The mist started to roll up from the Forth early on the 11th December and this image from the top floor of our school was visible for around half an hour. A fantastic panorama with the sun just coming up and shining almost horizontally across the school fields and Arthur Seat floating above the mist. Just after this the mist became fog and blanketed the whole of Edinburgh for 2 days. I thought this was so good I have had it made into a canvas print (8inches high by 22 inches long) which really is good looking. the sunlight really shows up the Autumn colours in the trees at the edge of the field. You should be able to click on the image see it full size.

The feet thing continued

Finally, finally seen the consultant and what a let down that was. I went in there with a whole lot of questions and the consultant shot everyone of them down. SHE-

• doesn't know what I have.
• doesn't know how bad it will get.
• doesn't know what caused it.
• doesn't know if it can be cured.

So in the time honoured tradition of those who don't know she'll clutch at straws. Lets have more blood tests, maybe have a biopsy of one of my nerves, we'll also have me pee in a bucket for 24 hours (that'll be fun) and just for good measure she'll have a chat with a specialist (which I thought she was) - oh and I have to stop drinking for a few weeks to see if that makes a diference then after that we'll try something else.

So in my life I get on with it, try not to complain but as usual fail miserably.

Update on how I feel. my left foot is drooping more every day I am constantly having to pull it up and now my right foot is starting to droop as well. the pain is bad more days than it's not. And now my hands are starting to feel numb which is where my feet were 19 months ago.

Other news my daughters cat Socks went missing for 6 days which caused some heartache but he's home again, so some good news for her.

My birthday was good I got a couple of DVD's which I like - Star Trek and Lost season 4 a top and a chinese meal so happy enough on the day.

Enough for today - see you later my phantom readers have a very merry christmas and a happy new year.

The feet thing

Finally got an appointment to see my consultant, 8th December. She sent the letter that's been waiting on her signature since July just the other week with an appointment for December. She also said that she is fairly sure I have something called Peripheral Neuropathy which is kind of scary when you look it up on the web, my nerves are dying off but leaving a lot of pain behind as they go. My muscles in my feet are also wasting away making my shoes feel heavier and also making it harder and more painfull to walk. It gets harder on a dailly basis to remain cheerful and keep a smile on my face. I have had this in various degrees for around 18 months now and I do get depressed when the pain gets bad, which is does in spasms, and the wait for a consultant to be bothered to look at my notes with the results of a dozen blood tests and electrical tests in there and think maybe she should inform me of what's wrong.

The Kitchen

I said on Tuesday that the kitchen was finished. Weeell I thought it was, but when I told the gruesome twosome (Sharon and Dale) (GT) when they dropped Korey off on Friday, they immediately started to snagg the room and picked up umpteen faults and gave me another 3 days of work.
I spent the rest of the day a broken man.

I just wrote the above incase GT read this, I am never broken, just thought I'd try to give a guilt trip to them hehehe LOL.

Anyways - I've spoken of anyways before, have to stop it - spent the day babysitting the wee man Korey and thoroughly enjoyed myself watching him play.

Another update I am still waiting to hear from my consultant the one I saw in February, I have phoned to find out when I might hear from her but her Sec. says variously - a letter is on it's way, a letter is waiting to be signed, she knows your waiting for results, she's on holiday, she has your notes and will get to them when she returns from holiday. I just hope that all this waiting isn't going to mean that the condition I have in my feet won't be able to be remedied because of the delays. I am getting quite depressed at times with not knowing what is wrong and what might cure/ correct it.

well phantom readers of mine have a good time and behave.

the kitchen

The kitchen is today officially finished and I am officially chuffed to the gutties. It is looking fantastic, photos will come later. A few compromises and slight changes for instance the dishwasher had to go into the utility room instead of next to the sink, this was because pipes running through space meant the machine wouldn't have gone all the way back so another cupboard is in the space, so more storage - bonus. When we took down the wall and door to the space under the stairs - this was to allow the oven door to open - we found we could put another 3 small cupboards in this space, so even more storage. We have ended up with about twice the storage we had originally in the same space it really is mind boggling.

Haven't meantioned wee Korey for a while no excuses just haven't been here for a while. The little fella is not only crawling but is pulling himself up on the furniture and standing he is so fast at learning it's mind blowing and he never stops smiling. I heard him laughing with his mum for the first time on Monday it was brilliant and so infectious. I better stop or I'll run out of superlatives life at the moment is good to the Nth degree.

