Big catch up - thought I was quiet

Did not realise that I had been offline for so long, how time flies when you are busy, and not necessarilly enjoying yourself.  I heard that we are no longer suffering from old age, just coping with diminishing youth,  HOWEVER, no matter how you look at it, it gets harder !!!

So, despite this , we are still soldiering on at the Dolphin Inn which continues to attract either new or returning custom each week, nice folks, who get well looked after.

Had a really nice surprise early in the week when Stacey, one of the animation team from the Coral Sea Resort, Sharm el Sheikh, wher we satyed in May, came in for lunch with her sister to see us - lovely,  so now she is away back to the sun - which we are missing.

So the *ankers in the Financial sector have been caught out yet again shafting the general populace; the question was asked by someone this morning is " Where is all the money?", it must be somewhere - in a bloody great big tin box under these greedy beggers beds - while the rich get rich the poor get poorer - and the rich do not give a toss - better stop before I get carried away -  nice to see that some of the fat cats are turning down their so called bonuses, but others like the boss of the Royal Mail is tucking yet another odd bucketful of cash under her mattress.

Wimbledon causing a bit of an upset, for a few of the stars, Nadal got well cuffed last night,  and tonight Federer has made a terrific comeback from two sets down.  Not sure how much of the final stages I will see when I am back in "doc" after the 9th.  But I might get peace to see the Olympics while recuperating.
Football has been good, Italy certainly gave Germany a good trumping last night, so all being well I look forward to a good final betwen Italy and Spain on Sunday.

Have been missing out on my massages recently so I went to see wicked "Cruella",  - bloody hell,  I was in agony - so much for the no pain , no gain, saying -  I was even promising that I would not call her Cruella again !!! -  but it did work,  and then - bit of a bonus, she stuck candels in my ear  !!!!!!  yes, this so called POPI  system,  very strange so I am now waiting to see if it worked.
Johnston's of Egham are no more,  now living is a wee village a few miles away - not sure what the equivelant of a "But ' Ben" is in the posher parts of England.

Spark Mark online ,  new excuse for not cutting down a tree -  "there are birds living in it" - better lie down and wait till they move !!!.

Was at the BNI - TGI (Cult) meeting at 7 a.m. this morning, great crowd as usual, very enthusiastic, and heard a brilliant comment from Ali at 9 Dots Communications -  he had been to see a client about her broadband and when asked how fast it was she said  " Slower than a week in Barlinnie !!!!" -  for those who are not acquained with our penal sysyem, Barlinnie ' "The Bar L"  is the big jail in Glasgow, run by the prisoners at the taxpayer's expense.
So as the weekend is now upon us, under normal circumstances for the majority is time off -  no way, jobs to be done - so as the Seven Dwarfs said , we work work work, etc. -  Bit of an ethic problem - some come to work to earn a wage, other just come to get paid !!!!      BED.

My McEwan's 101/ 102 at ris - and the rain, etc

So I have been busy over the past few days, never won the lottery, but there is always another week -  just think, there is a £61 million ticket sitting there unclaimed.

Well, the rains came down, and down, and down,  no more complaining about hose pipe bans - and on our own doorstep we have friends and family who have been flooded out -  but when the Gods are angry and the clouds are banging together watch out - and of course the Royal Highland Show was on this week which , like the cricket is a virtual rain making ritual.  I was going to the public relaunch of the new Musselburgh / Tranent Pubwatch at Musselburgh on Friday and while sitting in the car waiting for the rain to pass the car park slowly turned into a swimming pool.  BUT there were sufficient people there for the event and between downpours we had our photo shoot and speeches.  One of our customers had to stop and wait while massive hailstones turned the road intro a veritable skating rink.

England having a bit of a bash at beating France  - will see how this progresses, between the prima donas, divers, actors, etc.

HOWEVER,  most traumatic notification we have this week is that there is a possibility that our beloved 101-102 McEwans bus service from Dumfries to Edinburgh will be axed - this is a brilliant service for us, takes half the time to get from Penicuik to the West End compared to taking a Lothian Bus - but so far no one has put in a bid for the contract which expires on 14th July - apart from the fact that this is a good service for me it is a vitally important link for those who live on the A702 between Flotterstone and Abington - we cannot afford to lose these community links.

