No excuses, not even hibernation.

After several years of blogging to albeit a limited audience and basically for my own pleasure, if that is the correct word, I kind of lost the plot !!!  So, whether i can get myself motivated again remains to be seen.  One thing for certain is that like many people I am sick to the teeth of politics,  between Brexit and the antics of our own SNP, I turn over the TV, switch radio stations and it makes reading newspapers simpler.  Having said that Theresa May has stuck to her guns and is doing what the electorate asked for, and to hell with the greedy winging inmates of the concrete pigs troughs in Brussels,  here endeth my first rant for ages.

Life in the Mercat Grill remains the same, nice and steady with the usual busy spells, and this year, Xmas was on the up and up.  Santa Paws made his annual appearance for our four legged friends, and even managed several surprise visits pre x-mas, possibly out to assess how many presents to pop into his sack. Must say that I did appreciate the gifts I received this year, so thanks big time.

Masonic season well under way now so we had our Installation at RA Laird O Cockpen 500, so Sparky Mark has taken over from me for a year. Lodge 720 also has a new RWM, and  our own OES was the last of the District chapters to be reinstalled..

A couple of years ago whilst in temporary residence at the ERI  Edinburgh, I handed out a number of small mini pen lights to staff which went down a treat.  Since then I have been buying new batches and on Xmas Day delivered a new supply to the A&E at  the ERI and a stock for the ambulance crews on duty.    The Mither Shed of the Corporation of Squaremen and also my own RA Chapter 500 have further stocks ready to supply to other hospitals in the area.  So the next time a nurse or Doctor shines a wee torch pen in your eyes, it might be one of ours !!

Delighted to say that both the Steed of Steel and the Time Machine are baring up well, and with this mild spell of weather both bikes have been out on the roads for an airing, as recently as today.

Just where does time go these days.

This morning on my way to Whitecraig I stopped to take this photo of the new recycling plant near Monktonhall,   just appealed to me with the sun shining on it and such a dark sky at the time.

Anyway,  as usual have found it difficult to make time to write a few words.    So,   while tiding the garage this afternoon I listened to the tennis on the radio and it was good to hear Team GB winning at the Emirates Stadium, Glasgow, to qualify for the next round of the Davies Cup, which does not take place till next year.

A congratulations in order to Nigel Finlay at Stags PH , Musselburgh , for winning this years prestigious CAMRA Award,  well deserved, as it is a real drinking "persons" pub, good selection of real ales, etc.

Yesterday, heading (on the teed of Steel) for the Half yearly meeting of the Provincial Royal Arch Chapter of Mid and East Lothian, (at Currie) I was passed three times by six motorcyclists on sports bikes, first time on bad bends, second time they passed a long line of stationary cars on double white lines, and the third time on the A720 City bypass.  Hate to say it, but their style of riding did not impress either me or the folks they passed,  not a great advert for the biking fraternity.

Just biding time now for our weekly dose of the "Bodyguard",  a brilliant piece of TV drama.

This Brexit carry on is a real pain in the bum, getting to the stage, as I have said in the past,  that we will be badgered and badgered time and time again until certain elements of the so called establishment get their own way (and for their own benefit).  very similar to lawyers in the USA who keep looking for professional witnesses who will sway juries to their way of thinking.

First class Gin Tasting accompanied by an excellent meal at the Mercat Grill last night, six gins for tasting, good company, great night.

Afternoon worth thinking about,  HIT Dinner at the Sheraton on 2nd November 2018,    we were there last year when they raised about forty five thousand pounds for their training scheme.

BMW HP4 and others

Spotted this BMW HP4 race bike last time I was in the BMW dealers in Dalkeith, so eventually managed to get back with my camera.   At £68,000  it is the most expensive bike I have seen sitting in the showroom,  They did have two race bikes and another prepared for the road !!  With a top speed of over two hundred miles per hour , not quite ideal for the UK.

 Nice old caged machine sitting there,  top speed not quite as high as the above.

 This was nice 

 But this was nicer,  more my cup of tea, so to speak.

New Lanark Mills and the Falls of Clyde.

Back at one of my favourite places for a couple of nights R & R,  making up for last weeks B & B compliments of the NHS at the ERI on our wedding anniversary !!     Weather is nice and managed a walk along the River Clyde while the sun was giving me some good shots.

