Dave's Absolutely Amazing Adventures

Final Chapter for Page

2011-10-13T13:11:00.000+01:00

We said goodbye to Page this month. Old injuries took their toll and we finally made the sad decision to put him to sleep last week.Page was no ordinary cat - almot from the very beginning he's been, well, different. My nephew Gavin got Page as a kitten and called the little ball of fluff Paige. It was only on his first visit to the vet (the first of quite a few over the years) that Gavin discovered that Paige was not in fact a wee girl but a tom - Paige became Page, in honour of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy of that ilk. When Gavin moved to a new flat in Telford Page went too, only to be stood on by a flatmate. His back and back legs were injured - resulting in an unmistakable wobbly gait - but Page lived to tell the tale; this was but the first of a few 'incidents' in Page's eventful life.When Gavin couldn't take Page when he moved to Cramond, Page was rehoused with us here in Drylaw. It was Page's first opportunity to get out of the house - and he seized it with all paws! Unfortunately hs ventures into the big wide worls brought him into contact with other wildlife and Page had a hard lesson to learn - that you don't fratenise with foxes! His initial meeting resulted in a hefty vet's bill and the loss of his most striking feature - a long, elegant tail.Undaunted (or clueless?) Page returned to Drylaw - tailless and even more wobbly - only to be attacked by foxes again the following year!A lengthy stay at the vets - and another eye-watering bill - later, Page was back in Drylaw. An older and wiser cat? No, not really!Page got through his nine lives - house fire, fox attacks, you name it - with gay abandon. He wasn't your average pet = he cared not a jot!Over recent months Page's old injuries caught up with him and he became inceasingly immobile - the spirit was still willing but the old legs just wouldn't work - and last week we made the horrible decision to take Page to the vets (which was pretty much his second home, anyway). It was no surprise when the vet decided to put him to sleep, and his end was very peaceful if very sad.With his rotten breath, the tuggy coat that made you sneeze when you picked him up, with the wee 'bullets' he left as presents sround the home to welcome you downstairs in the morning, you'd be forgiven for asking: what exactly did Page bring to the table? Well, he was a real wee character, a 'one-off' - the 'care in the community' cat who shared our lives for twelve years.Smelly, wobbly, comical ... we'll never forget Page and the house isn't quite the same without him!

September

2011-10-13T12:15:00.005+01:00

You know summer's over when the Christmas stuff makes an appearance on the supermarket shelves! August wasn't even over when the selection boxes, tins of biscuits and Christmas cards hit the shops alonside the Halloween merchandise. Anyway a miserably wet summer has sloshed seamlessly into a drizzly autumn. September was more of the same, weatherwise - rain, high winds and just the occassional glimpse of bright sunshine and what might have been ...The poor old garden took a bit of a hammering with plants and shrubs blasted all over the place. We salvaged most of them, but the lack of sunlight gives the garden a dismal air, brightened only by the (very) occassional ray of sunshine. The garden promised so much this year but there's nothing you can do about the weather. The vegetable 'harvest' (pictured) - carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, spring onions - is unlikely to sustain us through the winter months!While the gardening wasn't great, I did take the opportunity to be at one with the local wildlife and decided to train a spider to do tricks. I selected Sammy (above) from a promising list of potential candidates, and the first session went very well. I was hopeful that by the end of the first day I would have Sammy doing somersaults, so you can imagine my disappointment when I returned after lunch to find that Sammy had 'left the building'. The ungrateful little sod had just disappeared! I have put further training initiatives on hold until I have built a new training centre out of cigarette packets and nilk cartons. That's very much a work in progress but should be completed next month - Caroline has helpfully suggested that perhaps I should look for a job, but how can I when I've got all this building work to do?The long-awaited arrival of baby Evie was the big event for the family this month, and she's pictured above with her proud faither and slightly over-excited grand-faither. She's settling in well, but her mum and dad have come to look back with nostalgia on the days and nights of pure, beautiful unbroken sleep!Life's full of ups and downs, and on the down-side was the demise of Knutt's car, Nigel. It's fair to say that Knutt has fallen out of love with Nigel over recent months - with with exhausts and spare tyres falling off, too many punctures to mention and the odd case of non-starting it's easy to see why. However at the end of the month one kindly motorist took pity on Knutt by slamming into the back of Nigel. The upshot is that Nigel is no more - the bad news for Edinburgh and Lothians motorists is that Knutt is on the lookout for a replacement car ...We took in the Festival fireworks finale at Ann's house in Murrayfield and while we all had a very enjoyable evening the winds and drizzle meant that we disn't see too many fireworks! A damp squib - save for Evie's appearance, that just about sums up September.

She's Arrived!

2011-09-26T16:06:00.011+01:00

Evie Julie Pickering finally arrived at 3.55 pm on Monday 12 September -she's about three hours old in this picture.

It's been suggested that she was waiting for a Hibs victory before she made her debut appearance. Fortunately she has a wise head for one so young ... it could have been an awfully long wait!

August Blues

2011-09-26T15:23:00.002+01:00

I was hoping for great things in August, weather wise. The garden was looking good (see lilies, above)and just needed thirty-one days of unbroken sunshine to complete the job. Alas, twas not to be. Should have known better, of course, August being Edinburgh Festival month - instead of cloudless skies we had day after day of rain, rain. rain and when it wasn't raining it was blowing a gale! And quite often, both together.Not a great month for growing then; following a disappointing harvest I will not be self sufficient in vegetables this autumn/winter. One carrot, five tatties and a handful of tomatoes just won't do it. You learn from experience though and I will change my methods next Spring - I am thinking of shiftng to livestock and will try to buy some sheep or pigs on Ebay.There were a few nice days in August, though - drove down to Eyemouth (pictured above) one Saturday and had the best fish supper I have ever had (and God knows I've had a few!) And the exhibition of endangered species at the Botanics wasn't completely washed out either - great crowds on the Sunday. Ended the month by chairing the North Edinburgh Fights Back campaign public meeting in North Edinburgh Arts Centre - the event seems to have raised the hackles of Forth ~~Lib-Dem~~ SNP councillor Elaine Morris. Residents having the temerity to hold a meeting to organise and protest about cuts - whatever next? It's anarchy, I tell you, anarchy - where will it all end? They'll be looking for democracy next - maybe even the vote!Outside my own tiny wee world, Gadaffi's reign seems to drawing to an untidy close in Libya, with the unseemly rush of Western governments salivating over all that lovely oil and multi-million pound business deals. Oddly enough the Colonel went from being public enemy Number One to Britain's best buddy for a while under Blair, now he's a tyrant again. Strange world, diplomacy - I think I prefer my own wee world where things are far, far simpler. Still no grand-child yet - she's clearly waiting for the better weather. Could be a long wait ...!

July Morning

2011-08-11T14:56:00.010+01:00

Okay, Uriah Heep's 'July Morning' wasn't a catchy hot single but I was struggling!

Highlight of the month was Darren Clarke's victory in the Open - particularly as I has a small investment at the rewarding odds of 150-1! While young upstarts like Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy found themselves flailing around hopelessly in awful conditions, the serene Clarke was a picture of good-humoured calm throughout the four day ordeal and left the others in his considerable wake.Just proves that us portly, more mature chaps can still cut the mustard!

Don't think for a second that the month was spent sitting on a sofa munching Golden Wonder, drinking coffee and watching TV though - on no, there was lots to do!
With few opportunities to top up the tan (weather very unpredictable - see above), I was a very very busy man indeed. As well as tending to the garden and keeping on top of washing and ironing, I found the time to carefully clean my nice blue cooncil paper refuse bags - they were looking a bit tatty and I didn't want the neighbours complaining. Looking very smart and shiny now though - sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day!

June is Busting Out All Over

2011-08-11T14:43:00.007+01:00

You'll notice I have started trying to use song titles as blog post titles recently, and it's so far so good. July, August and September are looking trickier though so I may abandon this project.

June was holiday month - Tuscany, Elba and Corsica made a pleasant change from dreary old Drylaw!

Returned from holiday to host North Edinburgh Social History Group's 'Never Give Up', a book and video recording the area's long and proud history of community activism. I was very proud to be asked to compere the evening and, much to my relief, it proved to be a great success. 'Never Give Up' was a tremendous achievement and a real labour of love for all of those involved over the life of two year project. The launch was accompanied by a photographic exhibition which brought back some great memories of past campaigns and of some activists who are no longer with us. Great stuff!

'May each day ...

2011-08-11T14:14:00.008+01:00

... Of Your Life be a Good Day' sang Andy Williams. Nice song, that. And I'll wager that Ooor Supreme Leader Alex Salmond has had few better days than that momentous May Day when the SNP were swept back into power in the Holyrood elections. Most people predicted an SNP win - Labour never really got the hang of opposition and their campaign was lacklustre to say the least, and the SNP government has done very little wrong over the last four years, introducing a number of popular (or populist, depending on your point of view) policies and steering clear of controversy in the main (with the exception perhaps of the Al Magrahi release). The Liberals are at rock bottom following the Westminster coalition deal, the Scottish Socialists/Solidarity remain the two bald men fighting over a comb and the Tories - well, they're the Tories! So the scene was set for SNP to continue in government.

But while the SNP victory was predictable, the sheer scale of the success was stunning - an overall majority must have surely exceeded the SNP's wildest dreams. A raft of familiar faces departed the Holyrood stage - quite a few never to return, I hope - replaced with enthusiastic new Members all eager to show their talents. Among them will be many who just didn't expect to be there, and there could be some fun an games as the new intake finds it's feet. The electorate will be expecting more of this new administration, however - particularly one with an outright majority - and we could be in for interesting times.

Back in the wee world of Dave, I spent this month creating a giant Creme Egg sculpture. I worked tirelessly on this unique installation and I have applied to Creative Scotland for funding to take my exhibition on the road. No response yet but I remain hopeful.

With so much time spent on the sculpture there was little leisure time but I did manage to get some gardening done and fitted in a wee drive to Glen Etive (pictures above).

April Showers

2011-08-04T16:21:00.009+01:00

I've been lucky enough to have been in constant employment since I left school in December 1974 - and over all those 37 years I only had two employers - The Scotsman Publications and then, from 1999, North Edinburgh News.

So unemployment is a new experience for me and I intend to take some time out to see what options are available and work out what, exactly, I plan to do for the rest of my working life.

Short term, a wee acting role came up in a short film called Rabbit Punch, and that took up a couple of weeks. I also had some unfinished work from the NEN - sorting out and trying to catalogue old photographs for the Social History Group's project. That took a lot longer than it should have, as old photographs have a habit of bringing back memories happy and sad. Frustrated at my lack of progress, Caroline decided to lend a hand and ruthlessly accelerated the process (no room for sentiment here!) Job done, eventually ...

Attention turns to all those neglected gardening jobs - no shortage of tasks there. And just to keep my hand in, I wrote up the annual Tierney Award presentation for our community council, and my article was used in a number of publications both in print and on-line - the old magic's still there! Over the hill? Past it? Never!

I also got some really nice shots of a herd of horses as dawn broke over Cardrona one misty morning - it's always worth keeping a camera handy.

Beware the Ides of March ...

2011-08-04T15:46:00.011+01:00

Well, it was a long time coming but the last issue of the NEN - in it's current format at least - was produced this month. No last minute reprieve - not that that was ever likely - for the NEN, and we closed the doors of our wee office for the last time at the end of the month. For the time being at least, the final chapter of a thirty year history.

The last issue came out early in the month, so the final days were spent clearing the office and covering jobs for our new Wordpress blog (including the successful launch of the 'It's Yummy Mummy' cookbook, pictured above) - all with an air of slight unreality. It was all to real, though ...

Not too many highlights this month for obvious reasons, but Gail and Chris held their engagement party in Silverknowes Golf Club - a shaft of sunlight in an otherwise gloomy month.

February

2011-06-22T16:30:00.007+01:00

February was quite a month - very up and down. Brian's 30th birthday, my old man's 80th (pictured above)and one found out that one is to become a grandfather! I'm far too young for that nonsense so we'll deal with that story later ...much later!

Confirmation also received that council officials are recommending no further funding for North Edinburgh News (or any other community newspaper for that matter); quelle surpris!

One of potentially my last NEN jobs was covering Harry and Nan MacDonald's 163rd wedding anniversary (pictured above - Harry is the one with slightly less hair). Quite an achievement, that - shame John Knox, who was their best man, couldn't make it!

Late start, but here goes 2011!

2011-06-20T16:27:00.006+01:00

It's now mid-June, so there's a bit of catching up to do!

Escaped from the worst of Edinburgh's icy blasts to the Costa Blanca for a short break. Very nice it was too - not a parka in sight!

T@sser of the Year Awards - Update

2011-02-15T15:41:00.003Z

I almost forgot - the prestigious team awards!

No, definitely no mention of coalitions - whether local or national - on this blog!

Runners-Up

STAND UP COMICS (with a few honourable exceptions)

There are far too many stand up comedians (I use the term 'comedian' loosely) - and most of them just are not funny.

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

BBC TV SCOTLAND SPORTS TEAM

From hapless David Currie to wooden Rhona McLeod, and accident prone Dougie Vipond to execrable Andy Murray stalker Kheredine thingy - this is a truly awful bunch. Is this honestly the best we have got? It almost makes you miss golden-haired Dougie Donnelly (of Sterling near Tillicoultry ad fame). Thank heaven for Richard Gordon - a broadcasting colossus in this field of pygmies.
Come back Archie McPherson, all is forgiven (well, almost). WHOAFFF!!

T@ssers of the Year 2010

2011-02-13T09:32:00.006Z

From the mildly irritating to those you would never tire of hitting over the head, these are people who made 2010 just that little bit more of a pain. But beware - some of them will be back, bolder and brasher than ever, this year too!

TOP TEN T@SSERS:

10. ADRIAN CHILES

Never understood the appeal of this gawky, awkward buffoon and his highly publicised - and highly lucrative - switch to ITV to front their flagship breakfast show was always a disaster waiting to happen. Good.

9. SHAMI CHAKRABARTI

Never slow to offer a soundbite or an opinion on any subject under the sun, young Shami is becoming over exposed - her earnest bleatings are beginning to grate. Enough now.

8. GREG WALLACE

TV presenter and erstwhile greengrocer Greg has become ubiquitous on BBC. That's a pity as his turnip head and irritating voice has ruined some half decent shows. Someone at the Beeb clearly rates the man but for me it's time to put the loudmouth out to pasture.

7. LEMBIT OPIK

One of the few (maybe the only?) Lib Dem to lose his seat at the General Election. Now why on earth should that be? Perhaps it's because this arch self-publicist is completely unbearable? Ignore this man at all costs - the world will be a better place if we do.

6. JOANNA LUMLEY

Yes, this English rose saved the Ghurkas single-handed but enough's enough - she's an actress for goodness sake! In danger of becoming the new Esther Rantzen - and do we really need a new Esther Rantzen? One was surely more than enough ...

5. KATIE PRICE/ALEC REID/PETER ANDRE

Comes as a package. Return to sender.

4. LENNY HENRY

Never understood the appeal of this 'clown' either, but another 'comedian' the BBC seems determined to continue to foist upon a weary nation. As funny as piles, this jolly japester's time is surely up.

3. BRUCE FORSYTH

As above.

2. BILLY 'The Big Yin' CONNOLLY

Funny as he undoubtedly can be, oor Billy's becoming a bit of a bore. Is there anyone Billy doesn't know, anywhere he hasn't been? And what about that strange accent - what's it all about, Big Yin?

1. STUART BAGGS - 'The Brand'

Perhaps the most odious little shit to grace our screens this year, 'The Brand's' weekly performance on The Apprentice made you want to put your foot through the screen. Compulsive viewing - so many truly awful people, so little time - we probably haven't seen the last of this ambitious little chap. Unfortunately.

The Best of 2010

2011-02-11T14:22:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T10:26:00.002Z

New Year, new box of crisps - happy New Year everybody!

Christmas Update

2010-12-28T13:45:00.002Z

I write this post from St Johns Hospital in Livingston. Sadly, Christmas did not go the way I had hoped.

As you will know from my last post, I have been stocking up on boxes of Golden Wonder multipacks to beat the Christmas rush and as a jolly surprise for Caroline. While she was fighting the Christmas Eve crowds at the shops (eight hours she was gone) I decided to bring the Golden Wonder collection in from the shed to the living room. Even I underestimated the number of boxes I had accumulated - well over my original estimate of 120 - and to get them all into the living room was a hell of a tight squeeze. I had to remove the suite, the television and dismantle the Christmas tree to get them all in! It took absolutely ages but when I surveyed my handiwork I must admit I was more than slightly pleased with myself!

I decorated the assembled boxes with some sprigs of holly and manoeuvred myself behind the wall of boxes to await Caroline's return.

When I heard her key in the door lock I could hardly contain my excitement - and as she entered the living room her face was a real picture! I tried to jump out from behind the boxes with a sprig of mistletoe in my hand but I must have fallen awkwardly - I have no recollection at all of what happened after that point. I regained consciousness in hospital, where I had apparently undergone a delicate operation to remove a jumbo bag of Salt'n'Vinegar from one orifice, and I also had a number of bumps and bruises that were consistent with a number of boxes having fallen on me with some force - though also consistent with the possibility of being clubbed repeatedly with a frozen turkey, oddly enough.

Anyway, all's well that ends well - doctors say I am making a fine recovery and I should be home for Hogmanay. I will then be able to give Caroline her very special Christmas gift - a box of Ready Salted loving wrapped and tied with ribbons and bows.
That's something to look forward to - better late than never, eh readers?

Deep and Crisps and Even

2010-12-23T12:03:00.003Z

It's been a long time since my last post, but I can finally let you in on a secret I have been keeping for four months.

Back in August I was tipped off by a senior Met Office source that the weather this winter would be one of the worst on record. He warned of heavy snow, weeks of icy conditions, travel chaos and catastrophic food shortages. I was sworn to secrecy to avoid a national panic setting in, but warned to start stockpiling essential items.

Since then, I have worked discreetly to build up essential supplies, quietly ensuring that I have been able to gather all the produce I will need to help me survive this harshest of winters. Selfish, I know, but only the fittest survive ...

I now have over 120 boxes of Golden Wonder crisps safely stored in my garden shed, and while Christmas shoppers fight and scrap for the last chipolatas on the shelves I sit smugly warm and safe at home. No last minute nightmare at the shops for me!

As we speak, the Christmas Dinner menu is being prepared: Prawn Cocktail to start (naturally), a selection of prime meat-flavoured crisps to follow as the main course - beef, chicken or smokey bacon (and even tomato sauce or pickled onion for those awkward vegetarians), followed by a delicious cheese (and onion) board for dessert. Sumptuous, eh?

Caroline has been away to the supermarket trying to track down stuff for the Christmas dinner; she's been away for over three hours now and I hear news reports that the shops have never seen queues like these before. Imagine how delighted she'll be when she gets home to find out that I've got everything under control - she just can't imagine the lovely Christmas surprise she's coming home to, and I can hardly wait to tell her!

Merry Christmas readers!

EXCLUSIVE - Alternative Career for Hearts Boss!

2010-08-07T11:44:00.002+01:00

Hearts boss Jim Jeffries has embarked on a new career - as a stand up comic! Jolly jester Jim said: "A lot of people seem to think I'm just a grumpy old man, but I do have a sense of humour - after all, I've managed Hearts twice - boom, boom! The new show lets people see there is another, fun side to me".

The Tynecastle funster is appearing at the Fringe Festival this month. "There's more to life than football, and comedy is a way of releasing some of the stress and tension of everyday life", added the Gorgie joker. "I'm looking to performing to packed houses - not that I ever get that at Tynie, boom! boom! - and yes, there will be a number of football-related jokes. Especially about Christian Nade!"

So forget 'Cheer Up Jimmy Jeffries', now it's 'Stand Up Jimmy Jeffries'! Don't miss it!

I'm Back!

2010-07-24T15:08:00.022+01:00

Thought the fat bloke had gone forever, eh? No such luck! I'm back after a six month blogging break. As some Yorkshire sage once said: 'If ye've got nowt to say, say nowt', or something like that, so other than screeds of musings I've attached some pictures taken over the last few months as a gentle reintroduction ...
I will be back ...

A Happy New Year?

2010-01-11T16:29:00.019Z

A belated Happy New Year to you.

Blogging has been very light of late - I've been making the most of the seasonal weather; who knows when we'll experience conditions like this again? No, you won't hear me moaning about the cold and the snow - I love it.

It seems the thaw is now well underway and it's back to grey old, dismal old Edinburgh once again. The holidays are well and truly over, but I've attached some images of the Winter The Snows Returned ....

Best wishes for 2010!

Happy Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-25T10:10:00.003Z

A happy and peaceful Christmas to you all!

The Unfortunate Incident of the Christmas Angel

2009-12-13T11:17:00.006Z

We put the Christmas tree up last weekend. I say 'we'; Caroline assembled and decorated the tree while I offered sage (although unsolicited) advice. It must have taken around three hours, and while I was not unsatisfied with the finished product, I did feel it necessary to point out some areas for improvement - some tinsel here, a missing bauble there and the angel atop the tree was, to me at least, ever so slightly askew.
I helpfully suggested that Caroline went back up the ladder to readjust the angel's position a fraction, but what happened next was a bit of a blur ...
I can only assume Caroline fell off the ladder. I came to with tinsel wrapped rather tightly round my throat, broken baubles in my hair and the angel ... well, it took several hours to delicately extricate the angel.
Fortunately there was no need to visit A & E - driving would have proved extremely uncomfortable,if not physically impossible - but it is still difficult to sit down and I think some more physiotherapy may be required.
Now I know that Christmas can be a stressful time, but crikey! Anyway, after a thorough cleaning the angel is now back in her rightful place on top of the tree. All's well that ends well!

Christmas Cheer

2009-12-12T13:37:00.003Z

Christmas is in the air. Nativity plays, pensioners' parties - work takes on a festive element at this time of year. Yes,'tis the season to be jolly and the Christmas spirit has finally 'kicked in'. With the paper off to print on Thursday every thing's winding down for the holidays now, and thoughts turn to Christmas.

It's not all been mistletoe and wine, though. Regular readers - both of you - will know that I've had an ongoing problem with my shoulder. It's been dragging on for months; visits to the GP, painkillers then ever-stronger painkillers, but on Thursday I had a long-awaited appointment with a physiotherapist. Thirty minutes of pulling, pummeling, pushing and prodding later: a diagnosis - a 'tweaked tendon' in my shoulder.
I've to receive more physiotherapy, but I was also given acupuncture. I've never experienced this before, and it's too soon to say if it's making any difference. However there has been one alarming side-effect: I have discovered an involuntary impulse to practise ancient martial arts. Not too much of a problem in the privacy of your own home, but not quite so socially acceptable when you launch flying kicks at unsuspecting pensioners at bus stops...

The end of an era ... sob!

2009-11-29T17:18:00.003Z

A wee bit over dramatic, maybe - I stepped down as our community council secretary at last week's meeting. Not exactly a world-changing event, I concede, and so far BBC News have not been in touch to follow up the story!
I first took up the secretary's role back in the mid-1980s, and have done it more or less ever since - two years off for good behaviour during my spell as Regional Councillor in the mid-1990s. When I took up the role computers were a relatively new phenomenon (I used to write the Minutes with a quill on parchment when I were a lad), Mrs Thatcher was in power and a pint of lager was a halfpenny (I may be lying/mistaken about the some of this).
Anyway, with a new community council now in place it seems a good time to stand down from that particular role and concentrate on some other things. Quite what I'll do with all this new 'free' time I'm not sure, but given past form I'd wager a guess that it will quickly become filled with other 'activities'. My colleagues made a presentation which totally took me by surprise - after all, I am not leaving the CC, only stepping down as Secretary - so I was temporarily speechless ... that is quite unusual for me. The gifts were much appreciated though and it was a genuine surprise .. thanks everyone.

The tearful(!)community council event aside, last week was a really busy one at work so I'm glad that our deadline is not only this coming Friday - still quite a lot of work to be done. I was guest speaker at Pilton Central Association's AGM on Thursday, and it was an opportunity to reflect on the last twelve months of post Fairer Scotland funding, both at the NEN and in the wider North Edinburgh community. Not the jolliest speech I've ever made, I'm afraid, but honest.
There were some happier events - a picture of 40-odd (some very odd) guys at Scottish Gas who have been participating in the prostrate cancer Mo-vember campaign, a good news story at Granton Primary and a big cheque presentation at Morrisons o Ferry Road - £2 million for Cancer Research.
How long I'll be able to report these 'feelgood' stories in North Edinburgh will depend very much on the imminent decisions of the local Neighbourhood Partnership funding panels. Watch this space!

PIC: CC Chair Mike Clark making the presentation. Rugby player Mike is quite a big bloke - makes your humble scribe look almost svelte!

Gey dreich ...

2009-11-29T16:43:00.003Z

Cold, wet and miserable. Not me, the weather. There's little doubt that winter's nearly upon us, though, and as an ageing old t@sser it becomes harder and harder to drag yourself away from the fireside to face the elements outside. I had every intention of visiting the old favourite watering hole on Friday evening (just to check the lack of progress of the old Fantasy Football team, you understand) but in the end I couldn't summon up the courage to face the wind, cold and rain. So sad.
Instead, we decided to jump in the car to trek out to Livingston to tackle some of the (non-internet) Xmas shopping. MacArthur Glen was like a morgue - either people are leaving their shopping until much later, they're shopping on-line or the recession has even caused the cancellation of Christmas - or maybe a combination of all three.
I did brave the elements on Saturday to visit Easter Road, however. Hibs were atrocious in the second half, but still won 2-0 fairly comfortably, thanks in no small part to Deek Riordan's instinctive finishing. Hibs are still well up there - joint second - and there's a gap opening up between the top and bottom six. The old Jam Tarts are in the wrong half just now, and there are increasing signs of frustration coming from Gorgie. A very welcome three points for them at Kilmarnock yesterday may steady the ship a little, but they've still got a bit of work to do to climb the league. Everybody's favourite hapless striker Nade has got himself on the scoresheet for two consecutive weeks now, though - the big guy's on a bit of a roll (probably a sausage roll or three, but a roll nonetheless ...)
A post-game visit to Ocean Terminal found that centre very busy, so there may be some money around after all; I was going to venture up to the "newly open for business again, well maybe ..." Princes Street today, but again the weather was the winner and I stayed at home. Those old aching bones, you see ...

