I A'Door Me

After months of procrastination I managed to make a start - again - on fixing the slats on the cupboard door.  This time armed with cheap wood glue I slotted the slats and gunked the ends only to find the last attempt left the gap a wee bit too wide and they fit but only just.  Still I put my handyman skills to the proof and remembered again why I failed technical subjects at school all those long years away. 
After many rude words I managed to fit the top half so as though it looks fixed.  Anyone who opens their eyes, or I fear opens the door, will soon discover a weakness or two.  I expect next time I touch the door to be back at the starting gate. 

This little job held me back long enough to prevent me reaching the shops when they were quiet.  So this afternoon I walked among the living dead around Sainsburys wondering why I bothered.  I only had to shoot two customers and one was driving a black van when he attempted to run me over. I lacked suitable pity for him at the time.  What is it about supermarkets that make people girn so badly?  Normally I am in early so I miss the crowds but the rest of the day in such a place is a wonderful way to practice patience.  

When I first graced this world the family lived in a tenement in Granton.  For the first three years of my life, little of which I recall, we lived a short walk up the road from the harbour pictured here. This photo was taken in 1958 it says and I can recall going down there with dad to look at this rig sitting in the far side of the harbour.  I had no idea what it was for until today when I found this picture on facebook and discovered it was used to search for coal under the Forth.  It is different from what memory recalls so this may be a different rig or my memory may falter but the era is about right.  
The view north over the Forth is fantastic, one of the great memories of Edinburgh.  To the north lies the Forth and Fife opposite, the view to the south reveal the Pentland hills and for a major city the escape to the countryside is  remarkably easy.  How I missed that in London!  
The building on the right was at first a Hotel but for most of the 20th century, and possibly still, it was a land ship for the Royal Navy.  The large ships in the harbour also stopped in a similar spot to the left of the picture, a harbour soon afterwards filled in for industrial buildings.  To the left there was a small school house that my dad attended.  Two doors, one marked 'Girls' and at the other end 'Boys' and quite rightly too, but last time I was in that area the only possibly building had boarding around it advertising the company I could not determine if the school still existed.  At the entrance the road to the left led along to the promenade where relaxation and sea watching took place.  To the right we could eventually reach Leith.  A high embankment carried a railway into town, a railway that closed around 1962, and the embankment has long since gone also.  Behind the embankment lay a small beach and on any occasion I wandered down there I was struck by the smell of fire.  It was the done thing then when at the seaside to gather driftwood and build a fire, even in summer, the smell lingered forever afterwards.  The road on either side near the camera rises upwards as you will realise Edinburgh slopes down to the sea, sometimes we fall in. 

A more recent picture nicked ungraciously from facebook shows a more modern image.  The view has been devastated by the ugly new blocks of flats that take so much money from young trendy people, and to the left there are many more such buildings.  Those with a clear view up or down the Firth of Forth will have a fantastic sight before their eyes, not too sure what the others will see mind. 
The ships have long gone, even Leith harbour appears to be struggling with such reconstruction these days, and at Granton I think only rich folks yachts can be found today.  There have long been such yachts but the actual Yacht Club has sold its premises and moved elsewhere or died.  
As always some things remain, the toilet block stands as always, the buses halt here before trudging back across Edinburgh, and people still climb the stairs grumbling at the effort.  
Is this an improvement?  Is it progress?  Is it the passage of time?
Life goes on and we cannot stop it.  

Here in the soft south I spend a lot of time looking at old pictures and comparing them with the reality today.  On the local facebook page old pics are offered and people reminisce about their childhood and youth, always claiming "it was better then."   No it wasn't really, even if the fifties were better in many ways for kids in the end the 'good old days' are always in our minds.
1958 was good in many ways for me but there were fears and problems also.  For a start we had school and that was not my favourite place.  The fears and problems of childhood disappear and we forget the bad things that caused us worry then, the fears can be worse now of course, but
we were lucky to be living in an era of peace and even prosperity, a time such as my folks had never known before.  We moved into a three bedroom place, bathroom and kitchen, dad got a better job, and we got a TV.  How the world changed then!      
There are good memories in the past but in three quarters of the world war was raging and millions died.  The 'Good old days' are always in our heads, nowhere else.

Nothing Happened

Nothing happened today as I was busy watching several football matches and doing nothing else.
Nothing else happened.
No news.
No nothing.
Nothing.