 No doubt that Robert Owens was a man of foresight when he developed this remarkable factory complex,  it deserves it's World Heritage status.

 The river is still very low following our long dry spell over past three months.

 Managed this shot of the weir on my way out, but when I came back light had changed and it was not as impressive.

 The Mill Lade where it comes through the hillside from the weir into the complex, rather dark and foreboding.

 Not the clearest of images but saw this Heron sitting in the tree in the distance,  and about twenty minutes later noted that there were a pair of them, obviously having more luck at the fishing than the local anglers.

Couple of unique custom built motorcycles

It is not every day that I get the chance to see a special motorcycle, but today the surprise was that there were two.    We had an Austrian couple, driving a camper van,  in for dinner at the Mercat Grill, and after several beers the driver discovered that he would be safer not driving !!!  So, they were able to park up in the car park.  This morning, after breakfast, much to our surprise they unloaded these two motorcycles from their van, and were preparing to head into Edinburgh, park up and go sightseeing .   In view of the numbers of motorcycle thefts in the city I advised them to take the train, and if they doubted me, a local taxi driver pulled in to admire the bikes and gave them the same advice, which they eventually accepted.

 The owner of this 1600cc machine was a butcher, and he has built a meat mincer into the body of the bike, the carburetor, brake lever, petrol tank cap,  his antique knife box, etc  

 Not so sure our local thieves would have got very far with this bike, starting it was a work of art !!!  but it would not stop the hooligans lifting it into a van.

 The chopper style bike was ridden by a young lady and the theme of the bike was beer,  the tank painted with beir symbols, a beer filler, and a beer tap fitted with an LED bulb to illuminate the number plate.

 The drive belt had been removed and the husband had taken six months to make a conversion and the guard cover modeled on a 3D printer and then shaped by hand. 

 Fancy a pint ? 

As I had to leave, I have no idea how they enjoyed their day, however these two bikes will be on the roads around the North of Scotland. 

Yes, common sense is in short demand

Just a quickie,   friend "Dan the Man" was heading home from Dunbar this morning on the new motorway section of the A1 when passed by a police patrol car travelling at speed. Some distance along the road he passed the the police who were remonstrating with a lady on a pedal cycle who obviously did not realise that cycling on a Motorway was forbidden.

AND

Mrs B. met a lady this morning in Edinburgh who had been hill walking on Ben Nevis yesterday.  She was saying that the weather was poor and very cold so warm clothing was essential,  however she and her husband were passed by a man and his son dressed in T shirts and shorts !!!  It is no wonder that the local Mountain Rescue team is kept busy with eejits like this on the loose.

AND

Photo yesterday of five youths posing with axes, machetes and baseball bats.  No doubt hard men in their own tiny minds,  sons of someone, but a perfect reason for making the use of contraceptives compulsory for some folks (or perhaps neutering or dressing as is commonplace with our pets)

Honda Goldwing; Goldtops and others.

Yet another of Edinburgh's motor cycle dealers last week, this time Two Wheels near Cameron Toll, where pride of place in the front window went to this lovely Gold Wing.

Most of my travels to these bike shops has been to source a new pair of boots, which has been proving more difficult than expected, the more modern boots are a bit tight for my wide feet and certainly likely to last as long as my original pair.  I ended up sending for a pair of the latest edition of hand made GoldTops, which are seen here alongside my old pair, Slight cost difference as the new boots are selling at £375 !!!    However, despite my best efforts, although the shoe of the boot fitted perfectly, the leg has been cut 3.5cm narrower than the old ones so it was with great disappointment that they had to be returned to GoldTop.  The manufacturers are being asked to try and make a wider fitting boot at some point.

 Just to finish off this page I have added a couple of shots, this one inside,   and

 this nice Triumph sitting in the car park outside the Triumph showroom.

But not all is lost,   had a call to go back in and have a look at some newly sourced boots which I might be able to get into,  if not it will be back to the old GoldTops held together with Unibond adhesive and Duck Tape.

The European Games are over, back to normal.

Well,  looks like there will be no hose pipe ban here in Scotland, and some of the other parts of the UK which were at risk.  However, looks as though many farms are paying the cost of the heatwave with failed crops and little or no winter feed.