London Calling

2009-11-22T21:06:00.022Z

Recently returned from another wonderful week in London. A lot of memories:

The £6 pint!!! (Harrods, of course)
Oliver!
Old Bill the pelican in St James Park
Real ale in The Coal Hole
A £20 haircut in Bow
Walks along the Embankment
Wreaths at The Cenotaph
Picadilly at night ...

If a picture paints a thousand words, above are a few tens of thousands ...

Next week, it's back to everybody's favourite ... yes, it's Fairer Scotland Fund time again. Community council on Wednesday too ... haud me back!

Hello, hello I'm back again ...

2009-10-30T15:43:00.003Z

... as that great old trouper used to sing; I wonder what happened to him?
Sorry it's been a while; so much to do, so little time. A precious afternoon off today (the whole 'reduced hours' thing isn't really working for me) and got some household chores out of the way before setling down to post an update. I say 'out of the way' - so far I've broken the washing machine and the hoover, only the iron remains in the same state as when I picked it up earlier today. Ach well ...

Did you watch it? Griffin? Seems almost everyone did - eight mllion viewers tuned in to Question Time last week, apparently. I must say the whole programme left me feeling very angry and frustrated - so much so that I found myself shouting and arguing with the TV! I do think the BBC was right to give Griffin a place on the programme - he's a democratically elected MEP, his party polled more than a million votes in the recent elections, etc, etc. But I thought the way the programme was staged was a disgrace.
The audience appeared hand-picked, with a far higher number of black people than is the norm (and I do watch Question Time regularly). Then there's the Panel - not one but two black people, one of them that rare species - a black Tory member of parliament. And Jack Straw, proud of his Jewish roots.
Then the questions - all seemingly targetted at Griffin, and when he attempted to answer he was drowned out in a torrent of abusive comments from both the audience and panel members. It certainly wasn't David Dimbleby's finest hour - I used to respect the man's ability to chair the show but not last week. He was disgraceful and I'm sure he'll be very disappointed about the way he handled the whole evening.
As for Griffin - mission accomplished, I fear. He got all the publicity he craved, he didn't have to answer the really difficult questions because of all the shouting over him and he could later (rightly) claim that he didn't get fair treatment on the programme. Britain believes in 'fair play' and loves an underdog, and fascist Griffin certainly came across as the victim of bullying that night. It's a real pity, because whe he was allowed to speak at any length he condemned himself and his party repeatedly. He looked nervous and shifty - quite understandably, perhaps - and he could and should have been allowed to hang himself. Not physically, of course, although that may have appeased some of those howling for his blood. Will his appearance on QT increase support for the BNP? I doubt it; you wouldn't go rushing out to vote BNP on this performance, although the 'establishment' parties didn't exactly cover themselves in glory either. Jack Straw was hopeless when dealing with the question on immigration - surely he should have expected that one, or did he think the whole show was simply a public execution?
The whole episode left me feeling very unsatisfied. It was a real chance to put the BNP under the microscope and expose their extreme policies, but it turned out to be very much a missed opportunity and Griffin and his supporters are likely to be the only winners out of this.
Last night former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was the sacrificial lamb - perhaps next week we'll have live badger-baiting instead!

On to more edifying subjects, however. What about the mighty Hibs? Third in the league and flying high, getting their just rewards (and no little praise) for some attacking football. Playing FOUR forwards, for goodness sake - Mixu would be spinning in his grave (if he was deid, you know what I mean ...) Both Celtic and Rangers are faltering and things are not going at all well through in the Wild West. Playing in Europe, moving to the English Premiership ... dream on, Ugly Sisters! Is it too much to hope for a shock on the cards in this season's SPL? Sadly, yes it is. The 'Big Two' will still be 1 and 2 come the end of the season, even if they had to buy every other team in Scotland to achieve it!
Anyway we can still dream, and Aberdeen tomorrow will provide a pretty fair test of how far we have improved this season.
A trip to the Jinglin Geordie last week found Caroline's Fantasy Football team around 40 points clear of the field - quite disturbing. Even more odd was the fact that my own 'Capless Hunts' are sitting pretty in sixth spot! I can only assume that the League statistician Mr Mark Turner was rat-arsed when he updated the latest results. Normality will be restored soon, I'm sure.

Work aside, what else have I been up to? It's been quite a week: a Quiz Night at the Unionist Club on Monday with Edinburgh's Blind Social Club. We won - hurrah! I think we had a distinct advantage in the picture round - only joking, chaps!
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership on Tuesday where racism was the main theme - surprisingly enough received front page coverage in Thursday's Evening News, too. Very sad to hear that the Scotsman's presses will roll for the last time at Newhaven this weekend. I was with The Scotsman when those presses were built - state of the art at tat time. Things are looking pretty bleak for my ex-colleagues with advertising and circulation dropping, and shares through the floor. The shift to printing in Glasgow could be the beginning of the end - a tragedy for the staff, and also for anyone who cares about the future of the media in Scotland.
Wednesday night saw the first meeting of our new community council in Drylaw - I say new, most of the faces are the same but we're almost at full strength. Office bearers remain the same, except for me - I've decided that I will definitely stand down as secretary this year, something I've threatened/promised to do for a while now. It really is time to let someone else take it on so that I can concentrate on some other things: 'Shipman - The Musical' is way behind schedule and my 'Pat the Drunken Plumber' screenplay is also slow to take shape! There's a wee role in a new Pilton Video film that will take some time towards the end of the year too, so it's definitely time to step aside. I'm choking back the tears ...
Talking about 'greetin'', we went to the King's last night to see the stage production of 'Kes'. Beautifully done, but for me no-one could ever replace the late Brian Glover as the Man Utd-loving sadist gym teacher.
Tonight it's a race night in aid of Spartans Community Football Academy, where I guess I will lose my shirt. Speaking of which, I must iron one - here's hoping the iron survives my latest assault.
Speak to you soon; doubtless older, wiser, poorer and more crumpled ...

This week's pic was taken up near Callendar. We've been up there the last couple of weekends - there and Glencoe - and the scenery's stunning in the autumn. Chin chin.

It's time to Thinktastic!

2009-10-12T16:01:00.004+01:00

Apologies once again for the lengthy delay since the last post; so much to do, so little time!
What's been happening down North Edinburgh way? Well, another NEN's out on the streets ('multi-tasking' last week; I was even on deliveries!). Our main story this month is the uncertain future of Royston School. The local primary is earmarked for closure next summer and over recent weeks there have been a number of deputations and consultation meetings; all well attended, all highly-charged but well behaved. The parents have acquitted themselves well and have put forward strong arguments for keeping the school open. No-one could doubt their passion for their school. There is a mighty problem, however. The city council's budget problems have been well documented and Education leader Marilyne MacLaren has had the unenviable job of explaining the rationale behind the closure proposals: in a nutshell, cuts to the Children and Families departmental budget of £14 million for each of the next three years. Ouch ...
Royston's real problem is it's geography: location, location, location. Both of Royston's near neighbours - Forthview and Granton - have spare capacity. It could have been Granton on the hit list, but Granton's nearest neighbour further to the east, Wardie, is a very popular school does not have any spare places. And that - alongside the fact that Forthview is a PPP school with binding contracts for 20 odd years - is the real problem for Royston. Nothing to do with attainment or teaching standards, it's simply a school in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Politicians don't do things that make them unpopular. There isn't a politician of any persuasion who would willingly choose to close a school. It's deeply unpopular, it's long remembered and it costs you votes. It's one of the more unwelcome choices politicians sometimes have to make. Opening new buildings, attending receptions, making speeches at celebratory events - yes, absolutely; voting to close schools ... different ball game entirely.
Tough choices. For administration councillors it's a cold hard welcome to power and to holding the city's purse strings. It's much easier for Opposition parties, of course - oppositions oppose, that's their job. So it seems we're all set for a December showdown, and the very real likelihood of a casting vote by the Lord Provost. Merry Christmas, Royston? We'll see ...

There were some cheerier stories in this month's NEN, though. Oaklands School staged their very own performance of 'Strictly Come Dancing', complete with judges and the voice of the BBC's Alan Dedicot, and it was absolutely brilliant. So much so that a STV film crew stayed for the whole performance - these guys are always chasing tight deadlines so the fact that they stayed to support the whole show speaks volumes.
And members of PROP Stress Centre launched a new tool in the fight to tackle smoking. 'Smoke Signals' is a new resource pack that will be used by smoking cessation workers to encourage discussion around the things that make people smoke. It was a very successful launch - although it deserved wider coverage - and I hope it's a success.
Further afield in Stockbridge (new part of our 'patch') a great-granny had her head shaved by celeb hairdresser Charlie Miller to support a cancer charity. The evening - which included a charity fashion show - was a great success and raised over £4000. Brilliant. Finished up in Hector's, a popular Stockbridge pub. Haven't been there for many years (we spent ages trying to remember all of it's previous names!) but we'll go back there soon.
Back in Stockbridge last weekend for a meal with Granton Information Centre staff. Venue this time was a wee Tex-Mex restaurant tucked away under a Chinese - great food, reasonably priced and a very good night. We'll go back there too.

Oddest event of the month was a 'Thinktastic' event at Easter Road, organised to think up ways of making Neighbourhood Partnerships more exciting - tough challenge! I attended the recent Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership meeting at the Botanics and 'exciting' was not the first word to come to mind ... anyway, the first part of the day was to get all the 'negative vibes' out of the way. Seminar participants were asked to list all the negative things that stop you being creative - you know 'Haven't Got time', 'It's The Council's Fault','Nobody Listens', 'It's No' My Job', etc, etc.
Strangely enough my group really warmed to this task and quickly filled two sheets of flipchart paper. Sadly this exercise was brought to an end too soon - pity, as we were just warming up and really getting into the swing of it!
We moved on to a session where we were asked to think like nine year olds - that age of idealism where everything is possible. We were asked to come up with headlines that we would like to see in the 'Evening News' as written by children. I came up with 'Scott Monument turned into giant Helter Skelter for holidays' and I will wait in anticipation of my dream being realised. Sadly, I think it is even less - but only slightly less - likely to happen than Neighbourhood Partnerships becoming exciting in the near future!

The 'Thinktastic' event was held at Easter Road, and on the park there things have been almost 'thinktastic', too over the last few weeks - there has been some really nice football and it's refreshing to see a Hibs team set out to attack and go for goals. Hibs being Hibs, though, you can't expect two performances of the same quality back to back. Frustrating, exciting, mesmerising and infuriating - all in the space of 90 minutes sometimes! Knocked oot of the CIS Cup by a team they comfortably beat only three days before - that's the Hibs for you. And yet we're still sitting hird in the SPL - imagine if we could introduce some consistency! That would indeed be 'thinktastic' - but again unlikely ...
Meanwhile Brian and I are locked together in our BBC Scotland Predictor mini-league; joint top although admittedly there are only two of us in the League ... in the 'big' league we are jointly sitting around 4000th. In Jingln' Geordies Fantasy Football Caroline is still well up there - her players are picking up lots of points with very irritating regularity. Mine, as you've probably guessed, are not.

Entertainment highlight of the last few week's was 'The Steamie', which we saw at The King's. It's been a long time since I saw the play on television and the stage production was as fresh and as funny as I remembered. Great to be back in the theatre again and I have got tickets for 'Kes' at the same venue later this month. Should be good.

The community council nomination period has come and gone, and for Drylaw Telford it's been the election that never was. Only eight people put themselves forward in our patch, similar numbers to most of our neighbours. I must admit I'm disappointed with the response and I'd expected more interest, but there you are. I think we'll need to organise a 'Thinktastic!' session to get the members suitably motivated ... our annual general meeting will be held on 28 October.

And finally, our Westminster politicians are back at work after a well-earned break. Among their correspondence is a letter from the Standards Commissioner - the expenses saga has resurfaced. Thinktastic, Honourable Members!

The latest snap is autumn sun through the trees at Inverleith. The Botanics' West Gate finally reopened last week and the gardens were very busy on Sunday. It's still a magic place to be in autumn, though, despite the crowds ...

Autumn Arrives

2009-09-21T13:28:00.003+01:00

Public holiday today - slept half of it away and feel like a half-shut knife following a birthday party at the Club last night. That was two late nights (or early mornings, actually) on the trot and the ageing Pickering constitution is not what it once was - recovery is very slow these days!

Highlights and lows since the last post:

Lows:

Only one, really. A rattle from underneath the car necessitated a visit to a local tyre and exhaust centre - no names, no product placement or free advertising here!
I always get a sense of foreboding before visiting these places - and I'm never disappointed. 'We'll have a look at it in five minutes, sir' ...
Forty minutes later, it's 'Would you like to come and have a look at this, sir?'. Well, no, actually but it's a rhetorical question and I dutifully trudge out to inspect the underside of the car (as if I have a clue about what I'm actually looking at).
How often have you heard: 'It's just a bolt worked loose, we've tightened it up and everything's fine now. Go on your way and have a safe and pleasant journey'? No, me neither! Two hours, one exhaust and two tyres - a nice round £300 - later, I was on my way ...

Highs:

Caroline's birthday this week, and, because of work commitments, not one family outing but two. A film and a meal at Ocean Terminal with Knutt on Wednesday then an Indian meal at Far Pavilions in Craigleith with Brian, Kevin and Nicola on Thursday. It was the first time we'd been there and it was very good - not over-priced, a wide-ranging menu and beautifully prepared food. No pubs round about to go for a drink beforehand or afterwards, but other than that it was excellent and a really good night.

Despite feeling distinctly jaded yesterday we managed to do some gardening, clearing one planter and started the process of planting autumn flowering heathers and bulbs for the spring. The summer display was way beyond expectations and if the latest plantings are even half as successful I will be delighted. Having a coffee in the garden on Saturday morning I spent some time watching the autumn leaves drifting down - the trees are changing colour, it's getting dark quite quickly and it seems we've moved into autumn already.

Another 'highlight' was Hibs' result at the weekend - not the performance, just the result. St. Johnstone were the better team for much of the game - had they taken their chances early on the result could have been very different. As it was Hibs had two half-chances in the first half - and took them both. It was a strange game altogether, next to no atmosphere and as quiet as any match I can remember.
Good result though, and some signs of some decent football to come, but I have an uneasy feeling that tomorrow's League Cup game - against the same opposition - may have a different outcome. My prediction: goalless draw, Hibs got out on penalties.
Felt sorry for Hearts yesterday, too. Playing with a centre-half up front due to their lack of striking options Hearts got off to a dream start with a goal in the first five minutes. Celtic weren't great - booed off at half-time, which must be a worry for Tony Mowbray - the Old Firm fans aren't noted for their patience.
However you always felt that there would be a come back, and so it proved. To lose the game deep into injury time must have been soul destroying for the Tynecastle men - even if was entirely predictable.
My Dream Team didn't do too well (no shock there) but my titanic struggle with Brian in the BBC Scotland Predictor challenge continues apace. I have reduced the gap to a solitary point - as John Collins once said 'I am a proud man today'!

The Week Ahead:

Apart from the League Cup it is going to be a busy week at work. Deadline is this Friday and there is a lot to be covered and written up.
It's party conference season: TUC last week, this week it's the Lib Dems. I wish someone would pay me £1 for the number of times the phrase 'tough choices' will be trotted out - I would be a rich man come the end of the conference season, I fancy.
My own 'tough choices' will come later this week when I agonise over which clothes to send to the charity shop - too many clothes, not enough wardrobes. Tough choices indeed. The other, more pressing tough choice: ready salted or cheese and onion crisps to go with a sandwich as I write. Sometimes there's just too much choice ...

Back next week - who knows, I may even get back to Sunday posting! In the meantime the tough choice has been made. It's official - it's Ready Salted for me.

I leave you with a picture of Mahon harbour - hard to believe that was only three weeks ago ...

Blooming Amazing!

2009-09-16T16:21:00.002+01:00

Late posting again, can't seem to get back into the old routine of posting on Sundays - too many other more pressing things to do. Sunday evenings are almost invariably spent at the Unionist Club with my dad, while Sunday morning and afternoons - indeed the whole weekend - just seem to fly by and we're then into a new week again.
Anyway, the highlights and the lowlights of the last ten days:

HIGHLIGHTS:
1. I've got tomatoes! Despite my scabby wee shrivelled tomato plants looking distinctly sick before we went on holiday, we returned to find them bowed over due to the weight of the fruit they were bearing! Two 'crops' of wee cherry tomatoes have been picked so far, and they were very tasty too.
I am now almost self-sufficient in food - if I only eat tomatoes (soup, tomato salad, tomato ketchup, tomato sauce crisps) - and I am proud to be doing my bit for the eco-system. I have gone Green - although that may be due to eating too many tomatoes.

2. We called into the Jinglin' last Friday - it's been a while and I thought I should check the progress (or lack of it) of my Dream Team. I seem to have an amazing knack of picking players who are, basically, piss poor. Before their name goes down on my team sheet they are world-beaters, the moment I submit my entry they turn into complete duffers! Last season my players were seized by a collective lurgy - if they weren't injured they were dropped - and this time round I seem to have selected a bunch of assassins: five different 'stars' have been sent off so far this season, and we've hardly begun!
Anyway my team lurks around mid-table - quite respectable for me - but the shock is that Caroline's team sits proudly at the top of the league! She was joint Manager of the Month in August, resulting in a prize of five drinks, which went immediately.
In the past, Brian or I have picked teams on Caroline's behalf - after all, what do girlies know about football? - with limited success. Picking her own team she is now competing with the elite. Clearly beginners' luck, although if she is to triumph again I will gladly share the spoils of victory. I'm not proud!

3. Work is picking up after the holidays, and I was delighted to attend the formal 'opening' of the revamped Drylaw Park last Friday (before hitting the 'Dream Team' bevvy, naturally!) The former Easter Drylaw Recreation Ground is looking very good and was packed with kids and their parents, and I hope it gets the chance to stay that way.

4. A trip up to the Pentlands on Sunday afternoon. I don't think I've ever spent any time there before and it was truly peaceful - not too many people about despite the unseasonably good weather. It's vast, there's a lot to see and I'll go back again soon.

LOWLIGHTS:

1. Hard to believe, but the shops have started displaying their Christmas stuff, and we're weeks away from Halloween!

2. Brown and the 'c' word. What a lot of fuss over nothing! Our country is £trillions in debt. Is there anyone out there who thought that Gordon would be able to steer the nation back to economic stability without having to slash public spending? These are clearly the same people who believe the Christmas season starts in early September! It's a pity it took Brown so long to admit the inevitable and say what we've all known for so long, but that delay won't be a surprise to his many critics, who point out that he has a long history of 'previous' in terms of obfuscation, prevarication, omission and bare-faced lying.

3. Scotland's dismissal from the World Cup. A valiant effort, but alas too late - again ... at least we can cheer on England (whisper it, but references to '66 have already been made!) Believe me it's going to become intolerable as the event draws closer - either stop watching TV and buying newspapers, emigrate, or go out and buy an England top and support our lovable neighbours!

4. Hibs letting the side down again on Sunday. Chance to go third in the League, playing the (pointless) team propping up the table. Result? Defeat, of course! Hibs are looking a lot more purposeful than last season and there's a lot of positives so far, but consistency clearly still eludes them. Come back Mixu, all is forgiven! (I jest, of course).

See you next week - or maybe Sunday. Tomato tart for tea tonight - yum yum!!

Back to Reality

2009-09-06T16:09:00.004+01:00

I'm back in toon.
I've had a tremendous holiday - the first time I've been abroad for two weeks for over twenty years, and for now at least I've got the tan to prove it!
Our holiday took in Paris (very expensive but a beautiful city), Barcelona (a very modern city with some stunning architecture)and seven days sailing the Med, dropping in to various wee coves and towns along the Menorcan coastline. There were so many sights to see and things to do; simply an unforgettable holiday.
There's nothing worse than boring people with your holiday snaps; we took over 900 between us, so the two above are just the tiniest of samples - I'll post more when time permits.
Got back to Edinburgh on Friday evening - temperatures were a bit different than we've been used to and I think jumpers and long sleeve shirts will be the order of the day now. Vests, teeshirts, shorts and sandals will be stored away for another day (probably wise in the interests of sartorial elegance anyway.)

Lockerbie - smoke, mirrors and more questions than answers
Didn't see or read any UK news while I was away, so catching up on the latest twists and turns of the Lockerbie case which broke just before we left Edinburgh. Seems more and more info is being leaked out, and the focus has shifted to deals done by Blair's government to ease trade and tap into the economic opportunities offered by dealing with Libya.
When the news of the prisoner release broke I was disgusted by the line being peddled by the BBC - that this move was a major mistake by the Scottish government that will result in an anti-SNP backlash. Whether is was or not, whether it will or not (and I doubt it) is really not the main issue - and the BBC knew that full well. I don't know whether the convicted man was guilty or not - there are certainly enough grounds to question the verdict, including the with-holding of potentially crucial evidence - and I fear that, now, we never will.
Qui bono? Mr Megrahi certainly, but there are shadowy other parties who will be very happy to put this story to bed too.
There's a huge story in there waiting to come out but the chances of a public inquiry now appear slim - doubtless to the huge relief of the Washington and Westminster governments, despite their synthetic 'anger' over the release. In the pragmatic world of international world of diplomacy (certainly when huge contracts are at stake) yesterday's bogeyman becomes today's best buddy. The whole thing stinks from top to bottom, and the families of the bereaved deserve better. Just who planted that bomb, and who knew?

The Highs and Lows of Scotland
After the humiliation by Norway last month Scotland looked a bit more polished against the mighty Herzegovina - although it may have been a different story of the visitors had had their shooting boots on. I was struck by the number of ex-Hearts and Hibs players on display - I wonder how many would have made the frame had they still been plying their trade in Edinburgh? Whatever, we're in for another rollercoaster evening on Wednesday when the Dutch masters come calling. Another hiding, or a glorious victory against the odds? Neither, I fancy - expect a heartbreaking last minute defeat, that's Scotland's style. And if the impossible was to happen and we do beat Holland, expect more misery in the playoffs. It's in Scotland's psyche - glorious failure. So I won't be booking my ticket to South Africa just yet. And yet, and yet ...

Keith Waterhouse
Sad to hear of the death of the incomparable Keith Waterhouse. 'Billy Liar', which I first read at High School, was one of the finest novels I ever read and remains a favourite to this day.

Back to Basics
Back to work tomorrow - 400+ emails to trawl through (95% of which will be of no interest whatsoever, inevitably). The X Factor is back. My Fantasy Football team is already looking slightly distressed, and I am struggling near the foot of Radio Scotland's Predictor League (5000th and dropping alarmingly) in less than a month. It's cold and miserable outside; the central heating's on.
After a fortnight of high adventure on the open water (I will not regale you with my tales of derring do on the heaving seas for now), it's back to reality. It is nice to use a shower that doesn't throw you around when you're in it, though! Welcome home!

I'm Off ...

2009-08-23T16:22:00.002+01:00

It's taken ages to come around, but I'm off on holiday at last.
The bucket and spade are packed, the hankie's been knotted and it's nearly time to go. No blogging for the next couple of weeks then; it's sun, sea and sand for me!
I've decided against taking those fetching Saltire swimming trunks, however. Shame that ...

Festival Frenzy

2009-08-10T17:08:00.031+01:00

August, it's pissing down ... yes, it's Fringe time!
A citizen of Edinburgh can do one of three things in August. You can go away on holiday, or buy in a load of provisions and stay at home all month. Or you can embrace all the joys and theatre of the world's biggest arts festival.
When I worked in town I freely admit I quickly grew tired of the relentless jollity of it all - pavements knee deep in unwanted fliers and your path constantly blocked by festival goers in no particular hurry to go anywhere. And yes, I'll admit I often found solace in the Jinglin' Geordie, an oasis of tranquility amid the Festival mayhem. No Fringe frolics there; it was pretty much a festival-free zone save for the odd (they're always odd) flyposter or the tourist who took a wrong turning only to find himself transported to a bygone Edinburgh and the pub that time forgot!
This year, though, I have decided to support the Fringe - it's not been inflicted on me, it's a choice I've made. On Friday I went into town to soak up the atmosphere (and a few cocktails in Tonic (see previous posting)) with street theatre on Princes Street and the High Street. Great atmosphere, but felt really embarrassed at the state of Princes Street - what a dreadful advertisement for Edinburgh.
Saturday was a day of rest, save for a brief visit to an art exhibition at Granton's Lighthouse in the evening - see, I am not adverse to a spot of culture although it was way over my head. And I won't be 'doing' any contemporary dance, either.
Sunday: music, Jools Holland and his big band at the Playhouse (terrific) and tonight it's performing arts and theatre with shows in Chambers Street and the Royal College of Surgeons. Four days in and I'm starting to get a wee bit tetchy. I have invented a new Festival game to keep myself amused, though. I will accept fliers from everyone who offers one, but every fifth person will be whacked over the heid with a copy of this year's Fringe Guide (which is pretty heavy). The flyer-offerers are not enjoying it much but I think it's great fun, and may launch the idea as an alternative Fringe performance next year.
Anyway, must dash - there are performances to be seen and over-priced drinks to be bought. The show must go on - au revoir!

I have attached some images from my epic journey into the heart of Luvvie Land for your delectation (see above).

