Petang in the cold!! Wrap up warm.

Call them foolhardy or truely dedicated but the Penicuik Petang Club has resumed their training on a Saturday afternoon Using there purpose built rink on the site of the old putting green in the public park.  I popped along to watch on Saturday where a few hardy, and well wrapped up souls were playing.  Bit chilly and certainly makes a change from playing on a beach on the sunshine or in a shady town square in the South of France.  Used to enjoy playing when visiting Penicuik,s Twin Town in L’Isle Sur La Sorgue.     our own folks take it very seriously and there are a number of teams playing in Scotland.  A couple of players from Tweeddale stopped by to say hello.
Been very busy so my wee runs out on the motorbikes are kind of short and not too far from home, and with a cold snap forecast for the coming weeks are likely to be curtailed.  Both bikes coupled up to optimisers to avoid flat batteries.
Hate to say it but still seriously fed up with the Brexit carry on,  and as for Ms Sturgeon, she appears to be totally obsessed with this Indy carry on,  bad enough that she and her cohorts are allowing the place to go to rack and ruin, ie, Police Scotland and the NHS, for starters.
Fun in the USA with Mr Trump still at loggerheads with his Senate over his wish to build a wall between the USA and Mexico.  Certainly a massive problem with their illegals,  which is very similar to our own woes with hundreds trying to get over the Chanel from France.  
Sort of occurred to me that our Community Councillors get some sort of expenses, our local councillors get expenses and more, our MSP,s get paid, our MP,s get paid and our MEP,s get bloody well looked after, all from our rates and taxes!!   And still our MP,s cannot do what they were elect3d to do, carry out the will of and for the interest of the people.
Suppose it makes a change from moaning about cyclists,  but Prince Philip has stirred things up following his recent car accident down South.   I listened to another of the band wagon so and sos on the TV during the week suggesting that there be compulsory driving tests for the over 65’s,   Might not be long before someone else suggests compulsory euthanasia for the over 80’s !!  The nanny state is getting worse, we have the Vegan brigade trying to make us reduce our meat intake,  folks with all sorts of strange dietary habits.  
RA 500 tomorrow night with a new candidate joining us, hopefully the first of several.

Bellwood Oaks, Cala Homes and the Trade Description Act

Far be it for me to jump on the bandwagon,  but lots of folks in Penicuik are having a bit of a laugh at Cala Homes promotional bumf about their latest proposed development which was probably written by someone who has never been near the site.
Site "nestles" at the foot of the Pentlands!!   might be near and depending on which window you look from, provided there are no trees you might see the hills.
Penicuik had an abundance of shops and Award Winning restaurants !!   - looking at a ghost town with more shops closing this month, and the town centre in a state of upheaval as the place is being dug up for so called improvements!!  Not sure if Clippers still counts as award winning. BUT there is a new burger van coming on site at Eastfield who might be persuaed to relocate on Mauricewood Road at the roundabout.
Short walk to the shops !! , maybe for an athlete or rambler with time to spare, and one bus every hour or so down Mauricewood Road.  Maybe
Quick 30 minute commute into the city centre !!!    Maybe in the middle of the night,  but can regularly take that time to get from Flotterstone to the By Pass.
Take the train to the Waverley Station !!   lines were closed in the sixties and the viaduct at Glencorse was blown up in the seventies.   So at peak times a twenty plus minute drive to Eskbank to get a train to town !!!  what is wrong with the bus ?  Mind you , despite the way folks [ark, there is no Park and Ride in Penicuik.
Penicuik Primary school -   no such school, although there are six Primary schools,  but the nearest at Mauricewood and Glencorse might not have classroom space.      Beeslack High School is apparently due to be replaced in the imminent future.
£35 to get your garden refuge (brown bins) emptied,  but they can join the locals who are fly tipping on Mauricewood Road and save some money.
No comment about the snow (when it comes) bearing in mind these houses will be on the 900 ft above sea level line,  they can join those on the slippery slope on the A702 at the new roundabout!!
So far nothing said that is not incorrect,  good luck to the new homeowners  who hopefully will get a better house builders warranty than they would with some models of cars.
This Advert reminds me of the Ikea adverts when they said they were ten minutes from teh city centre,  what a load of poetic licence .

