Cheered by the lovely Lesley

Nice day now and i am back from my travels, having been in and out of town.

Headed out on the A70 and stopped to have a look at the scene of the fatal accident the other morning at Boghall farm , one of the SAC properties.

From what I can make out the north bound Ford Focus has taken the bends from Woodhouselea at speed and by the time he reached Boghall was going too fast to keep on the road, mounted the verge, missed the marker bollard and ploughed straight into a solid stone wall. It is strange though, that the papers are saying it happened between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. !! How long did the car remain undiscovered?

This was the identical spot where three of the five occupants in a mini died many years ago, the two survivors being crippled for life.

On a cheerier note, I stopped off at the florists, "Arrangements Direct" in Morningside Road, where I had a blether to the charming Lesley Wilson, and ended up with another bouquet for Mrs. B. who is over the moon, she thinks I am the bees knees - well maybe that is expecting just a bit much from her!!! Lesley was in good fettle, busy, and looking forward to her belated wedding Anniversary trip to Dubai - hope she enjoys the trip.

Popped in to see Wattie at UNISON, who was also in fine form, I will need to update my files as we are into month 45 of this debacle with the City of Edinburgh Council. I think that the word URGENT has been removed from the Council's version of the Concise Oxford Dictionary and their spell checking system. Never mind I will organise a party for the Anniversary of the four years. I might ask the charming lady in Costco to bake a cake and send bits into all those who have been involved.

Seems that if you are lazy, tell porkies, and earn over £40,000 , your job is safe with the City of Edinburgh Council. - ( OTT , I hope not)

Back on track, had a look into K.B., which was very quiet with the students being on holiday , perhaps a few have made it to the G20 party in London, then off out to the Bush to meet up with the working duo of Alan and Arlene, who really do work !! had to go chase up one of the tenants to get his motor shifted, he said he was treating the matter with extreme URGENCY ( I think he also has the wrong dictionary) but he was not prepared to let me move it to the crusher tomorrow !! Saturday, we will wait and see.

Need to do some work before this wine tasting in The Mercat Bar tonight.

Back on the soap box once again

Bit chilly when I took a walk out for the papers this morning - had a bad night but RGB says that will be due to the lack of alcohol, and all the toxins leaving my body.

So London is on an alert today as the circus comes to town for the G20 summit conference. It has been said before that they should all meet up on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean somewhere to safe all the hassle. But every cloud has a silver lining , the Police get overtime, joiners get paid to board up windows, burger vans will do a roaring trade and the "porta loo" folks will have their little blue and green houses on every street corner - just a pity that the lefty anarchists, and no doubt countless yobs will use use it as an excuse to cause bother.

Looks like Mr Obama is doing his thing for global warming, just what size carbon footprint will two jumbo jets, three helicopters , umpteen limos, 200 plus secret service men leave. I hope they are all not expecting Jamie Oliver to make their meals.

Had a quiet night last night watching the Tv , so it was Eastenders where the script writers are milking the current story line to the extreme - just a bit beyond a joke.

Police reality series from the USA about "Predators" those twisted creeps who prey on young kids on the Internet chat lines, it was good to see a load of them getting captured including a Deputy from a neighbouring Sheriffs department - just a pity there no follow up to show what their sentencing was. The ones they got last night were all caught bang to rights.

On home ground, the "Night Cops" programme was good, especially as there was a bit about a fight and an arrest in the Cowgate of Edinburgh, and I knew the arresting Inspector. Mrs B,
was saying how terrible it must be for the Police, but in reality most of them enjoy the adrenilin buzz, it is much better than being bored all night. The worst bit is having to bite your tongue and wait for the "client" to say one word too many. It has taken England years to come up with an equivalent offence to our "conduct likely to provoke a breach of the peace" but the statutory fixed penalty of £80 is a joke, even NCP charge more for their parking offenders , which is just another example how of the motorist is penalised.
Way back in the mid 60's when the Regal Ballroom was at its peak in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian , and the streets were mobbed every Friday and Saturday night , with free buses to get the hundreds of dancers away, the local Burgh Court hit national headlines by imposing fines of £500 to £1000 for drunkenness and dishing out three month jail sentences for the rest - it soon calmed the place down, took about three weekends and some headlines.

We even had a zero tolerance period in Midlothian with task forces out all weekend just banging folks up - but we did not have all these so called Civil Rights numpties breathing over our shoulders.

A VERY Varied Despatch.

Eventually got packed up and then popped round to see Archie and Co before we hit the A1 northwards. family were fairly fit and well after the evenings adventures. When Tracy finished the dishes, she just popped little Austin into the sink - quite handy, that way she did not miss out on any of the gossip, and the bairn was happy enough.

Just as we were pulling away Grandma Carol and Alan appeared to collect Sarah and head for home, Carol appeared top have suffered no ill affects !! So Archie Tracy was left to cope with the three kids, one big one and two small ones.

Had a nice steady run up the A1 , no way you can hurry as there were four sets of roadworks, the speed cameras, and with it being mainly two lanes we were held up behind lorries, apart from the short bits of dual carriageway. Big difference once you get to the cement works at Dunbar, it is all dual carriageway, right through. The car is obviously still losing oil, with the dash warning light on most of the way despite a little top up.

By the time we got to Penicuik, it seemed to be a lot colder and clouding over, but there was a wee surprise on the doorstep- a very nice bouquet compliments of Sandra and William who we will call later on.

Washing done and already out on the line for a bit of a blow and we are now in need of a snooze.

I see Lewis Hamilton eventually got promoted to third place in the Grand Prix due to Trulli being penalised for an illegal overtake - at the end of the day it is the points which count. Just have to see what McLaren can do with the car before the next race.

Despite being beaten in Holland it looks like the Tartan Army did us proud again with their good behaviour, more than can be said for the Dutch fans. One Scottish fan said that it was the best days window shopping he had ever spent ( in Amsterdam). We now have four crucial matches ahead of us.

The Dunfermline Building Society comes a cropper, just another example of the banking shambles.

Jacqui Smith has her husband working for her as her P.A. ( not the only MP to have family working for them), lives in her sister's house, and has us paying for his porn and .88p bath plugs. We have one thing after another being revealed about this current batch of Politicians, it is no wonder folks are queuing up to get on the gravy train - Harry Cohen with his £300,000 in expenses for his constituency home since 1990 - what about the poor punters? And now they are shipping a batch of women out of Cornton Vale Prison to Greenock Prison as they are fighting in the cells over who gets to see what programme on the TV.