Enjoy phantom reader and have a good life.

wandering mind

Reading a blog tonight which was discussing stovies. it mentioned that there are more ways of making stovies than tongue can tell and reminded me that i haven't had stovies for quite some time.
My recipe - my mothers really and probably hers before that - is this;

ingredients.

• knob of lard or beef dripping
• 4lb potatoes peeled and sliced about 5mm thick
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 1 lb of round or square sliced sausage
• salt and pepper to taste

method you'll need a large heavy bottom pan.

melt the lard or dripping in the pan

Place rest of ingredients in the pan over a medium heat and cover, stirring occassionally to make sure that nothing sticks. cook until potatoes are fairly soft.

serve as soon as its ready and enjoy it really is good and tasty.

I have substituted the dripping/lard with a drop of water to start things off there will be enough fats from the sausages to bind the dish as it cooks.

My daughter cooks them in a slow cooker wich is a great idea as it doesn't stick and burn.

I have tried the corned beef method but it's not as good. I prefer to make a pot of mashed potatoes then mash the corned beef into the potatoes we always called that corned beef hash. That too is good solid grub.

which is what I was brought up on and its what I like to eat.

Both of the above are my comfort foods.

I'll have to have stovies soon now thatr the kitchen is finished.

Korey

Korey is now 6 months and 2 weeks he is now climbing up the furniture and standing up how good is that? The kitchen is nearly finished now - I keep saying that but I really am so close to completion. Everything except the fridge is bought just have to complete putting together. thats the last fun bit.
I bought a new telescope the other week and it's rained or been cloudy ever since, so it's all my fault, so much power in one so old.

Big toe still hurts like hell if I'm standing too long, but I suppose it'll get better.

Korey

My grandson Korey is crawling and has been for just over a week now, which I find totally amazing as he is only 21 weeks old.

He is one of the happiest babies I have ever known, he is smiling almost non stop. He has been known to cry of course but thats usually because one of us idiot adults has held him the wrong way or done something stupid like take a toy away before he got bored with it. He is eating puried foods, the start of solids.
He is a fantastic little guy and he just brightens up the place when his mum and dad bring him round to see his gramps and granny. I have decided I will be known as gramps because I like the sound of it his granny , my wife, hasn't made up her mind how she'll be known so she could end up as grumps to my gramps.

On another note the kitchen is very close to being finished just a new door, skirtings and facings and general painting to finish Oh and the tiles to the splashback and it'll all be done.

So got to start on the planning of the next thing to do.

Mmmmm wonder what that will be.

Am I ever wrong?

Well the answer to that has to be YES. My wifes 'womens trouble is or was not a hystorectomy but a prolapse of the cervix' which of course means bugger all to me apart from it's quite serious but very different from previously reported. It still means that she can't do much and is off work for 12 or 13 weeks. Unable to lift things for the first few weeks and in a fair amount of pain.

Main thing is I have cloth ears and really should pay more attention when people speak to me.

I am back to being a boring B and returned to work and doing too much as usual.

Regards and felicitations to all my phantoms.

My wife

Other big news in my life is that my better half is in hospital - due home tomorrow - after having an operation -- womens trouble -- as they say, doctor called it a Hystorectomy. She's fine and looking really well considering the seriousness of the operation and looking forward to a few weeks of being molly coddled and pampered while she heals. She will also run me ragged and make the most of not being able to do things.

Ah well that's what love's all about.

My feet

I mentioned in March that I have sore feet and lower legs, that's the biggest understatment I've ever made sore doesn't begin to describe the pain.

Anyway - I have started to notice I begin sentences with the word 'anyway' quite a lot I'll have to stop that - I saw another neurologist on Tuesday who tested the conductivity of my nerves - got to stop these little asides as well, why he had to spend so much time at Med school is beyond me, he placed a contact on my feet and another on my leg and sent an electrical charge between them then measured the distance and fed that into a PC - so the PC was doing all the work. He merely read the results from the screen.
Upshot is my nerves are causing me pain - I knew that already didn't need umpteen years in med school or a PC to tell me that bit - he doesn't know what causes it but it won't get any better he tells me then gets back to chatting up the pretty med student who wants to learn how to work a PC like he does - his fingers are so nimble on the keyboard her heart and eyes flutter - you can see the hero worship as well as feel it.

