eric byrne

Good Evening Everyone, Hope you had an enjoyable weekend,I did,had my first experience of attending to a large audience,mainly of women, watching the Bay City Rollers,it was quite an experience I can tell you,we were told at a pre performance briefing, not to allow dancing at the front of the stage,that could only take place at the rear of the seating areas,and no photography,well for the first half hour,I spent telling people to put their cameras away,please dancing only at the rear areas .It was difficult since we were being constantly challenged,then Les McKeown announces from the stage,ignore the security people?you outnumber them,so if you want to take photographs,and dance up front just do it,I had to smile,he just made me feel such a spoiler,but it was done for the best reasons,H&S plus allowing everyone to have a clear view of the show,particularly for some disabled people who were unable to stand upright.I did get some girls wanting me to dance with them and have my photograph taken with them,I even got some kisses on my cheek,methinks there may have been some prior drinking of alcohol on the night? Sunday,went to Edinburgh,to Nicolas homecoming party,Duncan and Lindsey made me very welcome,I arrived shortly before Nicola,she was thrilled to bits meeting us,total surprise to her.Plenty of food and drink,BBQ,the weather was so sunny and warm for the last day in September,I was outside in a Polo shirt.Duncans house is hugh,sits on top of a hill overlooking beautiful countryside,would you believe his house is subject to a compulsory purchase order by the railway company,who next March will run a new track through his house and seven other neighbours.Although Duncan says his compensation package is above the market value of his home,he has his regrets about leaving,is daughter Laura was raised in this home,she sadly died of lung cancer at the age of 23 just prior to getting married.It took the docs over a year to dx the cancer,since she was an athlete and non-smoker. Today again was spent with my new Phillidelphia friend Colleen doing our mailing run,should be finished to-morrow,its easy work and fun sharing the gossip with Colleen. Hi Susan,hope you a feeling a bit better and get your meds adjusted,I really must send you my address for sending me some samples of your home baking,something I really love,I have such a sweet tooth,or even teeth LOL. Hi Diane,How I envy you,about to become a grandparent for the third time,all I got from my daughter was to babysit her bichon friese puppy.Hope you get a good deal from the medical insurance guy,I dont understand medicare/medicaid,seems an outrageous way to run healthcare,I am so blessed living in the UK and not having to pay any more national insurance,all my healthcare is free,including prescriptions and eye tests,dentist is subsidised,mind you I did pay into the scheme 6% of my gross pay all my working life for the priviledge.I really hope the USA will introduce something similar,access to good quality healthcare I think is a right and should be available to everyone regardless of status.Well climbing off my soapbox I will say goodnight to you,Bye.

Congratulations on your 8 year milestone Kasey,sorry about being slightly late in responding,I thought I had,until I scrolled your replies,signs of dymensia?.Well heres to many more years of sharing posts here.

Susan,As explained tonight by Les McKeown,when the group was formed they had no idea what to call themselves, so they got a map of the world and pinned it to a wall,then threw a dart at it, where ever it landed,they would name themselves after that place,hence USA,Bay City.

Hi Denise, Welcome to LCSC,sorry to read about your dxs,wishing you a speedy and complete recovery,congratulations on giving up smoking,the day I was dxd almost 4 years ago,I went home I searched my jackets,cupboards and drawers for cigars I then cut up every one of them and threw them in the dustbin,along with ashtrays and lighters,I have never smoked since I am pleased to say,I am annoyed at my own stupidity that I did'nt do that years ago,mind you downside I have put on ahem,a Ilb or two,but I am sorting that out by gymming,swimming and yoga-ing,five days a week,I can really recommend taking up yoga,it stretches muscles you did'nt know you had,helps with your breathing and relaxation,in fact,there are doctors here who believe that yoga is the perfect regime for those recovering from lung cancer surgery?. I am looking forward to getting to know you,a new kid on the block is always welcome.You will find the buddies here warm and friendly,they've even forgiven me for the Wars of Independance.If you have some spare time on your hands,why not visit the members photo album and look up my pics of Scotland and my trips around the USA?.Another forum to visit is "Just for Fun",here we can exchange whats going on in our daily lives.Lightening your day is one of our other jobs here,so if your are having problems or simply feeling down a bit,drop us a line and share your thoughts with us,we are only to happy to support you,we have all had these days,so we do understand.Bye for now and Best Wishes.

