eric byrne

I love listening to "I can see clearly now,the rain is gone" it always lifts my spirit,by Jimmy Cliff??

Hi Rose, Welcome to LCSC,sorry to hear of your dx,I have to go back down memory lane to Oct 2008 facing my upcoming treatments for the tumour found in my upper right lung.Apprehesive is certainly a fitting word to say the least,I was to have neo-adjutant chemotherapy which was designed to shrink the tumour,which if successful would allow my tumour to be surgically removed.As you say all chemo regimes are different,mine was four cycles of cisplatin and vinorelbine,I have such a vivid imagination,my brain could conjure up all sorts of negative thoughts about what was to come and follow on from my treatments eg, my hair will all fall out and I would be violently nausous with the chemo,the surgery if possible,would be excruitatingly painful and leave me a breathless invalid,these thoughts and others no doubt LOL,had their grip on me. Well what do you know?, I sailed through the chemo,no nausea,no hair falling out,no fatique,it all went so well.I did follow all the instruction provided by the medical team supporting my ie using the mouthwash to prevent mouth ulcers etc,I did have one bout of constipation though which was blooming uncomfortable,however that was entirely my own fault,since I was'nt drinking enough fiuids as recommended. The surgery went so well too,post surgery my wound site did ache a wee bit,(Iam a Scot,but certainly not a Braveheart),to say my wound was painful would be stretching it a bit,although I did use it as an excuse to avoid housework when I got home for a while. Finally,I have to say I am still here,still causing mayhem with all my family and friends,my dark thoughts of a premature exit have dissipated,I am having so much fun with my life,looking forward to each new day.This is outcome is what I sincerely wish for you. Best Wishes. Eric.

Hi Kakalina, Welcome to LCSC,thank you for sharing your post here,i am sure you will find excellent support from all the buddies here, regarding your concern for your husbands health issues.It is obviously a bit premature for me to comment on your husbands situation,things will soon be clarified by your doctors when all the test results are collated and examined.I do wish you both well whatever the findings,please do keep us informed as to how things have gone.Here at LCSC you will never feel you are facing this alone,everyone here has their own particular experiences that can help you through this most anxious time in both you and your husbands lives. Best Wishes.

Hi Karen, Welcome to LCSC,its always a pleasure to welcome a new guest,sorry to hear of your health problems I do wish you every success on the road back to full health.Interesting hearing about your mould problems with the house you recently purchased,so extensive it had to be demolished?I suppose my interest stems from the fact I am a retired college Lecturer in Construction and Design,one of the subjects I taught was the science of building defects and timber decay.I do hope the new build has now been completed and you are enjoying your new home.Can you book me in for two weeks this summer for my vacation LOL. Best Wishes.

Hi MacWhee,I am sharing my post with a fellow Scot,or a decendant of a Scottish family?. Gosh reading your post brought back so many memories to me at the outset of my cancer journey,sleepless nights,anxieties,feelings of no light at the end of the tunnel,my very mortality much in doubt.Here I am over six years later after my dx,living my life to the full,as it was prior to my dx. Since you only mentioned you have been recently dxd,I can only reflect on my experience on the early days and weeks yes even months following my dx.I decided to act on my sleeplessness nights by a visit to my GP for a prescription for sleeping pills and anti-depresssants,both types of drugs are non-addictive and after a short time I had no longer any need to take them,but they did help me through the most difficult time in my life. Today I have my life back fully,apart from a bit of breathlessness climbing the mountains of Scotland LOL and the stairs in my home,my health is great.I do understand all you are having to deal with today but I can promise you,things will become easier to deal with,its really amazing that with the support of family and friends not forgetting the passage of time,you will become able to cope with all you are going through. My very best wishes to you and your family,for a successful route back to good health,it will be a pleasure to me,to share posts with you here for many years to come.

