Lot of running about because of this guddle.

Sunday I had to take a run back up to Auchterarder to retrieve my bag and belongings from Castlebrae, and then along with Mrs. B. went along to Gleneagles where we had bacon butties and a cuppa !!  Hotel was very busy and it turned out that Honda motors had organised a big doo the previous evening with the Red Hot Chillie Pipers playing, backed up by our Iain Buchanan and his band.

No news about the IPA Motorcycle Group's AGM on Saturday night, but it did appear to go well.

Back to normal today, my little greenhouse has suffered from the huffing and puffing of the big bad wind, not the best purchase I have made recently.

Only consolation so far is that I was able to get  a wee letter done to the RAC regarding Saturday's debacle.  Just need to wait and see what happens.

Saturday and it ended with a bit of a bang - so to speak.

Breakfast at Castlebrae and ghen off we set, led by Dougz Wright, through Crieff;, and first stop at St Fillans where  I experienced my first tourist driver of the morning who stopped dead in the centre of the road to take a look at the view !!    Quick loo stop and fed the ducks,

Even prevented a breach of the peace as the ducks were fighting over the crumbs !!
Next stop was Bridge of Orchy which was heaving with tourists, total chaos on the bridge which is only wide enough for one vehicle so reversing skills were the order / or test of the day.

 It was one of these days when the sun came on to shine so the many thermal layers we were wearing be came a bit unbearable, resulting in the occasional need for a bit of adjustment !!!

Did not look like a Scot as he had peely wally legs and not quite the build for a kilt.

 

Next stop was the renouned biker's café and filling station, the Green Welly,which was totally chock a block with cars, coaches and about one hundred plus  motor cycles with Moto Guzzi Glasgow running a display and promotion.    Only down side was the sad news that a motorcyclist had been killed a short time previously on the A82 just a short distance north of the Fort William turn off which meant that all vehicles had to head via Oban, a long and slow detour.

Fortunately we were turning off at Dalmally and heading along the south side of Loch Awe to Inverary, so we missed the traffic,  but did stop to have a look at Kilchurn Castle

Next stop was Inverary where the car park was full of motorcycles, views super and Dougz even got a chance to look at his new boat !!

 

It was time to turn homewards, so over the Rest and Be Thankful,   by loch fine and down to Arrocher  we turned eastwards / north back up the A82 towards Crianlarach along

the north side of loch Lomond.

 

BUT all good things come to an end !!!!   slowing down at road works and changing gear when there was a load bang and the "Time Machine" ground to a halt, with my compatriots heading off into the distance.    So,  timescale  (bearing in mind I was in the middle of nowhere and my phone had no signal)   4.10 pm broke down;  4.30  borrowed a phone from three young lads and called RAC Breakdown in Manchester - gave a precise location, and was advised that "contractors" would be there in ninety minutes -   OK, sun was shining , road was busy, lots of folks stopped beside me at the temporary traffic lights

Have to say that a number of folks stopped to speak to me, offered sweets, sandwiches, etc. and the use of phones.  6.p.m. called RAC who told me that the "Contractor" had been unable to find me !!! so a new job number was  issued !!!    Me, still had no phone signal.    8.p.m. an unmarked red BMW police traffic car passed, looked an me and as I was obviously doing nothing to get booked for kept going,  had I realised who they were I would have stopped them,  too late.   8.45 p.m. stopped a young lad in a van who let me call RAC again which caused a bit of a fuss when they realised I was still there -  but as they had also had a call from my wife there was a third call for assistance. At this point, the local "bobby", from Killin arrived having been requested to go look for me having a call from the control centre at Bilston who my wife had called ( turned out the operator used to work with me - cheers Davy Mclean).    Police man spoke to RAC and had me en route to the Crianlarach Hotel  when we met the recovery van from LixToll Garage, Killin,  who had just received a call to go find me.     So 9.45 pm bike loaded into the van and we set off for Penicuik,  however, it was a long way and there was massive diversions on the M8 so it was 0015 hrs this morning when I got home - weary.   RAC better get a tin helmet on.

What a few days, Friday was good, weather cheered everyone up.

previously met up with the IPA UK Motorcycle section on Wednesday night for a meal and on Thursday for a ride out led by Iain Buchanan through the Borders, as previously commented.

Collected them on Friday morning and took a run out into East lothain.  First stop was at Prestongrange  to have a look at the great beam engine which was used to pump water out of the coal mine.

from here, through Prestonpans, Port Seaton, Cockenzie; stopped at the bents where the sand flies were out in their billions !!   Through Aberlady, Gullane ; Muirfield and eventually to the sea Bird Centre at North Berwick for coffee and cake

  you can just see the  Bass Rock through the gap in the back row.

 

From here it was gentle run west again nd we stopped at the Mercat Grill for lunch.

Off we went round the A720 , passed our secret tram depot at the Maybury, then down to South Queensferry for a quick (it was cold) stop and Kodak moment.

 

Onwards and upwards over the Bridge and made for Knockhill racing Circuit where the group were impressed with the track and the facilities - good views but very cold and breezy.    Onwards through Rumbling Bridge and over Glen Devon where we made for Gleneagles hotel and a (with permission) kodak moment.

 

Ultimate destination was Castlebrae treatment Centre, Auchterarder, for the two night stay and AGM of the motorcycle section.