Sorry about the typo,Les McKeown, LOL

Good Afternoon Everyone, Beautiful Autumn day here in Scotland,this is a great time of the year for photography,I must get myself up to Aberfoyle,the forests there are really something to see there,with all the variety of colours on display. Well I started my new job on Thursday,not properly though, my new friend and I spent two days labelling envelopes and putting in fliers of forthcoming attractions to the theatre.My new friend is Colleen,she is from Philadelphia,arrived here two years ago for a holiday,and did'nt want to go back home.She has just completed a MA in scriptwriting from Glasgow Uni,following her BA she got in the USA,she is amazed at how cheap studying for a Degree in Scotland is, compared to the States she tells me her BA left her with over $100,000 to pay back,thats just unbelievable,she tells me as a foreign student here she paid $15,000 for her MA here,Scottish students in Colleges and Unis dont pay any fees.Students here do take out loans to cover their living expenses,however its very low rate of interest,they dont have to pay anything back until they are earning over £16,000,if the loan has'nt been paid back within 25 years,its recinded.So folks get your kids to get their Degrees in Scotland LOL.Collen's had her 25th birthday yesterday,she is a really nice person,totally into Scottish culture,absolutely loves haggis would you believe?,she told me about an American dish called scrapple,but says it falls far short of the taste of haggis.Well Colleen and I are on theatre duty for the first time to-night,this group will be probably be unknown to you, being Scottish,and way before your pop days,its the Bay City Rollers,Bye,Bye Baby and all,so I will get to meet Les McKnown,maybe I will post in some pics of the occassion?. I am off to Edinburgh tomorrow for Nicolas homecoming, following her sponsored Killimanjaro climb for lung cancer.I think her parents and friends have organised a party to include a BBQ,so looking forward to my day out. My gym buddies will be missing me,I will also miss Mondays gym I am still working on the mailing shots.Well thats about all folks,wishing you all a super weekend,bye for now.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Sorry Bruce missed yesterdays post,phew its a busy life,I started my front of house training prog Monday evening,I am really enjoying it,theres about 30 new trainees going through their paces,I noticed one of them a young girl had an American accent so we got chatting,she arrived in Scotland from Philadelphia a couple of years ago,I asked her if she had any relatives or friends here,no, she just fancied getting on a plane a taking a trip to see Scotland,loved the place and did'nt want to go home,she is now doing a degree in scriptwriting,this job is part time for her to help pay the bills.Tonight is the last night of the training prog,I could actually start work in the Theatres this week,lots of great shows between now and Christmas,its most likely I will stationed inside the theatre during performances to keep an eye on the audience,make sure no one is being disruptive,or using cameras etc.After the training session tonight we are all invited out to Pizza Hut for something to eat and just relax.Think I am going to enjoy job.Funnily I could be on duty in the Airdrie Theatre on the 5th of Oct,the Airdrie and Coatbridge Amateur Operatic Society are doing a review,its all the big show numbers from a host of musicals,I have spent ten years performing with them,but never went back after my dx,always meant to do so,but I think it will be fun meeting them all again,hey maybe I could join them on stage? I can still remember all the words and music. I love the new avatar Katie and of course the logo on the top. Some time today my friends daughter Nicola , will reach the Summit of Kilimanjaro,it is a sponsored climb in memory of her cousin Laura who died from lung cancer just days before she was due to get married.Laura by the way, had never smoked during her short life.All monies raised will go to the Roy Castle LC Foundation. Got to go folks,things to do,wishing you all a super Wednesday.

