Random, rambling thoughts of

I must be falling by the wayside when I am getting phone calls to ask where the last blog has gone !!!
so this will be a series of random thoughts, and in no particular order.

Been to the Squaremen , now relocated to the Royal Scots Club at Haymarket.,    a wee run up to Crieff to see Kenny Jack being reinstalled into the chair at the RA there, and have managed to make it to three different OES meetings, at Portobello, Mid Calder and Bonnyrigg.  Having said that I missed RA at Esk 42; Currie; and Tranent (apologies); and also a ARPOS,   AGM at Fettes last Sunday,   but I cannot be everywhere, and with three different events taking place at the same time which straw do I draw.

Feeling surprisingly good, no blips since my last 24 hr stay in the hospital, so that was obviously the side effects of a virus, which has since cleared from my system.  
Struggling seriously with the "Mindfulness" project,  too many butterflies in the cranium to allow me to sit at peace for more than thirty seconds.

Had a return visit to my "alternative medicine man" who seemed to think I was doing well since my first visit  and if his computer was not "rigged" then I am showing signs of recovery, certainly feeling better/ and calmer !!.

Tuesday, sun was shining so I had a pleasant run down to Duns to see Andy at Border Bikes,  as he was on his own we had time for lunch , a blether before the Steed had an oil change and tweek,   and with a wee bit of luck there might well be an addition to the "stable" in the near future.

SO, bearing that in mind I have spent nearly two days gutting the garage to make room - job well done - amazing what you find and have been hoarding "just in case " for twenty years!!!! and never used, so off to the skip or the charity shop.   Eight pairs of rugby boots !!!!!

Headed to Ocean Terminal yesterday, Edinburgh - a CITY UNDER SEIGE - traffic ground to a halt at Bilston due to the ongoing gas works on the A701,  for TWO MONTHS - bloody chaos - just wonder how much revenue ASDA is losing??   It is a nightmare, so with a long detour ended up stuck in traffic again in Leith Walk -  how many more businesses are going down the tubes to satisfy the ego and errors of our City Fathers ??  who - have just made application for £200 million to get the City Roads back into shape again -   SO one might ask - would they have been in such a s**t state if they had not spent £760 million on the tram project.   Personally _ I avoid Edinburgh like the plague and it is only through necessity I go anywhere near the place.

About to start packing the case for a few days away, looking forward to that soon.

Electoral Register - what a carry on -  now we have to "op out" form the "open Register" which is the one the Councils must sell on to businesses - so opt out now and hopefully cut down on the number of "cold calls/ nuisance calls" we get.      Just a shame that our homes are also now under seige - if I do not recognise the phone number - or witheld- no pick up and the caller can go onto ansaphone - and I will reply.
My Tesco diddle today was actually pointed out to me by a member of staff,   two single packets of digestive biscuits on an offer - yellow tags, great deal -  BUT  next to it, a twin pack of the same biscuits even cheaper !!   and TESCO have had to suspend Directors who made a wee accounting error of Lord knows how many £millions.

Really odd - sitting here with three lap tops doing different things, and for no reason all my current open, new E mails have disappeared - I am still on AOL who is owned by Talk Talk or whoever, but service is crap, and expensive.

Bank of England have announced latest round of interest rates, etc -  no change -   so how come some of the businesses we deal with have increased theri charges from 4% to 25% -  bit of a joke - may be to some but not to the majority.

EBOLA virus,  along with the publicity is causing a great deal of concern,  caused by fruit bats, and also by a seious lack of hygiene in Zaire, spreading throughout the region due to physical contact with the blood and body fluids -  we ( the UK) appear to be doing more to assist than may other European countries.
So - here we are part of the Euro Zone, governed and inflicted by their incessant stream of gobbledygook and trivia - putting up with low powered vacume cleaners, expensive light bulbs, and an immigration policy that is costing the UK an absolute fortune. If you are British, white, born in the Uk, get to the back of the queue.

News tonight that farmers are taking action against the supermarkets who are now charging less for a litre of milk than a litre of water!!

Mercat Grill ticking along nicely, full house already for X mas day, so have a waiting list, just in case.  Lovely customers which makes it all worth while.

Sadly - have to report that we attempted to have breakfast at Frankie and Benny's,  ocean Terminal yesterday ( only our 2nd visit to this Franchise)  and we were BLANKED by staff - stood standing there and felt like the Invisible man - not good, so we had breakfast in Debenham's Cafe where the ladies made us welcome and all was good.
Cannot remember the name of the shoe shop on the first floor beside Waterson's,  but staff were brilliant.

Anyway,  time for bed,  no idea if I am meeting up with Dougz or Co in the Scottish motorcycle Touring Group over the weekend while the weather holds.   Wait and see.