Musing

An item caught my eye the other day that lingers in my mind.  It was one of those celeb things that irk me so much. This one featured Brooklyn Beckham the son of the failed footballer and his stick insect wife.  These two have made a living by posing, him with a dumb expression that comes from his head and she by pouting in the same posture she has used for these past twenty years.  Neither have actually done anything, he was an overrated player who Fergie dealt with correctly while she sang feebly in a band based on 'Girl Power,' a power invented by a male by the way.  Later she was making an album when the recording studio stopped her as it 'would not sell.'  How lucky are we?
Anything is used to gain cheap publicity, cheap publicity which brings them in millions!  
There children similarly are being used for publicity and Brooklyn, named after the place where he was conceived and isn't it lucky he was not conceived in the Balls Pond Road!  Anyway he apparently has an Instagram account, whatever that is, and is followed by some 5.8 million people according to the ever reliable 'Daily Mail.'  Five point eight million?  The lad is only sixteen!  
What has he done to earn, or been given this following?  Indeed why does anybody follow the Beckham's in the first place?  The pair of them are as false as a six pound note for crying out loud, and there is nothing there!  
Millions follow these people for what reason, what do they get out of following two grossly over rich people who do nothing?  He played football she has her own fashion designs (does she actually design them?) and they have children, what is there here?  How can a sixteen year old who has merely posed with dad have such a following?  
I have done nothing, been nothing, failed at everything I have touched just like them so where is my following making me millions?  Where are the companies desirous of my presence where adverts for their products are being made?  If you wish a nobody then here I am!
Bah!

BBC

Some years ago this man, Mark McGhee, attempted to become the manager of the Heart of Midlothian.  He changed his mind at the last minute and avoided meeting the then chairman, one Mad Vlad Romanov, he who himself has disappeared from the face of the earth to avoid his debtors. 
Instead he awaited the call to become the manager of Celtic football club, a club he once played for but was rather upset when the job went elsewhere.  However he was appointed manager at Aberdeen and got the fans behind him at the start by claiming "I really wanted the Celtic job but this was all that was on offer."
Such ability to endear himself to the fans was enlivened some time later when his players, many of whom did not like him or his attitude, got stuffed by 9 goals to nil from the Celtic team.  Marks response was to say "Well it's really only three points," while giving the clear impression that he cared not a jot.  His team floundered and he hung on until sacked, the integrity of walking away from a failed job as not in his character and so he left football for a while.
His friend Gordon Strachan, the man who left Celtic and opened the avenue for Mark to think the job was his, took our man as his assistant when he got the Scotland job, a job he, Strachan has been  doing reasonably well in the circumstances.  Circumstances that have failed us by the way.  Recently Mark undertook a new job as manager of Motherwell football club, a major part of Scotland's football world.  The team were struggling somewhat in spite of containing many decent players and Mark McGhee has turned them around and seen them rise up the table and it will be no surprise to find them finishing the season in the top six come May.
However I suspect McGhee has a purpose in all this and Motherwell football club play only a bit part.  I suspect our man will be hoping the present Celtic manager gets his jotters come May and our man reckons that by doing a good job at Motherwell will allow his name to be put forward (by him and his agent) in the hope that he will at last get the Celtic job he so desperately desires.  
One slight objection to all this was the visit of his Motherwell side to Tynecastle Park which as you know is the home of the Heart of Midlothian.  This the team he rejected, this the team he claimed during the week would not be allowed to 'bully' his team and this the club that did not bully but did defeat his Motherwell side by SIX goals to NIL! 
Tsk!

You will have noticed that Mark McGhee was pictured standing in a snowfall.  That is because it is freezing around here and up there the snow was falling so hard many games were off and some abandoned half way through.  Here we merely had a smattering during the night that had gone before I woke and the sun shone through the freezing air all day.   
I hope those of you in climes where 40% of heat are causing to you complain realise how difficult it is to type when frostbite gnaws at the hands!  Drinking tea is hard when you have to chip the ice off beforehand.  I sit hear with my feet on the heater and an icicle on my nose. 
Bah!

Friday Night is Music Night, at least on here...

  

  

Music to make the head think and the heart leap!

 

The Smell of Fame

Daily Mail

The problem with mixing with famous people is the temptation to be like them.  Gary Lineker, seen here with wife Danielle has given me the impression for many years that he thought being famous, having a 'trophy wife' and mixing with the rich movers and shakers was the place to be.  

