eric byrne

Hi Guys and Gals, Just back from Dots,Sally didnt want to be left alone to wait for the repairman to call,so I waited with her,just about gave up on him when he arrived at 2.10pm,took him an about to effect the repair,new motor fitted and one or two other gismos?,its now purring like a kitten,now thinking maybe I was a wee bit hasty in buying a new one?.There is a charity shop in Airdrie that re-cycles unwanted furniture and bric-a- brac to needy people for rock bottom prices,so I will phone them and donate it to them. Thanks all, for your support and understanding towards me regarding Sally,I am pleased and relaxed with you, in getting this off my chest,hopefully this time she can apply herself to remaining alcohol free,she has fallen downstairs at least on four different occassions,twice breaking her femor,and once breaking her ankle,so I wont be holding my breath,but I have always possessed a streak of optimism about life,that everything will be fine in the end. JudyMI,thank you for sharing your light pole collision story,you had me laughing out loud,sorry but being a male driver I am not going to mention my fight with a metal electricty box thingy whilst doing a three-point turn,enough to tell a fight I lost.Thanks for the scarf idea,I skipped the Glasgow shopping bit and bought Dot flowers,her favourite chocs,money in a card,seems I did OK,she put hers arms around my neck and gave me a nice big kiss,she even had tears in her eyes,arnt women wonderful? Oh Brucie,I had forgot about Libby's lawn mower story,now the concrete bollard,its all too much for my sides,they are aching with laughing.I dont know anything about "Roasted Wieners" in the firepit, but it sure sounds like fun to me,glad you are enjoying your daughters company,please pass on my good wishes to her. Mike,just loved the squirrel story,gosh everyones really having fun arent they?,did I tell you of my story about taking Sally out for a countryside drive?, well passing a field she says oh look at the lovely cows,smart Alec,Eric says,Sally these arent cows they are bullocks-wheres the udders?she replied,oh they are up the field a bit. Annette,what a wonderful idea to become a member of Buds cheerleader team,please count me in,I will be happy to don any uniform/costume, you come up with,listen in my am-dram career you wont believe what I have worn on stage,also my perchant for wearing a kilt on occassions,but I really must draw a line if you suggest anything in the ballet line,its my worst nightmare,what with the tights an'all, dont even mention tu-tu's. Good night eveyone,see you to-morrow.

Good Afternoon All, Weather ouside really mild now,in fact Scottish warm,even the six foot mounds of snow beginning to disappear,well thanks to the wind direction and the Gulf stream,our temperatures can swing a bit violently from one extreme to another,you dont know what to wear from one day to next,so our weather is never boring for long. I should be out in Glasgow shopping now,its my wee sister Dots sixtieth Birthday to-morrow,so other than flowers I havent a clue what to get her,phoned her son Derek for suggestions but he is has the same imgination as myself,drat,well theres always last resort,money inside a birthday card?. I am stuck at home at the moment,the washing machine guy who was supposed to get back to me before Christmas,phoned earlier this morning to tell me he is coming between 12 and 2pm,it was in ansaphone so I dont know his return number.Since I have now bought a new washer,it crossed my mind to cancel the repair?but since the new one wont be here until at least the 10th Jan,I would prefer to have it repaired. Not that you could have noticed,there was a 3/4 hour break in transmission there,Sally has returned home with one of her managers from Asda,who went on to explain to me,that they are suspending Sally from work (unpaid)for one month,to finally get herself to-gether,referring her to her GP for assistance,if she can return in a permanent state of sobriety,her employment is secure, otherwise dont bother to return.Last chance saloon methinks. Well its 1.30pm with Sally now at home,I wont have to wait any longer for the repairman,so I will leave you now for my Glasgow shopping,wish I could get instant response from you girls regarding what to get. See you Later, bye.

Judy,I am so sorry to hear about Dottie,she has all my thoughts and prayers for a successful outcome to her surgery.You are so right,one cancer in a family is one too many,youve had more than your share.

