their current moronic state, anything's possible.