New Horizons

This is the van I use on my new duty. I have also invested in a new camera and love using it. Will give the van a name but I have not thought of one yet. All polite suggestions will be respectfuly considered.

I am still getting to know the good burghers of Bruntsfield. They are a mixed bunch. There are lots of students who live there, which is great. They rarely get up before noon so I don't have to go upstairs to deliver to them in the early morning.

I forgot to say that the van has a "Postman Patesque" look about it. Maybe I should get a black and white cat!

Those of you who now feel the need to do "pussy" jokes can give it a rest. I am above such stuff.

Grand Day Out

OK, it is the middle of winter, but Hester and I spent far too much time indoors last weekend. It's such fun to get out and explore. We both love travel and I hope we can do lots of that together in the warmer months to come. We are already planning a coach tour to Ireland. Hester has never been there and I was very young the last time I visited.

Have to keep up the paragraph thing or Robert will be on my back again.

My first pic is of the Pentland Hills as seen from the southern extremities of Edinburgh. The white strips you see are artificial ski slopes. Many years ago when I lived in the area there was only one, now there are three. The lines across the picture are high voltage power cables.

It's not easy to realise from the picture that these animals are Scottish Highland Cattle. They have "Long Horns" which is unusual in this country, and they have very long coats. Again unusual.

Sadly they were quite far away from the fence and my zoom lens was not able to bring them much closer.

You know I love equines. Young horses and ponies in particular. So my last picture will be no surprise. It is so cute. Hester was very moved as well. He was such a cutie.

Fond Farewell

My life is going to change. Next week I start a new duty at work. I have opted to go part-time, because I want to spend more time winding up my mothers estate. There are other advantages too. I will work Tuesday to Saturday. This means that when I visit Hester I can have all day Sunday with her and she can drop me off at the station on her way to work on Monday morning. Unfortunately I will have to wait about 2 Hrs for my train because that is the one where I can get cheap tickets. But I still get home in the early afternoon.

Sorry, I forgot I am supposed to be doing paragraphs at Robert's instruction. It's so tedious.

Given what I have just said I have been doing a nostalgia (it's not what it used to be) trip. I will probably visit them again at sometime, but I have been saying goodbye, for now.

Today was "Famous Author Land". I have had some good times, culminating in the visit with Hester to Alexander McCall-Smith. I know, but won't admit it, that I am star-struck with famous people. I know Hester has clocked me. She is very astute.

On Friday I do Damhead. So many memories. I told you about Arlene recently. I hope Hester and I can catch her eventing in the summer. It would be such a good day out.

I want to wrap this one up now. My life is going through a significant period at the moment. I hope you find the happiness I think is around the corner for me. I want all the best for my readers. You have very good taste.

Damhead Day

Was doing another route last week when I should have been out in Damhead so it is over a fortnight since I have been there. They were starting to forget what I look like. Probably not as bad as it sounds, all things considered.
Sadly my little van, which I showed you pictures of in "Damhead Revisited" recently, is a bit poorly. I was sitting in a que of traffic waiting for a truck to do a maneuver when it was hit from behind by a taxi and was punted into the car in front. Thankfully yours truly was uninjured but SW6, which is her official title (you will see she has that above the windscreen in yellow letters if you look back at the previous post), was damaged at both ends. Consequently we had to hire another van. I have therefore been "White Van (Wo)man" today. I have tried to break every Highway Code rule, which is mandatory for the drivers of these vehicles, but it has been difficult. I am too mature and have too much conscience to get fully into the role. And too little testosterone to carry it off.
Something that came much more easily was thinking about Arlene. I haven't mentioned her before but she is very significant to me. I had some letters for her house and I exchanged a few words with her mother who was in the yard as I drove in.
Although I like to "mother" Robert a bit I do it because he can be a bit socially inept at times, and he is older than me anyway. Arlene is in her mid twenties, and is therefore of an age for me to be motherly to, and she is the only person I have felt about in that particular way. That is why she is special to me.
We also share a love of horses. She has a beautiful piebald called Patch which she does eventing with. She once told me if it was a choice between a boyfriend and Patch, the horse would win out. Equines just get some people that way. Her ultimate goal is to be in the "Horse of the Year" show in London. I would happily go and support her and probably be in floods of tears most of the time.
What a silly old sausage I am.

More Comment

Now that Robert has found his blogging feet I am going to let go of my matronly supervision of him. But sometimes you have to nurse the little dears, for their own good, don't you.

I have taken note of recent news stories and there are a couple I want to comment on. I have been a bit wrapped up in goings on in my own life recently but I am now feeling like taking an interest in other peoples again.

You will also note that I have taken notice of Roberts comments about the lack of structure, paragraph wise, in my writing. Not that it will last!

The big story for me has to be the one about the twins who were separated at an early age and ended up marrying each other. It raises so many questions. And I love questions. I ask them all the time. On the downside I have to be critical (so no change there then) about a system that splits up siblings. I may have a shrinking family myself but that does not stop me believing that keeping familys together, as much as possible, is good for our society. I really feel for those two people. Where do they go from here? Guess I am in matronly mode again!

The other story that grabbed my attention is the one about the police dogs. It seems we, in Britain, don't breed the best dogs so we have resorted to importing them from Germany. Unfortunately these animals don't understand English commands which has caused problems. Handlers have had to learn German commands such as "Grabben ze creeminal bitte" (Grab the thieving bastard by the nuts, please) and "Peese on ze buggers Porsche" (Piss on the twats German metal). I am so glad that policing has embraced the 21st Century!

Bob the Bloger

It seems like a silly title but that is what my brothers new blog is called. I have included a link in my Roll of Honour. If you like pillar boxes this could be the blog for you. I believe he will be doing train names soon. I can't wait! But please indulge him. He doesn't get out much, the poor soul.

Post Scriptum

Sorry about the small typeface in that last post. I don't normally like to use the same colour twice in a row either. Oh dear, I really messed that one up. And I can't find a way to change it. I also forgot to mention that I have finally talked big brother Robert into starting his own blog. He is already planning a series entitled "Pillar Boxes I Have Known". He intends to feature a picture of a different box each time. Should be riveting, so he tells me. I will keep you up to date with the news, as and when it breaks.