10 Pin Bowling

Let's Bowl indeed

In September 2015 we tried 10 pin bowling and 10 members came and played. By popular demand we organised another episode and 16 signed up. Injury and illness sidelined 3 people leaving the serious competition to 13 people over 3 lanes.

We met up for lunch at Pizza Hut but gridlock on the roads in Carlisle meant we had to leave promptly after our buffet meal to find an alternative route to the Bowling.

 

The lanes were soon set up with side bars up and once teams had been sorted the names were typed in and the bowling began.

 

 

I have never seen so many happy smiling faces mixed in with looks of intense concentration and confusion over the scoring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some bowlers had good action, others were more accurate and some were just plain lucky!!

 

 

Keith got the highest score overall ( 143 ) which was an improvement on last year when he won with a score of 108.

 

This could become a regular (but not TOO regular) outing during winter months.

 

 

 

 

 

AGM Wed 7th Sept 2016

Our first meeting of the new GIG year was the AGM, which also includes competitions and ends with a Shared Supper. After renewing memberships and entering exhibits in the various categories we sat down for the AGM.

 

 

Our Chairman gave his annual report, reminding members how busy we had been over the year. As well as monthly meetings we had trips to try ten pin bowling and curling. Visits to Annandale Distillery, Dalbeattie Museum and Robert Smail's Printing Works proved to be really interesting. The Annual Meal in January and the Summer Lunch in July were well supported and enjoyed by all.

Monthly meetings, some given by club members, covered a variety of topics. All in all a very good year for GIG.

See reports, with photos, on our other blogs.

Financial statements were explained by our Treasurer, showing a healthy position for the club.

The Chairman then announced his resignation and a new Chairperson was nominated and elected.

Gill Gracie will be our new Chairperson. We wish her well in her new position!

 

 

The Treasurer and Secretary did not need re-election this year but the rest of the committee was re-elected, including Keith and Margaret Torrington who still want to be involved with the club despite having moved to Hawick.  Good news for GIG.

Having completed official business thanks were offered to Marie, for her sterling work with raffles every month, and to Mike who has resigned from the committee for personal reasons.

The AGM concluded with thanks to all members for their continued support.

Time was now given for members to inspect the exhibits and vote for their favourites in each category.

Tom Straiton Memorial Trophy for a floral arrangement:

 

 

Maybe not too difficult to choose a winner here!!

Memet Cup for a wildlife photograph:

 

 

Annantown Garage Trophy for a bird photograph:

 

 

Hodgson Trophy for a landscape photograph:

 

 

and the Gretna GIG Craft Trophy:

 

 

All members vote to find a winner in each category - this year we even had to have a re-vote in one category as there was a dead-heat on the first count!

A delicious looking supper was laid out while voting took place and everyone enjoyed their food.

It was finally time to announce the winners....

Tom Straiton Memorial Trophy was awarded to Margaret Torrington.

 

 

Memet Cup for a wildlife photograph was awarded to Val Russell.

 

 

Annantown Garage Trophy for a bird photograph was awarded to Kathryn Barlow.

 

 

Hodgson Trophy for a landscape photograph was awarded to Val Russell.

 

 

and the Gretna GIG Craft Trophy was awarded to Linda Wade.

 

 

Well done to all entrants and winners.

Visit to Richard Smail's Printing Works Thur 25th August 2016

On contacting the printing works to enquire about a visit we were told that although they do not open to the public on a Thursday, a group visit could be arranged for us. Twelve GIG members decided that this was an opportunity not to be missed! We were also pleased to stop in Hawick and pick up Keith and Margaret who were to join us for the day.

Robert Smail's Printing Works is a functional printing works in Innerleithen, now preserved by the National Trust for Scotland.

From the outside it looks just like a small shop...

 

... which it is, as a variety of commercial printing jobs are still produced today.

We were given a brief history of the firm - it was established in 1866, printing for the local community and operating as a stationer's shop. It later also published a weekly newspaper.

 

The Smail family remained the owners of the business until Cowan Smail retired and the National Trust acquired the property in 1986. It was opened to the public in 1990.

We were taken to the office and shown examples of the hoarding capacity of the Smail family. They kept every order, bill and receipt that came through the business! Bundles of paper-wrapped paperwork filled every shelf. We were shown examples of items printed - all kept in huge books called Guard books.

 

 

Photographs around the room show how little everything has changed over the years - the Smails' made little effort to keep up with technology. Their systems worked, so why change them? They were also agents for the White Star shipping line (of Titanic fame) and have records of every ticket they ever sold, who they sold them to, and where they were going!

 

Behind the shop front is another small building where the actual printing is done. Downstairs is a replica of the original water-wheel that powered the works. Upstairs is the case room, where typesetting took place. There are many racks of letters of different print types around the room, with those in use being on top of the cupboard.

 

 

Our guide showed us how to set type, by hand, into a metal composing stick. We paid close attention at this point as we were going to set the type for our names! After a lot of thought, and help where necessary, we all succeeded in setting our type before our guide used a hand-operated printing press to make a book mark for each of us.

 

 

 

We were taken to see the larger printing presses used for bigger jobs, and the most up to date press, the Heidelberg Press, bought in 1952.