Anyway - there I go again tsk tsk- he says that the first consultant, from February, will be in touch to let me know what the findings are, which at the rate the NHS moves at will be in December. So here I sit a little depressed, readers, phantoms, and all who sail the porridge and morrasse nay drivel I write here. A little research on the internet of the symptoms I have tell me I may have a condition called by various names but mostly RSD (CRPS) - Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy ( Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) in essence my nerves have set up a pain giving loop - one nerve says its sore and another says are you and first say yes and so it goes on. If I were a computer I'd simply switch off and reboot but I aint so I can't so I'll have to suffer the pain, It'll only get worse so the story goes.

Craig Anstey

I was just wandering through you tube for some of my old time favourite songs- Don't fence me in, Ghost riders in the sky, some of Donovans best colours etc.

Anyway I found this brilliant young Canadian acoustic guitarist who also has a fantastic voice he can be found at - http://www.youtube.com/user/Canstey84#play/search/4/ddEKMiITCJA

just click the link and it should take you there or copy and paste into your address bar. He has uploaded what seems like hundreds of original and cover acoustic songs. he really is good.

Better go before I start sounding like a groupie or whatever that is.

I keep forgetting no one actually reads this so who am I telling this to?

Bye for now.

The Kitchen

The kitchen is moving on now that my toe is better - or getting better would be better - ( I love this language it's such a mess).

The kitchen, I ramble and detour with my thoughts it must be the drugs - only joking, I have installed all the wall cabinets, worktops, oven, microwave and sink and today the cooker hood arrived so I'll get that fixed soon. The floor tiling is in progress and we bought the splashback tiles during the week. Things are looking good and I'm getting back on track to finishing sometime in October. I am really pleased with how much has been achieved by paying cash for everything. It really does give a tremendous sense of pride in your work when you can stand back and say I don't owe anyone for this. My wife and I have have done all this ourselves.

Chuffed to the gutties as they say.

Ramble over see you soon bye.

Another thought

Going overboard tonight with thinking - but that's what happens when your bored sensless. I was thinking that almost no one knows where my nickname Dodderer comes from.

I was about 28 years old and a building site supervisor and one of my apprentices who I was helping to understand an easier way of doing a particular task - don't ask me what it was I am far too old to remember - anyway after repeatedly showing him what he was doing wrong he finally grasped how it was done. Then turned round and said thanks for that- Yeah like that ever happened - but he did turn to me and said ' you know something your doddering old C*#t. He was about 17 I was 28 and he called me old I couldn't believe it I thought I was still quite young anyway I did like the Doddering reference so I kept it just changed it slightly to Dodderer. The swear word by the meant nothing, swearing in all its forms were just part of the normal way of talking in the trade and very rarely were the words actually used in a hurtfull way.
That's how I became Dodderer

Interesting aint it - probably not dear Phantom reader.

A Thought

At the top of my blog there various things and options available from a blog search panel to a next blog button. Every time I press the next blog I get Spanish language blogs which i don't understand though from the pictures I would like to read - How do I get english language blogs to read. might be too difficult for an old dodderer like me to understand.

Anyway Rosy have a wonderfull adventure in India I wish you all the best and a really happy time there. Hope to see you when you get back.

In the Kitchen

I should point out - just in case any of the phantoms who read my posts wonder- that I am not really a lazy so an so the reason that this renovation to my kitchen is taking so long is because I refuse to borrow money to do it. This of course means that I can only spend any spare cash out of my very meagre wages on the programme, this is much preferable to paying for a loan which by the time the loan is paid the kitchen looks like it needs replacing. In another couple of months I will have a brand new fully paid for kitchen and dining room.

May in the Kitchen

May seen the start of the new units going in.

The new doors and worktops and sink went during this month too, which is just as well because at the beginning of June I broke my left big toe ( see below) so not much happened during June or July.

Kitchen continued

Removal of old units went on while new electrics were installed that brought us to the end of May.

Kitchen remodel

I started in April by ripping out the pine ceiling and putting up a new plasterboard one. Then began the removal of the old kitchen units.

