Old Maps

Am I the only one who finds old maps fascinating? Shown here is a map of the South of Scotland, concentrating on Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth, but the date is difficult to establish. At 3/- a copy, (that's three shillings to young folks, OK, that's 15 pence to you very young folks), and 'cloth bound,' it was designed for those rich enough to possess a motor car which enabled the middle classes to join the toffs driving around the country. Such driving became popular in the 1920's and with cars (That's 'automobiles' to those in North America) being so expensive the working classes, who often drove lorries and vans for employment, could never hope to obtain a car of their own. Indeed in was only in the late fifties and early sixties that car ownership really became a possibility.

I love looking at such maps and pondering their date, and indeed the owners over the years. It is stupidly interesting to look at a map of the district from days of yore and compare them to the present day. For no good reason I can be excited by the residue of ancient pathways, buildings and workplaces that no longer exist in a manner that I cannot repeat for the buildings of today. Why this should be I cannot say, but there it is! There is of course a demand for these maps, they sell on E-Bay and online shops, and mine arrived via a local boot sale. I may peruse E-bay for a few days and hope for a windfall, or a couple of pounds anyway. 

I still do not understand the interest, but I enjoy perusing old maps. There was a badly made programme which featured one eccentric chap, brolly and all, wandering about following ancient maps and those who travelled on long gone roads. Had the programme been better made, and avoided his overacting and the cameraman's love of shaky camera and blurred picture,  it could have been very entertaining. All around us are ancient pathways that are still used today, In fact outside my window lies 'Stane Street,' so called after the Roman army used their technological expertise on it, although it must have existed for a long time before this, possibly some thousand or more years at that, as a thin winding track through the heavily wooded land. Roman roads themselves are often made from previous tracks, but our incomers military needs meant they just straightened out the bends and climbed straight over the hills! Today such roads traces can be see on Google Maps quite easily.

In Edinburgh a wander through Davidson's Mains leads to the public park at the end of the street. Few realise that the road ahead was once a busy drovers road and sheep and cattle would be brought from west and indeed from over the Forth in Fife along this ancient track. As kids we discovered a bit beyond the park an old bothy once used by such men as a night shelter. I wonder if it was allowed to remain when the expensive middle class houses were built in the sixties? It is knowing this that it is possible to trace the route once used by generation, on foot, bringing cattle to market from far away. History is on our doorstep. Thousands have passed this way before, although they probably drove a bit slower when oxen were pulling their carts!

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Viva Espana

At last, just in time for the new season, the World Cup is over! Quite rightly the final was won by the only side which attempted to play football, Spain! The Dutch, who we always have to call 'The Netherlands' these days rather than 'Holland,' realised that the only way to beat Spain was to stop their midfield playing. This Van Bommel started to do from the off, and 'off' he ought to have been. I have always reckoned him to be one of those louts you come across in pubs. The 'hard man' always willing to step in, or outside, with anyone who also fancied themselves. While capable of playing football he preferred, like the rest of his side,  to just kick anything that moved. Had this not been the final there is no doubt he would have been off before half time! In fact I thought the English ref was not too bad last night, allowing things to be 'forgiven' because of the nature of the game. No-one wants to send of players in cup finals, let alone this one. In the end he had to, but by then it was too late. Spain, once a nation famed for the cynical foul and hard man defender, played what football there was and got the goal far too late in the day, but at least it was a winner! Good for them! Spain have always had the potential to win things and now they are European and World Champions at the same time! An achievement they might never again equal, but they have done it, and that is what matters! Of course many of their players are young, talented, and soon to be overpaid in the English League, this will make a man of them, unless they get decapitated of course, and the footballing future of this country appears assured. While the Dutch cloggers can go home heads bowed with shame at the dirty tactics and foul football they produced the Spanish have shown us all how to play. The ball on the ground, fast passing, and clever players working hard. Just what you expect in the Scottish Premier League really, isn't it?

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Tommy Cooper

Two blondes walk into a building..........you'd think at least one of them would have seen it.

 Phone answering machine message - '...If you want to buy marijuana, press the hash key...'

 I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.

 I went to the butchers the other day and I bet him 50 quid that he couldn't reach the meat off the top shelf. 

He said, 'No, the steaks are too high.'

 My friend drowned in a bowl of muesli. A strong currant pulled him in.

 A man came round in hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, 'Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!'
The doctor replied, 'I know you can't, I've cut your arms off'

 I went to a seafood disco last week and pulled a muscle.

