eric byrne

Good Evening Everyone, Think I should start off with some good news,think we all could be doing with some,so many of us having a hard time at the moment.Well Libby pmd me today,she has problems of her own to deal with,but the main thing she is well,I am so relieved,it was such a joy for me to receive her reply,I was moved to tears of relief,from her last post here,my mind had conjured up so many scenarios of what has happened to her-none of them particularly pleasant.Libby would love to post in to say Hi,but for whatever silly reason,says she has to gather up her courage to do so?I think Libby, if you are reading this,the Buddies here would love you to drop by,even just a few words? Quiet day today,not much to report after such a busy weekend.Sally has been visiting Planet Pluto since last Thursday,the phone just rang there it was her work asking to speak to her,Sally is not verbalising at this moment in time,and was unable to take her call,the lady tells me that she failed to turn up for her disciplinary hearing last Friday(Gosh Annette you have a similar script to me)I tell the Lady I knew nothing about this appointment,well she said sally knew?anyway she has a new appointment on Thursday,think finally this is the end of the road for a working career for her. I wont be taking her hearing on Thursday,I am off the Isle of Arran for the four day folk festival,so wont be back intil Sunday evening,I am so looking forward to a break from my home and Sally,gosh she may have the house burnt down by the time I return,whats she going to be like when I am in America,I can tell you when I arrive my phone of off the hook,no way I am cutting this one short for some Sally inspired domestic incident,I think after 15 years of this I deserve my break. Going to spent some time this evening editing down my Millport pics, again so many to choose from,how can I possibly get them down below 200 LOL.I really have to say,these pics are my best yet,cannot wait to share them with you,what do you mean you are all too tired to view? Welcome back Becky,good to hear your blethers,still firing on all cylinders,sorry to hear of your sunburn,gosh if only,haven’t seen that big old sun properly for ages here.Keeps coming and going behind rainclouds,grrr. Hi JudyKW,Well MDA has arrived,I wish these three days pass quickly for you,and all the test news feedback is really good.Hopefully the oxygen is also discarded at the end of your stay.It is not surprising you are feeling a bit down just now,who wouldn’t be after all you have been through and going through?I imagine your life living on a tropical island,with your lovely home and family around you,orchids,humming birds and mutton snappers(where did that come from?)The sunshine being so strong that it hurts the eyes scanning your horizon,yeah I know all this I have been to Spain several times.Everyone here wants to surround you with love and support, just waiting for your smile to be firmly re-attached to your visage as soon as. Bud-Brilliant idea,thanks-Lets go over this one more time,to see that I have got it right-heat from the ground rises to meet up with the rain going down, so that it evaporates before it hits your head,its so simple,why didn’t we Scots come up with this before,now how do I go about arranging the heat for Airdrie? Hi Annette,The saga continues-snap-,its so frustrating that education is so important to getting good life chances particularly at waywards age and a few years further down the line,he is just throwing them away.Does he not have any ambition about a future career,earning a living doing something he would enjoy getting fulfilment from and financial rewards.Low paid labour in undemanding work is such a poor outlook for your future work life.He may have a chip on his shoulder given the particular disadvantage of having parents with their own serious problems,but that is no excuse for throwing in the towel at 15,I guess you have been telling him this for ages,and its just become a bit of a boring lecture to him,you do your best,what more can you do?.I really think some months doing boot camp might give him some serious opertunities to re-align his thinking patterns. Goodnight everyone,tomorrows an other opertunity to have some fun in,well I am going to try anyway,bye.

