A quick summary of the week just past:

Domestic

Brian is off to Canada on Wednesday and there was a farewell party in the Jingles on Friday night. Great night, loads of people there and a pretty good send off. The party went on until eight in the morning, but us 'oldies' left before midnight - don't have the stamina for twelve hour sessions these days!
A meal for the family in San Marco's on Sunday evening was a more sedate affair - very pleasant though and no hangover the following morning, always a bonus.
With Gail in New Zealand, come Thursday only Kevin (pictured with Brian, above)will remain in Edinburgh.

Politics

Wendy Alexander made an appearance on Sunday's Politics Show. Supporters may call it 'feisty' - 'Wendy fights back' - but I thought her performance was absolutely dreadful. Much as she may wish to change the agenda to 'poor disabled children and old people', and try to muddy the waters by talking about party funding in general terms, the fact remains that Wendy's team - and therefore Wendy personally - is culpable of breaking the law; she has already admitted as much. The talk is that the Electoral Commission will report this week (what was the delay, I wonder?)and there have already been leaks to sympathetic journalists. Despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary, it appears that Alexander will not be found to be personally culpable (what a surprise!)and it will be business as usual - 'yes, mistakes were made but let's learn from these and move on'. If that does turn out to be the case, then it stinks - and there would be a compelling case for the role, remit and membership of the Electoral Commission to be closely examined.
Criminal charges could follow, of course, although the police investigation is also taking a suspiciously long time.
Should charges follow, Wendy could always follow the lead of that great defender of women's issues over the pond, Senator Hillary Clinton, and dissolve into tears - that Oscar-nominated performance clearly worked the magic for Hillary, and I'm sure if Wendy turned on the waterworks it would melt the heart of even the hardest Procurator Fiscal!

Peter Hain is deep in the brown stuff following revelations of his campaign team's unusual fundraising methods, and once again ignorance can be no excuse. I'm personally mystified as to why Hain should have to raise £100,000 for what was an internal Labour Party election. Couldn't the Party simply have mailed out statements from each of the candidates and left it at that? Have we become so Americanised that elections - even internal party contests - can only be fought if you have a 'war chest' of tens of thousands of pounds? Ironically all that cash was completely wasted anyway - Hain finished next to bottom in the poll. I don't think we've heard the last of this story yet - it looks decidedly dodgy and Hain could yet go. No chance of a resignation, though - it seems we just don't 'do' honourable resignations any more!

Sport

Hibs fans got the New Year start they wanted when Mixu 'Six-Two' Patelainen was appointed to replace John Collins. The likeable big Finn had an instant impact when Hibs comprehensively beat Inverness Caley Thistle 3-0 in the Cup on Saturday, and it was particularly satisfying that Dean Shiels - who was never given a chance by Collins - was the star of the show with a hat-trick.
It's a bit premature to talk about recovery after just one game, but the attitude shown by the players following the dismal performances over recent months was a revelation. We've got Hearts coming up, and that's going to be a sterner test, despite their recent run of form. At least we can go into that game with a bit more confidence, and here's hoping the Mixu bounce can continue for a while yet.
More sport - or is darts just a pastime. The BDO World Championships (that's the Embassy to you who remember the pre-PC days) took place last week and, along with Cheltenham and the Grand National, it's one of my 'must-sees' on the sporting calendar. Another great competition at the Lakeside this week, and the only downside of an otherwise brilliant week was BBC2's decision not to show live coverage of Scot Robert Thornton's epic quarter-final with Martin Adams but to stick instead to their evening Gaelic schedule, watched no doubt by two men and their dugs!

Community Activities

The phone hardly rang in the office last week but I did attend my first evening meeting of the new year - the riveting and catchy-titled Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership Communications and Engagement Action Group. Mercifully the meeting lasted barely on hour but it was hard to muster much enthusiasm - a long year of meetings lies ahead and I can't say I'm fully committed as yet. There are a number of other things I'd prefer to do and I'm determined that I won't be taking on unnecessary community commitments this year.
Aside from the Neighbourhood Partnerships (Drylaw is currently involved in both Forth and Inverleith, which makes it even worse) Muirhouse Housing Association is trying to buy land from the council which we have been battling to retain as green space. Our relationship with MHA is not the best anyway and this recent move will simply sour relations further.

Resolutions

No progress on any of the New Year initiatives as yet, but this is a marathon not a sprint (or so I am telling myself). Nearly succeeded with the 'No Unnecessary Purchases' one, but sadly but a mobile phone over the internet ... not needed, as I have two full functional mobiles already, but hey, at that price - what a bargain!

See you next week ...