I wonder how the radical Moslem's would deal with them (off with heads I think), which just reminded me of the item the other day about the mobile execution chambers / vans the Chinese are using, a fleet of ultra modern vehicles out and about dispatching the many convicts who are sentenced to death each year.

Just a thought, how did I change the subject from babe in the sink, flowers, to popping of Chinese villains?

Party night

Nice bright morning , sods law that the weather has changed for the better, and we have to go home.

Last night, the party poopers stayed in, but Jamie and I headed up to the club to meet up with Archie and co.

Major excitement when Jamie proposed to Tony the Tiger !! Then a lithe young lady in a T shirt and tights started singing on stage in the Showband theatre - so being with a happy team we were up there dancing our hearts out - to the extent that I nearly had a heart attack. BUT we as a table won the award for the happiest table in the hall, with a valuable bottle of bubbly as a prize.
With the local licensing laws in force we were ejected , amicably, by the security team at 11.30 p.m and headed home to bed.

Bedrooms have been cold all weekend, BUT this morning we found the heater switches - too late. Heading off shortly.

Ducks on the doorstep

Sun is shining brilliantly and despite the fact it is abit cooler than normal, it is lovely really nice hers, so with a bit imagination you can see how nice it would be in the heat of the summer.

had a couple of ducks as visitors to the doorstep who were happy enough to take bread from the hand - the swans were the same but there is always the feeling that they might bite or his (just like the wife). Archie headed for Berwick with Jamie, Graham and RGB, while Mark headed north to Arbroath.

Ann and I went round to Archie's van , which is on a lovely site, and even met up with Alan Robertson from Bonnyrigg, Grant's pal.

Took ourselves for a walk and were amazed at the number of folks and kids out and about, but then again it is a big site.

Home to the van , and eventually decided to have a wash and shave - no more going native, so now resting in the sun, Cobra in hand and , and, just pondering.

Still life at Haggerston -

From a photographers perspective , there could be lots to look at here, with good scenery, the lake, wild birds, (including those from Newcastle, and all parts) . Nature is wonderful, and even an artist couldmanage a few still life scenes, however I managed a few of my own in the course of the day - the shot of the body bag was actually Mark @ Sparky who slept for nearly twenty four hours !! following his Sambuca session.

I think Archie really suits pink !!

Spring is Sprung -

Sun is shining , no wind, either internal or external - Jamie @ Shrek is on bacon roll duty, Jo is on the tea, Mark and RGB are still snoring, and I have just had a on line chat to Sir Christopher who is opening up Mercat Manor - so all is well. Perhaps shortly we have a little bucks fizz to tickle the tonsils.

Didn't Scotland's finest footballers do well last night? - NOT. The sports bar was heaving, big queues at the bar, etc, but as the game went downhill I left and joined Tracy, Carol and the kids at the children's showtime which was much more entertaining. I even ended up with baby austin on my knee but when I started to tell him what I was going to write on the blog , he fell asleep !!!!! The main showbar was chock a block with a disco on and the band about to start, however I took a rain check, headed back to the van . It was a crystal clear night, so we had a walk around the site and did a bit of star gazing, constellations were easy to spot, but itb would have better away from the light pollution.

At least Jenson Button did very well and won the Australian Grand Prix, his team mate was second, but Lewis Hamilton also did well coming through the field from 18th to finish 4th - good show all round.

Might have a team walk, to get some fresh air into the lungs later.

Government health warning

Now 6 p.m. and everyone a bit subdued, most sleeping. Whether they wake up in time for the football or the entertainment remains to be seen.
I think that there should be a health warning on the side of these vans, enter only at your peril - there are health warnings on cigarette packets, there should be one here as our livers are under seige !!!

Took a run into Berwick on Tweed with Mrs.B. to stock up at Morrison's , plenty food, more liquid with E numbers, including some Sambuca for Sparky - more bubbly for breakfast tomorrow, etc.

Back to base and had a walk out, found Tracy and Sarah in the kiddies club, the big Pole dancer had retired back to bed, then Alan and Carol arrived so we all ended up back at base , celebrating Alan's 56th with a wee drop bubbly, etc.
Carol, a covert smoker, headed outside to "check if it was raining" as Camryn obviously does not know of Granma's bad habits.

Couple of swans doing battle on the little lake, quite fearsome when they lose the rag with each other.

Looks like a big shake up for the Australian grand prix - Lewis Hamilton blew it, but Jenson Button took pole position for the first time in three years.

Other than having a fag , Jamie and Mark have neve moved - restful day for them.

Stirring place - Graham and Jo Jo have awakened and are away for a wander.

Time for me to get the feet up.

Breakfast at Haggerston Castle

Late last night we headed to the bar, met Archie the Pole dancer never seen so many children in a licensed premises at one time - The band were good, and there was a reasonable mood.

Very windy night, heavy rain and the van shook a bit - but perhaps that was Sparky passing wind!! he was so bad that Jamie had to move out the room.

BUT we had a lovely breakfast, fresh warm croissants, egg and ham washed down with Tattinger bubbly. RGB did his impression of a Mexican male model, complete with genuine poncho - brought many moons ago from Cancun.

TV reception in the van is poor, but we have an assortment of videos to keep us amused between bouts of "friendly banter".

Heading out in search of supplies.

A P B or all pork search

As the day progressed I eventually took myself off for a walk to look for the big pole dance. During my travels, by chance I met up with Alan Robertson and his two Labrador dogs, from Bonnyrigg, who are friends of my mate grant @ photogenix.

After about an hour wandering around in the rain, I eventually found big Archie, Tracy, Alan, Carol, Sarah, with Camryn and Austin. Being in need of sustenance , I was offered my Red Cross parcels - in due course Jamie and Graham came looking for me, and I was returned to the "recycling unit" where bottles were emptied at a great rate.

I keep forgetting to comment about the latest Scottish football squad who gets smaller by the hour as players pull out. Just where is the pride these days, does no one really want to represent their Country - all these prime Donna's want is cash, and the same applies to their respective club managers. We wish them well against Holland, and wish for a win to please the Tartan Army.

Mrs B. keeps dozing off, I keep saying that she should be in a locked ward, or am I being a bit premature / cruel.

So far everybody is dozing off, but with a bit luck we might hit the local night spot shortly

Haggerston - next report

So the boys have arrived, and guess what -we already need the preventative aerosol spray, as someone here has a slight bowel problems. Not only that, Mrs. B. spied RGB's wee willie for the first time in 30 years, and it would appear not to have grown that much !!

