Olympic Games -too much choice, doing my best

Thoroughly enjoying these games, right from the start with the tremendous opening ceremony which was totally spectacular, unusual,  what was strange was the fact that the USA TV Chanel, NBC apparently delayed the screening and caused a bit of an uproar from our cousins across the ocean.
Sports - what a choice, and as you can see from the picture above, I ended up with five different sports on screen at the same time. T'was a good job that Mrs. B. was not in, she would have cracked up at all the wires, etc laid out in the living room.
Somewhat disappointed with the mens' cycling on Saturday,   where were our cyclists ???   trapped in the pelethorn, and from I have read in the press the general consensus was that the other teams more or less decided that they did not care who won as long as it was not Mark Cavandish -  they would have been as well staying in bed .    Must highly commend the public who turned out in their tens of thousands to line the route on both Saturday and Sunday - just a bit stupid of the dog owners whose pets were seen running into the path of the cyclists.
Fed up with all the super hype on our athletes which builds up ones expectations, and then when they fail to achieve, it seems to make matters worse.  So far a bronze and a silver medal, where are all the golds we were promised !!    Currently watching the 10m synchronised diving with Daley / Waterfield participating -  they were in the lead but two loose dives cost them a medal place (4th).
Sunday afternoon,  a treat in store for me when the two Karens (of Sportsman's Bar days) arrived to see me - had a great afternoon with them, so nice of them to take the trouble to trek up to Penicuik.
I would normally be complaining about the rather poor weather, but, with no excuse to go outside, I do not feel so bad about sitting watching the Olympics.

Our imported little ray of sunshine.

With hardly any sunshine in this neck of the woods it was a surprise to receive this lovely bouquet, compliments of the Johnston's of Chopham.   Much appreciated especially the sunshine shining from the basket.

Accompanied the good lady down to the local Tesco this morning, just to get out -  not a good move, not so much from the physical effort, more the fact that I was going apoplectic as Mrs.B  was filling up the trolly willy nilly without taking into account  the daily diddles and I was in no condition to investigate - HOWEVER  I know better than to complain !!!

Just as an afterthought,  last night's footie with Team GB -   I was right,  the girls did play better and had less messing about,  the lads will need to get their finger out now.

My Olympic Diet - topical at this time

Now on the final run up to the start of the Olympics and I am doing my bit, best as I can in view of the circumstances,  hopefully not the full couch potato, watching my diet and taking advice / counsel from my own personal trainer / guru.
Hopefully Lord Coe and his team of the Olympic secret police will not seek me out if I go public with the diet  !!
Trying to be good:-  selecting either the finest Scots porridge oats or fresh fruit and yogurt for breakfast;  light lunch of salad sandwiches;  and a mixed salad each evening , cold meats, eggs, fruit, sweet potatoes -  excellent.  Unfortunately for me I am not in the position at the moment to get the missing essential - exercise - as diet alone is useless.   I was obviously fortunate to get a good kick start, if you call starvation and damp foam lollipops (NHS style) a start -  but you cannot do that without detriment.
On the other hand - I am allowed meringues, and the expert chef at home has an abundance tucked away for me if I am good !!
Unfortunately, within this diet I  am having to take a light laxative - tastes not bad when mixed with orange juice , however downside is that I have the midnight Olympic 10m dash from bed to "loo", when I cannot always wait for the "starters gun" without the risk of an antisocial event -  then, having made it to the porcelain chair; there is no chasing the field - rooted to the spot - however it does give me the opportunity to discuss the events of the past day and forthcoming day with my little Guru in the corner.
Looks like Hamden Park will now be the official Nipponese  tourist route following their win over Spain today at the football, which was a turn up for the books;  fortunately the faux pas last night there with the displaying of the wrong Korean flag has been attributed to someone in London ,  good job for us.
Not sure what will be the most exciting so I will keep one eye on "The Hunt for the Red October" (classic movie) while watching the Team GB men attempt to repeat what the ladies have already done.

Been there , seen it all, got the "T"shirt,

Ominous words especially when the district nurse followed the statement by "drop them" -  however it was either that or risk being assaulted by the scrap metal thieves who would have mugged me and  made off with my staples !!   Anyway - all gone, wee bit nippy but a relief.
 Something bright appeared out of the normally grey sky today - the SUN- so it was nice to sit out and reap the benefits of a dose of vitamin C -  "au natural"  .  Talking of which, I see that the naked rambler popped out of prison for a quick flash, and got rearrested again-  bet his fellow prisoners are fed up with him - however he is not the only oddball (Freudian slip) as there was a chappie in London who ran out  naked and tried to get his hands on the Olympic torch - lucky he never got got his assets scorched.

