Coldstream Country

Now I will get sad. It really is time to leave Scotland. This is the bridge in Coldstream Country that stretches over the River Tweed to England. Just below the flowers in the photo is a wooden saw horse with the words "Coldstream Country" burned & carved into it. This is the last view of Scotland we were to have, although we did spend quite a bit of time here. We walked midway across the bridge, actually entering England before deigning to make the drive over. Farewall Scotland, home of my heart. I will see you again. Arsenal have drawn Juventus in the next Champions League round. That means we'll be seeing that fat bastard Vieira again. After he abandoned us for Juvey I've really just ignored his career. I guess I should pay some slight attention to what he brings to Juventus. For the fixtures on the weekend, Arsenal host Liverpool. Let's see if we can put those 'Scousers in their place. With Liverpool sitting two spots ahead of us and their eye on second place we need to ensure that we secure all three points. At the same time we need to pray that those Russian prats in the South of London Chelsea put the Sp*rs in a full nelson and rob them of all three. We still have the option of fourth place, but need to win every game while the Sp*rs lose. Right then, it's Friday and time for a beer. Wastrel On! (Listening to:

Cemetery at Coldstream

Alright, we're still not out of Scotland at this point. We're headed toward Coldstream which is a true border-town. We actually adjusted our trip to swing through Coldstream because I was looking for a contact I had established there for braces manufacturing. While there I tried to locate them to no avail. I sometimes despair of every finding that company again. During the trip I'd been carefully & studiously avoiding graveyard photos because I consider them ubiquitous and somewhat cliche. However, the lighting for this one was just so nice I couldn't help myself. So, there you have it. I also have one in black & white that's nearly as nice. Well, although I didn't get the opportunity to see it, I hear tell that Arsenal v Real Madrid was the best nil-nil game you're ever likely to see. Yes, nil-nil, which means that 9 time Champions League winners Real Madrid fail to pass the test and went home losers. Apparently the officials tried their damnedest to give RM the boost but the Arsenal were more than equal to the 12-man team that were Real Madrid. Liverpool lost on the day to Benifica and with Chelsea having lost the day before, Arsenal are the only English team to move forward in the competition. Up the Arsenal! Oh, and styromfoam can be recycled. Groovy. And that's that for today. Wastrel On! (listening to: Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by the Animals)

The Ship Inn in Melrose

I had a difficult time leaving Scotland phyiscally, and now I'm having a hard time leaving it figuratively. So, I'm writing about Melrose again. This is a photo of Marita Beth sitting next to a window in an overstuffed chair in a charming little pub called the Ship Inn. Whether it's really an Inn or not I don't know, but it's definitely a pub. A pretty young lady & and an old publican behind the bar, regular patrons on the stools, football on the telly & Belle & Sebastian on the jukebox. It was home, at least for the duration of a McEwans & a cider. Marita Beth spent some time while here to write in her travelogue while I drank the stout, watched the footy & soaked up the atmosphere. I could've spend hours here. I suppose maybe tomorrow, we really will leave Scotland; but until then Wastrel On! (Listening to: Horizon by Enya)