Hi Steve,Welcome to LCSC,I am sure you are going to make loads of new friends here. I am a 6 year survivor of NSCLC,enjoying every minute of my life.It did take me some time to adjust to the "new normal" following my dx and treatments,but I found with the support of family and friends also the passage of time the elephant in the living room syndrome got smaller and smaller,now I cannot even find the little blighter. I had my last of 5 years of 6 monthly checkups last February,my Doc confirmed all my tests etc were clear.Eric he said,we do have success'es with lung cancer and you are certainly one,I have every reason to have the confidence in telling you ,you are cured,now go away,I dont expect to see you again,we shook hands and parted as good friends. I have become a advocate for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation in the UK,which has allowed me to meet with so many new and wonderful people,including many survivors,some long term at that too - 20 years with one man who had SCLC and NSCLC from 1993.So take heart,it is possible to beat this disease,I hope to follow in the footsteps of the many long term survivors I have come to develope friendships with. I have so many positive things I can share with you,that we can follow up in further posts.I have a saying or two to share with you, "worry is like sitting in a rocking chair,it gives you something to do,but it dos'nt get you anywhere".The other a personal observation "Lung Cancer may have rained on my parade,but it sure came with a great big silver lining,in that it has allowed me to visit many places I would have never otherwise dreampt of visiting,and meeting so many new and wonderful friends. Good Luck,bye for now.

Happy New Year to Everyone,may 2015 be a vintage year for us all.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Just dropped by my house from Liz'es,my daughter was having some problem with the central heating combi boiler,she had been bleeding air from the radiators,did'nt realise system has to be topped up with water to replace void created by the trapped air,anyway all radiators working at full capacity now. Been doing some Christmas shopping with Liz,her doing most of the spending LOL,looking forward to having Christmas dinner with my family,Jennifer is playing host at my home,I will help with the dishes though. I have developed a chest infection which has given me a really annoying cough that is interupting my sleep,we visited my GP,Liz was keen on me having a referral for a chest X-ray given my history,Doc was unwilling saying 4 days with a cough dos'nt justify an X-ray,so I have a two week course of oxytetracycline to take,if problem persists come back to the surgery.Hopefully the pills will do the trick. I was invited to Liz'es nursing home last week in the guise of Santa Claus,she said I was the only one she could get that did'nt require some stuffing "up their duke" as we say in Scotland,that is, to enlargen the tummy area,blooming cheek,I should have refused,anyway it was an absolute pleasure to pass out prezzies to all the elderly residents. Merry Christmas Everyone,may you have a wonderful festive season and 2015. Bye for now.

Thank you Donna,have a great Thanksgiving,we celebrate in Scotland St Andrews day on the 30th of Nov,so I will toast all our friends at LCSC with a wee dram o' the amber nectar.

http://www.sundaypost.com/that-s-life/your-health/having-lung-cancer-actually-saved-my-life-1.697239 Hi Everyone, Just thought I would share my story in the Sunday Post yesterday.

Good Afternoon Everyone, I have been watching the TV news about the snow that has hit loads of areas in the USA,boy thats what you call snow,such falls hit Scotland only rarely,who said theres global warming?.I do hope those of you who been affected are coping OK. I am currently working in Liz'es home building her a new kitchen,well replacement unit doors and drawer fronts,she keeps me busy,she said she will keep me around until all the joinery work is complete,she will then drop me for an electrician. Well the Sunday Post photographer arrived at my home yesterday,this is to provide some pics for my article in the 30th of November edition,he took loads of pics including of me strumming my guitar,who knows I might get a gig or two from the publicity?.I am to be interviewed next week too for the Evening Times and the Glasgow Herald,its all good fun,but underlying it all, it has a serious purpose, its so important that we can raise awareness of not just lung cancer but all types of cancers,to focus the minds of governments and research bodies to step up the fight for better and more effective treatments. Climbing down now from my soapbox,just want to wish everyone a brill weekend,I am staying at my house tonight,I am having my house decorated throughout,guys are starting first thing tomorrow morning,so I have a lot of furniture and gear to move about to make room for them.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Just an update for my visit to Edinburgh on Monday 10th Nov,I will be on the Ally Ballingalls daytime show starts at 10am until 2pm,this show is broadcast throughout Scotland on Clyde FM,Forth FM,Westsound,Central FM,Northsound and some others.I have my brief for the interview,so fingers crossed everything goes according to plan.