Midweek Update

2009-07-30T21:48:00.004+01:00

What on earth is Davie doing posting at this time on a Thursday evening, I hear you cry. Well, I thought I heard you cry. Perhaps it was the sound of a nocturnal contract bin-man out on his rounds!
Nah, posting has been a wee bit erratic of late - still pestered by the well-documented allergy problem - so I thought I had better try to catch up before the urge to blog goes forever. What's new?

Work
Well, NEN's August issue went to print today - that's four weeks since the staffing hours were cut due to a chronic funding shortfall. Our Board decided to cut each of our working weeks to 24.5 hours, commencing on 1 July.
It's been slightly surreal finishing work in the middle of the afternoon, and I'm still wrestling to get my head round a new way of working, but it's all about managing your time properly. The August paper tends to be a small one as the schools (and a lot of projects) are off in July, but there was still no shortage of material for this month's paper. I hope that the readership will notice no difference to the content. Quite a bit of Inverleith content this month too.
And what have I been doing with these precious afternoon hours? Actually very little. I get home, sit in an armchair and fall asleep! I trust this is a side-effect of my medication.

Sport
Well, I predictably got the winner of the Open wrong - at least I was right about there being a play-off, pity the names were wrong! Felt really sorry for Tom Watson - he'll never have a better opportunity to make history and I fear it can't happen now.
And I renewed my season ticket for more misery at Easter Road. I did this just after Mixu's departure - not because John Hughes was taking over, but all the signs were that Setanta was going belly-up and the coverage of SPL football would be severely curtailed, so I got that bit right.
I hope for the best at Easter Road - Yogi has got to be a better tactician than Mixu, and he has proved to be a real motivator. However he's working with some distinctly average raw material - Jones is a huge loss, more so than Fletcher I think, and no-one has come in to really strengthen the squad. Our wee Moroccan wizard may be back but I won't be pinning my hopes on him - great player when in the mood, a real natural talent, but too often anonymous when things not going well. Maybe his spell away has matured him - I hope so, because I think it will be another long hard struggle this term. Maybe the quality of the football on display will improve - and let's be honest, it couldn't get much worse! - but I've learned not to expect too much.
Elsewhere, it seems Hearts' financial problems have risen to the surface once again which must be a concern for Hearts supporters. They had a very successful season last term with a fairly mediocre team, and I hope for their sake they can retain their coach and find a decent striker from somewhere. Can't see them finishing third again, though - it's Dundee United or perhaps Motherwell for me.
And I'm delighted to see Tony Mowbray back in Scotland. I think Mowbray is a terrific coach and, if he's given time (a big if, that) he'll have Celtic playing the attacking football their fans like to see. Last night's poor European result aside, to me they look like SPL certainties.
Wimbledon: Alas, poor Andy ... those speculators who spent thousands of pounds on Men's Final tickets must have been absolutely gutted when Murray went out in the semi-finals. However if they were real fans they must have appreciated a spell-binding final, one of the all-time classics. Murray's turn will come, I'm sure of it.

Leisure
I've been to the cinema twice over the last month, something of a record for me. 'Public Enemies' tells a somewhat romanticised version of bank robber John Dillinger's story - good film for old-fashioned mobster flicks, though.
And the latest Harry Potter. Great escapist adventure for all ages, even if Alan Rickman should be arrested for hamming it up to ridiculous levels. I don't want to spoil the ending if you haven't seen the movie yet, but DUMBLEDORE's DEID!!! Sorry, it just slipped out...
Went out for a run on my birthday - no, not jogging, that's just ridiculous - up around Aberfeldy, Kinloch Rannoch (pictured above) and Pitlochry. Stunning scenery.

The Garden
The garden has continued to bloom is still looking pretty stunning, despite all the rain we've had. The oft-discussed Yorkshire Lavender (above) has come on leaps and bounds, and alongside a selection of mints makes up a 'sensory patch'. Beautiful aromas - it's probably all this stuff that kicked off the hay fever in the first place. Gggrrr ...
As well as all the usual winged visitors of recent months there have been a couple of new arrivals. The feeding station under the lilac tree (how gay does that sound - Little Lord Fauntleroy eat yer heart out!) was visited by a squirrel last week, and a wee while ago another mammal also slipped over the garden fence from the railway to enjoy a snack. Grey in colour, long thin tail ... I'm convinced it was an otter but Caroline reckons it was something less welcome. I have to grudgingly admit that she may be right - bird (and rodent) feeding has been put on hold meantime.

News
Very sad to hear about the death of the last surviving WW1 'Tommy' Harry Patch, who died last week. Harry fought in the trenches, and was a machine gunner in the infamous battle of Paschendaele when he was wounded by shrapnel. You saw Harry quite a lot over recent years, laying wreaths and attending remembrance parades - the last of the few.
Wars are different today, of course. These days, we witness the almost daily ritual now of military planes returning from Afghanistan, bearing the bodies of British soldiers, and of quiet streets lined with mourners in Wooton Bassett. The death toll there is rising - there seems to be another casualty every other day - but a soldier's death over there still makes the news headlines here. They'll read out the names in sombre tones as the coffins are carefully taken off the plane.
Back in WW1, in Harry's time, Britain lost 19,000 dead in just one day (57,000 including wounded) on the first day of the Somme. And at Paschendaele, where Harry fought and soldiers literally drowned in liquid mud, the casualty figures were even higher. Hundreds of thousands of young men lost their lives in a futile, hopeless campaign that eventually stuttered to a halt: it gained a few hundred yards of useless, waterlogged ground.
An old war, a new war but there are similarities. Back in 1916, when unrest was growing about increasingly-lengthening casualty lists, we first heard the phrase 'lions led by donkeys'. Today, it's not the officers to blame but the politicians, with anger about our troops being handicapped by a lack of equipment.
And in 1914, some people were asking: what are we fighting for? What has the murder of a Serbian arch-duke in Sarajevo got to do with us? In 1914 we came to the aid of 'little Belgium'; that was the purpose of our involvement.
And today, what are we fighting in Afghanistan for? To allow democracy to flourish, apparently, and to clear the country of the elements we decide are a threat to our nation's interests. In both cases diplomacy and negotiation has failed.
Historians will point out that big, powerful nations do not win wars in Afghanistan, but it seems our leaders are not learning these lessons. At what point do we walk away, what constitutes victory? No-one talks of a 'war to end all wars' any more.
The final similarity, of course, is the grief. Whether a lone soldier in Afghanistan killed by enemies he may never have seen, or a wounded Tommy drowning in the mud and fifth of Flanders, death is death. And the pain felt by the families of today's victims is exactly the pain and loss felt by the hundreds of thousands of parents, wives and children of those soldiers such a long time ago.
Age shall not weary them ... feeling a bit down tonight; could be the medicine kicking in. Goodbye, Harry - it's a bit like losing a grandfather you never really knew, and now you know you never will.

In sickness and in health

2009-07-19T11:01:00.002+01:00

The blog has been reading more like 'Doctor Findlay's Casebook' than an exciting journal of adventure and exploration lately, with whinges about sniffles and aches and pains. Well, sad to relate, reader, there's been more of the same over the last couple of weeks. Lethargy, fatigue, sair eyes, raw throat, tight chest - nothing too alarming but when all taken together just enough to drag you down. It's shown no sign of shifting by itself so I finally relented and went to the doctor on Friday.
Like most people I'm not particularly keen on visiting the doc's - you don't want to hear you've got something wrong with you! Being a part-qualified medical professional myself (I once attended a two day YTS first aid course but I didn't get my 'degree' because I was off sick for the second day!) my self-diagnosis was a respiratory infection. Having said that, I read an article by my old mate Martin Hannan in The Scotsman this week that had me a wee bit worried. Like me, Martin is slightly on the portly side and also won't see fifty again, and his article told the alarming story of his experience of being prescribed some heavy duty courses of statins to tackle high levels of cholesterol. In short, the treatment made big Martin very ill and drove him to to brink of madness (some would argue that Martin isn't that far off that tipping point anyway, but I digress ...)
Anway, the reason I brink up Martin's case is that I was called into my doctor's surgery for an 'MOT' when I reached 50, and was told my cholesterol was too high. I, too, was offered statins but declined - I decided instead t introduce a new 'healthy living' regime including walking, cutting down on smoking and eating healthily. After a bright start (approximately two weeks, maybe) I relapsed. As part of my new healthy lifestyle I went swimming, only to catch a particularly nasty dose of athlete's foot - I reckoned that was God's way of telling me that this lifestyle was not for me. I've always felt guilty about it, though, and feared the worst when I visited the doctor on Friday - a battery of blood tests, lectures and a dull grey life devoid of lager, crisps and fags.
However, it was not to be - but there was another shock in store. My doctor reckons I was showing all the symptoms of hay fever - something I've never suffered from in my life - and prescribed me antihistamines!
No blood tests, no lectures or dire warnings - nowt! Hay fever - if that's what I've got - I will cope with. Otherwise, a life of Golden Wonder, pies, Regal and ice cold lager beckons - yippeee!

The picture is Crail harbour - really nothing to do with sickness or health, but we stopped off there one evening recently for a 'healthy' fish supper!

Wide Open

2009-07-19T10:32:00.003+01:00

The final round of the Open is underway, and it seems to be wide open - there are thirteen players within five shots of the lead and another eight just one stroke further back. Conditions seem fairly benign today, so scoring should be better but you just never know with that coastal wind - if it picks up it can cause carnage.
At the start of the tournament, with Tiger Woods a ridiculously short price in the betting market, I took four against the field - Jiminez, Westwood, Justin Rose and Vijay Singh - and they've all been there or thereabouts over the first three days; Jiminez even led overnight on Thursday. Turnberry tamed the Tiger, but all of my selections made the cut. Yesterday was costly, though, and now only Westwood has a realistic chance of winning. It is a very realistic chance, however - he has been steady, consistent, is making very few errors and he could well do it.
Westwood would be a hugely popular winner, but there are a couple of others who would be even more popular with the headline writers. 'Old' Tom Watson, heading the field at the age of 59 and going for a record-equalling sixth Open victory. It would be a wonderful story, but the weight of history will be bearing down on Tom's narrow shoulders as he's cheered by thousands of well wishers from shot to shot. I'd love to be proved wrong (and, let's face it, I usually am!)but I think the pressure and emotion will prove just too much for Tom this afternoon.
And what about young Ross Fisher? He's well up there, and with his wife due to give birth to their first child at any minute what a fairytale story this would be. If Ross can cope with that external pressure and win the Open - a huge ask - will he call his new child Open or Turnberry?
It will all unfold this afternoon and I'm sure there will be plenty of ups and downs before the Open winner is crowned this evening - a play-off is a distinct possibility. My heart says Tom Watson, but my head says Westwood, Cink and Furyk will be fighting it out at the business end. And don't rule out Retief Goosen, either - he never gives up. Here's hoping for some inclement weather just to give it a wee bit of added spice!

The above picture isn't Turnberry - it's storm clouds boiling over the city skyline the other night.

I'm Back ...

2009-07-04T12:58:00.002+01:00

Sorry about the interruption to service, dear reader (yes, I know you're out there!) I was switten - yes, smitten - by a severe respatory infection around the ten days ago and it's only really over the last couple of days that I can honestly say that I'm back to full, rude health again. (Why is health 'rude', incidentally?)
Lashing with sweat one minute, freezing cold and shivering the next (and sometimes both at the same time, honestly!) it wasn't a lot of fun.
To show you just how serious it all was, I even called off two social engagements last weekend. As one who would never in normal circumstances miss even the opening of an envelope (or so my wife reckons) that just about says it all.
I blame bloody Jura and those billions of midgies (or midgets as they were called by a Dutch contributor on Radio Scotland's Out of Doors thsi morning!) Either Jura or Drylaw's first swine 'flu case - but I did not develop the tell-tale snout or curly wee tail so I don't think it was that ...
Anyway whatever it was it has gone, I hope, and normal blogging will resume forthwith. And just to let you see that I have lost none of my legendary sense of humour I attach a cartoon I received from my old pal George 'The Grey Panther' Henderson of Scottish Pensioners Association fame ... nice one, Panther!

Be back soon

Jura Too

2009-06-21T18:00:00.010+01:00

If a picture paints a thousand words, here's a few images of Jura that should tell a nice story(all midges have been Photshopped out!)

Jura Duty

2009-06-21T16:03:00.002+01:00

No blogging last weekend - I was over in Jura for a short break. Jura was known as 'The Island of The Deer' by the Norsemen, and even today the human population - around 200 hardy souls, and I think I may have met half of them - is heavily outnumbered by deer. They believe there are 5 - 6,000 deer on the island, and with vast tracts of Jura only accessible by foot there may be more.
It's a wonderfully unspoilt wilderness; tiny hamlets and crofts sprinkled here and there but in the main it's sea, huge open skies and vast swathes of lush green landscape.
George Orwell wrote 1984 there, and you can see the appeal of Jura for someone who wanted to get right away from people to write in peace. It's not an easy island to get to anyway, and even today the house in which Orwell wrote his classic novel can opnly be accessed by foot after a rough 4X4 track comes to an abrupt end - I think there's a three mile slog after that. Other than tackling that I decided to just re-read the book instead. Not because of the walk itself, which I could have handled - it was the inevitable accompaniment of a million midges that put me off.
Two hundred people, five thousand deer but there must be a billion midges out there - and it seemed that every last single one had an appetite for cosmopolitan flesh and blood! Hotel, bar, restaurant, out walking - they were never far away, loitering with murderous intent ... evil little bastards. I think I can now see why Orwell's novel was so gloomy - I'm sure he too was plagued by them when he ventured out for a stroll.
Anyway, midges aside Jura is a magical place - perfect for peace and solitude, stunning scenery and a walkers delight. I do hope to return one day - but it won't be during midgie season!

Broon's Doon ...

2009-06-08T17:46:00.003+01:00

...but he's no' oot yet!
The make-or-break meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party is less than an hour away, but it's becoming far less likely that the much-anticipated revolt will now take place - the revolution has been cancelled.
The expenses scandal, a dire economic outlook, awful local election results, a ham-fisted cabinet reshuffle, more resignations, all followed by the worst Euro election results in living memory (and another resignation today): it could be quite a busy agenda!
The word is that Mandy's 'enforcers' have been been extremely busy over the weekend, issuing dire threats of exposes (sexual, financial, you name it - it'll be leaked to the press)should any malcontent step out of line. Yes, a sizeable number of brave (foolhardy?) footsoldiers have shown their heads above the parapet, but my guess is that the outcome of tonight's meeting will be ... a show of unity and a ringing endorsement of Gordon Brown!
Frankly, it's really not a good time for anyone to take over the job as Labour leader, and no-one - save Charles Clarke maybe? - wants it. That's the real problem for the rebels. And if Brown did decide to go, an election would surely have to follow and that would be armageddon for the Labour Party (and oblivion for scores of Labour MPs). No, let's stick it out - the economy has got to pick up soon, memories of the expenses scandal will fade and a Labour recovery is just possible. 'We'll just get on with doing the job' ...and an extra twelve months salary and expenses might just creep into the thinking here too.
So will it be Flash Gordon (saviour of the economy,saviour of the nation) or Busted Flush Gordon, the worst Prime Minister in living memory and the man who presided over the demise of a once-great political movement?
The Labour MPs will let us know soon ...
As the song said, 'Things Can Only Get Better'!

D Day

2009-06-04T17:54:00.003+01:00

I've just voted. A two mile queue and a three hour wait, but it was worth it ...
I jest of course; checking at some of the local Polling Stations earlier today the general consensus was summed up: 'very slow, almost full stop'. Turnout at the last Euro election was poor, but this could be even lower. What that may mean in terms of results is difficult to gauge.
Sometimes there's just too much choice (!). There are no less than thirteen Parties and an Independent on the ballot paper here in Scotland - although no space on the form for 'None of the Above' - and only six seats available.
Given the establishment Parties' current woes over expenses, will we see a massive protest vote? Less so in Scotland I think; traditional Labour supporters are more likely to stay at home other than vote for another party. My guess is that Labour may lose one MEP, and the Greens will be the party to benefit. (This exclusive prediction from the pundit who finished 1567th in Radio Scotland's Predictor competition).
Our friends down south have local elections too, so Labour is braced for a serious 'doing' on two fronts. It doesn't help much when your Communities Minister resigns the day before the election, either. That said, Labour did particularly badly last time round in the local government elections so there can't be an awful lot more to lose - can there? Given the turbulence of the last couple of weeks it seems inevitable that Labour will still lose an awful lot more council seats across the country. UK wide, it's being suggested that Labour could drop to fourth place overall, polling around 20% or even less. Should that happen - and it's far from impossible - Gordon Brown's position, already precarious, would become untenable.
We live in fascinating and very unpredictable political times. Will the BNP gain a Brussels seat? Will UKIP finish second? Will we see a Green resurgence? And, with open revolt surfacing within the Parliamentary Labour Party, (and that's before the election results) will Gordon Brown still be Prime Minister come next Tuesday morning?

2009-06-02T08:04:00.002+01:00

Back to work this morning after a long and unusually hot weekend of gardening and some cold lager.
Last week was a pleasantly busy one at work, with a mixed bag of jobs from school art exhibitions and nursery awards to community clean-ups, building work at Silverlea and Boys Brigade presentations. We also met with members of the NEN board to help decide the future direction of the paper - the board meets next week to consider options.
Our community council also held it's AGM - in Drylaw Church this year - my last AGM as secretary (choking back the tears as I write ...!)
It's another mixed bag this week - a local Volunteers' event, a Waterfront Edinburgh update and more schools activities; it's already clear that there will be no shortage of stories for our July paper.
The European elections take place this Thursday, and many polls are predicting that Labour may well finish behind UKIP. If that does happen - and voters are still very angry about expenses - will Gordon go? I still can't see it - a swift reshuffle could see Darling, Blears and Hoon shifted or moved out, though. But not enough to appease the public, I would guess.
Honourable Members are clinging on for dear life - clinging on like a particularly persistent, uncomfortable and sometimes painful case of haemorroids. Some are apparently seeking a shift upstairs to the Lords following their years of selfless public service - that wouldn't go down too well, either!
Compare the speed at which changes are made in Scotland's wee diddy SPL - three managers gone within a week of the season ending! A 25% cull - now there's decisive action for you!
On the expenses theme, I have a dilemma. I found out last week that I was the lucky winner of a hamper following a free raffle at a Forth Neighbourhood Partnership event held recently in Telford College. Should I accept the prize, and incur the wrath of a particularly dodgy local website? And should I be declaring the hamper in my expenses returns. A real test of my moral compass, eh? Oh dear, what to do!?

See you next week (by which time the hamper issue will have been resolved - I will drink the evidence.) Incidentally, following the weekend heatwave I have rethought my nick-name: The Balloon has now become The Lobster!

This week's pic is local youngsters having a splashing time at a Fun Day held to celebrate Ferryhill's fiftieth birthday.

The Name Game

2009-05-31T15:15:00.003+01:00

I wish I had a nickname - a really good nickname. A superhero nickname. All week we've been hearing and reading about 'The Hawk', who absconded from an open prison. I can't remember his real name, and that doesn't really matter - he's The Hawk.
Next time he appears in front of a judge, we'll hear: 'The Hawk, (or, on a point of law, will that be Mr. Hawk?) you have been convicted of a heinous crime ...'
Nicknames are beloved of the tabloid press, particularly gangsters. There's 'The Enforcer', 'The Iceman', 'Fatboy' ... try calling a West of Scotland boozer and asking for if there's a Fat Boy in the bar, and let me know how you get on.
Sport, too. There's Fergie, Coisty, Gazza, Mogga, Macca ... loads of (granted, fairly unimaginative) nicknames, but it's better than typing out names with more than five or six letters. All the best ones have nicknames. Other athletes too: remember 'Eddie the Eagle'? Conceded, that was taking the pish ...
Even the darts players have got nicknames, and some of them sound like mighty warriors: 'The Power' and 'The Viking', for example.
And our politicians, too. They were not always known as 'The Thieving B*stard Honourable Member for ....'. In less turbulent times there were The 'Chingford Skinhead', 'The Beast of Bolsover', 'Two Brains', 'Tarzan', the 'Welsh Windbag'. And today of course we have Gorbals Mick.
So I need a nickname too. But not just any old nickname - as you can imagine with a surname like Pickering, nicknames were not in short supply at school. I survived - emotionally scarred, but I survived.
I went for years without a nickname, and lived quite happily without one, but it's time for a change. Either a nickname or a tattoo - and at least you can change your nickname if you don't like it!
I do have a nickname. Hurtfully, my daughter Knutt refers to me as 'The Gimp' - and even more hurtfully everyone knows to whom she is referring - so I'm looking for something a bit more substantial than that. Those pumped-up American wrestlers seem to have stolen all the best names, which is irritating, so henceforth - unless I receive any other better suggestions - I shall be known as ... The Balloon. Sounds like a winner to me ...

2009-05-24T19:57:00.002+01:00

The week in politics

What more can I say? Two-hundred odd (yes, some distinctly odd!) revelations down, four hundred plus to go. More than enough juicy revelations to take us up to the English local and Euro elections, and we've not even touched on second jobs, directorships or those infamous 'fact finding' trips to sunny climes yet. The Establishment is calling 'enough is enough'; the bishops and the political classes issue dire warnings of votes for those sinister minority parties - God forbid that anyone should consider voting for anything other than the mainstream; enough is enough, let's draw a line under this nasty affair, 'learn the lessons' and basically get back to business as usual. Er, no,chaps, that's not going to happen anytime soon.
We live in a democracy - maybe a very battered and bruised, discredited democracy but a democracy nonetheless. Should voters decide to put their cross against a 'minority' party, however odious their views, that's their choice. Unlike too many of our political 'leaders', I don't think that the electorate is stupid. Bogeyman stories about the BNP or UKIP won't scare them back into line; if they vote for those parties it's because they want to. They don't have to - they could just spoil their ballot papers if they chose to, or just not bother voting at all. Dangerous? No, just democracy. And if there is an increase in votes for the smaller parties, or for Independents, the establishment parties really have no-one to blame but themselves.

The more you spend, the more you save!

I really can't be allowed out shopping on my own - I have too keen an eye for a bargain (Caroline points out that something is only a bargain if you need it, but she clearly has no idea about the game at all). If I go to the shops for basics like bread or milk, I will invariably unearth a bargain - cans of dog food: buy six and get six free, for example. Too good to miss - even although I don't have a dog. Over recent months I have been trying hard to curtail this habit, and I've been fairly successful. This weekend I was really put to the test, however. I had two jobs to attend over at Craigleith Retail Park - the Marks & Spencer extension opening (complete with a PENNY BAZAAR)and Sainsbury's 140th birthday celebrations (25%, yes 25% off all clothing!)- bargains galore! I also had a job to cover at Ocean Terminal - all those shops to pass, deals aplenty. Everywhere I turned, more bargains! With an iron will, however, I turned a blind eye and walked on by. Even HMV (a CD deal frenzy) was ignored. I felt pretty good, but relapsed slightly when I went for a haircut on West Granton Road. Couldn't resist a wee look in Lidl, and left the store with around £5 worth of goodies - wild bird food (I've already got tons of the stuff) and a pepper plant (or capsicum aaruum, or somesuch). I've got to be honest, I've no real need for a pepper plant, I don't know what to do with a pepper plant, I'm not really too fussed about peppers generally but hey, at £1.49 - how could I resist? Caroline helpfully suggested what I could do with the pepper plant, but I have put it in a growbag instead ....

Garden Update

And sticking with the horticulture theme, a wee progress report on the garden. I did indeed plant my pepper in a growbag (well, Caroline did), alongside two tomato plants I also bought recently (for no good reason; but more bargains!)at a PEP Neighbourhood Group fundraiser. Soon, no doubt, I will be able to eat for free, living off the fat of the land (as long as it's a tomato and pepper salad, anyway). We also bought a load of end-of-season annuals to brighten up the garden a bit, and my dad came down this morning (pictured above, a study of horticultural concentration) to cast an expert eye over proceedings and help with planting. It's all beginning to look pretty good, although with minimal interference from me it's hard to claim any credit. My own particular specialisms (I use the term loosely) are the Yorkshire lavender (I look at it every day) and the nature/wildlife 'project' (I hung up a bird feeder and fill it up). Well wonder of wonders but the lavender is really sprouting - the threat of relegation back to bleak old Yorkshire has clearly worked the oracle.
And as for the bird feeder, it's been a delight. I received a RSPB pictorial guide to garden birds (unfortunately no sea eagles) and I have managed to tick quite a few off. All the usual suspects - sparrows, pigeons, blackbirds and magpies - but quite a few colourful wee visitors too: chaffinches, blue tits and great tits among them.
The tits are attracted by fat balls which I have hung by the seed feeder. No matter how I try to word the last sentence it just sounds worse and worse, and it just deteriorates when I introduce 'pricking out' and 'dead heading' from my list of gardening 'things to do'. Great tits indeed - fnarr, fnarr! I will leave this subject before it degenerates further - who would have thought you could pack so many double entendres into a wee garden space?

The Sporting Week

Congratulations to Falkirk for managing to avoid the drop. I saw Falkirk at Easter Road early in the season and admired the way they tried to play their football. John Hughes' insistence in continuing to try to play attractive attacking football almost cost him dear, but he's a good bloke and I'm delighted Falkirk have survived.
I do feel sorry for Dundee United, though, losing out on a European place. Craig Levein is a very talented manager and his team played some great football during this season. They say dodgy decisions even themselves out over the course of a season but I don't think that's been the case with Dundee United. They've been the victims of some shockers and it's ultimately cost them dear.
Congratulations, too, to Rangers for breaking Celtic's dominance of the League in recent years. It's hardly been a vintage season for either half of the Old Firm but that won't bother the boys in blue. A win's a win, and for both halves of Glasgow coming second is nowhere - the clamour for Strachan's head grows as we speak. Despite his past achievements at Parkhead Wee Gordon has never really fitted in with some elements of the Celtic faithful; perhaps there's an opening here for Michael Marti should he choose to pursue a new career outside politics?
And it's farewell, too, to Jimmy Calderwood of Aberdeen. The betanned Bernie Winters lookalike is moving out; another very likable bloke, but being a good guy sometimes just isn't enough. I finished the Radio Scotland SPL Predictor competition in 1567th place; I don't think I qualify for a European spot but I believe I've avoided relegation (scared to check how many people actually took part, though!)