I see that my little gang in Ward 24 have been dispersed to the four winds, hopefully not for causing grief with the staff in my absence.

Thoroughly enjoyed the start of the Olympics today with the ladies football - team GB and New Zealand,  certainly taking no prisoners these ladies, if the men play half as well they should do OK.
The girls were hard, fair, no arguing with the referee, and when forming the wall for the free kicks there was none of this standing with hands crossed protecting the "family heirlooms"  / "crown jewels" -  looks like the prima donnas are all playing in a different part of the competition.

AND of prima donnas,  I see that the contract bin men hired by Durham County are now refusing to collect sulu bins that are not out in the street in case they hurt their backs !!!  so little old ladies are being asked to do their dirty work for them -  lazy so and so's - and of course the other Bolshie so and so's at the Border Agency have called off their strike -  lets pull together folks for once.  There will be enough folks out there trying to knock us while we are doing our best, without us giving them an excuse for doing so.

YUUMMMMMEEEEEEE - BIT OF A TREAT

sitting here full of the most scrumptious meringue, strawberry ice cream , strawberries and fruit -  in fact I think it too dangerous to put in a photo as I do not want a queue forming at the door - certainly the way to regain an appetite after my period in hospital.

Checked out on the team left in Ward 24 and all doing well, one even combed his hair, brushed his teeth etc. before getting a wee internal (rear) with a camera !!  too much info -  but one of the nurses had a quick word to say how much I was being missed - that was nice.

Anyway, got caught out with a sneaky pop up - and not paying attention -  bloody thing came up on my screen, so I automatically clicked on the "x" to delete,  next thing the whole screen was taken over with an advert -  when I checked it out , it said "click here to continue" -  dirty rotten cheating  so and so's.

Had a wander around the block this morning seeing as there was no need for wellington boots at the moment - quite pleasant, but nowhere near as warm as down south where my friend has just reported his car sitting at 32 C  earlier  -  an ill divided world,  but no point in me writing to Mr Cameron to complain.

No swimming in the River Thames now without a permit

Yet another bit of Health and Safety madness as the (jobsworths at) Port of London Authority have decreed that (after centuries) there will be no swimming allowed in the River Thames in London without an official permit - no doubt their patrol boats will be fitted with giant fishing nets to scoop out offenders.

I see that a gent down south took out a bet in 2003 with his local bookie that Nadal would win seven Wimbledon titles  ( odds 66/1)  by 2019 -   so with a bet of £1520.  it is now worth £100000,  which will go to charity as the bloke died in 2009 and left the betting slip to Oxfam -  so Andy Murray's defeat was not a total loss.

The alternative torch relay has just about caught up with the official Olympic torch ( seen in Albert Square last night).    This relay, following the same route is run by volunteers, each paying £10 to run ten miles,  no lifts in cars - and with luck the Olympic organisers will allow them to do a lap of the stadium at the completion -  well done.

Back to the weather again - seems our problems here are caused by the jet stream having got stuck over this part of the UK -  no consolation to me,  BUT in Russia  one region had a foot of rain - five times the monthly average in one night resulting in the deaths of one hundred and seventy one folks in the floods which followed.   While in the USA -  with temperatures of  105 F  the runway at Reagan Airport, Washington DC softened and a plane sank through the soft tar surface.

A few items which struck me as being of interest -  till later -  meantime, feet up once again.

Home again in my own wee bed,

Thanks again to the nursing staff in Ward 24,  nice as you were, caring and tolerant as you were , hard to beat my own bed - good place for a spot of R & R for the next couple of weeks, and a perfect excuse to watch the Olympics. I was actually a bit upset at leaving, he ward and my bed mates.
Came home yesterday and after two weeks away it was like heading home from holiday, looking at the garage to see how much a litre of petrol had gone up,  any more holes in the safety barriers, what progress with the road works, and of course, how long was my grass ?  Last point,  great job by my neighbour who had cut it for me on the very odd dry day here.