Thanks Cindy for your comments,I would love to oblige you with a copy of my broadcast,I have'nt even heard it myself,I will ask my daughters boyfriend if he can do this.Incidentally I am off to Edinburgh on Monday morning to do a live broadcast on radio again,this time for the Scottish campaign for Detect Cancer Early,I am having a brief sent to me this week,to help me prepare for the programme.Bye for now.

Good Morning Everyone, Lung Cancer Awareness Month has well and truely started for me.Being a advocate for lung cancer I am keen to promote whenever I can get the opertunity, to bring to the general publics attention the many issues that involve lung cancer,ie, lack of funding,smoking cessation,coping with its dx and the stigma that attaches itself to those dxd with lung cancer by the general public. On Friday I attended a radio interview for independant radio stations based throughout Scotland and the UK.My interview will be edited and broadcast as a public information statement throughout November. Its just after 6am here in Scotland am up showered and dressed waiting nervously for the phone to ring at 6.40am ,I will be on air live for BBC 4's programme "Good Morning Scotland",its all about lung cancer awareness month,I have no idea what my interview will consist of,so I am swotting up and writing out some little salient points on the subject of lung cancer.Hopefully I will get a positive message across to all the listeners.Got to go,bye for now.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Hi Donna,the weather here in the West of Scotland is'nt quite 70 degrees,somewhere in the mid-fiftees,which for us is remarkably mild for the end of October,I do hope it continues. I have been busy doing my advocate work recently,Monday last I was in Glasgows Mitchell Library giving a lung cancer presentation to a group of MacMillan volunteers on behalf of the Roy Castle LC Foundation.This November I am on duty in a couple of local hospitals on a display stand for the Roy Castle org,giving out infro leaflets and selling merchandise.I am involved in the Scottish campaign for Detecting Cancer Early,they are putting my story online also I have to go to Edinburgh next week to do a voiceover for some radio stations in Scotland,I also have been invited through the Roy Castle by BBC Radio 4 London to join in a broadcast they are doing for LC awareness month.I have'nt got the full details yet,I am looking forward to this experience. I have just popped over to my house from Liz'es home in Newmains,mainly to check any mail and emails on my laptop.My smartphone allows me to access my emails,but its much better to use my laptop.I am also here to take my daughters bichon frieze out for walkies (Jennifer is staying at my home for the time being,seems the rentals terms are first class).I also have Liz'es two dogs to look after when she is out at work,this retirement business is really hard work. My mobile has just rung,its a gentleman who called about using me for a lung cancer story, I have to expect a call sometime within the next two hours to be interviewed for some Scottish radio stations.Is'nt this fun?,got to go,I let you know later how it all went,now where did I put my throat spray?

Good Afternoon Everyone, Well lots of changes around here,I did reply to a post in another forum some days ago,however I discovered there were no means on the page to submit the post? I just gave up.Hopefully,my posting problem is now resolved. I did enjoy my holiday recently in Tenerife,I would have shared some pics with you,but it seems there is no photo album forum now?.I have just booked up a 5 day holiday in Holland next July with Liz,mainly to see Andre Rieu perform with his Orchestra in his hometown of Maastrict,its a super occassion,its held outdoors in a hugh and beautiful Square,I just love his music,thinking of wearing my kilt ensemble? and share in a wee waltz or two.The holiday package includes tickets for the show and visits to Antwerp and Amsterdam,so looking forward to this one. I was in Glasgows Mitchell Library yesterday on a invitation from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation,I gave a talk on my cancer experiences to the MacMillan Organisation Volunteers,think my talk was well received.Today I have had an email inviting me to join with the MacMillan Org as a volunteer for their offices in various Glasgow Libraries,I will have to think about it,my partner Liz is about up to her neck with all the things I am involved in LOL.The UK Labour are looking for volunteers in preparation for next years general election,another one to consider. I have a Dinner Dance to look forward to on Friday,its my outdoor bowling clubs prizewinners gala night,yours truly is getting the Pairs Trophy,it should be a super night. My daughter Jennifer is enjoying her new teaching English post in a Hamilton Secondary School,she has just informed me she is off with some pupils next June to Ghana,there are contingency plans in place to move instead to Zambia if the Ebola outbreak presents even the slightest of threats to their visit. Got to go now,I do hope you are all enjoying life and are in excellent health,bye.

