Auld Years night - out with 2009 and in with the new

I awoke this morning to the sound of silence, yes, silence, which worried me - normally I would hear the sound of traffic - but today, nothing. I lay there wondering how much snow there would be on the road outside as that was the only possible reason. BUT, I was surprised to see a black road surface - so taking the chance when I could I headed into the town which was much quieter than usual.

It was all hands on deck at The Mercat where the kitchen staff were trying to get all prepped up for the day ahead, following a busy night last night.
Our clients appeared , including yesterday's ladies from Oz who were in for breakfast then heading off to London for the night and back to OZ on the 2 nd.

The City was filling up with tourists, even the No 100 Airport Express shuttle buses seemed to be busier than usual. Haymarket area was filling up with the "cave dwellers" appearing , bags and baggage; to take up residence in the many flats for rent in the vicinity.

Bit of a problem - we were the proverbial " pub with no beer" as the beer lorry had been in an accident - however er young RGB and myself headed East along a rather treacherous A 1 Road to Dunbar in two cars where we collected the missing beers and returned to Edinburgh. a bit of a hairy run at times but we made it. From there I had a quick jaunt to Bookers, but the nightmare was to go to ASDA at Chesser, which was totally gridlocked, jam packed, just unbelievable considering that the shops are only closed for a day !! Seems as though we go into a siege mentality at this time of year. I am sure there were folks who gave up trying to get out and who were pick nicking in their cars - others were squeezing their cars through the safety bollards and driving over the pavements.

Homeward in a light blizzard !! nothing to worry about and time to get the old feet up.

Watched Top of the Pops on BBC, nice to get a quick resume of the Hits of the 90's, even better to see SuBo ( Susan Boyle) outselling the majority, and with her currently in Japan where she is a tremendous hit, well done.

Hailstones for a change

Awoke this morning to a white road, no traffic and was a bit worried about getting into town , however as it was only 5.30 a.m. the road was a bit clearer by the time I left , and surprisingly, apart from the crawling drivers there was no problems at all.

Bar was steady all day with a few more visitors, Adelaide, Brisbane, Boston USA, Ireland and Spain all through the door, with some of them coming back tomorrow.

The wandering Eduardo surprised us this afternoon by dropping in and announcing that he was back in Edinburgh again as his home base. Looking well, but we do not know what he is going to get up to next.

Young Don !!!!! , our friendly policeman from the USA popped in with his new Boss, introduced to the Mercat for the first time.

Lunchtime was busy and Scottie, Sir Christopher and I managed OK, but we had three in the kitchen to get the good food out.

Mrs. B. took the opportunity to head for the sales again as she was getting a lift home by me.

On the way home on the A702 , Bigger Road, we witnessed some of the most dangerous and reckless driving by two blokes, one in an Audi estate and the other in a Ford Mondeo, racing each other on the slushy road, overtaking on double white lines on bad bends and nearly wiping an ongoing car out as he appeared over a blind summit - just totally outrageous.

So it was a quiet night in , managed to do some paperwork and catch up a bit - but will need a few more days yet.

Anyway - early rise again , back to The Mercat, but the boys will be doing their thing over "the Bells" - and I will up and in again early on the 1st. Was I really that bad when i was young ?

And it just keeps on snowing.

We still have plenty of snow here. with fresh falls yesterday and also today, and more forecast in the next few hours.

Monday I was on an open at The Mercat Bar, so after twenty minutes thawing out the car I managed to get on my way. The main roads in Midlothian were not too bad, but as I crossed over into the City of Edinburgh at Lothianburn the Fairmilehead and Commiston Road areas were deadly. Now considering that these are main arterial routes into the City and also main bus routes the lack of salt and grit was causing major problems as the road was just sheet ice.

Into the Mercat, where the Photoshop across the road is generating more interest with his latest swipe at the City Council tramworks, which will be starting up soon.

The Bar was fairly busy, first four clients were from Spain, next two from Oaklahoma, USA, ; and then we had a nice couple from Cumbria who had come across The Mercat Bar on the Internet and from the good comments decided to come looking for us - and they were not disappointed.

Eventually home to get my feet up for a quiet evening. Now we will have several weeks of "whodunnit" as we wait to see who murdered Archie Mitchell in Eastenders; next it was a replay of the "Day of the Triffids" , just annoying that tonight's final part is on so late.

Much milder this morning, only minus 1c which is nothing to the minus 15c recorded at Achnashellac, in Argyleshire, who have had some serious minus readings for the past week or so. BUT with it being so mild the snow arrived again, however with a few breaks between flurries I headed for Mr Photogenix at Bonnyrigg ( hence the wee piccy of Mirri the pup who is enjoying the snow).