Totally appalling situations when looking around the world - who says there is no need to be alarmed about Global warming -  vast tracts of central USA, the Worlds so called grain bowl, now arid due to months without rain ; large areas of China under water with flooding and numerous deaths; forest fires in Portugal and Madeira, temperatures over 40 C being common -  England getting well and truly walloped at Cricket by the South Africans where their man clattered the little ball all over the place to break the triple century barrier. 
Polar ice cap has now melted sufficiently to allow regular use of the north west passage as a preferred sea route; and enough melting to have oil companies queueing up to drill for the rich deposits ( and of course make a profit).

Enough said,  more importantly -  Bradley Wiggins was brilliant winning the Tour De France,   a remarkable athlete who has worked extremely hard, along with his team, to get to this stage. Hopefully he will repeat this feat and get himself another Gold medal in the Olympics.

My doziest moment, has to be that having watched the Open Golf for four days I fell asleep and missed the last four holes of the tournament, waking up in time to see Ernie Els being presented with the coveted Claret Jug - I had it in mind that his was going to happen, be a close thing - however the body decided it was time to sleep.  The only consolation I suppose being that I will not receive the usual gloating E mails from my friend in Upside Down land who is quick to remind me how well his fellow countryman have done

Take the next month off in the sun - somewhere else

Still resting here with panoramic views of rooftops to the north of Edinburgh and over the Forth where I can on the clear days see the Burntisland TV mast.   Must say that the weather has improved, but I will probably be discharged in time for the rain coming back on.

Have spent two days enjoying the Open Golf from Royal Lytham @ St Anne's.   Competition is hotting up and it was good to see Tiger Woods back on the prowl - playing like a chess master, having worked out his strategy and sticking to it.  Next two days should be interesting, especially as the weather is likely to change for the worse.

Good night for the Olly Murs concert at Edinburgh Castle tonight, should be good, as will Madonna tomorrow night at Murrayfield Stadium -  bit of a carry on with someone releasing the codes for the Prizewinners tickets which are being snaffled quickly.

Terrible tragedy with news of the latest multiple shooting at the showing of the Batman movie in Denver, Colorado,  looks as though these lunatics are trying to make a name for themselves with bigger and assaults on the innocents.      Just frightening to think that someone might be contemplating the same for the UK during the next few weeks during the Olympics -   with current ticket sales no point in them coming north to Hampden Park for the football  !!  BUT  seriously lets hope that despite the shortcomings of the G4S people (now known as  G4nothing) that the public work together with the Police and Army to make the event memorable and enjoyable.
This is more than can be said for the members of the Borders Agency, and train drivers who are going to stage walk outs at Heathrow Airport , and between London Luton and St Pancras Station -

Spotted a neat little earner for someone during the Olympics - the Games Canal Boat service - to beat the traffic -  only £45 return   -  you must be joking (but that does include a free drink) !!!!!   So, if you manage to run the gauntlet of the flocks of pickpockets, thieves  and conmen - you then face crowds, traffic jams and the unscroupulous boatmen - real life pirates on the Thames

Turner Award applications - my way

Modern art is certainly  "beauty in the eye of the beholder" as they say, and with the inception of the Turner Prize  for modern art, many strange things have been put into the public eye over the years,    there were giant cans of Heinz Beans at the National Art gallery,  piles of bricks laid out in the McEwan Gallery;  a fish pickled in a bottle which some rich chappie paid £40 k for.   Well,  my admission would be these photographs which I have titled  "Deepthroat One" and Deepthroat Two" -  the original subject items being given by the Lothian Health Board.

Any bids, please forward direct to me !!!

Young Gary - employee of the month

whilst I while away my day, her in bed, waiting to see what will happen next, life at the Dolphin Inn and Mercat Bar goes on without me.  Bearing in mind that I firmly believe that there is no such thing as being indispensable - life will go on -  try putting your hand in a pail of water and see what happens when you pull it out !!

So here we have young Gary, one of our chefs at the Dolphin Inn, who has deservedly been given the Employee of the Month Award. Well done that man.

No Gold medal for G4S security teams - but hopefuly with no backlash

Seems strange that once having won the prestigious tender for the security of the games, worth £284 million, that less than two weeks from the start of the games there are now major concerns about the Company's ability to full fill the contract.  here we a private company, whose CEO earns £830K annually yet who cannot "do the job"  resulting in the need to possibly draft in an extra 2400 troops to help secure the venues.

