eric byrne

Hi Everyone, Just dropped by to read the mail,off to a party,my sister-in-law is fifty today,having a do at her work,it is the David Lloyd sports centre,so looking forward to it,maybe get a game of tennis while I am there?.Weather today mild and miserable,cannot wait for the daylight hours to get longer. Annette,sorry to read about your mum,hope it turns out nothing much to be concerned about,never tried one,but a strawberry daiquiri sounds just great to relax to,hope you find some time to yourself this weekend to chill out. Hi Bud,thats good news Rose setting out on a new career,I wish her every success in the training element and finds steady work of the enjoyable type,when she completes her course. Sorry,bit short tonight,got to pick up Sally at her work,she is getting changed there when she finishes at Six,she started back on Monday,so fingers crossed she can stay on the staight and narrow.See you to-morrow,long weekend-holiday on Monday,no students next week,college self evaluation week,we have to contemplate out curriculum delivery and figure out what we can do better,sounds like fun dosnt it?I wont be getting into a tiz about it,severance is looming-hooray.

Hi Tony, Welcome to LCSC,I am sure you will find the support you need right here,there are so many buddies here with a wealth of experience only too willing to share with you,to ease your burden. I happen to be a stage two Lung Cancer myself,and doing really well,as are so many here,so dont give in to despair,take one day at a time.I am sorry given your financial position you cannot be with your partner,which I know would ease your mind,I think you should accept the situation as it is and focus on the fact,your partner is making progress towards getting better.Following her surgery,she will need some recovery time,as her medical team put together an action plan for treating her LC,in the meantime,your daily communications with your partner will give her the encouragement she needs to get back into full health. It is good you have the support of your children around you,they need you,as you them,putting on a brave front for them may be difficult for you,but with patience and the improvement in your partners health,you will be able to cope. I wish you and your partner all the very best,and hope it will not be too long before you are both re-united.God Bless.

Hi Judy, No,No,No,its not ten pin bowling,silly,knocking down skittles,how could I introduce that to America?,its carpet bowling,its a large rink,you roll a small yellow "jack" down your rink,you then roll your bowl to the jack,nothing like a ten pin bowl,with finger holes,duh,but a bowl with a weight inside it to one side which gives it a bias,so it dosnt roll in a straight line but in a long curve,the skill is in judging the bias and the weight so that it finishes as close to the jack as possible,we play as two teams of four,and have two bowls each,if you are playing as an individual against another player,you have four bowls,its really great fun,the rink I play in is home to the world bowling championships,why dont you cancel the cruise and come to Airdrie and have a wee shot?.

Hi Ginny, I am really sorry to hear about your friend Barb,I will remember her in my prayers,please pass on my regards to her,and remind her this disease can be lived with,even at stage four,see my recent post.Sorry to have missed you in Edinburgh,since we bypass each other at the same time,maybe next time?

Hi All, Beautiful bright sunny day today,spring weather in Feb,what next?.I was going to post last night,straight after I watched David Attenboroughs new nature series,Madagasgar,dont know if you get to see any of his nature progs,they are always something else.I wanted to see the stange wild life they have on the island,anyone here seen the primate called an Aye-Aye,well they are just about the strangest creature on the planet.Going to show off for a moment you know his brother Richard?well he came to my local one year,we had contributed most in the UK to a charity he is the Patron of Muscular Dystrophy and came to the pub to pick up the check,couldnt believe it when I arrived he was standing with his agent alone all the regulars keeping their distance,shy or respect? I dont know,not me,Hows it going Dicky?hows David doing?well we had a great night to-gether,having a good laugh.Where was I? yes TV prog,well I was so tired,I decided to tape the prog and go to bed,anyone else had Mega Sleeps recently?do you know I fell asleep on hitting the pillow and didnt stir until the alarm rang at 6.00am,think there might be something wrong with me? 10 hours? its not natural?. Bowling Tuesday- beat 38-1,can you believe it?,played the early session tonight,beaten 13-12 which is just about bearable, forget the scores its really great fun,love to introduce it in America,just know you would go nuts for it?. Bud,and others thanks for the comments on Vitamin D,just to work out how much to take daily?,any thoughts on a daily aspirin and green tea now.Bud thanks also for the Here-Here links,sounds like the Aye-Aye again,I spent some time on them they are really interesting. JudyKW,glad all tests OK,cannot wait to hear your cruise chat. Libby,must correct you,Tu-Tu for Bruce isnt a loan,its keepsies,anything to get Judy KW,off my back. Judy MI,Think you should calm down a bit over the ingestion of hormone cream,facial hair is quite easy to deal with,just borrow Randy's electric razor,on second thoughts why dont you just leave it?,you could start up a completely new career with the circus?.Goodnight all,enjoy the rest of your day.