Melrose Abbey

It's time to leave Scotland behind and enter Merry Ol'. However, not before visiting the Abbey. We'd already picked up my 7's jersey (sweater, strip, kit, shirt?) so we headed on up the road to the Abbey signs. What a beautiful place. I'm sure it was even more beautiful in its hey day. There has been an Abbey of some sort in Melrose (Mailros as it was once known) since 650AD. The first one being founded by St. Aidan of Lindisfarne about two miles east of Melrose at a little spot in the crook of a River Tweed bend that is now called Old Melrose. The Cistercian's built the current abbey in its location in 1136 at the behest of King David I. Apparently they needed more farmland than the other location afforded so negotiated for this new tract. It was closed to the public, or we couldn't find the entrance I don't recall which, on the day we went. So we walked about the grounds, climbed on walls and took photos. Then off we headed to England. Our trip to Scotland was over & I was sad. Wigan hosted ManU at the JJB today. At the half Wigan had played the better football with 7 shots on target, however it was a draw at nil-nil. Second half saw each side put one in the bag until the 90th minute. Than the unlucky sod Chimboda dropped one into his own net sealing a lost for the valiant Wigan. How great would it have been for Wigan to steal 2 points from ManU! Very, very great is the response you're looking for. Chelsea have trotted off to Barcelona for leg 2 of the the Champions League tie with Mourinho being spat at for his troubles when the bus arrived at its destination. Real Madrid, however, found no such behaviour greeting them when they arrived trouble-free in London to play the Arsenal in their second leg. Let us hope that that historic win at the Bernabeu a fortnight ago followed by this weekend's romp at Fulham's expense (4-nil the score) will boost the confidence of our red-currant players to famous levels. Madrid deserves the dousing, so up the Gunners! That's all for now, kiddies. I'm tired & I want a beer. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Bossa Nova by John McLaughlin, Al di Meola & Paco de Lucia)

different post

I can't ready an image to post because of the shite that is our IT department. They have worked for 2+ years to prepare computers for the monkeys that work in this company. Completely locked down, employees cannot write anything to their c:\ drive. Every box is supposed to be identical to every other. On the surface it's probably a good idea, but underneath where the real work gets done, it's fucked me. Now, I can't even open my copy of Photoshop to work an image. Yeah, great job, IT, you ball-less wonders. At least some good news on the footy-front. Bergkamp & Ljungberg could be back for weekend action against Fulham. Robbie van Persie remains out, though and it's looking like Cygan will be ready in 1 week, Sol Campbell in 2 weeks (year, right) and Ashley Cole in 3 weeks (prat!). Ashley Cole is suing News of the World because he's not included in an article about gay footballers. Go figure. Robert Pires was offered the Dennis Bergkamp formula in terms of his contract. That is to say, one year, plus one year, plus one year ad nauseum. Alexander Graham Bell, that famous Scot what invented the Telephone, was born on this day in 1847. Did you know that the Decibel is named after him, too? It's Friday. I'll soon be Off to drink healthy beer, then play some Mah-Jongg Wastrel On! (Listening to: Delcicate by Patrick O'Hearn)

Bed & Breakfast in Melrose, Scotland

Here we have arrived in Melrose, Scotland home of the Sevens Rugby Football Club. We are staying in this wonderfully old building that has been most thoroughly modernised. It used to be the school house for the nearby Melrose Abbey, but is now privately owned. The morning we left this location, I spied on their wall a tasteful watercolour of a Rugby match. I enquired of the town's infatuation with Rugby having seen numerous strips while out & about the night before. Apparently, Melrose is known for having created the 7-a-side Rugby phenomenon. So, I had to have a shirt; I just had to. The B&B owners are apparently tight with the club, so they rung down the arena and arranged for someone to go and open the gift shop that I might purchase my shirt. Not a cheap thing, it was £70 (iirc), but I have my black & yellow hooped rugby shirt that I now wear frequently. Hell, if I'm going to pay $130 for a shirt, I damn well should wear it every day! In footy bits, Djourou did indeed get his debut in the second half of Switzerland vs. Scotland (which the Swiss won 3-1). By all reports both Senderos & Djourou made good accounts of themselves. Spain vs. Ivory Coast ended 3-2 to Spain with Cesc (the youngest player in 70 years to make his debut) setting up a goal and Reyes coming on as a sub to net one for the team at 17 minutes til time. Well done, youngsters! And here we have yet one more reason to continue our long-standing boycott of Domino's Pizza. What a maroon! Rocky 6? You've got to be kidding me. and, whoever did this has WAAAAY too much time on their hands and far too manyLegoss. Wastrel On! (Listening to: The Silken Whip by Afrocelts)

Unknown Tower Ruins

Just down the road and on the other side of the Tweed from Neidpath was this structure. We're unsure what it was, but considering it's very definite non-strategic placement, we presume it to be an abandoned croft or farm building of some sort. We were driving along and it just appeared out of the mist in the middle of field. We could get no closer than perhaps 200 yards due to fencing and there were no signs anywhere to tell us more. Nor was it listed in any of our maps or guides. But, ruins of any type generally fascinate me. I'm positive that were I someday to get over my anal-bit concerning clean hands, I'd make a fine archaeologist. But, until then, I'll just admire the ruins from afar. Talked to my Magic 8-Ball this morning. These are the Oscar winners as predicted by my trusty ball.