'Doc I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home'
'That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome. '
'Is it common?'
'It's not unusual.'

A man takes his Rotteweiller to the vet. 'My dog is cross-eyed, is there anything you can do for him?'
'Well,' said the vet, 'let's have a look at him'
So he picks the dog up and examines his eyes, then he checks his teeth. Finally, he says, ‘I’m going to have to put him down.' 'What? Because he's cross-eyed?'
'No, because he's really heavy'

‘You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen. It said, 'Parking Fine.' So that was nice.'

A man walked into the doctors, he said, 'I've hurt my arm in several places'
The doctor said, ‘Well don't go there anymore’

Writing

I acquired the Snoopy cartoon from another site, one written far better than this will ever be, but I was really taken with the theme. I have, as you know, written several books, one even getting to page two before I deleted it and burst into tears. I have sat looking at the PC, through strained eyes, filled with floating specks, and numb of mind. Inspiration would not come and yet I had a desire, a real hunger to write something, anything! However the question is 'What to write?' There is no use just babbling along like a panellist on 'Loose Woman,' is there? You need a purpose, something to say, an idea bursting to get out and change the world for the better! I often have such moments, such as when in the bath, on a bus, or burning toast, but when I get to the PC there is nothing there! It's gone, lost forever. Anything that ends up on screen is a pale imitation of the wondrous thoughts that went before, and have now just went! How on earth did people write in days of yore? Thucydides wrote his epic on the Peloponnesian War over a period of 27 years! How many scrolls of parchment did he use? Josephus settled in Rome to write huge long books, about the Jewish War and their Jewish History, as well as defending himself against his detractors. How did they do this? Trollope was employed by the Post Office to run the mail service in Ireland. In between creating the pillar box he write hundreds of books, letters, articles, and so on, often on trains or in a horse and carriage, and in long hand at that! Yet I sit here with PC and spellchecker facing blankness, hold on I am looking into the mirror there, let me change position. 

Several times I have started writing the History of the Great War. Several times I have realised I was a clown and stopped. In the meantime at least five new such histories have appeared while I sit here wondering how to begin the first line! I suspect a novel (a novel is nothing but a story, but do not tell novelists as they think what they write is life changing. Actually it is just a story made up so the world can be made they way they wish it to be. And they one day will know it isn't really.) as I said, I suspect a novel is easier to write. However you begin you can change it to suit yourself! Factual writing is harder, as you can see here, as there are always wingers who will point out your many mistakes, deliberate lies and similarity to a newspaper in that your style stinks and your writing is tosh! So maybe I ought to try this story writing stuff.  OK.

It was a dark and stormy night, well actually the sun was shining brightly and........

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Shock!

I am shocked! Yesterday I sent off my gas meter reading online, the 'in way' to do it these days. Today my bill arrives, and they have reduced, yes REDUCED, my payments by £9 a month! Has anyone ever heard of an energy company actually reducing prices before? They are always informing us of their 'cuts,' while the profits soar, and blaming rising prices from Russia and elsewhere. These may be good reasons to increase prices, however the reductions, which do arrive, rarely make it down to this level! The question then arises, if I have had this reduction, soon to be followed by a rise in costs as Winter is only a couple of months away,  then just how much profit have British Gas been making? Their smug 'Sir Fred Goodwin type' chairman was on recently boasting of reductions, while pocketing a fat salary, and did nothing to convince me to buy shares from him! Now they are reducing prices for real......What are they playing at? What lies around the corner for us I wonder? I suspect however they will be offering 'fleeces' and 'pullover' to older folks come winter, at reasonable prices of course.....

Spain Through to Final.

Well done Spain! Glad to see them get to the final I thought they deserved that tonight. 

The Dutch do not deserve to be there in my opinion. Not played well, won through by luck, but however are competent and organised. Might be a good final! Spain for me. 

Viva Espana!

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Happy Weekend? No Actually!