Not written for a few days as I managed to find a comfy chair and a TV to watch the European Games which I thoroughly enjoyed. Must say the all the competitors did remarkably well and although not all earned medals some  were very unfortunate.  With electronic timing and strict marking by the  judges, the differences between winning and losing was finite. Well done to Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan ( Daughter of Liz), and the sprinter Diana Asher-Smith.  Found myself bouncing up and down in time with the divers in the Royal Commonwealth pool, Edinburgh,   good to see Grace Reid win a Gold in her home pool.

Had planned on a wee run to Duns on Saturday, however not 100% so safer to stay at home than hundred mile run on the Steed of Steel.

Did manage a Royal Arch meeting at Lodge Liberton on Thursday night,  time to get back into the swing of things again.    This coming weekend there will be a commemorative service for the K.T.,s at Temple Village Kirk on Saturday morning with a meeting of King David of Ballantraddoch at Dalkeith in the afternoon.

Need to download the bike photos from my trip to Two Wheels but they are on another camera, still trying to get my feet into a new pair of boots as my Gold Tops ( only forty years old) are showing signs of wear and tear !!!    Even had a new pair of Gold Tops sent to try on but the new ones are a much slimmer fit in the leg, perfect in the foot,  but now I am back to the drawing board.

The East Port Bar, Dunfermline and a new distillery

Popped over to see our friend Archie, who is now the Manager at the East Port Bar in Dunfermline,  at the weekend, and found that he is running a "drinking man's pub" , no food on hand and not part of a national chain.   Being the designated driver I did manage to get a good coffee from Archie,   fortunately for him, the attached photo is not Archie on the doorstep, but one i spotted in the nearby Kingsgate Centre where there was an exhibition of old Dunfermline.   The current East Port Bar is ever so slightly more modern and very comfortable.

On my travels on Monday I ended up at the Glenkinchie Distillery, near Pencaitland , East Lothian, which I have always considered to be the most southerly distillery in Scotland.  It is in a lovely setting and certainly a very worthwhile visit with a beautiful Single malt which can only be bought on site.     HOWEVER,  I now discover that there is now a new distillery further south, The Borders Distillery in Hawich, Scottish Borders,  only recently opened, but which will obviously have to wait three years before they can sell their own product.  Not sure whose "dram" is being used for visitors in the meantime.

Time for comments. A few "Why's"

1. British gas about to hike up its prices again,  making sure their shareholders get their pay out.  Time these utilities were made to toe the line.

2. I do not see why Boris Johnston should apologise for his recent comments about the burka, time the wearing of it in public was banned for security reasons.  No doubt we will need to wait for another terrorist incident before the matter is looked at again.

3. Police in Edinburgh carry out a raid carrying firearms after receiving information that weapons were in a flat in Edinburgh. There were none when the police arrived, so now the Police have to apologise for doing their job.  Had weapons been present and Police attended without back up and someone ended up getting injured they would have been subjected to a full enquiry.

4. Two motorcycles stolen from the showroom of Border Bikes , Duns, at 0330 last Friday morning,   culprits were disturbed, followed by Police all the way to Edinburgh where they had to stop their pursuit. The van, which had been stolen, was recovered minus the two bikes.

5. Just what is going on with diesel cars?  The public were told only a few years ago that these were the vehicles of the future,  economical, etc and a must buy.  BUT now, if you have a diesel engine you are punished,  Edinburgh City Council now planing on a £40 residents parking surcharge if you own one. Stockpiles of these cars all over the World,   WHY?

6.  Just how do you stop folks smoking within the grounds of NHS hospitals, it is like running the gauntlet when you go to visit the ERI,  and despite barriers to cut down on the amount of space available, there are folks fitted with drips, in  wheelchairs, yellow, jaundiced, etc all sitting and puffing away.  Last week a smoke detector in an internal toilet was found inoperative due to tissues stuffed into it, so that some selfish smoker did not have to go outside. a fire risk to say the least.  Send the sods home and free up beds for someone else.

7  and finally,  why do my wife and relatives fall asleep in the car when I take them for a run in the countryside - just because there are no charity shops to visit, or big shops to go to !!!!

Monarch of the Glen and the Gardens

Currently on display in the National Gallery of Scotland, the Mound, Edinburgh  (admission free) is the stunning painting of the "Monarch of the Glen".  The photo was a quick snap and does not do any justice to this superb work of art.   It has been taken off on tour around the country but is back for the duration of the Festival.