• Best Picture - Brokeback Mountain
• Best Actor - Joaquim Phoenix
• Best Actress - Reese Witherspoon
• Best Director - Paul Haggis
• Best Original Screenplay - Crash

If I'm wrong, remember it's the Magic 8-Balls fault, not mine.

Cesc Fabregas gets his first call up to the Spanish side to play against Kolo Toure & the Ivory Coast today. Senderos & Johann Djourou were both called up for Switzerland with Djourou making his first senior team appearance. Robbie Van Persie was exonerated yesterday of the rape charges that have been hanging over his head for most of a year, due to a lack of evidence. Lehmann is optimistic about a new deal, but rumour has it he wants 4 years, while Arsenal's policy is 1 year at a time for the over 30 players. Sol Campbell is out for another month after a scan revealed that he's got some sort of bone thing going on that could result in broken bones were to suffer a collision of any merit. That leaves Rio Ferdinand & John Terry in the centre for tonight's game against Uruguay. Theo Walcott debuted on the England U-19 squad last night and marked it with a goal helping England to a 3-1 win over Slovakia. Freddie Ljungberg bows out of the Sweden v Republic of Ireland friendly with a calf injury, possibly opening the door for a Walcott debut in the domestic charge to the finish. Last week Arsenal entered a $350,000 agreement to use Israel as the official & exclusive tourist destination of the Arsenal FC. This will be an interesting arrangement as Fly Emirates are the official sponsor of the team stadium & kit. This will likely set the club & their sponsor at sixes and sevens. In fact the Emirates are so strongly anti-Israel that in order to obtain a visa for entry into any of the seven emirates you must satisfy "The three entry requirements of obtaining a visa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its seven emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah) are that you are not a citizen of Israel, that your passport doesn't contain Israeli stamps, and that your passport is valid for at least 6 months before your arrival." Look for further argy-bargy on this one. The England squad face Uruguay in the first national-side game since Eriksson announced his intent to leave his post immediately following the World Cup. Lampard has pulled out of the squad with a "tight hamstring" giving Michael Carrick another cap. Up front, Darren Bent will have a debut alongside Rooney. Since both Alan Smith & Michael Owen out, I see this as a very logical choice. At the back Ashley Cole will be replaced by Wayne Bridge and as mentioned earlier, Sol is out giving Terry & that over-priced hack Ferdinand a chance to cement their partnership which can only be good for England. England have a VERY strong squad and stand every chance of winning the World Cup if they'll play as a team. Under Eriksson, however, they have played more as eleven individuals and that has hampered them. The FA announced yesterday that they have compiled a short-list of six to take the position of England Manager, but won't reveal who's on that list. The sooner the better I say.

Wastrel On! (Listening to: Low by R.E.M.)

