JUST FILLING IN TIME WATCHING TELE

This morning I was listening to Boogie on the radio, Forth One, and they were asking for poeple to call in with details of the oddest places they or friends had fallen asleep. I sent in a message about my friend who had fallen asleep in a rhubarb patch with his trousers at his ankles - he could not get into the toilet for all the ladies at the party.

However, I then remembered the night I fell asleep in a garden on the night shift while on a stake out for a thief who was stealing milk and rolls at the back of William Low's shop, woke up in daylight when the Station called to see why I was working overtime !!!

RGB was supposed to be on Leith FM today. but forgot due to his being up in Crieff with the SLTA annual conference - need to deal with alter as they want an interview re his Best of Britain Awards.

Had a chat tonight with my B in L, Tom at Blantyre, his wife was supposed to be in hospital for treatment, but they cancelled it at the last minute, is this the latest ploy by the NHS to say that their treatments are all on schedule and within the "prescribed" time scales.

I see from the papers that we Scots are suffering from serious sleep deprivation, with averages being down as low as five hours - I no longer feel so bad, I am just one of the many who struggle nightly.

There is also a complaint about Kraft Foods - reminds me of a trip to Allentown , PA, USA, many years ago when we met the C E O of Kraft Foods North America, Jack Knight, and had dinner with him. His wife Jean was originally from Currie Midlothian, and we met when she heard me on a radio programme while visiting Allentown.

Looks like we may end up with thousands of abandoned dogs if plans go ahead to intoduce the need for compulsory insurance for dog owners - usual will happen, crooks will have no insurance for their pit bulls,etc., while honest folks with well behaved beasties will be penalised!!!

Once again - the best laid plans of mice and men

Up this morning, had my day all planned out, swim, sauna, massage, etc. BUT not to be. Mrs B , at 7 a.m I was instructed to continue with the eco vandalism, so there I was saw in hand demolishing the offending conifer that had been blocking out our light.

Eventually, after a much needed shower was off to see Melissa ( clone of Cruella) who managed to find every knot, bruise, trender spot in the body for 90 minutes - but as she tired she relaxed and was a bit less BRUTAL . We had a great conversation, discussing fortune telling, psychology, astrology, and she had even had the gypsy fortune tellers in this morning. As she is pregnant and due her baby in June ( a Gemini like me perhaps), she was worried about what the forune tellers would say.

Headed round to see Colin in Coco Beach for a blether but being coated in almond oil which was good for the skin, it was not worth taking a risk by going on the sunbed and burning.

Home, changed and filled up the car with the debris from the trees, so it was like a repeat of Birnham Woods as I headed to the skips ( three times) !!! Our carbon footprint has been badly damaged.

Such a nice day that the temptation was too much, out with the steed of steel and had as nice run out to West Linton and came back via the Harlaw Muir Road (which was also one of the original old turnppike roads south) - wind in the hair ( what hair), etc. Still a lot of snow at the roadside.

I hear on the news that the Police have arrested someone for the stabbing and shooting of the boxer in Jocks Lodge yesterday, who ended up disharging himself from the hopsital - my hero NOT - just another eejit.

Several more deep earthquakes off the coast of Chile; a new one in Greece, and one of the Dominican Republic.

Back to the Mercat a.m, countdown to Sunday, but I am forgetting that we are about to suffer a fate worse than "The Joker" and his team - much worse, Briggsy and Joe Myers are arriving on Friday for the weekend and to see Scotland hammer England in the Calcutta Cup on Saturday at Murrayfield. We can cross everything for Scotland and for ourselves ( re Briggs and Joe).

Dangerous times

We live in a very unstable and dangerous world, in many different ways - today there have been eight aftershock earthquakes off the coast of Chile, and in Turkey six earthquakes during the same timescale out in the countryside. The earth's movements in the Turkey region tend to suggest that eventually there will be a big quake off shore from Istanbul - but do not quote me.
California has about ten a day, every day - so which way will the San Andreas Fault go ?, and even the Haiti quake may well lead to another.

