eric byrne

Good Evening Everyone, 8.15pm here,end of a lovely sunny warm but working day. Bud good to hear you enjoyed your time out and your shingles are on the mend albeit slowly,Iam sure I would enjoy sharing a fishing trip with you and a bottle of budweiser to boot,used to go fishing with my elder brother on the banks of an inland Loch called Glen Strathfarrer,its beautiful and owned by the Lord Lovat family (of commando fame) we caught trout but the salmon always eluded us,I used to smoke small cigars to keep the midgies at bay,methinks I should have forgot the cigars and accepted a few bites instead. Going to buy a cycle this weekend,local store has some on special offer at £80 still to see them though. Donny I just loved the old American saloon cars of the fifties,as a child I remember our local bookmaker owning a blue and white chevrolet impala( WUU3)even remember its licence plate.I used to run lines for the punters for pennies,betting in Scotland was illegal then and the police turned a blind eye to kids like me.Exciting times. Heidi glad you had a lovely time on mothers day,what is kickball ? is it similar to soccer?. Judy I have heard of this word before- Farmville, in facebook what is it? my daughter has added me as a friend in facebook,but I am still at a loss in understanding whats it all about,still needing more lessons from Chris?. Bye for now.

Hi Randy, Please pass onto Heidi my sincere wishes for a successful day to-morrow,I will pray for her full and speedy recovery.I am really sorry that you have this situation to face,but I know that you are a strong person and can give your sister the support she needs after to-morrow. Eric.

Hi Bud, Talking about dogs,man walking with his dog bumps into his neighbour,who asks "going for a walk in the park?"no said the man "Iam taking the dog to the vet to have him put down" "Is he mad" asks the neighbour?"well hes not very pleased"he replied.

Hi Willow, Sorry to read about the experience with doctors casual and unkind remarks,I have received similar treatment myself from a doctor who refused to sign me fit to work,after I told him about being depressed from cabin fever at home,lacking human company,he told me to spend quality time with my wife instead,since I only had 2 years left to live,I accidentally bumped into him recently and he complemented me on how well I was looking,I replied well not bad for someone who has only six months left to live,and he said "Who told you that?" I replied "You did"" no I didnt" he said looking somewhat embarassed he excused himself and walked away before I had time to include a reminder of his rejoinder,about a previous lung cancer patient of his surviving 5 years ,what a character he was the doctor says adding -but you are not him. Willow please disregard these uncaring idiots,focus instead of the pleasure you have in your mothers company,no one knows how many days,weeks,months or years each of us have, except God

Hi Judy, We are some pair,I started the air afer checking no one had yet posted,and during my typing you managed to beat me to the draw,by 20mins,should have skipped ABC? isnt this good fun?

Good Afternoon Everyone, Just back from ABC,exercising my lungs,singing hymns with gusto,simple pleasures are always the best.Cloudy bright and warm to-day dont expect to see the sun.The competition I judged yesterday,involved nearly every college in Scotland from the Shetland Isles down to Dunfries.Each college enters the best construction craft student to manufacture a timber artifact and complete it within a 8 hour period,I was one of three judges to identfy the top three,from twenty seven entrants.Briefly-ahem with your patience and indulgence I arrived in Edinburgh 5pm ,checked in Holiday Inn in Leith,had a lovely Italian meal,overlooking the harbour,moored beneath me is the Royal Yaught Brittiania,sun and blue skies scenery beautiful,Edinburgh is really a lovely city.Evening spent with my many colleagues,whom I meet about 4 times a year at seminars etc,suffice to say a few drams were throughout the evening but only for medicinal purposes,got to bed after 3am and back up at 6.30am,Telford College at 8 am,well further education used to be in Scotland the cinderella tier but not any more, this is its new building and it is gynormus,we three judges were left to our task,while our colleagues were taken for a visit to the new Scottish Parliament with 2 Scottish MPs.Had an excellent day,lovely prizegiving ceremony,someone somehow found out it was my birthday (maybe it was the pin I was wearing on my lapel) but I presented with a nice gift of a pen and pencil set.Then some photographs were taken,and home.Perfect day!. Ned, really interested in your termite tent? story,do they envelope your house in a big bag and fumigate?we dont get termites in the UK mainly anobium punctatum (furniture Beetle) isnt it amazing how the little devils managed to swim across the Pacific just to attack your houses in Hawaii? Judy hope you have a lovely time with your family at home for mothers day we have the same in Scotland but it is celebrated on March 17th.Hopefully I wont double click to-day. Donny dont get your prog here ,seems I am missing something good,must write to the BBC get them to import it. Have a great day everyone.