Sir Andy, look to the future.

Young Andy Murray has sensibly declared that he may be retiring shortly following a long struggle to recover from his hip injury and surgery.  No point in him trying to struggle on,  I am sure that he will be respected for his decision and once he gets re-organised we may see him guesting of programmes like  Question of Sport, etc.

Weather still looking not too bad so far,  every clear day is a bonus, just unfortunate that although the European ski resorts are getting the requisite snow, they are now getting too much, to the extent that there have been a number of deaths due to avalanches.        Nearer home we have had the first of this years deaths on Ben Nevis when a young female student fell five hundred feet.  Folks just do not appreciate haw fickle and evil Scottish weather can be, especially in the hills.

Quick comment,  I have just been down the street and was stopped on the way back at pedestrian lights, being operated by a school crossing patrol officer, who sadly was hardly capable of crossing the road herself !!   Why, when the local council is cutting back are they paying these SCP officers to cover crossing which already have lights. In ten minutes time they will have gone home and stragglers will cross the road unassisted as they do for most of the time. 

Finally,  was watching Good Morning Britain, and today, like every other day we change channel whenever Andy peters comes on to advertise these morning holiday competitions, why , oh why ? do they need to pay someone to junket around the world advertising these things. IT just proves how much money they are making from them,

Squaremen see the World !! Maybe.

The fact that I am writing proves that I did make it home from a rather frenetic meeting of the Squaremen yesterday   actually a good meeting with another two candidates who appeared to enjoy themselves.    The primary function of the group is to raise funds which they prefer to give to smaller , more personal charities, rather than to the big charities who have a well paid management structure.

They have joined me by purchasing a batch of the wee torch pens which I have been dishing out to nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, etc. So, within the next few days I will dish out another fifty or more.    I met a friend today who had seen me on the ERI Facebook page on X-mas Day when I dropped off a batch there. 

Next meeting on 2nd February is in Livingston,  BUT, a number of us have booked transport and accommodation to attend a meeting of the only English "Shed" on 18th February - passports all ready, a couple of bawbees in the breeks and awa we will go. 

Must have yet another gripe about the pedal cycling fraternity, as stated previously, many appear to be oblivious to the fact that in the dark, wearing dark clothing, they can be virtually invisible - so get some reflective clothing and put lights on yer bikes. Usual comments about them riding two and three abreast on roads and slowing everyone down,   might be fine in Edinburgh where the 20 MPH is in force and they are passing cars all the time,  nuff said.      BUT the same has to apply to motorist who drive with faulty lights, time to see and be seen.   I still have to see advice about lights on these gantries over roads and on the motorways.

Our High Street shops are taking a hammering from on line shopping sites,  which can be fine if the deliveries get through on time,   but with drivers having large numbers of deliveries to make each day it is no wonder many parcels go adrift, BUT, there is a big difference when some appear to have been deliberately dumped !!   A number destined for Penicuik addresses were recently found in a quiet wooded area in West Lothian, so no Santa Clause for several folks,  and maybe a return to the Job Centre for a white van man !!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019

all the best to this new year to everyone.    Did sort of plan on starting to try and write more regularly this year, especially as a I hope to have some items of interest , rather than constant moans to share.
Last four nights I ended up following the latest TV drama , Luther”, which ended with a bit of a cliffhanger last night.   Idris Elba is excellent as the hard nosed detective, so now we will all have to wait for perhaps another year to see if there is a follow up.
Totally diffent theme, and while I remember, I have discovered there is a Petang Club, which I hope is French Boules, in Penicuik, sessions start again at 1 pm on 19 th January in the Public Park,   I did not even know there was a large gravelled playing area specially for the game, constructed I think in the area of the old putting green.  So much for me knowing my area.
Same has to be said about Lasswade,  where yesterday I took a run up to look at Kings Acre Golf Course,  totally amazed at the lovely course, driving range and clubhouse, tucked away up above the Esk Valley.   I will need to add a photo later as they are on the other lap top.
Off to town shortly for a wander then to attend the fist of this years meetings of the Mither Shed, Ye Corporation of the Squaremen,  need a few of the brothers and imbibe perhaps !!!    Till later.

