Yet another two weeks have passed

Quite frightening how life nearly passes you by, especially as you get older it seems.   So what has happened recently,  I would think that going to the launch of peter Ritchie's new book on Monday was very interesting, and no doubt exciting for Peter as there was a great turn out of his friends and fans.  so the relaunched book one is now out and the others will follow. lead character is now Grace McCallum  and not Grace Den Herder as was in the original trilogy.     Met up with my mate Dan (the man) for a bite to eat at the new Weatherspoon's pub in Lothian Road,  the Caley which was the old cinema,  beautiful transformation of a lovely building.   Similarly, attended a meeting of the E&SESALTA  within the The Dome, George Street, where again the owners Caledonian Heritable have done a marvelous job of turning a magnificent old bank into a beautiful restaurant.  We had afternoon tea there a few weeks ago which was first class, and had a peek into the Green Room which, for a party of twenty would be my place to go in Edinburgh.
masonic season now back in swing, so visits to 720 with the blues,   St Andrews, Honour Concorde and Fidelity: Acheson's Haven, in the Reds;   King David -  the KT's;  Persevere, Cockpen, Blantyre, and Ibrox with the OES.   and with RA  and Squarries kicking in properly lots to look forward to.

Motor cycling still to the fore, and as the Steed is in dock awaiting new front forks I have been out and about on the Time Machine,  good, but I do miss the Steed.

Strangers from foreign parts as Mr McInally appeared from French France and we had breakfast at Weathespoon's booking office at the top of the ramp from the Waverley station,  even met young Robert who is duty manager there, not seen him for ages so it was nice.

Enthralled with the latest series of Strictly Come dancing,  excellent entertainment,  unlike the news and current affairs programmes which are depressing.  Comedy with President Idiot Trump ( who must be a total embarrassment to the majority of the USA, and his opposite number , the manic Dictator president of North Korea, with his big fat finger on the button, all set to start World War Three. (shame his population have no idea how bloody crazy he is)    Hopefully there might me another wee earthquake and North Korea slip off the map.  Trump would probably not notice, thinking it was part of the African continent which he is not quite au fait with.
As an avid follower of the earthquake sites on the internet, the recent tragedies come as no surprise,  it just proves that man is no match for mother nature.   I certainly would not be cruising in the Carribean while all there hurricanes are causing chaos, so it pays to avoid booking during these months,  mind you, the cruise ships give the area a wide berth so it is just a case of hoping that the hope ports are open when needed.   Beats the Viking cruise where I came back with calluses on my hands and bum, and earache from that bloke beating the drum !!!!

Hollyrood , new venue for the comedy club, Edinburgh.

THe Edinburgh Festival has just finished with party pieces on stage by Alex (Slippery) Salmond and friends, and a guest appearance by Jeremy Corbyn during his whistle stop tour of "me and lefty pals will wreck your economy" .  Ruth Davidson , bit the dust and she was quite a nice person, far too nice.  However, Nicola and her pals seem to be doing pretty well on their own as well.  SO Nicola has stopped going on meantime about Independence, but looks like bumping up Income Tax !!   Diesel cars to be  phased out and electric cars the norm,  so we will need thousands of new charging points all over the country, maybe a windmill at each point to generate the lecky.  Journey times massively increased, and a nice touch,  no learner drivers over the new Queensferry crossing (Third Forth Bridge)! As it will soon be a motorway learners are not permitted on the Forth Bridge which is now for pedestrians and cyclists etc.   Why did we ask the Queen to open the new Bridge this week when Nicola had already done it?    Vote catching going on by placating the Greens, giving votes to prisoners,  who next, probably automatic voting rights for immigrants in the land of milk and honey.
THEN!  to keep the good folks of Edinburgh amused, the caring council plan on restricting older diesel cars from the City Centre within the next two years of issue £60 fixed penalty fines, add this to the extended 20 mph speed limit areas, we will all need massive pay rises to afford a 🚗.  the  public enquiry about the dreaded tram debacle is still underway and councillors past and present are all passing the buck left right and centre.  no lessons learned there at all as they are seriously considering giving the next phase the go ahead.
Really quite sad when these egotistical so and so's seemingly refuse to listen to reason.  WHere will it all end.

And we moaned about a wet August

Must say I was fed up hearing folks moaning about the weather during August, so now we have to realise how lucky we are compared to other parts of the World where floods , hurricanes and now an earthquake have been hitting headline since and front pages, taking our minds of the rantings of lunatic presidents, dictators and bampots.  Horrendous flooding in Asia with millions left homeless, hurricane Irma following hurricane Harvey through the Caribbean with yet another on its tail. total devastation so far caused by winds of up to 180 mph and extreme flooding by high tides, with large areas of Florida in the path over the next few days.  In Mexico a No 8 magnitude earthquake hit earlier today and residents now waiting on the aftershocks. God help those affected,  and PS.  Donald Trump does not think global warming has anything to do with it!!!

J K Rowling, Ian Rankine and Peter Ritchie all in one sentence

Peter Ritchie,  former Police Officer in Midlothian and now linked to the greats in Scottish modern crime writing.   Peter started writes crime thrillers on his retirement and after having his first four books published online. He has now been signed up by Black and White, an Edinburgh publishing house who have revamped his first four books and will launch the first one, now titled "Cause of Death" at 6.30 pm on Monday 18th September in Waterson's book store, 128 Princes Street, Edinburgh.    Hopefully many of his friends and colleagues will be able to attend and make it a memorable event.  Next three books will follow over three months and then he will start work on books five and six,  next thing we know will be a TV appearance.