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It has been a hard weekend. The sun may be shining, the sky may be blue, although gray clouds have shown up recently, and my stomach may be expanding as normal at this time of day, but it has been a bad weekend. Not only did I find myself staring once again at a blank television screen, the last football till Tuesday ending last night, not only do I once again suffer the bug that removes what little strength I have from me, both physically and mentally, but yesterday 'they' created noise! 
AGAIN!
Last year this group thought it funny to set up an Christian Outreach in the park opposite me. (Outrage is a better word in my opinion.) They placed the stage so that it faced this building and then hurled Christian Rap (with a capital 'C') at me. This at 2000 decibels at that! Words fail me, in fact they did not fail me but the wrong ones did escape me somewhat! So this time I took action. Having contacted the noise police last year - too late of course - and I wrote in good time indicating my displeasure at this event. The council man interceded and promised improvements. 
Liar!
Actually it was slightly quieter, but still aimed at me, albeit from a slightly further distance. 
Not nearly far enough!


The several hours in which a lass on stage attempted to strangle a kitten while her male associate repeated the same three words in an unidentifiable language (possibly American!!!) did not endear me to their efforts. Quite what they were doing I am not sure but it involved a lot of base, much of this on a drum, much repetition of short phrases in Aramaic or Cuneiform or some such and requesting their audience (I don't know if there was one as I had my head under a mattress at the time so vision was difficult) to resond in like manner. This was accompanied by bouncy castles and various games and a good time was had by all, except when someone unknown threw those Tear Gas canisters in that time (giggle).  My sozzled neighbour thought it was OK as it was only once a year. There again the chance of his eyes remaining open after his lunch in the 'Wagon & Horses' was slight. Poor soul does not understand how another activity, a Fair, will be there next  weekend and that till late! The council have plans and these must be opposed or we are in for it. 


Eventually this lot finished around five, having managed to drown out sixty thousand vuvezualas during the Argentina v Germany walkover and the world suddenly appeared better. The area under the trees is covered in little plastic ear defenders dropped by the blackbirds and pigeons who had inserted them in an effort to keep their sanity. I know where they ought to have been inserted. Jesus gathered crowds, and took them to lonely places to preach. He did NOT cause irritation to the neighbours. he also spoke to the folks with words, not (C)Rap and if these folks really wished to reach the kids they would meet the brats during the week when they are wrecking the place and groping one another in the bushes! However that is hard work!


My next e-mail to the noise police will be a beaut, especially with next weeks activity looming up, and I am raring to go - and complain!.


Things were bad enough as in the morning an other intractable problem raised its ugly head and left me beat. This after suffering the lowest Friday since this time last year, yes I had another birthday. I spent it lying on the bed staring at the ceiling and wondering what went wrong. Actually I do that each year without fail, it's just that it takes longer than it used to and I fall asleep in the middle of the pondering.  Also I know the answer to the question, and this did not make matters any easier.  Only six years till the pension, unless it has been changed by the Compromise Government of course. I notice today they are threatening up to 40% cuts in everything, the typical Tory approach.  So far these smug, expensively suited millionaires who lost the election but have still wormed their way into power are doing OK themselves while assuring us we all must suffer together, for the nations sake. Hmmm The French generals informed their men as they headed to Verdun that they must sacrifice themselves 'For France!' The men made sheep like bleating noises in response. This appears to be the sound the Lib-Dems are making towards Cameron at the moment, anything to keep their jobs and sit on that side of the English parliament. (Sorry, UK parliament. I don't know how I made that mistake...) The Tory idea to get people back to work is to reject the claims of 2.5 million on Invalidity Benefit, thus adding them to the Jobseekers, cut thousands of Civil Service jobs, thus adding to the Jobseekers, and cutting work projects and aid to companies, thus adding to the Jobseekers. Around eight, yes that's 8, million will be unemployed at this rate. The cost of the welfare state is enormous, however ten to fifteen times as much is lost through Tax Avoidance, yet the Tories are doing nothing about this, why? The reason is of course that their 'Daily Mail' readers, and therefore Tory voters, are well into fiddling the tax, because greed and selfishness is their life. The worship of Mammon sums them up. Maybe we could sell them to the States?  


Old and with nothing to show for it, under pressure from noise and more to come, being me, I wouldn't wish that on anyone, broke, jobless and suffering this bug AGAIN! This has been hanging around for three weeks and will not leave me! It goes for a few days and returns, then fades and returns, rather like a piece of polystyrene that clings to your fingers it just will not go away! You may not have noticed that it is beginning to annoy me.....        It's just a good job I am not one to complain aint it? 