Headed home after a heavy fall, Pomathorn was getting bad and I ended up going down Pomathorn Brae with the handbrake on, and made it safely (just), unlike the poor soul yesterday who ended up a tree after his car turned into a sledge on the hill. Even the view from my front door was quite picturesque and clearing snow and ice for an hour kept me cosy.

On a different note , we have the judicial execution this morning by the Chinese Government of the convicted drug smuggler who was from the UK. He was arrested two years ago with 4kg of heroin. It has been alleged that he was duped by professional drug runners and due to his suffering from a bi polar disorder he was unaware of what was happening to him. Going back to my earlier comments on Eastenders we have had an excellent opportunity to see how people can be affected by this illness as is portrayed by Stacy and her mother who are being shown as suffering the same.

I am not being cynical, but I wonder how many of our reputable legal eagles are studying said disorder for future cases.

The Scottish Police forces have been having their annual winter drink driving campaign, and with the new legislation are seizing the vehicles of repeat offenders, they say that the numbers arrested are down, however I would suspect that fewer were stopped due to the weather, etc, but then again , might be wrong.

Where are you now ??

Bit of a quandary now - here within the system I have a Stats Counter which lets me keep track of who is checking out the blog. I can on occasion work out who some readers are, ie, Quinn in California; Dennis in Ireland; Robbie, Phil in the Land of Oz ; Karen in Italy, etc but here I am, trying to track down John Ackroyd and I find that someone else is doing the same.

John headed South to London where he was working in IT for the BBC, travelling all over Europe and Asia, but so far I have not heard from im - ????? Who has.

Where fiction and reality cross over

Boxing Day evening, have had a quiet but super day with an excellent dinner, BUT

Yesterday we had the X mas story of Jesus Christ, which led to our "Christian Festival" and the cause of all our chaos in the shops. Just who was wise / stupid enough to get up at 5 a.m. and queue to get in to the NEXT sale this morning ?

We tell our children all about Santa Clause, and Rudolph the red nose reindeer and they leave out their carrots and milk before the visit!!

We also tell of the tooth fairy and leave pennies under the pillow for that tooth that fell out in childhood.

This morning I was happy and content to watch the documentaries / movies about a V W Beetle car which won a NASCAR race ( Herbie) and a Zebra which won the Kentucky Derby ( Stripes). Me, I was happy, enjoyed it - it was fun and make belief / escapism.

Later it was "2012", the Apocalypse, the end of the world, which, following on to the " Day After Tomorrow" , which once again crosses over from imaginative to the possible.

Mid afternoon, a repeat of the Susan Boyle ( SuBo) documentary, where a most wonderfully gifted person, who has now made it into the public sphere, (despite lives adversities), and has proven by sales of over 1.4m CD,s that she has a magic gift and a world wide audience which will only increase through time.

BACK TO REALITY with a massive jolt, ------------ despite the Christmas spirit we still have thugs running riot in our neighbourhoods, terrorising the innocent and vulnerable, and all who should rightfully deserve their come uppers!!

This weekend we have had an assault on the Pope, and today we hear of an attempt to blow up a North West American airline by a Nigerian who had some form of incendiary substance impregnated into / onto his skin.
This person had entered the UK and was a student at London University - which now raises the issue of the number of foreign students, especially from India, Pakistan, and Africa entering the UK on so called study visas and then becoming entrapped/ recruited by the Al Queda group leading, possibly to what has just happened again.

Rightly and unfortunately this will lead to a further increase in airport security, etc. which obviously will again inconvenience travellers, and lead to greater costs for security. Shame is that for every newly recruited terrorist by Al Queda there are hundreds of perfectly innocent young people who come to us from overseas who just want to better themselves in life and wish no harm to anyone. For years, when working with the search teams etc, we always said that it took an incident to sharpen the mind, and again this is proven to be the case.

Not such a happy x mas message.

X mas day in The Mercat in camera

Now Boxing Day here in sunny Penicuik, and we have just had a wee bit of a snow storm, pity it was not this time yesterday as RGB might have won his bet about it snowing in Edinburgh.

However, a restful and quiet X-mas day was not on the cards for the Blaikie's and Co.

We managed a quick session of unwrapping presents early a.m., and that was after spending hours wrapping on x mas eve , mind you that was for RGB and items for the bar staff bought in the usual last minute rush.

Go Jo and RGB headed off early to see how young Amy and Arron were making out at McMerry .

Reached The Mercat by 11 a.m where Jamie and Andy were hard at work in the kitchen, trying to make up time after a busy x-mas had held them back on their prep work. HOWEVER, not a problem so with a caring team, Mrs b. ; RGB and Go Jo, Sir Christopher and Miss talk a Lot; self and young Scottie the Dining room was all set for our forty guests.

Cutting a long story short , we had a lovely day, our guests thoroughly enjoyed their lunch and all left happy and content, no pressure !!! ( there was a wee bit).