Good Afternoon Everybody, Just gone 4pm,dark outside,thaw continues,my front lawn had about six feet of snow on it,mainly from the snows I had been clearing from the path,well some of the grass is beginning to re-appear,and the flower beds,my hydrangias alas have bit the dust,all brown and black,I was hoping they could survive through winter,but it really has been so unusually cold so far. Drove Sally to work this morning,thought she would just about pass muster,half expected her to be sent home sacked,missed two working day shifts and against company rules didnt phone in sick.Well she did return home about an hour later in taxi,her manager decided since the store was a bit quiet,she could go home,but report back for work to-morrow.Isnt their patience amazing?always so kind and supportive,I really cannot believe it,the Companies name is Asda here,but you know it as Wallmart in the USA. Well to-day extremely quiet,just waiting for the next social rush on Hogmanay and Ner'Day,Scots have by tradition held these days above Christmas for parties.In my youth we would go "First Footing"that is immeadiately after the Bells rang in the New Year,you took your "Carry Oot" to your friends/neighbours house for a party,a table was set and everyone sat down to a meal,always steak pie,potatoes and "farty"peas,please excuse the colloquialism,its just so apt and in correct context for Scots.Everyone was expected to do their party piece afterwards,kinda like karioke without a karioke machine,the party would last usually until daylight broke on New Years Day. Lucky me has two choices,my young brother's Stewarts in Anniesland in Glasgow or Irenes in Cumbernauld,wish I could split myself in half and go to both LOL. Tried to read all the posts I have missed,well seems everyone has not been lacking in the food and drinkies dept,and why not,we are only here once I always say.Wishing you all more fun and frolics on Hogmanay. JudyKW,caught a wee mention of your sister,please pass on my good wishes,hope everything will turn out ok.Enjoy your iPod,I really am a nenderthal about these new fangled thingies,but I can really understand your love of Blondie,oh boy Debbie Harry always gave me goose bumps,when she appeared on TV. JudyMI, Wow,I really like your new Avatar,come on,own up,you cannae fool me,this is a pic you had taken when you were in your mid-twenties,and the baby you are holding is all growed up now,am I right?.Your dog is a handful isnt he,recycling furniture before expirey date to borrowing your glasses,maybe needed them to catch up the news in the Dog Times?.Dont hold your breath for finding them when the snow melts,from what you describe as home you have a big outdoors there. Bud,Sorry to hear about your childhood experiences,thanks for sharing,glad you are enjoying your second one,I dont think I left my first one,which makes playing the clown for Max so easy for me.Congratulations in crossing the 7500miles target,more miles than you had driven your car,just thinking if everyone on the Planet followed your example,we would all be in better shape Planet included. Stephanie,Loved the Turkey story,imagine if it wasnt so promptly found?methinks you would have had to find an extremely stong car air-refreshener. Bruce,Really hope you had a brill,Christmas,now about sore heads and eating,up the amber nectars and cut down on the food,seems to work with me,stick to Whyte and Mackays is another free tip,if all else fails I will send you a bottle by return of that great Scottish hangover cure "Barrs Irn Bru".Sorry to hear about your lingering back problems,I used to get back pains although nothing compared to your situation,my snooker buddy Dr Murkerjee,gave me a corset to wear,whenever this occurred,it did help.Did I catch you right?you have a snooker table in your home,book me a flight.Did I tell you about playing snooker with Sally's cousin Mervyn?if I havent Ill get back to you,hate to bore everyone with a repeat,think we have had enough on that on TV over Christmas. Annette,hope you have had a great Christmas and more fun yet to come at Hogmanay.Hugs-can I pass on a little saying on the subject? Remember, if you dont need your hug,pass it on to someone who needs it,dont waste them-recycle them. Goodnight Everyone,see you to-morrow, Eric.

Good Evening Everyone, Just in,7.40pm,Phew what busy times I am having,weather gone all mild the snow is melting big time,so the roads and pavements(sidewalks?) are all slippery and slushy underfoot. Just spent the day at Cumbernauld,with Irene and Pat,(scrounged dinner also).The repairman never got back to me with the spare parts for my broken down washing machine,so Irene offered to do all our washing to-day.Enough is enough I thought,so took Pat with me to pick up his car he left at Susans house for the party night,and he came with me to Comet,then Curry's to choose a new machine,got one but wont be installed until 10th January as they didnt have any left in stock.Phillips Whirlpool Sixth Sense its called apparently,its much smarter than any human operator,so all you do is load in your wash,and it "senses"the most appropriate programme for that load,it even tells you how much conditioner to put in and powder.Just the thing for me when Sally's not around. Well,my Christmas social whirlpool really started with me at ABC watchnight service,up front singing Silent Night to the congregation,think I did really well,hopefully they will offer me another Gig next year,if God spares me.Home after midnight,relaxed for an hour at the Telly,nursing a wee Whyte and Mackays(or two)then bed. Christmas Day,set off for Cumbernauld,Castlecary restaurant,for 1.00pm,met with all the extended family,the place was just lovely with a great happy atmosphere,food delicious,I started with a turkey and duck tuirine,main course,sirloin steak etc,and Chrissy pud and brandy sauce. Retired to Susans house for lots of Christmas fun and frolics.Eric in singing mode,following one or two amber nectars,Pats mother was there (shes 85 years young)she is my number one fan,woe betide any one who wasnt giving Eric the best of order mid song.Home after midnight,accommpanied by Jennifer and Chris,stayed up the wee small hours just blethering,have to say a thoroughly enjoyable 24hours,Boxing Day,shared with Jennifer and Chris until noon,I drove them home.Pm,chill out,Chris gave me a spare DVD and set it up for me,since my super duper one is still not repaired,well I had recently ordered two new Andre Rieu that I havent watched yet, "Auf Schloss Schonbrunn in Vienna" and "Live in Maastricht 4",so with a glass of Cockburns Special Reserve Port,in one hand and the remote in the other,I was tranferred into heaven for a couple of hours.Now I know there is no-one to touch the Americans in putting on a show,you had your Liberance?but hey,you just have to experience the above to know just what a brilliant showman Andre is with his Johanne Strauss Orchestra,oh the real upper crust classical music buffs frown on him,but I think he is great.Just to finish my viewing pleasure at the other end of the culture scale,Jennifer got me Billy Connellys new DVD recorded in London,I really shouldnt laugh at his course humour,but he is so funny,not his best,but way out when I compare him to others. Well sorry I didnt even have the curtesy to review the Airs I missed,I will do so to-morrow,Sally's back to work(if she still has a job to go back to-shes missed a couple of days again)Thanks by the way for your supportive comments,regards her little foiables. Catch up with your Christmas goings ons to-morrow,hope youve all been behaving yourselves,and no ones been arrested,wild parties an'all.