We had a surprise visit from Jamie Lloyd, member of 720, and 500, who was heading north from Newcastle - his place of employment as a deputy headmaster , to Edinburgh to meet up with his girlfriend and friends before heading onwards for a social and golfing weekend in St. Andrews. He was looking well, ( put us to shame as we are sort of casual this weekend) and we may even have the pleasure of his company as he heads home on Sunday.

It would appear that Archie the pole dancer and his entorage, was still at home in Fife at 4 p/m/ - so much for him having a stress free start to his weekend But we hope that he eventually makes it and that he has not read the previous blog already.

Back to my soap box , it seems that the idle so called labourers on the tramworks,opposite the Mercat Bar, rather than get on with their work have been annoying young women at the cash line next door, with some very ungentlymen comments.

We have mangaed to get some C D's but this is no consolation to what we have left in the house - silly us.

Baited breath

Haggerston and blowing a gale.

Had a bad night, but up early and spent a somewhat fraught morning working on a letter.

Then headed off for Haggerston Castle, so wound up that we left all the food and drink in the fridge at home, blast.
Down the A1 for only seventy two miles, a bit like whacky races but some folk were no further down the road after fifty odd miles, even the white van men were slowed down. Crossed over into the land of England at Berwick on Tweed, and there it was, the old tower , being the only remains of the original Haggerstone Castle which dates back to 1388

This is a Haven holiday park, lots of caravans, a boating lake, swimming pools, bars and plenty to do - at a cost !!
First impressions, at the reception the lady tried to tell me I had spelt my name wrong - bit annoying, so she lost points, but the lad in the bar was good and chatty - and the Carlsberg lager just hit the right spot.

Spotted a few new born lambs on the way, so it might be that we have lamb chops and a bit duck from the boating pond for dinner in lieu of the missing grub, back to nature and living off the land.

Our caravan is a big eight berth one, room enough for the six of us, Graham, Jo and Jamie being en route, but Sparky has already found us - fortunately he brought his case of wine with him. ( and a few beers).

From the banging going on outside, it sounds as though wallace Express have just made a delivery for us.

Now we have to go find Archie the pole dancer, Tracy , tottie wans and Alan the birthday boy - they are certainly in for a few grey hairs.

Johnny two pies and people

Sadt up late last night with hot toddies (lem sip; beechams ; honey and a dram) watching movies, but still had a restless night and was up shart as we had an appointment at the City Of Edinburgh Council offices in Market Street.

On the way stopped in at Costco's, Straiton where I bumped into my old boss Andrew Stewart who is now about 70 yrs old. It was really interesting as he has been doing the Discovery Challange for over 50 yr olds. At one level he researched the old Edinburgh to Roslin railway line complete with a history, photos , etc. he then did a project on all the harbours in Midlothian and East Lothian, and is now working on tracing , logging and writing about all the "doocots" in Midlothian. Well done Andrew - and his grandson who is doing the doocot job with him.

Just as I was leaving I spied John ( Johnny Two Pies) Fergusson who also worked with me for a few years out at Loanhead, he was looking well and has just finally retired for good. He got his nickname at Loanhead , when someone was going up to the bakers to get our lunch which was normally a pie and a cuppa, John always asked for two. John, myself, Alan Sinclair and Rod McNeill amongst others gave our old Sergeant , Willie Wood some life. John's party piece was to fall asleep when our other Sgt. Kenny Laurie was correcting and retyping John's reports. It was good to see him and his wife after many years.

Headed into Market Street via Hollyrood Park and stopped to take the picure of the New Scottish Parliament, a somewhat futuristic building, over staffed, over funded , and a bit out of place opposite the traditional and beautiful Palace of Hollyrood House.

Next stop - Waverly Court, Market Street, modern HQ of the City of Edinburgh Council, again very modern , airy, spacious and probably overstaffed with overpaid and underemployed individuals - maybe a bit unfair on the majority who only do as they are told. owever we do know for certain that there are several who lack common sense or integrity, living in cloud cuckoo land like ostriches with their heads in the sand.

I have to say that the Chief Executive, Tom Aitchison has been very response so far, and I am led to believe that he is actually a very nice individual , just a pity that he responsible for the actions of several who lack his manners and competence.

Following access to some papers - I think I might just be tempted to be ever so more critical shortly.

On our way out I spotted the bloke who was instrumental in my last forty four months worth of anguish - he looked a bit like the toad featured last night, but took off like a scalded cat away down the steps and disappeared before I could get after him.

Up into the town to try and see Archie the Pole Dancer at the Standing Order before he, beloved Tracy, and wild chicks -along with his aging father in law, Alan who is having yet another birthday this weekend. BUT - NOT TO BE ADVISED, place was chaotic, we could not get parked anywhere near George Street, as place to be avoided.

Andy McKeen tried hard to get a message to me but it took umpteen attempts for Jo Jo to get a fax from him , just wish folk would be like me and keep the same mobile number !!

Finally - for now, made it to bonnyrigg where a knackered Grant has his machines up and running - and has copied off some old wedding CD's for me.

Photos from Thailand as a change

Having missed out on some photos for a couple of days, here are some from Thailand, starting with Sandra and her three "best fans", then we have our grop from the bus posing on a bridge in one of the old palaces,

Our road safety features three on a moped then we see enouh transport laid out for hundreds of folks.
The local bands have some choice names, but they certainly add a bit of colour to the bill boards.

In monkey city we came across a group giving a baby either a bath or a swimming lesson ; and for one, not so lucky money help was at hand to tend to his injuries.

Our toad was probably out looking for a bit of T L C or a bit oiling , perhaps this was a Thai Prince in need of a kiss and cuddle to bring him back to rights.

And finally the bats in belfry were stinking , you had to run the gauntlet or were covered in droppings, the place was stinking.

Makes a change for me not to moan once.

Back to catch up - sunny but cold.

Made it through last eveings session at Rhe rA 500, without too many blunders, as did the remainder of the office bearers, about 36 present but we expect double that at next meeting with provincial attending. A few meeting coming up but will miss a couple due to working , and our next wine tasting , Chilean wines on the 31st. Next big session will be alex Moonie's installation as Privincial Grand Superintendent on Sat 4th April - a long day that will be !! he is a busy man as will be his Depute Andy McKeen.