Once we were all tidied up and reset the dining room, we had a brief visit from Tam and Katherine with wee Eilidh, then Go Jo's folks, Jock, Sheila and Supergran Chrissie arrived for a relaxing dinner with the the workers and family.

Some photos of the day - for posterity - in no particular order.

merry x mas everyone

Only 9.30 p.m. here in Scotland but elsewhere in the world Christmas Day has arrived with all the associated excited over Santa Claus ; St Nicholas, etc. little children going wild, not sleeping, carrots and milk on the carpet and the remnants of wrapping paper (enough for a rain forest) waiting to go into the recycling bin.

Still snowing here in Penicuik, and across the South of Scotland, not sure what the conditions of RGB's bet is, but he does have money lodged with the bookie that it will snow in Edinburgh on X-mas day.

After an early rise, a de icing session on the cars, bit of shovelling it was on with the chores again. I even managed to make a big pot of the genuine mince, carrots, onions and peas served up with mashed tatties, a nice traditional Scottish dinner.

Off to town to join in the merry throng of last minute shoppers who are apparently spending at the rate of £1m per second throughout the UK- however I was unfortunate enough not to get what I was looking for - my fault for not buying the gifts when I should have - never mind, I am sure that when the sales start we might be able to source it, and the moths will once more see the colour of my money.

Sparky Mark popped in , on 24 hr call for the gas board for the festive period, and had his first evening call for assistance. There is always a need for someone to be working - so good on you Sparky, and to all those others in the same situation, nurses, firemen, the police, etc.

Breaking news at the moment on the TV about the attack on the Pope within St Peter''s . Rome, by a women who jumped over the security barrier. He appears to be uninjured, although one of assisting priests is hurt. Obviously big questions to be asked about his security screen/ bodyguard, it is a shame that this will be increased and possibly take him further away from his congregation.

Just sad that we cannot have a day of peace in the true spirit of the "festival".

Merry Christmas

Long day on the loose

Made it into the city by bus to find that there was next to no snow in sight. The fun fare and Ferris Wheel in Princes Street Gardens were busy, must have been chilly in the gondolas, but the view would be good.

Made it to the Standing Order where I bumped into a number of people I knew, so while waiting for the "management Team" of Kia and ray to join me and Archie I whiled away the hours with a little red wine.

From the SO it was a wander along to see "smelly" Gillian at Fraser's where I received a liberal dousing of Guerulin after shave.

On to the Mercat Bar where they were holding a wine tasting night, this time all bubbly wines supplied by Cockburn,s Wine Merchants.

Nice group and with Sparky Mark we joined the Axios systems table. Also present was Sandra ( the Diver) from North Berwick, who know some of my friends of old. Sandra is involved with the lifeboat and also the 1st Responders. A free spirit who travels the world - as this picture of her in a shark cage off South Africa shows.

The meal was superb, with smoked salmon, spicy sausage. mussels; aubergine and truffle soup; strawberry mousse and some excellent cheeses.

With Sparky in tow we eventually walked the length of Princes Street and caught the night bus home.

Sadly , today, a man walking down the icy steps carrying his child fell, struck his head and died in hospital.

Rather tired this morning, about eight inches (overall) of snow on the ground, so after some digging we managed to get the car out and joined the convoy to the shops. Bit of a surprise when I met Ian (Shakey) Stevens and Peter (Neebs) Nicholson - who I had not seen for ages.

Home eventually, seriously perturbed by the lazy drivers who cannot clear snow off their cars and drive about with mountains of the stuff on the roof and bonnet which at times does obscure their view and driving.

Whole country suffering ( apart from Bald eagle @ Rab Robertson) who is in for a shock to the system when he get off the flight from Egypt.

Going to be a cold one tonight with projected -5c here and as low as -16 up north - so we will need to keep our "posteriors" covered tonight..

Tuesday - another white morning

Tuesday, a bit early, and another restless night.

Could not sleep again so up and wandering about. The road outside is now white instead of black, so I suspect that traffic chaos will ensue as the dawn breaks and folks try to get to work. Young RGB's bed lies empty so I assume he has had to spend another night in the City.

Yesterday was supposed to me my quiet day but I headed out,made it to Sainsbury's at Loanhead where shoppers appeared to be stocking up for a siege of some description !! But being such a big store I did bump into friends.

Onwards to Bonnyrigg to see Grant @Photogenix, where it was a case of "talk of the Devil, etc" we had just mentioned Andy McKeen ( man in photo with shirt tail out) and within literally ten seconds he walked through the door -.

Headed home to Penicuik where it was only the untreated side roads within the housing estates that were treacherous - worst being outside my friend "the rat catcher's house ( GM Pest Control) which at the top of the town was kind of bad. Hopefully his daughter out in Italy is not having to cope with these conditions, although the weather report for her area is just as bad as here.