Hi All, Thanks for yesterdays guys and gals,you helped chase my winter blues away with a good laugh.Weather here really getting milder 10deg C +.I woke up this morning for the first time this year-the dawn corus,all the birds outside were giving it laldy,spring is in the air. Bowling to-night I am on in the second session 8.30pm-10.30pm,hopfully will do better to-night,although Thursday eve,we were holding our own and fell at the last hurdle,suppose just like Andy Murray,sniff. Having a bit of bother with my memory recently,Sunday in Glasgow,I parked my car in the multi-storey car park,took real care,where exactly,2nd level,north side,car facing large concrete column (cement as you would say?)well returned 3hrs later,paid the parking in the machine,went to level two,north side,concrete pillar,no car?,oh no its been stolen,oh heck,better just wander round level 2 just to make sure,no luck,its gone?. Wait a minute,thats Buchanan St bus station out there,funny it used to be the RSAMD there? (Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) I am in the wrong car park,being Scottish it was a relief to me the other car park machine recognised my paid up parking fee.Then this morning I had to fill up petrol (gas)I parked wrong side of the pump for the filler cap,so angrily I reversed and moved to the other pumps to my left and still parked at the wrong side for my filler cap.I just had a good laugh with myself at being such a nerd. There's been a bit of discussion here in Scotland by the medical profession about introducing prescriptions for everyone here to get a daily dose of Vitamin D,doctors here think we arent getting enough exposure to adequate sunlight in a year.It just so happens I have been taking a daily dose of Vitamin D for about a year now in liquid form,two teaspoonfuls.I forgot to keep the Thursday newspaper last,but in it was the story of a woman who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer,and was given 3-6 months to live,well her Doctor had prescribed her with a daily pill of VitaminD and now 4 years later,she appears in the newspaper looking really healthy and doing so well.Seems other doctors have followed his lead,and have reports of others doing similarly well.I must find out more about this story,I am not one who is easily persuaded about claims of wonder cures,I have heard about so many, but the Doctor is absolutely convinced about its effectiveness. Well Judy,Love the hat and the shades,you are a real cool dude (just practicing my Americanisms for my hols)gimme a high five, etc,well when I go to Spain I do similar eg One year on holiday the wine waiter serving my table would ask for my order,well in "perfect" Spanish I would reply Una Biccerie Vino por favour and Dos Vassos,least thats what I remember,this routine went on for a full week until one day he laughed at me and explained I had asked him for a bottle of wine and two kisses (think I had said Bassos?)wouldnt have been so bad if he hadnt spread it all around the staff of the hotel who spent the rest of my holiday making limp wrist gestures and blowing me kisses,yes the hombres too. Got to dash bowling time,see you later,bye.

Hi All, Absent from call again,sorry,just dropped by before heading out for work (Tuesday 6.30am)Just knew it Becky's back all sense of sobriety and decorum would be thrown out the window here,Pantless Bruce?wheres everyones sense of modesty gone?,behave yourselves,anyway Bruce I have this TuTu here, I no longer have any use for,think it would look much better on you.

Hi Becky, Welcome back,where have you been?,we've missed you so much.Congratulations on eight years- WOW.and lots more years to follow. Lots of things to ask you,did you bring the keg bus with you?since I am coming this July and August,I might need picking up.Hows you and new hubby doing?did you find a job?come on give us your patter,Iam waiting with anticipation for more smiles and fun.