The sporting highlight of this week for me though was a Channel Four documentary repeated last night on one of the satellite stations. It told the story of Mohammed Ali and 'Smokin' Joe' Frazier and the build up and background to their epic 'Thriller in Manila'. It was painful to watch - not just the physical pain of two giants hammering each other to within inches of their lives,but the mental aftermath. Smokin' Joe is a shadow of his former self, shuffling around a run-down gym in Philadelphia's badlands. Joe is a bitter man - he'll never forgive Ali for the taunts of 'Uncle Tom' and the gorilla quips. Ali has apologised to Frazier's family and he also apologised in the New York Times, but he never apologised to Joe himself - and, ravaged by Parkinsons disease, he's never likely to now. Frazier was asked to comment when Ali was asked to light the Olympic flame: his response - "If I was stood behind him I'd a pushed him in". The fire's gone out of 'Smokin Joe's eyes but the embers of rage still smoulder away deep inside. That heavyweight contest was acknowledged to be one of the greatest fights of all time - fourteen gruelling, punishing rounds in a cauldron of heat where neither man would flinch or give an inch. Raw brutality and almost unbearable punishment - round after round after round of bludgeoning couldn't separate the titans. During the final break, despite his appeals to go on Frazier's corner refused to let him out for the final round. Joe was almost blind; he couldn't defend himself but he wanted to get in there again one last time, banging and slashing away in the only style he knew. In the other corner Ali was physically exhausted, his battered and bruised body in spasms of agony. He'd had enough, begging his seconds to cut his gloves off. They didn't, Ali got his Pyrrhic victory, but so his torso had been so hammered that his urine ran blood red for days afterwards. Neither man was ever the same after that titanic struggle - they left part of their souls in that ring in Manila - but it seems that Joe will fight it over and over until he dies. It's a desperately tragic story, but it was a riveting documentary.

The Week Ahead

Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership meets on Monday evening and our Community Council annual general meeting is on Wednesday night. I've said before that I'm going to rein back on some of my community commitments, so I'll be standing down as Secretary after umpteen years of taking minutes (although I'll carry on doing the job until the community council elections in October). It's only fair that someone else is given the opportunity to enjoy the many pleasures that being a secretary brings!
The most important meeting of the week though is likely to be the meeting of NEN Board members with individual members of staff, taking place tomorrow. Following these meetings we'll all have a clearer idea of where the NEN is going, and what our roles (if any) will be in the future direction of the community newspaper. It's been a very long and sometimes anxious wait, causing a lot of stresses and strains and dragging everyone down. The Board has some tough decisions to make and I don't envy them one little bit - I've been on that side of the table in the past and it's a rotten experience. It's a relief that the waiting's almost over, though - whatever decisions are made. It may just be that I'll be spending more time with my fat balls and tits ... geddit? Fnarr, fnarr!

I'll keep you posted ...

Ordure, ordure

2009-05-18T23:40:00.003+01:00

Ten days in and it seems that The Telegraph's expenses expose is beginning to lose momentum - still front page news, but not the lead tomorrow morning. The daily diet of dodgy claims, creative accounting and downright fraud has fairly hit the mark, though - it's certainly the greatest crisis to have engulfed the 'Mother of Parliaments' in my lifetime, and when the dust finally settles on this truly awful scandal democracy in this country will never be the same again - thankfully.
I've never known members of the public to be so enraged - even the war in Iraq didn't attract such widespread revulsion. The British tend to be fairly relaxed about most things and it takes events of some magnitude to shake us out of our lethargy. The unfolding events of the past ten days have done just that, however: many people had always suspected that their elected members were 'at it', but it's the scale of the claims that have been astonishing. They say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but for too many MPs there's not only free lunches but everything including the kitchen sink also comes free too, courtesy of the generous British taxpayer. It begs the question: is there anything at all that they actually pay for themselves?
True, there have been a few casulaties - resignations here, apologies for oversights and paying back cheques there - but so far not one MP has paid with his seat: no-one has lost his job. They still get paid their 'basic' £65,000 per year. The fact is, the system isn't set up to deal with issues as grave as this, and if the errant MPs decide to hang around like a bad smell until the next election there's nothing we the elctorate, the political parties or Parliament can do about it. Even next door in the Lords, two Honourable Members - caught bang to rights selling their services to amend legislation - are likely to be 'punished' with a six month suspension. That will show them!
Public confidence in our democratic system is at an all-time low, and it's clear that it can't be left to the politicians themselves to sort this mess and restore the reputation of Parliament - they caused the problem, aided and abetted by a greviously flawed system based on trust (!) which they themselves initiated.
It seems that Speaker Michael Martin may be offered up as some sort of sacrificial lamb, but if Westminster believes that the sacking of the Speaker will assuage public anger they are even more out of touch with the public mood than I thought.
Yes, Speaker Martin shoulders some of the blame - his actions in blocking and hindering attempts to reform, modernise and introduce transparency to the allowances system was shameful, as was his treatment of MP Kate Hoey last week. His emphasis on finding the Telegraph's 'mole', other than tackling the scandalous practices he oversees, showed a man completely out of tune with public feeling in the real world outside the Palace of Westminster.
It's well known that some of the 'toffs' at Westminster have never taken to having a working-class bloke from Glasgow in such an important constitutional role, and defenders of the Speaker are claiming this is a class-inspired plot. Mr Martin's current travails have nothing to do with his proletarian roots, however - this is all about his recent performance, and a considerable number of formerly loyal Labour members are seriously questioning his ability to continue in the role.
It was widely expected that Mr Martin - 'Gorbals Mick' to his increasingly numerous detractors - would announce his plans for an orderly retiral in a statement to the House yesterday, but it didn't happen. An apology, yes, but an exit strategy? No.
It's likely that an unprecedented motion of No Confidence in the Speaker will be defeated later today, but it's equally likely that Members will vote in enough numbers to make the Speaker's position untenable. Whatever happens, he'll have to go.
In one of Westminster's many antiquated rituals, a new Speaker of the House has to be dragged to his seat to take his place. We may soon witness a variation on this theme with the incumbent Speaker having to be dragged from that same seat!
A dignified exit would be preferable all round, but it seems that despite growing pressure Mr Martin is intent on hanging on - is it just possible that a reported £100,000 golden handshake should he survive until the end of this parliament may perhaps be uppermost in the Speaker's considerations here? Parliament breaks for another recess on Friday, and the Speaker will be meeting the main Party leaders before then. Expect a compromise deal - but I fear that a cherished seat in the Lords for Lord Martin of Springburn may be a step too far and totally unacceptable to the Great British public.
Of course the removal of Speaker Martin won't in itself resolve the deep-rooted problems that exist at Westminster, but it would at least be a start, a statement of intent. Reform is desperately needed, and quickly. And one or two criminal prosecutions for fraud wouldn't go amiss either - honestly, how can you fail to notice that you have finally paid off your mortgage?

Away from the reek of corruption and sleaze of Westminster, I turned to the Eurovision Song Contest for some light relief. Gone are the bad old days of dodgy voting and Soviet-bloc conspiracies - well, in theory anyway. See, you can reform antiqauted institutions! Norway (usually nil points) won by a landslide and the United Kingdom restored some national pride. However my own personal favourite - Malta, the best singer and song by a mile - finished well down the field. I will be checking the postal ballots for irregularities and may demand a recount - she wiz robbed, I tell you.

And finally, to that other Theatre of Dreams, Easter Road. Hibs were never going to be winning anything this season, but over the last couple of weeks they have been doing their damnedest to make sure nobody else wins anything either! An unlikely win over Hearts and unexpected points from both Rangers and Celtic - who'd have forecast that? My fear is that Mixu will now think he's found a new formula for success - eight men behind the ball at all times, then a hoof up the park for Riordan or Fletcher to chase ... it might win you a few points, but it sure ain't pretty to watch. I'm old enough to remember Inter Milan's cattenaccio system, equally boring but very effective. Fortunately Celtic's buccaneering brand of attacking football overcame the Italian's negativity in the 1967 European Cup Final, and I know which style of football I'd rather watch.
And still on football, congratulations to Hearts on clinching third spot and a place in Europe. It's well deserved for their consistency this season, and, had they had a couple of effective strikers, it could have been even better. There's been no interference with team selection this season, they have a likeable and tactically astute manager and it shows. Credit where it's due (he said through gritted teeth).

This week's picture is of that old Westminster warhorse Winston Churchill. I wonder what he'd make of it all - the Eurovision result, I mean?

Snouts in the trough ...

2009-05-10T14:13:00.002+01:00

Well, somebody had to do it. The detailed information about MPs claims has been available for some time and The Daily Telegraph was first to go public with selected snippets last week. And nauseating snippets they were too. The great and the good of all Parties have been filling their boots on a mind-boggling scale - think 'quantitative easing' for the Westminster set. Our political representatives - the same 'honourable members' who have been talking of austere times, belt-tightening and difficult choices - have broken no rules, of course; perish the thought. No, it's all been done by the book - the famous, now infamous Green Book - and clearly some members spend more time studying this tome than they do on scrutinising other, clearly less important pieces of legislation.
Whiter-than-white Lord Mandelson blames the press! Yes, it's a right wing conspiracy! It's nothing to do with MPs being greedy bastards, it's the system that's at fault and the Tory press are making mischief. Doesn't it turn your stomach? Within the rules? Yes, but what about Harriet's famous 'court of public opinion'? Our economy goes down the tubes, thousands are losing their jobs yet the Westminster elite has never had it so good. Recession? What recession? And these are the same people who lambasted 'Sir' Fred Goodwin's greed!
There's clearly loads more to come out, so other than waiting until July the government may be as well releasing all the salacious details - every bath plug, every wreath bought for a Remembrance Service (and then claimed back on expenses), every box of tea-bags - now, straight away. The European and English local government elections are just weeks away, and the steady drip-drip of more damaging revelations could well continue right up to polling day. Embarrassing, yes - but can things really get any worse by releasing all the incriminating details now?

Woolas looking sheepish
If the allowances revelations were horrific enough, we witnessed another car-crash moment when Immigration Minister Phil Woolas was door-stepped by actress Joanna Lumley in the House of Commons. The redoubtable Miss Lumley apparently forced a change of government policy on the Gurkhas on live TV - quite a feat.
This could set a precedent - next week East Enders' Dot Cotton will be invited to put forward her ideas for solving the Middle East crisis, while TV chef Ainslie Harriot will be tasked with solving the banking crisis ....

Surprise surprise
In a week of shocks and surprises perhaps one of the biggest turn-ups was Hibs' unexpected victory at Tynecastle. It wasn't a classic (how many times have I said that about Hibs games this season!) but a make-shift team showed commendable grit and ground out a deserved if unlikely victory. What a different season it might have been had the team shown such a fighting spirit in their other games. You don't mind losing (much) when you feel the players are giving their all, but too many times this season that just hasn't been the case.
Hibs could still have a say on the destination of the League title, but expecting them to perform consistently over two games is probably asking too much. Rangers come calling at Easter Road on Wednesday, the title theirs to lose. Can Hibs spoil the party? Celtic will be hoping so, but I think not. Then again with Hibs, you just never know ...

Local Matters
Out socialising on both Friday and Saturday nights (karaoke on Friday at the Club; meal at La Lanterna and an early birthday party for Knutt in Monteith's off the High Street on Saturday) so a very lazy Sunday afternoon for me - just haven't got the stamina any more!
Spent a couple of hours watching birds feeding - again, disappointingly, no sea eagles but dozens of sparrows coming and going. The bird feeder is clearly the Drylaw version of the Whistle Stop Cafe! Two in particular seem to have a voracious appetite - I know it's not a feeding trough, but I have now called them Hazel and Blears (pictured).
We were also visited by a vixen and her cub for a while yesterday, while down in the View Brian tells me that the vixen there has produced four cubs this year. It's always a joy to watch these wee things out playing under the watchful eye of their mum; I'll hopefully get some pictures next week.
The flowers? Lots of wind and rain this week and little sun so not much progress on the colour front. The lavender? Still there, but sleeping I think. I tried threatening it last week so this week I have been treating it with kindness. The difference - sod all, as they say in Yorkshire. We're still officially in Spring, however, so I will try to remain patient.

Community Matters
On community matters, I've heard of two prominent community activists suffering heart attacks over the last couple of weeks and that makes me even more determined to limit my level of involvement; prioritize the things I am currently involved in. There's more to life than meetings, and I'm still trying to get the balance right. I still feel guilty sitting out in the garden enjoying the sun - I feel I should be 'doing something'. That's not healthy and it's not right - it's got to change.
Having said that it's not so easy to extricate yourself from community activities and I have three voluntary community meetings next week. We also expect some news about the future of the NEN - sub-groups of the Board were meeting last week to come up with some proposals, so at least we should know our fate soon.

Pigs, rats and sea eagles - an average sort of week

2009-05-03T11:47:00.002+01:00

This week, I are been mostly ... growing a beard and avoiding swine flu.
The beard is for a short drama Kevin is making as part of his college course. I haven't shaved since last Thursday and, as expected, the stubble is growing in a delicate grey colour (Apparently I look too young to play the father of one of the film's leads (grateful for that, at least), hence the need for ageing). It is many years since I last grew a beard - the last one contained interesting shades of ginger - and you tend to forget how uncomfortable and itchy the whole beard-growing process is. Oh, the things we do for our art, dahling!!! The latest 21st century version is not a pretty sight - I have no desire to be Edinburgh's Kenny Rodgers, that's John Mulvey's job - and the beard will go the moment filming has finished on Tuesday. Having said that, a Jason King moustache could be quite fetching .... has that style come back? Has it ever been away?
Incidentally Pilton Video sent me the link to two other 'classics' I featured in. You'll find these hidden gems at:

http://piltonvideo.blip.tv/#1789035

Don't watch them if you want to be cheered up, though - bleak is the word. Not quite as scary as Gordon's YouTube appearance, but getting close ...

Swine Flu

There's nothing the media loves more than a good pandemic, and given that bad news is good news for the tabloids Swine Fever came at a great time - there's not much more can be said about the economy, but plagues, pestilence, Armageddon ... brilliant!
Very scary (though still not as scary as Gordon on YouTube)blown up images of what the virus might look like(if you banged into it in Sainsbury's car park, for example), dire projections of mortality rates across the globe, 'don't panic' warnings alongside graphs of booming international sales figures of face masks (buy your shares in pharmaceuticals now, folks!)... it's an ill wind!
You always know it's time to batten down the hatches when Prof Hugh Pennington appears on our TV screens more often than Ant and Dec. The message: be vigilant. The underlying message: Armageddon unlikely.
From a personal perspective, not having visited Mexico or knowing anyone else who has, I feel relatively at ease. However there's always that nagging doubt ... should I be taking the dire predictions more seriously? It's true I was down in Yorkshire recently. Is it just possible that I have contracted a local variant of the virus - maybe whippet 'flu or it's close relative ferret fever? I'll keep you posted if there is any deterioration in my condition; perhaps the greying of the facial hair is a symptom of something more sinister than the advancing years?

Garden Report

Titchmarsh here again with the latest garden bulletin. Remember last week I pointed out that it's all about patience? Well, the patience has run out and there is still little sign of any change on the Yorkshire lavender front. True, the plant may be revering to the stubborn Yorkshireman stereotype ('I'll do it when I'm god and ready, an' not before' - Geoff Boycott) - but if it doesn't get a move on soon I'm taking it back to it's homeland for a refund!
I forgot to mention last week that I also invested in a very basic bird feeder (minimal cost, minimal assembly instructions, minimal maintenance, minimal everything really). Well initially there was a distinctly minimal level of interest shown by the local bird population too, but as the week has progressed there have been more and more visitors.
Imagine my absolute delight when yesterday morning the feeder was visited by a mighty sea eagle! These magnificent birds - the biggest birds in the British Isles with a wingspan of ... well, bloody huge, were only recently introduced to the island of Mull so it was a major shock to see one in urban Drylaw.
Before I contacted the RSPB and Max Clifford I quickly checked my Ladybird Book of British Birds (for I am no ornithologist) only to discover that my visitor was not a sea eagle but was instead a rather large sparrow. Perhaps I had the magnification up too high on my binoculars (which I got in a Christmas cracker last year). Never mind, I will keep my eyes peeled ...

Sport

An uninspiring trip to Easter Road yesterday to watch a fairly meaningless (for Hibs, anyway) game against Dundee United. Only the most deluded Hibee can have harboured any hopes of European qualification and those hopes were extinguished following a lack-lustre display (I nearly said 'performance', but that would be giving far more credit than is due). The end of the season can't come quickly enough - I fear the worst in the forthcoming games against the Old Firm and, particularly, at Tynecastle this Thursday. And Thursday night for a derby game - what an absolutely brilliant idea!
I'd prefer to see us going back to a top league of 16 or 18, with teams only playing each other twice, the bottom two being relegated with third bottom playing off against the third team in the second division. At least then there would not be the over-familiarity you have at present, and there will be a real excitement about the big derby games again. It won't happen, of course, and we can look forward (?) to more of the same next season. I still haven't renewed my season ticket; still undecided.
On a more positive note I see that I have risen to the lofty position of 1437th in BBC Radio Scotland's Predictor competition. This is a remarkable achievement of which I am very proud - perhaps a top 1000 finish is just possible; there's everything to play for!

Politics

It's been the latest in quite a catalogue of 'bad weeks' for the government. This week it was self-inflicted wounds over the handling of the Gurkhas and MPs expenses (and did I mention Gordon's YouTube appearance? Oh, I did).
Twelve years ago this very week young Tony Blair stood on the steps of Downing Street basking in the adulation of huge, enthusiastic crowds. A bright May morning, a new dawn. New Labour, new hope.
Today, Brown's administration bears all the hallmarks of John Major's fag-end government: blundering from one crisis to another (often self-inflicted) crisis, mired in sleaze accusations, bereft of vision or even of basic competency. This week the Gurkhas and the MPs allowances fiascoes, next week - who knows? There a whiff of decay and decline about Brown's government that's also very reminiscent of the end of the Major era - former 'big beasts' are circling and even cabinet insiders are beginning to speak out openly (although, very predictably with Hazel Blears, she was 'misrepresented' in the papers - although she wrote the article!). It's come to a sorry state when we have people like that paragon of rectitude David Blunkett - who twice had to resign from cabinet following personal scandals - offering sage words of advice to the beleaguered Prime Minister.
Then there are the back-benchers: it's not just the 'usual suspects' who are in open revolt. They see their jobs and careers on the line, and the end of a comfortable lifestyle to which they have grown increasingly accustomed - it's a bleak and uncertain future out there in the real world. There's talk of some of these specimens deserting, already sounding out the Liberals about jumping ship when the inevitable happens - speaks volumes about their values and commitment, doesn't it? These people have no shame.
In boozy discussions in the Jinglin', some old friends often argue that even a poor Labour government is always better than a good Tory one: we remember Thatcher well, we lived through those Tory governments.
But for far too many members of the public that's not the case any more. For a generation of voters Thatcher is someone you read about in history books, a spectre of the past, something that happened a long time ago (Thatcher was first elected 30 years ago this week). For many younger voters - and increasingly for some not so young, with less harsh recollections of the Thatcher years - the question being asked is: 'Can the Tories be any worse than what we've got?'
Labour can't play the 'bogey man' card with any confidence next time round - Cameron is no Thatcher and comes across as a pretty decent man - and with the European elections next month, followed by the publication of MPs expenses in July, these are desperate times for Labour.

Gardening Week

2009-04-26T12:40:00.004+01:00

In the words of Jesse from The Fast Show, 'This week, I have mostly being ... a gardener!'
The garden was pretty neglected last summer (what summer?) and a makeover has been long overdue. Too much time was spent just cutting grass and not enough enjoying a seat in the garden, so we're determined to put that right this summer (and hope that there's some sunshine too).
On the way home from York last week we took a detour to a place called 'Yorkshire Lavender'. There was no details or info on the road signs, but it turned out that Yorkshire Lavender was a garden centre that specialized in ... well, mostly lavender. I suppose the clue was in the title. I would have preferred Yorkshire Pies or Yorkshire Sweeties, but lavender it was. Anyway, while I am not a gay man I do like lavender, and I felt duty bound to justify a lengthy detour and to leave a last financial footprint in Yorkshire; three plants were duly purchased and transported lovingly back over the border.
Three wee lavender plants do not a garden make, however, and we have bought a wide variety of plants all geared towards giving the garden some colour. My dad also came down with another dazzling assortment of shrubs, bulbs and flowers and all pots and planters are now full to the brim.
Caroline and my dad did all of the planting - my role was more 'supervisory' (i.e. I know nowt about gardening) but I did do a lot of the 'humphing bags of compost' tasks. It's just as well I am a very fit man ...!
As I say, I am no Percy Thrower - although oddly enough I was once mistaken for Alan Titchmarsh (in Harrod's, too!) and asked for my autograph - but I did my best to assist. Everything is planted now, so it's just a question of keeping it all watered, and waiting ... as all gardeners will know, patience is the key.

You may have noticed that this week's picture has nothing to do with the subject matter. There's no point in taking pictures of the garden at this stage - that delight will come in a few weeks. No, instead I have included a photograph of a choice selections of fine cocktails. We attended a conference organised by the Edinburgh Community Representatives Network yesterday morning (yes, Saturday morning - dedication above and beyond the call of duty!) and took advantage of being in town to enjoy a couple of drinks in Tonic, a bar off Frederick Street that specialises in cocktails. As luck would have it, there was a special offer on: two cocktails for £7 before 8pm. Clearly a bargain in these credit crunch times, and the more you drink the more you save ... early on in the proceedings I counted 25 different cocktails on an extensive menu; so much choice, so little time ...
Some hours later I had managed to sample only a small number of those on offer and was finding the power of speech difficult. I also seemed to lose control of my limbs, although this was probably due to my gardening exertions. Probably.
Light work only in the garden today - perhaps I have been pushing myself too hard!

Other news last week: Oh yes, the Budget! It seems the Chancellor hasn't convinced many people with his over-positive assessment of our economic position. Billions, trillions, too many noughts and all of them red. All the signs are that it won't be Alistair's problem to resolve now anyway, and the budget seemed to be an acceptance of that. Not quite throwing in the towel, but - other than an attempted headline grabber in hitting the richest 1% with a 50p tax rate - a budget that doesn't go any way to address this country's dire economic outlook. Things can only get better? Perhaps, but not in the short term. It seems that the next Westminster elections are there for the Tories to lose.
The other piece of local news was really not 'news' at all, it's been rumoured for so long. It was finally announced that Tram Line 1b - the Roseburn Spur, that takes in Granton to Haymarket - will not now be going ahead in the foreseeable future. I openly admit to being a supporter of trams for Edinburgh - but a supporter of a tram network as part of an integrated transport system. It's hard to justify all of this expense and disruption for just a solitary tram line. It's hugely disappointing, if inevitable given the economic environment.
It's back out to the garden now: my headache is beginning to clear (too much sun and fresh air, or one Barney Rubble too many?

A Wild Rover

2009-04-19T12:17:00.002+01:00

We took to the roads this week for a wee break in York. York is a beautiful wee city with history around almost every corner. Really enjoyed my visit, although the weather could have been kinder - like Edinburgh, York was smothered by the haar that covered the north-east coast for most of the week. Avoided frostbite, but gloves and heavy coats were more in evidence than sunglasses and teeshirts.
Got some nice photographs over the course of the week - York, Harrogate, Malton, Ripon and Pickering (!) - and I'll update my picture gallery soon.
On Saturday we headed up to Oban to try to catch some of the better weather, and by the time we reached Stirling we caught sight of an unusual object - the sun! Some stunning scenery en route and I'll post these pictures on-line soon too.
Hundreds of miles later, it's back to the real world again now, though - back to work on Tuesday and all the old issues lie in wait: ongoing funding issues at the NEN and the Unionist Club, a community conference next weekend and the next community council meeting is just round the corner. Can hardly wait ... what a lot to look forward to!
At least Hibs have achieved a top six finish - almost by default (muted cheers). Oh, and it's the Budget next week: my predictions have proved woefully poor in the past so here's a safe bet - stock up on booze and fags now!
Nice break while it lasted, though ...

Now, where were we?

2009-04-12T14:26:00.002+01:00

Well, here we are again. A lot of catching up to do, lots to write but not a lot of time to write it so here goes:

Cheltenham
Cheltenham proved quite profitable again this year, amazingly enough, and the Wednesday again proved to be the most lucrative - four winners, which must be something of a record for me.
In a departure from recent years, we took a short break in the Lake District (Coniston pictured above)during Cheltenham week so missed much of the action on television. Lake District was as beautiful and peaceful as I remembered it, though, and I'll return to Keswick for another short break before I'm too much older.
In another departure, I also decided to 're-invest' (I.E. 'blow') Cheltenham returns at Aintree's three day festival. Cheltenham and Aintree are like chalk and cheese, however, and the form does not always translate. I learned this slightly too late, unfortunately, and the final three winners on Saturday - 100-1, 66-1 and 66-1 again - summed it up, a real bookie's benefit. I left Liverpool behind an older, wiser (and poorer) man. Roll on Cheltenham next year, but Aintree no more ...