Good Morning Everyone, Just gone 8.30am,thought I would open the Air ,Judy you sneaked one in past me,what are you doing posting at 3am?thats cheating.never mind,I enjoyed reading your post. Just catching up on yesterdays Air,bit quiet even for a Saturday?everyone out and about having fun no doubt,hopefully everyone back on Monday? Well sorry for being absent myself ,as you know,it was Noreen Davis Hikers and Bikers,charity walk around Millport.We all meet up at Bellshill,half a dozen coaches waiting for us,each coach is named after the appointed coach convener,they have a lot of work to their hands,coach entertainment,run the raffle,gather up all the rubbish left on the bus at close of day,the hardest part is getting everyone out the pub and onto their coach at leaving time,we all wear different coloured ID stickers,to help the shepherds round up their flocks. Our coach is called SUMO (Susan and Maureen)they both put a lot of work into this event,they had made up authentic looking wanted posters for everyone on our coach,even down to ageing the paper and frayed borders.All these were blue tacked to the coach windows along with other western posters.Well the b us sang its way to Largs,lubricated by alcoholic drinks all round, the raffle is drawn straight off and I think all prizes were alcohol of one type or another.Judy you mentioned Randy’s escapade last night with his friend,well I have to say,these ladies by the end of the day would have been the equal to Randy,to let you appreciate how much alcohol had affected them, someone on the coach said they wanted if Eric would sing for them,so appropriately with all my cowboy gear on I just had to sing Glen Campbell’s Rhinstone Cowboy,well they all joined in the chorus,it was fun,didn’t get to sit down though,song sheets out (these were printed for everyone to sing to prepared cd’s for the occasion)ridiculous they could have actually sung along with Elvis to Suspicious Minds,but wanted me to sing it instead,just shows how much alcohol effects the mind,finally got to sit down after singing a couple of Beatles songs. The Walk?oh nearly forgot to mention that LOL,well arrived on the island by ferry,we all walked round to the town of Millport,cooler day than yesterday,bit breezy, actually made for perfect walking conditions,just a gentle stroll around the perimeter of the island,beaches in view all the way,mostly rocky,I really enjoy watching all the birdlife around us,oystercatchers chasing each other overhead to walking about the rocky stone outcrops searching out lunch,theres also gulls of all types and shags,in amongst the gorse, loads of skylarks darting about.We stop for eats half way round,I didn’t bring anything with me,I settled for a huge prawn salad al fresco at a wayside cafe with a fresh orange juice,sheer bliss,watching people coming and going,I love the smell of the sea,an offshore breeze bringing it to me with cries of the seagulls around me,hop it, you are not getting any of my prawn salad.I of course take plenty of pics,I will send these in soon as after some editing.Resumed my walk to Millport sharing it with my sister Irene and SuMo,laughs all the way.Later we are all presented with our certificates of achievement (its slighty in error,its reads we walked 12 miles its actually only 11miles,suppose it looks better)remainder of the day into evening is shopping sightseeing and the local hostelry,karaoke machine getting big licks,me taking everyone’s pics.I must say I had the most brill day,thank you ladies. Got to go,ABC in less than an hour,still to shave,shower and dress,no not in my Cowboy outfit,silly. I will get back later tonight,off to Dots after church,I t was her grandson Jacks birthday yesterday,and I couldn’t attend the Barbie they were having yesterday for him,so I will pass onto him a wee prezzie.Enjoy your day,bye.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Well after such a dismal may its good to see the return of my favourite type of weather again Sunny blue skies and hot,do you know the temperature rose yesterday in Glasgow to nearly 70 deg-phew!!.I really hope it can stay like this for tomorrow for my charity walk around Millport,along with 300+ lovely persons of the other persuasion,please don’t let it rain,I don’t want my six gun getting all rusty (its actually made of plastic LOL). I had a really super day yesterday,I went on my first food run for the Christian Mission with my friend and neighbour Jim.Interestingly,the Christain mission building was really a rather run down place in the recent past,but it did have one thing in its favour,its location was riverside city centre,a developer built a new three story high Mission a few blocks away at a cost of $12 million in exchange for their site.The Mission provides good hot and cold food daily to approx 130 homeless persons or those living on low incomes.We took a van around several eating places in the city centre such as prêt-a-manger and marks and spencers,food prepared that day left unsold at the end of business is passed to us,everyone was so pleased to offer this service,in fact one establishment we arrived at a bit early,served us with coffee and cookies at a table until the shop closed,refusing payment,saying they really appreciated the service we were doing for disadvantaged persons.It was a bit surreal when each shop closed,to be told by the owner,right lads you can clear all the shelves,pre-packed sandwiches,hot wraps of all kinds,scones ,cakes etc all were gathered by Jim and I and packed into containers.Trays and trays of food were returned to the mission by which time more volunteers had arrived and were setting up the tables and chairs for their “guests” expected to arrive shortly,they also had two cooks in the kitchen frying up loads of Scottish square sliced sausage,oh my tummy was rumbling,Jim and I did havea couple of the wraps we brought in and a coffee.Jim just had to tell them I had just retired from teaching,well did that raise some interest,seems they would want me there on a full time basis,I declined at the moment,but would be happy to continue with the food run,no pressure on me but a friendly “hope you will re-consider”.I still have the Roy Castle offer for two days voluntary work to consider at this minute in time. Well went into Glasgow today to try on my new Kilt ensemble,move over Mel Gibson,there’s a new kid on the block,I think I might get noticed travelling around in America wearing this gear and a LUNGevity T-shirt?. Good to have a telephone conversation with Annette yesterday,accent?what accent?oh Annette does have one,and its just lovely to hear,I could have listened to her all night,just wish I had one myself. Hi Judy, Sorry I seem all wrapped up in myself having fun and games,but I do think about you,I know you are having such a rotten time of it,sorry about the chemo being postponed,it must be so frustrating for you.Poor Dottie also I cannot imagine the pain of losing a daughter,life is so tough for some people and so easy for others?.My wish for you of course is things taking a turn for the better,both family and healthwise,goodness knows you have had more than your share of the bad times. Enjoy the rest of the day all,and have a great relaxing weekend.Bye.

