Sir — Well Mister and Master Adams look like they have done it again! Going well in the league, unlucky to lose the Alba Cup Final, and then they sack Ross Jack.

Sir — No matter the spin that the SNP locally try to put on it (Ross-shire Journal, December 12), the outcome of the Scottish Transport Projects Review was disastrous for the Highlands.

Sir — I read with increasing weariness the exchange of letters between Peter Peacock and Dave Thompson. Mr Thompson's most recent letter contains a great deal of heat, but conspicuously few facts about HIE's budget.

Sir — I refer to the two anonymous letters (Ross-shire Journal, December 12) on the subject of using quad bikes on Forestry Commission land.

Sir — I am stunned and horrified by Ross Jack's sacking, so far without reason.

Sir — As a member of the public who frequently walks the forestry tracks in the Strathpeffer area, I have to say that 99 per cent of the people on quad-motorbikes seem to be getting a lot of undeserved publicity.

Sir — I am sorry the Ross-shire Journal is supporting what is escalating into a policy of intimidation against quad bike riders on Forestry Commission land – an asset owned not by the Forestry Commission but by us – taxpayers.

Sir — I refer to the letter in the edition of Friday, December 5 advocating that the plans for the Black Isle swimming pool should include provision for other community facilities including a permanent youth café.

Sir — In his letter of December 5 to the Ross-shire Journal, Peter Peacock MSP says that he always tries to 'operate' on the facts. A skill he learned from Alastair Campbell, no doubt; and Mr Peacock's certainly been "operating" on the facts regarding HIE's budget. An "operation" which consists of selecting certain "facts", discarding the rest and then spinning what's left; until the "facts" are unrecognisable and bear no relation to the truth.

Sir — I was saddened – but not surprised – to hear of the demise of the Active Referral scheme as reported in the Ross-shire Journal, November 21. As an exercise instructor who has been battling for funding over the last seven years, I find it incredible that so much money is wasted on talk, rather than putting money into schemes which take action.

Sir — Dave Thomson MSP accuses me of playing 'fast and loose' with the facts about HIE's budget cuts and seeks to put the record straight because of the media 'regurgitating uncritically' what Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians have been saying about SNP budget cuts of HIE (Ross-shire Journal Novenber 21).

Sir — Thank you very much for covering the issue of flooding in Livera Street, Evanton in last week's Ross-shire Journal.

Sir — I would think that if the Black Isle swimming pool project is to get more support, then it has to be more than just "a swimming pool".

Sir — I refer to the letter from DW Ross in the November 28 issue of the Ross-shire Journal. Our drop-in session in Garve on October 6 was well attended and we received many views on our management proposals for Ben Wyvis National Nature Reserve (NNR).

Sir — After attending Scottish Natural Heritage's drop-in session at Garve Village Hall, (October 6), regarding their Ben Wyvis proposals and questioning why it wasn't a proper sit-down meeting with them explaining their intentions, followed by a question and answer session, I was told they considered this would be too confrontational.

Sir — May I be permitted to make a small correction to a misprint in my letter on the Gaelic signs in last week's paper.

Sir — I have just finished reading John Reddigan's interesting letter to the editor, concerning Fond Memories of Rosemarkie, and wonder if I might reply to him in your columns as some of the points raised may be of interest to other Ross-shire readers.

Sir — I was asked by some of the members of Avoch parent council to help raise money to enable over 240 children to go and see the panto at Eden Court, so I suggested a race night.

Sir — These are some extracts from the Scots Language Centre at www.scotslanguage.com which may be of interest to your readers.

Sir — Rita Hunter's departure from Fèis Ross cannot pass without praise for her excellent leadership in the past 20 years and it gives me an opportunity to thank her and all those involved in the revival of our traditional music, dance and language.

Sir — Having read wide coverage of the bilingual issue discussed at the full Highland Council meeting on October 30, I take exception to "racist" accusations against Caithness members by two Inverness councillors.

Sir — I am writing to shed some light on recent claims from Labour and Liberal politicians, who have been playing fast and loose with the truth, concerning claims that HIE has been "dismembered" through budget cuts and corporate restructuring.

Sir — It is with complete disgust that I write to you regarding events of this week involving the Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service (HIFRS).

Sir — There is no need for the traffic ban to affect trade in Dingwall High Street as there is a good car park just behind the shops.

Sir — With regard to the letter from Ian Stuart, Dingwall, about the shopping basket price rises.