Gary became famous as a talented footballer, a striker who scored an enormous number of goals without being cautioned or sent off by the referee.  He played  at the highest level with Barcelona - and for England, and even proved his worth by scoring TWICE against the Heart of Midlothian during a friendly some years ago and at a time his then side Leicester City were being taken apart by the Gorgie men.  As his playing career ended he found a job in the media, with a column in a grubby paper and then presenting 'Match of the Day' England's premier football highlights show.   He, or his agent, knew how to manage money as he soon found similar jobs elsewhere at million pound prices and has stashed away a great deal during the following years.

On the way he divorced his first wife of 20 years, who knows why, and ended up with the young actress and model.  Hmmm older famed rich male meets actress/model 20 years younger, it smells like love to me.  Now six years on they are amicably divorcing and all is well.  The reason stated is her desire for a child and at 36 it is her last chance, and his reluctance at 55 to endure that.  Hmmm, I'm with him at that, he is too old to be a father now.   He has four sons from his first marriage, ranging between17 and 23 so they are probably well looked after, she has a 14 year old from a previous fling, sorry marriage, isn't that enough?

Hmmm.  

What is it with men like this?  Fame all to often goes to the head.  It may be there were problems in the first marriage however it strikes me when money and fame with celebrity status calls the man no longer as young as he was and with his professional calling behind him looks for 'something' in life he no longer possesses.  Was Danielle a 'trophy wife?'  I suspect so as he often commented on her looks rather than in a manner most men have when mentioning the wife, it was as if the looks mattered more than anything else.  

Gary has his fame, his wealth and his job will remain for some time and I doubt this will hinder his popularity and the cash will still roll in.  My cynical mind however expects to find arguments about money appearing in the gutter press some time soon as discussions over cash break down.

There again I am just cynical when mid life crisis men jump ship and find a women half their age.  This can be a good thing but far too many celebs drag their failed lives through the papers for my liking.  The kids can survive such things but all too often they end up the same way.  

Marriage is not an easy option nor is it something to play around with.  Having children makes life harder also and divorce cannot be the best thing for the child.

Fame eh?  We all want it but standing back we don't want it at all really, an unheard of life is a happier life.

As I came home today I noticed the daffodils outside the Council offices had blossomed.  A sure sign of how mild winter has been so far.  Of course the chill weather is here now and it appears that wee beastie inside the Daff has in fact died there.  Tonight we may get a smattering of snow so I am leaving the heating on and staying in bed for two days.

I need the sleep.  I have spent two days working and in my condition at that!  

Yesterday I discovered my condition.  I began to check the books upstairs and sort out what was what.  There I found three boxes of leaflets so out of date TV was in black & white when they were printed.  I carried one enormously heavy box downstairs and across to the skip and dumped it then discovering how unfit I actually had become.  In days of yore I done jobs like that with no problem, warehouse work, humping and carrying were the way to earn a living when you have no brain.  Now I realised I was unfit and near death!  I however brought down the second box from its hiding place, dumped it in the skip and stood there panting.  I considered jumping in myself but would have been unable to get over the edge.  I called it a day and sat there with one of the girls drinking tea and working our way through a quiz book in preparation for a quiz night several months away.

I think we may lose.

Today I returned to finish the job and after shifting all the boxes of books, counting them and deciding we ought to dump many of them I took my way home with every muscle desperate for a Swedish massage.  A slap from one of the girls in a manner very different from what I suggested was not in my way of thinking satisfactory.  

My new healthy eating regime has begun, tomorrow my new healthy exercise programme begins.

That is if the ambulance folks have been told about it...

 

Wowie!

The media are in overdrive this morning at the death of David Bowie.
I am unmoved.
I bought his album 'The Man Who Sold the World' when it first came out and considered it far ahead of its time.  He was booked to play in Edinburgh that night but I managed to avoid him, I suspect the £1:50 entrance fee put me off.  His next, 'Ziggy Stardust,' was OK but not as powerful as 'The Man...' at its launch.  Both were enjoyed at the time and Bowie was among the top stars of his day but then he trailed off somewhat.  Always a wee bit not right in the head he ended the 'Ziggy' period and went off the rails as far as I can remember.  Listening again to 'The Man Who Sold the World' I find I cannot recollect any of the songs bar the signature one and while this album appeared so far ahead of its time now appears dead and lifeless, indeed somewhat dated.  This reaction has not happened for me with the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Cream or many others I wonder if that is Bowie or just me? 
Most lost interest when his 'gay' life appeared at the beginning of the 'Glam Rock' period and then his music took on the 80's empty sham style that pervaded the era.  Fancy hairstyles and absurd fashion dominated while music was all show and shallowness which fitted the decade.  
Music has got worse since!
Bowie took to acting and various other activities while I was too busy having a life and working for to keep a roof over my head.  His life no longer interested and his music when it appeared was dire.  He always struck me as someone not quite all there possibly chasing something that he could never find.  People tend to call this 'inventive' but all too often it was desperation it seems to me.
Now he has died after suffering from a horrible disease and the media who have ignored him now lather themselves in a frenzy!  Hour after hour his music, mostly the dreadful 80's stuff, has been played at each and every opportunity.  Let me remind folks he was not as important as they make him out to be.