Good Morning Everyone, Happy Christmas Eve,its really so Christmassy outside,picture postcard winter wonderland Airdrie,last three days sub-zero temps,but brilliant clear blue skies and sunshine,just prefect snow scences,all the trees have mixture of snow and frost on them,every branch down to the smallest twig,is glowing brilliant white.Got to get out to take some pics to-day. Well shopping completed,quiet before the storm,just relaxing,Watchnight service at 11pm to-night,I just love a carol service,can I bore you again?, just in case you missed me telling you all I get to sing ,Silent Night, solo to the congregation,so looking forward to it.In Christmases past, for years, Sally and I with her parents would go to the Watchnight Service,then home to a big mug of hot home made soup,then unwrap all the prezzies,can still see them all now in my mind,what happy times,how I miss Betty and George. Anyway its back to happy thoughts for to-morrow,for the first time ever,we are going out to a restaurant for Christmas Dinner,the extended family has got so big,we really all wanted to get to-gether under one roof and share the occassion,then its back to Susans house(she has the biggest house)for a after dinner party and fun for all.You might think approx thirty family members getting to-gether,could be a recipe for a disaster,but you would be wrong,previous events have always been brill.The only dis-functional one in the family is Sally,and we often just have to leave her at home.From being a normal happy well adjusted person,approx fifteen years ago she fell in love with alchohol,and despite all the support given to her by everyone she remains unchanged,I have just managed around her habit.As is usual she always buys me a bottle of Drambuie for my Christmas,which she has just emptied herself this morning,I had to phone her work to tell them,they all know about her little indecretions from time to time,and they still keep her on their books,she dosnt deserve such kindness from an employer,their patience is amazing.I have threatened to leave her so many times,but couldnt really in all conscience move on without worrying about how she would manage,I just know she would throw in the towel. Sorry to share this with you,why you might ask did I?,well if we are sharing with each other its really difficult to explain to you if for example I took Irene with me to the Oran Mor and not Sally,so in fairness all round,I didnt want you to think the lesser of me for all the occassions Sallys absences were noticed.We share a house to-gether thats all,when shes sober,we communicate ok,buts thats it. Despite these little set backs in my life,I am an extremely happy person,no I am not on some kind of happy drug,wait a wee minute,I am on a happy drug and all of you here at LCSC are that happy drug.So if my attendance here might be a wee bit disrupted in the next few days please forgive,but one things for sure,I think about you all every day.Merry Christmas Everybody