No excuses, not even hibernation.

After several years of blogging to albeit a limited audience and basically for my own pleasure, if that is the correct word, I kind of lost the plot !!!  So, whether i can get myself motivated again remains to be seen.  One thing for certain is that like many people I am sick to the teeth of politics,  between Brexit and the antics of our own SNP, I turn over the TV, switch radio stations and it makes reading newspapers simpler.  Having said that Theresa May has stuck to her guns and is doing what the electorate asked for, and to hell with the greedy winging inmates of the concrete pigs troughs in Brussels,  here endeth my first rant for ages.

Life in the Mercat Grill remains the same, nice and steady with the usual busy spells, and this year, Xmas was on the up and up.  Santa Paws made his annual appearance for our four legged friends, and even managed several surprise visits pre x-mas, possibly out to assess how many presents to pop into his sack. Must say that I did appreciate the gifts I received this year, so thanks big time.

Masonic season well under way now so we had our Installation at RA Laird O Cockpen 500, so Sparky Mark has taken over from me for a year. Lodge 720 also has a new RWM, and  our own OES was the last of the District chapters to be reinstalled..

A couple of years ago whilst in temporary residence at the ERI  Edinburgh, I handed out a number of small mini pen lights to staff which went down a treat.  Since then I have been buying new batches and on Xmas Day delivered a new supply to the A&E at  the ERI and a stock for the ambulance crews on duty.    The Mither Shed of the Corporation of Squaremen and also my own RA Chapter 500 have further stocks ready to supply to other hospitals in the area.  So the next time a nurse or Doctor shines a wee torch pen in your eyes, it might be one of ours !!

Delighted to say that both the Steed of Steel and the Time Machine are baring up well, and with this mild spell of weather both bikes have been out on the roads for an airing, as recently as today.

Just where does time go these days.

This morning on my way to Whitecraig I stopped to take this photo of the new recycling plant near Monktonhall,   just appealed to me with the sun shining on it and such a dark sky at the time.

Anyway,  as usual have found it difficult to make time to write a few words.    So,   while tiding the garage this afternoon I listened to the tennis on the radio and it was good to hear Team GB winning at the Emirates Stadium, Glasgow, to qualify for the next round of the Davies Cup, which does not take place till next year.

A congratulations in order to Nigel Finlay at Stags PH , Musselburgh , for winning this years prestigious CAMRA Award,  well deserved, as it is a real drinking "persons" pub, good selection of real ales, etc.

Yesterday, heading (on the teed of Steel) for the Half yearly meeting of the Provincial Royal Arch Chapter of Mid and East Lothian, (at Currie) I was passed three times by six motorcyclists on sports bikes, first time on bad bends, second time they passed a long line of stationary cars on double white lines, and the third time on the A720 City bypass.  Hate to say it, but their style of riding did not impress either me or the folks they passed,  not a great advert for the biking fraternity.

Just biding time now for our weekly dose of the "Bodyguard",  a brilliant piece of TV drama.

This Brexit carry on is a real pain in the bum, getting to the stage, as I have said in the past,  that we will be badgered and badgered time and time again until certain elements of the so called establishment get their own way (and for their own benefit).  very similar to lawyers in the USA who keep looking for professional witnesses who will sway juries to their way of thinking.

First class Gin Tasting accompanied by an excellent meal at the Mercat Grill last night, six gins for tasting, good company, great night.

Afternoon worth thinking about,  HIT Dinner at the Sheraton on 2nd November 2018,    we were there last year when they raised about forty five thousand pounds for their training scheme.