Hi Judy, Iam a bit confused regarding your results,wonder if Dr West could explain your situation with a bit more clarity? I hope the last opinion is you are still doing really well.Iam posting from college just now Iam waiting for a colleague to drive me to Edinburgh as I am a honorary judge to-morrow in a national competition,I am in invited because our college is host college next year and I will be promoted to principal judge.Competition starts early 9.00am and finishes at 5pm.Edinburgh its terrible to drive in so my colleague agreed to do it.Hotel stay overnight so I am fresh in the morning. Got to go,see you later-take care,

Me Again, Just copying you Judy,must have double clicked the submit button again ooh isnt it so embarrassing,still nice to know I am not the only one-snap.

Good Evening Everyone, Sunny and warm in Airdrie to-day about 70 I think,Scottish airports closed again to-day due to Iceland Ash.Glad Judy you can soak up the pleasures of Orlando with Laurie,hope to-morrow whizzes by and you can relax again to enjoy the foods you have missed. Thanks for Robert part 2,why on earth would anyone give houseroom to such an ugly doll (unless to scare the in-laws away)- creepy stuff indeed. Gave my presentation to-day (whisper it)only two turned up,both staff members,the event organiser,despite my confirming time and place with her last Friday,managed to post my event for Tuesday room 2.34,she apologised later reconfirmed Wednesday room 1.17,Wednesday 12.20pm I discover shes posted room 2.34 I had to post a notice on that door go to 1.17.Anyway with the meeting called at 12.30 to 1.30 which is lunch time, my buddies ribbed me a bit by saying they wouldnt want to miss their smoking break. Ha-Ha.The two that turned up were from the health committee and were really embarrassed and will re-schedule me in June,with a guaranteed staff/student turnout?. The Roy Castle Cancer Foundation were very professional in supporting me,they sent me a package by cab containing educational booklets called Look After Your Lungs and their Mays News Booklet,yes the one thats circulated to every hospital in the UK,every cancer centre and lung nurse,and yours truely having a full page all to himself and in full technicolour,proving once again where theres a down theres always an up-now how do I manage to sent it to you? Have a Great Friday and Weekend.

Good Evening Everyone, Sunny and warm in Airdrie to-day about 70 I think,Scottish airports closed again to-day due to Iceland Ash.Glad Judy you can soak up the pleasures of Orlando with Laurie,hope to-morrow whizzes by and you can relax again to enjoy the foods you have missed. Thanks for Robert part 2,why on earth would anyone give houseroom to such an ugly doll (unless to scare the in-laws away)- creepy stuff indeed. Gave my presentation to-day (whisper it)only two turned up,both staff members,the event organiser,despite my confirming time and place with her last Friday,managed to post my event for Tuesday room 2.34,she apologised later reconfirmed Wednesday room 1.17,Wednesday 12.20pm I discover shes posted room 2.34 I had to post a notice on that door go to 1.17.Anyway with the meeting called at 12.30 to 1.30 which is lunch time, my buddies ribbed me a bit by saying they wouldnt want to miss their smoking break. Ha-Ha.The two that turned up were from the health committee and were really embarrassed and will re-schedule me in June,with a guaranteed staff/student turnout?. The Roy Castle Cancer Foundation were very professional in supporting me,they sent me a package by cab containing educational booklets called Look After Your Lungs and their Mays News Booklet,yes the one thats circulated to every hospital in the UK,every cancer centre and lung nurse,and yours truely having a full page all to himself and in full technicolour,proving once again where theres a down theres always an up-now how do I manage to sent it to you? Have a Great Friday and Weekend.