Good Afternoon All,, Just a flying visit,sorry I havent been spending much time here recently,Jennifer is having a weekend break in Paris,asked if I could run her to Prestwick Airport this morning ,sure I said what time?could you pick Chris and I up at 4am grrr,me and my big mouth,so off to bed at 9pm Friday,I really have to have my sleep. Got a haircut this morning and straight into Glasgow,Penny of Stobhill LC support group,suggested I went to see Trailfinders in Glasgow as they deal exclusively with long haul holidays,well the good news is the rough draft is completed,I fly out from Glasgow to Philly onSaturday the second of July and finish up at Seattle flying back to Philly on the Thursday 18th August-48 days inclusive trip,I cannot believe they got me a rail pass for 45 days with 18 "journeys" for only $500,I didnt have the nerve to ask do I get the over 62 ,15% discount LOL.I have to go back on Saturday next,with my list of stop places for them to arrange my hotel bookings for the duration of the trip since I couldnt tell him exactly where I wanted to stop and for how long. OK,I have the route sussed,Captain Cook did three voyages of discovery,so as much as I would love to pass by somewhere near you to meet up Iam sorry,I wont be seeing California,Florida or Texas this trip,OK stop the cheering,I will be doing those next year(including New Orleans). Right the big plan-Philly to Richmond(Annette and Keith)then to Washington DC,New York then Boston,Niagra Falls to Chicago (Libby and Family)then St Pauls to Montana-the Dinosaur Nature trail-15 Dinosaur sites to see WOW,then on to Seattle (maybe meet Stephanie and others?)Vancover then back to Seattle to fly back on the homeward leg. OK Guys and Gals,your contribution,how would you carve up 48 days and 18 stops on the above route,prizes will be awarded for any suggestions. Just before I confirm my booking next week by payment,it was suggested before I do this I should check out the cost of insurance,bit of a daudle thinks I,not a bit of it,the first two I tried,big well known UK insurance companies,which have special policies for cancer survivors,refused to take me on?the third I tried had nothing for me except a reference to further underwriters-cost a minimum of £3000.Thats it Americas off the menu,I refuse to pay such money,I will tour Europe instead,OK we will try one more,who having listened to my medical condition fully said, OK Eric that will be £250,hurray the trip is on,run for cover everyone. Bud, applications for severence have to be in for 15th Feb and managements final decision of successful applicants will be announced on the 28th Feb,I have reshuffled my class committments from now until end June,have cleared the decks except for four weeks,I cannot go if it means senior management have to buy in extra class cover,so I will offer my return on these occassions at no extra cost,if I can be released early. I hope you all enjoy The Steelers and the Packers at the superbowl to-morrow tell Coach Lombardi Eric thinks he is more of a pussycat than a tough guy,well I am just going downstairs to watch a real mans game-Scotland V France in the six nations championships,we dont need all that girly stuff like crash helmets and shoulder pads,we just have tee shirts and shorts. Goodnight everyone,Judy really sorry I missed sending you Birthday Greetings,Happy Birthdfay wishing you many,many more.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Duck for cover,Iam back,apologies for my absence,noticed my last post in was Saturday, ye gods I will end up getting the sack from the site shortly. So much to share with you,first the weather,really wet miserable day, though a really mild 9 degrees C ,which is really warm here for a day in January,we have lots of reports of heavy snow in your mid-west here,hope its missed all of you?.Bad news first,Sally,suspended from work for January,to sort herself out had a meeting with her manager and union offical on Monday Am,with a view to having herself re-instated,unfortunately she left for Planet Pluto on Friday and hasnt returned since,oh well. Well on Sunday after ABC I met up with my little friend of the alternative persuasion,to share a meal in Glasgows best Italian restaurant La Vita something,("Life is Beautiful")then on to a pub called Waxy's, never been before,my companions choice,a group of musicians arrive sporting guitars,fiddles and penny whistles,a give an impromptu concert to the customers,the atmosphere was so congenial,I had a super day out,oh my companion is at least twenty years my junior,no romance,she just enjoys my company,and being Polish loves to practice her English conversation skills,which is a bit ironic, being with a guy with a strong Glasgow accent,but we have great fun to-gether,it kinda reinforces my desire to move out and on, to a house on my own and really start to enjoy life again. I really havent got up to date with the postings in my absence,sorry,I promise to make ammends,but you are right I was bowling last night,well bowlings is a bit of an exaggeration,I was absolutely dreadful,we got beat 27-2,at least, because after that the other team stopped counting the score out of sympathy,better I stayed at home and posted in?. Left work early to-day,first Wed in the month,Stobhill LC support group,Penny is pregnant( due in April) is giving up the chair for a year,she will however attend the next meeting in March to introduce her temporary replacement.I really will miss her,she is the only Lung nurse I have met with any merit,who is really committed to her job,with a great big love for every LC patient.Robert Lowe was there of course,introduced him again to cancergrace and LUNGevity,so hopefully he will join us here soon.Robert is 71 not only the UKs longest survivor of SCLC and also NSCLC of 17 years standing,but the UKs oldest/youngest teenager,he isnt just surviving,he is thriving,its my pleasure and priviledge to introduce him to you.(Hope he takes the plunge). Oh I handed in my voluntary severance app form yesterday,fingers crossed I can be approved and leave by the end of the month.Now another good news story,a former student of mine,I can take the credit for getting into FE as a lecturer about 20 odd years ago,now works for me,asked me about giving his sponsorship money he will raise this year to a Lung Cancer charity in honour of me,does that not bring a lump to your throat,he just happens to be a super mountain climber,and mentioned to me about climbing the Eiger this summer,keep it quiet says he,the final plans have not yet been completed.He came into my class this morning to borrow some drawing gear,and we got chatting,seems I wasnt paying proper attention about his climbing plans,bet you cannot believe me but Eiger is the peak he has still to close with a companion,he has completed his arrangements for Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn,he is going to climb all three in one go.Next year says he is going to South America for the highest peaks in the Andes,gosh I get dizzy standing on top of step ladders. Still planning my route through America,you have to laugh,one stop in mind has been to accept Annettes offer to show me round Richmond,well today on Amtraks web site I typed in New York to Richmond,well in my map its about one and a half inches,I nearly fell off my chair when up comes journey time 7 hours,the great bit was $62,what, you can hardly get from Airdrie to Edinburgh for that ,oh you Americans,you are spoiled rotten with your transport costs not forgetting gas prices (£1.30/litre here,think thats about $8 a gallon in America?).Penny was telling me there is a shop in Sauchiehall St called Trailfinders,they deal only in long haul holidays and can plan your route for you,so I will pay them a visit on Saturday,hoping that they are open. Think I will let you come up for air now,enough is enough,good to be back,ok who said ? "no its not".Byee.