Good Afternoon Leslie, I hope today sees some further improvements in your health,also wish your oncologist finds ways to boost your energy levels and eliminates the dizzy spells you have been suffering from.I can appreciate how you are feeling post dx,it took me some time to re-adjust to my dx,however,I did come to terms with it,mainly through the passage of time and the support of friends. In my own situation,initally,I found getting a good nights sleep a problem,my mind was on continual over drive dreaming up all sorts of negative scenarios,no light at the end of the tunnel sort of things.I did refer myself to my GP who prescribed for me some sleeping pills and anti-depressants.I kinda figured this situation is not about being macho or Braveheart,its a natural reaction to a serious condition,I would have taken anything that would enable me to stabilise my thought patterns.There were some feelings within myself, that taking these pills would become addictive,but I need'nt have worried,they were only a short term fix as it turned out. I belong to a lung cancer support group,which I have found to be very beneficial,do you have any in your area?,if so,why dont you go along for one of their meetings,you may also find it a worthwhile experience,a chance to meet new friends who share your condition.Incidentally,many of the new lung cancer survivor friends I have met in person and online,are also stage 4,all doing really well,one in particular Sheila I pick up en-route to the LC support group meeting is in her seventh year of survivorship.Sheila lives alone,a real character,I was telling her of my 7 week journey through the USA,seems I impressed her of how friendly the natives were,she then books up for a three centred holiday in the US, Washington DC,New York and Boston,by the way she travelled on her own,not bad for a woman in her seventies.Sheila is having the time of her life,spending a lot of her time travelling about,she dos'nt mind spending the relatives inheritance money,good for her. Time to go,dogs are ready for their walk around Drumpellier Park,its a lovely day here today,apparently our weather is to take a sudden change tomorrow, low pressure coming in from the north leaving us here feeling colder and wetter it seems,oh well never mind ,make hay when the sun shines,think you will be enjoying lots of sun where you live in California?. Best Wishes.

Good Evening Lezlie, Well it is here in Scotland,welcome to LCSC,sorry to hear of your dx.Congratulations on the success of your treatments,I do support your attitude,the cancer is gone for keeps.This Oct sees my 6th year of survivorship following my neo-adjuvant chemo and upper right lobectomy 2008/9.I have since no further treatments other than my 5 years of six monthly check ups,my last was in Feb this year,my Doc said after my check up,there was no evidence of any cancer cells in my body and that he had every confidence to say that I am cured,now go away-I dont expect to see you again,we shook hands and exchanged best wishes to each other. I would love to stay and chat a little longer,but,I have to open my outdoor lawn bowling club at 6pm,so if I leave now,I will make it on time,looking forward to sharing more posts with you,bye for now.

Good Afternoon Priv210, Welcome to LCSC,always a pleasure to welcome a new arrival.Congratulations on your success in winning your battles with breast and thyroid cancers.I am sorry to hear of your lung cancer dx,which given your record I am sure, you will win your battle with this one too.Co-incidently I was also dxd with LC at 60 too,I had a tumour in the airway leading to my upper right lung lung,which caused it to collapse, I also had local spread to the lymph nodes,this was in Oct 2008,I had four cycles of neo adjuvant chemotherapy, which like your treatment consisted of cisplatin and vinorelbine.I also had surgery in Jan 2009 to remove my upper right lung.Since then I have had no further treatments,other than six monthly check ups,which have now completed in February this year.At that last check up,I am pleased to share with you my docs comments,quote "Eric, we do have some successes with lung cancer,and you are certainly one of them.I am pleased to report,all our tests show that all your cancer is gone,I have every confidence in saying to you,you are cured,so go away,I dont expect to see you again",we shook hands and exchanged best wishes to each other. Best wishes with your treatments,I do look forward to sharing some future posts with you.Bye for now.