Good Morning Everyone, Its May day holiday monday-Hooray_the suns out here,blue skies not a cloud in sight,this of course means lounger out back with book in hand,who could ask for more,oh got to cut the grass out front first,temperature probably hit mid sixties,thats hot for a Scot. My daughters play opens this week "The Libertine" in the Ramshorn theatre,never missed any of her stage appearances yet,its my 61st birthday on Saturday,an ideal oppertunity for booking a pre-theatre meal at Quas Italian Restaurant for my sisters et al, however,one problem my daughter was out here on Saturday with her boyfriend Chris,and she made it clear to me,she didnt want me to see this play due to its extremely rude dialogue,so still to decide how best to celebrate my birthday,bit of a bummer?. Chris compiled all my notes on my smoking and lung cancer for my presentation on Wednesday into power point to allow me to project my work into the colleges smartboards,so even if I dont shine my power point will.Hope do get a good audience and it has some effect on the students,in getting them to even think about their smoking habits. Michigan Judy,wishing you all the very best to-day,hope you finally get to the bottom of your muscle spasms problem and can now get some long term relief. KW Judy Iam praying you have a good news scan on Wednesday,I have had in the recent past similar problems with my eyes,it was a bacterial infection which was cleared up quickly with eye drops.Hey youve still got me on tenterhooks with Gene Ottos doll-Robert,hurry up with part 2.Have you the patience to hear about a true story about me and a spooky happening?you have?good,here goes. Some years ago,my wife and I were on holiday in Barcelona we took a day trip to Montserrat it is mountains that are in the shape of ragged fingers,anyway it boasts of a beautiful cathedral set high in the mountains,they were not kidding the view from it to the vallies below was stunning,I noticed a long queue leading into the front entrance to the cathedral,I asked someone whats it for? the black madonna he repliedwell we wouldnt want to miss that would we says Eric with camera poised,well Sally said she could quite easily,anyway after a bit of further persuading,she eventually agreed to wait,well the queue continued right to the back of the church up a flight of stairs leading over the alter below,onto a upper floor still couldnt see this black madonna,could see some people bending over and kissing something? we drew level with the black madonna,which a roughly carved piece of ebony with a glass dome over it approx 2 feet tall,with an outstretched hand holding an orb which protruded outside the glass dome,oh my disapointment after all my queing-I turned to Sally and said,something like "what a load of rubbish"when I swear something grabbed at my ankles and pulled both my legs upwards and I fell on my back,Sally was hysterical couldnt stop laughing,she put it down to me slipping on the marble floor,after all these years I know I didnt slip,so if you ever visit the black madonna in Montserrat, please remember to show some respect,you have been warned. Hi Stephanie still doing Qi Gong,you must have biceps like treetrunks,is Qi Gong similar to Kung-Fu,nice to hear from you. Randy you certainly have my admiration for the stamina you obviously possess in being able to work such long shifts,the unions here just wouldnt allow it,I hope you will soon have some time to relax and enjoy yourself. Bud have a great week off,is Rose well enough to share your fishing expeditions,please pass on my regards to her,I hope she is less sore. Have a great day everyone.

Oh, Would like to add on Spikes tombstone reads the inscription "See- I told you I was ill." On a prior(of course) occassion he went into an undertakers shop with a friend climbed onto their counter and laid flat out,rang the bell for attention and shouted"shop"

Good Evening Everyone, Couldnt post yesterday,no internet connection,gave up trying,however to-night no problem?.Sunny,cloudy,warm with a sort burst of rain to-day-Spike Milligan the late English comedian, quote"Clouds are holes in the sky where the rain gets through". Judy,thanks for the geography,Key West now I.D.d in my atlas ascribed with "Judy" formally.I hope everything goes well with your trip to MDA,and you have a lovely time with your son and daughter,please pass on my regards.Really looking forward to your "live" roving reports from Ohio,Indiana and Pennsylvania,late June. Laurie,Gosh you must have clocked up some miles going round 45 states (I think-or is it 46?)Id love to try that,although I would be a bit nervous as I have never driven on the hand side of the road.I cannot remember if I had mentioned my daughters drive across America two years ago from New York to Los Angeles.She phoned me each day and described the adventures of that day and I plotted her journey in my atlas as one continuous line,the main towns and cities she passed through were,Philadelphia,Maryland,Memphis,Little Rock,Dallas,Houston,San Antonio,Phoenix,Las Vegas,San Francisco.Hope to hear about your planned trip in August. Donny-sorry but I have just got to give you some more homework-why would Lieutenant Caspar Collins have a fort and a town named after him?as Spock would say "Fascinating"If I get to complete another item in my bucket list ie drive across America,Caspar is on that list.You dont know anything about crossing America using Amtrak do you,might be an easier option for me? Judy my fingers are crossed that you are feeling better,liked the story about Grand Rapids,do you know which of the Indian tribes lived in the area and do they still have a recognisable community there to-day? Calintay, you would certainly enjoy the ghost walk in old Edinburgh among a few dwellings where there are many "credible"reports of ghostly visitations,I have heard it is scarey stuff-no I am not going. Bud,last but not least,please pass onto Rose my very best wishes for her operation I will pray everything goes well and she has a speedy recovery,look after yourself.

