More than 200 mineral-product sites supply the stone, sand, concrete and asphalt used across Scotland, but public records do not provide a current national account of active quarries, remaining permitted reserves or regional supply. Scotland’s plans for homes, roads, power
At eleven minutes past two, my mobile informed me that a parcel had been delivered. This was encouraging, as I had been at home all afternoon and had heard neither a van nor a knock at the door. The animals had heard nothing either, and they can hear a food packet being opened in another room through two closed doors and a running washing machine. The message included a photograph. It showed a cardboard box beneath something green. The green object might have been a plant pot. It might also have been a wheelie bin, a hedge or a small