Kasey and Fred, I am really sorry for your sad loss,thinking and praying for you both.

Good Morning Everyone, Beautiful sunny blue skies morning,would say spring like if it wasnt 1 degrees C outside,thinking about taking the car out today for a visit to the countryside. Sorry guys havent been in the post box recently I will catch up on the bleathers later and post again to-night . Well its all very exciting at work yesterday,senior management have issued notice of a voluntary severance scheme,with all the fine details described,cannot share with you fully,but it is very attractive to me,applications to be in for 15th Feb,acceptance entirely at management's discretion with no appeals allowed.Signs are personally my application will be accepted,question is do I get early release,miss the fun of the HMIe inspection and the National Competition in May? fingers crossed I do.The college and all colleges throughout the entire UK are facing these cuts in public spending,the right wing Conservative Government have never been lovers of the Further Education Sector,Margaret Thatcher aimed at funding individual companies directly to meet their own training needs,fortunately they were put out of office before it came to fruition.It is of course rediculous in making these cuts in the section when there is currently the highest levels of youth unemployment,more than one million persons under the age of 25 are unemployed and not in training,but for more idealogical rather than economical reasons this Government is flying in the face of what this country needs.500,000 public sector jobs to go,apparently the government thinks this will be taken up by the private sector,when they themselves are shedding employees.It will all end in tears methinks,think I will just stay with you this summer. Really sorry for the politics this morning,but I really feel better getting that off my chest,grrrr.I read the USA is actually doing much better now economically,hopefully the unemployed will begin to find work again. Hasnt there been some shocks in Aussieland with the tennis who would believe Nadal and Federer out,Andy has been playing out of his skin an absolute delight to watch him like this,oh I do hope he can win his first major to-morrow,everyone in Scotland will be glued to their TV sets.Will it be tears or cheers? ooh its so exciting.Got to dash the sunshine is bekoning me to come outside and play,see you to-night.Bye