Looks like the whole of the UK is slowly grinding to a halt, planes cancelled from north to south; a Eurostar train which is incapable of running when the sun is not shining; roads blocked and treacherous with fatalities being reported daily. The figures we do not hear about are of the elderly who are suffering in their homes with no contact.

Later in the evening, between showers I headed down to our local Tesco store, where the local numpties were having a hey day, snowballing passing cars, shoppers, etc. The Police warned a group of them but within minutes they were at it again so an irate, grumpy old man (me ) took a serious nippy at them to the extent that I thought I might burst a blood vessel !!

Just where do these types come from , where are their brains - just firing snowballs into the windscreens and sides of moving cars a few yards away ? One van driver stopped and they fled as he was intent in wringing a neck. Police eventually arrived again, three in a van, but seemed powerless.

The sun is shining, somewhere.

Just thought that in view of the inclement weather here I might brighten up the day with some non winter land pictures.

The little girl was begging for coppers beside our bus in Luxor and when we gave her a pencil she ran across the road and traded it for an apple with the shop keeper.

The gent on his one horse powered machine , or sitting on his ass would be able to get through the snow drifts here, having practiced on the sand dunes there.

BUT madam belly dancer would fit in nicely with the crowds outside the Jamhouse or the majority of the George Street pubs and clubs
at the weekend.

There are eejits and there are cyclists - the same

Heading in to the bar at 0645 a.m. this morning, and took the main road as the back and side roads were very treacherous, Even on the main road there was only a only a narrow track gritted with snow and sheet ice at the sides. Surprisingly, for a Sunday morning there were quite a few cars on the go BUT then , there they were - the cyclists, in the pitch black outwith the street lights, no lights on the bikes and in dark clothing. Just where are their brains - probably crushed on the saddle. One chap was on the A701, only about 200 yards from the last fatal I dealt with, and that was a young cyclist. It is time that traffic wardens, etc were given the powers to enforce the existing legislation as the Police obviously do not have the time or the inclination to do so.

Days are just a blur at the moment,

Saturday night, parked in front of the TV as it is dashed chilly outside, not helped by the quite dramatic blizzard we had this afternoon which has transformed the landscape, so now we look like the rest of the country. Things are not helped by the central heating system which seems to have developed a mind of its own.

Last couple of days have been just a blur - working in The Mercat Bar which has been jam packed and all go since Thursday lunch time with office parties in for their x mas dinners. Friday , known as "black Friday" was fantastic, non stop and so busy that the doors had to be closed early to control admissions. But having said that the City was really busy generally with troubles breaking out later on due to there insufficient taxis to get folks home.

Friday night, even after a long day we headed to the Edinburgh Masonic Club for the members annual doo, couple of good cabaret acts - a comedien who "took the micky" out of everyone, very fast - and a male singer wo was forst class. We were in the company of Gordon and Sandra and all managed to get a taxi, ut were possibly a bit before the big rush.

Headed to Peebles this afternoon where there was no snow at all, but sadly we passed the scene of what appears to be a fatal accident on the A703 north of Eddleston - the vehicle involved was being recovered from a field and was totally shredded, but on reflection it may be that it was cut up by the rescue services.

Peebles was very busy as usual with x-mas shoppers and visitors, but on our way home we crossed over from clear weather and dry roads into a full "white out" and crawling at 15 mph on an ice bound road.

Other bits of family news, Robbie the Upside down boy had a birthday today but we were not able to get him on the phone.
Our William in Egham ended up in hospital with suspected appendicitis, but after a couple of days observation has been sent home - even they have snow in Egham !!

Come dancing final - both couples did very well and made for an entertaining night - winner Chris, the TV presenter made it with the public vote , although the judges had him rated as runner up - well done.

Lots to do over the next few days - looks like Mrs B. will be getting some vouchers for Poundstretchers for her x-mas!! unless I get my finger out, BUT it is back to the bar in the morning, and as we now have plenty bookings for x-mas it will be work for us as usual.

Catching up on comments

Nice to get a response from young Kaitlyn's ma up there in Kirkwall, poor wee soul has really landed in hot water as Mum will now have her in the sink every night - there was me thinking I was doing her a favour.

Last night I was heading off to the Installation at Lodge No 151 Defensive band, so all dressed up and snapped before leaving by the "Chief of Staff".

Into town with Sparky Mark to the Edinburgh Masonic Club, where we were met by the Tyler in his traditional costume which dates back to the formation of the original Defensive Band who were formed to protect the City from John Paul Jones and the American pirateers. He is probably the only Tyler in existence who holds a musket at his outside post.

The installation was very good with Derrik Mills and Dougie Sneddon in brilliant form - well worth watching - a lot of time and effort put in by both of them.