Neidpath Castle

Our visit to Neidpath Castle was one of those serendipitous moments you read about but are positive never happen, at least to you. We were on our way from Peebles to Melrose where we intended to stay the night, when we rounded the turn on some small road we were travelling and espied this (I presumed) Peel tower. We stopped. I took photos; lots of photos. Neidpath Castle was originally built by the Fraser family in or around the 14th century. At some point it passed into the hands of the Earl of Tweeddale who owned it until the end of the 17th century. Currently, it is owned & cared for by the Earl of Wemyss & March and in the process of being slowly restored. It is a typically shaped L-Tower (not a Peel tower) overlooking the river Tweed. This was an astonishing discovery that we explored & enjoyed thoroughly. Unfortunately, we were running a bit short of time, so we didn't prowl the grounds as we might otherwise have done, but we'll be back. It's family after all. Well Ashley Cole is well & truly buggered, I fear. The boy's been out of action since October when he broke his foot in a match. He's played portions of games but not started since that time. Thus, he has only played a total of 7 games since the start of the season. Last night in a Reserve game against the shite-heads up on Whitehart Lane, he fell victim to an overly reckless tackle and is out again after playing only 7 minutes of that game. His World Cup hopes (and England's) are looking slimmer by the day. No official word yet from the Arsenal, but I'm not holding out hope. The Black Death caused the Little Ice Age. Who knew? And just in case you need it, here's a list of the cleanest restrooms in America according to the Cincinnati Enquirer: All Seasons Bistro in East Lansing, Michigan Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey Hemenways in Providence, Rhode Island Quad City International Airport in Moline, Illinois Wendell's Restaurant in Westerville, Ohio Wastrel On! (Listening to: Eyes of a Stranger by Queensrÿche)

Many's the time I've wished I'd taken more care to document my photos as I take them. None more so than now. The only thing I can tell you of this bridge is that it lies somewhere between Roslin & Melrouse, for it is during that stretch of our trip that I took this photo. The rest, you will have to glean & judge for yourself. Arsenal, on the heels of a fantastic victory in Madrid fell to the antics of Mark Hughes' team, Blackburn on Saturday. That sets Blackburn ahead of Arsenal in the table and on a collision course with Tottenham for that coveted fourth-place finish. There's still some 10+ games in the season, so anything is possible in this funny ol' game with the exception of Chelsea NOT winning the title. That's already a wrap, so it's 2-4 places that are the prize now. Papers in Madrid are claiming that theres a swap deal on the table, Ronaldo for Thierry. Are you kidding me? A Ferrari for a Yugo? Has to be a crank and the Arsenal would be fools to even think about following up on it. Manchester United took the Carling Cup victory yesterday with a 4-Nil win over Wigan. Wigan's had a purple season, but when it came to it, the team didn't show. Sounds like our Arsenal season, wot? Oh, hey, did you know that Henges are older than the Pyramids? I'm not sure I did, but I'm not overly surprised that the aliens went to Great Britain before they went to Egypt. Really. Verdant green hills and forests or Sand. Which would YOU choose? Ok. It's Monday, which means it's time for a beer. The liver be damned. I'm off...down the Psycho Path. Wastrel On! Listening to (The Tell-Tale Heart by Alan Parson's Project)

Rosslyn Chapel Interior

The Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin, Midlothian (home of the Roslin Biocentre) has held captive my attention and imagination for much of my life. Its inexorable (and possibly implausible) link to the Templars and the Masons lends itself to wonderfully fortean conspiracy-driven theories. Thus my attention. After placing Ginger on her plane, Marita Beth & began the slow journey to London. On that passage, we made sure to stop at Rosslyn Chapel, a place I have longed to visit for many, many years. Worth the wait it was, and our timing was ideal. We arrived on a Sunday morning just as service was to begin. Rosslyn Chapel is an active chapel and holds weekly services. By attending the service, we managed to escape the £6 entrance charge. And, although Church services don't appeal to me in the slightest, sitting with a bunch of true-believers in a building that has stood since 1446 is pretty damn cool. Of course, I wasn't dressed for church, being in just a t-shirt and shorts, but I suppose that doesn't really matter these days anyway, so I didn't fret it. We just sat at the back, and I took clandestine photos of the service in process...probably against some law somewhere. But there you have it. Oh, and of course, Rosslyn Chapel will be featured in the upcoming Tom Hanks/Ron Howard vehicle, the Davinci Code. Arsenal secured a famous victory against Real Madrid the other night. 1-0 in the Bernabeu is an amazing victory. We are the first English team to ever defeat Real Madrid on their home turf and we did it having never encountered them in a regulation game before. Great fun, that. I just hope the lads learn from the experiece rather than letting the win go to their heads and thus turning the remainder of the season all pear-shaped. We're in a good patch right now, let's play that patch purple on Saturday against Blackburn. Chelsea lost 2-1 to Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. Serves the whingers right, and of course "Moan"rinho didn't take too long to blame the loss on the officiating. That's right, it couldn't be because they're shite, it had to be someone else's fault. Get over yourself 'special one'. Two of my very dear friends are apparently househunting in Racine, WI. They move there, I may just have to follow. Two of my other friends are being stupid with their relationship difficulties and I get to be in the middle. Oh hell, oh well, that's what friends are for, wot? East Wind Games is coming along. We will be out patching & painting, building & destroying all weekend. Just a few more weeks and the hard-won dream becomes reality. Oh, and yeah, there are scores of UFO's flying about our sun while the U.S. government tries to hide this fact from us. Right, well, it's Friday. Which means work then beer. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Falling In Love (is Hard on the Knees) by Aerosmith)

