[BITList] Why can't I have ice with my whisky? | Kevin McKenna |Comment is free | The Observer

[HUGH]

Mike,

Janet and I play curling, and I recollect we played in a Grand Match a few 
years back, though on an indoor rink.  When outdoor ice is not present or 
suitable, the Match is played by local teams on indoor rinks spread 
countrywide.  According to yesterday's Herald, it wasn't the police who 
stopped the fun, but the insurers who declined to insure the event after 
local councils and possibly the police were wary of being seen to support 
it.  Ice ain't what it used to be - when my grandfather wor nowt but a lad, 
10" of ice was the equivalent of 14 feet of present day ice.  Few people are 
more cognisant of the risks presented by ice than curlers.  A "how to play 
curling" lesson is always preceded by a safety talk, off the ice.  One is 
told to fall on ones arse/bum (depending on sexes present), and the bad 
effect of blood on ice is emphasised - not so much the blood, as the hot 
water needed to remove it.

On a more serious note, it's high time the entire Health and Safety 
Executive, and all its hangers on, were put onto a desert island with blunt 
knives, cushions, and very short ladders.

Hugh.