Hi Susan, Thanks for describing your location,I see you are just to the south east of JudyMI,I can read in my atlas Lansing,Battle Creek,Kalamazoo (that name always brings a smile to my chops for some reason?)sorry but my eyesight fails me to find Bellavue,must get a stronger pair of glasses LOL.Anyway I have ringed your approx location.Have you ever met up with JudyMI?,on my USA journey last year, I stayed in Cleveland and Chicago,shame I could have paid you a wee visit,I was that close.

Congratulations Bruce on your five years milestone,may all the buddies here enjoy similar success,and continue posting here for years to come.

Good Afternoon Everyone, For a change its been a beautiful day here,sunshine and blue skies,my favourite weather, warm enough to sit outside and read the papers. Enjoyed my yoga class this morning,went for lunch with my yoga friends to Wetherspoons,a really nice pub/restaurant in Cumbernauld.Looking forward to tomorrow,going to my sister Irenes home to have an afternoon reviewing all my recent photographs of her husband Pats 60th birthday events,ie Inglestone race track in Edinburgh,driving expensive sports cars and our day out at Loch Lomond,where Pat boarded a seaplane for a flight up the West Coast of Scotland.I got some really good pics,I am also looking forward to seeing the Photos Pat took from his seat on the seaplane,the scenery on Scotlands West Coast is absolutely stunning. ABC on Sunday,then up to my other sister Dots for the afternoon,grand kids Emma and jack will be there so lots of fun and games,Emma has started Secondary School now and celebrated her 12th birthday last week,so I guess it wont be long until she stops coming to grans on a Sunday in favour of girl and boy friends company. Hi Diane,Yes we do seem to have more holidays than our American friends,however there are many regional variations throughout Scotland for holiday arrangements.Strathclyde is the region I live in which has about half of Scotlands population,we simply call this holiday the Sept weekend,Friday through to Monday inclusive,all schools are closed and most businesses.Schools and Colleges also close for a week in October also,sigh, how iImiss my college holidays LOL.My daughter drove from New York to Los Angeles a couple of years ago and would phone me daily about her adventures,I tracked her entire journey in my Times Atlas by the end the USA had a great big smiley face of my joined up pen line,in this same page,I have ringed where each buddy here lives,including Bruce up in Canada so I will now put a little ring around Medford to remind me of where you live,must get Susans location?. Hi Susan Really sorry to hear of your spine damage,yes yoga does require a lot of bending and stretching,I had to laugh at your reference to being the youngster amongst the exercise pool group,thats why I play bowls its full of elderly ladies and gentlemen who call me son,makes me feel so young. Well Katie and all you other buddies who can post here using smart phones,I am in awe your technical wizardy,I am afraid i will be sticking to my quill and ink pot, so there.Bye for now,enjoy your weekend.