Afterwards I had a chat to Thomas Hamilton King , a "bowtow" - the name given to those who were born in the original fishing port at Newhaven, by Edinburgh . I say this as Newhaven is now an integral part of the city on the shore of the River Forth, but which was once a thriving fishing port and also renound for the building of the old Scottish wooden warships. The Michael, or Great Michael, commissioned by King James and launched in 1512 as the biggest ever warship, twice the size of the Mary Rose.

The King family going back to Great Grandfather were all fishing folks or merchant seamen, but when Tommy's father met his mother who came from Leith - just a mile along the foreshore, he was totally cut off by the rest of the family, links which still remain severed. His wife worked in the ropery - rope works at Leith which I have seen pictures of. The father, who came from a wealthy family suffered badly during the great depression, and with no family support was reduced to selling matches and bootlaces.

Our Tommy, now mainly confined to a wheel chair, was a past master of no 151, BUT - was also a professional footballer being the goalkeeper for Hibernian and several other teams during his youth.

It is facination just who you meet and what you can learn out the blue.

Not a pretty sight

This should serve as a warning to those who abuse their body !!! and will most probably put our lady readers off their cornflakes forever.

Just in case you are wondering - it is NOT me, or Sir Christopher, but this was the frightening sight which Miss Talk a Lot was confronted with a few mornings ago
causing her to hyperventilate seriously - poor soul will never sleep sound again !!!!
Appears to have been rummaging through someone's underwear.

The Blue Blanket -History of Scotland

Running out of sequence at the moment, but back to Saturday and my attendance at the meeting of The preceptory of St Bernard de Clairveaux, Order of the Knights Templars at Newbattle.
This Preceptory is one of Instruction so we have guest speakers at each meeting and this was a lecture by historian Ian Robertson about the "Blue Blanket". The Blue Blanket was the banner of the Edinburgh trades guilds and there are claims that it was being flown in Jerusalem when the Crusaders freed the City. The original banner was literally a very large blue blanket, however the current one, stored and protected by its custodian is a proper double headed banner - which is depicted on the ties worn by members of lodge No 8 Journeymen Masons.

There is a public house in the Royal Mile near to the entrance of St John's Close, opposite the Canongate Kirk which for a long long time was called the Blue Blanket, however, for some strange reason the present owners of the pub have changed its name to the Canon's Gait, I wonder why , especially when there was so much history about this unique banner. The banner was also raised at the Burgh Muir, on the south side of the City when the King was forming his army to fight at Flodden.
As there is already much on the internet I will let the interested reader do a wee Google for themselves.

Ba Humbug not me

Bit of a turn up for the books for me today - a rare day off so I thought it was time to dig out the x-mas tree and get the house decorated, rather than leave it off to the last minute (as is the norm). So when Mrs. B arrived home from work, things were happening , so , surprising how long it takes to get things decorated - after the tree was up I decided to have an official switch on accompanied by a wee glass of bubbly ( which i will probably deduct from the x mas list !!)

Susan Boyle - I deam a dream

I cannot let the occasion pass.
Last night I watched this incredible lady on T V on the special programme hosted by Piers Morgan and it was just magic to see how well she has done since she appeared on "Britain's Got Talent".
I saw her on the first show and still cannot get over the effect she had on the judges and audience that night , the one thing is that Simon Cowell has publically stated that he will no longer steryotype applicants - his jaw dropped as she started to sing . Give him his due , he has looked after her since then. The other thing that was amazing was the genuine feelings from the supporters in the USA who really cared about Susan.

I was watching this and as she started to sing the hairs on my arms stood on end andI genuinly tingled, which was noticeable by those who were with me - this lady has a rare talent, and it is absolutely fantasic to see her achieving her dream - and to see Elaine Page giving her the respect and support she deserves.

Kaitlyn , our visitor

This is Kaitlyn McCurrach from Kirkwall in Orkney who appeared for lunch today along with her Gran and Aunt while on a visit to the City. Although she enjoyed her dinner and went to great lengths to tell Andy and Jemma how good the food was it turned out that she had spent all her pocket money and had to help with the dishes to pay for her dinner !! ( only kidding).

Young Kaitlyn did a lovely compliment letter for us about her lunch - in fact she is now about to type it herself;

What l think!!

.good food

The staff are very friendly.

. Its the best pub in edinburgh

.The food is really fast!!!

.every-one should come to the mercat.

.I'll tell every one in Orkney.

. And.... it isn't to expensive.

.I think its a thumbs up!!!!!!!

.and.... a five star cafe!

from kaitlyn mcCurrach age 9

Two Cold mornings - where is this global warming

So - after a long run, shattered and an early night, but four hours later wide awake, and raring to go.
6.a.m. outside trying to defrost a car at about -4C, took me ages as the ice was solid and when I headed up Lowries Den the road was like a skating rink, then it was freezing fog as i got into the City

Into town, parked and as I was walking along towards the Bar I loomed out of the fog and bumped in young Dee, our Kiwi chef who was heading to her second job.

