200 strong!

Thank you, All, and still - we have entered perhaps the most dangerous stage yet for our Highland bust of Sir John.

The Minister of Culture's first ban period on the sale on Bouchardon's bust ended officially on Wednesday, 8 April. I had thought, no doubt naively, that we'd have some kind of an announcement on 9 April. Yet, no announcements are forthcoming.

Judging by the rollout of previous cases, the Culture Committee simply adds a line to their case hearing document, indicating the latest stage.

So despite repeated refreshing of the page on my part, that hasn't happened yet. 

According to my understanding, if a UK buyer has come forth, the bust owners, namely, the Highland Council, have 15 working days to consider entering into an Option agreement which would allow the potential buyer to raise the funds to purchase the bust. Normally, by my calculations, that would take us to 29 April.

So, we are "In to thir dirk and drublie dayis", as Dunbar wrote. This is why these days are most dangerous! If a buyer has come forth - and since we have received no news of an announcement to the contrary, let's presume so! - then the Council has 15 working days - up to 29 April to deliberate upon it. 

Technically, the Council may choose to not respond until after 29 April.

That means we have entered this most destabilizing period of suspense, of liminality, of the terrible in-betweenness of not knowing.

Perhaps we may be comforted by the idea that if there is bad news, it will come sooner rather than later (we may only hope).

But like you, I am hoping for, I am counting on, good news.

In the meantime, I intend to keep pushing this petition, because it reflects our right to express our conviction in our heritage; to assert just how much the Highland Council is accountable to all Highlanders for what we have entrusted to them to steward, namely, our heritage.

This is ours, indeed ... this conviction in our heritage.