A Moment in Time

Saturday Stroll

I strolled along the murky river bank this lunchtime thinking it would make a change from the usual route.  Recently the council have upgraded the are with tarmac pathways and landscaping the grasslands however as I came in from the far side I noticed they had stopped half way!  What was the point of that?  Halfway down there is a small weir and from then on there is just a dirt path.  As it has been raining for yonks this is a near impassible swamp in places and muggings was trying to slither through here.  My opinion of the council varied with each slide into the mud.  

  
The sign at the bridge warning of either danger or punishment for playing or drowning in the river has as yet not had itself renovated.  Possibly the cash ran out just as they reached the weir and so it has been left to a later years budget.  Under this Tory government and Tory council it will be put back more than ever now.  
Note the sludge like effect of the rain on the water.  So much has slipped into the river with all this rain, the banks are eroding and the weight of water is rushing through at places tearing the banks down as it passes.  This is a small river just imagine what is happening elsewhere?  

 
The locals are car lovers in these parts however I am not so sure about the owner of either of these two.  As I recall they were standing there when I delivered up this road many moons ago and now with new houses built next door they appear to possess this small plot of land all to themselves.  Maybe someone lives within?  I should have knocked.  However it may be the owner is spending some time at Her Majesty's Pleasure in one of those ageing prisons that are so overcrowded we often release murderous thugs early from their sentences.  Possibly they will return one day and be somewhat surprised  that nobody has put some sort of ticket upon them.  These are not the only hulks slowly falling apart, and I don't mean me either.  When I think of it a trip to the inlets where yachts are stored usually reveals several eroding away and one or two well under the water.  Maybe this chap owns a rusting boat also?

The possibility of improving this are to make it an attractive spot in summer will probably never happen while we suffer under George Osborne's 'austerity.'  However even if money was spent the place might still be a wee bit rough.  People pass through from the town to the dwellings on the south side and while dog walkers and eejits with cameras may find pleasure in this it might take a lot more work to make this wee part of the town acceptable to all.  I think it may be worth it in the long run.  

My day was excellent and this was topped of by watching the Heart of Midlothian defeat the miserable Aberdeen by one goal to nil in the Scottish Cup.  The arrogance of the Dons in thinking they are bigger club than the Heart of Midlothian!  This was shown today when the one goal ought to have been joined by seven or eight more.  Onwards to the next round and dubious refereeing from the Glasgow mob.