Fair to say that the Mercat Bar was "busy", bit of an understatement, I was serving, taking orders, fixing torn wallpaper, and washing dishes ( for 10 hours) (and at my age!!!) BUT everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the x-mas experience.

Had three calls regarding the bump to the car, from the garage, car hire firm and SAGA insurance services so cannot fault their after care procedures.

PS. still watching X factor - hard to choose, I like Stacy, but think that Joe will get the bigger poll.

So, by the time I got home Friday night I was ever so jiggered, very sore back, probably not helped by the long drive and then a day on my feet. Long soak in a hot bath certainly did wonders.

Lovely wee E mail from Larry and Phil in the USA, two of our former clients at the Mercat.

Sat a.m and guess what, yet another sleepless night before venturing out into a second foggy and freezing morning to head into the bar which was once again busy. However we did have a lot of football supporters in, from both Hearts and Dundee United. All were well behaved, enjoyed their drinks and food and headed off to the match which resulted in a 0 - 0 draw.

Note - Stacey just voted off the X - Factor, shame - she is lovely.

Come 1 p.m./ I headed off to Newbattle to the Knights Templars, Preceptory of St Bernard De Clairveaux.

Not for your "Sunday drivers"

Saturday night , in front of the TV watching the X Factor semi finals, but feeling guilty, showing lack of discipline with no entries since Thursday morning - BUT it is hard to be on the go all day, not get the kind of sleep I need and try to keep up.

So, Thursday - set off into the foggy West where things did not improve until I was into the Carlisle area. Took my own car this time to get the cobwebs out the engine and give it a "bit of a blow" , however, my white van men certainly did not let me down - two passed me in Mercedes Sprinters and a big Ford transit, doing well in excess of 90 mph - bloody dangerous as they were bouncing all over the road.
Decided to head straight for Birmingham, not that I had much choice, but the further south I went the worse the traffic and the driving got. By the time I got to J.11 things were slowing down drastically - just about crawling, wall to wall cars, and lorries, lorries everywhere - so much for the government trying to get heavy road freight onto the railways -no way !! what a nightmare, it is no wonder that the inside lanes of the motorways are rutted and sinking under the strain.

So - five hours after leaving Glasgow I eventually got into central Birmingham. The security boys in the office were telling me that following two different fatal accidents on the roads in the centre of the City on Wednesday, the City had been totally gridlocked for hours.

I also passed the Aston Villa football ground, but realised that Aston is an area of Birmingham, with Aston University nearby.

Northwards, a bit more quickly, and then off to Runcorn to see the ladies there - Jill, no Lorraine as I was in a hurry, but young Christine ( Dick Turpin's sister) made me my usual cuppa.

Northwards in lovely bright sunshine all the way through the Lake District, into the Scottish Borders and then, as there was no need to go to Glasgow it was through Moffat, up by the Devil's Beeftub, Broughton, Rommano Bridge, Leadburn and home to Penicuik. 12 hours and 658 miles.
So, there I was, home, empty house and had some peace to get on with outstanding paperwork, and report the minor bump to the car earlier in the week.

A long and constructive day - bed at 9.30p.m.

Long long day ahead

Morning - seriously not amused, that is now four nights on a row without a proper sleep and here I am , up at 3.45 a.m. - ever so cackled and with a 700 mile drive a head of me.

Off shortly to Glasgow, then Birmingham , Runcorn and probably back to Glasgow before home - who says being retired is restful.

Finished off Day three of the CMI Neighbourhood Management Course in Edinburgh yesterday so my wee group now have a month to get their exam papers submitted - good luck.

Mrs. B. eventually told me later yesterday that someone had smacked into the back of the car in the morning while she was sitting at traffic lights, poor chap got well shunted from the rear by a young lady and in turn was pushed into my car. Bit of damage to the rear bumper, well spotted by the young "polis" who attended.

Bit too tired and out of sorts so I have missed two RA meetings this week, Forresters at Tranent on Tuesday and Esk 42 Dalkeith last night.

Need to get off and onto the road.

Engagement Congratulations

Many of my regular readers will recognise this charming couple who graced our shores for a couple of years becoming great friends and part of the Sportsman and Mercat family.

Unfortunately, they decided that it was time to head for home, so Robbie booked them a place on a returning "prison ship" just like his forebears and they headed home to the land of the Upside Down people.

Once at home they have settled down into a new home, new jobs and an animal menagerie.