Good Afternoon Everyone, I dropped in briefly this morning just prior to leaving for the gym,gosh Bruce, what a surprise,you beat me to the draw,at 8.30am?,I am trying to work out when you posted,you little rascal,it must have been about 2-3 am?,did you get much sleep last night,with getting up at dawn for your livestock?. Another wet Scottish day today,not that it really effects me,gym and swim,followed by a visit to Glasgow with the guys to share a 3 course lunch ($6 approx) in the Horseshoe Bar,its a very old establishment,its in the guiness book of records if I remember correctly as having the longest continuous bartop in the UK.This is a little brief interlude I have today to post in before setting out for my indoor bowling,this retirement business,really is hard work.Bruce I am not sure about the game 5 pin bowling,must google it?.You also asked about preparing for winter?,gosh I made myself so many promises this summer, to catch up on the outside chores,wood preserving my back yard perimeter fence,painting back and front door railings,washing all my plastic window frames and roof linings,stange,if I was still working,I bettcha all of these would have been done,but being retired kind of gets in the way,och,I'll do it tomorrow,looks like rain today. Hi Dianne,Its holiday weekend this weekend for most us living in the West of Scotland,traditional time to have a short break,Blackpool Illuminations is the destination for many to see the extravagant display of themed street lighting,there is also a hugh funfair there for kids of all ages to enjoy.I do wish you a super time with your friends on your weekend break,sounds like fun.You mentioning the Pacific Oregon Coast,had me looking up my Time World Atlas,gosh it weighs a ton,just watch you dont drop it on your toes LOL,there it is Oregon,Portland,Eugene,Salem-is that where the witch trials were staged?.Whereabouts are you Diane?,nearest I got to you was Seattle last year. Hi Susan,love bailey,cute little fellow,good to hear you are enjoying swimming each week,now you just got to find a local yoga class to attend,yoga I read in a article recently is particularly good for recovering lung cancer patients,in fact the article was written by a PhD physio type person who also had written a training prog for lung cancer patients within the article,I sent the link to my yoga teacher,she was quite impressed,some claim it helps prevent the recurrance of LC,but that may be a bit fanciful?,enjoy your grandsons 5th Birthday party. Its bowling time guys,got to go,enjoy the rest of your day,hope tonight my team perform a bit better than on Tuesday,it was just like Custers Last Stand,our opponents were that good.Byee.Ooops nearly forgot to say Hi Trawna,good to hear from you,hope you are well.

Hi Bruce, good to hear from you,I just popped in for a moment before heading out to my yoga class,the out door lawn bowls game is the same one for the indoors,only played on a green fine carpet material.you have four bowls which have a weight in one side (bias) you have to bowl towards a white small Jack the team or player count off their bowls nearest to the jack after bowling.Super fun,and everyone playing the game are such nice people.

Hi, Welcome to LCSC,sorry I am at the coo's tail in responding to your post.I am also sorry to read of your Mums dx,I can appreciate how everyone in your family is feeling just now,please pass on my very best wishes to your Mum for a successful response to her treatments. Please do keep in touch,the buddies here with their wealth of experience can contribute to lightening your concerns about your Mum.In my experience at the outset of my cancer journey was the worst time for me as I anticipated the upcoming treatment plan devised by my Docs was being put into place,I worried about so many things,I did for a time feel a bit overwhelmed by my whole situation,I actually despite all my worries I sailed through the lot without any discernable problems.I have received no further treatments since their completion in Jan 2009. One or two little observations that helped me on my journey,one,with the support of family and friends and the passage of time,things actually start to get better,there is light at the end of the tunnel,so take one day at a time,dont race into a future of what ifs,.two,a saying I picked up "Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair,its gives you something to do,but it dos'nt get you anywhere".Bye for now.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Hope you are all well?its been a while since I last posted here,thought I would share with you whats going on in my backyard currently.Friday last we had the Olympian Parade through the streets of Glasgow,quite an occassion,most of the stars were there,though our tennis hero Andy Murray was absent,think everyone had a great time.Friday eve I was invited to attend a leaving party for my friend Sarah Swain who is leaving her job as a reporter for the Evening Times to take up a Editor of a Magazine in Dubai.Sarah had interviewed me some months ago for the newspaper for a feature called Clear the Air Campaign,it was later published as a two page spread,the campaign still continues,Sarah was actually given a journalist of the year award for her work with the newspaper and is in the running for some further award.Sarah's father had died some years ago to lung cancer,and she has made it part of her life to raise awareness of lung cancer issues in her work as a reporter.Since my interview with Sarah,we have become facebook friends so I hope to keep in touch with her in Dubai.She will be sadly missed by the lung cancer community in Scotland. I did mention here about me being successful in a job application for a front of house post,for Motherwell Theatre and Airdrie's John Wilson Theatre,I think they have held back my starting date,until the refurbishment of the Airdrie Theatre was complete,so I have been invited to attend a training course next week,its for three evenings,Mon,Tues and Wed,I am so looking forward to beginning work,not sure of my hours though,looking at the Theatres programmes,seems I could be working Thurs-Sat evenings two weeks on two weeks off?,however this will probably increase when Panto season starts in December.I love the theatre so I am going to spend,I hope,a lot of my time watching the shows,maybe get to meet the stars?. Well my outdoor lawn bowling season is drawing to a close,so the indoor season has commenced,I play Tues and Thurs evenings,however my new job may interfere with the Thurs evenings bowls. Summer is being replaced by Autumn,not that we had much of a summer this year with all the rainy days the UK has had,its been our wettest summer since 1912 according to the Met office,hope at least our winter this year will be a bit milder than of recent years?.I love the Autumn here in Scotland great photo opertunities as the forests become a blase of colours,apparently because of the wet summer,the forests are going to give a particularly special show this year?. I have a couple of trips to Birmingham in Oct to look forward to,only ever passed through this City some years ago,funny having two invitations to visit within a week of each other,one is the Roy Castle Annual delegates conference,the other the first meet up of Cancer Buddies Network,I suggested such a meeting and what you know?,everyone there agreed, so its on,so looking forward to meeting for the first time online faces. Think I have rambled on long enough,thanks for your forbearance if you have read thus far,Bye for now.

