SCOTS INVENTIONS , SCOTTISH  FIRSTS, NEW IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS OF THE SCOTS...

       ...IT'S weel kent (well known) that the Scots lay claim to having invented Television, the Steam Engine and Penicillin, but there are a great many other "firsts" - Scots Inventions that seldom, if ever, get recognition.

Sometimes, the ideas have been "borrowed by others; sometimes, the idea or innovation has been so small, that it has not seemed worthy of note - though the change it made could have far-reaching effects! 

SO, we are about to redress this; to right the wrong, for many of the unsung heroes, forgotten or never truly acknowledged. As on our Wee Bits page , we'll start with a few, and keep adding from the top, in no particular order, so that the latest entry is first to be seen. And, if you   have heard of some of these, others may have not, for we dinnae a' read the same buiks! 

AND, if any of our readers know of a Scots First we haven't mentioned - perhaps even by a family member or friend - TELL US! We'll be richt happy to include verified "Firsts", with an acknowledgement of the source on this very page.

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So, on to the Scots  Firsts...

  World's first  BUMBLEBEE SANCTUARY

Bees seem to be disappearing on a world-wide basis. Most of us know of this, as the massive reductions in the numbers of Honey Bees has been well publicised in most ecologically-conscious countries.

But the Bumble Bee - the big, lumbering, "can't-possibly-fly" bee - is also in considerable danger. Again, numbers are dropping rapidly as habitat is vandalised by "Developers" and pest control methods take their arbitrary tolls.

Britain has suffered considerably; recorded numbers of the Humble Bumble are worryingly lowering.  SO. it was of no little interest to The Boss and me when we were out at a nature reserve recently and saw this notice...               

This is of course another first for Scotland. Not as wonderful, or exciting, or of-benefit-to-mankind as, say, penicillin, on a global scale, but we thought it was gey marvellous.

The meadow that has been set aside for the Bumbles is covered in the type of flora that they thrive on, and in the beautiful setting of the Fife countryside on the shores of Loch Leven. Here's a photo of the meadow...

The Nature Reserve is owned by the RSPB - the Royal Society for protection of Birds - at Vane Farm. The website address for more details is 
             www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/v/vanefarm

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