Nothing Friday

Nothing happened.
I dreampt I was being besieged by an angry Boxer dog last night and was pleased to escape it by waking.  I failed to waken after this until almost 8:30.  That shows how hard I worked yesterday.  Having looked for people who leave only a badly spelt name and finding little about them I have done nothing else all day.
A wander a couple of times through the town, no fotos to be seen, and a wander back again disappointed was my lot.  Had it not been for the chatting up the lass in Tesco the whole day would have been wasted.  
Now I look to blog when nothing has happened, the town is the same as always, darkness falls early, I have no energy to go anywhere, and life continues in the mundane mould?  Where is there inspiration in this?  
I could discuss the two up and two down little houses that were erected around the late 1870's up 'Sunnyside' and let you know that the first dwellers therein could male use of the water pump found next to Number One, but that may not interest you.  Having been inside one some time back I can tell you the walls are too thin, not a problem then although most contained families of six or seven plus occasional lodgers!  I suspect noise was a problem even then.  One has a deep hole in the back garden this the remains of an 'Anderson Shelter' built during the war.  It had been covered up and was found by accident by one of the people renting there.  There must be many such holes across the nation like this.
Holes in the ground was a war happening.  It was Spike Milligan in his book 'Rommell, Gunner Who?' In which he tells of his experiences during the war as he raced slowly across North Africa chasing Germans.  He mentions standing in a hole on guard one night pondering the vast number of men also sitting or standing in holes in the ground all across Europe, Africa and the Far East.  Millions of men like he were doing their duty although he was possibly the only one having officers point and laugh at him as they left the mess late at night.  How lucky we are to no longer send young men into holes in the ground so we can sleep in peace.
There are holes in my teeth also and the dentist was champing at the bit to extract the big wisdom tooth at the back that broke up some years ago.  The NHS must pay him a decent amount for that!  However it bothers me not, all the nerves were bust long years ago by an Aussie dentist, and I am content with it at the moment.  Such a good dentist but he might not sleep if it does not get done next year.  
Local papers are often full of holes.  Small meaningless stories made to be great headlines.  This week however we saw a good one.  A woman received a letter from the DWP informing her that she was not sick enough to receive benefits.  On the day the letter arrived she died.
This has happened so often under this Tory government, it is difficult to know how many times as correct figures are hushed up but possibly up to twelve thousand people have lost their benefits because they are not 'ill enough' and been dead within a week or two.  If you are Amazon or Starbucks or Vodafone you can dodge billions in tax revenue but if you are just another cog in the wheel this government will chase you to death.  Soldiers die from abuse and lack of care as well as faulty or inefficient equipment, patients are allowed to die slowly in hospitals, social workers fail to care for so many needy who are injured or die and yet nobody cares.  The secular money chasing world has lost compassion, only politically correct ideas can be cared for and if you don't fit then it is not good for you.  We kill children in abortion and hate migrants flooding the land, we can hate paedos and Muslims but so many other wrongs are not just accepted they are positively encouraged. No wonder people are confused about life.
The weekend is here, I can tell by the long line of cars outside my window.  Rush hour on Friday begins about 2:30 as folks race slowly for home, to the supermarket, to collect the kids, to beat the rush and find themselves in the rush.  A weekend of bad television, good cup action and drinks all round for some.   Hopefully your weekend will be worthwhile, enjoyable and make you happy.

Thursday Trivia

Just before five I wandered homewards via the High Street and attempted to catch the blue sky left behind as the sun dipped over the horizon.  This was the exact time to miss everybody as few around were intent on getting home while only drunks, yobs, and those who had to remain at work could be seen.  Looks like few were working  hard tonight.
This afternoon I wandered into the museum to help in the stock room and did little enough.  The rest of the day I did nothing.  My life is so exciting!  However the lass who has to look through the stock, ensure it is listed, ticketed, paperwork correct and so on has got loads to do.  Some mistakes have occurred and some things have too little information.  Goods donated and no longer required must go back to donor but it is not always clear who donated!  Poor lass has lots to do sorting out the stock.  I will do my best to keep out of the way!

 Want to know what happens when the museum closes its doors...?

Away With the Birds

The world has been shrouded in mist today and I had a 'couldn't be bothered' day at that.  However I dragged myself out before noon to wander through the gardens looking for misty pictures.  It has to be said that I was too late, the mist was clearing somewhat and what could have produced interesting shots two hours before offered merely damp scenes now.  
However up on the bare branch sat this Robin singing away to the surrounding world informing them that this was his patch so gerrroutofit and if any passing women were available he wanted his next tidied.   He sat there some time.  
I love the song of such birds, as he is part of the Thrush family like Blackbirds he can sing very well.  The song resounded all around and it is sad that I have no record of his voice to offer.  Maybe I will think quicker next time.  

Gey dreich in the distance however and this is how it was as I plodded homewards.  Dampness all around including my shoes and the chill in the air indicating the mild winter is ending and a cold spell appearing.  This times nicely with the request for my Gas Meter reading which arrived today.  I promptly ran slowly downstairs, read the meter, sent off the numbers and noted how my use of gas has fallen slightly in these last few months.   The gas man will not be happy with this.  He might not be able to make me pay more this time, but he will certainly not reduce the price even if he has got gas cheaper than ever!

While the Robins and other wee birds sang, chased one another and stuffed themselves the Wood Pigeons (which are not made out of wood) merely spent their time sullenly sitting high in the tree gathered together but at a distance from one another.  Rare to see two sit together unless it's hanky panky time.  The people around were similarly morose today, the weather does this.  Therefore I am off to bed to sullenly grumble to myself about the weather and the lack of interesting activities around here.

Oh My Knees!

How lovely to see my favourite Museum women again, how they missed me!  Oh yes they did!
My knees did not need to run around as I did, checking things were in the right place, removing Christmas gifts, walking to kitchen to make tea.  I should have left it till the afternoon - when another takes over!  How nice to be back and have such a good day.  My knees ache mind.