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Proper Music

Flower Bush

For the last couple of years, at around this time, the air here is fragrant with the scent from this flowering bush. It hangs in the air in the cool of the day and covers a very wide area indeed. It is fabulous! It changes the whole atmosphere of the place, although I wonder if the brats chasing one another around the nearby skatepark appreciate this? I am instead surprised that it grew at all with their adolescent approach to the park. Possibly the drugs and dregs from the bottles of cheap lager have in fact aided its growth. It does look woosy in the wind right enough. I have of course no idea what this is called, although it might be a rhododendron bush (note the use of the spellchecker there folks!) but it could be almost anything. If it is not a 'Rose,' 'Tulip,' or 'Pansy,' will not be aware what any flower might be called. It's lovely however.

 

Today I spent some 40 minutes applying for a driving job with this company. To do so I had to apply online which meant registering with them and logging in to the application procedure. This meant answering 75 questions, most of which were irrelevant to the job (as usual) and then fill in the personal details. Why is it these organisations no longer depend on human beings? Are personnel staff (Sorry, Human Resources) to dumb to recognise someone is able to do the job or not? In fact many such staff I have met are very able to understand humanity although I have met quite a few who would be lost without a book to refer to. It appears that the bigger the company the more trendy the system is required. Certainly there is a need for companies receiving large numbers of applications to have a simple and quick system to ascertain the best applicants but I wonder about the efficiency of this type of system. I suspect this began in the USA and I know it has spread throughout the UK. In fact I have twice failed the B&Q questionnaire, possibly because I failed to lie, and failed to give the impression I would lie to sell goods! I noticed the last time I was in their store that some members of staff had managed to find employment while lying about the 'Having a cheery personality' question! Yes you miserable old bat, I mean you!

I finished the application just after eleven o'clock today. By two thirty they had responded and told me, very nicely, to 'Take a hike!' Typical, just typical!


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No Football on TV Tonight!

I'm shocked! There is NO football on TV tonight! What shall I do? If I switch it on I may well be confronted by banal shows like the one shown here. This requires all the intellect of someone who reads the 'Daily Star' and has no life, yet it apparently is on daily! With the TV breaking down, and this substitute being used I can only get the five channels, and each one is stuffed to the brim with vapid drivel! This is very worrying, I might even have to talk to someone, a real person I mean, not one of those machines at customer service places. Yes I realise they appear to be human but come on, surely they must be machines? Three weeks, or is it longer, of non stop football ends. Suddenly there are several hours of life freed up. I may even have to open a window or clean all those dishes piled up in the sink now. I had better look behind the front door, I expect the postman will have been at sometime and left a few bills. Once the remaining games are over I will have to face reality once again. Oh, suddenly I have a headache.....

© Copyright Bob Embleton

Aberdeen Logic

Two Aberdonian farmers, Mat and Don, are sitting in the Farmers bar drinking beer.

Mat turns to Don and says, "Ye ken fit? I'm tired o'gan through life athoot an education.. I'morn, I think I'll go doon to the squeel and sign up for some nicht classes."
Don thinks it's a good idea, and the two leave.

The next day Mat goes down to the school and meets the Lecturer, who signs him up for the four basic classes: Maths, English, History, and Logic."

Logic?" Mat says. "Fit's at?"

The Lecturer says, "I'll show you. Do you own a Strimmer?"

"Aye"" Then logically because you own a Strimmer, I think that you have a Garden.

Mat replies, "At's true, I div hae a Gairden."

"I'm not done," the Lecturer says. "Because you have a Garden, I think logically that you would have a house."

"Aye, I dee huv a hoose."

"And because you have a house, I think that you might logically have a family."


"I hiv a femily."


"I'm not done yet. Because you have a family, then logically you must have a wife."


"Man! Yer nae wrang!! I div hae a wife!!"

"And because you have a wife, then logically you must be a heterosexual."

"I am that! a heterosexual. That's amazin'!! You were able to find a' that oot, jist 'cos huv a strimmer."

Excited to take the class now, Mat shakes the Lecturers's hand and leaves to meet Don at the pub.

He tells Don about his classes, how he is signed up for Maths, English, History and Logic..

"Logic?" Don says, "Fit's at? "Mat says, "I'll show ye. Do you huv a strimmer?"


"No."


"Well then, yer a poof."

Wot?

BAA are advertising for a 'Eastern Campus Process Leader' for Heathrow Airport.

This is what they refer to as a 'Role Overview.'

