What have 93 and 66 got in common -

the answer was in the name of one John Leithhead, a member of Lodge Newbattle St Mary's who
was a visitor at Lodge Dalhousie Bonnyrigg 720 tonight . John, was ninety three years old today and has been a member of the Lodge for sixty six years - a real character - who has many anecdotes about Freemasonry over the years.-

On a less happy note I heard that Past Master Willie Allan of Colinton and Currie had died and his funeral takes place on Friday. Willie was a retired police officer ( ex Edinburgh City), a former publican, and a member of several different Masonic Orders. He used to visit 720 regularly, and 500 RA, and when we went to see him at St John's No 44 he always made a real fuss of us. RIP Willie.

You get surprises, and then there are surprises -

So today I had a wonderful surprise in the post - when a package arrived from an old family friend, Grant Ritchie, who had been busy digitising old slides. So there they were, pictures of my father, the original RGB, taken at various dates between 1962 to 1969 when he had the Apprentices from Ferranti Ltd., Edinburgh, away on their annual camps around the North and West of Scotland.
Hidden gem amongst them was the first one with my mother, father , (dog - Rhona), Morrisons, Cameron and Grant himself.
I never actually camped with the boys, but often had to act as a driver taking either the Landrover north and bring back one of the cars. Pictures might not mean much to many, but I am allowed a wee bit of freedom on my blog every so often.

I hope she had a lovely Diamond Jubilee - the Queen

Sixty years, Elizabeth has looked over us as a nation, and today she was out and about doing her usual good deeds - just a pity it snowed and her people had to go buy some snow blades and a few bags of salt. Three years to go and she will equal Queen Victoria's reign.
Bet she is not happy with the news that her former Commonwealth subjects in India no longer appreciate the cash handout from our skint Government in the form of foreign aid - no need to plead with them to take it - they will just give it to the French for a new fighter plane - then go off and drop nasty things on their neighbours - maybe.
But it certainly a sign of the times when India can allegedly buy and sell us - however - their Government, like many of the Third World countries are happy enough to squander ££Billions on armaments and luxuries for themselves while their people suffer absolute poverty and deprivation.

In Syria - the Government's continual slaughter of their opposition is being condoned by both China and Russia - two countries whose treatment of the opposition is well documented.
Then again - what can these people think us, we have a Serbian war criminal here and cannot deport him as it is in breach of is human rights !! Also Abu Ketada, wanted for terrorism is now being released from prison and we cannot send him to Jordan for trial. Time we got our act together.

BUT - on the bright side - we may soon have a gigantic sixty metre high Ferris Wheel erected in Princes Street Gardens, from which, at a cost of £8.50p plus, we can watch the workies digging up Princes Street and the route of the proposed trams.

I have no head for heights - but I

Thought you might like a look at these - no way was I going up there - although I did once when a lot younger and braver. These were taken from the top of the Coca Cola Big Dipper at Blackpool Pleasure Beach by mad Grant@photogenix with his team who were up there replacing light bulbs or something !! Taken a couple of weeks ago before England was subjected to the unusual spectacle of "SNOW" - yes, wet white stuff, which has brought London and the south to a standstill - supermarkets under siege I believe. At the moment the M1 road closed; M23 southbound , etc . what a carry on.

Scotland - great at being runners up

I think that the word nightmare has to spring to mind following today's performance at Murrayfield by Scotland - beaten by a new team despite having most of the possession - just incapable of scoring a try. Lord knows how they will manage against the French who played such open rugby in Paris beating Italy.
Fantastic support by the spectators, but just how long will they put up with it - we need a winning team to keep bringing in the crowds, otherwise Murrayfield will sit empty.

And I thought it was a mass the last time.

An entertaining session at BNI , TGI , this morning - and a nice breakfast to boot - a really enthusiastic team.
From there, over to The Dolphin Inn, and a little run to Booker's cash and carry - what more can a man want - although I did get a cup of soup and some nice cheese to nibble upon.

Home and then back to town, where I had my first taste of the roadworks in Shandwick Place - what a nightmare, what a mess and looking at the holes in the road, I wonder what they were doing for the period they last had the road closed and dug up during the last phase of the so called tramworks. When they say that shops do not lose trade - rubbish, even I was not prepared to walk around the so called walkways and double back to a shop across the road.

Just a blur.

Somewhere down the line I have lost yet another couple of days !! Wednesday night ended up a bit of a blur , so yesterday was a "chill ot day" spent just about totally in bed !! which is not like me at all.

But, I then pay the price, lie asleep most of the night ad am now up and of for a breakfast meeting of the BNI group - and then we shall see what the day has to offer.