Hi Steve, Welcome to LCSC,its going to fun getting to know you,I am your Scottish cousin from across the pond,the natives here have forgiven me to the Wars of Independance .I discovered this site by accident some years ago,and I have to tell you,the support and friendship I have had since, has been absolutely wonderful,dont know what I would have done with out it. Sorry to hear of your dx,I am not really a fountain of knowledge on the medical side of lung cancer,but you certainly have been lucky enough to benefit from the new targeted therapy drugs .I just loved reading your post,you seem so well adjusted to your situation,you certainly know how to deal with lung cancer,I always think having a positive attitude makes such a difference,best wishes for your continued cancer journey,wishing you many,many years of exchanging blethers with us,can I recommend the just for fun forum? for a daily exchange of buddies diaries,oh,if you visit the members photo album,theres plenty pics I have taken of Scotland and my tours around the US of A.Bye for now.

Ooops Sorry George for miscalling you Frank,I cannot imagine why the confusion?my senile dymensia playing up again?

Hi Frank, Welcome to LCSC,sorry to read of your dx,there are so many buddies here,with all different lung cancer types and stages,who with their experiences are sure to lighten your journey. I have NSCLC,dxd in Oct 2008,a tumour was discovered in the airway leading to my upper right lung,following further tests a PET scan revealed there had been some local spread to the lymph nodes close to my tumour,my treatment plan consisted of 4 cycles of chemo in an attempt to shrink my tumour which if successful,could lead to having this tumour surgically removed,well the chemo was really successful,so much so my oncologist remarked that after only two cycles,he had never seen such shrinkage in a tumour before,and that I would have the surgery in January 2009. As you mentioned,the immeadiate effect on you on being told you have lung cancer,was mentally devastating, shared your reaction,I did require sleeping pills and a anti-depressent to tide me over the early weeks following my dx. I did worry over so many things during that period,gosh my mind was in constant overload,when told about my devised treatment plan,I worried that the chemo would make me violently nauseous,would my hair fall out? did'nt mind losing the gray ones though,I did also worry about the forthcoming surgery,will it be unbearably painful?,will it leave me a breathless invalid?,well those worries and no doubt many others I have since forgotten about,never became realised,I sailed through the lot,with only slight discomfort post surgery,even that ache at my scar site dissapeared imperceptively with the passage of time. Mentally was my undoubted greatest challenge,I may be a Scot,but they missed me out with the Braveheart courage stuff at birth LOL,physically I was great following all my treatments,but I was still left with this kinda fear for my future,would I have one?,all the "what ifs" pervaded my thoughts, "what if" this cancer returns,it was really rediculous to have had been given my life back and instead of enjoying myself my life was being spoiled by these stupid negative thoughts,I really needed to do something positive to help my recovery,what I really needed was some good news stories,you know like new wonder drugs coming online to effect a complete cure for lung cancer,or finding long term survivors of lung cancer,people who against all the odds beat the disease and are enjoying life again.Well I did my research ,think I read every book in my local library on cancer,searched the internet,boy this was labourious,and not very rewarding,stats were.nt good,survivors so difficult to find,where are they all?I thought,surely there must be some?.One day,I picked up a newspaper,in it there was a feature about