Since my last column, international events have sadly taken centre stage.
I welcome and fully support the united efforts of the United Kingdom, United States and the European Union in putting forward the most severe sanctions Russia has ever experienced in response to this unprovoked, reprehensible and inexcusable attack.
And I am glad that the approach taken by the Prime Minister and the UK Government has cross-party support across the House of Commons.
My thoughts are with the Ukrainian people and indeed other Eastern European nations who will understandably fear Putin’s next moves.
But we must also spare some thought for the Russian people themselves who are seeing their own people going to a war carried out not in their name, but to satisfy the personal agenda of President Putin.
For anyone in Banff and Buchan who is affected by the crisis, with relatives in Ukraine, they can contact the Home Office dedicated family migration hotline on 0300 303 2785.
There is also support and advice available from the Government available to those with business connections in Ukraine and Russia and who have been affected – by calling 0300 303 8955.
Last week saw the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing with Team GB narrowly missing out on gold by a single shot and winning silver in the Men’s Curling.
This was followed by a much more comprehensive and thoroughly well-deserved gold in the Women’s Curling.
Congratulations to both teams and all involved.
Readers may be interested to know that all curling stones used in all Winter Olympics since 1924 are made from granite quarried on the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig.
I was also pleased to see the asset transfer of the old Fife Street School in Macduff approved by Aberdeenshire Council last week.
I’m particularly happy to see the school – which I attended myself back in 1975 (yes, I’m that old) – return to community use.
I hope that this will be a valuable asset for the Macduff community and I wish the Men’s Shed, Deveron Home Start and Macduff Farmers Market all the very best.
The recently announced 3% rise in council tax in Aberdeenshire will not be a welcome one for many as the Council has had their budgets squeezed yet again by the Scottish Government.
I’m glad however that SNP Ministers have passed on the £150 Council Tax rebate, made possible by funding from the UK Treasury.
I was also relieved to hear Scottish Conservative Leader Douglas Ross confirm that no Conservative run council in Scotland will implement the SNP’s punitive car parking tax.
Across rural Banff and Buchan there is often no alternative to using a car.
I am not against initiatives to promote active travel or to facilitate less carbon intensive alternatives to car usage, but any such measure needs to be practical and realistic.
Yet again, it seems that the SNP and Greens are applying logic that may seem appropriate in the urban Central Belt but shows no cognisance of real life across rural Scotland.
Perhaps if the Scottish Government were to invest in improved transport infrastructure across the North East, such measures may start to look feasible.
But, as we have seen in their recently published ‘National Transport Strategy’, there is precious little in there for rural Scotland and certainly nothing in Banff and Buchan.