The big toe

My foot and toe are getting very swollen if I stand for too long its also very painful. There are two marks on my foot where the damn staging fell on it which co-responds to the marks on my shoe making me wonder if I maybe broke a bone further up my foot, I'll give it another few days and if it's still the same I'll see the doctor.

Broken toe

My toe is getting better I had the cast taken off on thursday so I can now wash my feet again my foot looked horrible when the cast came off. Toe is still a bit sore I've to take it easy with it for the next 4 weeks or so. Another thing I can do is drive, I missed that.

School Holidays

Edinburgh schools are on holiday from today, which means that I get a whole lot more peace and quiet at my front door. It really is quiet here anyway but the holiday times mean that there is a lot less traffic and people passing my house. I was due to start my own holidays from monday but that's now postponed until my foot is better, but what the heck I'm off anyway just can't drive.

This is drivel but it keeps me amused. I'm installing a new kitchen in my house and I think I'll record on here how it's progressing so look forward to seeing the before, during and after photos.

That'll drive my phantom reader to near suicide or at least to deeper contemplation of their navel.

How do you like the two new gadgets Astronomy picture of the day and Random Webcams from around the World

Broken toe again

I was thinking the other day about this bandage which is wrapped around my foot and big toe. Its a pretty ugly thing but functional in its own way, anyway this is on my foot for four weeks with orders from those who know that I have to keep it dry, this is easier said than done but I try. The thing is can you imagine just how dirty a white bandage is getting after just three weeks with another week to go, I daren't even think about the condition of the foot trapped inside it, just as well I don't suffer from smelly feet LOL. The photo was taken just after I got home from the hospital so everything is still reasonably clean.

I got another couple of books yesterday via my daughter going to the shops - thanks very much Shaz - I'll list them on the side panel if they are any good and here for the moment

Sail by James Patterson

Your heart belongs to me by Dean Koontz

They both should be good reads as I've read these guys before and they are both good spinners of tales and keep you really interested from start to finish.

Latest from a fevered brow

It's been a while - again- only this time I'm not at work, how strange is that?

I am off work while my toe heals. I broke it while setting up staging for the school Prizegiving evening, damn fool stage fell over and landed on my foot. Next day, not being able to get my left shoe on due to swelling and bruising of my left foot, which just happened to be the one the stage fell on, this was a major clue as to why the bruising was there. I went to the local Hospital to have it X-rayed and the doctor discovered I had three fractures in two of the bones in my big toe, these bones are known as the meta -thingymajigs, can't spell won't spell. My big toe was given a two inch long plaster cast all to itself and my foot bandaged, that part I don't understand, and then I was given a special sandal the sole of which was all heel and no toe area to stop me bending my toe while walking. So here I am three weeks later having read all the books in the house which were still to be read and bored to tears remembering I had a blog so that's why the above is here.

Have fun and until next time my phantom readers be good.

Expenses who would have them?

At work just now, but then again where else am I going to be?

Listening to more of this about MP's and their crazy claims for excesses. How is it that they can make these claims then merely say they are sorry and that's the end of it, every other citizen of this country would be tried and jailed or fined for this type of behaviour? They also claim they are poorly paid yet they can write a cheque for tens of thousands of pounds just like that to repay what they have claimed, quite legally, but so obviously not morally. Where do these poor people find this money which they so badly needed just to be able to do their job?

This really makes me so very angry just hearing what they are doing. Every one of them should be out on their ear - deselected and a new bunch elected in and preferably not from any of the three main parties. and I still maintain that there should not be any such thing as a carreer politician - re elected three times and then you can no longer have any sort of political post anywhere. This would make sure that politicians had some connection to the real world, which this lot clearly do not.

Enough of this I am possibly too angry to say what I think of the political class.

Korey

Still at work no change there then.
Just thought I'd mention that little Korey is getting bigger everyday and really looking fantastic six weeks old yesterday. He has a great pair of lungs - well I hope it's a pair too much noise for just one lung - just joking, I am told my sense of humour is rank rotten and that I am probably the only person who finds my jokes funny, well better to laugh than cry I say even if the joke is bad.

Korey's mum and dad are looking good too really suits them being parents. I'll have to get some more pics of the threesome soon.

Three posts in one day something of a record for me.

Back to the grind again.

Swine Flu

Just listening to the news and they really are making a mountain out of a mole hill out of this.

