New rules/ regulations/ guidelines (which category exactly are they?) come into effect across Great Britain today – though (apart from variations between the different nations) in some areas (like here) there are local, tighter ones. The aim is a simple, understandable set of rules – but whenever you devise a ‘rule’ someone will always come up with a situation that requires an exemption. Hence why we have libraries of case law and legal rulings (not to mention protracted negotiations with small children!) A number of people say ‘just use your common sense’, which seems reasonable – till you come across someone with a very different understanding of ‘common sense’ from your own. Maybe we need to keep in mind the second of the Great Commandments ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’: treat others with respect (so don’t put them in danger) and treat yourself with respect (so don’t put yourself in danger)
Lord, help us to remember always to be positive, helpful and constructive in attitudes and behaviour towards ourselves and others
PS It’s Open Doors/ Heritage Month so over this week and next we’ll share some short snippets about Dumbarton, its surroundings and its history
The Antonine Wall was built between 142 and 154 AD on the orders of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius. It ran between Old Kilpatrick and Bo’ness. It was 39 miles long and had 16 forts. It was 3-4m high and 5 m wide, built of turves or soil, with a wooden palisade on top. There was a wide ditch to the North and a military road to the South.
It was abandoned in 162AD, re-occupied in 208 by the Emperor Septimius Severus, and then abandoned a few years later. It has UNESCO World Heritage status.