Good Evening Everyone, Bit later posting to-night-buzy day.Weather ditto yesterday. Judy,nice to hear you have put out for a difficult neighbour,that takes a bit of courage,Iam sure mutual benefits will accrue.Here we go again Judy,how can I keep up with your social whirl?what coach?what trip?where Iam I? Quiet day to-day nothing much to report,must get on with my script and lesson plan for next Wednesdays presentation for Health Week,I really want to pull to-gether all the snippets of information I have collated,and do a smartboard centred lecture,just finding the time,Iam sure it will go OK?fingers crossed.The World Championship Snooker Semi-Final has just started on TV,Englishman Steve Davis has surprisingly knocked out the current champion in the quarter finals, fellow Scot John Higgins Boo-Hiss,actually everyone likes Steve,he was a great champion 20 years ago and at 52 years old it is a remarkable achievement,oh snooker by the way for those who are unfamiliar,is played on a billiard table,it originated in India,I venture to say it is a much more skilled game than pool. Bye for now.

Hi Wayne, Welcome,looking forward to getting to know you,this is a wonderful place to come to when you feel like sharing with some understanding company,the buddies here will give you the benefits of their experience to provide you answers to any particular concerns you are having-they also know how to have some fun.(Wait till you read some of Anns jokes-she can put a smile on anyones face even when you are trying not to) You are blessed in having the support of a loving wife,I wish you many happy years ahead sharing your sons childhood and watching him grow into an adult,these are the special years that I personally had the pleasure of sharing.

Good Evening Everyone, Just back from work,weather,cloudy,dry and warm-same as yesterday.Been at a distillary in Glasgow to-day with a small team of colleagues providing retraining and educational information to the workforce there who are being made redundant following the owners (Diageos)decision to relocate the plant to another site in Leven.200 years of Whisky(Jonny Walker) manufacturing history on this site now going to be demolished.They are redeploying some of the workforce,but a lot of the workforce dont want to move and are looking for alternative employment.Kilmarnock is being worst hit where 700 employees are losing their jobs despite a long campaign by the local and national politicians to try to get a stay of execution,to no avail well I suppose this is progress in having a new factory to move to that can have all its facilities on one site,but Kilmarnock is a small town and this company was its major employer,hope the politicians can give them a helping hand in bringing new investment to the town. Calintay-is your story interesting?of course it is,and you have never been to the Rose Festival?well Iam amazed it would be my highlight of the year to witness all the fun,with a tour on a warship as a side salad,bring it on.I have a Italian friend Cesare who I play golf with,well he was born and raised in Rome and I was astonished when he told me he hasnt been inside the Colliseum,as he said he passed it every day of his life and never gave it a thought of visiting it.I then got to thinking,I used to live only about two miles from Glasgow Cathedral, and just across the street the oldest house in Glasgow circa 1174 AD open as a museum just full of domestic artefacts throughout Scotlands history.Well it was only a couple of years ago I visited both of them. Calintay your Rose Festival sounds like a super photo oppertunity how about taking some photos when you go,and post some on site,I am sure everyone here would appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of your day everyone.

Hi Laurie, Dennis Weaver,of course it was,Where did I get Hopper from,Lonesome Dove with Jamie Lee Curtis and Robert Duvall,best western series ever, I think.Wish there were more programmes like them,wasnt that blue duck a real nasty?.

Hi Mike, Just remembered Hoppys real name - Dennis Hopper,am I right?.

Hi Laurie, How does my birthday sit with yours 8th of May 1949,(no need to reply,girls always have the privilege of discretion in my book)

Hi Beatlemike, What a co-incidence you mentioning lost pigeons,I was just listening to my local radio yesterday,some pigeon fanciers were being interviewed about missing birds from their lofts,apparently their owners were of the opinion that the pigeons were very sensitive to the icelandic volcano fallout dust and have decided to roost somewhere abroad before they return?.How could I have forgfotten Gunsmoke,James Arness,Hoppy(forgotten his real name-he was in Stephen Spielbergs first film Duel)and Kitty.Loved that show.I am not familiar with the saying "streak posters?" Sorry Bruce Iam not familiar with the word -mausy- either,it is not in my oxford dictionary . Thanks everyone for widening my education,I will catch on eventually. Bye for now, Eric.