Good Morning Everyone, I actually wrote this for yesterdays air,however when I clicked submit,up came the log-in page and post into ether again,must always stick to pre-writing in word. Well thank goodness June has arrived,May was a total washout forcast for Friday and Saturday is Sunny and Hot,perfect for my charity walk around Millport.Went into Glasgow to find a Cowboy Outfit for the walk,found a great shop and tried one on,looked at myself in the full sized mirror,yeah I look the part,well a bit more diminutive and more rotund than Clint Eastwood,OK also minus the chiselled good looks,nobodys perfect .Practiced drawing my six gun at the mirror,think the lady behind the bar , ahem counter was impressed ,said since I had travelled in from Airdrie to take it home with me rather than coming back on Friday to pick it up,wasn’t that nice of her?. PM went to the Stobhill Lung Support Group meeting,some new members to welcome,coming out I found a parking ticket on my car £40 penalty-parking in a non-designated bay-along with about 40 other cars in line,I have parked in this spot for over a year now without a problem,why now?the official car parking is just totally inadequate for the size of hospital.I may have to give up the group,the Hospital is just so difficult to get to without a car from Airdrie. Hi Bud,Thanks for the weigh in tips,weigh daily then ave over the week,missed gym Wed,back today,well its better than going to work,although it is hard work,really makes you feel great afterwards. Hi Alan,Great to see you,seems you have got a prefect wife,one who can come up with a bottle of Glenmorangie is in my books,bit expensive though,one for special occasions as with Drambuie for example, Hogmanay (ask the others)Slainte. Hi Lillian,My route using Amtrak,time spent in each place flexible-Philly Airport 2nd July-Richmond-WashingtonDC-New York-Boston-Niagara Falls-Cleveland-Chicago-StPauls/Minneapolis-Grand Forks-Glasgow Montana,Yellowstone,National Glacier Park,Dinosaur Valley ,Native American Reservations if available to tourist access?.Seattle-Vancover-Seattle-Home 19th August. Hi JudyMI I am so pleased for Randy finding a new employ,you seem pleased to have your home to yourself again during the day,what about all the house chores Randy’s been doing,you are going to miss him. Hi Sara,I absolutely agree with you,after all you have been through,pitching a wee ball to your husband in front of a 20,000 crowd of spectators should have been no bother to you,seems you threw a good one?well,never really understood the rules of ice hockey LOL.Meeting you in Seattle?,of course we will meet,I am so looking forward to this event,I am actually going to speak at the Breathe Easy Event,since its virtually at the end of my great American Adventure,I think I will not be short on things to say,might even get a gagging order from KatieB if I start to rambleLOL. Time to do a bit of cut and paste,oh I hate this bit,Byee,fingers crossed.

Hi Judy, Just dropped by to see any mail has arrived.Its 1.15pm here just about to leave for Glasgow,its Stobhill LC support group meeting at 2pm.I am so sorry to read of MJs passing,I find it so hard to believe that cancer can so tragically effect so many of one family group.Please pass on to Dottie my sincere condolances,may she with Gods help carry this burden. My thoughts are also with you Judy,may you find the strength to support Dottie at this dreadful time and to recover from your current bout of pneumonia.I wish I could offer you more than words to support you.I am sorry that I wont get to meet you this year,what about I try next year and head southwards via Texas to meet up with Bud also,that's something for me to look forward to in the not so distant future. I will try to drop in again to-night,bye for the moment.

Good Evening Everyone, Its bank Holiday Monday today,most of the UK gets the day off work,TV for a change has a lot of good progs on,so will be doing a wee bit of couch potatoeing tonight.Good prog about Egypt tonight appearently a satellite has been photographing its topography and discovered huge areas of archaeology just underneath the surface of the sand,all over Egypt,so looking forward to finding out what its all about. Weather today incidentally,showery and cool,this May hac been more like March?.Glad to be going to the USofA to dry out the feathers I have been growing,and get a bit of a sun tan. Well tried to post in on Saturday all I could get was the Advocates home page,didnt have Buds skills to skirt around the problem I just gave up.Watched the European Cup Final from Wembly London,Man United and Barcelona,what a match,Barcelona were just wonderful to watch,Messi in particular, the guy is just superb,they won 3-1,but the difference between them belies the final score.I have never seen football of this quality since the World Cup in Mexico,when Brazil and Pele ruled the roost.Looking forward to seeing more of Barcelona next season. Well today,back to the gym and pool,I did actually put four hours in,really trying to get fit and lose a bit more weight,42lbs would be just about right,dont think I will make this by my hols time LOL,strangely starting gym last Monday by Thursday I had lost 3lbs but by Saturday this was cut to just 1lb down?determined not to be discouraged,just cut down on the eating a bit more and up the gym effort. Well the treadmill walking (4miles-it all the boredom I can stand)will stand me in good stead for the Noreen Davis Hikers and Bikers walk round Millport on Saturday (11 miles)yes Eric and approx 300+ women,I have died and gone to heaven methinks,we raised nearly £30,000 on that walk last year,may we do better this year.Our bus have to go round in fancy dress this year,thankfully the theme was not ballet,but Country and Western,so going into Glasgow to a fancy dress shop in Sauchiehall St, get me some cowboy gear,hopefully will include a couple of six shooters.Hope the weather will be like last year sunny and hot.Got to go my TV prog is just about to start,must acknowledge Lillian's post though,what an evocative piece of reflective writing,I so enjoyed reading it,think bits of it,hold so true for so many of us here,families being apart,memories of past times and the changes forced onto us by events in our lives,thank you Lillian.Goodnight all.

Hi Stephanie, Sorry for being at the coo's tail with my congratulations on your results,well done you.Maybe get to meet up with you in Seattle in August,are you doing the Breathe Easy walk?.I have a friend who visits Seattle,tells me its a most beautiful place and countryside,highest rainfall in the USA?will I need pack a brolly?.