Sir — Tain and District Branch of Cats Protection are running a free neutering campaign for the month of November. We are arranging this to try and cut down the great number of unwanted kittens, which are then either abandoned or given to ourselves to try and find new homes.

Sir — As rising grocery bills cause problems for many families, what has been the response of our SNP masters? They want to massively increase the cost of one element of the shopping basket for many people, namely the purchase of beer, wine and spirits.

Sir — I have to agree wholeheartedly with Ian MacNab (Ross-shire Journal, October 24) in his opinion that the pedestrianisation of the west High Street with its associated proliferation of signs and enforcement measures is a curse which will have a grave effect on the commercial activity in this area.

Sir — I read, and very much agree with the letter from Morag MacNamara in the Journal of October 31, about the Black Isle swimming pool.

Sir — At her second attempt Muir of Ord mother-of-two Kerrie Finlay won the coveted Gold Medal at the recent National Mod in Falkirk. Kerrie, daughter of Chrisanne and Duncan Finlay, has been competing for several years at both junior and senior levels and won the senior silver medal for learners at the mod in Stornoway in 2001.

Sir — I was annoyed to read in Friday's Ross-shire journal that plans for a swimming pool for the Black isle may be "dead in the water" due to lack of support from the Highland Council. This is a blow to the area's residents, the majority of whom wish to see the pool become a reality.

Sir — Once again the Ullapool area, at least, has been without Vodafone and O2 reception for nearly four days. I am losing work because of this and so are others. I fight long and hard with the Vodafone 'helpline' system every time the mast fails. This time there is an incentive to everyone to call and complain.

Sir — I was so nonplussed by Karen Ray's article (Last Word, October 10), that I hardly know how to respond. I found her tone upsetting on several counts.

Sir — In recent weeks my brother and I had to concede that we could no longer look after our terminally ill mum at home. Our mum, Betty Brown, was admitted to Duthac House Tain, a local authority run care facility.

Sir — Around 8pm on Tuesday, October 14, I foolishly allowed myself to run out of petrol at the west end of Dingwall.

Sir — I am concerned about some of the proposals the SNH have for the future management of the Ben Wyvis nature reserve.

Sir — The Rough Guide to Scotland – a respected, popular tourist guide says of Dingwall (P587, 8th Edition 2008), "Dingwall has succumbed to the curse of British provincial towns and has acquired a characterless pedestrianised shopping street, you are unlikely to want to hang around here for long."

Sir — I write in response to your article 'Dog Owners in Hounding Fury' in last week's Ross-shire Journal.

Sir — I wish to register my protest against SNH's plans for a deer cull on Ben Wyvis. There are already very few deer in the area, and if the sheep are to be removed there will be even less grazing pressure anyway.

Sir — Your article of October 10 highlights the ongoing consultation over our management proposals for Ben Wyvis NNR. This is welcome and may add to the good response we've had to date to this important consultation.

Sir — In reply to a letter published in last week’s Ross-shire Journal, I must write to clarify a few points.

Sir — I expect that many of your readers will have ordered items by phone or on the internet, only to find that their address is subject to an additional charge for delivery — one which can often be more than the value of the order.

Sir — During an exquisitely beautiful Sunday afternoon walk on a well-publicised Black Isle coastal route — Rosemarkie to the Salmon Bothy at Eathie — members of my family encountered an alarming difficulty.

Sir — As a regular cyclist, I would like to express my delight with the new Dingwall to Tore cycle path, and congratulations to all involved.

Sir — How right was Mr Shaw of Dingwall when he wrote that if certain people complain about camper vans in the vicinity of Chanonry Point, Rosemarkie and Fortrose, why don't they ban all vehicles?

Sir — I fully understand the disappointment and concerns expressed by families unable to ascend Dingwall's MacDonald memorial on last month's open doors day.

Sir — I was very disappointed to read of the possible closure of the youth café in Fortrose. It is a sad indictment of modern society that some parents appear to be abdicating their parental responsibilities. For the café to close through a lack of adult volunteers would be very sad.

Sir — It distressed me to see the takeover of the Bank of Scotland by devious means.

Sir — I have read with interest about the problems with parking etc at Chanonry Point.

Sir — May I, through your columns, give my heartfelt thanks to all who sent cards, presents and donations to charities on the occasion of my recent 80th birthday.

Sir — I was involved in the building of a memorial cairn to Pipe Major Willie Ross in Glen Strathfarrar. The cairn was unveiled by Pipe Major Ross's granddaughter, Lesley Ross Alexander on May 19, 2007.