Sad news on the missing Jim Greig , his body was found in the River Esk at Esk Bridge , Musselburgh, by a passer by and recovered by the Police. Poor soul, just have to wait and see if anyone knows what happened leading to his absence eight days ago

Grant @ photogenix is a happy chappie again , made it to Manchester and back in one piece with the replacement part for his "baby" so he is up and running and back in business once again.

Been looking for a letter from City ofd Edinburgh Council, seems that the Chief Exec signed it on the 20th , but it lay on a desk and went out by 2nd class mail yesterday - seems that local government need some PR and marketing skills from the private sector.
Small bit in the News about a Poll on Social Services - not faring too well - but with the experience we have had recently even a blind man could see that.

On nice sunny day we found two "demonstrators" at Haymarket - complete with banner and plackards having their tuppence worth about the tramworks and pipes being relaid - missed the photo call as the had moved by the time I found a parking space.
Anyway , one of the workmen was telling me this morning that there are major problems , the road is not wide enough to allow all the services needed in the holes to be set in space and leve the prescribed afe distance from the plate which has to be laid for the tram tracks. The wee cafe along the street, the Tramstop, which featured in the papers recently has shut its doors, just cannot make ends meet any more.

Headed out past " Matalan" even waved at the staff !! - to go to see the stars in Bookers at Longston, the Boss , Michael - of recent International rugby day fame was in attendance, nice cheery chap, just like most of his staff who are very pleasant and helpful.

Had a wee note from Cee Jay who must be using a Chinese keyboard if she cannot get my E mail to click in .

Being nosy yesterday morning and had a look in the Friends Reunited site, spotted another couple of folks I was at school with - sent a brief hello message to them - so far no answer so it looks like "Mr No Pals" will need to go sit on his own !!

We have an interest in the Scottish skating brother / sister duo of Sinead and John Kerr from Livingston, who are taking part in the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles, they did not do so well last night and will have to do better tomorrow to try and get into the top five - good luck.

Things to do

Odd day - cool and drizzly

Been an odd day - although I was in bed at 10.30 p.m. i was back up at 12mn and sat downstairs trying to read my little red book - till RGB arrived home from work. Had a couple of hot toddies so that must have helped stop the coughing .

Up and pottered about the house doing odd jobs, etc, till RGB left for work again . Headed down to Bonnyrigg where Grant @ Photogenix was tearing his hair out as his big machine had packed in - he is now en route to Manchester to pick up a spare part, so that will keep him out of mischief tonight and he will miss the meeting.

Up to the Bush to see Alan and Arlene, catch up and do a couple of small tasks there. Alan was interested to hear how Sparky had got on up the mountain , as Alan did the same hike a few years ago.

Home and making sandwiches for tonight ably assisted by Mrs. B. who is still feeling a bit iffy , just like myself.

Off shortly to RA 500 to do what I can do, head being full of budgies, just having terrible concentration problems these days.

Now this is a store - Thai style

Having been in several so called superstores in Edinburgh today - I then find these pictures which I took in Thailand, a country which we all seem to think is third world - but as you can see actually put our shops to shame with cleanliness, selection and displays.

A mish mash of comments.

I apparantly fell asleeep last night just as the Andy Murray - Nadal match started at Indian Wells, the red wine had nothing to do with that. But then I woke up at 3 a.m., very restless and eventually got up at 4 a.m. - popped on the TV to discover that young Mr. Murray had been well and truly thrashed by Nadal - he was, however very well spoken in his after match comments.

Back to bed and awoke having had dreams about both George and Norrie Summors, who have been dead for a number of years - very strange.

Had a visit early on from the ratcatcher ( G M Pest Control) so we will see if we can stop the nocturnal tap dancing in the attick.

Headed for the town this morning - fist stop being Costco, where we had to contend with the regular torn face disaster who dishes out the free coffee's and teas as you go - she is so miserable I presume the intention is to put people off - but perhaps she should be moved.

Had an interesting session watching a skilled lady decorating birthday cakes, she was very good, making roses out of icing and did a lovely job with the cake, as you can see.

Next stop was Bookers Cash & Carry to get the items which Costco did not have, their ranges being limited at times. Our man Michael ( previously seen in his Scotland rugby strip) was on a late start so we could not annoy him.

To Adsa - where I spotted that their Lurpack was £1.47 per kilo dearer than Costco.

The Risk Factory next door in Chesser was busy, some day I will get a chance to go and see how the modern version of my old Crucial Crew Project is being run .

Big thrill - made it to Matalan where their 50% sale was on - but only bought a new frying pan for Jamie and Clair to use for their salmon dishes.

On to The Mercat bar, where me met a tanned Sir Christopher, looking well after his trip to Spain. Claire made me an excellent steak baguette and fries which more than filled a gap - so much so that I still do not feel like eating - might just make do with a trifle red wine till tomorrow a.m. This might well also help me concentrate on my little red ritual book so that I do not make a total fool of myself tomorrow night at Laird of Cockpen 500.

Must try and remember that Jamie @ Shrek is 21 yet again tomorrow, not sure how many +++'s there are to be added.

I see Lewis Hamilton and his team are not too confident this year with the Australian Grand prix this weekend, their new car is not as fast as it should be !! we will need to wait and see.

Trigger happy

I have no idea how or what this theme was triggered!!. But many years ago I became the proud owner of a .22 Winchester 15 shot repeater rifle, complete with silencer. A friend from the then Camerons the Joiners, builders, made me a superb gun case, which was handy as RGB jnr as a wee creepy crawlie was getting into my gun case and having a chew at the .22 shells.

The rifle was brilliant and on a night shift we used to take it out in the car and have a pop at a few rabbits. Caused a bit of concern when the Boss wanted to know where the spent shells in the car were coming from.

One of my friends was Brian Swanston, a real character and also, a journalist, we would go up to Mauricewood House, set up targets and try to kill trees - as neither of us really wanted to shoot wee beasties.

One of the local owners of a "stately home" borrowed it so that he could sit in his bedroom and pop of the bunnies who could hear nothing due to the silencer.

The beloved rat catcher "Graeme @ grumpy futtuck" used to borrow it to pop off vermine and eventually bought it from me when the licence fees went up.

I did once have a go at shooting pigeons with a shotgun, ever so under the influence at the time, nearly shot my foot off, and as the bird fell from the tree we had to eventually kill it with a stick.

+++++++++++++++++++

Not sure what happened, but a young player, Leon Walker for Wakefield Rugby Legue team who died during a game today. A tragedy for rugby and his family.