Good evening Everyone, Did I imagine a post from a new arrival yesterday,I think called Heather?I realy would have loved to reply to her,but just lacked the time,so I thought I could do that now,but I cannot find her? Well May's weather continues to be dreich,nothing but more overcast skies and matching rain,hope June brings some sunshine. Well I did manage to complete writing my speech yesterday,as Annette rightly mentioned it would be more of a bullet pointed aide memoire.Speeches followed a lovely meal,not one dissatified buddy,that dosnt happen very often at our nights out,aways someone not happy with the service,or the steak wasnt done properly etc.To bring you up to date,my fellow senior lecturer Bill,and I are a double act,we are well known in the college as the odd couple,Bill is the Walter Matteu character,untidy,hash bash,keeps loosing files,arrives at college in the morning at 8.55am,five minutes before his class starts and cannot find his teaching materials,panic,panic.Smug Eric,a place for every file,desk always tidy, arrives at college usually 8.00am,relaxes with a coffee,organises the day ahead,never flustered,off to his class well prepared. Bill is an extemely talented person,natural public speaker,and comedian,required no reference notes and went on to deliver a wonderful speech about our lives to-gether for the last twenty years,I had forgotten most of his anecdotes,he had everyone there hanging on his every word,I laughed till I was sore.Eric's reply- fun punctuated with more down to earth aspects,thanking all for coming,presents received,thanking everyone for the support and friendship they had given me,wishing the new merging of the design and construction with the dept of engineering every success for the future,also the effort my team had put into the National Colleges Competition 2011,from the planning and preparation right up to the final presentation of the prizes,this event was so well done,that subsequent college hosts really have a real challenge on their hands to maintain that standard. Eric's funnies? OK, some anyway,that are not in-house humour you just wouldnt get.Eric at his workdesk,on many occassions in our office,mid winter, dark outside,Bill leaving to go home says good night Eric,see you in the morning,'night Bill,I reply,as he goes out the door he switches off the office lights,I am left in total darkness,tripping over office furniture trying to find the light switch on the wall.I always got him next day to complain,always his his reply? "I was finished with the lights". Years ago,I was given a class of special needs adults to look after for a morning,one of the group(Robert,Downs Syndrome) asked me if he could use the toilet,sure Robert,I will take you there,so I escorted robert to the toilet,which was only through the wall from the classroom,after a few minutes,Robert was hammering on the wall ,screaming at the top of his voice,Mr Byrne,Mr Byrne,I ran as fast as I could to the toilet,and opened the door,there confronting me was Robert bend over double,with his back to me,trousers and underpants at his ankle's,bare bottom exposed,he offers me a wad of toilet tissue and asks me "Mr Byrne,could you wipe my bottom?" err no Robert I dont do that kind of thing,"Oh says Robert,dont you?"no Robert, I am a SENIOR Lecturer,my buddies loved that one. One more,dont want to bore you,our biggest student employer,Glasgow District Council,phoned me one day, they are organising a meeting with all the local colleges to discuss their students progress and results,well I arrived that afternoon to meet the chairperson of the meeting an old friend of mine,Chris Whyte,welcome Eric,did you bring Bills results also?no Chris,I didnt, you only asked for my students,look its OK I will phone Bill at the office and he will bring them over in thirty mins.Brill Eric,that will do nicely,well I phoned,he didnt pick up,so was forced to leave an ansaphone message-Bill-Eric-GDC-get back to me soon as-Urgent.Well meeting continued to completion,no Bill response(he was out of college that day).Next day in the office,I start to download the phone-you have 12 messages etc,well with pen and paper to hand I write down a record of each message,I get to this one -strange voice-Bill-Eric-GDC-get back to me soon as-Urgent.Well I phone Chris at GDC immeadiately,Morning Chris, could you put me through to Eric please,puzzled Chris,Are you sure it isnt Derek you want,i dont think we have an Eric?,no Chris,the voice was quite clear,his name is definately Eric,OK says Chris,I will call you back when I find out who he is.Well I hang up,and within a few minutes the penny drops,that was myself I was listening to,oh no,how embarressing,nothing else for it I have to explain myself to Chris.Hello Chris,its Eric,I know who the Eric in the ansaphone was yesterday,you do? says Chris,yes Chris,I tell him it was myself,you know Chris couldnt say another word to me,he laughed and laughed and hung up.He never let me forget this even years later. Well we can roll out the fun again on 24th June,it is Bill's retirement night out. Hi Sara,thanks for joining with us,always nice to have more company,what an occassion on Tuesday for you,throwing the first pitch, being a Scot I really am so ignorant of your major sports particularly Baseball and Football,I am going to include a visit to both events when I arrive in the USA for my hols.To-morrow the culmination of one years European Football (soccer)the combined nations of Europe (500 million people)have reached the final game-Manchested United versus Barcelona,I so love this occassion,cannot wait for to-morrow.Fellow Glaswegian Alex Fergusson is Man United's manager,the most successful UK manager ever,also like me,is a Roy Castle Lung Cancer Advocate.They are playing a team which contains Lionel Messi,who currently is the best soccer player in the world,only 23 years old,is an absolute joy to watch playing,no one can take the ball from him. Hi Bud,Hope you have a great day out for your charity cycle race,you have a LUNGevity top to wear its in your avatar.I had a look at your link for the Burleston Honey Tour,getting the hang of your local geography,ie Crowley in relation to Fort Worth,see Benbrook Lake to your North West,dont recall you mentioning fishing there,am I mistaken? Hi Annette,Yeah walking away is a brill idea,Mum will soon reconsider her language to you,if she wants your company,talking of swaps,would you consider Sally for your Mum,just a thought. Hi Bruce,thanks for the calves update,farming really sounds fun,love to fit in a visit.Hope your son keeps safe with these forest fires,its amazing how quickly they can move. My favourite Judies now,last but not least,one going out tonight to a wedding-have a great night JudyMI-hoping Randy would put in an appearance here sometime.Oh Judy KW,sitting there with your big O,glad to hear you have kept your sense of humour after all you have been through,really wishing you the best of health from now on. Good night Everyone.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Just passing,actually sat down at my desk to write my retirement speech for tonight,its gone 4.10pm,typical for me, everything at the last minute,I have managed to write the first line,I really have had two weeks to write this and I kept putting it off,just cannot settle myself to write it for some reason?.Must leave the house by 6.15pm, meeting Bill at the train station. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone,Bye.