Think about it for a moment it's not news , not even frightening for goodness sake. There are less than 1000 confirmed cases of swine flu around the planet, then consider this, there are close to 6 billion people on this rock there are more people around the world with ordinary flu right now.

Over 5000 people die of ordinary flu in GB every year so why be scared of a flu strain that has infected a dozen or so people?

Just shows that when there is no news hype something up.

Birthdays

Here I am posting from work again - never away from this place or so it seems. Anyway what does that matter I missed my sisters surprise birthday party last night really sorry about that but surprise surprise I was working. So Sis if you ever read this Very many happy returns on the auspicious occassion of reaching the ripe old age of ................ not going to say but I really mean it happy birthday Liz. I better not forget, not that I would, little bro Graham's birthday is on the same day - twins born 4 years apart with me inbetween SPOOKY or what.
I really hope you both had a good time last night I know it would have been better without me anyways because it really does say on my tin " probably the most boring person on the planet".

weeeeeeeeee meeeeeeeee update

Just looking at my previous entry with the picture of wee me and thought I might just show the whole picture it came from. I'm not going to name everyone in the photo because they might not like people to know, except you can spot me with my superman quiff on the right.

Granddad

as promised earlier here is my grandson.

and this is mum and dad with the bonny baby

I'm a grandfather

Today my daughter Sharon gave birth to a fine baby boy named Korey he is 8 lbs 6 oz. Which of course makes me a granddad and so make me so proud to be the dad of my daughter. I've yet to see mum, dad and son but will tonight, so pictures of this new family will be published later tonight. As usual I'm working while all this excitment is on the go and this probably makes me seem like I don't care which is sooooo wrong I would love to be able to just shut up the shool and go and see them but there is close to 400 people in here today and by the time I got them all out they would have been finishing anyway.
I'll see them tonight which will give everyone a chance to have calmed down after the excitement of today. As far as I know Sharon and Dale went into hospital last night about midnight and the baby was born at 8:17 am this morning which I don't think was too long for a first baby. Anyway as we say in Edinburgh I am chuffed to the gutties and a tear springs to my eye every time I think about the little fella and being a granddad.
So my mysterious readers, if there are any, look out for these fantastic out of focus and shaky pictures of my new grandson later today or early tomorrow.

Oh I meant to say that Korey means Gods Peace in Germanic and English and Dweller in a hollow Spear in gaelic he's gonna be a fantastic young man, look out world here he comes.

More nonsense from the edge....

I've almost completed the renovations to my daughter and son-in-laws house and have been thoroughly enjoying it all. Also don't know if I ever mentioned this before but my feet and lower legs have been in constant pain since last may and I finally got to see a neurologist for a consult and she has prescribe a nerve pain killer for me which I'll get next week - why next week? - because my own GP has to actually do the prescribing. I hope that I'll finally get some relief from the 24/7 pain I've been suffering and I'll be able to smile for real instead of all the pretend smiling I've been doing for too long now. Mind you there is always the possibility that these new drugs will knock me off the planet to some happy place - will I mind or even know if that happens just have to wait and see.

Going to be a granddad any time now, can't wait, and will probably become some super soft eejit ooooooing and aaaaaahing all over the little tyke which is definately not a bad thing to be.

Next post will know whether it's a boy or a girl, girl or a boy, better not have a preference as either will be loved as much as the other.

necxt post might also be from outer space depending on the drugs :)

Latest news

Again it's been a long time so I thought I better say something. What's the latest news?
Very shortly I am going to be a grandfather but I've already said that on here so what else can I say?
I work too hard, I get angry a lot with the world and the greed and stupidity of people, particularly bankers at the moment. I always promised myself that politics and the world would be taboo subjects to my blog so I'm saying no more on that subject. This has been a pointless entry tonight can't think of anything to put in here so I'm off ..............

more about my weeeeeeee meeeeeee

Where I work there is a competition to guess the person - you have a photo of someone when the were very young and you have to guess who it is now. I entered my wee me pic and got the response that I look like a younger version of the 'child catcher' from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Having looked this guy up there is a resemblence which is scary.

Any way I hope all my phantom readers a very happy and stress free 2009, and that this year will make at least 80% of all your dreams come true - you should never get everything you wish for or you will lose hope.

Have a nice one.