More Sport
While the papers are still poring over the details of Wee Barry's Big Night Out - can't say I care too much whether he ever plays for Rangers or Scotland again - I'm more concerned with HIbs' current position. In the great scheme of things an away game in Paisley would not generally be considered that important, but tomorrow Hibs have got to get some sort of result there or face the ignominy of finishing in the bottom half of the table (yes, they could beat Rangers next weekend, but ..).
It's been a miserable season and the end can't come quick enough. The standard of entertainment has been pretty poor for too long and I know many season ticket holders who are seriously considering whether to renew next season.

Politics - Bravo, Guido!
The G20 is now but a distant memory, and it's questionable what's actually been achieved. At a cost of millions of pounds we got a couple of hours worth of meetings, grotesquely expensive dinners and endless photo opportunities and the inevitable fudged agreement. Has Gordon saved the world? Have we seen an end to world poverty? An end to boom and bust then? No, but we did witness the tragic death of a peaceful protester, which kind of took the gloss off those happy smiley pictures of our great world leaders.
Gordon's not had a lot to grin about lately, and the Bank Holiday headlines can't have cheered him up much. He'll have been choking over the Easter Eggs with the latest scandal to hit the government. The uncovering of Damian McBride's dodgy emails by ace blogger Guido Fawkes (in days gone by that would have been the job of the press) has opened up a real hornet's nest. Before yesterday's resignation, McBride was a senior civil servant - we paid his wages - not a paid party hack, but a supposedly impartial government official.
There's been a distinct blurring over 'adviser' roles over recent years. It's a worrying development, and the Email Affair sheds some light into a very shadowy corner. It's high time that the issue of 'special advisers' - and who pays for them - is addressed. And with party politics held in contempt by so many people these days, the last thing we need is a politicized civil service.
Let the parties themselves pay for their researchers and spin doctors. Every party has them - a Tarquin and Lavinia straight from Uni with a politics degree and boundless enthusiasm and ambition. Let the party workers play grubby party politics and learn their trade in the 'dark arts' - but don't ask the public to foot the bill for them. Enough is enough - and incidentally, with the expenses/allowances row rumbling on now would not be a good time to raise the issue of public funding for political parties!

The Heid's Twirling ...
Attended a quiz night on Friday, a fundraiser for our local baton-twirling troupe. As a bit of a quiz buff, I was looking forward to the music quiz with some confidence. However I learned to my cost that pop music did not end in the late 1970s but has continued even to the present day. As a result we came a miserable 11th out of 13 teams. Malt whisky dulled the pain briefly, but I remembered - too late -on Saturday the reason I switched from whisky to gin many years ago.
Friday was a good night - I really enjoyed it, despite the result - but Saturday was not a good day. Whisky no more - and I have resolved to watch more MTV before I take part in any more music quizzes.

And Finally ...
We're off to York next week for a wee holiday, and I will miss my old comrade Jimmy Burnett's leaving party. Jimmy is retiring to spend more time with his organic beetroot - all the best Jimmy, we'll meet again in Jinglin's 'Summer Wine' corner some time soon. I won't be drinking whisky though.

All the best for now.

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-05T19:42:00.002+01:00

Hello, dear reader; it has been some time. I did not have to pawn the computer after Cheltenham, but rather had to deal with some other more pressing domestic matters.
Thanks for your messages of concern; I am delighted to report that normal service has now been resumed, and posts will follow on a more regular basis.
I'll bet you can hardly wait ... !

Cheltenham Time

2009-03-10T08:30:00.004Z

Yes, Spring has sprung and it's the time of year when every red-blooded punter's thoughts turn to ... no, not love, Cheltenham!
The annual National Hunt Festival gets under way at Prestbury Park this afternoon and the anticipation is as great as ever. Four days of top class jump racing - the best of British and Irish thoroughbreds, the best jockeys, the absolute cream. It's always something to saviour, and while I'm not going down to the Cotswolds this year all the usual preparations have been made: the form has been studied and studied again, the horses picked, discarded and reselected and the first day's bets have been placed. Everything's in place, the wallet's full - what could possibly go wrong now?

Tuesday's Selections (all each way):

1.30 Mikhael D'Haguenet, Torphichen

2.05 Imsingingtheblues, Calgary Bay

2.40 My Will, Star De Mohaison

3.20 Osana, Punjabi (I think BINOCULAR will win, but too short a price)

4.00 Freney's Well, A New Story (L'AMI should win, but again very short price)

4.40 Strong arguments can be made for Quevega, United and Chomba Womba - all can be fancied, but I'm taking a chance on outsider Oscar Rebel.

Blogging could be light for the rest of this week - if today's selections fail to deliver, I may have to sell the computer!

Good luck!

Lording it

2009-03-03T08:46:00.004Z

A good win for Fred
Sir Fred Goodwin. Probably the most famous banker in the world, but for all the wrong reasons. Sir Fred, who was knighted for his services to the banking industry (!)became the man everybody loves to hate last week when he refused to hand back any of his reported £693,000 + per year annual pension (it could be more, but what's a few tens of thousands between friends?)
The unacceptable face of capitalism, twenty-first century version? You better believe it. Sir Fred has quickly become the most hated figure in Britain, quite an achievement for a once-anonymous, colourless character. Doubtless more Sir Fred's will be unearthed over the coming weeks; golden handshakes, eye watering bonuses and platinum-plated pension pots were the order of the day in the Neverland world of international finance, a world where the sun never set. Well, until now.
The focus on Sir Fred did manage to deflect some attention away from the government's handling of the economic crisis, so every cloud ...
Mind you, three of our esteemed Lords and masters haven't exactly covered themselves in glory over the last few days, and doubtless each for his own reasons will be satisfied that Sir Fred has been capturing all the headlines.
There was the noble Lord Ahmed, jailed for careless driving after killing a man on the motorway - the good lord had been texting away furiously just minutes before the accident. Still, the jail sentence wasn't too severe, and Ahmed's well-upholstered seat in the House of Lords will still be warm when he gets out.
Then there's Lord Myners, Gordon's man on the inside during the RBS negotiations. It's claimed that His Lordship was involved in the discussions over Sir Fred's lucrative pay-off deal. Lord Myners claims he didn't know all the details - if he didn't, he should have. Quite concerning, as this is one of the government's most trusted financial advisers.
And last, but never least, we have Lord Mandelson. 'Call me Pete' infuriated at least half of the Labour Party when he announced plans to part-privatise Royal Mail. Peter knows best, of course - when has he ever put a foot wrong? Lord Mandy even brought the legislation forward by a day, making his statement on the day that David Cameron's young son died. I am sure that the timing of this controversial announcement was totally coincidental, but there is always an air of suspicious intent hanging over our Sneaky Pete. Old habits die hard and all that ...
So Three Wise Men - all leading government figures, all unelected. All setting a fine example, all claiming £300 a day for turning up in the Lords, plus all the other nice wee Westminster perks that make life just that little bit better. Nice work if you can get it. Twenty-five years on from the Miners Strike, this is New Labour. We've certainly come a long way ...

Pictures: Parliament and Nogbad the Bad. Geddit?

The Ba's burst!

2009-02-28T08:12:00.004Z

No, not the trams - I'm talking about Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam hopes.
I always thought the trip to Paris was the toughest of all of the Welsh fixtures this season, and so it proved. The French coach has been criticised for constantly tinkering with his team selections, with the result that French performances have been wildly inconsistent - brilliant one game, clueless the next.
He got it spot on last night, though, and despite a frantic last ten minutes that could have swung the result Wales way France were worthy winners. Their defence was heroic in a bruising encounter, they took their chances when they came and showed a desire to win that the Welsh couldn't match. All credit to them.
Wales can still win the Championship, and the final match of the tournament - against Ireland in Cardiff - looks like being the championship decider. I'm looking forward to that one already.
Meanwhile the Irish have the small task of England to deal with this afternoon. We know the way the English will play - they pushed Wales all the way last time out - but the Irish ave their tails up and I fully expect them to prevail this evening. They have the power up front - the English will not be able to dominate or bully them - and they have the flair players who can turn a game too. So Ireland to win, but it will be a slog and they'll have to battle all the way. A winning margin of 6 - 10 points, I'd wager.
And the basement battle between Scotland and Italy? This was always likely to be the 'wooden spoon' decider this term and so it's proving. The Italians have been dreadful at times, and you've got to think that even a pretty poor Scotland side should prevail this afternoon.
Our constant mistakes and unforced errors won't be punished by the Italians as they have been by the better sides, and - assuming our pack don't buckle in the alarming manner in which they did against Wales - our backs are likely to get plenty of opportunities.
Italian indiscipline has cost them dear too and, if we find points hard to come by in open play, penalties could make the difference. Scotland will win, and should do so relatively comfortably - not because we're good (we're not, far from it) but we're far less bad than the Italians. Scotland to win by 12 - 15 points.
Sadly, I won't see the Scotland game this afternoon as I'm off to Easter Road for some 'round ball' sporting entertainment. Expectations are not high (how many times have I said that about Hibs this season?) but they have really got to grind out a result against Falkirk this afternoon. To me, Hibs on current form won't finish in the top six place and that, for a club as big as Hibs, is not good enough.
Fingers crossed for some silky, flowing soccer - then again, a 1-0 with a dodgy penalty in injury time would suffice.

Tram hits the buffers?

2009-02-23T08:32:00.002Z

Biggest news of last week was the possible derailment of Edinburgh's tram project. It seems that the consortium contracted to carry out the construction work are claiming something in the region of £50 - £80 million to continue their work (what's a few tens of millions between friends?) TIE, the council-owned company set up to deliver the city's tram system, say that the contract is water-tight: I certainly hope so. If there are any loopholes in the trams contract, heads must roll.
So far, £150 million has been spent on the scheme with not a line laid. The total cost of the line (the line, mind, not a network) is £545 million - the Scottish government has committed £500 million and has already said that not a penny more will be handed over, so if more money has to be found it would have to come from the city council. The city council is not, sadly, flush with excess cash.
Negotiations are ongoing, but I hope that the council stands firm. My concern is that the current administration does have a track record of buckling under pressure - schools closures, for example - and may feel that it is worth paying a bit extra to get the project delivered on time. They shouldn't - the public won't thank them for it - they should stick it out and refuse to be held to ransom. Some backbone is required, but the contractors should be left in no doubt that enough is enough.
I do feel, however, that the current game of brinkmanship will have damaging consequences for Line 1b, the so-called 'Granton Spur'. The council must make a decision on this part of the network next month, and currently the finances just don't stack up. Should there be a protracted legal wrangle over contracts, the cost and the delay could be the death knell of the Granton spur. That would leaves us not with a tram system, but a solitary tram line. I supported the thinking behind an integrated transport system with trams at it's core, but I would have really difficulty in arguing the case for a single tram line.
Here's hoping the negotiations go smoothly and the project can get back on track without further delay - it seems that the majority of Edinburgh citizens are already heartily sick of the scheme and any further hold ups will prompt increasingly strident calls to scrap the whole scheme.

Congratulations

2009-02-19T07:51:00.005Z

I understand that congratulations are in order. It's been many years since I last watched the Brit Awards (may have been the memorable Mick Fleetwood/Samanatha Fox fiasco), but my daughter Knutt informs me that Duffy picked up three prizes, including one for best album Rockferry.
Jim Duffy (pictured above with his award) was a wholehearted if limited footballer, a fairly 'duff' manager and an unremarkable football pundit, so it's delightful to see a change of career has paid dividends. Well played, Jim!

Home Sweet Home Sweet Home

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is in trouble over her second home allowance claims. Now you may have though that the Home Secretary, of all people, would at least be clear about where she actually lives, but with all the pressure heaped on the shoulders of cabinet ministers just now surely it's quite understandable that a person can get confused? Haven't you ever forgot where you live? Could happen to any of us ...
Incidentally Jacqui Smith should not be confused with Liverpool FC legend Tommy Smith (pictured above, top). One is a no-nonsense, hard as nails, tough tackling bruiser who put the fear of God into terrified opponents, the other is ....
Hope that clears up any confusion. We're here to help!

Pink Fluffy Clouds

2009-02-18T08:18:00.004Z

Awakened at around 4am by the unnerving call of a lonesome fox shrieking out in the street, and try as I might I couldn't get back to sleep. It had taken me ages to get to sleep, too - funding issues at the NEN and financial worries at the Club made sure of that.
Up and about by 5am, and it's amazing how much work you can get done at that unearthly hour. Thought through some funding ideas, loaded some software, paid bills, managed to get a wee notebook connected to a wireless network (wrestled with this for hours on Sunday - without success), compiled a report and then responded to some emails that have required attention for days ... feels like a full day's work done already and I haven't gone into work yet.
Still feel fresh as a daisy, but no doubt will feel like falling asleep by lunchtime when the fatigue kicks in.
Hope you like the pictures - I took them after leaving work last night. The sky was an amazing colour for an hour or so before the light went. Pink fluffy clouds - there you go, I'm losing it already ...!

Weekend Sporting Supplement

2009-02-14T12:59:00.003Z

Dear readers, I've decided to issue a one-off weekend Sporting Supplement - completely free of charge (I know, sometimes I'm just too generous ...!)
Six Nations
France v Scotland
Scotland were dire last weekend. Forget the 'fightback' in the last 20 minutes - the Welsh had the game well won by that time and made multiple substitutions to rest their key players and give some of the other squad members a run out.
At times it was embarrassing to watch, with all of the old frailties still there for all to see - the basic errors, the lack of punch, the wrong options being taken, etc, etc. What was more worrying was the pack's poor display - driven back off their own ball on two key occasions. Make no mistake this is a very good Welsh team, but we made them look even better. It was humiliating, and once again coach Frank Hadden seems very able to pinpoint our shortcomings but seems equally incapable of doing anything to address them.
So it's over to Paris this afternoon, with expectations less than sky high. Yes, the coach has listened to the fans' calls to introduce the Evans brothers and flanker Stroscoch, but he's also now missing key members of the pack - a pack that was given a torrid time by the Welsh last week. So we may have the talent and speed in the backs, but will they see any decent ball?
The French played well against Ireland last week, showing some phases of that famous Gallic flair and running rugby that can make them such a joy to watch, but it's still a team in transition, building for the World Cup. No doubt they will be keen to run the ball out wide in front of their own fans, and there's just a chance that Scotland could benefit from spills and broken play. It's also possible that, should Scotland start more positively than we did against the Welsh - and avoid silly errors - then the crowd could quickly get on the backs of the French side. The French cannot be high on confidence, so perhaps ...
Anyway, it's just a passing thought. If the French get into top gear early we are in for a torrid afternoon. I don't expect us to win, but I hope that at lest we show a bit more passion and make an entertaining game of it. Really, we have nothing to lose as so little is expected of us, so the pressure is all on the French.

Wales v England
The Welsh are on a high, but they'll feel the loss of the talismanic Shane Williams today. They didn't have to be at their best to beat a tame Scotland side (they even lost their captain before the game without noticeable effect) but they'll face a very determined (if decidedly less talented) England team this afternoon. England were not that impressive in beating a poor Italian side last week - although again, they didn't have to be - and they will do everything they can to disrupt the Welsh. England are unlikely underdogs - they still have their pride and nothing would give them more pleasure than beating last year's Grand Slam winners. A victory today, however unlikely, would leave them on course for the Grand Slam.
The Welsh must keep their discipline - and Robert Jones goal kicking must improve on last week's performance - but they have match winners throughout their squad and also have the ability to change their game plan. England, on recent showings, do not. For the sake of entertaining rugby (and my bank balance) I hope the Welsh hammer them - but I believe it may finish a lot closer than most pundits expect.

Italy v Ireland
The Irish travel to Italy on the back of a tremendous victory over a rejuvenated French side last week. Where the Irish were magnificent - O'Driscoll back to his peerless best - The Italians were awful. The gamble of playing the talented Bergomasco at scrum half was a huge mistake but illustrates the lack of strength in depth of Italian rugby. They are unlikely to be quite as bad again in front of their own fans on Sunday, but the Irish have too much fire power. Expect a comfortable Irish victory.

And the round ball ...
The Old Firm lock horns again tomorrow; another titanic struggle of blood, snotters, full-blooded challenges and ninety mile per hour football - I hope. The quality of the football has never been what an Old Firm game is about, and long may that continue - the 'gemme' needs a wee bit of passion!
Whether both halves of the Old Firm have deteriorated, or whether the chasing pack is improving (probably a bit of both), both Rangers and Celtic have been slipping up against 'minor' teams this season so it's unlikely that the outcome of this match will determine the destination of the League title. Having said that, it's a game Rangers really can't afford to lose and I don't think they will. Whether they can actually beat Celtic at Celtic Park again is more questionable, however, and I can see this finishing all square. I'll go for a score draw, and one sending off apiece too just for good measure. Yellow card count? I'll guess five - fairly unremarkable for an Old Firm clash!
Football purists could always tune into another local derby over the weekend - AC and Inter square up in Milan, but honestly, what would you rather watch? Silky skills in Milan or clattering hoofs in Glesca? There's only one winner for me ...
the pies and Bovril are on order.

A sorry state

2009-02-13T12:58:00.006Z

Unreserved apologies. We're so sorry. Deep regret. How many ways can you say I'm sorry? Britain's favourite new spectator sport is clearly public humiliation under the glare of the TV cameras - no, not Celebrity Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here but Bash a Banker or I'm a Financier, Get Me Out of Here.
The cream of the UK's financial world appeared in front of the Commons Treasury Select Committee last week, but those who expected a bruising clash of the Titans must have been bitterly disappointed. It was abject apologies all the way from the Famous Four, which spoils the spectacle a bit. Plenty of apologies, but no answers as to why we find ourselves sinking ever deeper into the financial mire.
Picture of the week was Prime Minister Gordon Brown sharing a joke with Sir James Crosby - the pair were captured in a light-hearted moment and it's actually a good picture of Gordon, laughing away seemingly without a care in the world.
The picture was obviously taken some time ago though: it's doubtful if the Prime Minister will be finding quite so much to smile about just now.
The good Sir James, HBOS chairman, was seen as the ideal bloke to regulate Britain's banks as deputy chairman of the Financial Services Authority in 2007 - despite warnings made about HBOS' risk taking as far back as 2006, by, among others the Financial Services Authority! You couldn't make this up! HBOS, incidentally, was also bailed out by you and me to the tune of £11.5 billion. Sir James nobly stepped down from his FSA position last week, but nice work if you can get it.

No more about bankers, bonuses or budgets - it's all too depressing at the start of a new week. Instead, hearty congratulations to Robert Plant CBE, who with US roots singer Alison Krauss won a Mercury Prize for their terrific album Raising Sand. I'm not a lover of rootsy music as a rule, but I bought this album when it came out (the only 'new' album I bought last year) and was blown away. Robert Plant is a national treasure and surely it's only a matter of time before it's 'arise, Sir Planty'!
I mean, if 'Sir' James Crosby can get a knighthood for his services to banking (!), surely Robert Plant must be in line for his services to music. Both have made millions for themselves, but one's made millions miserable while the other has made millions happy through music for over forty years. Come on, yer majesty, before it's too late ...

And another upbeat note. What about the Weekend Selections, eh? Had you followed my tips you could have wiped out the country's national debt! Well, not quite, but it's so seldom I get any of these right surely a little hyperbole is allowable?

Time for work, more later ...

NOTE: I started this post on Friday but didn't post until Monday morning so it looks out of sequence. I'll sort this out later - much later.

What's the word?

2009-02-08T13:17:00.003Z

Words can be dangerous; careless use of language hit the headlines quite a bit last week. There was an outcry over Gordon Ramsay's over-use of some colourful language on a television programme, then the other Gordon got into hot water for saying 'depression' when he meant 'recession' - an easy mistake to make.
But topping the lot was the fragrant Carol Thatcher, who apparently likened a tennis player to a golliwog - not on air but in the informal setting of the One Show's Green Room. Some of her fellow guests took exception to her comments, and the BBC reacted swiftly - but wrongly in my view.
The BBC has been running scared since the Brand/Ross incident, and clearly felt that it had to act, even although the remarks were made in private. Now I'm no fan of Ms Thatcher - I would be less than upset if I never saw her on television again - but if the BBC was serious about punishing the presenter surely they should have issued a statement saying that Thatcher would no longer be used by them - full stop. Instead, however, they have decided to drop her from The One Show but have not ruled out using her on other projects! What seemed at the time to be firm, decisive action is really nothing of the sort. The modern-day Beeb seems to lurch from one crisis to another, invariably self inflicted. For those of us who hold public service broadcasting dear, it's tragic - and offers another opportunity for critics to get the knives out. There are a lot of people out there who want the TV Licence scrapped and to see the BBC compete in the commercial market, and they'll be rubbing their hands at this latest faux pas.

Budget - winners and losers
The Scottish Government got it's £33 billion budget through at the second attempt, which will come as a huge relief to the country's local authorities. It's hard to see what was so different between Budgets Mark 1 and 2, yet all the opposition parties (save the Greens, who were shafted for getting uppity) seem to think that the new version saw them achieving great concessions from the SNP. Labour got 8000 apprenticeships - which apparently they were getting anyway. The Lib Dems got a commitment from the Government to sign up to the Calman Commission - well, whoopie do! The Tories seem to be the party who have emerged from the process with most credit.
In reality, the endorsement of the Budget has less to do with wringing concessions from the Government as the realisation that the public would take a dim view of the great and the good at Holyrood playing petty party politics at a time like this - the last thing anyone wants or needs just now is a Holyrood election. Our politicians belatedly twigged and common sense has prevailed - for now. Normal hostilities will doubtless soon be resumed.

Party Time
Last night's party went very well - around fifty house guests was a bit of a squeeze but great fun nonetheless. In the early hours of this morning I discovered a delicious new drink - a M&S White Chocolate and Vanilla liquer with a shot of whisky added to give it that extra kick. Heavenly, and so easy to quaff - with hindsight, perhaps too easy. I am now suffering the inevitable consequences of over-indugence. I really should be old enough to know better, but hey ho ...
See you next week.

This week's picture is the sun trying to break through at dawn.

Six Nations: It has to be Wales

2009-02-07T14:13:00.002Z

Who cares about the Scottish Cup, anyway? Yes, Hibs have a free weekend (thank heavens for small mercies after last week's dreadful showing against Motherwell), so attention switches to the oval ball with the opening round of Six Nation games.
I know that shrewd punters across the globe await my tips (if only to back something else), so here goes:

WALES will win the Six Nations. The Grand Slam may be beyond them (an away game in Paris is the key clash in this year's set of fixtures) but a Triple Crown is certainly within their grasp. A confident selection - and a steal at 15/8.

France - enigmatic as ever - will finish in runner-up spot. They have the flair, but can they deliver? We'll have a better idea at 7pm tonight after their clash in Ireland - should France prevail in Dublin their pre-tournament odds of 3/1 will look very generous indeed. That game should be a cracker.

Ireland - few new faces but you know what you'll get from the Irish. They won't disgrace themselves but I don't think they have the all-round talents to win the tournament. A creditable third place awaits.

England - England had a terrible autumn against the Southern hemisphere giants (good!) and Martin Johnson has a real job on his hands to restore England to their former glories. He's lucky to have Italy at home in the opener - expect England to kick and grind their way to an uninspiring victory. As ever, England expects - but I expect them to struggle this season and to finish fourth.

Scotland - A safety-first selection for the opener against Wales doesn't bode well for the 2009 Six Nations. I can't see where the tries will come from, and the lack of new faces shows real caution. I could be wrong (surely not? , but I expect Scotland's tournament to produce - at best - two winds. Fourth place.

Italy - There's no doubt that the Italians are improving with every season but they're up against it. Their discipline remains suspect, their stamina is questionable and while they have some talented individuals they still don't play as a team. A victory - any victory - in this tournament will be a fair achievement. The wooden spoon beckons.

So there you have it - this year's selections. It's Wales for me - back them at your peril!

Back to the future?

2009-02-01T11:11:00.004Z

Wildcat strikes. 'British Jobs for British Workers'. Factories on short time working. Business closures. The pound in deep trouble. Redundancies on hte rise. Empty shops 'To Let' on High Streets across the nation. The 1970s? No, this is the UK today. And another old sore that's never properly healed - the Troubles of Northern Ireland - erupted once again last week with arguments over payments to families who have been bereaved - including those of terrorists.
It's like going back in time - mass meetings, placards and braziers. The golden years! And while every news report last week was like an edition of All Our Yesterdays, Friday night also saw me stepping back into the 70's. My son Brian is working in Harry's Bar off the West End, so I thought I would check it out. Admittedly no flares or kipper ties - and the prices were decidedly 21st century - but Harry's Bar on Friday evening was essentially a 1970's disco bar, filled with office workers letting their hair down and boogieing the night away to the classic sounds of the seventies. Poptastic!
Then this morning on Andrew Marr's show, who else but singer-songwriter legend James Taylor. Gone is the shoulder length hair of the Mud Slide Slim years, but that voice remains the same - and brings back warm memories of happy and innocent times of long long ago. Carolina on my mind indeed.
And goodbye to another 70s legend this week - Scotland's own John Martyn passed away, leaving a rich musical legacy that's right up there with Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens and the rest. To me, 'Solid Air' was one of the finest albums of it's day and stands the test of time, ranked right up there with 'Blue', 'Teaser and The Firecat' and 'Sweet Baby James'. It's an age thing.
Anyway, enough nostalgia - back to the present. Another paper off to print on Thursday, and thankfully Fairer Scotland Fund doesn't feature on the front page - although it does get due attention on the inside pages. January is always a slow month for stories in NEN, but, as in previous years, things start to pick up and so it's proving this year. Some good news stories from our schools in next week's issue and it's always great to report these. You do have to wonder, if we didn't report them - who would?
Meetings? Of course - Inverleith's FSF Panel was far less traumatic than the Forth experience, and lessons have clearly been learned. As a result, most projects seem satisfied with their Inverleith allocations (or recommendations, as these must be agreed at a full Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership meeting, another departure from the Forth process). Obviously there was much less money to distribute - and projects' expectations were not as high following Forth - but the decisions were made in a fair and transparent process that was reasonable and can be honestly justified.
The other meeting of note was Drylaw Telford Community Council's first meeting of the new year. Lots to discuss, including the annual Thomas Tierney Award (a major drop in the number of nominees this year)and ongoing environmental issues. The meeting was brisk and business-like, though, and well chaired by Thomas.
Next Week
I've got a day off on Monday - plan to tackle a major filing/deletion task as I seem to have accumulated an email inbox of over 900 items since the middle of December, so that needs to be dealt with.
Meetings - Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership on Monday evening, a Fuel Poverty Conference on Friday afternoon and possibly a meeting of the Unionist Club's office-bearers to talk about financial concerns.
Meetings aside, it's both my dad and son Brian celebrate birthdays over the next couple of weeks so Caroline has decided to have a party next weekend - we didn't do much socialising over New Year for obvious reasons, so it also gives us the opportunity to use up some of the booze lake that seems to have accumulated in the run up to Christmas. The argument now is about what music should be downloaded as party background music - Caroline is not so keen on Atomic Rooster, Jethro Tull or Uriah Heep, so this 'debate' could run and run. James Taylor, anyone?