Good Evening Everyone, Its Holiday Time,Whoopee!! no more work until the 5th of January.Bud thanks, but no let up in the sub-zero temps,to-night is forecast to be minus 11 degrees C,this isnt Scotland its blooming Siberia and no end in sight. Went to my young sisters house, Dot,to hand in Christmas prezzies for her grand children,Jack and Emma(youve met them in Misc)They are at Dot's house for Christmas Dinner,so it would be nice they can get them on that day. Judy,oh my sympathy for the water heater breakdown,think I mentioned my washing machine breakdown,repairman hasnt phoned back yet, hope he gets the spare parts soon as,on top of that my DVD home movie/sound box contraption has stopped playing DVDs,Sally checked with the store about a repair under warrenty,it cost me over £1,700 two years ago,but apparently I only took out 5 years insurance on the TV part of the system,I cannot believe I would have done that,I had put out enough hints out to Sally and Jennifer that Cliff Richard has a new DVD out,a show to celebrate his 70th Birthday,all his best songs are on it,also Billy Connelly has a new one out also,got to get this repaired,never mind the clean underwear, this is far more serious. Bud,really you cannot casually use expressions like "piddling about the house" please!! in the UK it means to urinate. Hi Libby,like you I have been shovelling snow about for over two weeks now,hoping for a bonus side effect of developing a six pack tummy,naw,all I ended up with was blistered hands and a sore back,pass me the radox will you?. Hi Annette,I think you are just brill,imagine you mentioning having problems of a little rascal of a nephew with a perchant for absconding with cars and wrecking them at aged 14 ?.Perhaps a star stock car racer in the future perhaps?.Got time for another little anecdote from my past?you do?well good for you,I am 15 years old at the time,I have a buddy who is about a year younger than myself,he has already shown from an early age an extrordinary ability to fix all types of machines that have broken down(maybe send him to Judy)anyway he has seen in the newspaper an advert for a old type of scooter for sale,think its German? it was called a Wattburg,it didnt go,well he bought,and he and I walked it home,he stripped the engine down and rebuild it,first time would you believe when he kick started it,the engine fired up and ran smooth as a dream.What excitement so we had to take it on a road test.Me sitting in the pillion seat we whizzed down Keppochhill Rd,I remember it being a Sunday,must have been high summer as it was about 10.30pm and just getting dark,just getting to Saracen St,when a Police Car passed us going the other way,its Ok Kenny says I theyve kept on going,glacing over my shoulder,seems I was a bit premature,they did a U-turn and asked us to pull over.The fun then began. Policeman to Kenny- Is this your bike?- Yes Sir!. Policeman to Kenny- What is the registration Number?-DUH Policeman to Kenny- Do you have a licence/provisional?-DUH Policeman to Kenny- Do you have insurance?-DUH Policeman to Kenny- Switch on your lights?-nothing. Policeman to Kenny- Foot your brakes-no light shown at rear. Policeman to Eric-Do you have a licence?provisional-DUH Well Kenny was taken to court,fined I remember £40,and his licence revoked for 18 months,which was funny,since he didnt have a licence to revoke,and me?well two plain clothes policemen came to my house and gave me a real dressing down,but no further action taken,phew!!.Well that was the end of my criminal career,lesson learned.Bye,see you all to-morrow God willing.

Good Evening All, Isnt it great when everyone turns up for the Air?Well I finish for my hols to-morrow at 3.00pm officially,but through personal re-arrangements to the timetable,I may follow Annettes advice in making an executive descision to augment 3.00pm to something more reasonable,say lunchtime?.Oh the weather,scraping the ice off my car every morning,before setting off,Airdrie was minus 9 degrees C this morning,who do they think I am, Bruce?Please God give us Airdrieonians a break.We are in Scotland not Canada.Bud, for goodness sake, Please-83 degrees F ,do you really have to rub it in,pass me the fur coat will you? JudyKW,Listen,bad hair days?,little sores here and there?feeling a bit un-attractive?hey Ive gone a bit gray,and a bit overweight,little wrinkles here and there,does it really matter when you are with friends who love you, for what you are?give us a smile and say the hell with it I am going to have the best Christmas ever,sharing with everyone here and Stan,Dominick and Wendy and the rest of the family,there dont you feel brill? Hi Paulette,you little rascal,fancy accusing the male sex of making a paultry committment to Christmas preparations,OK,I plead guilty to exactly the same "crimes" as your better half,but we have other roles to perform,pouring the drinks for the male buddies,sharing ribald jokes with them,having one too many and embarrasing you in front of all your friends, but its all to do with genetics,this is what males are made for,so look on the bright side your husband is totally normal,there isnt that nice to know. Bruce,your evening sky reminds me of visiting my older brother at his remote house in Glenstrathfarrer, in the north of Scotland,being miles from anywhere,there is no city light pollution,one evening by moonlight we climbed to the top of one of the surrounding hills,the sky was just breathtaking,ablaze with stars,billions of them,I really felt I was floating in space,I have never seen anything like it before or since,so on that point alone, I really envy your location,tell you what,if I were you,I would take up astronomy as a hobby and buy a decent telescope,you know loads of amateurs have had comets named after them. Judy MI,yes in a similar vein,I missed the eclipse also,for the same reasons,our skies were overcast,anyway hope your unusual mild December weather continues. Think I have rambled on long enough,catch you later everyone,bye.