Tremendous ill feeling within the local community about the relocation of Greens @ the De Vici rapist who was released early from prison into the community, and is now in Butlerfield Cottages  only six miles from the scene of his horrendous attack against a young foreign visitor where he left her looking like the victim of a road traffic accident.  BIG  QUESTION - why was he released from prison half way through his sentence.

My upside down friends did tell me about the horse Black Caviar coming to run yesterday and of course it "did the business",  but only by a nose -  however, the same upside folks were forecasting a defeat of the Scottish rugby team -  tough luck Phil,  we won all three games on this tour !!  BUT - as they say in another paradox  "one sparrow does not a summer make", or something like that.

Still looking for chocolates.

In the words of that famous saying "There's a moose loose aboot the hoose", still, and I just spotted it in the dreaded "mouse trap", where it got such a fright it jumped out and disappeared under an appliance. Time for the mouse hunter and big gun to arrive and put paid to this wee creater.

Now remember and keep your TESCO receipts, for everything, no matter what and have a big binder for them because if you have a problem, no receipt, no refund or exchange unless you are really lucky and are prepared to put up with a real song and dance.

Missed the 49 Club dinner today who were up in Stirling, however, neeeds must and I had to work.

Real chaos on the City Bye pass and feeder roads today with the start of the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston,  queues all the way back to Flotterston from Lothianburn, Sheriffhall on the Bye pass to the east and way up the M9 to the West -  not the right time to want to catch a plane, I wonder how many folks missed their flights this morning.

Watching Portugal winning the football tonight, awesome,  Ronaldo should have had about four goals - a one man show if ever there was.

Friday, a day off but I am heading to Musselburgh for the public launch of the new Pubwatch Scheme which incorporates the former Musselburgh and Tranent Schemes, so get into trouble in one pub in that area and you are out of the lot.

Mighty Man against the might mouse -

not wishing to appear cruel, however, we do have a little visitor who needs to be captured and removed - so a bit of ingenuity was called for to devise a cunning trap !!!!    So, the little chap has to appear, smells the chocolate and cheese and sets off up the plank, reaches the top, sees an even bigger bit of cheese, jumps into the pot  (which is about 12 inches deep)  and cannot get out - easy.

T.V.'s- five menus , but high tea was different

Not quite what you might expect here,  but during the week I received my umpteenth letter from the TV licensing people, so for the fifth time I called them back to get the matter resolved.  Bad mistake,  into the 1st phone menu, press button 3 etc., 2nd menu, similar, and so on and eventually took option 4 on menu 5 to speak to a charming young Welsh !!! lady who reassured me that I would here no more (till the next time).  You certainly cannot hide from the detector vans, nearly as bad as the fleet of Google Earth motors mapping our world for all to see.

Just looking at this computer keyboard and thinking of supper time last night - when I was apparently feeding it with crackers and cheese - will need to get out the vacuum and give the keys a bit of a hoover before they get clogged up.

BUT  , BUT then again there was afternoon High Tea at the Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, feast your eyes, nice neat little sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and top deck of fresh cakes,  too much to eat in one session , however the staff were on hand with the wee cake box to take the leftovers home for a midnight feast.  The Caley is being refurbished and will be rebranded the Waldorf Caledonian, very nice venue for a quiet afternoons munch - AND  the breakfast is also very good.

Much as I loved you !!!!

Now, here's a great lead in !!!!    - M A I L U -  you are talking a load of S**t;  MAILU - you are an A**e;  what a wonderful way to talk to relatives, family and friends -just for the knock back.  I am struggling to remember what it was that the late Kenny Everett did, dressed in drag, he used to kick his legs back and pass a comment about things being done in the very best of taste !!

So - guess what - the  surviving victims of the current outbreak of Legionnaires Disease in Edinburgh have managed to find ( or were they sought out) compensation lawyers ( greedy money grabbing tw*s), sympathetic to their predicament who, with no thought of personal gain, are seeking recompense for the unfortunate incident - NO WIN  NO FEE  - NO  DOUBT.

The thought of these so called legal types working the system for their own gain has just got my hackles up =  we have regular adverts on the radio, hourly, about folks being missold Insurance by the banks - claim your compensation now, perhaps rightly,  but who wins???  YES - our legal beavers.

A Birthday Princess

We found this one in the folder, just on for the great Pole dancer, who was still in good form today.