Tales and Planes

Getting up on Saturday morning was a shock. The sun was out and looked like it might be out all day.

Was I going to miss this opportunity to get on my motorbike? No sirreeee.

Got the leathers on and headed out with no particular destination to start with, when I remembered about the National Museum of Scotland Airshow at East Fortune. Well I thought, a bit skint and not paid 'till monday..but I could watch the show from a surrounding road....they would be in the air so should be easy to see.

I set off along the Edinburgh Bypass and was confronted by a queue of traffic at Sherrifhall...no probs on the bike though....weaved my way through the middle of it...god its good to be on the bike :-)

After that is was down the coast road to East Fortune...cutting inland about Longniddry and finally on a little road just outside the show itself.

A line of parked cars greeted me....parked alongside the 'No Parking' signs put there earlier in the day by the police.

I thought to myself that this could be problematic later in the day, and so found a private drive with an elderly gentleman sitting in his car. He said OK to my question about joining him at the end of the drive...and so off the public road. Another biker joined us and we sat watching the airshow and swapping stories.

Turns out that this gentleman was in the Home Guard stationed near Macmerry during WW2 and it turned out that my fellow biker's dad was as well. I had tears in my eyes listening to the stories that both came out with.

Like the time they were detailed to blow up a small building during an exercise. Noone had explosives experience, so they got some from a miner that worked the coalface. On hearing how much they put in the building, the regular army officer said they should 'run' after lighting it. They did.

The building was blown into the Forth!

At the same time we watched the motorcycle police moving on all the parked cars...and eyeing us carefully. Private road though....couldnt touch us.

After the Avro Vulcan bomber had done its bit, it was thanks to the old chap and back on the bikes for the ride home (weaving in between the traffic at the roundabout again).

Great chat, good show and a fantastic ride......thats what makes a good day.

1977 v 2009

I have been thinking (dangerous I know). How much easier it seems these days when you are 13.

My son (Craig) is off to watch Harry Potter with his 12 yr old friend tonight (and staying over), but normally he would be here with me playing the Xbox and chatting with friends all round the world.

Now, as a conscientious dad I try to ensure that he is chatting with peeps his own age ( and it sounds like it) and I start to wonder how much easier it is today.

At 13 and at 9pm I would be in the house, possibly watching Warship or Triangle(god please not) in 1977 and that would be it. No TV or stereo in my bedroom so it was either me in my room or some (frankly) god-awful prog that my parents were watching.

Great choice.

Now my son is chatting with kids round the planet, and really enjoying himself. I have even joined in (a little) and been part of it - when playing RockBand - and they are having fun.

He has (dare I say it - Aspergers Syndrome - but only very slightly) so I was concerned about him making friends.

After 10 mins on the Xbox with him - that was dispelled.

He has 30+ kids playing with him...from cousins to complete strangers(to me), and with the Xbox hooking in with Facebook this year..it will only get closer/tighter.

I look back on my teenage years and I still think they were great......but oh to be 13 in 2009!

Wonder if it will rain today?

I have to say I love this country, but why does it have to rain almost every friggin day?

I have started a new job with the Scottish Qualification Authority(SQA) in Glasgow - 33 miles from my flat, and the journey is mostly great on my 250cc Yamaha Virago.

Except......in the rain.

For those who don't know about the 'baby' Virago.....its light. Very light. Which is great for fuel consumption...but crap when going round corners in the rain. Every corner is a skid-pan. So I thought I would stick with the motorway...in Glasgow.

OK for motorway at rush hour in Glasgow...read car park. Its safe I suppose. Doing 5-10mph for 5 miles...you can't get hurt.

Anyway the forecast for this week is damp....so maybe I will pay the king's ransom and get the train to work.....

Who knows.