 Obviously the town is very busy with visitors fro the festival, and the big wheel is again sited in the shadow of the Scott Monument.

 As usual the floral clock keeps drawing the crowds and if I remember correctly it commemorates the RNLI this year.

 And at long last, The Ross Fountain has been fully refurbished at a cost of £1.5 million.  I remember it as a young child way back, coming in to play there in the summer.   Sign of the times, but they had to close and drain the fountain after one week as the waterproof membrane had been damaged by youngsters cooling off during our recent heat wave.   Now repaired and up and flowing again.  The fountain is very near to the Ross Bandstand which is also due  to be upgraded or replaced,  a very popular spot all the year round and the venue this week for one of Sir Tom Jones concerts.  From all reports he was excellent.

 Handy little corner for the sunbathers to relax, with a large number of the old fashioned deck chairs available.  Hand being beside the snack bars and children's play area.

Polish Stone Map of Scotland. Barony Hotel.

Some eight years ago workmen uncovered the original stone map of Scotland in the grounds of the Barony Hotel at Eddleston, by Peebles.    After a great deal of hard work by a team of volunteers the site has been cleared, the stonework cleaned and repaired and the site flooded to its original levels, plus a nice new viewing platform.   An amazing piece of work and so nice to see it back to its former glory.

 Thought I would add this other bit of Polish related items,  this being the sculpture to the Polish War dead in the Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh.  The bear's nose is shiny due to the paint being rubbed off by countless hands over the years.

Harley Davidson, Edinburgh

A few days ago I ended up at the old Harley Showroom at KB Edinburgh to discover they had moved, so today, on my way to B&Q at Hermiston Gait I popped into their new premises at Sighthill, Edinburgh, just off the City By Pass and at the end of the M8.

 The showroom is certainly quite impressive, as are the selection of new and used Harley Davidson bikes.   Thought I should pop in another trike just in case Lennie is reading this.

 I suppose I have to make the same comment as I do about the big flashy car showrooms,   " Who is paying for the Premises? "    No doubt the customer as usual, from the price of the product.

As stated I was on my way to B&Q to get a bargain on the 10% pensioner's discount day.  At the checkout I learned that this offer will end in September and the discount will only apply to gardening related products.  So looks like Screwfix will get my custom as usual rather than trail round the by pass on a Wednesday.

Testerday's accident on the A702 Biggar Road was a fatality and at a part near Easter Howgate where major roadworks a couple of years ago were meant to make this part of the road safer.  Appears that a northbound lorry and a southbound car collided head on.

Vantage point at Edinburgh Airport

 On pick up duty at Edinburgh last Thursday morning waiting on the Johnston's of Chobham.  For once I manage to find a really good vantage point near the end of the runway and was able watch the comings and goings of these wonderful flying machines.

David and Carl's wedding

 Must congratulate David and Carl on their wedding and reception at Pollockshiels on Saturday,  I did not take many photos although many more were taken by others.  This was one of the nicest weddings I have attended, the service was conducted by a lady humanist minister who was superb; the hospitality, meal, reception and friendship of all who attended was a real credit to the couple.  Well done. 

Lodge 772

 I was at a wedding in the Pollockshiels Burgh Hall, Maxwell Park, Glasgow on Saturday  and discovered that it is still used as a meeting place for Lodge 772.    A really lovely venue in a nice quiet part of the City of Glasgow

A two or three wheeled Indian

Been a busy weekend since my last entry, kind of off colour and well out of sorts so it was hard.   Last item referred to an accident and today we had another, possibly fatal on the A702 near Penicuik. Road closed all day for the accident investigators so now waiting to see what the media have to say.

Currently looking for new bike boots so popped into Saltire Bikes, Edinburgh , along with William and Sandra ( of Chobam fame) to try on a few pairs.    However the stars of the show, so to speak are the Indian motorcycles on display, and for sale of course.

 Mentioned the word "trike" to my friend Lennie the other day and he told me to wash out my mouth with soap and water !!!!   but there are some smart machines on the road. I saw another this afternoon, pink, ridden by a young lady dressed in pink and black at the Gogar Roundabout as I was heading home from the airport.

 Just for interest added this smart little three wheeler.