Here, we have had a man shot and stabbed in The Jock's Lodge Bar, Edinburgh - appears to be a family feud.
Yesterday we had three people who apparently jumped to their deaths from the 31st Floor of the Red Row Flats, Springburn, Glasgow. Thee is a suggestion that they were failed asylum seekers waiting to be sent home. Playing the Devil's Advocate, I suppose we might ask why we have made the UK such a relatively easy country to get into, which gives people false hopes that they can start a new life , then when they are being deported we may have a repetition of these events. On the other hand if we put the barriers back up and discouraged the majority who appear to be heading here to bleed our system dry we could save ourselves a lot of bother. perhaps the answer is to get to work on the Government' s of these other countries and have them make their own countries somewhere worth staying and living in.
On Saturday while travelling from Haymarket to Shrubhill I saw seven female beggars, all of Eastern European appearance on the "main pitches" on that route !! and no sign at all of our local beggars !! I wonder why.

Anyway, please accept that any comments I make are just my opinion, and designed to stimulate debate.

So today I heard from Grant @ Photogenics who is making whoopee in Benidorm along with the elegant EEYvonne, having fun, but not sure if there is sun.

I have just spotted an article in the paper which says that those who drink a few glasses of red wine will put on less weight than those who do not !! Happy days

Meet Arran McManus

Meet young Arran McManus, born four days ago, second son of Steven @Micky and Sabrina @ Cruella.
I popped in to see them earlier this evening and discovered that they had returned home from hospital, having had a couple of extra days to recover. Big brother, Ben was delighted to see his new brother and was soon seeing to Arran's supper.

Congratulations, both of you.

Bright Monday morning customers - and staff

Monday morning, in at the toot once more, but what a difference it makes having daylight and clear skies. I can actually see my front lawn, for the first time in weeks.

My group from the past two days reappeared this morning, Kaley ; Kerrie; Kate and Simon, all from Aldershot, who were doing a City visit. All very impressed with Edinburgh and the friendliness of the natives - so much so that Kaley is even considering coming North to seek work. A lawyer, motor mechanic, car workshop receptionist and a gas controller - mixed and motley - but nice.

Joined at lunchtime by our other new start, Kirsty - our Hiawatha look a like ( maybe), thus giving me time to do some other work.

Question , what do the road men do with the old "cats eyes" - yesterday, on my way into town there were men on the A702 at Boghall / Flotterstone, and as one pulled the old cats eyes out the socket in the middle of the road, the other fitted new ones. Peron who invented and patented the idea has made a fortune.

Sunday - no time for the Kirk today

Sunday p.m., and as usual ended up busy again.

Had a bit of a long lie but when I got up I could have been forgiven for thinking that summer had arrived, what a beautiful day, sunshine and it even got up to + 8C. There was even a lady sitting on the veranda outside The Mercat Bar in the sunshine with her drink reading the paper.

So, we headed into town to my favourite shop, apart from Harvey Nichols that is - I mean Matalan, I get quite excited !! lots of bargains for me.

But enough of this talk, headed into town, dropped off Mrs. B. and headed for the Mercat, which was packed out, both up and downstairs , with Sir Christopher, Aggy, Claire and Dee doing a fantastic job. For me, it was the fairy liquid advert allover again, hands that do dishes, etc, between sorties out onto the floor.
We had a number of repeat customers, visitors to the City who had been in during the past couple of days. The young lady who asked for the "Pitcher of water" was back for lunch today with them and might even be back tomorrow, maybe just to see me again !!

Sandra and William are now back from the not so sunnier climes of Teneriffe, so he was not joking when he was photographed wrapped up in his blanket, weather was distinctly unseasonal.

Scottish Licensed Trade Association are having their conference up at Crieff Hydro for the next three days, had the chance to go, but not enough hours in the day between now and next weekend.

The Corporation of Squaremen - the Edinburgh Shed

Made it to The Edinburgh Masonic Club in time for the Squaremen at 3 p.m. Three candidates today who took it all in good humour and I have to say that the serious parts of the ritual were very good,

Had a chat with a couple of the members and found that one was a policeman in E Division, but who had gone to the Division after I had retired. The other chap turned out to be a regular at the Mercat on a Friday night, but as I am never working those orders we had never bumped into each other.
A unique Order, sociable, and charitable.
For further information check out the website at www.Squaremen.Co.UK/

PS. Nice wee e mail from one of the members who had read the blog - another regular reader for me!!!