 

 

 

As we toured the building  we were told by our experienced and very knowledgeable guides much interesting information, including some of the well known phrases we use today that actually derive from printing terms. Dab hand, Upper and Lower Case, Mind your P's and Q's, Not the Full Shilling, Make a Good Impression and Out of Sorts all come from printing origins.

Mind your P's and Q's was advice given to apprentices - as it is easy to confuse the mirror images of the p and q type. Originally it therefore meant be careful with your work!

Upper and lower case comes from the practice of separating capital and small letters into different cases. When required for setting , the cases were put out on the rack with the capitals on the upper part and the small letters on the lower - hence upper and lower case letters.

Robert Smail's printing works is a treasure and the National Trust for Scotland is doing a grand job keeping it alive and flourishing. They still have much work to do cataloguing and cross referencing all the information that is stored in the building - but will surely get there eventually!

For anyone who finds themselves anywhere near Innerleithen, it is well worth a visit!

Visit to Dalbeattie Museum 25th July 2016

A small group set off to Dalbeattie with anticipation of an interesting time after hearing reports of the number of exhibits that were on view. We had a warm welcome from one of the volunteers as we entered the museum, who explained a little of the history of the building. As we were talking the founder of the museum, Tommy Henderson walked in. He still volunteers and is a mine of information about Dalbeattie and its history.

The museum is divided into numerous displays, each crammed with artefacts from bygone days.

Did you know that Dalbeattie used to be a port, with it's own harbour before the river silted up, and that granite was exported from there? 

Do you know of the connection Dalbeattie has with the Titanic? There is an exhibition of replica artefacts on display.

There are also artefacts covering both World Wars in the museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is an old fashioned "shop" at the front of the museum stocked full of items from metal bread bins, sweets, tins of shoe polish, sauce and almost anything else you might want - including Izal toilet rolls!

 

 

 

 

This "part-time" assistant you may recognise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They have also recently constructed a vintage toy shop, with many recognisable games and toys.

 

 

There is also a 1920's kitchen ...

 

 

a cycle workshop and a rural room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonder what they were reminiscing about?

 

 

There is a viewing room where you can watch fascinating old movies of Dalbeattie.

 

 

The museum does come with its own health warnings ...

 

 

The museum continues upstairs - with a stair lift for those who need it - to find display cases full of medals, smoking paraphernalia, badges and much, much more. The shelves are full of typewriters, early televisions, crested china, old bottles, vacuum cleaners and radios.

 

 

Unlike many museums we were told that if things were on open display we could pick them up and look at them. The old cash register was full of old coins and the weighing machine downstairs was in working order if you used an old penny - supplied by the museum.

 

 

Dalbeattie Museum is a hidden gem in Dumfries and Galloway. The volunteers give it a very warm welcoming atmosphere and have so much information to share with visitors. It is easy to lose track of time while in the museum, but it leaves you with the feeling that there might have been something you missed and that a return visit may be needed. It will not be a wasted journey!

 

 



 

Visit to Annandale Distillery Jun 27th 2016

 

 

Following a talk to the group from a representative of the distillery, a visit was arranged for those who were interested. Fourteen of us turned up to be greeted by the friendly staff. We then divided into two groups for the tour, as space is limited in certain areas.

A notice board at the entrance gives an impression of what the distillery looked like when it was owned by Johnnie Walker around the turn of the 20th Century.

 

 

Our tour guide took us into the yard to explain some of the old and new features, and buildings that make up the distillery. It had fallen into disrepair in the years after WW1 and was finally bought and restored by Dr David Thomson. It was officially reopened by the Princess Royal in 2015.

The original buildings were very dilapidated when Professor Thomson began his restoration, but he was faithful to the red sandstone originally used and searched for the same stone to use in the restoration. His diligence was rewarded and the restored buildings look as if they have been in that condition for many years.

 

 

 After a brief history of the distillery and a look at photos of the site when it was first acquired by Dr Thomson, we went inside to look at todays production process. We began under the pagoda-style roof.

 

 

We then went upstairs to see where the grain comes into the building before heading off to the different tanks and stills. The process was explained to us and we saw the mash tuns and copper stills. These are hand made to the specific requirements of the distillery.

 

 

We were then escorted to the Bonded Warehouses where the barrels of whisky are maturing. For obvious reasons (!) this was kept locked and we were not allowed to take photos inside.

 

 

The barrels are stored here - initially for 3 years - until the whisky is ready to be bottled. We saw the barrels stacked and labelled. There are two different single malt whiskies being made at the distillery - a peated and an unpeated whisky. They are to be known as the Man O'Words and the Man O' Sword, in honour of Robert Burns and Robert the Bruce.

We were given a taste of each of the Rascally Liqors that are being bottled and sold until the whisky is ready. This is the pure spirit that matures into Single Malt Whisky.

 

 

There has been a lot of thought - and money - put into the distillery. Dr Thomson is obviously passionate about whisky and the revival of the distillery. The best materials have been used throughout and this quality can be seen in even the smallest detail of gates, hand rails, doors, lights, stools and tables etc.

 

 

The Maltings Coffee Shop at the distillery is a very welcoming, comfortable area. We enjoyed platters of delicious sandwiches and tea/coffee to round off our visit.