Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Million steps) I was in two minds whether to post today (day 0) or tomorrow (day1). So I start on July 1st and have till Sept 30th to complete my 1,000,000 steps, raising funds for Diabetes Uk, and losing pounds for thinner Tony (Not “Slim Tony ” who is a New York gangster, or “SkinnyContinue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(Tourists) My Canadian visitors are safely returned, sent back replete (I hope ) with castles and parks, and Scottish breakfast, Nessie tea-towels, and shortbread tins. It’s always illuminating to revisit places which are so second nature as to be unremarkable, in the company of those to whom they are fresh and new. I would certainlyContinue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(walk the Dawg) My war on my diabetes diagnosis continues. A relatively severe no/low carb diet, and avoidance of anything that looks like a cake, or a crisp is actually producing some results. I acquired a GI monitor, so now have to daily stab myself for blood to measure. I’d have thought, given my propensityContinue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(passport) My ten year passport expired (already?). These days you do the whole renewal on-line, and some kind of government backed A.I. critiques your application. Mostly this is straightforward. however the “recent photo” – plain background, look straight ahead, no hats (seriously?), no shadows, glasses… My first effort, rejected by robot response, was admittedly aContinue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(the awful duty) It is not given to us to know the minute when the story will end or change. The phone rings, and your cheery “hello…” is met with a somber silence, and pehaps you hear the caller sruggle to catch a breath, and you learn in rushed words, that someone has been taken,Continue reading “It’s …”

(roof) It is not widely appreciated that the natural enemy of the scaffolding labourer, is – the bee. My roof repair took all of one and a bit days, and it only needed the bit because one of the large sheets of lead was “missing”, and a replacement had to be sourced. Where, exactly, aContinue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(party!) Most everyone who will read this was probably there anyway. It was the fifth 60th I’ve attended this year, and when the birthday boy is known for being, or having been, the bass player in several bands, some kind of live music is unavoidable and reunions are inevitable. “No Shame”, with three guesting drummers,Continue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(Type 2) It’s been a considerable gap this time. Among other delights, I am now wrestling with the joys of a very low-carb diet, in an effort to check (maybe even reverse) my diabetes diagnosis. I could cope ~ ok-ish, with restricted sugar, however, it appears that alone is no longer adequate, and I mustContinue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(Selkirk) Where have I been? Everywhere except Selkirk. Dumfries, Thornhill, Kelso, Duns, Jedburgh, Etal, Berwick on Tweed, Hawick, Coldstream (twice), Melrose – we were in Melrose , right? and Penrith. I’m not sure why we didn’t do Selkirk, probably just a navigational error. There was some beautiful scenery, gorgeous blue skies, sub-zero wind chill, hail,Continue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life…”

(personal reflection) Following on from last week, an ECG confirms that I have (dramatic pause) a normal heart- much to general surprise. My uncontactable doctor’s reception, with the “unmanagable” volume of calls, phones me twice, with the same info, so I’m really sure. More digging holes in the garden and lifting heavy objects, the actualContinue reading “It’s a Dog’s Life”