Good Evening All, On my way to bed,couldnt resist a wee peek at what you have all being get up to today.Had my eye test today,optician pleased,no change from last year,keep taking the pills,see you next year. Hi Bud,Static bike boredom? yeah I know,with the weather outside just now,I am kinda stuck for choice, so gym it is.Mind you, I saw the on the news the weather some parts of the States,Joplin for example,we really have nothing to complain about here. Hi Annette,Thank you for the treehouse,I just about choked reading this and drinking at the same time,remind me not to do that again.Still reading through your literature of the highlights of Virginia and Richmond,gosh how do you whittle this down when I want to visit EVERYTHING ?. Hi Paulette,You have just confirmed to me the reasons for not having a swimming pool,weather?,lack of space? no- at $2400 for maintenance-think I will just stick to paying to visit one. Hi Bruce,Always good to hear from you,hows the calves doing?,Gosh didnt take you long to move from sub-zero temps to forest fires with the heat LOL. Hi KatieB,Please pass on to your son,I am so jealous of him getting to team up with the Police dept,and actually a getting a ride in a patrol car,he will also be the envy of all his friends and school buddies. Hi Lily, You are so right-count your blessings,there are always others worse off than yourself.Sorry to hear you are laying up the car for a while,hope the impact on your mobility is minor.Are the public transport systems good in your area?I have heard this is not well developed in the States as in the UK,since everyone prefers to use cars to get about.Our whole Nation is trying to get people out of their cars to reduce road congestion and make better use of the available public buses and trains,has a knock on effect in being more environmentally friendly.All our railway stations have park and ride deals to encouage us not to take our cars into the cities. Hi JudyMI, Thanks for your Scanxiety feature,so well written and informative,I did enjoy reading it.Well done with the teamwork,many hands make light work.Sorry about Randy's quite spell from working at this moment in time,does the Grillinguys not keep him busy?.Love to chat with him,can you not encourage him if he is at a loose end to come on-line here? I am sure we would all enjoy his company. Hi Ginny,glad to see you dropping by,love the name of your golfing buddies group-goosepoopers,has a certain charm,to be sure.I have a new home since I retired last week,the Westerwood,it has its own private golf course,absolutely beautiful,I can play it off-peak (office hours Mon-Fri) for £15.Weather here its really not playable,what a poor May we are having,hopefully wont be long until I retreive the clubs from the garage,and wipe off the cobwebs,think its about three years since I have played,no excuses now. Well its now tomorrow,must go, Gym by 9.00am.Goodnight All.

Hi Judy, Just dropped by,see whats on.Just home from Westerwood Hotel in Cumbernauld,did 4 miles on the treadmill,bit mindnumbing and boring,but today I plugged the headphones from my MP3 player (Jennifer got it for my birthday,still empty-dont know how to load music into it,I am such a techno-dummy)into the TV monitor attached to the treadmill,just slightly less boring than nothing Sky News and President Obama meeting David Camerron for talks,no big deal for five minutes viewing but 2 hours-ahhhh,I told you the gyming stuff is hard work,swam 20 lengths(intermittently)jacuzzi? showered/changed,some shopping in from Sally's list-(she is still currently suspended without pay). I am really enjoying this retirement lark,did I tell you I have booked up for a four day folk festival on the 9th-12th of June,on the Isle of Arran,bought a four day festival pass,hotel booked and ferry accross to the Isle.Big mistake Judy,Irenes son Craig is marrying Lorna on the 11th of June (Mia's Mum and Dad)I just plumb forgot-I wasnt invited to the wedding just the reception on the evening,there will be so many people there I wouldnt be missed,what do you think,unfortunately Irene dosnt quite see it like that,and has gone in the huff with me.Beam me up Scottie. 2.25pm just now I have an eye appointment at 3.00pm,last one I was supposed to get drops in my eyes,but I had brought my car,so I excaped the ordeal,not so lucky this time,they have warned me not to pull that stunt again,so I have booked a taxi,Sally dosnt drive.Its so lond since I have had drops in my eyes I cannot remember how long it takes for the effects to wear off to allow me to read again. I will have to go now,I will drop by later,enjoy the rest of your day.Bye.

Good Evening Everyone, Weather blustery and changable all day,that was some storm yesterday,we had one building in Airdrie town centre had its entire roof blown off,the building is left unstable so the roads around it are still cordoned off,thought we were having things rough until I seen the devestation the Tornado that struck an American town, cannot remember its name,I feel so bad for the people whose homes have been totally wrecked.There is always someone worse off than yourself,no matter how bad things are in your life. Wont mention my Am activities,I know how I would have felt, up to my neck at work and some smarty boasting about,gyms,swimming pools,steam rooms and saunas,despite the fact its really hard work, you know.Ahem where was I?,my retirement night out is on Thursday at Cafe Source in St Andrews Square in Glasgow,you are all invited,starts 7.30pm.Went into meet with the proprietor to discuss arrangements,traditional for the retiree to set some bottles of wine on each table and pay for the first round of drinks.My Buddy Bill is retiring on the 24th of June,so thats another night out.Good my post is still here,one hour break there folks,Bill and his wife May, just dropped by,he wanted to discuss my speech on Thursday,we have to collaborate,since we share in common so many little anecdotes,we dont want to cross lines. My 300mm telephoto lens arrived by post today,really pleased with it,my last bit of hardware to get for my hols is a notepad?,Jennifer thinks my laptop is better left at home and buy something more portable? best leave it to her and Chris to sort out. Hi Sara,welcome,hope the storms and the tornados leave your roof alone.my thoughts are with you for your chemo,may you derive maximum benefits with the minimum of discomfort. Hi Bud,Thanks for the Jerrold Dash links,what a remarkable story and man,what a fighter,dosnt take to fools gladly either,these are the guys that can improve the support that LC survivors need,when tackling indifferent medical professionals and services.Be nice to see a pic of you and Pixie sporting matching T shirts. Hi JudyKW,So glad you have arrived home at last,seems like your house is now looking like a TV set of some hospital drama,hopefully this will all be gone soon.Good news that your X-ray showed clear.Like you I must try to get to WDC next May,I would love to meet up with you. Goodnight All.