Back to the City Chambers for this week's picture. Not an abstract, but a picture taken through the haze created by a radiator under a window caused this striking effect. Artistic or what, eh?

A ray of light

2009-01-25T08:54:00.002Z

Not all doom and gloom
While GB2009 PLC seems in dire straits, across the Pond our American cousins were able to put their financial woes behind them - for a while at least - when the new President was sworn in. Little more than a generation ago it would have been unthinkable that a black man could become the leader of the free world, but it's happened and there is a palpable sense of hope, of new beginnings and an opportunity for the United States to become a force for good. That is a huge weight of responsibility on the President's shoulders, but his announcement that Guantanamo Bay will close is a good first step.
Incidentally, the President may not only be the first African-American president, he may also be the first Irish African American. This has not been confirmed, but a taxi driver told me that Mr President's real name is in fact Barry O'Bammer and he had family connections in County Mayo, where his descendants were potato farmers. I'm amazed that the press hasn't picked up on this; perhaps further corroboration is required. I will investigate this - I feel an 'exclusive' coming on ...!

Some hae meat ...
But I hae meetings. Policy & Strategy Committee again this week, and if the politicians and officials are sick of the sight of deputations from North Edinburgh I can assure them that the feeling is mutual - in the nicest possible way of course. There was a glimmer of hope for Forth projects following that meeting - it seems that officials will be asked to investigate the possibility of using some of the funds 'top-sliced' for strategic, city-wide programmes to support beleaguered Forth projects. The devil, as ever, will be in the detail and the interpretation of this Motion, but perhaps it's a sign that there may be some movement from the administration. Time is not on our side, though, and there is a pressing need for urgent action before jobs are lost and services suffer.
Other meetings this week included Forth Voluntary Sector Forum, a meeting with a lawyer to discuss Fairer Scotland, a staff team meeting and a particularly bruising meeting of the Edinburgh Unionist Club's committee.
Like many pubs and clubs across the country, the Unionist Club is suffering - too much expenditure (costs constantly rising)and not enough income; people are just not going out so much and are reining back on what they spend. The Club's situation is concerning, and the scale of the financial problem and how we tackle it was the main subject of last week's meeting. It was a particularly heated and acrimonious affair and there was too much heat and not enough light. Nothing was agreed, there is much to be resolved and a meeting will be held in the near future to take a cold, hard look at the Club's finances - some tough decisions lie ahead.
Despite the Club's financial woes, though, we did manage to stage a very successful Burns Supper on Friday. It was well attended, proved very popular with Members and guests and everyone went home happy (probably because most were "fu'")! The Burns Supper was arranged and organised in record quick time and it shows just what can be achieved when Members pull together and put in a bit of effort. Such was the success that a Valentine's Night is now being planned. The Elvis jumpsuit may just get an airing, although the elastic waistband is coming under increasing pressure and could go at any time ...

Book of the Month
Yes, I've read one! Suffering from the excesses of Friday night (and with the internet down) I spent yesterday reading Mark Blake's excellent 'Pigs Might Fly', the inside story of Pink Floyd. A tale of titanic personality struggles, superhuman drug use and yes, even some discussion about the band's music, this is a 'must read' not only for Pink Floyd aficionados but anyone who is interested in the history of rock music. Like them or loathe them, Pink Floyd will always be considered one of the world's truly great rock bands and theirs is a fascinating story. For a band that's been on the scene for forty years there's an awful lot of story to tell, but Mark Blake tells it so well.

The joys of technology
It should have been so simple, but I guess I knew the reality would always prove more complicated. For months now I've been having problems with my mobile phone - it's become so hard to hear what callers are saying that it seems that everyone is calling from deepest Uzbekistan - so last weekend I resolved to deal with it (and also put a tick against at least one item on my ever-growing 'To Do' list).
My mobile contract, and also my internet service provider, is with a large and very well-known communications company - let's call them, say, ET - and I called them last week to request a new phone. Quite straightforward, you may think, but wait - it seems that ET no longer 'do' simple mobile contacts, but instead offer a new super-duper all singing, all dancing solution to 'all my communications needs, both at home and on the move'. New phone? Perish the thought - what I should really be doing is upgrading to Option 3 of ET's broadband service and then I can receive not just a run of the mill old mobile phone but - a PDA! Yes, I can keep my existing number, and all this for less than I am paying at the moment!! Of course I accepted this once in a lifetime bargain offer - what could possibly go wrong?
The equipment arrived early last week - the boxes (yes, plural)were ominously large, and when opened I found them filled with a dazzling array of cables, electronic boxes and, oh yes, I nearly forgot my new phone - sorry PDA.
Some days (and one two hour phone call to ET) later, I found that, while I do indeed retain my mobile number, a new SIm card means all of my contact telephone numbers have gone and an awful lot of inputting names and numbers will be required. My internet service has also been up and doon more times than a hoor's drawers (as Rabbie Burns might have said, but probably didn't) but at least I have learned at last how to turn on my new phone - sorry, PDA. I can now be contacted wherever I roam - assuming, of course, that I learn how to answer a call on this new device. An old banger 'Pay As You Go' mobile has been retrieved from the back of a drawer and is charging, ready for action, as we speak - meanwhile the new PDA sits blinking at me in a silent, threatening manner; a malevolent, brooding presence.
If you do call, don't expect an answer anytime soon - I've got a hefty manual to study first!
See you next week, when - Option 3 permitting - I should be posting again.

This week's picture is the East End of Princes Street, taken through a window in the City Chambers. Edinburgh can be fairly bleak in January, but not quite so colourless - this is a black and white image!

Absolutely Bankers

2009-01-18T09:35:00.003Z

Bailing out the Banks
With bank shares dropping through the floor, it seems another bail-out will be announced tomorrow. The figures being talked about are mind-boggling - ten billion, twenty billion - and it seems the level of our nation's debt (we're now talking trillions) is getting perilously close to outstripping our Gross National Product. What all this will ultimately mean for us, who knows? Whether the toxic debt underwriting scheme will inspire more confidence in our banking system, or get the banks lending again, does anyone really know? I spoke to one finance expert last week, and his thoughtful insight into our current woes was particularly gloomy. "We're up shit creek without a paddle", he declared. Actually he was a taxi driver, but profound words indeed ...
The only thing that is certain is that it's you and me who will pick up the final bill - and looking at the scale of the tab it's a burden that will be borne by generations to come too (or our children's children's children, as the dear old Moody Blues would have it).

Still Talking
Lots of meetings again over the course of the week, and if it wasn't meetings it was phone calls or emails about meetings. I won't bore you with the details of them all, but suffice to say that Fairer Scotland and Neighbourhood Partnership activities took up a lot of time. Thursday also saw a joint NEN staff/board meeting to look at the future of the community paper. Again, I won't divulge any details here but I don't think it's giving away too many secrets to say that we will be unlikely to remain in existence if we continue to rely on council grants. Time to start thinking 'outside the box', then, and my own view is that we should at least investigate the possibility of becoming a social enterprise. I came upon a story of a community newspaper in Arran who recently went down that route with some success, so for longer term sustainability I think it's worth a look.

Sport and Recreation
Not a lot of time for recreational activities this week, but called in at the Jinglin' Geordie after a late afternoon meeting in town on Wednesday. It was very quiet, but you're almost certain to meet up with an old friend when you call in and so it proved - my old friend Jimmy Burnett was there at the 'Last of the Summer Wine' end and I enjoyed a plesant hour of good 'non-meeting' conversation. I also enjoyed more than enough pints of lager, and felt the better for it (at the time at least).
Back to Easter Road on Saturday, although I would admit that if I wasn't a season ticket holder I wouldn't have been there. Like many Hibs supporters I have been fairly scunnered with the performances over the last few weeks, and I can't say I was looking forward to yesterday's gamw with St Mirren, who hve been on a bit of a roll recently. As it transpired Hibs did show signs of improvement (although honestly, after recent performances, they just couldn't have got any worse) and picked up a welcome win. There were some encouraging signs - Rob Jones was majestic at the back, our new keeper did what keepers are supposed to do and there was a new sharpness up front. However Hibs are far from the finished article and the midfield is still a concern. For too long in the second half Hibs gave up the middle of the park and defended too deep - better teams than St Mirren will punish us for that. Thank heavens for small mercies, though, an Riordan's exquisite finish to tie the game up lit up a dark, wet and windy afternoon.
Incidentally my superb tipping skills have seen me rise into the top 4000 of the BBC Scotland Predictor competition and my Jinglin' Geordie fantasy football team is climbing steadily up the table (I accept that I start from a low base). I usually find that, within hours of submitting my fantasy team selection, a fair number of my players either (a) lose both legs in an accident with a can opener, (b) give up football to concentrate on other activities, or (c) suddenly just become crap. It seems I now have eleven players who are at least still alive, which is a welcome development.
Still on entertainment, we're now into the Awards season and Kate Winslett must have already secured her place among the panoply of all-time great acceptance speechea. It was absolutely excruciating, gut wrenching, apalling, dreadful. No, I didn't like it much. She should be made to watch it on an endless loop for 24 hours or so. This should never be allowed to happen ever again.
If young Kate's speech made me cringe, I also had the misfortune to catch some of Caroline Quentin's new sit-com (an oxymoron, perhaps?) 'Life of Reilly'. Dire. Not funny. Is there anything new or amusing that can be done in a 'sit com' format? Not on this showing - as I say I didn't see it all, but a lengthy Neighbourhood Partnership meeting discussing street names would have had more laughs.

The Week Ahead
Meetings, delegations, more meetings and a Burns Supper at Edinburgh Unionist Club. Who said life is dull?
Meanwhile, Obama will be sworn in and one can only hope that he can bring his presence to bear to bring an end to the horrific suffering in Gaza. As a write there is supposedly a fragile cease fire in place, bringing some respite, but a lasting solution has to be found. The United States has got to play a key role in finding a resolution, and let's hope that a fresh start in America can mean fresh hope in the Middle East.

Back to work

2009-01-12T14:16:00.003Z

The holiday's over, and it was back to work last week. A sense of deja vu about it all; you return to a desk where all the old problems are waiting for you. Top of the pile: yup, Fairer Scotland! Papers from the December Full Council, with Motions, amemdments, counter amendments, addendums - you name it, I've got a copy of it. What it all means - what was actually eventually agreed during the course of the COuncil meeting - takes a bit of working out (that's true to form, as nothing about Fairer Scotland has been anything like straightforward). The upshot, as I understand it, is that officials have been instructed to look at ways of finding transitional funding for the 16 projects affected by funding cuts in Forth. On the face of it that's quite a positive step, but experience has taught me to be cautious and I won't be breaking open the bubbly just yet.
A meeting of Forth's Voluntary Sector Forum on Tuesday resolved to refer our case to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, and to seek legal advice over the way Forth has been treated under new funding arrangements. Another letter to senior Services for Communities officials has now been sent, and yet another deputation - this time to Policy & Strategy on 20 January - to prepare for. Happy New Year!
The paper went to print on Thursday - front page lead is an update on Fairer Scotland. If I'm getting increasingly tired about writing about it, goodness only knows how our readers feel about reading it. Here's hoping there's something good to knock it off the front page next month (and I can confidently predict that there will be a February NEN!)
One nice wee story I covered this week was the planting of some young apple trees at Ferryhill School as part of the Commonwealth Orchard project. Some nice pictures despite the weather, and Green MSP Robin Harper was his ever-helpful cheery self. Robin was ably assisted by Inverleith councillor Tim McKay and Ferryhill's enthusiastic Eco-Committee, and the trees should be bearing fruit by the time of the Commonwealth Games. I hope the NEN's still around to cover it when that day comes.
The other, altogether less wholesome, story to intrude on our patch was the arrival of a team of police officers and forensic staff who descended on the patch of waste ground by Lidl/Iceland off West Granton Road on Friday morning. They combed this area and two other local sites in the search for more body parts in the ongoing investigation into the recent grisly 'Head in the Bag' incident. I understand that more remains have indeed been found.

Sport
Two big events this week. One - the Embassy Darts at The Lakeside. You know the New Year's really arrived when these gladiators take to the stage for the annual event, and while I didn't see as much of the tournamnet as I usually do I did see both semi-finals at most of the Final itself. Ted 'The Count' Hankey was the victor this year, winning a classic final over the amiable Tony 'Silverback' O'Shea. Apparantly Ted has cut his pre-match intake from eight pints to a just three pints, and this draconian fitness regime has clearly worked wonders! Must try it myself!
The other big event - or, sadly for Hibs fans, non-event - was the Scottish Cup tie against Hearts at Easter Road.
The day didn't dawn brightly - howling winds and heavy rain ensured this was never going to be a great exhibition of silky football - and a 12:15 kick off did nothing to lift the spirits either. As for the game itself - well, it was dire. A pernickety referee, atrocious conditions and a Hibs team that once again failed to rise to the ocassion. Then you had Steven Fletcher's moment of madness, getting sent off for a lunge that admittedly looked worse than it was, but nonetheless a challenge he should never have made.
Take nothing away from Hearts, they came to do a job, adapted well to the conditions and scored the all important opening goal. A one goal and one man advantage was more than they could have expected before half time, and they were always very comfortable after that. Hibs gave the impression that they could have played for the rest of Sunday and Monday too without scoring, and it was the lack of guile once again that was most worrying. Mixu had a full squad from which to choose, any number of different options, yet this was the best that they could produce. It was lamentable to watch, embarrasing at times and the season is now effectively over. Whether or not Hibs finish in the top six is really of little importance (admittedly you would prefer to see the Old Firm and another game against Hearts)so there's little to look forward to over the coming months. And Spartans got beat by Airdrie so I can't even follow them in the Cup.

Next Week
I'm taking a day off on Monday to catch up with just a few of the chores that have been neglected over recent weeks, and the NEN board and staff are having another Planning Session on Thursday. Monday night's Unionist CLub committee meeting has been postponed for a week (delighted to hear that) and the Edinburgh Association of Community Councils hold their first meeting of the year on Thursday night. Two weeks into the New Year and it's back into the old familiar routine of meetings, meetings, meetings - I haven't made any resolutions this year but I am adamant that I will try to drastically cut back on some of my voluntary duties. I am involved with 12 different groups, and while some are more demanding of your time than others it's still far too many. There's got to be time for life outside meetings too. Hasn't there?

This picture was taken when I was on my way into Ferryhill School the other day. Bleak midwinter?

Hello 2009 - and it's Derby Day

2009-01-03T11:16:00.003Z

Derby Day - and the first of two games that will go a long way to determining the course of Hibs' season. I was at last week's game with Kilmarnock, and Hibs were truly awful - if they prove to be so totally inept today I predict a serious 'doing' at Tynecastle. The loss of Rob Jones is also a worry - there is no natural cover at centre half and it's a weakness that Hearts are more than capable of exploiting. There are few glimmers of light, though.
One - Hibs' inconsistency has been their one constant theme this season, with no consecutive performances the same, so they are unlikely to play quite as badly again today.
Two - on occasion, our 'big game' players turn it on in these encounters and raise their game. For Shiels, Riordan and Fletcher - they'll have to.
And three - Hearts are missing some key players, Aguiar in particular, so are not at full strength.
Only a fool predicts the outcome of these Derby games - so here goes! I've jut seen the respective line-ups and Hibs look desperately weak in midfield. Hope I'm wrong, but Hearts to win by two clear goals with at least one sending off (Bamba is a confident choice here). We'll know the outcome soon enough, with a crazy lunchtime kick off to suit TV.

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-31T10:34:00.003Z

Mum's funeral this afternoon, so I can't imagine I will be joining any revellers this evening for The Bells.
Got ready far too early for the funeral, hence this last post of 2008 - killing time with a lightning fast brief review of the year. The big events? International - Obama. National - the credit crunch. Local - the Fairer Scotland Fund saga. Domestic - sadly, that's obvious.
2008 is a year I won't forget, but I won't be recalling it with too many fond memories. However I don't want to make this last post too sombre, so best wishes to all my (okay, both my) loyal readers - here's to a happy 2009.
Incidentally, for those of you who sent best wishes for 2008 - those wishes clearly didn't work, so this year please send vouchers, fags, after shave,cash or even socks!

Hope 2009 brings everything you wish for - all the best.

A very different Christmas

2008-12-27T11:21:00.003Z

My mum passed away in the early hours of Monday morning, peacefully at the end. We were called to the hospital early on Friday morning, and after discussions with the surgeon and anaesthetist accepted that there was little more that could be done for Mum - she was too frail to withstand an operation, and that an operation - even in the slim chance it was successful - would not improve her quality of life. We accepted that it would be the last act of kindness we could give my Mum was to make her as comfortable and pain-free as possible, and to let her slip away.
And slip away she eventually did, mercifully having had the chance to see and talk to all of her family while she was still lucid.
Keeping busy by organising all those things that have to be organised helps to keep your mind off Mum's passing, and that will be the way of it until the funeral next week - who knows how we'll all cope after that.
Nothing compensates for the loss of such a dear loved one, but if there is a comfort it's in knowing that she spent her life doing what she loved most - caring for her family. And in knowing that her homely wisdom and inherent goodness has been passed on to her grandchildren who all thankfully had the time to get to know her so well. Some other families don't always get that chance and I'm grateful that our children did. She may be gone, but she lives on in all of us.

So Christmas was so very different this year - all of my planned shopping trips were obviously cancelled, but Knutt kindly became my personal shopper and bought presents while I was at the hospital. Life does go on, and Christmas Day was spent down at Cardrona with family and I don't feel guilty in saying it was a lot of fun.

New Year will be oh so different too. Next week we have the funeral and we'll say goodbye. Heartbroken? Yes, but also so grateful to have lived my life with a mother who cared so much for all of us.

Thanks, Mum, for everything.

Back to reality

2008-12-14T17:49:00.003Z

'The man who grows tired of London is a man who has grown tired of life'. So said Samuel Johnston back in the 18th century, and I'll echo that sentiment. It's an amazing city - full of life, constantly buzzing and teeming with busy people rushing everywhere. No-one stands still for long, unless you're a tourist.
Not much sign of a credit crunch in the affluent West End - the Coal Hole, my Strand local, was heaving with city types enjoying long pre-Christmas lunches and office nights out. Covent Garden was as busy as ever, and if shoppers weren't spending as much it wasn't apparent. As ever there were throngs of people in Theatre Land, and it's only much later into the night - long after the curtains have fallen and long after happy revellers have headed home to bed - when the other side of the city is revealed. Just off the bright lights of The Strand doorways and recesses are quickly filled with homeless people sleeping in cardboard boxes, the luckier ones with their own sleeping bags. London was freezing last week - and with so much affluence everywhere you turn, it's not a place where you'd want to be poor.

So it was cold, but it was bright and perfect weather for walks around all the usual tourist destinations - apart from the tour buses it's the best way to see and get to know the city - and we didn't have to rely on the Underground so much last week. Not that I've got any issues with public transport down there - to me the Tube is one of the wonders of the modern world.

Took in two shows during our trip - 'We Will Rock You', which for fans of Queen was probably everything you would want it to be, and 'Piaf', which was being staged just a minute's walk from our hotel. Having read great reviews of the show - and also great praise from Andrew Marr on his Sunday morning show a couple of weeks back - I'd planned to book tickets for 'Piaf' before we went down to London, but with everything else going on I hadn't got round to it. Indeed, even when we arrived, I was almost put off buying tickets by one learned critic (who was selling discounted theatre tickets from a booth in Covent Garden). "It's crap", he said. "Ain't even a proper musical!" Anyway I'm glad we didn't take his advice - the show was stunning, with Elena Roger's performance - she was on stage throughout the entire 90 minutes - spellbinding. 'Piaf' was as moving a stage show as you'll find anywhere, so if you get the chance - ignore the touts, go!

Much as the London trip was as enjoyable as ever, reality always intrudes and real life is never far away. My mum was taken back into hospital again while we were away - the Western this time - and it was straight to hospital when we got back to Edinburgh. Other than hospital visits (I even gave up my ticket for Easter Road on Saturday and missed the resurgent Hibs winning again), much of the remainder of the weekend has been taken up with tackling a massive email inbox - lots and lots of lovely Fairer Scotland Fund related items, naturally. London is quickly becoming a distant memory.

It's back to work tomorrow, with another deputation to prepare for and look forward (?) to on Thursday. Real life has returned with a vengeance - actually, it's never really been away.

Countdown

2008-12-05T08:02:00.004Z

It's my last day at work today - I'm off to London for a few days next week and the break can't come soon enough. The long, long Fairer Scotland Fund saga is taking it's toll and I feel absolutely knackered. I go to sleep thinking about Fairer Scotland Funding, I wake up thinking about Fairer Scotland Funding and I suppose I dream about Fairer Scotland Funding too. It seems I've done nothing else but eat, sleep and talk FSF for months now - and it's still not over. I won't trouble you with all the latest updates as I'm even beginning to bore myself - but if you are really desperate to read more, see the front page of this month's NEN for the full details (just out, available free in all community outlets and distributed free across North Edinburgh - well, for the moment at least.)
There will be more to come on FSF in Forth; it's a live story and things are happening at different levels, but it would be unwise for me to comment on these developments at this time. So I won't.

Chancellor's Pre-Budget Statement
As I so rightly predicted in my last post, the Chancellor did indeed have an ace up his sleeve last week - and yes, it was National Insurance! The only bit I got slightly wrong was that he is raising NHI, not reducing it - but other than that, spot on!

Wogan No More
I freely admit to being a fan of the Eurovision Song Contest - the crap songs, the dodgy voting, the splendid tackiness of it all - but it just won't be the same next year. Terry Wogan is standing down after 35 years. In all his years of broadcasting, Eurovision was surely Terry's finest hour(s). Good luck, Graham Norton - it's a hell of a hard act to follow. Pehaps a change of presenter will bring a change to the UK's fortunes in the event? - nah, I don't think so either.

Karen Matthews
I watched the BBC's documentary on the truly awful Matthews case last night - one of the most depressing things I have sat through for a long time, almost like lifting a scab. 'Horrific' is an over-used word, but there are few others than can describe the ordeal a mother was willing to put her own daughter through. Karen Matthews will, rightly, spend a long time in prison - but that in itself doesn't solve anything.
One image will stay with me for a long time - and it isn't the footage of the mother pleading for her 'baby' to come home, sickening as that was. No, it was the grainy CCTV image of Shannon Matthews leaving a swimming pool with her classmates - last to leave, walking on her own - that summed the whole sorry story for me. What a tragic wee life. Shannon and presumably her six brothers and sisters have been failed by their parents and by the social services system. You've really got to hope that the support will be there for her now, and that an innocent wee girl will now get the chance to rebuild her life and start living again.

And finally ...
Tidying up the desk, clearing up the paperwork in neat(er) piles and a couple of wee festive jobs to cover today. Then it's an Edinburgh Community Representatives Network event on Saturday (more festive frolics, although I must admit I feel anything but festive or jolly at the moment). Then it's Hibs v Celtic on Sunday - I wonder what Hibs team will turn up? Will it be the Three Kings - Riordan, Fletcher and Nish - banging in goals aplenty, or will Hibs defence show seasonal generosity, bearing gifts for Celtic's strikers (who usually don't need that much help anyway)? You just never know down at Easter Road.
There's a winter chill down at Tynecastle too - not caused by the December temperatures. Some players haven't been paid again and creditors are banging on Vlad's door. Goodwill to all men? Here's hoping that Wise Man from the East can get his house in order - the Hearts community deserves better than this- some seasonal cheer is in order.

In the red?

2008-11-24T08:33:00.003Z

Alistair Darling presents his pre-Budget Statement to parliament today. Some of the main points have been heavily trailed already - the intention to increase taxes on the rich (but only after the Election) and the 2.5% VAT cut, but will either move really have the desired effect of kick-starting the economy? It's doubtful.
However I can't help but feel that the government is holding something back - another wee nugget kept secret and launched at the despatch box to wrong-foor the Opposition. My guess - a reduction in National Insurance. That would do more for small businesses than a reduction in VAT and would also help hard-pressed tax payers; it may even get them spending again.
Whatever route the Chancellor takes, we will ultimately all pay for these short-term tax cuts with higher taxes further down the line. The economy is still in dire straits, and our government must share some responsibility for that, but the problem for the Opposition is that they seem unable to pin the blame for the UK's finances squrely on Brown and Darling.
It seems now. though, that clear blue water is opening up between Labour and the Tories over how to handle the economic crisis. Labour's spend now, pay later plans or the Tories' alternative. Ultimately it's the economy that decides how voters will cast their ballot, so it's a question of: who do you believe, who do you trust? Things may become clearer this afternoon - as may the date of the next General Election if Darling's statement is well received.
But taxing the rich? Is it really the end of New Labour and back to socialism. Has Red Alistair returned to his toon cooncil roots? All will be revealed!