______________________________________-

Further on the sudden death of Jim Lawrence, it seems that he had picked up some masonic friends from Malaya at the airport who were over for the installation at Supreme royal Arch Chapter - he had taken them to the Standing Order, George Street, base of Archie @ poile dancer.
Jim went out to add money to the parking meter and apparantly collapsed by his car.

Now going to watch young Andy Murray in action - good luck.

Odds and ends today

Firstly , well done Andy Murray last night in his defeat of Federar so we look forward to the final tonight at Indian wells where he takes on Nadal.
BUT has anyone thought how much like a young Charlton Heston he looks like.

Wakened early by a restless Mrs. B. - never getting a good nights rest these days due to the stress of this f******g ongoing travesty of justice and pantomine orchestrated by the beaurocratic bullies within the Edinburgh City Council - caused initially forty four months ago by two liars and an incompetent nincompoop of a Manager who was ever so biased !!! But then again anyone could say I am biased also - difference being is that I know the lady concerned so well.

Had a bit of an early rush at the pub with a group of Irish lads who were all good humoured , even if a bit hung over.

Left to go to Bonnyrigg for a rehearsal of Tuesdays RA 500 meeting , the lodge was full with a bus load of visiting Masons from through the West , Mothers day and not a female in sight.
Pleased to see Ann Watson back on her feet after a long illness.

So it was me . Welsh Bert and a seriously hung over Sparky Mark left, BUT Sparky did not half get it in the ear for his performance last night- pi****d as a newt, threw up everything he had drang, over the street and even into his bath !!! need his Ajax cream this morning.

BUT - to his credit , this being Mother's Day - he has admitted to a slight bloomer in that he got his dates all wrong - went out last Sunday and bought a card and flowers for his mother, but the flowers he got were artificial , so irrespecive of the fact he put them in water , they will be here next year.

On the other hand, Ma has a card from her beloved wean, who, give him his due, did make a booking for a meal tonight _ but as she is a bit off colour we will give it a miss and dine within.

Might be able to see Andy Murray tonight.

Jim Greig - missing person

Just thought I should put a few lines in about old Jim Greig who has been missing now for several days and has featured in a big article in the Edinburgh Evening News.

Jim was a daily customer at the Sportsman's Bar when we had it and was always chatting with myself and Robbie when we were there.

He and his two friends, the other Jimmie's, were nicknamed the exorcists , as whenever they were about, spirits disappeared !!!

No one seems to know where he has gone, he had been with friends in the Coach and Horses and has not been seen since.

Hopefully he has just wandered off and everything will turn out fine.

Saturday at the Inn

Presently in The Mercat having a wee break - place has been steady all day with the various Six Nations rugby matches. France gave the Italians a terrible mauling ; England tried to do the same to Scotland , however despite being beaten once again Scotland did do a lot better - no consolation as they have lost the Calcutta cup again.

Serious mix up today so I never made it to the R.A . Supreme Installation at George Street this afternoon . I was sitting in the house doing some work when I should have been in Edinburgh.

RGB had a bit of a bump on his way to work this morning , was in the process of overtaking two cars on the A702 at Flotterson when the second car pulled out into the side of his motor, He managed to control the car and keep it on the road but the second car then hit the first car - bit of a guddle but everyone was OK.

So - he then headed off to Glasgow to see Rangers v Heart at Ibrox , yet another draw, good for Hearts, bad for Rangers.

I see in the paper that one of our old clients from The Sportsman is still missing , causing concern now.

Sparky Mark has just appeared, and because I am not drinking he has decided that he will !!! rotten so and so, He has finished his blog on his adventures in Tanzania, and says there is good photo of Heather the Weather girl.

Must dash , things to do.

Twas a long day

2.a.m. and Mrs. B. came looking for me - but fortunately I was not sitting asleep in the chair, although I may have been a few minutes earlier !!! So as far as I am concerned if she was in an old folks home she would be in a locked ward to stop her wandering !! and annoying me.

Slightly different story at 6.30 a.m. when I had to get up and head off in a light mist to open up The Mercat Bar. But at least we had not heared the patter of tiny feet during the night.
Quiet start to the morning but it got very busy over lunch time - now normal for a Friday, but it was to get even busier later with a mass of bookings for the evening session.

Managed to pop along early to the Turkish hairdressers to get my ears set on fire and had a real communications problem trying to explain to him who "Wurzel Gummage " was - as that is how I looked first thing this morning.

Headed home in bright sunshine and frightened the neighbours by reappearing in shorts and a vest to clean some alloys and then made a start on the "steed of steel" while the sun was shining.

Had some bad news via Bert Waite , who had heard that Jim Lawrence, former publican of The Cobble Bar, Musselburgh, had died suddenly , aged 69 yrs - Jim was our 3rd Soj of No 500 RA and was looking forward to progressing through the offices. Sadly his brother Alex is now in a hospital suffering from Alzeimers.

Also had an interesting call from a gent in Paris who might have some work for me - but that will certainly be a wait and see.

Turned very chilly this evening so when I headed for the Penicuik Bowling Club to pay my fees and register for this years competitions my ears were "fair dingling" - hopefully I will manage a few more games this year - last year it was only three nights.

Busy day, Saturday with the Installation of Ina Fraser as First Principal of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland, then off to do an evening shift in The Mercat.

I see that Andy Murray is now in the quarter finals of the Indian Wells and has his work cut out against Roger Federar - good luck to him.

Quite a carry on with George Galloway, MP, being refused an entry visa into Canada on the grounds that he supports terrorists groups. Bit strange as he was there within the last 12 months . he has always been a controversial character, even doing the Big Brother thing, and his involvement with Gadaffi and Lybia in the past., he certainly will not sit back and go down without a fight.

really confusing day

well, as I said I ended up helping out at the Mercat , which , although not too busy was steady. Friend, Lawrence was pleased to see me once again and commentated favourably on the refurbishment taking place.

On my way home I stopped off to take a photo of this colourful bed of crocus and mini daffodils - I think we are a few weeks short of the William Wordsworth's quote on " I wandered lonely as a cloud till all at once I saw a crowd, a crowd of daffodils",

The canal in Edinburgh is part of the Forth - Clyde canal which has been upgraded during the Millenium funding- the part on the photo is used as a canoe training school and the lead off for the rowing clubs. It is interesting to note that for years barges, etc sailed all the way west to Glasgow switching at the interchange which is now the site of the new spectacular Falkirk Wheel.