No doubt when this Company tendered for the contact it was beneficial for them to have some well placed individuals on their board of directors, so we find Lord Reid,  in real life   Dr John Reid the former Home Secretary, and Chairman of Celtic FC  who will no doubt have ensured that some of the many £'s involved were heading for his bank account.  I am surprised that it took so long for this information to come to light -  one of my previous jobs was exposed to the media by Dr Reid the then MP for Bellshill - because it suited him in that case to do so.   I think he was the Home Secretary who decided in his infinite wisdom to send our troops  off to Afghanistan -  looks he is still in charge of the Army
Hopefully and fortunately they are not responsible for external security which will well organised by the Police Service.
Interesting to see that the CEO of G4S is being paid more than four times the salary of the Chief Constable who will take over the new single Police Force of Scotland.  One paper got wrong when they said that Tayside had the only female Chief Constable,  Justine Curran -   no mention of Norma Graham CC of Fife Constabulary.     Just when papers start to get credible, they let themselves down with duff info.

Apart from that , no one wold ever believe that the late GADDAFI would pay , Megrahi £15 million in hush money !!!!     Such a nice bloke,  ind of misunderstood,  like Bin laden,  Saddam Hussain, and a few more of our bampot despots.

Through the 100K while spaced out - not bad

which means that while I rather under the influence of a cocktail of strong painkillers that my stats counter showed that my Blog had been visited over One Hundred Thousand times since I started it.
Physical and mental conditions over the past few days have meant that with little or no power of concentration it was taking me hours to string a few words together.

Different now though,  just need to get up and moving, wee bit at a time and I will be fine in no time at all.

Big armed robbery in Penicuik with the local bakery being held up at knife point,  however, the bakers told the would be robbers that there was no dough to be had so they left without a crust.

I see that the local Community Councils are being asked to contribute  £500 each towards the costs of new hand held radar guns  !!   that would be OK if there were teams being trained up to use them in the respective areas -  but that does not seem to be the aim or intention.    I would quite happily  sit in my front garden and zap the boy racers who hurtle up and down the  main road,   but in the past similar schemes have ended up with letters being sent out saying that hey drivers had been observed breaking the limits -  and of course there were the usual concerns about the "operators" being targeted by offenders.

Weather has been lovely,  just enough time for us to start thinking about the possibility of an "Indian Summer", before the forecasters start spread doom and gloom once again.     I see that in Holland there are moves afoot to penalise forecasters who get it wrong, would appear that tourist areas are being affected with loss of revenue by the scare mongering.

Interrnment is for how long -

Big question, asked often at the moment but unfortunately I cannot remember how long it has been answered or by whom!!

Still in the same place, same Ward,  but just a bit wiser as we have discovered another reason for feeling so ill - and for once if I had been listened to rather than spoken at, I might have been on the road to recovery a bit sooner.   
Having said that, there are times when this is not an exact or perfect science with a magic ball to help us out.

The ramblings of one who is ever so slightly deranged - methinks !!  But this methinking is taking a lot of effort I am afraid.

Maybe have to make some apologies at a later date.

Much needed nap this afternoon-

following a night with a noisy neighbour where we were regularly disturbed by bleepers.  We would all get calmed down than off would go the buzzers -  never mind, all part of the experience.
Still in HDU  but have now been prepared to leave here sometime later today.
Just had my midnight feast, (piece of toast) which went down a treat.

I see that the world at large is no better, apart from a bit of bright sky -  looks like the Spanish have now gotten themselves into trouble, 21% vat, which does not help touris, along with tourist charges,  Which I am sure was tried a number of years ago.  On one visit we paid the money at the airport but when we got to the hotel there was a letter of apology from the Management along with a bottle of reasonable "plonk".
Great excitement this afternoon when I think I caught a virus !!!!  Panic amongst the nurses and patients, however it was on my lap top, not me -  opened an E mail and strange things happened, address books popped up as did a site for the usual Viagra adverts - pulled the plug immediately and the lap top has been removed for a good disenfection.  Not very amused at all - and on a day when the USA are still trying to extradite the lad from the Hebrides who hacked a lot of U S Government sites -  perhaps they would be better off using him like one of his predecessors to help catch the other rat bags who are scamming us.