A little light in the gloom ...

2008-11-16T13:42:00.004Z

You needed a strong stomach to digest the news this week. No, not the ups and downs of the economy - although the plunging pound and rising unemployment will make more than a few people queasy. No, I'm talking about the horrific stories about children that have featured so prominently this week - and it's hard to find the words to express just how truly awful these cases are.
The short, tragic life of Baby P in Haringay, the killing of two toddlers by their young mother in Manchester and the trial of Shannon Matthews' parents and guardians - each tragedy makes you question what kind of society we have become. Three young lives lost and another ruined by the very people who children depend on to love, nurture and protect them. Of course mistakes have been made, the inevitable enquiries will now follow and I'm sure that some official spokesperson will soon insist that 'lessons have been learned and we are already acting on the recommendations made in the report'. And I'm equally sure that it won't be too much longer before we hear of another Baby P. somewhere in the country - another wee life cut tragically short, failed by inadequate parents and a system that is over-stretched to the point where it cannot provide a safety net for our most vulnerable. It's deeply depressing.
Amid the gloom, I was fortunate enough to attend three events this week that did much to lift the spirits. One was the launch of our local Children's Parliament exhibition in North Edinburgh Arts Centre. Many of our young kids are a real inspiration and, as an Ambassador of the Children's Parliament, it was a particular pleasure to see lots of people (not only parents) attending the launch. The children were fantastic and they should feel justly proud of their work. The second was at Oaklands Special School, where the children - many with extremely complex special needs - thought about others and did their level best to 'move a mile' to support Children in Need. Humbling.
The other event was the Kind Kids Awards at Ocean Terminal - four local schoolchildren were among 30 to receive certificates from the Lady Provost to mark their special contribution to making the world around them a better place. The event took place on World Kindness Day, and I went along after watching a news broadcast filled with the horror stories I talk about above. So three real-life horror stories and three uplifting events. Confusing? You bet.

Domestically, my old cat has been in the wars. He's getting on a bit now (an 'elderly gentleman' acording to my vet) and came into the house last weekend with his nose and mouth covered in blood. At first we thought he'd been involved in a scrap, but we were later informed that he's been hit by something - I guess we'll never know what, but 'it' broke his jaw and forced the removal of six teeth. And - something else to restore your faith in human nature - the vet also discovered an air gun pellet in his leg when he was x-rayed. She tells me that she's sure that, if all the cats in the city were x-rayed a good percentage would contain airgun pellets. Sickening. Anyway, the old boy is back at home with his jaw wired up, very quiet but enjoying the attention and getting back to his old self - hopefully he will soon be fit enough to take the odd wild slash at me again; then I'll know his recovery is complete! While he recovers from his accident, I am slowly recovering from the £300+ bill - he's worth every penny, though ...

And finally, D Day is almost upon us. Yes, after months of waiting and postponements Forth Neighbourhood Partnership's Fairer Scotland Fund decisions will be made tomorrow. I've been to many 'important' meetings over the years, but this will undoubtedly be the most difficult I've ever taken part in. Seventeen projects to fund, £800,000 shortfall in the pot - not a lot to look forward to, I fear. However at least staff, boards and clients will at last know their fate come tomorrow evening - the waiting has become unbearable for many. It would be great to be the bearer of good news but I just can't see it: it's looking grim.

Sorry for being a bit downbeat this week - things, as the old song said, can only get better! To brighten things up just a little I've added add a nice autumn waterfall picture taken recently near Kinloch Rannoch, but I'm still using my old Mac and some functions don't appear to be accessible (including spell-check, so apologies for that) . If it goes pear-shaped t'll just have to wait until next week, when I also hope to make a somewhat jollier posting. We'll see ....

The blogger's return

2008-11-07T12:55:00.003Z

Hello again, folks! I'm almost back on-line after a two week sojourn. I say almost because my home computer is still out of action and I'm making this post on my Mac at work (note to Pilton Sucks - this is my lunch break!)
I don't know how it will look when it's posted as all the formatting is a bit different, so look on this as a test message. If it turns out okay - I will return!
So what's been happening? Well, there were the jolly japes of our noble Lord Mandy with his privileged chum Gideon 'George' Osbourne on that nice Russian bloke's yacht, then there was that rare old kerfuffle with Russell Brand and Wossy's phone calls to Andrew Sachs - what a wizard wheeze that was, eh?
And just last night, Labour wins three seats in by-elections (and earned me a few bob into the bargain). Resurgent or just a temporary reprieve? We'll see.
I'm going to try to publish this post now - not much point in typing away for hours if it all just disappears into the vapor .. although perhaps it just does that anyway!

Here goes ...

Still No' Fair

2008-10-20T08:44:00.003+01:00

The last week's been dominated by the ongoing saga of the (Un)Fairer Scotland Fund. Indeed, this subject has increasingly dominated my waking life for weeks now, and there's still no end in sight.
Tuesday was supposed to be decision day, with more time set aside on Friday just in case it should be needed - and I've no doubt it would have been. However we received an email on Monday afternoon to tell us that Tuesday's meeting had been cancelled due to a 'conflict of interest' of one of the panel members. The whole decision process had now been put on hold until - after the Forth by-election. Hmmm ...
On Thursday I was part of a deputation from the Edinburgh Community Representatives Network (ECRN) to argue at Full Council for a fairer allocation of the fund - because of the formula used to calculate FSF allocations for each of the city's Neighbourhood Partnerships North Edinburgh loses out by around 40%. In cash terms it means that there is something like £800,000 less available for the 17 Forth projects who currently receive FSF. The deputation got a fair - if at times ill-tempered - hearing, and while I think we won the argument we predictably lost the vote. Very depressing.
The fallout from last week's decisions will rumble on into this week and FSF will dominate my life for some time to come, I fear.
Meanwhile, other life goes on as normal. Brian is home in less than three weeks and the house is still very much a 'work in progress' - it's a race against time to have this finished before he gets home, and it's a race we're losing at the moment.
And talking about defeat, Hibs did their level best to do just that against Hearts in yesterday's Derby at Easter Road. A goal up in the first minute, things looked so good but the ascendancy was quickly lost and Hearts deservedly equalised before half time. The second half didn't match the first for excitement and I have to say that Hearts edged it. As it was, though - the conditions were awful - I think both teams will be happy to settle for a point. Speaking to impartial observers, they say a draw was a fair result. Life's not always fair, however, as I'm sure the FSF situation in North Edinburgh will show - eventually.

Apocalypse Averted?

2008-10-14T18:42:00.003+01:00

The government's attempts to shore up our teetering banking system appear to have worked; it was seat of the pants stuff, but the financial markets have reacted positively and the crisis appears to be over - for now at least.
More than a few commentators have noted that Gordon Brown looked like a man transformed while he was tackling the crisis, and while Brown and Darling haven't quite become the new Chuckle Brothers it's true that both men appeared to relish the challenge of saving the banking system. His status - maybe that should be 'stock'! - has risen as a result, and the present economic challenges have certainly put an end to any ideas of a leadership challenge.
With usual political hostilities put on hold, there's been an added bonus for the Prime Minister, who has been able to show a leadership that has not been apparent over the recent troubled months. It's a bit like when the safety car is brought out during a Grand Prix - there you are, lagging miles behind a distant runaway leader, when suddenly there's an accident - the safety car comes out and the whole field closes up again. Normal hostilities will resume in due course, obviously, and the government will face criticism over it's failure to regulate the worst excesses of our greedy bankers, but Gordon's at least back in the race and the predicted Tory landslide at the next election now seems rather less certain. Glenrothes may show us just how the public has responded to the new Brown.

The Return of the Prince of Darkness

2008-10-06T06:46:00.002+01:00

Who'd have believed it?He's back - arise, Lord Mandy! One of the most devisive and controversial figures in recent Labour Party history is back in the Cabinet, to the bewilderment of many. A man who was forced to resign - not once, but twice - is back in front-line politics, and enobled with a seat in the House of Lords too! David Blunkett - not perhaps the finest judge of character himself - described the appointment of 'Fighter not a quitter' Mandy as 'a masterstroke'. Many others have been rather more critical, however, and if Gordon Brown believes Mandelson's appointment will bring an end to the internal plotting against him and unite the party he's got this very wrong. Mandelson's a habitual conspirator and he'll never change. Watch your back, Gordon!

Another Return
Another far more popular figure made a return last week. Postman Pat (above), is back,with hos old chum Jess the cat of course - and he's been promoted after all these years! Who knows, maybe Pat will follow the Alan Johnson route and become a member of the cabinet too!

Worst Kept Secret Is Out
Popular local lad John Loughton is to stand in the forthcoming Forth by-election. John is perhaps best known for winning Big Brother Celebrity Hijack earlier this year, but there's an awful lot more to young John than that. I've known him for a number of years and watched him grow into a socially aware, honest and articulate young man who passionately cares about his community. Yes, he may be naive and he may not have all the answers - who does? - but he's willing to stand up and fight to make his community a better place. He's rejected overtures from the big political parties - expect the dirty tricks to intensify as the camapign develops - and has decided instead to be his own man. I admire his fighting spirit, and I know he has gathered a lot of support among the organised North Edinburgh community. He's certainly added a new dimension to the by-election, generated a lot of press interest and he's committed to running a positive campaign, hoping to enthuse voters who are turned off by the traditional 'ya boo' style party politics. Critics who would write him off as a joke candidate do so at their peril.

Other News
The world's financial systems teeter on the brink, Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling promise to 'do whatever it takes'. What exactly that might be is less clear, however.
Young Derek Riordan is banging in the goals for Hibs just as in the bygone days of yore - sorry, wrong club ...! Happy days at Easter Road, however.
Happy birthday to Janice Russell, who is 60 this week. Attended a pre-birthday celebration at Slateford Bowling Club on Friday night. £2.05p a pint - the more you drink, the more you save! - suffered for it on Saturday though ...
We're hoping my mum may get home from hospital today - great relief for all concerned, particularly my dad as it's been a very worrying couple of weeks. Her treatment, and of course the staff, were excellent - top class.
Fairer Scotland - the final presentations took place last Monday and now the really difficult part begins: thrahing out the detail of who gets what. There's just not enough money to meet the needs of all the projects, and a number will be receiving bad news following decisions that will have to be made next week.
No heating all weekend following the start of building work at home - cleared out bags and bags of books, clothes and the clutter of 20+ years. Good news for the local charity shops, but hard work for Caroline and me - be good to get back to work for a rest!
Hopefully the heating will be working again tonight - frostbite is setting in as I type this!
See you next week

Super-organised Me

2008-09-28T07:33:00.006+01:00

With my mum in hospital, I've had to be very organised this week - and, all things considered, I've done not too badly.
The daily routine has been adhered to with military efficiency:

6am Deal with personal stuff - letters, emails, domestic chores.
7am Shower and get ready for work - Sod's law, I've had builders in this week to rip out my kitchen and bathroom, and, if they're here, they're here at 8am.
8am - Down to work; our October deadline was on Friday and there is a lot to write about this month.
4:30pm - Home briefly to see and feed the cat and check mail (maybe manage tea with Caroline if time permits) before heading out to hospital. My mum's in the Royal, and I've been picking my dad up in Priestfield on the way, and the trip from Drylaw can take anything from 30 - 45 minutes. It doesn't seem to matter which route you take, road works are everywhere!
6:30pm - Visiting time. My mum's looking and sounding a lot better, but in a long talk with her doctor last Monday we were told that she will be kept in for at least 7 - 10 days. My mother handled that news far better than I thought she might, and my dad seems a a lot more settled in his own mind now that he knows what is going on. Visiting ends at 8pm.
8:30pm - Drop dad off at home and pick up any shopping I need before going home, then a light supper with Caroline if I didn't have time earlier (I've no kitchen so cooking is slightly problematic - Chez Pick's menu is currently rather limited and the healthy diet is no more!) before checking emails and going to bed, knackered, usually before 11pm.

Because of this schedule I missed a couple of evening meetings this week - Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership and Drylaw Telford Community Council - but other than that I managed to get everything else done that I had to.
Monday saw first of the presentations to the Fairer Scotland Funding Panel in Forth. Six projects - all offering very different services - and the Panel will have to decide how best to allocate inadequate funds to support these. It will get harder - there are another ten projects to see on Thursday, the the really difficult bit begins when we start talking money ....
Got the last of the P1 pictures this week and also met a really nice local photographer who is staging an exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts Centre - some really nice images from Morocco, well worth a visit.
It was an unusually pleasant week for weather too, so on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I finally managed to get my grass cut - due to all the rain we've had over the summer it was almost knee-high so it was a relief to finish cross this off the 'to do' list. I also had to go and pick tiles - this proved less of a trial than I thought it would and it was remarkably painless; they even had them in stock so I was able to take them away, so another job done.
Following phone calls from Forth branch members, I also submitted a letter to Labour Party HQ in Glasgow to express my own concerns over the recent selection process. There are questions to be answered about how this was conducted, and unless these answers are forthcoming our candidate does not have a legitimate mandate. However inconvenient it may be I think the selection meeting should be re-run - with the Labour Party's honesty and integrity under scrutiny like never before I believe it's essential that we are seen to do things right and get the campaign off to an untainted start. The letter went off on Thursday and I'll be interested to hear the Party's views.
Meanwhile, with everything else going on in my own wee world, there were lots of things happening in the wider world too. Gordon Brown's speech to Conference was a good one, although he is not one of the great natural speakers - Neil Kinnock, for all his faults, was an inspirational orator and one of the best I ever heard.
We also saw the American financial meltdown, with the resultant tremors felt all over the world. Here, we've seen another bank, Bradford & Bingley, nationalised - whoever would have dreamed that we'd ever have heard that word again in modern day politics? There was the Presidential hopefuls' 'head to head' - because of the parlous state of the US economy this eagerly-anticipated debate got nothing like the coverage you would have expected, and from what I've seen and read it was a bit flat, the pundits' vedicts being a rather disappointing draw. And there was the death of Paul Newman - one of the last of a generation of genuine movie 'greats' - died yesterday. Yes, lots happening out there, but with so much happening on my own domestic front there just isn't the time to digest it all.
Today, more clearing out of Drylaw Towers to allow the builders to come in and do their worst, lightened (perhaps) by a trip to Easter Road this afternoon to watch Hibs humble the mighty 'Gers! We live in hope ...
Then it's back out to hospital this evening.
One benefit of getting up ridiculously early is seeing some glorious dawns - the above picture is of an impressive sunrise over Drylaw this morning.
That's all for now then, folks - I've got a house to clear! See you next week.

Life's ups and downs

2008-09-22T06:54:00.003+01:00

The week couldn't have started better - a big family get-together last weekend up near Aberfoyle in the most beautiful of surroundings (above), with a fun day at Nick Nairn's Cook School to celebrate Caroline's birthday - a real tonic after a difficult week.
Back to Edinburgh on Tuesday afternoon and real life took over again. The banking crisis boiled over with the loss of the Bank of Scotland - and doubtless thousands of jobs too.
Locally, the City's Labour Party organised a selection meeting to find a replacement for Elizabeth with rather indecent haste - a very tight timetable saw a selection meeting held just a week to the day since Elizabeth's funeral, angering many local party activists. This mood was not helped by a supporter of one candidate - who really should have known better - reportedly calling branch members to solicit support for their chosen candidate even before the process - or the candidate list - was formally announced! The candidates themselves only learned that they had been short-listed on Friday afternoon, just four hours before the selection hustings!
Unsurprisingly, given the circumstances - just five days notice, holding the meeting on a Friday night and members' anger about the whole process - there were insufficient local party members present on the night so the CLP Executives of West and North and Leith took part in the vote. The result was predictable, and I suspect may have been rather different had the process not been quite so rushed and local branch members had had a greater opportunity to have their say.
There is talk of official protests, and a number of local members have said that they will not work for the party during the campaign, sickened by what one claims was a 'stitch-up'. That's unfortunate as Labour will need 'all hands on deck' to hold on to a seat in Forth. It seems inconceivable that Labour could not have a presence in a seat with such huge swathes of working class votes, but these are difficult times and recent events have shown that there is no longer any such thing as a safe Labour seat. It promises to be a fascinating campaign - the by-election takes place on 6 November.
By a strange coincidence, the Labour Party conference kicked off in Manchester at the weekend and the call will be for unity. I would expect members to rally round the Prime Minister at conference - and I still don't see anyone of real stature who could conceivably fill his boots. It would be madness, political suicide even, to ditch Gordon Brown now.
However all the local shenanigans and even those national and global events paled into insignificance at the weekend when my old mum was rushed into hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning. She remains very poorly, so all plans have been rearranged to make sure we can spend as much time at her bedside as we can.
Global crises and even Labour Party leaders will come and go, but you only have one mum.

A return to real life

2008-09-13T09:11:00.002+01:00

A Fitting Tribute
Yesterday's funeral service, while of course desperately sad, was also a real celebration of Elizabeth's remarkable life. Elizabeth organised the detail of order of service herself and I'm sure she would have been very satisfied by the way things went - even the sun was shining!
Personal friends of many years Cardinal Keith O'Brien and Eric Milligan shared their memories of Elizabeth with the hundreds who packed into Warriston, painting a picture of a woman with a joyous zest for life, a deep love of family and friends and a driven and committed politician. Whatever your views on Elizabeth - and as such a huge personality she attracted strong opinions - no-one can doubt the impact she's had on political life in Edinburgh during her remarkable life, or the massive gap her passing will leave in North Edinburgh.
I don't tend to cry at funerals, but there were a number of times over the course of the day when I nearly 'lost it'. Once, when I spoke to members of Elizabeth's Pilton Equalities Project who are completely bereft and shocked; again, when I saw the pain in the eyes of Elizabeth's close friends Brian Fallon and Paul Nolan, both of whom were finding it very difficult to find the words to express what they were feeling. And again, when I reached the top of the steps to the crematorium and glanced back over my shoulder to see an incredible queue of hundreds of mourners snaking it's way from the front gates all the way towards to the chapel. Hundreds of people for whom Elizabeth clearly meant something. On the darkest of days this massive show of support must have offered at least some little solace to the family. And finally, when meeting Betty Scammell, Elizabeth's mother, after the service. Betty conducted herself with so much dignity whilst going through a day which I am sure she could never have thought she would ever see.
Service over, there was the opportunity to meet and exchange small talk with many people you've not met for a long time - and, in all likelihood, who you may not greet again until another occasion like this one. Dozens of well-kent faces from the Labour Party, more old than new, old colleagues from Lothian Region and friends and colleagues from the North Edinburgh community who have moved on. Promises to keep in touch, which somehow never materialise because mundane, ordinary everday life becomes the norm again.
We spent the rest of the afternoon - and a fair part of the early evening too - in the Jinglin' Geordie, reliving the old days with some old pals and inevitably talking about what happens next. Life doesn't stand still, and a by-election beckons. That will all be sorted out over the coming weeks, but whoever is selected to fight the seat for Labour - and whoever is ultimately elected as the new member for Forth ward - has an almost impossible act to follow. If the new representative can be half as effective as Elizabeth was over the years at arguing her corner, dealing with constituents problems and working tirelessly for the people of Granton, North Edinburgh and beyond - then they will be doing well indeed.
After the holidays I will compile a celebration of Elizabeth's life for next month's NEN - contributions are flowing in already and we won't be short of material.

New Challenges
As I say, life goes on. Today, we will find out who has won the contest to lead the Labour Group in Holyrood. By all accounts it's too close to call between Iain Gray and Cathy Jamieson, though I think it will be the former. Whoever is successful has a major rebuilding job on his/her hands, and there's no doubting the scale of the challenge faced by the new leader.
Another young man facing a new challenge today is Derek Riordan. The prodigal son has returned to Easter Road and his re-signing has given supporters a much-needed lift. I was one who didn't want to see him go in the first place - he is one of the most naturally gifted young players in have seen for years, and managed to shine in a team that was blessed with an abundance of young talent. He's kicked his heels on the periphery at Celtic Park for two years, but I'm sure that Derek has lost none of his prodigious skills or talent over that time. And with an added maturity (well, hopefully!) and with the extra motivation of proving some people wrong, like most Hibs fans I'm expecting great thinks of young Deek.

Back to Work
If this week was dominated by Elizabeth's death, next week will see a return to what passes as 'normal'.
First up, a couple of day's holiday with the extended family to celebrate Caroline's birthday then there's a pretty full work diary. Too many meetings, as ever, but lightened by the delightful job of getting photographs of this year's P1 intake at all of our local schools. It's incredibly difficult to get twenty-plus four and five year olds to all look at the camera and smile at the same time, but it's good fun trying!
Less fun - but crucially important nonetheless - will be the FSF funding panel meetings. Elizabeth's passing meant that the dates are being rescheduled and these will be finalised next week.
So as I said life does go on, but it will be a less colourful one without Elizabeth's presence here in North Edinburgh.

Elizabeth's funeral

2008-09-12T09:32:00.004+01:00

Elizabeth's funeral takes place at midday today at Warriston. It's been a surreal week - so many people I've spoken to are finding this all so difficult to take in. It is impossible to believe that someone so full of life and energy, someone who had such a huge role within this community is now longer among us.
I will post again later - in the meantime, like many hundreds of others, I will pay my last respects. My thoughts are with Michael and his family and hope that they will get through what is going to be a hugely difficult day.

A huge shock and a terrible sense of loss

2008-09-08T00:47:00.005+01:00

God knows, I had plenty to moan about this week. The list was as long as your arm, then to compound it all I found my PC unavailable all day Sunday after uploading an 'upgrade' from Microsoft.
For the record, the things that caused me so much grief were:

The shitty weather (particularly the absence of any summer),
A severe and very painful case of athlete's foot - and heavens knows I'm no athlete, no doubt picked up at Ainslie Park during my 'get fit' period,
Dobbies Garden Centre clearing their shelves to make way for CHRISTMAS stock (on 6 September!),
Scotland's predictable failure in Macedonia,
Covering the NEN office alone - hobbling aboot - as Mary is on holiday and Vic was also signed off sick,
The shitty weather again ...
Computer failure just when you need it most ...

Fairly inconsequential in the great scheme of things, I agree, but enough to put me down in the dumps, if not clinically depressed. Irked. Annoyed.

However, by the time I did finally get the computer up and running again on Sunday things had changed. I had heard that Elizabeth Maginnis has died. All those minor irritations suddenly become exactly that - of no importance. Life, which generally goes along on a fairly even kilter with the occassional wobble, suddenly goes seriously askew. Things have changed - life is different.

I will post at length later on. Elizabeth's death - apparently of a brain haemorrhage - comes as an almighty shock. Other than the usual cliches like 'huge personality', 'a great loss to North Edinburgh and city politics as a whole' I just can't think of anything new or original to say about her just now.
We met three times last week and she was as full of life - and fight - as ever she was. And now she's gone.

As I said, I will post at more length later but for the moment I'll think about things and try to get this all into perspective. My athlete's foot is stil sair, my job is in the balance but Christ ... I'm still here.

It's now early Monday morning, I can't sleep and at 9:30 our Funding Panel will go through the applicants who are seeking Fairer Scotland Funding. Most of my weekend was spent reading the submissions - all very worthy in different ways but we all know there just isn't enough money in the pot to meet demands, thanks to the Edinburgh Partnership. It's grim ...
Speak to you later

A really amazing story ... honest!

2008-08-31T15:29:00.003+01:00

There's a fox loose aboot this hoose!
I know I call this blog Dave's Absolutely Amazing Adventures, but in my most honest moments even I must accept that it isn't always truly amazing. Not even exciting. Sometimes downright dull, even.
But this week, dear readers, I bring you a genuine exclusive - a tale of such excitement that it will have you on the edge of your seats.
Yesterday morning (during an unusual break in the endless rain) I nipped downstairs to hang out some washing. On coming back I heard my cat snarling away, so I assumed that another cat had nipped in to steal his food.
When I got to the bottom of the stairs, however, I got a bit of a shock. Standing at the top of the stairs was a young fox, which quickly ran into the house. I managed to get upstairs to shut most of the room doors and trapped the fox in my living room, but was then faced with a slight dilemma (i.e. what the f*ck do I do now?)
I edged closer to the animal - which was obviously feeling cornered and getting a bit distressed - though mindful that getting bitten was probably not a good idea. There was a brief stand-off - fox and me staring into each others eyes at a range of about six feet - before he bolted past me to the open door, and freedom.
No damage done, and Reynard lives to fight another day. I've mentioned before that I love watching the foxes at play in the garden, especially the young cubs, but this was just a wee bit too close to home!
So there you are, a real adventure - and like the true professional snapper that I am I even got a picture to prove it!
I can't promise quite as much excitement next week - could you handle it? - but who knows, look forward next week to The Strange Episode of the Wildebeest in the Kitchen ... !

The Norseman Cometh

2008-08-31T15:04:00.002+01:00

A new dawn beckons ...
Behold! A mighty Norseman has swept down from the icy wastes, plundering everything in his unstoppable path. This heroic figure will inspire and transform the parochial world of Scottish politics forever. His name? Tavish Scott.
Well, maybe not. Young Tavish was the predictable choice of the Scottish Lib Dems - all 4000-odd of them who could be bothered to vote. What difference will the bold Tavish make? Not a significant one, one would imagine. Outside the Holyrood bubble life goes on as normal and the elevation of Tavish has hardly captured the imagination. Will it change your life? Will you remember where you were when Tavish was elected leader of the Scottish Lib Dems? No, thought not. Is it even a new golden dawn for the Lib Dems in Scotland? Nah, don't think so.
The Lib Dem leadership election hardly excited the media much either, with so much of genuine interest going on elsewhere. The world's response to Russian aggression, Alistair Darling's refreshingly honest and candid Guardian interview on the state of the economy, Obama's coronation swiftly followed by the Republican's surprise choice of little-known Alaskan governor Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate - perhaps not too surprising that the media's attentions were elsewhere.
However in a spirit of generosity let me wish Tavish well - he's probably a damn fine decent chap in line with all the damn fine decent chaps who have gone before. But just perhaps the new leader will be able to make it clear at last what the point of the Lib-Dems is - just what are the Lib-Dems actually for?.