A Lack of Resolve

I decided against posting any New Year resolutions this year, mainly because they are exactly the same as last year and those pronouncements ended in ignominious failure!
However I have had a change of heart, so these are my intentions for 2008:

1. Stop smoking.
You know it makes sense.

2. Lose some weight.
I had some new passport pictures taken last week and though I am not vain (well, not really) I did not like what I saw. More exercise (even the odd walk would constitute more exercise)and healthier, or more regular, eating will become the order of the day.

3. Better time management.
I find myself consistently swamped with things to do because I find it almost impossible to say 'no' when I am asked to do something. No more! I will only take on things I am genuinely interested in this year and only get involved where I believe I have a contribution to make.

4. Stop buying things I don't need.
A clearout over the holidays opened my eyes to the amount of stuff I buy that I simply don't need (usually clothes, but CDs, books and sundry other items too). As a result I have more shirts than I can ever wear, many unopened in their wrappers, more books than I can realistically expect to read in my lifetime and more music than I have got time to listen to (even if I get my time management right, see above). As a result I have a house bursting at the seams with clutter - and it's got to be tackled.

So there you go - four things to tackle in 2008. I'll give regular updates on how I'm progressing. Oh, and finally, the Blog. Other than haphazard postings I now plan to post regularly, probably just once a week at weekends (part of this rigorous new time management regime I am imposing on myself).
It all sounds so straightforward - what could possibly go wrong?

Oh, brother! John's in da house!

Received a phone call from Kevin on Thursday evening telling me to quickly turn the TV over to Channel 4 - I did and I was aghast to see John Loughton, a young guy I have known for seven years or so, large as life in the Big Brother House!
I first met John when he was a star pupil at Craigroyston High School and our paths have crossed many times since - we worked on stage together on North Edinburgh Arts' 'Oyster Wars' production in 2003 and have both been involved in numerous communityu events. I most recently met John at the Standard Life Education Awards in November, where John (in his capacity as Convener of The Scottish Youth Parliament) presented a category award.
We went for a few beers after the ceremony (as is compulsory on these occasions)and had a rare old natter - John is a real 'character', and while he has matured (he's now 20) he's retained his sense of fun and is great company. We talked about politics - a mutual passion - and his plans for the future, but one option we didn't discuss was a career on TV!
I've got to admit that I hate reality TV shows with a passion, and now John's presented me with my first real dilemma of 2008. I'd love to see him do well on Big Brother, but to watch that excrutiating show goes against everything I believe ... what to do?
I've no doubt John's personality and intelligence will shine through - Jade Goody he's not! What made him decide to take part, though, I'm not so sure. Perhaps he's adopted the George 'Would you like me to be the cat?' Galloway approach of taking politics out to wider, younger, more 'hip' audience. Or maybe he just thought it would be good fun. Whtever, I wish John the best of luck. One thing is for sure - with the exposure he'll receive on the show his life post BB will never be the same again. Whether that's for good or ill we'll just have to wait and see.

And a new one just begun ...

More self indulgence as I now peer into the crystal ball and make the following predictions for 2008:

1. SPORT

Both Hearts and Hibs will finish in the bottom six of the SPL. Hibs will lose more key players (and there are so few left!) during the January transfer window.
All remaining Scottish teams will be eliminated from their respective European competitions at the next stage. At least one English team will compete in the European Cup final. Rangers will win the SPL and Gordon Strachan will come under increasing pressure to resign as Celtic manager.
Andy Murray will reach Wimbledon semi-final and will retire from the match through injury while getting gubbed ....

2. POLITICS

There will be now high level casualties as a result of the Electoral Commission's investigation into the Donorgate affair, despite Wendy Alexander's admission that she broke the law. Wee Glesca bauchle Charlie-boy Gordon will become the sacrificial lamb, later to be awarded with a seat in the House of Lords. Labour's popularity in Scotland will continue to nosedive, allowing the SNP to maintain a healthy lead in the polls mainly due to a lack of a serious opposition.
The will be no General Election this year - there will be fewer banana skins for the government, but a deteriorating economic situation will present Gordon Brown with a real dilemma - call a snap election or ride out the storm? He'll opt for caution, as always.
Despite a spirited campaign by Boris, Ken Livingston will remain London mayor.

3. EDINBURGH

The city council will be thrown into chaos by the defection of an administration councillor. However the status quo will be restored following a bye election after the retiral through ill health of a current opposition councillor.
Voluntary sector projects will be drastically scaled back - with some closing completely - as a result of swingeing budget cuts.
Community newspapers will be shut down and replaced by neighbourhood versions of the council's 'Outlook' newspaper.

4. ENTERTAINMENT

The UK will not win the Eurovision Song Contest
Brian Blessed will get louder and louder
Postman Pat: the Musical will open to rave reviews
Ant and Dec will dominate prime time TV
The BBC will continue to dumb down with 'How Good Is My House Camera Action Bargain Hunt' presented by Nadia Sawhala replacing the Six O Clock News. Jeremy Paxman will then resign and switch channels to host Big Brother.
The Eastenders Christmas story will see no-one killed or injured and the whole of Walford will gather round the old joanna in the Vic for a right good old Cockney knees-up. Perfick!
I will get a part on River City. My line: 'A pint of lager please'.