a guy starting up a Lung Cancer support group in a local hospital,it caught my attention,I went on to read this guys story,boy,was it music to my ears,dxd with SCLC in 1993,given two months to live,hospitalised for his chemo regime,family called out to his bedside on more than one occassion,the doctors did'nt think he would see the next day,Robert, astounds everyone by making a return to full health,in 2007 he is then dxd with NSCLC,given chemo and surgery.I just had to meet this guy,and I did,I joined his support group,and we have become the best of friends,strangely,Robert 10 years my senior,was born and brought up in Springburn,the same district in Glasgow as I was,we went to the same schools,even shared many of the same teachers,we have such fun sharing with each others company.i have since met many more long term survivors,many of them here, on this very site I had become a very pro-active advocate for lung cancer too many stories to share with you here,enough to say,I have been on radio,TV,newspapers,magazines,etc lung cancer sure rained on my parade,but it sure came with a great big silver lining.Bye for now.

Hi Kmelinda, First off,welcome to LCSC,its a pleasure to meet you,there are many buddies here who,by their cancer journey experiences will help to lighten the load you are carrying. I am not a Doctor and therefore only able to reflect with you my experience of lung cancer,I had a tumour in the airway to my right upper lung,this had the effect of deflating my lung,there was also local spread to the lymph nodes.I was given neo-adjuvant chemo in an attempt to shrink this tumour in order to allow me to have the tumour surgically removed,fortunately the chemo worked and in Jan 2009 I had a upper right lobectomy, which was deemed at the time entirely successful,I have had since no further treatments. Following my surgery I went to my GP to ask if I could now return to work,he suggested I did'nt but instead take some quality time out with my wife,since you have only two years left max.I shared this conversation with my oncologist some days later,he was furious with my GP,he said to me, Eric, do you think I have put you through all this, just to give you 2 years?,I am fighting to give you 15-20 years if not a cure. I have found over my post dx years many other survivors who have been the subject of ill advised comments from GPs and other medical professionals.I am astonished to hear that your doctor could only offer Dean pallative care,and yet I am not in a position to have such an opinion not having a doctorate in medicine or a insight to all his medical records ,what I do have is a fighting spirit who would advocate with Deans doctors to explore every avenue to help treat his cancer with a ambition to bring his cancer under control if not erradication, that his life is prolonged,this is true for many cancer survivors today. If you are unhappy with your GPs impasse and after further discussions he still refuses to budge,I strongly advise you to get a second opinion from another GP/Oncologist. I can recommend to you www.cancergrace.org who have a team of oncologists who will receive specific questions from the public on lung cancer and will reply free of charge to the postee. My very best wishes to both you and Dean that you have a successful outcome with his treatment plan,remember you are not alone now, we are here to support you every step of the way.

Hi Everyone, A friend sent me this in facebook,it just touches me in my soul,I love to share beautiful things that are uplifting,hope you enjoy this. !

Good Afternoon Everyone, The attached link was sent to me from a friend,whose facebook friend lives in the USA,she is currently going through chemo for her cancer,and thought she could make a video to raise funds for the hospital she attends.I think she is absolutely wonderful,think you will too on seeing her video.