The smug Eton prefect has decided to allow his cabinet to campaign any which way they choose regarding the forthcoming EU in or out referendum.  Many papers feel this is a good thing.  These are the same papers that criticise Corbyn for dumping members of his opposition cabinet who disagree.  In truth Corbyn has shown leadership in removing one critic while Cameron is not strong enough to keep his cabinet together if he tried to make them obey his will.  The half truth and lies of the media know no end.

 BBC

In Northern Ireland we see some of the present worlds dafter moments however recently Pastor McConnell was subjected to one that could not have been thought about a mere twenty years ago.
In one of his sermons he mentions Islam as 'satanic' and claims he could not trust Muslims.  This brought him into court on grounds of offensive language and hate speech.
For one the judge made the obvious decision and declared him Not Guilty and rightly so.  His considered opinion may annoy some but it cannot be called either offensive or hate speech.  As has been pointed out elsewhere many Muslims preach hate against the west and this country yet are never dragged into court, we can wonder why?  
This case should never have been brought but will real hate preachers, especially Muslim, be charged this way?

Christmas Reading

I was browsing through Amazon for something to read when it appeared to my little mind a somewhat stupid thing to do as I had several books given to me this year.  'Why not read them' was the thought that crossed my mind.  I listened intently and decided to do so, once I have read the books I am ploughing through just at the moment.   
I have just had a look and there are several new books I am going through, a few older books I am re-reading and yet I was looking for something interesting on Amazon?  Funny enough I have been wandering through the charity shops and glancing at their books also but finding nothing for me, and while disliking 'W.H.Smith,' the worst shop on the High Street several years running I managed to glance at the books in there also.  We do however have a shop that retails those less successful books ''Works' it's called and remaindered books aplenty can be obtained there.  A very good shop it is however as always it has that knack of not having the book I want when looking for it especially when shopping for someone else.  Bah!

Back to reality tomorrow.  First stop is the dentist to be told my teeth are perfect except the one with a hole and the chipped bit.  As they do not bother me nothing gets done, maybe he wants to do something tomorrow?  I hope not! 
Then it is back to the lovely ladies at work, the cheery smiles from people desperate to be back on holiday, except the two that returned today, they might have a genuine smile after working for one day ahead of the rest.  I doubt it however.
Back to questions we cannot answer, changing stock in the shop (I will leave that till the afternoon - I go off at one!) and dealing with folks who wander in.  As we are allowing free entry for four months from tomorrow we will probably get more visitors as this tight fisted lot would look at anything that's free.
This means a bath, a shave and an almost clean shirt (Sundays will do) and if he cleans my teeth with that machine I might even manage a smile or two, well anyway....

Wiki

So the war is getting closer.  Chopping the head of a Shia imam has not gone down well in Iran who have burnt out the Saudi embassy which did not go down well in Riyadh.  As these two are fighting a proxy war in Yemen (not that we hear much about this, why so Tory led press?) and both are heavily engaged in Iraq (we hear about this one) it is also possible that both nations are daft enough to go to full out war before long.
Did you know the United Nation have a committee that is concerned with 'Human Rights?' Did you realise that Saudi Arabia no chair that committee?  Who made the way clear for such an absurd situation to develop?  David Cameron of course!  A teenager was threatened with being crucified by the Saudi's and David Cameron was asked several times on TV to intervene and as he blustered all he could say was 'We sell them arms' but not in so many words.  Where do the Saudi's get weapons to drop carelessly in Yemen?  The UK.  Where do IS get weapons from?  The US!  One way or another we have a complex situation and none of the clowns are able to work out what to do.
European wars can be handled differently as generally we understand one another however none of the leaders understand the Arab mind, the sectarian divide, fatalism, the fears of both sides and the use and misuse of the Koran.  This can only get worse.

By the way there is also civil war in Burundi (Look it up) the Central African Republic and various other natural and man made disasters worldwide, it's just that the media only print and offer things  that sell!

 Jim Benton

 

Still Nothing Happened

Quite why people make resolutions which they are not going to keep amazes me.  Those who decide to diet and succeed do so by great effort of willpower and we know how easily that is lost.  The decision not to decide on a resolution is however one I have managed to keep year after year.