Good Aftern/Evening? All. Its 5pm here,what is the crossover time from afternoon to evening,darnt if I know.Another sub zero day today,oh I am missing summer already,and winter has only just begun,wish I was one of those migrating birds,who could just take off to where ever the sun is shining. Sneaked away from work a bit earlier this afternoon,our washing machine broke down last week,the repairman couldnt fix it,he needed to order spare parts for it,if he can get them he will try to return on Christmas eve,in the meantime Sally deposited the washing in a laundrette,which I picked up to-day before they closed.Boy,sorry about that,I was just thinking there,could I have been any more boring than relate that to you? I didnt have my quality meeting to-day,it clashed with something far more important than listening to me talking about prep for HMIe,oh no,its fire warden training for the staff to-day,everyones to attend,no excuses.I didnt have to go since I had done the half day course last June,funny thing was,we were supposted to put out fires of different types set up in the car park,our task was to select the most appropriate fire extinguisher for the type of fire,however when Dougie our health and safety officer heard of what was planned he had it banned as being far to risky,so it was fun sraying the car park putting out imaginary fires.Well its Quality meeting to-morrow at 9.30am, so be there prompt. Oh a wee bit of gossip,dont tell anyone I told you,the college is having its funding cut by approx 12%,this means to stay in the black,the college has to cut the student population and that ammount and the staff,I know its crazy isnt it?,our student need training for various industries,at a time of high unemployment and skill shortages and the government is cutting training and education expenditure,I will never understand politics.Anyway how does this effect yours truely?Well,rumour has it that they are going to offer a deal to the old coffin dodgers,like myself to take a redundancy package,on top of our pensions.I was considering retiring two years ago,until my dx got in the road of my plans and I cancelled these thoughts,mainly because I was so in need of returning to work to recover some kind of normalcy in my life,well thanks to you buddies here,I think of you more than I do of dying of lung cancer,I no longer harbour such thoughts,so early retirement could be 2011,wouldnt it be great if the whole package is done and dusted Before the HMIe arrive,and also the National Craft Competition in May?.Would I feel guilty in leaving people in the lurch?well do you remember my boss removing my name off my office door when I was going through chemo?and the other slights he did against me. Oh did I tell you my morgage terminated in November,well sort of should have,I was paying a standard repayment mortgage from 1985 on my current house,the Halifax Building Society(dont think you have types of banks in America-they deal only in the property markets)Well they urged me to change to an endownment morgage,they sent a rep to my house,who described a better way to pay off a morgage,you only pay the interest portion each month,leaving me to invest in a share scheme by paying monthly payments,which in 25 years will grow into such a size of a nest egg that it clears the capital sum owedand leaves you with a lump sum,sounds absolutely brill dosnt it?but cynical Eric asks"what if the markets dont perform very well over 25 years and there isnt enough money in the pot to clear the capital sum"Well says the young salesman"well you dont have to worry on that score,it has never happened and anyway,in the unlikely event it did happen,the company would make up the difference.Well since, it came up £6,500 short,the bottom line of the company was"we cannot be held responsible for what an former employee told you 25 years ago".With the banking collapse bringing in low interest rates here in the UK,my morgage repayment on interest only was £72 per month,since I became aware of the shortfall I decide to revert to a standard repayment morgage of £220,to-day they sent me a letter statng from January they want me to conclude the morgage in one year,so payments would now be set at £585/month,unilaterly,without discussing this with me first,they have nerve dont they?.Anyway with whats going on the problem will soon disapear,I hope.Then its America here I come,here if I am retired there will be no work holiday restrictions on me,I might just stay?Dont think it would be permissable due to your immigration rules,you can get residence status,with a green card if you start a business that employs Americans,wonder what kind of business I could run?suggestions on a postcard please to,,,, Hi Judy,really pleased to hear you and Stan are over the worst.Christmas Tree?Jennifer and I decorated the tree,since she was knee high to a grasshopper,since she moved out-sniff-I have done it myself,Sally dosnt do creative things like that,hope you have a great time with the kids this Christmas.Its really funny strange to my ears,to hear Americans using the word Math for mathematics,its plural!!!!,Algebra,Geometry,Trig,Calculus etc,Maths OK,phew,boy this is going to take some time to get you all to see the error of your ways in so many different areas,but its a challenge I am ready to meet. Hi Stephanie,gosh hope you are still here,Ive done it again,rambled on for far too long,can I suggest buying a electronic keyboard,the pleasure of the music you eventually will play will be worth the effort.Talking about papier mache,and other pursuits,did America go through a phase,think in the seventies,of panel pin pictures,everyone here was into it,you cut a board of appropriate size,covered it with biaze cloth,then hammered in panel pins and threaded them to-gether with different colours of threads,popular was gold and silver,subjects were usually yachts or the Tower of London etc.Enjoy the holiday with the kids. Hi Bruce,good to hear from you,hows the cows doing?,hope you are still having great fun,with farm life.Have a super Christmas,I am thinking of you and your sub-zero temps,gosh its cold enough here,cannot imagine working in your temps. Hi Bud,Well done on your three years,but we aint seen nothin yet,have we?Sorry to hear the pecan nut season is over,told you ,you should have gathered more when the going was good.Have a great Christmas with the family around. Sorry if I failed to acknowledge anyone,think I have used up all your patience,see you all later,bye.