Hi Susan, Thank you for sharing such an upbeat post,good news is always welcome around here,it gives a lift not only to yourself but everyone here too.Best wishes that you continue to receive good news in all your future reports.

Hi Dani, I am really sorry to hear of your brain tumour that has developed since your stage 1b dx,its so unfair,my young Baptist Church Minister,visited me often soon after my dx,to give me support,last year was also dxd with a brain tumour,he is only 31,married with a young family,I was so sad for him having to face this journey at such a young age.His name is Ross and he has just finally completed his chemotherapy treatments,following surgery some months ago,Ross's surgeon was unable to remove the tumour completely.Due to his fatigue, Ross has been unable to keep up with his normal pastoral duties,whilst he was going through his treatments,I just want to share with you that Ross has come through everything with flying colours and is making a steady return to work.He is so full of life and optimism,he is such an example to everyone who is going through difficult times with their health. My own gut feeling,is to proceed with your treatments as suggested by your oncologist,I would want to do everything to have all the remaining cancer cells in my body destroyed as like yesterday.I do wish you every success with your treatments whichever way you choose.God Bless.

Good Afternoon Everyone, Thought I would drop in for a wee keek at whats going down here in LCSC land,shame that it seems we are getting more and more spammers,rather than genuine posts. I have been enjoying watching the Olympics over the last two weeks,I think most Brits were holding their breaths prior to them commencing,wondering if everything would go to plan,well on reflection,I did'nt think we could possibly match the Beijing Olympics,however in my humble opinion I think of the many Olympics I have witnessed in my lifetime,these were absolutely the best.Mind you, I did get involved in a string in facebook,regarding the inclusion of the NHS sketch in the opening ceremony,well this was absolutely crucified by scores of US citizens with outrageous comments like,NBC is a socialist TV company,for even broadcasting this section,despite it being outwith their control.The UK has Death Panels who decide who gets healthcare and who dos'nt,133,000 elderly citizens die each year in the UK outside the embrace of healthcare,doctors limit the ammount of healthcare spent on the retired population to $20,000 per person.Another rediculous claim,Canadian and British citizens come to the USA to have surgery since its unavailable in their countries unless of course they join a waiting list of eight years for surgery. Well,on my dx,I had a CTscan within two days,followed up by a further two days to have a brontoscopy,,PET scan, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and surgery all treatments completed within 3 months.I was not billed a penny,since retiring,I no longer contribute to National Insurance,and living in Scotland,I pay no prescription charges,I have free eye tests regularly,$20,000,hmmm,wonder how much all that would have cost me living in the USA?.As for Death Panels?,sorry but our doctors have also signed the Hippocratic Oath,not only American ones.Interestingly,we have a man with MS who is challenging our High Courts to have a "right to die" law introduced,well so far,euthansia is too hot a potato to handle here let alone some spurious claim to having Death Panels,I am really amazed at the ignorance of some political sections of your population. Well I have put away my soapbox ,sorry about that I really needed to get that off my chest. Still waiting on word for a start date for my new job,the film director came to my house last week,my story will appear on DVD,apparently it will be used in Schools,under the title Thinking Teenagers,there will be several of these films,showing people who have had a significant and lifechanging event in their lives,these films will be shown to the students who will later reflect on them and the issues raised,this will help them to better understand the transition from adolescent life to adulthood.I will send in the link when I receive it from the director. Still enjoying my merry go round life of keeping fit and lawn bowling,visiting friends,still a wedding and a 3 day Gleneagles golf tournament to look forward to at the end of the month. Bye for now.

Hi Allan, There were so many photos there that are so familiar to me,Glencoe,Loch Awe,Eileen Donnan Castle,Castle Urquart,etc,Scotland is so beautiful and yet only about 4% of Americans ever leave their native shores,bit of a shame,they are missing so much of the world.If you ever get the chance,come to Scotland,it will be my pleasure to show you around.

Second Attempt,here goes,