Back on the old tune again - we hear tonight of more incidents of bullying within the City of Edinburgh Social Work Department, same old story of managers covering for negligence, etc, and simply taking the easy way out. Me - I called on the Chief Exec's Office, a real gentleman - who sadly will have to carry the can for his idol, devious, minions. He promises one thing - they ignore his dictates !!!!

Tramworks are supposedly at a standstill - over 100 grievance claims regarding the work / or lack of it going on/.

Alex Salmond, First Minister, of all people, publicaly having a go at the Romanov , the owner of Heart of Midlothian football club, it is taking him all his time to run the Country so why is he interfering in football teams?

Andy murray back in action tonight - and presently not doing too well - get your finger out.

rat catcher not been here yet - but we have been out all day - so we can expect another nocturnal visit by our tiny footed friend.

Patter of tiny feet leading to ---------------

It is surprising how one thing leads to another !!

3 a.m. rudly awakened from a reasonable sleep with a dig in the ribs from Mrs. B. who was listening the the sound of tiny feet (once again) up in he loft above our bed - not sure if it is a squirrell or mice.

So at 7 a.m I gave the dreaded rat catcher a call, my mate Graeme who was my best man when we got married - so is going to send a man in a van , complete with traps, bait, etc . to try and capture the mysterious beastie. in the meantime , Mrs. B. had found an album of pics of Graeme at his daughter's wedding - hence the three attached pictures of the family. He even had hair in those days!!

In conversation I learn that he reads the blog , and that my mysterious reader in Italy is his daughter Karen.

Then , young RGB arrived and reminded me that the other Mckay, the black sheep hiding up in the highlands ( only kidding David) had managed to screw up the customer billing and had presented us with two years worth of bills for services rendered !!

However, just to finish this tale, the bold Graeme, having just been to the cash line yesterday , and it being a nice day was driving home on the A702 , car window open , and when taking a bend at speed his wallet slid across the dashboard and shot out the car window onto the road, bursting open. Not being able to stop due to the road and following traffic he had to go south and then turn and come back. By the time he got back to the scene, there was a cyclist and another motorist doing their bit to "Keep Britain Tidy" by picking up £20 notes, credit cards, etc !! However, they did hand everything back to the rightfull owner, but had he taken longer to get there they would have been ofski into the bushes chortling with glee. The credit cards failed to withstand the wheeels of passing cars so they will need replaced - lesson learned - keep your wallet in your pocket or in the glove compartment out of sight.

Nice morning again , had planned a day out but it looks like my services might well be needed in Edinburgh, so the steed of steel will get an airing and save me paying for parking.

Natasha Richardson - R. I. P.

We were so sad to hear that this lovely young woman died after such a simple accident. Having experienced similar type incidents on two occasions where things were "touch and go" we really beleived that she was going to wake up after a sleep.
To her husband Laim Neeson and the the two boys, our heart goes out to you.

Natasha, rest in Peace.

Some boats / ships in the Port of Leith

Took ourselves into town this morning , and after a meeting with Wattie at George IV Bridge we headed off to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre at Leith. The weather was beautiful so i headed for the roof top car park to have a look at the views. A bit hazy over top the Fife coast, etc, but the dock were clear.

In the main dock was the Royal Yacht which is now a No 1 visitor attraction and even today looked to be busy ,

In the maintenance docks were the two oil vessels, The Orelia ( meaning Golden and a girl's name) is a dive support boat , and the other was a support vessel for the rigs , it was swarming with welders getting on with the job . It is a pity our tram workers did not have the same incentive.

We were down past the pub , "The Port of Leith" which is owned by Mary Moriarty, who has officially retired and featured in the Edinburgh Evening News last week. Regular readers might remeber that she was given a farewell bouquet at the ESLTA Ball in the Assembly Rooms last year.

Leith Walk and surrounding area is still a nightmare with roadworks related to the tram works - good job I was not in an old bone shaker, back would have been put right out.

Away to think about my next rant !!!

A night at the Edinburgh Masonic Club

Had a wee sleep after my long run, then up and away on the big bus into town - and made it to the Edinburgh masonic Club where a young friend, Robert was about to join Lodge No 151 The Edinburgh Defensive Band. Met Robert and was joined by the "twa Archies", Old Archie and Young Archie, who work with Robert. A few well kent (known) faces, Mr Mills, Mr. Leitch, etc - and a group of visiting Freemasons from the State of Colorado, USA.
Dougie, of the Burger van at Gilmerton, was in fine fettle - with the lads mega impressed that I had treated Mrs. B. to lunch at his van ages ago, not only that, one of his customers genuinely does arrive by helicopter !! Granted he owns the business next door and has a heli pad there.

A well worked Degree and that was the young lad through his 1st, and calmed down, so he is now looking forward to his next meeting.

As you will have seen from the previous blog we had a run in with NCP on our way home, having had to go back via The Mercat Bar, where Sam the joiner was working hard, and late on the new feature wall.

Pleasant surprise this morning, had a message on the E mail from Friends Reunited, a site which I have not looked at for months, so out of curiosity I took time to open it up and go on the site to discover that one of my friends from Currie School, (Leonard Donaldson) had popped up on the site . This goes back a long , long time, about 1957 - 62, and then in 63 I left to go and work in Durham. We met occasionally when I came home, but then we lost touch - so it looks as though he is living in France - I will wait and see if we do make contact.

Really sad, this story of the accident and apparent very serious injury incurred by Natasha Richardson, the actress, while taking a skiing lesson in Canada - brings back memories of Mrs. B.'s situation fifteen months ago - so we wish her well and hope for a speedy recovery.

N C P Botch up - once again

I just cannot believe it - looking for a reason for a good rant and rave and then it happened. Late last night three of us arrived back at the Chevanne parked in the N C P Car Park, Morrison Street, and once again the great blind incompetent parking attended strikes again - parking ticket bang in the middle of drivers side of the windscreen , while - YES a nice shiny valid parking permit was clearly displayed on the side window of the motor.

It beggars belief that this has happened again - so soon after my last writings for the same thing. So not only did the dozy sod not look at the windscreen , he obviously never checked the car out on his computer - because when I queried an attendant some time ago about cars with no permits he told me that it was not a problem as the computer listed everyone who paid.

Now we will need to start the whole written rigmarole again - get a few pro forma irrelevant letters as their admin staff are incapable of writing a simple letter.

Watch this space.

