The joys of living

The first pills the doctor gave me (6 of them) for a rather embarrassing problem with my waterworks, that is, frequent visits to the Ladies Room, they did not work.   Now, from another GP I have been given stronger antibiotics (10 of them) which he is sure will sort me out.   Oh, the joys of living!   I have been looking up the French for ‘bladder’ (vesicule) since I am going to France in the next few days, so pray for me that the pills work.

A visit from Shonagh, my lovely, strawberry blonde grand-daughter this lunch-time.   We had interesting chats about school-teaching today.   She explained what it entails - it is obviously more stressful, skilled and difficult than in my working life in schools.   It seems all kind of handicapped and deprived pupils are taught inclusively with the other children, really it must be a hard task to keep your spirits up facing these problems every day.

Gerald says I should write more interesting and political things in my blog for instance, why is Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary still smiling after so many shambolic happenings with the Olympics?  Or else, I should remark that Andrew Rawnsley of the Observer thinks the whole Olympics carnival is a waste of money and effort.   Well now I have said what he said, so that’s that!   Nonetheless we all think that the competitors work extremely hard for their sporting achievements and WE  WISH THEM WELL!  Myself, I think that the most interesting events and stories about politics will occur in the near future of the coalition Government.

Here is a quote written on a piece of notepaper I found when clearing out my handbag.   I must have kept it for months for a reason.

“So if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water this year and I am there too, I’ll be the one in the cut-off jeans and a T-shirt!   You’d better be laughing or rolling on the floor this time.   Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain, with or without a stylish bathing suit!

‘You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future. 

Be the kind of person that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says –“Oh crap, she’s up!”

Happy holiday!

My heart's in the UK 

Today is Thursday and Kat from Eastenders has slinked out of the Queen Vic for an assignation with her secret lover (or sex-partner).   She seems to have been bored with Alfie as he non-stop discussed football moves with Billy.   I shouted to her don’t do it, but she did.   I must admit she has got a point – what is more boring that men discussing football tactics.   We don’t know who the secret lover is as the drumbeats started, to end the programme, just as she entered the house of the ‘lucky one’.   That is if he fancies oily lips.   But already on TV such a lot is about SPORT.    The country seems to be becoming totally reliant on people who are either paid helpers, or soldiers who’ve been asked to stand in for the G4S firm, or volunteers, or the police, or the immigration authorities, or the train and bus drivers or the taxi-cab drivers.   Thank God that some Strauss music is now playing on BBC 4.

I will spend a pleasant hour listening to the PROMS MUSIC.    I will get my knitting out, and think about the days in the near future when the sun will come out.   Maybe tomorrow, in the garden I will be able to ignore the advent of OLYMPIC 2012.    Soon, I can escape in the Megabus to Edinburgh, and chillax in the plane taking me to NICE, S. of France for a few days of holiday.  Then what will I have to moan about?    No cooking, no washing-up, no politicians, no bankers, no hairy men with over-developed muscles on the telly all the time.   Gosh I will have to make quite an adjustment!   To glorious hot sun, to Mediterranean food and sightseeing and admiring the beautiful people along the spectacular coast.   But, you’re right.   I’ll miss my favourite programmes on the BBC.   I’ll miss the great news presenters and weather forecasters who turn up every day to inform us and make us feel safe and in the know.   I’ll miss all-day-long chatter on Radio 4.   And God help me, I’ll miss all the gormless people cheering for their country about gold, silver and bronze medals and for all other terrific achievements and I’ll be glad to get home.

THURSDAY 12TH JULY - NOT A GREAT DAY.

Today there was an avalanche of snow in the French Alps and so far nine people have been killed.   Awful to be so fit and lucky to be able to climb a mountain for sport and to have your life ended so tragically.   'Avalanche' is not a good word..

Neither is 'shambles'.   It means, I suppose a mixed up mess or some such.   I think it comes from the street in York which is called the Shambles where I suppose everything is higgelty-piggelty.   Anyway today I heard on the TV that the Home Secretary, Theresa May was accused of making a shambles of the organisation of security situation at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.   They are drafting in some military strength, that is asking soldiers to help with the logistics of the movement of so many crowds expected at the events.    Let's hope that everything works out all right.   Between one thing and another this Thursday is not a great day.

                             A QUESTION OF NAMES

Yesterday was tennis day, a long five hours, on and off because I get uptight, all the time willing a player to win and wincing when he makes a mistake.   It was the Final of Men's Singles at Wimbledon 2012 and it was a great nerve-racking match. Like most Scots, I have always supported Andy Murray in his efforts to go up the ladder in his career.   Don't know exactly all the rules of tennis, but I see him as a trier, a worker, and one who is not easily discouraged, and of course, a WONDERFUL TENNIS-PLAYER! Surprise, surprise when people in Britain generally now can see that he is a likeable, shy and emotional chap who is not as flashy and articulate as many other celebrities.