So the Olympic committee, etc have already forked out or promised the private company G4 between £280 million and £500 million to secure London !!!!  , now two weeks away we are told that another 3500 soldiers will be needed for the job to make up the shortfall of staff. So how much have have management got salted away so far - a bit like the TIE folks and the tram project.   We have a massive heap of unemployed, unemployable, etc. all standing in queues to see their  lawyers about suing the State because they are not getting enough money to keep them in the style they have grown accustomed!! and of course  the lawyers get their cut .  This PPI lot are now sending text messages telling you how much is due to you - without even being asked.

Enough for the moment .

Not the worst way to spend a day

by any means at all.  Still in the Western General and receiving a high standard of care in the H D Unit.   Staff as I said last night are long suffering, patient, and very professional.  

Fascinating chatting to the other patients, with a couple proving the theory that somewhere down the line of mutual friends you will know someone that they know.

I have had a couple of E mails and cards from folks who have read the blog and discovered where I am, one friend in Marrakesh, one in Portugal and another who is en route to Columbia (well worn suitcases).  Thanks to Lawrence, popular customer at the Mercat Bar for his get well card.
Delighted to see that the price of flats for rent around Edinburgh is dropping due to a glut in the market - hell mend the greedy landlords !

Someone has popped an advert in the paper looking for the SUN, reported missing from the sky and no where to be seen hidden by clouds for several weeks. Could it be a plot by the travel companies to get folks to boo up al these late flights?
One family contacted East Lothian Council seeking a supply of sandbags having been flooded out two weeks ago, to be told that they would not be supplied until the water was running through the streets, not that  it will bother me for a few more days.
I am going to miss the French themed wine tasting and dinner at the Mercat Bar on Saturday, where I was genuinely looking forwards to the snails.

Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Nice peaceful night - UNUSUAL VENUE

Now reclining in bed , in a hospital ward following a bit of neat surgery yesterday afternoon.   This is a follow up to surgery I had here in the Western General about eighteen months ago.     Nothing has changed,  service is very good; staff friendly, helpful and cannot do enough to help,  excellent.    Fortunately I have good pain support at the moment, but am not looking forward to the change over and coping with a bit of agony when I do get home - not quite the old adage here, "no pain no gain", as Cruella would say during her massage sessions.
On a liquid diet for a couple of days but the night shift staff kept me going with cups of tea - lifesaving nectar,    So no steak or vino tinto for a few days, all the more reason for trying to get home as soon as possible !! and of course I have the Olympic Games to look forward to while recuperating for the next couple of months. This time it must be a case of do as I am told - no heroics and doing things that other folks should have done.
Another day, another blood test !!! and of course, the dreaded physiotherapist to look forward to.

Andy Murray - well done, getting closer, -

he said it himself after the match against Federer, so it is only a matter of time before he gets that elusive Grand Slam title -  he certainly kept us on the edge of seats, and the crowds on Murray Mound, who braved the torrential downpour at Wimbledon, were proof that he has a faithful following who "believe". Just a pity that Federer is still in top form and a fantastic athlete.     With the Olympics around the corner we may well see a reversal of fortunes.

So, back to more mundane matters - took the No. 37 Bus into town today - the bus was fine, company good - however - our so called City Fathers,  Councillors, should be "put to the rack" for the mess the City roads are in -  I would have that that enough damage was being done to the transport infrastructure by the tram works,  BUT NO - the utilities seem to be able to dig up willy nilly, and in Charlotte Square the National Trust or similar body now has the road narrowed while they do works.   I have the greatest of respect for the poor bus drivers who have to cope with this continual mess day in and day out.
So to summarise,  if you are a motorist you have the greatest of difficulty in getting into town,  delays with occasional gridlock when crossing the main parts of the City, and if you have the gall to try and park, paying extortionate meter fees, there is certainly the chance that one of the "yellow perils" will lurk nearby awaiting the opportunity to bang a parking ticket on the windscreen.

Our friend the great Pole Dancer also struck silver this week at the Dram Award Ceremony as "Best Bar Manager",  well done Archie.

Antoine NICOLAS - a friend indeed, our loss

Totally gutted this morning when I answered the phone just minutes before leaving to come into the hospital.  It was our friend, Francoise calling from L'Is;e Sur la Sorgue, France,  (Penicuik's Twin Town) to let me know that Antoine had sadly passed away last night.

We have been friends for about thirty years since we first met in Penicuik, and then for the following years met  many times either in France or here in Scotland.  When they came here it was my excuse to visit parts of the country we had never been to, and we even all ended up in Dublin one year on a coach trip.