Good Evening All, Weather still mild 8deg C,leaving work today,it seems suddenly its bright daylight,hooray springs on its way,mind you it was still dark by the time I got home. Just dropped in today at the end of work on my computer before I shut down,yikes there must have been a dozen forums getting laldy,all of you busy posting away,well since you lot are at least 5 hours behind me,whats going on here?,come on get back to work.Funnily enough,by the time I got back there were only two active forums,where did everyone go?are you all trying to avoid me?. Read all the mail,thought about replying,I was so tired,I just decided to go to bed,thats right 7pm-I was out the moment I hit the pillow.Woke up,should be 6am,crumbs its 11pm,oh dearie me,I may be here all night keeping the forums busy. Difficult for me to post to-morrow,my bowling buddies phoned me to rejoin their team for this season in the league,boy they must be really desperate,so thats me Tuesdays and Thursdays bowling,maybe my game will start to flourish? Talking about games,have you seen any of Andy Murrays games?boy is he on form,wonder if he can do the double by beating Nadal in the semi's and Federer in the final to take his first major,well maybe,but he aways fails to hit top form when the final chips are down,bit like Scotlands National Football Team,Sally dosnt like him thinks he is another big dour Scot,no hes not,just focussed on tennis so much he dosnt talk about anything else. Hi JudyKW,Sorry you are feeling a bit tired and low at the moment,being it seems constantly on the medical merry-go-round,hope you get some respite soon,I was going to say its only mid-winter blues,well you dont have winter in the Florida keys,oh I feel so jealous I could crush a grape.Never mind,think about that Caribbean Cruise in Feb,funny hearing an American pronouncing that word, Carrib-be-in,where of course its correctly pronounced in the UK as Caribe-i-an.Bon Voyaggi when it comes round.Hooray Tax Taxing Return completed,yeah 3 cheers,(until next year) Hi Libby,there youve gone and done it,go make me feel guilty,gym visits,you are right of course,all them endorphines all stirred up,does make the effort worthwhile,its just the initial effort for me getting out my chair.Enjoy work,hope you shake off the little bug soon as. Hi Linda,Good to see you back,but hey,the news isnt all bad? why what about that story about the ,,,,..?ahem or the one about ,,,,,,,...? maybe we are looking in the wrong places?. Annette, what are you doing at work? you should be at home tucked up in bed,Keith peeling grapes for you.I hope little wayward has finally learned his lesson,and no more car jaunts until at least he has passed his driving test and has insurance,well goodnight Rudolph,sorry Annette,Freudian slip. Hi Bud,Ditto-not much going down here either,I am keeping mid-winter blues at bay,playing at trains with Amtrak. Hi Stephanie,Thanks so much for taking the effort in posting the train journey link I so enjoyed following it,so rein-forced my desire for the great journey ahead,think six weeks is way short with what I would love to see,where can I see a rodeo,or visit a Plains Indian reservation,imagine the pics I could get,Indians in full costume,dancing round the camp fire(hope they dont get too fired up and lift my scalp LOL. Hi Judy,You are so right the Haitians have gone through hell and are still living in it,good of you to sponsor a Haitian child,I did for years sponsor a Bangladeshi boy,but regretfully I was too hasty in cancelling this arrangement on hearing my dx,I didnt want to have Sally short of money upon my imminent demise,turns out I was a bit premature,wasnt I? Hi Katie,last but not least LOL,youve got me all agog with anticipation and excitement,cannot wait to hear whats planned,best wishes for everything in the pipeline. Goodnight everyone.

Hamden Park,Scotlands National Football Stadium,(in Glasgow)nothing better on the Planet than watching Scotland beating England at Football.