• This is a key role in the formation of the Eastern Campus Process Development Team. The purpose of this role is to design, develop & gain stakeholder sign off of the processes and procedures to support the effective and efficient operation of the Eastern Campus.
• This individual will be the interface with internal and external stakeholders to agree the core operating processes for passengers (20million), airlines (20 +), handling agents (4-5) & users in the day to day running of Eastern Campus.
• This will involve the discussion negotiation & agreement of prime accountabilities & responsibilities between stakeholders to ensure all parties have a clear understanding of how the Eastern campus will work as well as set out the key interfaces with other parts of the airport.
• This work will form the basis on which the Familiarisation, Induction & Training (FIT) & the Trials programme for Eastern campus is developed.
• The successful person will be the ‘expert client’ on passenger & support processes for the construction & systems delivery teams on the Eastern Campus programme.

What?   

What is a  'stakeholder sign off' when it's at home?  

"This individual will be the interface with internal and external stakeholders."  'Interface?' Are they to become a computer screen perhaps?

The applicant will have to "set out the key interfaces with other parts of the airport." Do you mean 'speak to people?' 

Why do we need to read such drivel? What is wrong with these people just speaking in English instead of pretentious phraseology? Typical of HR departments (which used to be called 'Personnel) who enlarge their kingdom with such language. This is especially true I reckon in the larger and more self important organisations. It would appear that in such cases plain speaking leaves the HR people less important than they would wish. But does such terminology lead to better employees, or better employ relations? I doubt it.

(This post does not refer to people working in such departments in the Lothian regions.)

Now I'm Not One To Gloat

But.....

World Cup 2010: 

Germany tear down England's defence

4-1

Guardian

Longest Day 2010

I took this picture at around ten minutes to ten last night. The resulting picture was a bit darker than reality so I have lightened it somewhat and this reflects the sky as it was at that time. Isn't this the best day of the year?
I awoke at three yesterday morning and while there was much cloud above in the distance patches of light blue were seen as dawn approached. What a great sight! After I took the picture he sky remained remarkably light for a considerable time and had I stayed awake I could have watched it until it disappeared. How such sights have come to mean so much to me. Simple things mean a lot. I would love to spend time in the north where six months of daylight exist, although when the winter darkness arrives I would be off! How can folks endue such a long darkness? It turns them to drink, drives them mad, and must have a detrimental effect on all aspects of life! Not for me thanks!


From now on the nights are drawing in and darkness threatens us once more also. Not quite in the manner of those in Lapland but bringing accidents, depression and cold weather. You can tell I am feeling real cheery this morning can't you? In fact yesterday was very warm and bright, today looks similar so far. It is so bright out there I may even stir myself sufficiently to turn off the world cup and go out into the bright world. Well, maybe I will just think about it for a while longer. You can never tell quite what is out there can you......

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England Flags

BUY NOW WHILE TEAM LASTS! 

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Power

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Thinking about 'Power,' as you were, made me think about, power! To be specific, Electricity power. You see we tend to take for granted electricity, until the bill comes in every quarter of course! While trendy 'green' folks are constantly talking about power on the TV and radio we just go on using it with little thought as to where it comes from. Whether it is produced by nuclear, or coal fired power stations, wind farms or some other trendy means, we just find it at the end of a switch or a button on some technological marvel we also take for granted. Yet without it we come to a sudden halt, the world stops! Between the two world cup matches today a man from Zambia was informing the BBC World Service that there had been no power today. No power meant no world cup coverage and he was obviously listening on a battery powered radio. Poor chap, how I felt for him.

However I have long thought that the best way to cripple any society is not by bombing main streets or large buildings, it is simply by blowing holes in the electric supply. Do this and the whole world goes out! Communication fails, darkness falls, shops and businesses come to a halt, and only major organisations have their own emergency power supplies to keep them going. Try doing without electric power for a week? It's impossible! This abode is almost all electric and occasionally we suffer power loss. For a few years this was almost every six months however the electric company, with their shareholders permission, have eradicated such breaks almost completely. I hope! There is no doubt we need power, washing machines, microwaves, TV, radio, and a hundred and one other items that make life so much easier, if you can afford the bills.

How did people survive in days of old with no electricity? How did the Victorians make their computers work? I am surprised they had a life without the electric switch! No music, no soap operas, no hoover to keep the wife busy, how did they cope? How would we cope if today we lost power? It happens in war zones, and Zambia, and life would change greatly for us in similar circumstances. We may have to talk to one another. dark nights would inevitably increase the population, or just make folk go mad! How frail our life really is. Ah well, as long as I can see the football, hear the news, and play the music I wish. As long as the PC keeps me in touch with the world, and the USA, I will be happy.