Hi Judy, Sorry for being late,where is everyone?(you dont think my contribution to the forum has scared everyone away,or bored them to death do you?)Woke up this morning to some rain,serves me right for mentioning yesterday I havent seen any for weeks,but as it turns out the remainder of the day has been dry cloudy but warm.I still feel I have entered the forum half way through a conversation sometimes,also being a bit behind in not having an American upbringing,however our TV programmes here are largely from America,so my upbringing includes-I Love Lucy,Peyton Place,Bilko,Dr Kildare,Maverick,Roy Rogers,Bonanza,Zorro, Flash Gordon,High Chapperal,Rawhide,Mash,Wyatt Earp,Rockford Files, Cannon,Wagon Train,Kojak and the Untouchables.Ok You buddies what have I missed?How did I get into this vein?ah yes Judy you are to blame,it was your statement "not getting the furnace back on line yet" what furnace? whose furnace" Bye for now, Eric.

Hi Bruce, So good to hear from you,thanks for your suggestion, I will stress to the students that lung cancer could be contracted even though they have never smoked, another bit of infro I found in the UK is that the incidence of lung cancer found in males is declining yet in females it is on the increase?.How did your conference in Banff go?that was such a beatiful picture you sent of the hotel you were staying in,I am so jealous of you -grrr-what kind of work do you do that compells you to work on a Saturday?anyway wishing you a great weekend.

Hi Judy and Randy, Just back from the supermarket(I get them,Sally gets to put them away)and the car wash,went to Argos,our cordless phone has gone on the blink,bought a goodie I think.My cancer presentation is completely open ended,as I enter the main entrance to the college,I pass many students in that area,puffing on their cigarettes,I thought I would focus in this area to raise awareness of possible later consequences,thought I would tell them about my cancer story,I extended an invitation to Susan Christie of ,she the Roy Castle Org and she replied she would come adding she was keen to meet me in the flesh-ooooh(hope shes not disapointed)I will get the oppertunity to find out why my story didnt appear this month in her magazine.Susan did send me some information slides from a power point presentation,which may be useful.In preparing a lesson I like to source materials from many different areas then compile it into a format I am comfortable with ,thats why I was looking for any pointers from the buddies,that would add to the learning experience of my audience. Asked Sally about Randys recipe exchange idea,her response was I can only cook "ordinary food"she is being modest,but she is a bit shy,I will continue my efforts in meeting you all,because she could gain so much in your friendship.

Good Morning Everyone, Yeah! its the weekend,havent posted much but I have been reading the forums,currently having a fine spell of weather,havent seen much rain for weeks,unusual for Scotland.Todays a bit cloudy but warm,maybe the sun will break through later?. Judy,been trying to encourage my wife Sally to get on board,but its difficult,maybe shes thinks she set it on fire or wipe all the files clean?however I think shes beginning to bite,having read your posting on slow cooked fruit cobbler and oven baked chicken,she wants to know if oven baked chicken is roast chicken or it another way of saying chicken casserole,bet she will become involved soon. Bud I think you have illustrated a saying we have in Scotland,which is one of my favourites "We are all Jock Tamsons bairns",your coming home from work habits,mirror mine exactly,dont knock it. Donny-Thanks I have discoved your location,you are now officially flagged in my Times Atlas.Casper is much the same size as Airdrie.I was looking in the right area Bighorn Mountains,is White River Indian Reservation a place to visit to see American Plains Indians at home and learn about their history and culture,I would love to visit such a place.Scots were certainly born to roam,always interested in finding out whats over the next hill.I have been to Rome,St Peters,Villa Bourgese,Colliseum,Tivoli and Hadrians Villa.Also went down to Sorrento to take in Pompeii,I was not disapointed,it is just breathtaking-put it on your bucket list. I did see the oil rig fire on the news here,we had a similar one here some years ago -Piper Alpha-a lot of lives were lost,glad to hear Bill was not involved. My college runs a health week for the students starting on the 3rd of May and staff are expected to make a contribution,and in a mad fit of stupidity I"volunteered"or rather browbeaten into giving a presentation to the students,oh I hate Alana Moss and her persuasive charms.College has approx 9000 students although probably only 2000 in daily attendance,this is not a timetabled presentation but an open invitation to students,so I have no idea how many will show(might end up talking talking to myself but on the other hand?)ok buddies put youselfs in my spot-anything you would like to say-I can can say on your behalf? Bye for now.

Hi Judy, Iam sorry to hear about your pain and distress,Iam really concerned for you,the replies from Barbara,Judy and Randy,have provided such good advice theres little I can add,to bring you some additional comfort,I have yet to meet a doctor who has been stumped before in searching for a diagnosis and treatment,as in medicine there are so many avenues to explore,seems to me if your doctor is not energised enough to find a cause and a treatment,I would be searching out another doctor.Wishing you a speedy recovery.