I have nothing but the fondest of memories from this relationship, a true gentleman, a ferroniere, an excellent businessman and a friend indeed who will be so sadly missed by all who knew him. 

He and Francoise were surrogate parents to RGB who they took into their home as a youngster and taught him French the hard way,  no English,  and when I retired from the Police in 1996 had me for a week chilling by the pool, drinking wine and studying from a beautiful French dictionary which they presented to me.

Unfortunately, in my current situation we will not be able to attend the funeral service and can only send genuine heart felt condolences to Francoise and the family.

John (Jock) Watson -

It was with extreme sadness that I attended the funeral service of Jock Watson, former Social Convenor, / bar Steward of Lodge 720 Dalhousie Bonnyrigg, who I have known for the past forty five years in one role or another.    Jock died suddenly(aged 77) in the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.

He and his wife Ann ran the bar at 720 for twenty six years and only retired a couple of years ago.

There was a large turn out at the Crematrorium despite the shocking weather, a nice service and some fond memories shared.
My thought and wishes are with the family ,  John (Jock) Watson -  R.I.P.

No waders for me today -

What a terrible day,  our turn for the rain and down it came in buckets.  I had a fun time driving through the streams on the A702,  however, Edinburgh's other (or one of many) disgraces, the A720 City By Pass was once again under water and closed to all but the local ducks - with monumental queues of lost souls trying to find alternative routes through and around the City.  In reality there are some "bloody lunatics" sitting behind the wheels of motor cars who do not deserve to hold driving licences - when you see the way they drive in such adverse conditions.
In the city, the world famous Princes Street (with one "s" -  the latest street sign in the Gardens has been miss spelt), has reopened to buses after a long closure, but only for a few months, however Shandwick Place and the West End is still closed and the new pavement along the middle of the road is taking form -  for a while I was thinking that the trams were running on a single track, however the penny eventually dropped and I realised that central plate is in place to support the towers for the power lines, and the tram tracks - on either side- are still to be laid.   BUT not before several more shops in the street have shut their doors for the final time, latest victim being Jacobs which was my favourite camera shop.

Headed off to deliver stuff to the Dolphin Inn where we found one of RGB's former rugby refereees celebrating his birthday with the family - many happy returns.

Had I not been booked in for a week in a NHS hotel, I would have smuggled myself into Potogenic Grant's suitcase and ended up in sunny Portugal with him - or even headed to the Canaries to join the former Johnston's of Egham - not to be for a wee while.
Not sure if I would like to be in the quagmire of T in the Park,  but I am sure the revellers are enjoying themself better than the fans at Silverstone hoping that the British F1 Grand Prix still takes place tomorrow -  but at least Andy Murray will get his match played at Wimbledon, where they can at least close the roof.

For sale, garden hose, hardly used

Not quite sure whether I should stick it on E bay or not, with so much rain these days it is saving me some work in the garden, however the plants are not really appreciating the downpours.   I hear that the wellie manufacturers are hard pushed to keep up with demand - plenty with wee frogs on the toes and marked L and R !!!.
We had an amber alert today for floods, but fortunately not today, need to wait till tomorrow.

Forgot about my adrenalin rush yesterday on the M6 when a large lump of wood, probably used for chocking loads, bounced off the back of the lorry onto the road in front of me, which fortunately bounced onto the hard shoulder and not into me - yet another item of road debris which regularly cause accidents on the highway.

Yet another day with paintbrush in hand, along with Mr. P. Cock, plodding on with W.I.P. - where we are now at the stage of white on brown, brown on white, and so on with unsteady hands until we get white joining brown in a straight line - not a good past time if you have a shaky hand.

I listened to Dingo Dave; Arlene and Boogie on Forth 1 this morning showing serious ignorance about the Knights of the Thistle Ceremony which took place at St Giles Cathedral yesterday - for three individuals in the public eye, I was surprised that they had never been to the Cathedral and knew what such a historical title meant -   or perhaps they had been to St Giles and had not paid the extra entrance fee to the Thistle Chapel, which is impressive, historical, and magical. I hope that Prince William lives up to position he, has now attained.

WELL DONE ANDY MURRAY - YOU DESERVE TO REACH THE FINALS AT WIMBLEDON - NOW STICK IN, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND GO FOR THE BIG TROPHY -  SUNDAY P.M. BOOKED IN FRONT OF THE T.V.