Oh yes the USA! They gave us the best game of the world cup this afternoon. Playing Slovenia they came from 2-0 down (pronounced two - nil Mr Landon Donovan, NOT two - zero!) to draw, and almost win the game! good for them. Tonight all football fans will be behind Algeria as they defeat the imperialist hordes of Englishmen! It's only right!

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Shock!

I got a shock today! Putting aside the World Cup I wondered outside and discovered the sun was shining! Look! Blue sky with little puffy clouds in the distance! The only sun I have seen for the past week is casting shadows over the pitches during the games! They say the sun in South Africa is hot, I discovered today that it is quite warm here also! I might go outside again in a few days time if it keeps like this! Germany still the only side to show form so far, I wonder if they can keep it up when faced with stronger opposition?


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World Cup 2010

Lots to say, but too many games to watch, three a day at the moment, eat in between, sleep, shop and then what with howling at the moon there is just no time these days to blog!  Suffice to say that there has been three stupid sendings off, too little decent football, and Robert Green is the player of the tournament so far!  

Oh and ITV ought never to be allowed to show football at any time - but you will have known that already!

Bike

So I eventually get around to fixing the puncture.

I struggle to turn the nut to release the wheel, always the back wheel of course, and, covered in filth, bring it upstairs. The tyre lever has disappeared. A silver tool fails to release the tyre. Neither does that strange shaped thing in the tool box, nor does a screwdriver, nor a combination of several tools! Scrambling for something in the rubble I find the tyre lever, (how did it get there?) and with a great deal of effort move the tyre sufficiently to remove, with a struggle, the inner tube. I shove it, by now willingly, into water and note the hole. Removing it from the water I lose the place and struggle through pumping and drowning the thing again, this time having some way of marking the tiny hole that causes the grief. 
Another search in the tool box for the box of patches. Plenty of those, lots of those white chalk bits, some emery paper scraps, a few yellow crayons and NO rubber solution!
I clean my filthy hands and soon afterwards make for the dole office where a nice young lass signs me on amid smiles and encouragement. Clearly she does not know how to do her job! I wander about looking for things connected to the Great War history of the town that I have been studying, and arrive home, hot, sweaty, and flushed. As I pass the bike remember I have forgotten the new puncture outfit! I leave it till later! Just before five I rush to the shops and find one in an overpriced shop dealing in motor items/ bike stuff. This is run by guys who smile at you while lifting your wallet. You know the smart ass type in such shops, not allowed to sell used cars as used car salesmen don't trust them, that sort. I find myself paying £2:99 for this small box! £2:99! I was expecting to pay 99p! Stunned, and determined never to return, I head home.
So stunned the thing is still sitting here beside me. At least the rubber solution is a decent size this time, although there is not much else in there, bar the small bit of emery paper and a couple of patches. 
£2:99, and they say Dick Turpin lived around here? I believe them!

Cumbernauld

Chris Upson

Cumbernauld

Should it be bulldozed?

Punctured!

With the dawn already risen I rode out at 5:15 the other morning to enjoy the quiet before the day starts. Being up that early meant I passed the postmen going into work and the early bird catching the worm. (I do not refer to postmen when mentioning 'worm.') I sauntered around in what was a warm sun at that time and thoroughly enjoyed the time. Later, as I took my stiffening knees out to the shops, I noticed the tyre was flat. "Strange," I thought wondering why this should be? Later I pumped air into the tyre, the rear tyre as all punctures have to be there, and watched as the worn rubber slowly deflated again. On the journey I had run over some minute object which had done the deed.   


This means I am on my knocked knees wandering the streets instead of trolling through the countryside enjoying the damp weather. This is somewhat of a blow, especially as I am too lazy to fix the puncture. The problem is the back wheel. This has to come off, the gears moved, the grease, dirt and oil has to be spread all over the wall, the carpet and even the ceiling if last time is anything to go by. Hours later the tyre has to be replaced, and inflated. Now I don't know about you but in my experience when this happens, the wheel tightened, the gears replaced, and all is well, then by the next morning it is flat again! So the ten minute job, according to those who write books, takes three or four days before it is finished! The idea of riding the brute after that loses all interest as the fear of another puncture fills the oil covered mind. 


Tomorrow I begin the operation. If it is finished by Friday I will be very surprised! 

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