Good Evening All, First,LilyJohn please accept my deepest sympathy for the loss of your sister-in-law,hoping she is now in the company of Harold. Well its another mild day to-day,8deg C,dont really know what that is in your money though,bet its slightly warmer than Bruce?.Its Robert Burns Birthday today,I hoped to organise another on line party,but been so busy recently,you know I never even had a Burns Supper Night out this year,I really have fallen behind in the social merry-go-round this year,got to pull my socks up.I feel really sorry for all the American Buddies(and Bruce to) here who have never experienced an authentic Burns night out,must try to organise one in America in July,yes July the forth looks good,dont suppose you are doing anything special that day,I could come wearing my kilt,dont play the bagpipes though,anyone get me a piper?now who was here that sent in the pic of one?.All we need now is the haggis,tatties and neeps,och and a wee drop o' the amber nectar.Speakers,we need speakers,a girl for the address from the lasses,and a male for the address to the lasses,I could do Tam O' Shanter or Holy Willies Prayer,both are supremely funny.Singers dont want to hog the limelight the whole night,but I can do one or two,provided its kinda early on in the proceedings,before Whyte and MacKays interfers with the words in the memory department,aye as they say in Scotland itll be a rare night. Hi Bud thanks for sharing your little secret with us,think I may drop in on your neck of the woods and fish you out.LOL. Aw poor Annette,laid low with some kind of a cold/flu bug,sounds like a really nasty one too,rest up,enjoy a wee break from work and get Keith running after you. Hi Ginny,You know planning my USA trip and considering the size of the place,Locherbie is in my back yard,approx 90mins driving from Airdrie,been through the town manys a time,be nice to meet your friend to exchange some blethers. Gosh is that me? hope I have given a mention to all?no JudyMI,oh my brain has gone again what have you been up to recently,must remember to take notes,sorry Judy,please forgive. Have a good day everybody,bye.

Hi Bud, we posted simultaneously,amazing I usually lose my post when this happens OK you got there first,my shot again, Grapes.

Eric,is that a little on the vain side?

Thanks Ann, you had me there,guess unlike Annette I would have flunked,Annette you certainly are edumacated,you are the only American I know, of that Kan spel Tyre korrectly.

Good Evening All, Well another Monday bit the dust,another HMIe prep meeting today,wont bore you nuff said.Early retirement package details to be issued this week,rumour has it ,its going to be a poor show,that wont have anyone biting,we will have to wait and see.Weather slightly warmer and brighter today at 7deg C. Seems I have created a wee bit of confusion with my MOT remark previous,this is not about road maintenance,but about car roadworthiness,in the UK every vehicle over three years old has to submit to a stringent inspection anually and get a MOT,without a current one you cannot drive on UK roads,or get car insurance,it costs £35.If your car fails you have to resit after repairs are made and pay £35 again. Ha Ha,seems the pond between us have prevented all your little cold and flu bugs getting to me,seriously, hope everyone is feeling better. Wow Bud you really are a killer with your fishing,I would have loved to have been with you in your boat to see the faces of all the other guys envying your success,bet your secret weapon is spinnerbaker products,or was it your new fishing shoes? Hi Katie,Having read your posts over the months,it had occurred to me ages ago,that I thought you were trying to do too much,now this rears its head.Volunteeing your services to such a worthy cause,on behalf of the hospital to their benefit is so demoralising in their lack of appreciation,speaks so clearly to me its time to move on.Take some time out and re-evaluate where your priorities lie,allow someone else to take up the reins. Hi Ann,your grand kids are just so cute,your grandson like myself and Paul McCartney play left handed,I would have loved to have got my wallies into the cakes on display. Hi LilyJohn,Thanks so much for taking the time to give me a resume of the attractions of California,yes I would love to see the giant Redwoods and Yosemite and the many other scenes you described,wasnt it a Scot who set up the worlds first national parks in America to preserve their natural beauty from land developers?.Well I am still at the planning stage,nothing cast in stone,seems I should ring fence California for a visit also,boy so much to see,where do I draw the line,whats possible in 6 weeks?.Maybe I will have to settle for a visit each year for the next twenty years,now theres an ambition to achieve. Hi Bruce,hope its gotten a wee bit warmer now maybe only minus 30deg C LOL,really intregued with your Sun Dogs mention,never heard of these before,I Googled this to read more about them,lucky you,must be quite a sight. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone,goodnight from me.