And the rain keeps 'teaming' down!

2008-08-25T23:11:00.005+01:00

We're all going on a summer holiday ...
Well, we've been, actually. I took a week's break last week - the plan was to top up the tan! Not to put too fine a point on it, the weather was slightly disappointing (see picture - just about sums it up). The opportunities for sunbathing were somewhat curtailed, and while my relatives were test-driving a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean (should that be test sail?)I instead set about dealing with all those chores you tend to put off - writing minutes, updating websites, shopping, ironing, etc. etc. while trying to get out to do things between cloudbursts (I'm not kidding about that yacht, by the way - I'll return to it in future postings).
All that mundane stuff can be very time-consuming but I got it all up to date by the end of the week and we managed a few outings too. I also did something I haven't done for probably ten years at least - I went for a swim!
It wasn't inspiration from watching the heroic feats in the Beijing pool that drove me to Ainslie Park - I have no plans to compete in the next Olympics unless they make 'Quizzes' an Olympic event. No, my daughter Knutt - a fitness fanatic - has been urging me to take more (i.e. any) exercise for months now and I could put it off no longer. Despite a fairly strict diet - devoid of the beloved Golden Wonder cheese and onion - my weight has stubbornly refused to drop below 15 stones and Gail reckons that the only way the weight will come down is by regular exercise.
i actually quite enjoy swimming but I've always managed to find 'good' reasons for not going - usually to do with not enough time. The real reason though was that I was afraid that my gargantuan size might frighten some of the more sensitive bathers.
Anyway, I threw caution to the winds last week and did it - while that smartass American guy managed eight gold medals I managed eight lengths (albeit with ever lengthening breaks in between!)
Many years ago we would be at Warrender and Infirmary Street Baths at least once or twice every week, and when the Commonwealth Pool opened (just round the corner from where we lived)my wee gang almost lived in the place - we went there most days.
It's like a lifetime ago now, but in those distant times I could swim a length of the pool under water. A lifetime, and many thousands of Embassy Regal too.
Now one half-hour swim every ten years or so can't really be classed as 'regular' yet but I've broken my duck now and I didn't send any swimmers scurrying to safety fearing that a blue whale had been released into the pool. I will return.

Labour Pains
Just when I thought my mind was made up (remember that nice letter I got from my new mate Iain Gray?) don't I receive letters from Andy Kerr and Cathy Jamieson? Iain was my one and only mate but now I've found that I've got not one but three bosom buddies! Then there was a phone call from Team Grey too .. Iain, Cathy or Andy - sometimes there's just too much choice!

Beijing's over - now the real show begins!
One side effect of the crap weather was that I watched far more of the Olympic Games than I had planned - it sort of sucks you in. I am now an expert on every sport under the sun (or, more often, the rain).
There's no denying that the British athletes were very impressive - you can't argue with a haul of 47 medals, 19 of which were gold. Finishing fourth in the medal table behind giants like China, USA and Russia is no mean achievement.
There were far fewer drug offences than I had expected, and while there were some outrageous judging decisions in favour of the host nation you've got to say that the event was a success (put to one side the opening ceremony which featured one wee girl miming because the real singer just didn't look 'perfect' enough, and the use of computer generated images to enhance the already-spectacular effects of the fireworks when the opening ceremony was beamed round the world).
There were many highlights, but my own favourite moment was when a Cuban TaeKwon Do player took exception to a judge's decision. No 'noble art' or strict discipline for this guy - he launched himself at the judge and landed a very impressive flying kick on the unfortunate official. Top marks for technical merit, but of course the rash chap has since been banned for life. Not that I would condone behaviour of this sort in any way, but I do wonder how many sportsmen who have been on the receiving end of a dodgy refereeing decision must have envied that bloke?
The minus side of the Games for me was the infuriating use of that odious phrase 'Team GB' by our over-partisan legion of commentators, and their constant references to London 2012. The Beijing games were hardly closed when the London party got into full swing and I fear we're going to hear of little else for the next four years. I'm already heartily sick of the sight of Sebastian - sorry, Lord - Coe. If you thought 1966 was bad, you ain't seen nuthin' yet!

Team Pickering takes to the ocean waves
It was Kevin's birthday last Friday, and it's customary for the birthday boy/girl to choose where we go to celebrate the event. Kevin opted for a Jazz cruise on the Maid of the Forth - very different from sitting in a restaurant or spending the evening in a boozer getting p*ssed! It was very pleasant - the trad jazz band were old hands and good fun - and while the barbecued chicken in a polystyrene tray was hardly Balmoral standards it was okay. The rain even stayed off!
Aye, you can keep your luxury yacht - the old Maid of the Forth will do for me!

The Week Ahead
Team NEN will be busy this week as we are going to print a day early (Wednesday). Team Drylaw Telford Community Council meets on Wednesday night with a very full agenda - top of which is the ongoing Fairer Scotland Fund saga. This one will run and run - a bit like Paula Radcliffe, really.

When second is nowhere

2008-08-17T14:32:00.003+01:00

Super Sunday too?
Well if not super, surely very satisfactory? Not if you saw BBC's legion of pundits in Beijing (I'm sure they're breeding - there seem to be more and more of them every day)this morning. More golds to celebrate, but DISASTER - our four women rowers brought shame upon the nation by finishing only second! Silver simply isn't good enough for 'Team GB' and there were enough tears to start another regatta. Meanwhile in the studio there was the sense of stunned bereavement that is only normally evident when a great national figure has died or there has been a great natural disaster. Let's get this into perspective - our women finished second best in the world in the rowing fours; that's not really too bad, is it? Yet with targets to be hit and everything geared towards London 2012 it's all about winning. One commentator, probably unwittingly, summed it up this morning: "There's only one colour that matters - and that's the gold". As one who used to live by the 'it's not the winning, it's the taking part' creed when trying to encourage my own kids to enjoy sport, it made me feel quite queasy.
Judging by the BBC's coverage - where the gold medal tally is everything - is the Olympics now really only about winning? It certainly looks like London 2012 will be no place for losers. I can heardly wait ...

O ye of little faith
Yes, I got it wrong about Hibs yesterday. A goal inside fifty seconds did help, and what an enjoyable game it was (and still would have been even if HIbs had lost their lead, as lokked likely late on. There were a lot of positives on show at Easter Road and both sides played open, attackign football. To use another fottball cliche (this blog will be liberally sprinkled with them over the coming months) it was a great advery for Scottish football.
I was impressed by Falkirk's football, and their striker Higdon in particular. A big brutal battering-ram in the mould of the old-fashioned centre-forward, he shoved, pushed and battled away all game and was rewarded with two goals. A cross between Viduka and Hartson without the touch. But two goals, a couple of near chances, more than a few warnings from the ref about his 'over enthusiasm' - yes, I'm sure he'll be delighted with his day's work, if not the result.
However the mighty Hibs have started their inexorable rise up the SPL table - let the others quake!

Oh no! Not another one!
The death of the sitting Labour MP in Glenrothes has given Gordon Brown another headache he could have done without. In normal times Glenrothes would be solidly Labour but as we have seen over recent months these are not normal times, and the bookies have already installed the SNP as long odds-on favourites.
The dilemma for Brown is timing - whether to call the by-election before or after Labour's Party Conference. Go early, don't give the SNP any time to organise, take the defeat on the chin if/when it comes and then use the conference speech to relaunch the Party? Or use the conference speech to galvanize what's left of the party faithful, show strong leadership and issue a call to arms to members to come to the aid of the Party? What to do, what to do?
The added complication of Henry McLeish's 'constructive' suggestions - and his being mooted as a possible candidate by some (surely mischievious elements) - won't be doing Gordon's blood pressure much good, and Milliband's manoueverings and lukewarm support haven't been exactly helpful either.
Internationally, there's the Caucasas problem still festering away and all the doestic economic indicators are dire. Oh Gordon, what to do indeed?

Picture: Your humble scribe offers Gordon Brown some words of wisdom. It was a long time ago.

Super Saturday?

2008-08-16T12:38:00.002+01:00

Fingers Crossed
While 'Team GB' (ghastly title) are sweeping all before them on the BBC's self-styled 'Super Saturday' in Beijing, my sporting attentions are turned a bit closer to home - it's off to Easter Road shortly for my first home game of the season.
In years gone by the visit of Falkirk would not have caused too many palpitations, but we are looking at a decidedly underwhelming Hibs team at the moment and expectations are not high. By all accounts Hibs didn't play too badly at Kilmarnock last week, but Falkirk dominated Rangers for long periods in their game and they could be quite a useful side. If Hibs can score early (scoring at all would be a bonus) I think we can go on and win, but if we fall behind I'm not convinced the current side has what it takes - guile, invention, fighting spirit - to come back.
All will be revealed at 4:45, but I'm predicting a draw.
Incidentally I finished an impressive 9000+th in last week's BBC Scotland Predictor game so there is room for improvement. To use a couple of favourite football cliches, though, it is 'early doors' so I am not 'sick as a parrot' just yet.

The picture above is the Hibs support in happier times - singing their way to victory in the League Cup final in 2007. It all seems like a very long time ago!

Flooding on The Fringe

2008-08-10T16:38:00.002+01:00

Washout
If July's weather was bad, hasn't August been awful? My cousin and her family came up from Wales to take in the Festival last week, and they couldn't have picked a finer few days to see Edinburgh at it's most drookit!
They were also fortunate enough to have tickets for the Tattoo on Wednesday night - yup, the night of the tropical storms - so I don't think they'll forget their visit in a hurry. Hopefully the trench foot will clear up soon ...
I was hoping to catch some of Fringe Sunday today but the Meadows will be like Paschendaele after last night's deluge so I'm giving it a miss. I didn't go to see Pilton Video's show at the Lawnmarket last night for the same reason - maybe I'm getting too soft in my old age.
As I write the sun is splitting the sky so no doubt the snowstorms will be here by teatime ...

Other news. We picked up a Gold Medal in the Road Race today - damn fine show but 75km. on a bike looks like hard work. A taxi would surely have been cheaper?

There are potentially serious problems in the old USSR, with Russia taking an unhealthy interest in the goings-on in neighbouring Georgia. South Ossetia province (and, no, I hadn't heard of it either) could prove to be a serious flashpoint and once again we're seeing how impotent our international organisations can be in the face of naked aggression. It's a time for cool heads.

The footie season gets under way, Celtic win with a soft penalty. Hibs are disappointing, Rangers struggle but still win. Plus ca change!

And finally, a quick word on recent events in sunny old North Edinburgh. I have been heartened by the response I received to the letter I wrote to the NEN regarding some shenanigans surrounding a recent meeting. Callers and emailers have been very supportive, and I'm more convinced than ever that my community council did the right thing in calling that meeting. The misguided wreckers can't be allowed to win, and I'm pleased to hear that the vast majority of those who take an interest share that view. No doubt I'll be returning to this issue over the coming weeks.
I'm off to find my wellies before venturing out into the now lashing rain - as my old friend Captain Titus Oates so nobly said, 'I may be gone some time'!

Cheerio, chaps - tally ho!

And they're Off!

2008-08-10T15:45:00.004+01:00

Leadership Elections
I received a mailing from the Iain Gray campaign this week. Yes, us ordinary hoi polloi are getting a say in who will lead the Labour group at Holyrood!
I am touched - moved even, that a candidate would take the time to write to a humble member seeking support. Because the letter starts 'Dear David' I am taking this as a sign that Iain Gray is now officially my mate so I will vote for my new buddy!
Seriously though, despite the fact that he has the support of Lord George Foulkes, I will vote for him. He has a background that indicates some experience of real life: as a teacher and as a worker with Oxfam. And as a fellow Hibs supporter, he also intimate knowledge of dealing with constant disappointment. Inspirational he is not - none of the candidates are - but I do think he has an air of honesty that Andy Kerr does not. I like Cathy Jamieson, but as Deputy Leader, she was too closely involved in the Alexander Affair for my liking. And while I think Cathy's politics are perhaps closest to my own, she may also be hindered by the 'always the bridesmaid' syndrome. An able Deputy Leader (what does the Deputy Leader actually do, other than stand in at FMQs from time to time?) does not necessarily make her leadership material.
I think Iain's enforced absence from Holyrood - he lost his Pentlands seat to David McLetchie in 2003 before returning last year - has probably done him no harm either. He returns of something of a fresh face (admittedly not a particularly photogenic one, but a fresh one nonetheless) and he will not be closely associated with what is increasingly seen as the 'same old same old' face of Labour in Scotland.
I reckon Iain may also be the beneficiary of an East - West split, with his opponents' supporters likely to cut each others' throats (metaphorically, of course) over in the Wild West.
Whoever wins will have a big task on his/her hands to rejuvenate the Labour Party in Scotland (yes, I know the victor is only head of the Holyrood group of MSPs, but as far as the media is concerned it's the 'Scottish Labour leader'). None of the three will particularly scare the SNP leadership, but I think Iain Gray's grasp of detail may serve to unsettle Mr Salmond a little. The SNP have had it all too easy so far and the country - any democratic country - needs an effective opposition.
Whoever wins I wish them the very best of luck. I've had one victory already as Cheeky Charlie Gordon could not amass the five nominations necessary to allow him to enter the leadership contest. Clearly my comrades have learned something from Donorgate, and that's as good a starting point as any.

We tend to forget that there is another ongoing leadership contest, of course - the media spotlight appears to have been switched off completely as far as the Lib Dem contest is concerned. Surprising, as the three names in the frame are political giants - well, in the world of the Lib Dems they are ... maybe. The clash of the titans here is between eternal outsider Mike Rumbles, Ross 'Captain Mainwaring' Finnie and some Viking bloke from up north who may be a distant relation of Noggin the Nog - yes, that's him, Tavish Scott. The Lib Dems are clearly spoilt for choice - and I can't help but wonder how different it may have been for them had they went into coalition with the SNP at the start of the Parliament. Would they be in the state of inertia that they are now? We'll never know, but I doubt that a new leader make any difference to their position in the polls.
I've no preference or real interest who will win this contest, but I do find Ross Finnie quite a comical figure. I reckon Scott will win - spin over substance - but the Lib Dems should maybe go for a more senior figure. What about Scott's wicked uncle, Nogbad the Bad? If he's not a card-carrying member get him signed up now - his dastardly cunning and evil plotting would make him more than a match for Wee Eck!

The Big Kick Off

2008-08-09T11:54:00.002+01:00

It seems to have come round awfully soon, but it's back to SPL action today.
The referees have negotiated themselves a pretty decent pay rise (no wonder some of those 'fat cats' are looking slightly overweight!)
Regular readers will know that I'm an ace tipster so you'll be desperate to hear my predictions for the new season! Here goes:

RANGERS will win the SPL. Yes, I have been drinking, but I think their (entirely merited) early exit from Europe could prove to be a blessing in disguise as far as their League challenge is concerned - although they'll certainly miss the £8 - £10 million they've lost as a result of their defeat by Lithuanian giants Kaunas. If they can keep their squad together - some of the ambitious Europeans may try to get a move to enjoy European football - I reckon they can be a match for Celtic, who will be embarking on a European campaign and won't be able to concentrate solely on the League.
As ever, the title will hinge on who comes out best in the four Old Firm games. My mates think I'm mad, but I reckon Rangers will do it.
As to the annual question - who'll finish third? I'm going for Dundee United, despite their poor finish last season. Craig Levein is a talented manager and I think he'll get the best out of his squad. They have also signed Sandaza,a new striker who is apparently red hot. So it's United for me for third spot.
I expect both Falkirk and Motherwell to have decent seasons, Kilmarnock to finish around mid-table with Aberdeen, and St Mirren and Hamilton to struggle and fight it out to avoid the drop.
And the Edinburgh teams? If there is no interference and Hearts' new manager is allowed to get on with the job of picking the team, I could see a big improvement in Hearts this year. It is a big 'if', though, and you can't predict Hearts' fortunes with any confidence.
Hibs' pre-season has been pretty dire and the squad is not a patch on previous years. The club was fortunate to have a particularly good start last season, and they will need that again this term. I expect a bottom six finish (I expected that last season but was pleasantly surprised to find Hibs almost in the running for a European spot near the season's end). I just can't see that this time round, but if there is one ray of hope it is the signing of former Gretna player Fabian Yantorno. If this guy can stay injury free he will be a real asset to the club - I'm looking forward to seeing him get an extended run in the side.
So here's how I see things shaping up:

1. Rangers
2. Celtic
3. Dundee United
4. Motherwell
5. Falkirk
6. Hearts
7. Aberdeen
8. Kilmarnock
9. Hibs
10. Inverness CT
11. St Mirren
12. Hamilton

Here goes for another season of false hopes and misery!

Incidentally, my Jinglin Geordie Fantasy Football selection is:

Olejnik (Falkirk)
Whittaker (Rangers)
Considine (Aberdeen)
Craigan (Motherwell)
Hogg (Hibs)
Hughes (Motherwell)
Stewart (Hearts)
Murray (Hibs)
Vennegoor (Celtic)
Boyd (Rangers)
Lee Miller (Aberdeen)

What can possibly go wrong now? I'm counting my winnings already!

Farewell Old Friend

2008-08-07T18:57:00.003+01:00

I know you shouldn't feel sentimental about a piece of metal, but ...
Tyson, my wee Citroen and companion of many years, has departed to the Great Scrappie in the Sky (well, William Waugh's in Granton actually). I am bereaved.
Logic dictated that Tyson would have to go - getting on in years, a bit battered and bruised, niggling wee problems like a slipping clutch and a minor oil leak, a driver's door that couldn't close properly after losing a battle with a fierce gust of wind - I could go on but you get the picture.
It would have cost more than the car was worth to get it through another MOT, then there's the Road Tax, insurance, the cost of running it; it made sense to get rid of it, and yet ...
I loved that wee car. It was gutsy, reliable and handled the challenge of getting young Knutt through her driving test without complaint - hundreds of reverse turns round corners, dozens of 'turn in the road using forward and reverse gears' (I would have said three point turns, but you clearly haven't seen Knutt's driving).
Yes, the lack of power steering turned me into Charles Atlas, but every time you turned the key in the ignition - Tyson started, first time. Nothing flash - you could leave Tyson anywhere safe in the knowledge that no self respecting car thief would nick him, or no vandal would attack him as he looked fully vandalised already! You couldn't leave him for long in more affluent areas, though - the sight of Tyson parked in the street for long would have houses prices plummeting!
Tyson was a real wee diesel workhorse who never let you down - and even on that final journey he started first time, game to the end ...
I drive a Picasso now, and though it's far more comfortable - palatial compared to the cramped wee Citroen - it's got nothing of Tyson's personality; it's just a car.
So goodbye then,old chum - it was an honour to know you.

Beijing Countdown

2008-08-06T22:48:00.003+01:00

Just two days until 'the greatest show on earth', as the BBC is billing the Olympic Games. Mind you, the Beeb has got to big it up - they seem to have dozens of reporters there already - even Radio Scotland has two, for goodness sake - and the games haven't even started yet.
Many years ago I used to love watching the Olympics - the good old days when all the competitors were amateurs - well, supposedly - and they competed only for the simple glory of representing their country and taking on the best in the world. Ah, life was so innocent then! Sadly, the days of Alf Tupper winging his way to Olympic immortality in his battered plimsolls (on a drug-free diet of traditional fish and chips to boot!)are no more.
These days, it's all about big business - without the lure of massive new marketing and commercial opportunities do you think the IOC would even have considered staging the games in Beijing?
The Olympics should really be sponsored by the world's big drug companies, for the biggest competition in China will likely be the ongoing battle between the drug cheats and the authorities, who seem to be fighting a losing battle in trying to clamp down on the use of banned substances. My predictions (these come with a health warning given my recent run of form):
1. The first positive drug test will be a weightlifter.
2. Great Britain will finish 6th - 8th in the medal table. The British Olympic Association is deliberately talking down our likely medal tally, perhaps in the hope that, if we win more medals than they are predicting, the nation will take the BOA to it's collective bosom - as opposed to seeing the bloated organisation as a massive waste of money. As usual, most of our medals will come in equestrian events, rowing and cycling.
3. China will come very close to toppling the mighty USA at the top of the medal table. This will be because a substantial number of Chinese competitors will produce a suspiciously improved level of performance. This will have nothing to do with the use of banned (but undetected) substances, of course, but because they are competing in and for the glory of their beloved homeland.

Let battle commence, then, but I won't be watching. I am already in training for London 2012, by which time I hope that darts will be an Olympic event. Who needs anabolic steroids - a few pints and a nightly fish supper should get me in fine shape by then! The Corinthian spirit is alive and well - step forward, son of Tupper!

Stormy Waters

2008-08-04T09:16:00.004+01:00

Turbulent Times
I had quite a lot to write about last week but my blogging time was seriously curtailed by a real 'stooshie' that's blown up in North Edinburgh. Unsurprisingly, it's over Fairer Scotland Funding.
Drylaw Telford Community Council asked North Edinburgh Trust to organise a joint meeting with our neighbouring CCs and projects likely to be affected by some sizeable FSF funding cuts - North Edinburgh has taken a serious blow in our allocation. So far, information emanating from the Neighbourhood Partnerships on what's happening with FSF has been poor to say the least, so we saw the meeting as an opportunity to let local communities know what is going on, what the effects of reduced funding could be, and to try to agree a joint way forward to get the best deal we can for the area.
All very well-intentioned, you might think; laudable, even. But clearly not everyone shares that view, and since the day following the 23 July meeting there's been a flurry of activity. Malicious gossip, misinformation and accusations of political skulduggery have been flying around - all anonymous, of course - and the end result is a lot of mistrust and genuine anger. The motives of some good people have been criticised and an awful lot of damage has been done by some misguided individuals who see political plots where none exist.
This story is ongoing and there's a lot more to come out. All I'd add for now is that you'd be amazed at the time it takes to deal with something like this - even when it's founded on nothing more than mischievous tittle-tattle.
So all of the stuff that's been happening out there in the wider world - fuel price increases and obscene profits, hapless Hibs, two leadership election campaigns in Scotland (no, I'm not including Gordon Brown here), the capture of Karadic with his Papa Smurf comedy beard disguise, the Fringe ticket farce - all of these issues will have to wait for the moment.
There are a number of important meetings taking place across the area this week - North Edinburgh Trust's board, the Fairer Scotland Funding Panel and Evoc's Forth Voluntary Sector Forum are all due to meet, and each in it's own way will determine how things are going to look in the not-too-distant future in North Edinburgh.
I'll keep you posted - confidentiality clauses permitting, of course.

Now that the dust has settled ...

2008-07-27T18:00:00.004+01:00

Reflections on Glasgow East
Well what do you make of that? Apart from the bold Mr Salmond himself, who would have predicted that result? I always thought that the by-election would be close but I genuinely thought that a 13500 majority was just too much to overcome. Just shows you how wrong you can be.
So what happened? Well, firstly, let's take nothing away from the SNP. As I said last week their candidate is a very popular local councillor - increasing his majority at subsequent council elections - and he didn't put a foot wrong despite the constant media attention. There were some sneers about his quiet manner, his lack of pzazz and the fact that his Leader was constantly by his side. Whatever the detractors say, he was quietly effective and he chimed with local people. The voters knew what they were getting when they elected him.
Then there was the campaign itself. When you are on a high, as the SNP undoubtedly is, it's quite easy to get supporters out and working - the sense of excitement is there, you're enthusiastic and the adrenaline's there. The SNP had hundreds of willing volunteers available, and their presence on the streets was impressive. Come a General Election they would not be able to flood constituencies across the country, of course, but this was a remarkable achievement nonetheless.
So I don't think it's quite as simple as saying that Labour lost the election - the SNP had to go out and win it, and they did. They enthused people to work for them, they enthused voters to go out and vote for them - they deserved their victory.
As for Labour, where do you start? There's the suspicious (for some) circumstances of having to call a snap by-election in the first place, then your preferred candidate decides not to turn up for his selection meeting (more questions). You then have to quickly rewrite the rule-book to lever another candidate in - and only then can your campaign begin in earnest!
And that's against a backdrop of crippling fuel prices, high interest rates, food prices going through the roof and rising unemployment. You've just lost your leader in the Scottish Parliament, your chums at Westminster have supported (then belatedly rescinded) the abolition of the 10p tax band and, shortly after deciding against cutting back their own ample expenses. To top that, in the crucial last week of campaigning your government announces bold new plans to get claimants off welfare and back into work -and the by-election is in one of the poorest and unhealthiest constituencies in the country! Add to this potent cocktail the fact that this Labour government has become one of the most unpopular since records began, you begin to see that you might have a bit of a problem here ...
And yet despite all that, I thought Labour would hold on. Too big a majority, I thought, and turnout will be poor - it always is there. Well turnout was low, but those people who did choose to vote sent a very clear, if unpleasant, message to the Labour government, and it is simply not good enough to say 'we're listening - we share your pain'. Patronising words won't win the seat back or convince an increasingly sceptical and disillusioned public that Labour really cares about ordinary people anymore.
However I believe that there is absolutely nothing to be gained by ditching Gordon Brown, as some hysterical back-benchers are demanding - a change of leader will not change the Party's fortunes, and honestly - what ambitious Labour MP would want that job right now? No, if it wasn't clear before it should be crystal clear now - it's time to ditch the 'New' and to get back to real left-of-centre policies. That's what Labour is for

This week's pic is NOT George Foulkes and Eric Pickles enjoying a spot of rough and tumble for the cameras - it was taken at a community fun day at the Civil Service Playing Fields last Friday!