Sir — I wonder how many families went up Mitchell Hill last Saturday looking forward to their children having a first opportunity to climb the tower and experience the magnificent views only to be told on arrival that no children under 12 years, even when accompanied by their parents, were allowed to enter the tower.

Sir — Following last week's article in the Ross-shire about the Hector MacDonald Monument my family decided to visit.

Sir — The recent letter from Verity Walker about the parking problems at Chanonry Point makes some useful comments that require some analysis.

Sir — I am writing to let you know of the shocking driving of some people where the movement of agricultural machinery, ie, tractors is involved.

Sir — Once again through your paper I write in defence of Asda.

Sir — Mrs Munro of Foulis asks of us in her letter of last week, "Are we all absolutely sure that none of our ancestors did anything to be ashamed of"?

Sir — In reply to comments from Tesco, better to build in a "random farmers' field" than in the town's "Coronation Park", that should have been returned to the town after Morrison Construction was finished with it.

Sir — Re. the article on "snail mail" in last week's Journal.

Sir — I was interested to read the projections for school numbers at Fortrose Academy, and it is encouraging that the roll has peaked.

Sir — I am writing to offer a suggestion regarding your 'Chanonry Point Chaos' story in this week's issue.

Sir — I must thank L. Sutherland of Invergordon (last week's Ross-shire Journal) for their comments surrounding the Asda fiasco.

Sir — Well, what a couple of weeks we have seen in the country. Olympic success, local planning farce and Tain again making the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Sir — Today as I started my shift at Glasgow Airport, I was surprised to see a copy of the Ross-shire Journal dated August 22, 2008 there to greet me. As I browsed my way through the paper I arrived at Page 9 – Veteran Rockers Reunion struck the right chord.

Sir — I would like to add to the Asda saga through your paper. Does the council not think we have enough blue and white shops in the Highlands and it is about time we had the green and white one of Asda?

Sir — An unusual plea to Scottish Government (Roads) — Please do no more work on the A9-A835 from Kessock Bridge Roundabout to Maryburgh — we are all fed up with the continued work on the road and the consequent delays!

Sir — I am writing in response to the play park article which appeared in the Ross-shire Journal of August 15.

Sir — Councillor Alasdair Rhind is quite correct in his description of Highland Council ward forums as 'talking shops'. I have attended seven forums on two wards and will not be attending any further forums.

Sir — On June 13 this year you printed a letter from me regarding safety issues at the A835/B9163 (Conon Bridge/Alcaig) road junction. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hugh Logan, Highland Council senior engineer for policy standards and safety, for arranging a site meeting at the junction last Thursday.

Sir — With reference to Mr Richard Durham's comments and surprise at the withdrawal of the Asda plans for a supermarket in Tain, does he not think maybe by him voting for us to have Tesco's planned new store at Shore Road (being passed by only six votes for and five against) he may have helped persuade Asda to pull out and also leave us with another one-way street system in the town.

Sir — May I once again through the Ross-shire Journal speak in defence of Asda Supermarket Ltd.

Sir — I was interested to read about Highland Council's decision to look at low key advertising on its roundabout signage.

Sir — I would like to congratulate the national success of pupils and team of the youth enterprise team Dimension from Fortrose Academy. Pupils of Fortrose Academy have achieved Highland-wide and Scottish successes in music and mathematics.

Sir — I see that the SNP's key election pledge to reduce class sizes is heading for the rocks due to the Nationalist's inability to use joined-up thinking in their local authority funding regime.

Sir — Last week, my husband and I were enjoying a visit from our children and grandchildren. We decided to go to Loch Achilty for a swim and a picnic. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the water was almost warm and the surroundings were idyllic with the lovely trees, the sparkling water and the hills in the distance.

Sir — I was very interested to find your reference to the Golden Wedding at Riverbank of Hay and Colina MacLeay.

Sir — Being one of the first to write to you regarding the plinth in the park, I am very pleased to read that it is going to be removed.

Sir — Am I right to feel more than slightly paranoid? Maryburgh School is on the hit list. Conon Bridge to get another new school as a combined one with Maryburgh some time. Maryburgh Post Office shut down despite Conon Bridge Post Office going out of business and having to set up another in the shop.

Sir — The road to hell is paved with good intentions! The members of Dingwall Rotary Club have noted with growing dismay the opprobrium brought on the club by the tone of the letters published in your columns in recent weeks, concerning the Plinth at The Ferry.