Hi Bud, What a heart warming post,your Christmas homecoming three years ago,just touched me,may you have a super Christmas again this year with the family,and of course may we share your company and everyone here,for many years to come. Merry Christmas to all our readers and contributers,God Bless.

Afternoon All, Just starting to get dark now,the snow has been falling again to-day,not so heavily though,2 inches so far,hope it stops before it prevents me getting into work to-morrow,(a little white lie to match the snow)Judy I am feeling so vexed for you having to face 70 degrees temps an'all,it must be a real bummer. No students next week,I am doing a presentation with the dept to-morrow,all about quality issues,gathering teaching and learning evidence, "Listening to Learners"and"Curriculum for Excellence",just the latest jargon,spouting from the font of knowledge from the HMIe,wonder when will they stop,changing things around, that make no progress?.I am determined this time round we are all going to be well prepared for their visit on the week beginning 21st March,no more running around like headless chickens the week prior to their arrival.(Think I said that last time?). Going to start writing my Christmas Cards now,mainly for the neighbours,and work colleagues,a few for further afield,hope I havent missed the last post again this year,oh why am I so dis-organised,at least Judy,I did get my Chrissy Tree finished last Sunday(only because the film guys were coming.) Drat the snow has stopped falling,dont tell me I am going to have to go to work after all? Catch you all later.Bye.

Good Evening Everyone, Good grief,I am starting the morning air,at nearly six pm?Well its probably a good sign,since you are all out doing your late Christmas Prezzie shopping,(mind I am a 16 inch neck,and 42 chest).Sorry about being a bit absent of late,yeah me to,so many things to tie up at work and home before Christmas hols start. Weather here bitterly cold,bit of snow fell this morning,but it didnt come to much,seems if this weather keeps up until the end of the month, it will be the UKs coldest December since records began in 1910. Judy can I say straight off,I am really sorry to hear of your nausea problem,oh I so hate that feeling,I think its worse than toothache,it can really get you down,hopefully this feeling will pass soon. Set off for work Friday morning,it was the Staff Dance Night,I only paid half heed to it,and never got round to buying a ticket.However I got to thinking-why miss out on a bit of fun Eric,OK your are the wrong side of sixty now,but there's still an eighteen year old inside you just waiting to re-appear.So after work ,took Jennifer home,shared dinner then taxi back to Anniesland.Got my wee "Kerry-Oot",then into the bright lights,oh its no disco,oh no we are much too posh for that kind of a thing,live band,and they were great,they just seemed to know what music I love to dance to,all the greats of the sixities up to to-day.Last Song traditionally at a "DO" in Scotland is linking your hands to sing Auld Lang Syne,however now preceeded by a souped up,brash and noisey "Bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond,we hold hands in a great big circle and charge into the people at the opposite side of the circle during the courus,its great fun.Well spirits were still high in our table and someone ventured,(me)"right whose house for the party"no problems with volunteers to it was taxies to the new venue,what a night,I danced my wee legs into stumps,I am sure I had expended enough energy,to match one of Buds cycle days.Finally fell asleep in a chair after 6am.Up at 9am for taxi back to Jennifers,to pick up my car and drive home,its all right,I have always had a sixth sense on when to stop drinking, earlier in the evening,so as not to risk failing a breath test.Here,is it OK to share a wee anecdote with on this very subject,have you got the time?-now this is absolutely true.Some years ago,when my daughter was about 10 years old,my neighbour Jim,who is a Police sargent,had an open day at his Police Station in Bellshill on Saturday,on Friday night I was out at a party until 4am in the morning,home by taxi and to bed.8.45am,door bell rings,on opening, bleary eyed Eric,faces Jim,right Eric says Jim,are you ready?we will have to take you car,mines is still in having a service.I feel fine by the time we set off.We had a good time,Jim with his kids and me with Jennifer,we end up in the basement to see the holding cells,then Jim introduces me to his police buddies,one of whom is demonstating an electronic breath testing machine,holds this breathing tube thingy out to me,and laughingly says right Eric lets get your breath tested,Eric smiles(Oh my God,I am inwardly thinking,what if I am found to be over the limit,and not only driven over with Jim,but also the kids?)Can you imagine the relief I felt,when the Bobby says,absolutely clear reading.Phew! Saturday,spent some time doing a bit of last minute shopping,oh what a little fibber,my real last minute shop is up to approx 6pm on Christmas Eve.Went into Costco's looking for something Jennifer said she would love,a wall frame thingy that holds, multiple sizes of photos within one frame, seen a beauty there about 4 weeks ago,it wasnt regular in shape but all over the place,just what I think she would like,but they had sold out,oh no,why did I not but it at the time?,oh well back to late shopping isnt it?. Hope you all found the prezzies you,were looking for and the reciprocants are suitable impressed with your choice?(dont trust to chance hang on to your receits)Good night every one.Tatty bye.