Good Morning Everyone. Just returned from my holiday in Tenerife with Liz on Friday,first time I have visited Tenerife,its one of the Canary Islands, just off the West Coast of Africa,what a beautiful place,weather blue skies and sunshine every day,current daily temps of 33 degrees C,even in winter temps hover around 24 degrees C.I am thinking about a re-visit to the island in Feb next year,to escape the Scottish winter,well some of it anyway.The hotel was the last word of luxury,we got upgraded for the the first couple of days,some mix up about our allocated room?,included in the up grade,was access to the private swimming pool on the roof of the hotel,we shared the area with only a couple of other residents,bliss,we did negociate with the management that we could have access to the roof for the remainder of our holiday when our original room became available,they agreed,yeah. I will of course bore you with my pics later in the members photo album.We paid 90 euros for a boat trip out in the Atlantic to view schools of Pilot Whales that inhabit the islands all the year round,boy,it turned out to be the lousiest 90 euros I have ever spent,the boat trip lasted for 3 hours,about thirty minutes into the trip,we had our first encounter with the Whales,they were not much larger than dolfins,all we really saw above the waterline was their dorsal fins and a small curved portion of their backs,as I continued to photograph them,I was focussed in my cameras viewfinder trying to get the best shots of the Whales,I became aware of the heaving and the rolling of the boats movement in the Ocean,suddenly I started to turn green, I made a rapid exit from the deck to visit the WC below deck,boy was I ill,sweat lashing off me,as I brought up my mornings breakfast.Crumbs I thought,I still have about another two and a half hours to go with this boat trip.Fortunately,the trip included a visit to a bay to see sea turtles,the boat anchored up,to allow fellow passengers to have a swim in the bay,I slowly began to recover from my nausea.Remind me never to book a cruise. We also had a day trip to Loro Park,which is a super tropical zoo,(see my pics)and a trip to lovely village by the sea,just North of our location in Adeje,Liz hated the bus trip to the village as we had to climb through a mountain range,I have never seen so many hairpin bends and sheer drops on a road before,reminiscent of my trip on the road to the sun in Glacier Park in Montana a couple of years back (see my pics).From my point of view,the bus trip was really good,lots of lovely views to photograph. We arrived home on the 19th,the day after the Scottish referendum in which ,thank goodness, the majority of Scots voted to remain as part of the UK,I had arranged for my daughter to vote No for me by proxy,my concern was,she is a ardent Yes voter,leaving me wondering,if she would vote according to my desire,as it turned out,I received a letter,from the government,telling me my paper request for a proxy vote arrived too late to process,rascals,I sent it off well before the deadline. Yesterday,as I may have told you in a previous post,I played in the finals of the pairs in the outdoor lawn bowls,with my young partner Scott,well I have the pleasure of telling you,we actually won.We will be presented with our trophy at the prizewinners Gala Evening sometime in October,anyone want my autograph?. I am on my own today and tomorrow,Liz has gone off to Dundee,to continue with her consultancy work at a nursing home there to help them bring about improvements following a poor report, following a visit by a government healthcare team.Liz has been interviewed for the managers post at a nursing home in Hamilton,following her consultancy visits there prior,she starts next week.She has mixed feelings about the post though,despite a excellent renumberation package,its full time,she is to become a grannie for the first time in January and we were planning to have an extended holiday to escape the Scottish winter at the turn of the new year.Well,my advice is to take up the post,if by December you are still feeling a bit uneasy about it,hand in your notice,we can manage fine on present incomes. Think thats about all I have to share with you at present,so I will close now,