Sir — While Councillor Margaret Paterson is to be congratulated on her reported move to raise objections to the proposed closure of the Dingwall Job Centre her comments fan the smouldering embers of an earlier debacle.

Sir — In your columns you have rightly lauded the decision by Balcas to locate a plant in Invergordon.

Sir — I am a bit confused about the so-called new bus shelter here in Contin.

Sir — I write to express the feelings of so many residents of Dingwall and beyond about the position of the plinth at 'The Ferry' as it is known (not Ferry Point).

Sir — How do you destroy a profit-making universally-liked and fair-priced business network that is not only the best in the world but also an integral part of British life? Simple you bankrupt it.

Sir — I note that Robbie the Pict has 'propositioned' Alex Salmond. If Alex refunds the monies to those who paid a toll on the Skye Bridge, Robbie will divulge the whereabouts of the real Stone of Destiny.

Sir — It is very good news that, as reported in your newspaper, many groups in the local Dingwall community are coming to grips with the problems, as well as the possibilities of the new-style pedestrianising of the High Street.

Sir — There is something amiss when the Chief Executive of the Scottish Crofting Foundation is so clearly out of touch with the views of crofters over many of the proposals contained in the Shucksmith Report.

Sir — The Scottish Government has recently announced proposals for those who cannot receive broadband via a telephone landline due to the distance to the nearest exchange.

Sir — Through your columns I would like to draw crofters' attention to the fact that no crofter I have spoken to accepts the key recommendations of the Shucksmith report.

Sir — On behalf of the Tain Youth Café I would like to thank all those who assisted with or used the Tea Tent at the Tain Gala last Saturday. We made over £500 towards the work of the youth café which is a credible amount of money.

Sir — Having just come back from walking the dog at Ferry Park can I also register my dismay at the incredibly bad siting of the Rotary Club directional plinth.

Sir — In response to your letter 'No excuse for an appalling mess' I would like to put the litter issue in perspective. Whilst the River Peffery is an eyesore in various places, it is not getting worse, the rubbish is mainly 'historical', as highlighted by the shopping trolleys going back decades.

Sir — I write regarding recent negative publicity on the use of motorbikes in woods, and about the rights of dog walkers, horse riders etc.

Sir — I totally agree with Journal letters regarding the state of the now, derelict ground on one side of the River Peffery in Dingwall.

Sir — Along with all the rubbish and junk that is cluttering up the Peffery and its banks the Rotary Club's plinth should be removed. People would have far more respect for the Rotary if they organised such a clean up instead of despoiling the place themselves by building a hideous plinth in the wrong place.

Sir — I read with interest Mr Mackay's response in last week's Ross-shire Journal to the question of the position of the Rotary Club plinth at the ferry.

Sir — I would like to thank everybody who came along to the Hector Macdonald Exhibition and Antique Sale that we held in Mulbuie Hall on May 24.

Sir — I am disappointed to read in your article last week that not everyone is pleased with the Rotary Club directional plinth at the Ferry, but the intention was to enhance the experience of the general public visiting this area of Dingwall by highlighting points of interest on the horizon.

Sir — I am very disappointed about our River Peffery. It is appallingly dirty and filled with rubbish and lots of sewage. Our environment around the river is being polluted!

Sir — I am a pupil in Primary Four in Dingwall Primary School and all of the primary fours went on a walk around the River Peffery. The walk was spoilt because the river was an absolute disgrace!

Sir — After writing to the press for over sixty years I have decided to call it a day.

Sir — With reference to your article of April 18 concerning a low-loader accident at A9-Newmore junction. As legislation rightly exists to ensure that all vehicles using our roads be roadworthy, it came as a shock and surprise to recently learn that a dangerous and unsafe load resulted in the death of an innocent individual.

Sir The Inverness Music Festival Highlights Concert at Eden Court on May 17 really did highlight the vitality and musical talent of young people in the Highlands. The performers from all areas were tremendous, however the evening was a particularly triumph for the talented youth of Ross-shire.

Sir Phone boxes on the West Coast provide an essential service to locals and visitors alike. During the January storms two years ago both landlines and mobiles were knocked out leaving the telephone box as the only option.

Sir I never cease to be amazed by the generosity of the good folk of Dingwall and district to charitable causes!

Sir New figures indicate the UK Treasury will take an additional 4 billion in oil and gas revenues this year due to rising prices, with the total now raised expected to be closer to a staggering 14 billion.

Sir — A modern Culbokie Tryst! But not quite as Hugh Miller describes in "