Hi Mike, Theres nothing like a good news story to cheer everyone up is there?Pancreas?Lymph Nodes? hey forget it, I am more thinking Turkey or Duck for Christmas,what say you?

Hi Ronnie, Season of goodwill to all men?.Oh I know how frustrated you must be feeling,its not the money,its the documents and the inconvience.Forget it,enjoy the upcoming holidays with your daughters coming. Seasons Greetings Frae Bonnie Scotland and Awrabest for 2011,hope to hear from you soon.

Hi Hulyia, A warm welcome to LCSC,may I venture to say,from my experience of everyone here,you will find quite a pleasant difference to the experience you had with the medical support you had in caring for your husband. I am a fellow Brit-well Scottish actually,I dont know from which part of the UK,you hail from,but we do share the same National Health System. Boy, that was some story you shared,if ever there was one that so describes the complete failure of a medical support system,it would be hard to beat yours. I am so sorry to hear from you about the loss of your husband,its such a shame you didnt find this site at the outset, I am sure you would have received not only friendship and love,but a lot of excellent advice in how to deal with each step you faced with your husband, as he progressed through his care plan,or more appropriately in your case,a lack of care plan. I do think in any organisation,there are some people who are failing to meet the basic requirements of their job.If you go to the shops, grocers,butchers whatever,if they dont meet your expectations of quality in service or goods,what do you do?right- you shop elsewhere.It is different isnt it when you have to deal with a huge organisation like the NHS. My experience was a bit of a mixed bag,from excellent to poor in the extreme fortunately for me the excellent was the people that really mattered to my successful treatment eg my respitory doctor, Dr Farmer and my oncologists Drs Mclaren and Dr Lumsden,without them on my side,who knows?.The others I will not name,to save their blushes is my own GP,and Lung Nurse who gave me only two years to live,shame on them.They both now have egg on their faces,since I am now past my seel by date,just to spite them, I am going to stay around for the next twenty years(at least). What about your experience?2-3months to begin treatment,shocking!!!,me two days?why? Lung Nurse?,snap we share the same experience,more than just a waste of space,if I were her line manager,she'd be looking for another job. Oncologist giving out life sentences?another one for the sack,others in three different hospitals could be unsympathetic and uncaring?.Really for your husband not to be included in the doctors discussions about his course of treatments,is unforgivable. Lastly but not least,an organisation I have contributed to financially and had total faith in,to have treated you with such disrespect,leaves me angry. My opinion for what it is worth,is you should carefully draft a letter of complaint to the relevent Health Board,seeking some redress,it may well be that such a letter might prevent others facing your experience in the future. I hope you will stay around and make so lovely new friends here. Best Wishes, Eric.

Hi Everyone, Sorry Ive missed the air for a couple of days.Weather mild at the start of the week,is now beginning to get a bit Artic again,snow forecast for to-morrow and the weekend.Last day of classes to-morrow until January 6th. Gosh its amazing how things happen,to change your mood,I was feeling pretty pleased with the world following my filming session,then I caught Katie's post about Donnie ,what a turnaround.Ann I agree with you,Ive got the guitar,what about "In my Life?". Hi Judy,just getting up to speed,sorry to hear about you not feeling at your best,also the "vague" scan report,dosnt sound worth losing sleep over,I think its OK.I think I am looking forward to your Carribean cruise as much as you are, in Febrary,hope you are taking a laptop with you and giving us a daily progress report?.Its the most miserable cold month of the year in Scotland,and I would just love getting warmed up by your Carribean Sun stories. Not much else to share guys,things gone pretty quiet in my world today.Going to do another post now to a fellow Brit,Hulya,catch you later.