Good Morning Everyone, After some days of unseasonal cold and wet weather,summer has returned to the West of Scotland,Yeah.I am just about to head off into Glasgow to meet up with my friends for a pub lunch in the Admiral,its fun, lots of good banter and we also sort out all the worlds current problems. Thank you Cindy for the invitation to describe my most fun occassion this summer,gosh thats a hard one,theres something wrong if I am not having fun every day,probably my boat trip up Lake Windermere with Liz,weather was brilliant scenery gorgeous,we had a super day,lovely visit to an old pub in the evening,for a pint and a meal,fond memories,gosh seems like ages ago.A week tomorrow,Liz and I fly out from Glasgow to Tenerife in the Canary Islands for two glorious weeks,topping up my sun tan and doing all things we all love doing on our holidays,must remember to pack my viagra pills (sorry thats a joke for all the oldies here). Liz is up at Dundee today and to-morrow,she is doing some consultancy work in a nursing home thats had a recent inspection visit from the health care board,apparently their report has been a bit scathing of the home,Liz will meet with the staff and discuss the report and action. improvements.She has impressed the owner of a nursing home who found itself in similar straights recently,Liz has done much to improve their situation,the owner is arranging to interview Liz next week sometime,with a view to offering her the General Managers job,its permanent and full-time.Liz has to mull over wheither or not she wants to return to full time employment? at the moment she is only doing consultancy work part time,mind you a good salary is on offer,well, its up to her.The downside is,she will become a grandma for the first time in January,we also planned to spend some of the Winters weeks abroad,somewhere hot, to miss out on the cold dark days here in Scotland. I had a successful day out last Saturday a Monklands Centenary Outdoor Bowling Championships,I have received many compliments on the photographs I had taken of the event,copies have been sent to the local press with a view to publication,during the event,I was left to play host to Lanarkshires Lord Provost,for a couple of hours,we had great discussions about Scotlands up and coming Referendum on Scotlands Independance on September the 18th(I with be in Tenerife for the vote,so I will arrange for a postal vote).The Lord Provost and I share the same view,we will be voting no,we want to remain as part of the UK,mind you, it looks as if it will be a close run thing,the way the polls are showing. I have been invited by the Monklands Bowling Association to photograph the Junior Championships on Sunday,so looking forward to that event.I was due to attend a re-union of my former colleagues from Langside College at Haggs Castle Golf Club tomorrow evening,sadly our host Hugh, suffered a heart attack in Rouken Glen Public park last Saturday,his heart had actually stopped,unbelievably at that moment in time 3 medics were nearby and managed to resussitate Hugh and keep him stable until the ambulance arrived.Hugh phoned me a couple of days ago from his hospital bed to fill me in on his "adventure" and express his disappointment in not being able to attend the re-union,we have cancelled anyway,Hugh hopes it can be reset for sometime in December.Hugh has to have some surgery on his heart at the Golden Jubilee Hospital (where I had my upper right lobectomy performed over 5 years ago) its one of the best hospitals in Scotland,so I am sure Hugh will have a successful surgery. Got to go now folks,hope you are having a super summer,bye for now.

Hi everyone, Just wanted to share some pictures from our latest outing at Lake Windermere. It was lovely weather and a great place to visit. I highly recommend it. https://www.facebook.com/airdrieeric/media_set?set=a.778899525482164.1073741847.100000863700284&type=1 Eric

Good Morning JayJay, Welcome to LCSC,its a pleasure to meet a new kid on the block.I am really sorry to hear about your dx,it did take me a little time to adjust to my new situation,however with the passage of time and the support of family and friends,not forgetting everyone here at LCSC,my life began to turn around,and I began to enjoy myself as prior to my dx. I like to say that Lung Cancer rained on my parade,but it sure came with a great big silver lining,in that, it took me to places I would have never dreampt of going,and to meet so many wonderful people,I would have never otherwise met. Gosh I have had so many adventures,three years ago,I did a seven week tour of your wonderful country,using AMtrak to get about (I did'nt want to risk driving on the wrong side of the road,I am bad enough as a driver LOL).You can find many of my photos of my adventures here in the members Photo album,or clicking online to travellingeric,which gives a daily diary and pics as I travelled around the USA. I live in Bonnie Scotland,which given the beauty of my country,is a real priviledge.I have retired three years ago from a career in teaching that spanned nearly 40 years,my daughter Jennifer by co-incidence has just started her career teaching English in Hamilton Grammar High School,only started her full time post last week,but she is loving it. I see you hail from Florida,I never got to visit that state in my travels,well,the USA is just so big,perhaps I will get back to do another tour to visit all central and southern states one day?. I am sorry you do not have family living near you,but I can promise you,you do have to face your cancer alone when you can have share in the LCSC family,they have given me such wonderful support right from the dark days following my dx,until today nearly 5 years later (Oct sees me having my 6th anniversary from my dx). I had a friend Robert Lowe I met though having LC,I attended his LC support group in Glasgow.Robert's story was remarkable in that initially being given two months to live following a dx of SCLC in 1993 then NSCLC in 2004,he went on to survive lung cancer for 20 years,he died cancer free in 2012.He was a wonderful advocate for survivors of LC,who worked tirelessly in raising awareness of the lack of attention LC receives from funding,research and the general publics perception of the disease. I do wish you every success with your treatments and look forward to getting to know you. Best Wishes.