Wandering down the road this morning I was concentration on avoiding the puddles as the rain began once again and failed to notice the bog police dog handlers van I was walking in front off.  I kept going but his face expressed a degree of surprise I thought. 
Soaked by the time I reached the church I was glad the heating was on to dry me out.  I am getting to like this strange Anglican Kirk, in spite of their foibles and the many mistakes that routinely occur.  In fact it seems to my way of thinking to make the place more homely rather than inept.  These are everyday human beings who have been found by Jesus not the perfect kinds who sometime appear on the screen.  I am beginning to like them and developing some things about me that need improvement.  I think however the 'Wee Frees' will never let me through their door if I am ever back up in the rain soaked land.
Talking of which I hurried home in the downpour to see the St Johnstone v Aberdeen game - this was postponed - the pitch was waterlogged!!!!

As is normal Scotland takes two days at New Year, with Friday being the first that means Monday is a day off for the majority of people.  Here in the soft south they do not do this and tomorrow, the fourth, is for the peoples around me a 'back to work' experience.
Groans can be heard from neighbours, screams emit from houses around the place as recognition of the end of the week long break has ended comes home to roost.  Alarm clocks are being set alongside some words best kept from children, and work outfits are being laid out in places where they can be found in the early morning darkness.  
I however will be remaining at home.  (Insert smug grin here)
Now I have nothing against work, I was involved in one way or another in such activity for around forty years, and take pleasure in watching others perform such work always willing to offer advice on how the job should be done exactly.  Such aid is not always considered helpful I note, still it's a giggle innit?
If the weather is good I might cycle past the industrial estate and wave cheerily at anyone I know.  If not I will just stand at the window early on and wave my coffee cup at passersby, that usually brings a response, especially when it's raining.
"Ah well," said Zebedee, "time for bed."

Nothing Happened

First Day of 2016

Naturally after the bright sun and blue sky of Hogmany we are waking to Jack Frost lying all over the park.  It appears winter may well have arrived down her at last.  Oh goody.  The wind blew, the rain arrived and I was thankful I need not get the bike out.  My knees rejoiced as we went back to bed.  A little bit of a late night last night.  Not a party around here just me scribbling on this keyboard, tea drinking and lost in thought (a dream actually) when the fireworks went off all around.  Suddenly I was in a new year.  
I fell asleep.

   IB Times

The lack of news allows any disaster to fill lots of airspace and this fire was a disaster indeed.  Quite how no person was injured is amazing but it does leave the sense of impeding danger in all these ludicrous tall buildings.
Dubai is a place that inspires nothing in me.  A desert with vast skyscrapers filled with the rich.  Not my idea of fun.  The fact that they ran out of cash to complete the building of the fancy plans leaving vast numbers of unfinished dwellings does make a grin appear I must say.  Who goes to such places? Celebs, football players and people with too much money or those wishing to mix with said celebs.  For what?  The heat makes it difficult to stay outside, inside it is filled with windowlickers chasing fame or famous people wishing to be seen.  Everything costs the earth, including the sand which has to be imported for the building works as the local sand is not of the right texture.  Play with your woman on the beach and the religious police lock you up, drink there and they beat you, stay indoors and meet empty people chasing empty people.  If I was there I might light a fire also.

Daily Mail

 What is it with people and 'selfies?'  This Christmas & New Year facebook has been awash with selfies and retweeted selfies all comprising people with faces far too close to the camera making folks like me who see them for the first time think Halloween has returned.  It is not as if they are good pictures, although some of the young bits of fluff come out well, faces distorted by the angle and too close to the camera (sorry.... phone) and Mr & Mrs look like a freak show lost from Chippendale's Circus.  There appear to be vast numbers of folks who have spent the entire last few days taking shots of themselves and posting them on the web.  
STOP IT!!!
Have someone take a pic from six feet away and make you look human next time!

The day like me is done.
In England people are looking forward to bed and the weekend.  In Edinburgh and Scotland in general the celebrations continue, somewhat lessened but in similar fashion.  In this house I might manage a toddy later.

I hope this year brings good things to all of us.  We have all had bad things last year let us hope for good things this time around.  I hope my company of worldwide friends can enjoy all good things and good fortune during the coming days.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you, 

may he make his face to shine upon you 

and give you his peace."