Hi Angie, Welcome the LCSC,Its just gone 5.30am here in Scotland,I just dropped by to read the posts before getting ready for work.I just had to respond to your post beforehand. Advice-drop the doctor.I really shoudnt be here telling you this,according to my doctor,my sell by date has passed. My oncologist on hearing what my GP had said to me,was absolutely furious with him,his thoughts-he was fighting for 15-20 years for me if not a cure,GPs he said, see only two or three lung cancer patients in their entire careers,whereas lung cancer oncologists are dealing with these patients every day,and therefore have a greater understanding of a patients prognosis,he went on to say,not even the most experienced oncologist can predict any individuals response to treatment,in relation to survivablity. I would recommend this site to your doctor to read the remarkable survivor stories of many here and will continue to be here for many years to come,who were diagnosed at stage 3. I wish you and your gran every every success in finding a more appropriate and sympathetic GP who will assist your Gran through her course of treatments. As I mentioned my experience with a GP was similar to your Grans,sadly this is not uncommon as others here might reinforce.I think all GPs of that ilk should be reported,and be sent on a re-training programme updating their knowledge of lung cancer and as importantly, how to improve their interpersonel relationship skills,before being allowed to interact with the general public again.

Hi Ann, It is a wonderful tribute to your husband that the love you shared,is as strong today as eight years ago,kept alive by your memory.Thanks for illustating so well the emotion of true love.

Hi Bruce, Sorry to hear about your friend,it is frustrating isnt it,when you want to do more to help a friend,but knowing you can only do so much.For the little comfort I can offer could you let her know I am thinking and praying for her,of better days always.

Hi Jamie, I am absolutely delighted to hear your great news,it gives so much hope to so many here,myself included,wishing many,many more years of posting here.

Hi Cody, Me again,part two,I followed this up for you in the list of members,your mum appears on page 72,I just clicked on her name,up comes her details,click on see all posts and up they come,to read each one click on the above jump to button,there you have a treat in store,happy reading.

Hi Cody, Good to hear from you,sorry to read about your mother,I am quite new to the site and didnt get to know your mother.I clicked on the members box at the top of this page,I then typed Sharonjo into the members name box and clicked,up came your mo0thers details,she joined LCSC in August 15th 2006,and she posted 1144 times- plently of opertunities,for you to browse through her posts,and gather material for your project,also time just to enjoy reading her posts,happy reading.

Good Evening Everyone, Its just gone 7.00pm,lovely clear day today,but stayed below freezing,thank goodness I spent the whole day at home,oh any excuse for a day off work,I hear you say,do you know that thats the seventh day I have had off work,in the last three weeks? OK so whats the excuse for todays absence,oh I just want to say (modestly) A STAR WAS BEING BORN.I have just been seeing the cameraman and my interviewer off.They arrived at 12 noon,there were only the two of them,not the half dozen Jennifer suggested,thank goodness.Before the interview started the cameraman wanted to film me relaxing,so he took some film of me playing my accoustic guitar,the film is not about statistics, he said he wants to show a whole rounded person,not a lung cancer survivor.The filming of the interview then proceeded for the next four hours,I knew the questions beforehand,so I had a fair head start in forming a suitable response,occassionally I would lose the thread a bit,no problem we just do a retake,the other bit will hit the cutting room floor,so the longer it ran to more relaxed and comfortable I became,unfortunately that only happened in the last minute of filming.No, I really throughly enjoyed the entire experience,the company was great.The cameraman asked if I had any old photographs that would show Eric the person as a younger man,wish he had given me advanced warning,it was into the garage searching through loads of plastic boxes until I hit paydirt,Had some fun looking at old photographs,gosh the memories of good times past,unfortunately not a lot of myself as I was always on the other side of the camera,but I found enough of myself,Sally and Jennifer even Sam my Cocker Spanial.He also wanted to have some contemporary pics of myself,I only have digital pics,so he suggested spending some time in selecting a few and e-mailing them on to him. So mission accomplished,now for the editing before going into various websites.I will keep you posted on the whens and wheres as soon as I find out. Right, off to get something for my dinner all this movie star work has made me hungry.bye for now.

Hi Judy, Yes the expression Lady Killer is in common use here in the UK also.I would have loved to have been one myself,but you know women,they are so fickle arent they? I was visiting Irene at home last week,Max was had been taken to his Tae Quan Do?? -Judo class by his grandfather Pat,on coming home he came into the living room,spotting me,rushed over to me full of excitement,put his arms around me and said "Eric,i love you",amazing isnt it,that a kid of 4,knows how to kill you stone dead. Busy today,Roy Castle LC,sent me an email with about a dozen suggested questions,that will be used for my filmed interview on Tuesday,so I want to swot them up individually,to give a suitable response,not well enough to have them memorised,just enough that I dont blank.The focus is on early symptoms,level of support I received,my attitude and families attiude following my dx.I also have been given chores by Sally to do,eg wash the kitchen floor and clean out the bathroom,think Sally's confusing a film crew with some type of house inspectors?.Also hope to find time to-night to respond to todays air,my apologies if I dont make it.

Thanks Randy,you really know how to make me laugh,gosh the last thing I am is a Scottish braveheart.Id run a mile to avoid a fight.