Good Evening Everyone, Hoping you are all well and enjoying some fine summer weather.Our weather here recently has been pretty dull and wet,we have the remnants of the Hurricane Bertha passing over the UKs shores.My new friend Liz and I spent some time on holiday in the Lake District in the north of England,we spent it in Bowness on Lake Windermere,really a beautiful place,the weather was glorious.We still have a fortnight in Tenerife in the Canary Island from the 5th of September to look forward to,I am so looking forward to this. I have not been spending much time on my laptop of late,too busy getting about,we had some enjoyable visits into Glasgow these last couple of weeks watching the Commonwealth Games,the atmosphere in Glasgow was just wonderful,made you feel proud to be Scottish,I think all our foreign visitors left Scotland with some great memories.The Edinburgh Festival has now started,so lots to see there too,I just love watching the street theatre,you can find my pics in the members photo album here of a previous visit I had to the Festival with my daughter Jennifer.Jennifer has just taken up her new teaching post in Hamilton Grammar,the pupils start on Wednesday,so she is busying herself to receive her new pupils,what great excitement,I am sure the kids are going to love Miss Byrne. I have another photo assignment on Saturday,its the outdoor lawn bowling finals,particularly special since its the Centenary of the Monklands Bowling Association,I get the honour of a place at the top table for dinner-Wowee,hopefully I get my pics published in the local rags.I also have a reunion dinner with former work collegues from Langside College and Haggs Castle Golf Club on the 22nd of Aug,gosh its over 20 years since I worked with those guys,so its going to be a excellent occassion to catch up with all the gossip. Its great to share some gossip with you guys too,why not write a few lines yourselves if you have a mind too,dont be shy,I just love to know what you guys are up to on your side of the pond. Bye and best wishes everyone.

Good Evening Everyone, Hoping you are all well and enjoying some fine summer weather.Our weather here recently has been pretty dull and wet,we have the remnants of the Hurricane Bertha passing over the UKs shores.My new friend Liz and I spent some time on holiday in the Lake District in the north of England,we spent it in Bowness on Lake Windermere,really a beautiful place,the weather was glorious.We still have a fortnight in Tenerife in the Canary Island from the 5th of September to look forward to,I am so looking forward to this. I have not been spending much time on my laptop of late,too busy getting about,we had some enjoyable visits into Glasgow these last couple of weeks watching the Commonwealth Games,the atmosphere in Glasgow was just wonderful,made you feel proud to be Scottish,I think all our foreign visitors left Scotland with some great memories.The Edinburgh Festival has now started,so lots to see there too,I just love watching the street theatre,you can find my pics in the members photo album here of a previous visit I had to the Festival with my daughter Jennifer.Jennifer has just taken up her new teaching post in Hamilton Grammar,the pupils start on Wednesday,so she is busying herself to receive her new pupils,what great excitement,I am sure the kids are going to love Miss Byrne. I have another photo assignment on Saturday,its the outdoor lawn bowling finals,particularly special since its the Centenary of the Monklands Bowling Association,I get the honour of a place at the top table for dinner-Wowee,hopefully I get my pics published in the local rags.I also have a reunion dinner with former work collegues from Langside College and Haggs Castle Golf Club on the 22nd of Aug,gosh its over 20 years since I worked with those guys,so its going to be a excellent occassion to catch up with all the gossip. Its great to share some gossip with you guys too,why not write a few lines yourselves if you have a mind too,dont be shy,I just love to know what you guys are up to on your side of the pond. Bye and best wishes everyone.