Good Morning Everyone, Lovely morning here,its 9.30am,weather still mild 5 deg C.Going to ABC shortly missed it last week waiting on the delivery of the new washing machine,got a problem with it, in the spin cycle its vibrating quite noisily,think it needs its feet pads? adjusted to the floor,going to call the shop to-morrow for advice.Sorry Judy the mysteries of the washing of clothes are alien to me,its too complicated,lights and darks,linen,cotton and wool,not forgetting all the knobs on the machine,and this one in particular has twice as many,Sally seems to have mastered it anyway. Sorry I havent been around recently,Thursday night I was so tired,my neighbour and fellow Senior Lecturer, Bill,put his car if for a service and MOT (do you have MOTs in America?)anyway,he asked if I could pick him up for work Friday morning,well we are completely different with regard to getting to work times,I like to get in early and miss the heavy road traffic,and relax with a bite to eat with a coffee,Bill runs in at nine,panic,panic, where did I put my notes etc then rushes to take his class,you would think he would learn,but no.Anyway you should have seen his face when I said sure Bill I will pick you up at seven am "What 7am are you serious?,I havent been up at 7am for years" Bill,I have to pick up Jennifer en route.Well Thursday night I was so tired,I was in bed sleeping by 10pm,next I hear is my phone ringing,its Bill wondering where I am,its 7.15am,he thought I had forgot to pick him up,he had been phoning my mobile,which is also my alarm clock,I had accidentally left in my car,so for the first time in years,I was late in getting into work,Bill wont ever let me forget it,I once forgot to pick him up years ago,and still keeps me reminded of it,despite loads of other successful picks ups,reminds of of that rather crude joke of the farmer,trying to explain himself,I have been with women all my life,but for one lousey sheep. Well Friday night was party night,all the usual suspects,my sisters Irene and Linda,Max was also there,we had some playing with balloons,Claire the Boss (hikers and bikers fame)she thanked me again for photographing the cheque presentation night,must try and post some in here,think you might enjoy seeing them?,the daugher of one of Irenes sister-in-laws asked me if I be her wedding photographer next year-gulp-I said yes,if I am still here,oh drat, me and my big head what have I done,I have never had this responsibility before,maybe have to stay in America now. I had a nice day yesterday,over at Irenes,Pat her husband has been laid off work again (he is a steeplejack)firm had no more work in its books,he was off on a training day/interview for installing a kind of solar heating panels that get installed on peoples roofs,its priced work you get £75 per house which is miserly,so he has to fight for more,though being on the dole you get £65 a week,shocking isnt it?.Well later in the day I remarked I would like to see Jack Blacks new film Gullivers Travels,Irene got the details then off to the Showcase Cinema,well it was a bit disapointing,Max fidgited in his seat throughout,it was too old for him,and boringly too young for us grown ups,give it a miss,well just being out and about was great fun. I am sorry,I havent read the past posts completely,will do that when I come home from the ABC,so I hope to come back pm.Got to Dash,neighbour Betty has asked if I can pick her up also.dont have time to preview,apologies for grammer or spelling errors.bye.

Sorry Annette, Our posts have overlapped,now I have heard every excuse in the book,my headache was simply due to drinking too much soda,oh yeah,couldnt be the Whyte and MacKays that you topped the soda up with?.Glad to hear you are safely home,I dont like flying when its icy cold,been watching too many Air Crash Investigations progs on TV.

