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.