However, we are told that on Saturday morning Rob took Caitlin out onto the ocean in a boat, supposedly to fish and watch the sunrise !!! ( a bit suspicious I think ) . So enough of the mystery, there they were fishing when Robbie caught a whopper of a fish which on pulling it aboard he gutted it and found a beautiful engagement ring in its stomach (bit of an exaggeration it was in his pocket all the time), so there they were, magnificent sunrise, ring in hand, so he popped the question - Ah !!!! Ah!!!. How very romantic and wonderful - so congratulations to the twosome - with a wedding planned for 2011.

A bright sunny Sunday

Spoke a bit too soon last night, headed for bed but as I was suffering from serious heart burn I ended up sleeping in my usual comfy chair downstairs, and even had a great nights sleep.

We were soon up and off again to Ocean Terminal to the shops and for my session with the wee Chinese mannie and his needles.

As it was a beautiful morning I headed for the roof top car park to enjoy the views, and met a gentleman, Rob Watt, a retired teacher who gave me a brief history of the surrounding docks.

It transpired that the shopping centre was built on the site of an old shipyard and the quayside where The Britannia sits was a sandy beach. the whole dock complex was reclaimed from the sea - the mistake hey made was that the entrance gates from the Firth of Forth were built too small to accommodate some of the bigger cruise ships who now have to go to Rosyth.

On the distant dockside is the remains of a Martello Tower, built in 1809 as part of Britain's sea defences against the marauding french and USA navies. Mr Watt was saying that prior to the docks being built the locals used to swim out to the tower from the original inner dock.

It was soon time for my acupuncture session, supplemented by acupressure, (very deep and done with his elbows) and then some cupping. Cupping is an ancient procedure, dating back over 3000 years and used by the Chines, Egyptians, Greeks and even the native American Indians. It can be used for many ailments and draws blood up into damaged areas to speed up healing ( lot more than that to it).

When we were in China two years ago we saw many little back street clinics with folks covered in the glass "cups". It is recognised as an alternative healing method, and can also be done as a form of massage if the cups are moved over the surface of the skin.

Now taking a well deserved rest, have seen the qualifiers for the final of the X-Factor next week but tonight's highlight had to be Lady Ga Ga who was in her usual exceptional form

But , back to The mercat in the morning.

Saturday's story

Long busy day on Friday with the first batch of x - mas dinners through the system, so for me it was a long soak in the tub and a night watching Gino get crowned king of the Jungle - I actually enjoyed this series.

Saturday morning - wee bit of a long lie then took a lift from RGB into town. Popped into the Mercat Bar, where the fresh faced Scott was hard at work ( big change without that droopy moustache). Downstairs there was a large stag group in for breakfast and as you can see the Groom was running about like a "headless chicken" - and believe it or not, on his way up to Kinross to play rugby - before coming back to get into part 2 of their doo.

Friday night I had been trolling through some papers and found by birth certificate with my place of birth, 9 Grosvener Street, on it. Well, Grosvener Street is less than 100 yards from the Mercat bar, so I went round and there was the doorway to No 9, which at one time had been a private nursing home, and it is now The Grosvener Hilton Hotel !!

Went in , front door is No 11, and had words with the staff who are going to try and get a hold of some of the old drawings and history.

From there I made for Frasers to see the lovely Gillian @ smelly girl - nice to see her. Onwards, I travelled along Princes Street, which is looking good without any tramworks - the new rails are down, the buses and taxis are back on the road and the street was generally buzzing.

Standing Order was very busy, the great pole dancer, Archie was on duty along with Robert, ably assisted by Helen who was having a "smashing time", dropping piles of plates to the delight of the clientele. i had just missed young Tracy, accompanied by the wild children and even wilder father, Alan, out for a run as his dearly beloved was off on a girlie thing !!

Several wines later I headed for the bus to Leith, and got chatting to co passenger - who told me that for the past 21 years he had been a "santa claus" in one of the local stores but had retired. His new hobby was writing poetry, but he related a tale of his most memorable moment with a child as santa - little girl on his knee 20 yrs ago and he asked what she wanted for Christmas, after serious deliberation and much persuasion she said " I had so many nice presents last x-mas, could you get something nice for my Mummy this year" - a sobering thought in these days.

Made it to the Edinburgh Masonic Club for a meeting of the Ancient Order of the Squaremen, Edinbugh No 1 shed, which was as good as usual, next one is 9th January '10.

With Sparky Mark we took a lift out to Cameron Toll and caught a bus homewards, an eventful journey with much hilarity, and even met the sister of Jim Archibald, one of lads I used to go to the Woodville Restaurant with way back in the late 60's.

Next move was to team up with RGB, Go Jo, Mrs B. and along with Sparky headed for the Peni Deli where we had booked a table for dinner - the x-mas menu was excellent and really good value. the wee restaurant was packed out, and with it being a PYOB ( bring your own bottle) place the wines were flowing.