Just a flying visit

Back now after a quick scoot up and down the M8 ; M74 and M6 to Runcorn. For once I actually slept in and dived out of bed at 4.45 a.m., not like me - so it was off at the gallop and had npot caught wind by the time I met fraser in Glasgow.
Roads were relatively clear, weather was excellent with nice clear views over the Lake District to Scafell.
Jill was her usual cheery self a nd waiting with my badge - Lorriane was actually up an in at her desk, not only that she had walked to work so was bright and cheerful - her new sidekick, Amanda was there to be formally introduced, so between them , they might get organised for future runs !! I suppose that will be me in the black books -again.

Did not even stop for my bacon butty this week, just dashed back to the car and headed north to the homeland - all this palaver on the radio about St Patricks Day. So it was back to Glasgow and then a frustrating run back through to Edinburgh , and met the usual crawling traffic on the A720.; it is pure nonsense hoe the Scottish Office got away with making both roads dual carriageways and not motorways all those years ago - total lack of any foresight.
But I suppose if the current government ministers can make such a mess of the Royal Bank of Scotland carry on , and let this Sir fred Goodwin bloke get away with millions of pounds of tax payers money , anything can happen.

At least Andy Murray won yesterday - but looks like he has Nadal to meet again if he gets to the semi's.

Was planning on a sleep but have just been handed a wee task !! to do - then heading off to the Edinburgh Masonic Club later if i can keep the eyes open.

Sore feet, legs and no masseuse on call.

Suffering tonight after three days on my feet and seriously missing by nightly rub down - however after a long run on tuesday to Runcorn there will be no takers to see to my sore posterior!!

So what happened today - well, the Irish rear guard were still in the City, many suffering from the ravages of John Barleycorn and his friends !! Seems that the longer they stayed the cheaper he flights were home , in fact some came over yesterday for £1 single, but they were great company and enjoyed themselves. Just a shame we did not win. But for anyone betting on colours at the weekend, green and white was a good treble - Ireland - Hibs - and Celtic.

Archie the Pole dancer and Gordon Chortle arrived at The Mercat this afternoon, not sure if they have even been home since Saturday - but we did hear that the Lovely Tracy was ever so unwell - probably due to something she ate at the BREWERY !! Hope she recovers before austin starts school !!

My pet subjects were hard at work today , oops, were present today looking into a big hole in the ground and about about to stuff a great big yellow pipe into the ground , not sure if it is water or gas. I see that during the excavastion in Princess Street they have uncovered three brick built cellars dating back to the 18th century, opposite the Mound, so the historians are doing a bit delving now.

Managed to get the Ford back tonight which will give me a choice for the mornings run - Ryan did well in putting it back together -I hope.

Carol Ann and Dennis called from Dublin, she is recovering after her being knocked out by one of the greyhounds travelling at full tilt !! cost her £100 for two visits to see her G P., which certainly cuts down on time wasting by patients - I know the NHS were thinking along the same lines some time ago and it was knocked back.
We had a bit of debate along the lines of " Q -how do you get three elephants in a mini ? - A. two in the back, and one in the front !!" However, Carol anne , and whats worse Mrs B. are still trying to work it out !!!
Dennis on the other hand, missed the rugby on saturday as he was cutting and rolling the grass - not sure if it was the lawn or his crop of Marijuana !!, probably the former as the weather has been good over there. However - as he was not sure what I was going to say he has had to crack open a bottle of vini tinto.

Wine tasting on 31st of Chilean wines is well suscribed with about forty takers so far, and tonight there is a dating type session in the Bar - more fun !!

I see Andy Murray is playing at Indian Wells this week, but as he is apparantly suffering from a bug, he is not too hopefull - so all the best anyway.

In the meantime - an early bed and up at the crack of dawn for yet another long run.

A long Sunday on the old pins

It has been a long day - up early but had to take the big red bus to town. Nice morning, not cold, roads quiet but this bloke in a blue car managed to get it all wrong heading into Penicuik, no idea what he was playing at but he ended up in the barrier and then spun round in the main road- I was just too slow otherwise I would have had a decent picture.

It is quite good on the bus, except when you are in a hurry, interesting what you see from ten feet up in the air - birds roosting; messy gardens; mucky houses, etc. never mind I eventually got into the West End and walked along to the Mercat.

Turned out to be a busy day, lots of Irish still in town and many having to wait all day, bumped out of their digs, and needing to hang about for flights. We had some nice folks in and this lovely couple from Belfast, Jill and Mark, who had breakfast and later came back for dinner.

Cleaners had their work cut out today, place was in some mess after yesterday, but what can you expect with such a crowd on the premises.

Now home , with sore feet and not going to get much rest before heading back in there again - but weather permitting it will be on the steed of steel.

So England managed to give France a serious hammering at the Six Nations match today, it was good early on but as they ran away with the game it got a bit boring - and on the same theme, the Celtic - Rangers CIS Cup Final was also a waste of time. Neither side really deserved to win - but once again how can these blokes justify the ridiculous saleries they get ?

So much for planning.

What a day it turned out to be.

Jumped on a bus to Bonnyrigg where there was a good turn out for the OSM, with the installation of Andrew S McKeen into the Chair in my place - not to worry he will keep it warm for me till next March .

Bit of a panic as one of the older members took ill during the meeting and had to be taken out - but he got over it and was more or less back to rights by the time we finished.

Had to rush as I was supposed to be working so I got a 31 bus all the way to The Mercat - great , at the same time , Andy Mc was heading westwards to Polmont to chair a meeting of the Squaremen and put several candidates through their paces. I am sure some of them are from Crieff.

Big surprise for me - arrived at The Mercat, (jam packed) and was told that I was going to the game with Graham Allan Snr., and had to meet him at the distillery at Wheatfield Road - so I toodled along there and managed a couple of G & T's before the speeches. I did have the chance to take in a brace of Grouse, a McCallan , or even a Highland Park, but system was in need of some tonic.

Got a bit muddled up, seeing people out of context - had convinced myself that one of the men standing near me was a well known rugby player, good physique, happy , surrounded by folks, but I just could not name him , so eventually I asked and discovered it was Michael, the manager of our Bookers Depot at Longstone - silly me.

Walked round to Murrayfield where we had seats in the south stand behind the goals, opening was good , but the fly pass aircraft missed the stadium - we heard them but could not see them. If you look carefully you will see the ball between the posts for one of Scotland' penalties, courtesy of Chris Paterson.