So he didn't win, but  ANDY joins the other ANDREWS in my Like List.   I follow ANDREW Neil in the Politics Show, and find him honest, informed and amusing, if maybe he gives some left-leaning MPs a hard time.   He can lean on the right-leaning ones any time he likes.   Also I always read ANDREW Rawnsley in The Observer on a Sunday, as he also is very well-informed and perspicacious.   He is a fine writer and excellent at analysis of the political situation of the day.   And don't forget ANDREW Marr - informed to the nth degree in politics, drama, music, rock and roll, you name it.   So it's ANDREWS for me, FAVOURED MEDIA STARS AND SPARKLING PERSONALITIES.

Also I like 'ED'S  There is ED MILIBAND and ED BALLS.   I listen to them both when they give their 'take' on events and find I more or less always agree with them.   

But what's in a name?   OLD JOKE --  KNOCK-KNOCK:   WHO'S THERE?   ISABEL:

ISABEL WHO?   --     IS A BELL NECESSARY ON A BICYCLE?

By the way, I am now quite keen on 'BARRY', as BARRY McCANN, the editor of 'PARNASSUS' , a literary magazine of MENSA has published a nice story about "Blind Date in Gibraltar".   Wasn't that nice -  GOOD OLD BARRY!

Worms we have encountered

Today, weather-wise was good.   The sun shone and the garden looks amazing.   We have sweet peas, carnations, roses and two little tents where Gerald is growing lettuces and leeks, and I am growing lovely parsley.   The tomato plants have not behaved very well in that flowers are showing no signs of setting into tomatoes.   Apparently they are not happy because it is cold at night.   I have told Gerald to go out at night with my hair-dryer and heat the air up and then quickly to zip the tent up and throw a blanket over it, but before the heat escapes.   He has refused to this, however.

With the worms he has been very successful.   He has with great difficulty transferred the compost from the left-hand bin to the right-hand bin and has informed me that the compost if full of WORMS!  Thousands of them, actually.   This is great news for us oldies.   You see, when we arrived at this place four years ago, there were no worms, or beetles, or slaters, or any kind of wild-life here, so we went to the local distillery and bought a container of a number of worms to join us in the garden.  Now they have multiplied and are improving the soil to a great degree. 

Other matters of interests are that there was an almighty shouting match in parliament today, and I was riveted to listen to Ed Balls and slippery George Osborne accusing each other of being liars.   Well, I hope all good-thinking people would side with Ed Balls as he seethed and asked for evidence that he had had anything to do with the scoundrelly bankers.   We are all sick of the bankers.   When I come back on earth, I am going to be a man, an ex-pupil of Eton, and become a City Boy.   I shall make millions, but I won’t call anybody a liar who is not, and I will give all the money away to the confused and inoffensive people of Scotland and maybe even England.   There must be a way round the greed and guile of upper-crust posers, chancers and thieves.

Today is reasonably sunny and the garden is so lovely.   We have roses, sweet peas strawberries, Mrs. Siddons fragrant carnations and some flowering lilies.   We are a lucky old pair of codgers.   We await the tomatoes who are slow in doing their stuff, because, apparently they are too cold at night.    I told Gerald to take the hair-dryer out to the little tent by  the side of the garage and heat the air up, close the flap and quickly to throw a blanket over the whole thing so that the night air does not get at them, but he has refused to do this.

Just this afternoon he has reported that the right-hand compost bin to which he has with great effort transferred the stuff from the left-hand compost is FULL of WORMS.   We are slightly ecstatic about this, as when we came to this garden nearly four years ago, we were devastated to find no worm, no beetles, no beasties of any kind.   We think they were all done away with as being unsightly and a nuisance by the previous owners of the house.   Well, that was not what we wanted so we went to the local mill, or distillery on the Black Isle and BOUGHT some worms which in four years seems to be thriving and improving the soil of Lochardil, no end.

The news is not good.       ------   crashing over the Moray Firth.   Ed Balls and George attacking each other in parliament about who is the liar, and who is responsible for the behaviour  of the bankers om 2007 and so on.   They say it was a Bull Market and City Boys were behaving in ever more unbelievably wild ways.   Your bonus (up to, maybe over a million if your face fitted)  would be guaranteed no matter what  you did.   I think I'll ask to be born again as an Eton Scholar

Monday 2nd July, 2012

Well it is Monday and July but the weather is cold and a bit dreary.   But I am looking forward to reading my Sunday Paper, The Observer, and my book about how to read novels like a writer by someone whose last name is "Prose".   No kidding.

Well it seems I am 13,000 the in Amazon's list of Best-Selling authors so that's quite good then.   There are some people listed in the millionth.   However, the publishers are not knocking on my door offering me deals.   It is a lowly ebook, "Blind Date in Gibraltar" but full of fun and love and desire and intrigue and so on.   Some tears also.

I missed "Start the Week" this morning as I had a disturbed night and in the end overslept.   So East Enders and Newsnight to look forward to.   The politicians are really working for their money this weather.   Trying to outdo each in the blame game for the mess the country is in.   I am one of the privileged oldies, and feel slightly guilty because of that.   Nevertheless, I have worked my butt off all my life so as they say in Glasgow, "Geeze a break!".  Hope things cheer up for you and for me or  we'll all have to start playing scrabble and drinking Diet Cokes and Irn-Bru.   Cheers for Now. Margaret