Good Evening Everyone, What an afternoon,I am still sitting in the mist of a storm raging ,what a mess outside my window,the winds have torn down large limbs and branches of all the trees in the circle,the far side of the cul-de-sac is blocked completely by fallen debris,some roads in the town have diversions because of fallen trees,its all over Scotland 60-100 mile winds have been recorded,thousands of people without power in their homes,this isnt May, whats going on with our weather? Busy day prior to the winds arriving,Up at the Westerwood Hotel in Cumbernauld,it really is a lovely place,set in beautiful countryside the Campsie Fells as a back drop,has a private golf course attached,not quite Augusta in appearance but not far from it either,I have found a new home.Started in the gym,on the treadmill,tried running pace,think that lasted for approx 15 seconds,stepped it down to walking pace,stayed one hour,then changed for an hours swim,two lengths at a time then rest etc,bet I will have joined them into one by the end of the week,then into the sauna,think I managed just over ten minutes,phew,more punishment went into the steam room for similar,showered dressed and signed up for five weeks of this torture,finally retired to the upper lounge overlooking the golf course with a glass actually two of fresh orange juice,the whole place is just so plush,dont know how they have let me join? and all this for £30 per month ($45 approx).I was just thinking there, that two Mondays ago I was beavering away at work,sorry to rub it in guys Tee Hee,well back to the hell hole tomorrow. Picked up my repaired car at the garage today and gave back the Fiat Punto,kept my no-claims bonus since the guy that rear-ended me accepted full liability,just hope I can get my £350 excess returned from his insurers. Well welcome home all the WDC wanderers,think you all enjoyed yourselves,count me in for next years 16-64 LC survivors conference,I will be 63 so I just make it with the skin of my teeth,I may stay for another seven weeks if I manage to avoid myself getting deported by the authorities this year. Just watched Presidents address in Dublin on the news,I really like this guy,some of your previous Presidents without mentioning any names to protect the innocent,seemed to have their lights on but there was nobody at home,JudyMI,sorry, correct me if I am wrong,is this a prominately a Republican trait or is this more widespread?(OK I will take a slapped wrist). Hi Annette,still a bit hetic yet,isnt it,well your Mums condition seems to have stabilised now as is making some progress,hopefully flexi visting hours takes some of the stress from you.Thinking about your Mum going home is there a home help social system in the USA?,Sally's Mum came to live with us for her last few years and had home help worker who visited 5 times a day to help her with her personal needs,dressing feeding and washing etc.Made our lives so much easier. Welcome home Judy MI,youve landed safely at last,hope your blood test results are fine,methinks your description of the coming week as being quiet,is a bit of an understatement. Hi Bud,glad you enjoyed the wee break,Jerrold Dash?transplanted lungs?anywhere I can read this one up? Well goodnight all,enjoy the rest of the day.Bye.

Oh Hi Annette, You have sneaked a post in by me,sorry to have missed you,wishing your Mum god speed with her recovery.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Well dont expect many of you dropping in today,probably still on your way home from a super weekend at W.D.C. Hi JudyKW,Now I feel things are getting back to normal with you opening the morning air,welcome home,missed you,seems like ages since I have exchanged a word or two with you.Well I appreciate things are not quite back to normal for you,but progress is being made.I am so sorry for all that you have gone through recently,I am really pleased you have managed to get out of hospital and back at least to your RV,I am absolutely shocked that you and Wendy were left to manage the oxygen bottles etc home yourselves,surely they could have supported you better than they did. I do hope and pray that you are now well on your way to a full recovery and all the breathing paraphenalia can be dicarded,just make sure this time the hospital arrange its picking up themselves. Quite day for me today,weather really nice,sunny and warm.ABC this morning read the Sunday Times this afternoon.Yesterday was fun,the church had organised a walk on part on the West Highland Way,Tyndrum to the Bridge of Orchy,its a world famous walkway-starts just North of Glasgow up to Fort William 84 miles if I remember correctly,our section was just 7 miles,just it seemed like 70 miles,didny think I would make since the first quarter of a mile was fairly steep walking,I just couldnt catch my breath,well I struggled on,fortunately it levelled out and I seemed to develope a second wind,the rest of the walk was a daudle.Weather wise is was cool thankfully,some light drizzle (do you use that word in the USA?)it really made for comfortable walking conditions,met a lady doing the walk with her young nephew,asked me if I would take her pic with the stunning Glencoe Mountains in the background,well with her accent I knew she wasnt from Scotland,so I enquired where she was from-Virginia USA she replied,from a town called of all things,Orange,asked if she knew Annette in Richmond-no I didnt only kidding.We shared the walk to-gether,she tells me she is walking the entire route-wow- but not only that,when she gets to Fort William,she is going to do the Great Glen walk up to Inverness,boy she is keen. Well dinner time,I may drop by later this evening,to see if anyone else has visited,hope you are comfortable just now Judy,bye.