5. WORLD NEWS

Hilary Clinton will become the first female President of the United States

6. GENERAL

The winner of X Factor will have the Christmas Number One.
Also in December, retailers will post gloomy warnings about poor pre-Christmas sales but surprisingly these will prove to be ill-founded.
The Daily Mail will run a story about illegal immigrants being involved in the death of Diana, Queen on Hearts (pictures on pages 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. etc)

A Happy New Year to (both) our readers!

Another Year Over ...

It's that time again - to reflect on the year just past and to look forward to the year ahead. Excuse the self-indulgence, but these were the memorable moments of 2007 as far as I'm concerned:

Family

Everyone kept good health, which is a real bonus. Gail left for New Zealand in February and it seems to have done her a power of good - she'll be home in February. She came home for my 50th birthday party in July too - the social event of the year by far!

Sport

Highlight of the year was Hibs League Cup win back in March - seems a long, long time ago now. John Collins has since departed in strange circumstances and the team is struggling - no replacement in place yet and the transfer window has just opened.
Scotland, predictably, were heroic failures once again when we just failed to qualify for Euro 2008, and manager 'Big Eck' showed his loyalty by p*ssing off to Birmingham! Mind you, the pain we felt in Scotland just didn't compare with the fury down South when our big cousins didn't make it either!

Holidays

Two great short breaks in London - I'll never tire of going there.

Work

A very steady year at the North Edinburgh News - no shortage of positive stories to cover, Forthview's ongoing Burma initiative probably the most memorable. The cash crisis at North Edinburgh Arts Centre was the most difficult story to cover. Picked up a few bits and pieces of freelance work too - covered a Ministerial visit for a PR company and also covered my first ever wedding as the official photographer - both events went well and 'clients' were pleased, which augurs well should things change at NEN next year.

Community Council/Community Activity

The official opening of Drylaw Field was the highlight of the year, with a tie-up with Sainsbury's supermarket a valuable partnership for the future. I also packed in as secretary of the Edinburgh Association of Community Councils due to other commitments - just not enough time to do the job justice. I did manage to build new websites for Drylaw and the EACC though.

Politics

Made it onto the list of approved Labour candidates for May's local elections but was not selected - long story about Mountcastle/Restalrig here but I won't bore you with the details. Given the election results, no bad thing. Labour lost control of the council and the country and my old mucker Billy Fitz wasn't re-elected.
On the national stage Blair bowed out and Gordon Brown has been having a torrid time ever since, while in Scotland Salmond has been particularly sure-footed thus far. Labour mired in dodgy donor sleaze allegations for months - this has yet to come to a head.

National News

The Madeleine McCann disappearance was the big story of the year - the mystery remains unresolved and I doubt if we'll ever know what really happened.

The Arts

Saw 'Billy Elliot', 'Les Mis' (again) and 'Wicked' - all brilliant, with Blood Brothers and South Pacific making it quite a year for musicals. Favourite two books of the year were Richard Holmes 'Tommy' - an excellent insight into life in the trenches on the Western Front - and Norman Baker's thought-provoking 'The Death of David Kelly' which I read in a couple of sittings after Christmas.

Performances

Appeared in two films screened this year: 'Stuck', which won an Award in Chicago, and Graeme Fitzpatrick's dark Christmas short which was screened at the Filmhouse while I was in London. Haven't seen it yet, but it has been particularly well received.
Ended the year with an Elvis turn at the Civil Service Club for the Rainbow Club's pensioners - the old magic's still there, although the jumpsuit's getting a bit tighter!

Births Marriages & Deaths

The birth of my niece Carol's baby Laura was a highlight in November.
Marriages: I attended two. I was asked to be the official snapper at Tracey Stewart's wedding and it was a really enjoyable and successful afternoon. Between Christmas and New Year Caroline and I attended her work colleague Brian Lawson's wedding over in Glenrothes. It was a very happy affair, but with the cost of transport, etc. it would probably have worked out cheaper having a week in Majorca!
And finally, deaths. There were three deaths which particularly saddened me this year - Trish, formerly of the Design Resource and more recently Source, died after a long and brave fight against cancer at the end of the year. We also lost community council stalwart Bill Martin, a dear old friend who looked on community council meetings as almost a social occasion! And finally I was shocked by the sudden death of Jock Napier, one of my friends from my earliest days at The Scotsman. Jock and I were of similar ages and the news of his death, soon after my birthday, was a real jolt.

So that was 2007, then - more pluses than minuses I think. Who knows what 2008 will bring?