A good day/night was had by all

Reminder of the origins

I Thought it might be nice to remind readers of why the blog is called what it is !!! Here is a photo( times 2) of our original hero, Bluey the budgie, in his prime before he escaped and was probably murdered and eaten by the neighbours cat.

Couple of nature shots to remind me of the summer, a wee butterfly in the garden, and a resting dog which I saw in South Queensferry.

Today, Thursday it was yet another early rise for another shift (on my day off of course) in The Mercat, so that is two in a row - and of course it is back tomorrow when it will be the first session of the x-mas special lunches. And numbers are increasing for x-mas day so that should be fun - hopefully we may have Santa and his helpers on site.

No tram works today, so it was a quiet start again, but, but, not for long before the men came along with the heated guns to blast the road markings off the road, causing massive clouds of grey smoke which seeped into all the premises nearby. I think that things were not as bad as they could have been as the rain kept the smoke down. Our poor painter who was working outside thought the world was coming to an end.

Wednesday catch up

Wednesday lunchtime and I just seem to be chasing my tail and getting nowhere fast.

Spent Monday during the day wall papering and working in the house apart from an hour when i took myself off for a swim .

Tuesday , had a visit from the young "Upside down Boy" Scott, still sporting his moustache which will be removed all in the name of charity.

managed another swim , and even finished the papering !!! - well maybe not.

Out in the evening , not to 720 as planned but to Edinburgh Defensive Band No 151, at the Edinburgh masonic Club - what an excellent night it was, good crowd, first class 3rd degree, good meal afterwards, and some good entertainment with two of the members, Tom Woolard and John Gibson performing on their guitars and singing a few folk songs. Mr Mills and Leitch were in fine fettle also.

Home late and Penicuik had had it's first snowfall of the year, but the snow had melted and by morning it was plus 2 c, nice and mild !!

Shock to the system to be asked to get up early and open up here in The Mercat again , but for once no tram noise as the works have been stopped for a month.

Word from the hospital that Bertie baa, Head Shepherd of the Ancient Order of Pathead Shepherds, has undergone his operation yesterday morning and things seem to be good - fingers crossed.

Grand Superintendent's Dinner 28.11.09

Saturday was. for me, pretty restful but needed after a long and tiring Friday, when, despite being on the go from 6 a.m., I still manged to make the meeting at Loanhead , RA 305 at night.

So after a long lie in , I did a little wall papering and listed to the radio for the build up to the rugby. Sparky Mark arrived so we sat and watched Scotland lose their match against Argentina, which realistically they should have won - BUT.

Sparky and I headed off by bus to Bonnyrigg for the Annual Dinner held on behalf of the Grand Superintendent, Alexander Foster Moonie, of the Provincial grand Royal Arch Chapter of Mid and East Lothian.

There was an excellent attendance, reduced slightly due to an installation taking place at Newbattle, however all the sister organisations were represented.

Tom Frost, Depute First Principle of the SGRACS was present - nice to see him again as we were in India together two years ago.

The guest speaker was Bro. Tom Crystal from lodge St John Fisherrow 112, who gave a talk on the Life and Work of Col. Bro. Buchanan Dunlop , absolutely fascinating. Col. Buchanan Dunlop was " the Loretto schoolboy who stopped the First World War" - on Christmas day 1914 - while commanding officer of his regiment fighting in the trenches at Ypres, France, he walked between the two sets of front lines singing Christmas carols and eventually managed to get both armies out the trenched where a much documented football match took place with a cease fore for the day. The offensive resumed the following day - but with officers having to threaten men to get them to fight. Bro. Dunlop had a remarkable life and eventually died at home in Bonnyrigg. Tom had read the story and then during his research met relatives of the man and former friends.

This was a very informal night, friends there to meet and socialise, Sparky, Bert and Andrew in good form, while one member proved just how casual he was - white trainers with a suit !!! Just a bit much I say..

As numbers dwindled we moved through to the lounge where I met an old former colleague, George Todd. Toddy - in good form as usual, but not as fit and able as he was, a real strong man in his day. He was one of the "old school" of beat policemen, enjoyed his job , and was always game for a laugh - also one of the hungriest as he regularly ate everyone "pieces" during the night shift while they were out on the street !!

He had one call to attend to and on knocking the door and identifying himself the man inside committed suicide with a shotgun - quite traumatic.

Wee tale,s one night while on the phones in the Control Room, a lady called and asked if he knew whether the roads would be blocked by snow in the morning ?? George thought about it and said that "if I had a crystal ball and could tell you the answer - I would not be sitting here", he did tend to be complained about !!.

On another occasion, one of the local "worthies" arrived at the front desk during the night , seriously drunk and demanding to see the Superintendent, despite being told several times that the boss was not there he insisted on seeing him - so Toddy, after a lengthy argument, went and put on the Supt's braid laden cap and tunic and came back - ordered the bloke out the building , and he went like a lamb.