No 7 shovel required.

Generally speaking, most of the UK residents have one major topic of conversation , other than the x- factor and I'm a Celebrity, etc., it is SNOW, and things aint got any better during the past couple of days.

From all accounts conditions in Penicuik are fairly mild compared to other parts of the country. AND we still have buses running on the main routes most of the time - BUT better than that, the McEwans wee bus has been sticking to its timetable and that is all the way from Dumfries to Edinburgh , well done Fergus and the rest of the drivers. On Monday morning Mrs B and self set off in arctic conditions at 6 a.m. and managed to get on a Lothian No 37, lots of praise for the driver who packed in as many passengers as he could and taking it nice and steady got us all into the City, a bit late, but better later than never - sadly the city was just as bad but with ice rather than snow, bad pavements and as the loony squad got out in their cars everything ground to a halt.

Heading home at night there was little evidence of any improvement and on part of the road there were large piles of snow in the centre of the road, which when frozen will be a real hazard and cause lots of damage as folks run into them.

My occupational therapy has been clearing the snow at the house which is now 14 inches plus deep, clear the snow, another blast , clear it again, another blast ,etc., never ending. The lazy bleeders driving around with their cars piled high - badge of lunacy get my dander up. I was quite happy blethering to the folks who were walking up the road from the shops, etc, and even the Council workers were out on foot with plastic shovels as the snow was too dee for their little pavement tractor to clear.

Good news of the week, apart from Wagner being voted off the X - Factor was the female fruitcake Gillian McKeith getting bumped out I'm a Celebrity - just a shame she is getting a fee for it - a chancer, I thought Stacy was great, especially when they found that she was boiling her knickers in the cooking pot last night!!! using her initative.

Should have been at the Scottish Security Association anniversary dinner in Glasgow last night , but sense prevailed and I stayed at home, I would never have got back home last night had I went - just a pity.

Friday is the 49 Club , x-mas dinner in the Trades Hall , Glasgow, so again fingers crossed that things improve a bit, although the forecast is not so clever so far.

Hospital called to confirm my X-mas booking - so guess who is going to have tinsel around his bed this year - bad news is that they will not let me have wi fi - dash and darnation, but the liaison lady suggested that this might be the last thing I would be thinking about for a few days.

So with the hailstones bouncing off the roof, I am having a quiet night as we have another early rise and hike to the bus stop in the morning - the show must go on, regardless.