Game was not all that clever - in fact Mr. A. managed to doze off - cosy as toast between me and another bloke - hat on head, much to the amusement of some of the other spectators. Obviously Ireland managed to win the match so hopefully they will pick up the triple crown later on.
So we eventually left early to miss the crowd and had a quickie in the Roseburn Bar before I had a slow wander back to the Mercat Bar - which was busy , even during the game. Then all hell let loose and we were jam packed to the extent that it was two out , two in ,etc -and the ladies loo always had a queue out the door. Staff have to be praised because they were hammered all day , ran out of food, etc.
Wee surprise later when Archie the pole dancer, his wonderful wife Tracy and pal Gordon the Chortle arrived. Tracy had managed to get her folks to baby sit for wee Austin adn Camryn, well done and thanks - as she does not get out all that much But when she does - she goes in style). The big pole dancer was reminding me of Tuesday nights meeting of 151 - so depending of how long it takes me to get to and from Runcorn and how tired I am!!!

Sir Christopher and Lady Ailsa @ Miss talk a Lot , plus family are off to sunny Spain at 7 a.m., so hopefully they make the flight and enjoy themselves in Feungerola.

Off to bed, up early to work - so whats new.

Scotland - Ireland , Hibs and Hearts, etc.

Looks like it will be busy in the City today, local football derby game between Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian at one end of the City and then at 5 p.m. Scotland play host to Ireland at Murryfield in the RBS six nations competition. Hopefully the Mercat Bar will be busy, but they will need to do without me for a while as I am about to head off to the Installation meeting of the Soutra Isle Conclave of the O S M at Bonnyrigg.
Bus pass going to come in handy as the traffic and parking will be terrible in the town. i see Mrs Johnston , (Sandra) has been out test waving her shiny new bus pass !!

To the other Mrs. J. ( Cee Jay) still no sign of the photos , so i have no idea where they are being sent , certainly not to my E mail.

The Mercat Bar had a nice write up in the Edinburgh Evening News on Thursday night , one of the reporters was writing up about some of his favourite places to eat out in the Town , nice to get a surprise compliment.

Busy few days ahead, with work in the pub next few days, a run to Runcorn on Tuesday, and several masonic meetings. Young friend going to join Edinburgh Defensive band 151 on Tuesday, when hopefully i will be back from Runcorn and not too tired to attend.

Enough - a big bus beckons.

The good and bad of Princess Street

Having had a quiet blog, it is back to normal. Firstly I sat in the car and watched a lovely young postie lady packing lots of mail into her roadside post storage box. I was amazed at how much she was able to pack into it and it reminded me very much of the Tardis from the Dr. Who series, which was so much bigger in the inside than the outside.

BACK to the TRAMORK'S or lack of it - so having been away for three weeks, I firstly discovered that other than the fact that the holes were bigger than ever, nothing had progressed at West Maitland Street. I had a close look in one hole and saw the steel girders embedded in the roadway from the original tramways of over a Century ago. These will take some digging out at the next phase, that is, if it gets the go ahead in view of the present dispute between the Council and the contractors over the massively escalating costs. BUT I walked the length of the works from Haymarket to The Mound and I honestly felt that they were just ripping the heart out of the city. Princess Street was quiet, no traffic, buses diverted, it just did not seem to make sense - and then there were the so called workmen !! This has to be a major issue - there had to be at least one hundred men in yellow coats within the perimeter fencing BUT despite the fact it was a nice day most were standing with hands in pockets, talking and probably about 10 were working to the extent that they might even risk breaking sweat, totally unacceptable and once again a perfect example of classic idleness which have part resulted the many complaints being received.

To add insult to injury, there we were in the Standing Order when a group of "workies" arrived at 11.30 a.m. and started to down their pints - but wearing their "British Jobs, etc" jackets on - at the rate they were working nothing would ever get done and not only that they were really inciting trouble.

Our star of the morning was a local con man who is out regularly , supposedly collecting for Comic Relief but used the change in his bucket to quench his thirst.

He is, in my mind worse that the Romanian beggars who now just sit at the side of Princess Street with their begging cups- perhaps we should now be running a free bus back to Romania or Poland, just as is being done in London.

A tirade or not - wait and see

Made it to the Bothwell Bridge Hotel, last night for the AGM of the Scottish Security Association. It was good to see many of the guys again as I have never made any meetings for about three years as they have always clashed with my masonic meetings at Bonnyrigg. Not the biggest of attendances , but all present were committed experts in various security fields, and are instrumental in running / organising a massive security exhibition/ seminars at the Audi Centre, Renfrew, an annual dinner at the Thistle Hotel, Glasgow, social meetings, etc. during the year. Was still very jet lagged and found it a bit hard to listen to the presentation on the BSIA.

So, this morning accepted a lift into town along with Mrs. B. to collect files and paperwork ; said hello to the staff and some of the clients at The Mercat Bar who had missed my happy smiling face !!!

So , on a positive note, being a beautiful sunny morning I took a walk along to the West End, into Princess Street, which has probably got one of the finest backdrops of any street in the northern hemisphere ( Edinburgh Castle and Princess Street Gardens with the Mound, Scott Monument and Balmoral Hotel), it is just so unfortunate that it is being worked on for the future tram works.

Have had some time on the computer so found these pictures which all relate to our fun and games in Phucket, and the Andaman Seaview Hotel.

The flowers were presented to Sandra on her 40th wedding anniversary by the hotel management, they were lovely and much appreciated by William as it saved him buying a bunch !! The bar next door had this very practical solution to saving water - advice we tried to use.

I had some lovely king prawns one evening , served by Miss "Bossy" who was hardly the size of tuppence.
On the beach, as I wrote the other day, the parascending boys were doing a roaring trade, but this lad went up as "pilot" every trip, no safety harness, etc. and he did go up some height and also fairly far out to see.

The local boats came into the beach and picket up tourists daily for cruises of a couple of hours or so, but with no shelter on hot days it could be kind of exposed. The engines and drive system are used all over the country.
And I though I should finish off with a bit of local colour.

Have been busy writing , etc, all day, nice wee note to the Chief Executive of Edinburgh City Council, whose bureaucratic bungling senior officers seem to be getting worse.

Now heading off toThe Bothwell Bridge Hotel, nr Hamilton, for the AGM of the Scottish Security Association, so I will miss out on a meeting of the Cryptic Council, Dalkeith, tonight.

I normally never get to these meetings as tghey usually clash with my Bonnyrigg meetings, so given the chance i am taking it to catch up.