Evening All, Just about to go out so got to be brief. Aw Paulette I would have just loved to have met you also and all the gang,maybe I will get to meet some of you on my vacation in July/Aug?have a great weekend.Like Muriels enquirey,whats going down? Annette I am so sorry to hear about your Mum and Keiths Aunt,whatever next?,hope your Mum makes a full recovery,shame having to miss the Washington weekend. Hi Bruce,Good to hear from you,sorry still a bit premature for my kilt its still under construction at this moment in time,I am going to wear it all round America for my hols,along with a LUNGevity T-shirt a wee bit of flag waving/raising LC profile etc,more later.Nothing to stop you though donning the Tu-Tu,I am doing the walk for the Noreen Davis hikers and bikers round Millport in June-this is where the tu-tu idea arose,I have to dress up for the event-thankfully the chosen theme is not ballet but Cowboys and cowgirls,well actually Coyboy,since I am the only participating male amongst 300-400 girls-wanna join me? my wee sister roped me in last year,without telling me it was a womens walk,thats her sense of humour,but I really enjoyed myself. Goodnight all bye

Thanks Bud, Have a great weekend,I am so jealous,would love to be with you all.Going to be a quite weekend here on the boards-anybody left to keep me company?

Good Afternoon Everyone, Well another day of retirement-OK-wont mention it again,weather so changable,sunny and then showers. Went out this morning,got a haircut unfortunately he left some of the gray still intact,just to complete the oldie reference,went to the supermarket to get my pic taken on one of these coin operated booths to attach to my application for a free bus pass,anyone over the age of sixty can get one and entitles you to unlimited travel on public buses any where in Scotland-I think?,the pass also gives you quite a discount when travelling by rail inside Scotland,dont think you can use it in England though. Well since its remained dry and sunny for the last three hours,think I will attempt to cut the grass shortly. Hi Lillian,I have been following your rock-a-thon for the Relay for Life,its so good to see everyone engaged in making it such as success,regardless of age and mobility.Please pass on to everyone,my admiration of their achievement.Think it should become a annual event?. Hi Bud,Good to hear of your success in shopping,I was in Glasgow the other day,I am looking for a particular telephoto lens for my camera,for my USA trip-I dont want to be standing too close to a Grizzly Bear taking its pic in Montana-if I can get to be so lucky,I priced one a Canon 75mm-300mm at £238 left it to check today online,bought the same one on Amazon for £157 and it includes a UV filter and lens hood,some difference,think high street shops will end up closing down?.Now you got me again "Trolling Motor" not be the slightest nautical,I am not familiar with this term,OK outboard motor I got,so whats different about this one. Going to cut the grass,see you,might get back tonight,well to read anyway,bye.

Annette, Come on,get up to speed, its only my weird sense of humour,I knew exactly you were referring to a blood transfusion.I will get back later,hope your are having a super time at work,hee,hee-that is my muttly snigger.

Good Morning Everyone, Decided to rewrite my lost post in word and put it into Wednesdays Air,since it will be by the time its completed. Tuesday,nothing much planned today,since I cleared my mortgage off recently,the bank sent me the title deeds,so I decided to go and visit my solicitor Eric,to make an appointment to have the document properly completed and filed with him,Eric spots me when I arrive in his office,refers me to the waiting room,be with you in a couple of minutes,says he.The waiting room is busy,appointments are running a bit late I am told,Eric enters the waiting room and becons me to his office.Take a seat Eric,Eric says I only came in to make an appointment,there are others out there before me,oh forget them,what can I do for you?Title deeds done in seconds,I show him my parking penalty notice,£100 they are demanding or off to court,let them says Eric,its not a problem,just ignore it,or do you want me to write to them?,no its OK Eric just wait and see what developes,he is a good friend to have on your side. Drove next to the swimming baths,just about to go in when a spot a long trail of school kids arriving with their teachers,changed my mind,I would feel uncomfortable sharing the pool with them,don’t want to frighten them with the scar on my back. Phoned my neighbour Jim retired colleague of mine,on Thursdays he does a “food run”that is he goes round with a van to the big stores and restaurants in Glasgow to pick up slightly past the sell by date and takes the food to a centre for “down and outs”,I offered to share that task with him from now on,he is really delighted with my offer.I told him about my swimming baths problem,he tells me about a Westerwood Hotel in Cumbernauld he had previously visited,had its own pool and gym facilities,suggested I phoned them about access,which I did after I googled the place,looks a bit rich for my blood,but phoned anyway,they are offering a trial package for 4 weeks Mon-Fri full access to all their facilities for £30-its a steal,full membership off peak office hours Mon-to Fri is £32-seems I have found a new home?. Did the househusband bit today,cleaned the kitchen top to bottom,its sparkling like a new pin,living room and diningroom to-morrow (well today now). Reading the Times I spotted an Ad for a 4 day folk festival 9th-12th of June on the Isle of Arran,so I wnet online to find out more,right up my street,never been to the Isle before,bought a four day ticket that covers all the events,now to find a suitable hotel,found a booking agency called Expedia,nice young guy searched for me,difficult he says lots of places fully booked because of the festival,certainly nothing in Broderick,finally he says I have found you a place 8 miles from Broderick,thats OK says I I will be bringing my car over on the ferry.Well we proceed with the booking,I give him all my bank details,thats it done and dusted.I decide to phone the hotel to get its location on the isle the guy says the hotel is in Campbelltown,its on the Scottish mainland its at the end of a hughly long peninsula (Paul McCartney has his farm there)and youve guessed it its only 8 miles from Broderick as the crow flies,no ferry,the guy that booked me is an absolute plonker.I cannot believe his stupidity (or mine?)I phone to cancel,they don’t like it,they want to fix me up with a suitable alternative first,however after ages on the phone they give in,they cancel my booking but it will be some days until the money is restored to my account.I go online do my own search find one suitable within minutes,they have a vacancy for me, only a few minutes walk from the venues.The lady was very friendly,told me about the events,how to book the ferry crossing and departure times,so thats it,this retirement sure is fun,no skirting around work days any more. Hi Annette, liked the expression about JudyKW “good to hear her smiling voice”I take it the red juice does not refer to Ernst and Julio Gallo of California?Enjoy your dinner date with your friends in W.D.C,think you deserve a wee chillout break. Hi Judy MI,loved your doggy tail,ahem tale,brings back happy memories of Sam my cocker spaniel,after his bath, dry and “release” he would run around the living room and dining room like an express train with the side of his head pressed firmly to the carpet-this was him further drying his long ears. Goodnight all,its just past midnight,so I can justify this post as Wednesday’s Air. Thanks Becky worked again.