Good Evening All, For weather read yesterdays post,sorry guys nothing much to share with you,just more of eat, work and sleep this week.Going to a big engagement party on Friday,in the same venue as the Hikers and Bikers presentation night out.How the youth of today are different to my days,the happy couple,had their second baby just before Christmas,and are living with the girls parents,would you believe her sister gave birth to her first baby the week after and is also living in the same house with her partner,I swear,you couldnt make this stuff up,just as well Susan has a big house,which is not even close to the size of her heart.They all get on brilliantly. Hi Judy I would love you to come to Glasgow or Airdrie for your Birthday Dinner,just tell me your favourite food and I will book the best restaurant and table,why I might even pay the bill (saying that is enough to give most Scots a heart attack). Hi Lilyjohn,you shouldnt feel bad about the Rockathon,there will be other opertunities that may come Lungevity's way from your group, the walk idea for example,the Hikers and Bikers group I was with in June raised £29,000 in one days walk around Millport. Hi Libby thanks for telling us about Lily being a keen dancer,particularly Tap and Jazz.Some years ago I was in rehearsal for 42nd street,my buddy Andy and I, both having two left feet would go to the back to hide from our warrior choregrapher Ann,halfway through the stage reheasal she pushed her way through the sixty odd who were in front of us to give us a real bollocking about starting on the wrong foot or something,how the Dickens,with her being max 4' 11" could she possilbly spot us is beyond me,dont even mention the other terrible, wardbrobe Ann what a nippy sweetie she is,to think we were all volunteers giving up Nights and Sundays. Well need to change my typewriter ribbon,enjoy whats left of your day,well work wise we are over the hump.Byee.

Hi Dawn, Great to see your return to the boards,expedite the digit,and lets see you here more often.Sorry for being at the Coo's Tail in replying to you,no excuses.I really hope you had a great time over Christmas,didnt get to hear from you how it went,if I knew your address I would have sent you a Chrissy Card,I will do next year(promise-and a birthday card also). Glad to hear healthwise you are well,dont take a doctors put down to stop you looking around for a job,I am sure you would benefit from getting back into work and meeting new people,hope you can find something that you can enjoy as well as earning some bucks.Take care, hope to hear from you again, soon.

Hi Mihalo, Wishing and Hoping and Praying as the song goes,(you are too young to remember that one),that your PET scan is good to allow your pneumonectomy to go ahead in February.Gosh we learn so much from each other here,another year or two and I think could graduate in medicine?I knew we had a clavicle and a scapula but never knew we had a acromion bone as well.Sorry to hear of your post-op pain,really hope this is now by you. One more bridge to cross in February,you can do it standing on your head.My lung surgery as you may remember was really an absolute breeze compared to all the scare stories I had heard prior to surgery,so expecting the same for you sport. May this be the end of your treatments and you go on to living life to the full with the kids and the rest of your family and friends,god knows,with what you have gone through you deserve it.I can only stand in the sidelines,with admiration of your spirit and courage,to cheer you on,best wishes and God Bless.

Good Evening All, Weather, boring, but a mild 5deg C. First of all Happy Anniversary Judy,wishing you many more,hope you and Stan have a great night out at Antonias. All the posts are mentioning the dreaded word "Exercise" I only have to think of Bud and feel exhausted,but all you triers are absolutely right,must try to take my thoughts taking up some kind fitness regime and put it into action,just these long dark winter days tend to leave me feeling lethargic,it will be different in the spring (promise)anyway want to slim down and develope a six pack for my American trip,all right, who said the only six pack he'll get, is one out of a licensed grocers?. Well nothing much to pass on since my last post,just another day in the salt mines and then home,although dont know if it was reported in the States,but some guys in the Antartic came across in the ice,an abandoned hut,that was used by Ernest Shakleton in his South pole attempt in 1907,on opening the hut they found five crates of Scotch,they were flown to New Zealand,where they were gently thawed out,three of the bottles were flown back to their original distillary in Scotland for anaysis by the owner in his private jet,the cargo was just too precious to trust to a commercial flight,guess from whose stable?,Erics favourite Messers White and MacKay,just knew Ernest would have excellent taste buds.Well the companys blender,Richard Paterson,will be thoughly testing them,lucky rascal,with a view to re-producing it in the distillary with possibly putting it back into production.First comment from the blender is its colour,is a dark rich brown, signs are looking good.The find will probably be put up for auction,dont think I will have enough bawbees to buy one,shame. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone,byee.