 





Eventful time with out IPA compatriots

Got my dates a bit wrong and arrived at the Travel Lodge, Cameron Toll, a day late to meet the guys who had come form down south.  However, as I had been unwell I would never have managed it.  Never mind, they were all picked up in the Mercat Grill mini bus and enjoyed a great meal out at Whitecraig before getting a run home.

Today we (the group of fourteen bikes) headed off via Penicuik; Biggar; Broughton; Moffat; Grey Mares Tail; and stopped at the bikers café at Tibbieshiels for a roll and buttie !!!.   Onwards turning off at the Gordon Arms, to Innerleithen; Selkirk; Galashiels; Gorebridge; Temple and eventually arrived at Rosslyn Chapel.

This turned out to be a serious disappointment,  several of the group had been there previously and had planned on having coffee, etc, and a browse in the gift shop whilst the remainder did the tour of the Chapel - bit of a bummer when we found out that everyone was to pay £9 just to get into the gift shop,  no access to the café or toilets - SO- three paid up to go see the Chapel and the remainder mounted up and headed back into the town.

So tomorrow, wee run down the coast via Muirfield to North Berwick then back to the Mercat for coffee before heading north via South Queensferry; Knock Hill; Glen Devon; Gleneagles and then to Castlebrae, Auchterarder.

Good run organised for Saturday and then the motorcycle section AGM on Saturday Night. 

Not the best couple of days this week - so far that is.

Yesterday I spent a very interesting, but at times uncomfortable , three hours in the Edinburgh University Research MRI Unit at the Western General  Hospital.  Following my last wee incident I agreed to help with an ongoing research project - but having helped out it was certainly not pleasant at times, trying out a new procedure to improve the images produced by the scanner.  On the plus side, the staff were brilliant, explained everything that was going on and how it would help patients in the future.

Today, headed for work on what was a bloody awful morning, eventually, feeling worse than awful I headed home to bed on the bus - bad mistake.  Young lady got on at Dalkeith, yakking on her mobile phone and enlightened her fellow passengers as to her health issues, financial problems, recent parties, etc - fascinating stuff, so much so that I ended up getting off at an early stop to get away from her and wait on another bus, but guess what, she got off behind me and wandered off into the rain ( and distance) still yakking.    Might be time to get the phone companies to put an automatic cut off on these phones or have the bus companies ban their use.  Yesterday it was a bloke behind me who blethered for twenty minutes, but at least he did speak a local dialect.

Obviously these moans are so trivial and pale into insignificance when compared with the problems in Nepal, where the death toll is still rising, and where the Government has now cancelled / banned all expeditions to Mount Everest as the climbing routes have been so badly damaged by avalanches. Knock on effect will be a loss of tourist revenue.   Elsewhere, yet another refugee disaster at sea as more are drowned in the Mediterranean.
Looks as though a small group of vetted asylum seekers are going to be offered homes in Edinburgh very shortly.

Andy Murray has won his first clay court championship and the first in thirty nine years by a UK player, well done.

Nice to see the new Royal baby, lovely choice of name,  Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, and the bookies paid out £1million to punters who guessed the names.

Road users must now beware !!  our Derrick has passed his driving test - well done.

Last night it was the best silver whot got nicked - not quite.

Sign of the times when the punters come in for a pint and then pinch cutlery and condiment sets for their homes.    We had old cutlery in the cupboard, all they had to do was ask !!!  if they were so desperate -  might be a surprise if I go knock their doors as they live very close to the pub.

Election fever at a high, politicians telling more and more porkies, make more promises they are unlikely to be able to fulfil after the 7th.  Busy digging a big hole for the UK but will just blame the voting public for electing them.

I have always been proud to display the Saltire Cross and Lion Rampart on the motorcycle, however, I am not so sure now as I suspect that whatever the outcome of this election there is going to be bigger divisions in the UK than ever before.

RGB managed the Kilt Walk marathon today, well done.  He like the many who took part  must have been perished in the wet and rain on this typical Scottish version of a May Bank Holiday weekend.

Lots of favourable comments from our doggy owners who have discovered that the Mercat Grill sells "Doggy Beer",  it is fine for the dogs to drink as they are not driving !!!

Steam coming out my ears, dirty filthy fly tippers.

Really gets on my wick, so to speak,  when these cowboy builders, bogus workman, etc . get paid to clear up rubbish, charge the price of the job plus a tipping charge that is what they should do.  However today there was the following large pile of asbestos sheeting and building materials (in bags which had originated from a builders merchant in Broxburn) was dumped on a public walkway in Lowries Den, Penicuik, an area which was cleaned up last weekend by a group of local volunteers.

Might seem trivial to some,  however, these guys can make thousands of pounds by fly tipping.  There was a recent incident when several thousand bales of rubbish were found in a derelict farm building in West Lothian, would have cost a fortune to tip legally, so they just pocketed the cash.

 

Last night STV had a documentary about the City of London Police Fraud Squad, which is the most specialist unit of its type in the World/  The report was about two blokes who made £10 million selling worthless plots of land to "investors".    end of story , they each were sent to the Pokey for four years - well worth it considering the amazing time they had before they were jailed.  They even had the nerve to set up a second scam company and raked in £1.5 million whilst out on bail.  They should have been sent down for life, along with their wives, partners and family who all helped launder the money and joined in some mega jollies.  Only people who benefited were Prada, Harvey Nicholas, Rolex, and many high class retailers.