   

Hogmany 2015

With the winds dropping and the rain passing over into the North Sea I considered it my duty to once more attempt the Matterhorn like slope up the old railway. You can imagine my rejoicing as within seconds of heading west the wind increased and my knees started to scream.  Most of the way I was considering turning back but young ladies walking dogs appeared and I refused to allow myself to prove what a wimp I am.  However once at the top of the slope and past the station itself and with no viewers to be seen I turned back sharpish!  The beauty of struggling up a slope is the joy of rolling back down again.  How lovely it is to be able to look at the world around, the dogs and their owners, enjoy the scenery and instead of puffing like the old engines that once ran along this line ponder on the good life I have now.
I did give thanks that I could ride a bike, after the accident there was a strong likelihood that the leg would be forever straight and never bend!  I gave thanks for sunshine and sky, birds twittering and rabbits hiding, dogs tail wagging and smiling young lassies - which continued to smile as long as I didn't stop!  
Simple things around us are so wonderful yet we ignore them or in this country fail to see them for the rain.  
I pondered the friends around the world - none here but many around the world - how lucky I am to have them, the good things stuffed in the cupboard, the lack of need for anything as I have all I require and enough health to get around.  So many people have lost all their health totally and we think we are in a bad way?  
Today a visitor left me with more gifts, although he forgot the money part, it was a delight to see him.  This interrupted my siesta work researching family history but I can leave all that to next year now.  Indeed all things will be left to next year now - bar the washing up!  At the moment people are looking to the new year except in Queensland where sleeping off the refreshment is more important at the moment therefore as always there is time to review the past year and look forward to the next so we ought to do that now!

Rickety Ride

The rickety bike carried my rickety bones up the rickety old railway line this morning and left my rickety muscles more rickety than before.  I suppose this is called 'health.'  The sun shone and the people taking the week off took advantage to walk out with the dogs alongside the regulars.  This is fine as the dogs are happy, tails wagging and full of enjoyment at the aromas around them, some not always pleasant I fear.  For the first time in ages I made it all the way to Rayne, a full two miles of uphill slope and stopped just afterwards at this memorial to a deceased person.  Look closely and you note it is shaped as a crocodile, something which we have lots of in the pond nearby, and made out of one tree trunk.  Very well made I must say.

  
The plan to build hundreds of houses along here has met with much abuse and you can see why.  I understand why a farmer would willingly sell his land but this is a chance to escape the town and walk in a small bit of countryside, thousands of newcomers would not ensure a happy world here.
Note the old chapel now turned into a house.

The horses in this field never appear full of life.  I wonder if they are bored, tired or just not quite awake yet.  They always appear to be different horses, I wonder if he rustles them from somewhere?
They glanced up as my brakes squealed and quickly ignored me.

I cared not for their indifference as I was just happy to have reached this far and not had a heart attack.  The sun shone, people appeared friendly for the most part and I avoided all the dogs and got two children in one go!  A good day! 
The world appears happier when the sun shines and I had to make the effort this morning as another of those storms arrives tomorrow bringing wind and rain across the sodden parts of the country.  I feel for those soaked through yet again and join their despair as more rain arrives.  There is hope that this will be the last but all that water has to be dispersed yet.  
Now, where is the number for that lithe blonde lassie masseur...or is it masseuse?

A Day of Rest

I got up slowly today and sloth like entered the world.  When the daylight finally began to show I suddenly took it into myself to get on the bike.  This thought tired me somewhat so I pushed it aside.  However later, when the need for fresh things from Tesco arose, I ventured instead onto the bike in spite of my weak and complaining knees.  After twenty or so minutes travelling at speeds exceeding three miles an hour I made it home and then went to Tesco.  
The rest of the day has been spent in bed!
My siesta was forced upon me to make up for the early rise and soon after I woke much later I noticed it was time for Rangers v Hibs so I stayed in bed and watched Hibernian crumple under the bigot boys from Ibrox.  A sair fecht indeed that the Hibs were just not good enough on the day.  It looks like the play offs are their only hope.
However luck was in, not long after this Manchester United played Chelsea so I decided to remain in the filthy gray sheets (I must change them sometime in the new year) and watch this game.  In the few minutes in between I managed to make my tea (how good is the microwave?) and settle back before the start.
Two enthralling games to follow on from the one yesterday when the Heart of Midlothian took on the other bigot side and were held to a draw.  Scottish football is in a good state, only certain power brokers in the SFA/SPLF could disagree (and Mr Milne of course).
Now I note the last game today is not being covered by an online stream so I have time to scribble and then try to get my miniature quadcoptor to work.  Quite what I am supposed to do with this thing (about two inches in length and with no camera) I know not.  Just flying it around might be fun however.  Hmmm maybe I should try this at the muse....no, I had better not.
Back to bed I think.