Happy Christmas Everyone!

A happy and peaceful Christmas to you all!

The Unfortunate Incident of the Christmas Angel

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

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!

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 ...

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

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 ...

... 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!

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

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!

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

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 ...

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

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).