I dont believe it,did another post,without word,drat-pressed submit-gone-back to log- in page grrr

Good Morning Everyone, Its just gone 6.00am,trying out Becky’s advice and typing this in Word-copy and paste,fingers crossed I manage. Went into Glasgow early yesterday,needed to buy a new pair of blue trousers,on the interview panel at 11.30am,wanted to look really smart,I also found a really nice jacket ,so I deposited the old trousers and jacket into the Slaters carrier bag and left the shop wearing the new,hope I have removed all the labels. Arrived at Roy Castle’s on time-5 candidates on the short leet-each candidate gets a hour time slot.The first candidate is a Medical Doctor,been in practice all over the world,mainly third world serving the poor and disadvantaged,more interested in medicine than making money,real genuine person,my type of hero modest and unassuming,really wants to change the appalling rates of Lung Cancer in the UK and survival stats.On being introduced to us- the panel,he says what a pleasure it is to meet me,he had read all my stories in the Roy Castle newsletters and website,found them inspiring etc,what a guy,he is getting my vote straight off.Well this guy came over really well,think the others can go home,cannot imagine any of the other candidates matching his performance.Thoughts confirmed with the next two candidates,then No 4,this lady works in a hospice,forget her title,spends a lot of time managing and supporting loads of volunteers,lots of great ideas for fundraising,she even applied to the national lottery for support for the hospice,and been awarded funding for the next five years,she is passionate about the LC cause,its been in her family,she answers every question brilliantly,actually she is living the job thats vacant with Roy Castle,well the Doctor will have a steep learning curve,if offered the job,all the lady will need is just a change of desk,no decision taken another candidate to see on Thursday. Flying?,everyone’s talking about it,whats going on,have I missed something?Becky what are you up to?,Paulette you flying to meet up with Becky?Like Bud I haven’t flown since 9/11 either,well not really surprised firearms and explosives are now a distinct no-no,with the security guys,but whats this about liquids in an open container?does this mean my little tranquilizer,a Whyte and Mackays in a paper cup is banned?.Body scans?,being frisked?KatieB-regarded as a Ninja Warrior?oh that Bin Laden has got a lot to answer for.I did take my daughter to Glasgow Airport a couple of years ago,for her flight to America,I remember being held at the check in desk and being verbally grilled for quite some time,before being allowed to fly. Hi Annette,its one thing after another with your family,isn’t it,hope your Mum is recovering and gets back on her feet,saga with wayward continues,well one thing,your life isn’t boring. Bud,well done on your 200k cycle ride,I am back to thinking about buying one again and a bike rack for my car,my work Buddy and neighbour Bill,is chasing me up on this issue,his voluntary severance takes effect from 24th June,wants me to share some cycling adventures with him,better get some practice in,since he is one fit guy. JudyMI,like you I so enjoy watching the birds at my feeding station,only difference is of course,is the your species compared to mine,yours sound so exotic and colourful,never heard of a Rose Breasted grosbeak before-must Google that one,well my station is host to three North American gray squirrels,they have marginalised our native Scottish red squirrels into the countryside and are rarely see by me now.Birds that visit the station,chaffinches,robins,blue and great tits,hedge sparrows bigger birds also,doves and wood pigeons,also the aggressive magpies common about here.Did have a visit of a woodpecker one day,rushed to get my camera,but by the time I got back he was gone. Well here goes,Becky’s instructions next to me,lets see ctrl and button A.....Thank you Becky it works whoopee do,no more lost posts.Enjoy your day everyone,byee.

Hi, My friend Robert Lowe was diagnosed with sclc in 1993,went on to develope nsclc,in 2007 becoming the Uk's longest survivor of both types of LC,that is 17 years so far,you can read his story in the My Story forum,at the outset of his dx,he was given only 2 months to live?

Good Evening Everyone, Just finished a rather long post and pressed preview,it vanished, I was taken to the log in page.Grrr.Wish I would write things down,instead of typing as I go,or had the skill to prewrite and then paste in?.Well dont have much on tomorrow,so I think I will take a rain check and post in tomorrow morning instead.Enjoy the rest of your day everyone,byee.

Hi Dawn, Congratulations on 3 years since dx,will be 3 years also for me in Oct.Good scans results too,sorry about the headaches,hope they vacate soon as.