Missed the public unveiling of the "Shard" building in London last night, now acclaimed as the highest building in Europe, built by Foreign banking investors, still 90% unoccupied,  but for £25 a head you can get the lift up to the viewing platform ( well below the top which is lots of scaffolding poles higher).  Passing thought -   "the bigger they are the harder they fall -   the last thing we want here is a repeat of the 7/11 tragedy !!!!
We the "minions" with our little nest eggs, hoping we are doing well, are certainly not doing as well as the mega rich -  spam for me caviar for them - are well and truly feathering their own nests at our expense.
LETS RESERVE A FEW CELLS FOR THE THIEVING *ANKERS. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sun glasses and life belts, and matchsticks- order of the day.

Still trying to recover from a bit of a long day - up at 1.50 a.m. and into the chair once again, but it was up at 3.40 again, and eventually out into a wet and foggy morning at 4.40-  in the "Smart" car and away to Glasgow.  It was reminding me of those postcards all coloured grey with the caption "Edinburgh in the Fog" !!!    But things did clear up, eventually,  by then I was down the M74 at Moffat.  For once I was lucky, the sun shone on the M74 / M6 and there were no problems, unlike the road out of Dumfries closed all day due to a lorry fire and likewise the M6 Toll road at Birmingham ( a smoker causing an upset on a bus)-  resulting in the  M6 being turned, yet again to a giant car park.
Risley, sods law, ended up at the back of the queue so I had to take time for a cuppa and a bit of a break before getting back on the road North  again -  I just cannot get my head round these folks who hug the centre lane, and when their mobiles ring they just slow down and sit there -  arrgh!!!

BUT the much awaited opening of the heavens took place as I approached Johnstonbridge - the M6  turned into a veritable river - a nightmare for everyone with no visibility, and one man I saw going too fast just aquaplaned off the road and up the banking.    Not sure what the forecast is for the T in the Park over the next few days, but I saw queues of young folk waiting for buses at Glasgow - and not very many dressed for wet weather.
Must say that the wee Smart car did very well, no problems - but after 570 miles and twelve hours I was delighted to head to bed for a snooze.

Yesterday I had a welcome surprise visit at the Dolphin Inn by one of the "Widow Sons", masonic motor cycle lads - not on his Harley this time - but perhaps next time he may bring his fund raising friends and waken the place up a bit. 

In our midst and around us

there is so much news in the press these days about the antics (criminal or otherwise) of our bankers, politicians, and the hierarchy, that it was nice to spot someone the other morning with a bit of backbone about him. The wee soul was not put off in the slightest by the big mini bus bearing down upon it - so no problem, brakes on in time and off he headed to sort out some bugs in a nearby garden.

Mr. Diamond, the so called banking fall guy, has resigned,  NO  he should have been fired along with a few others and their golden handshakes frozen -  as I have said before,  irrespective of their actions, the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.
It will be interesting to see what the effect is of all the people who are now transferring their bank accounts from the RBS and the other banks involved in the interest rate rigging, to the likes of the Post Office and the Co-Operative Bank.

Sportingly (or not) the Spanish certainly gave the Italian football stars a bit of a lesson , well done, made for a game worth watching ;  our own Andy Murray, ticking along nicely at Wimbledon ( living on strawberries and chilling with his play station), has made it to the quarter finals, next stop not so straight forward.

Bit concerned recently with a few contributors to the social network, Facebook whose comments are uncalled for, bullying, and possibly verging on criminally offencive - tut, tut, need to be a bit more restrained or careful.

I am somewhat baffled as to how two fighter aircraft, flying in the wide blue skys, with Millions of £'s worth of high tech kit, and experienced crews manage to collide in friendly airspace writing of god knows how much taxpayers money - surely better off playing with the RAF,s so called simulators.

Wee bit of rain around, Tyne Bridge blitzed by multiple lightening strikes, Scottish Game Fair in Scone cancelled at the weekend, all sorts of horrendous weather in the USA - nice lead up to the Olympic Games (which I appear to be going to have lots of time to watch), and which will hopefully not interfere too much  with the rest of Wimbledon.

On a countdown now till Monday,  but plenty more to do between now and then - off Southwards on Thursday, working Friday and friends coming up for a "wee swallae" at the weekend - looks like I might need a rest next week after all.