Carriden House in Bo'Ness

Carriden Brae in Bo'Ness. The very epitome of why my wife & I sometimes prefer to just pop in and scout out a Bed & Breakfast rather than book one days, weeks or even months in advance. This is the one that we booked while in that small, charming Hamlet watching a parade of children. Carriden House was a perfect place to spend the last night with our loving Ginger. The next morning we were to take her to Edinburgh for her flight back to the U.S. Carriden House was originally a 16th century 5-story tower house. It has since been expanded & modernized. Most of the interior was unavailable to us as the house is in the process of revitalization and the remaining original portion of the house is completely off-limits as it is the private residence of the owners. However, the parts that are available to the guests are delightful. I hope to someday return here and witness the completed restoration. At that time, I hope also to spend more time in Bo'ness proper as it is, by all accounts, a fascinating location. Bo'ness (complete name is Borrowstounness) sits on the River Forth and it is here that the Antonine Wall begins. James Watt also developed the steam engine in this, the Jewel in the Crown of Falkirk. I'm sure many more interesting tidbits of architectural and archaeological history would surface with just a wee bit of digging. Arsenal travel to Madrid for the first of a two-leg tie against Real Madrid for Champions League glory. We travel without much of our first team squad out due to injury. But, as bad as our injury situation is we have to be thankful that none of our players suffered the sort of horrific long-term injury that befell Alan Smith of Manchester United on the weekend. Self-inflicted as it was, it remains "the worst injury" Alex Ferguson has ever seen. The hope is that he will be back in nine-months time. That's my hope. No player deserves the kind of pain & misery he must be feeling right now. All the best, Alan & hopes for a speedy come-back to the top-flight. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Explosions Polka by Johann Strauss)

Kenmore Kirk

Just the other side of the Loch from the Crannog Centre is Kenmore, the Taymouth. This charming church is the Kenmore Kirk and sits squarely at the end of the town "centre". Directly behind me as I take this photo is the Kenmore Inn, the oldest Inn in all Scotland. Of course, what small village visit is complete without a trip to the local pub? The Kenmore Inn holds the Poet Bar where in 1782 Robbie Burns penned a poem on the chimney. Barely readable, at least to these eyes, that poem still adorns the wall in Robbie's own hand. Some very interesting Arsenal bits today. Read here and here to get the gist. I've not the time to write out my own thoughts on the team. Wastrel On! (Listening to: Kashmir by The Housejacks)

Croft Moraig

We've left the Crannog Centre, it being time to continue on toward Edinburgh. We'd gone perhaps 5 miles when I'm instructed to turn around. Marita Beth or Ginger had espied this unassuming, yet beautiful circle of stones set in a field. We believe it to be Croft Moraig (or Mary's Croft), but saw no signs to confirm that presumption. As you can see we were one side of a barbed-wired fence while the stones set serenely the other side. We stayed no longer than was necessary to capture a few photos. However, in looking back, I'd have stayed longer in an attempt to drink in its ancient story. Well, the self-destruction is nearly complete. A must win game was played for a draw when in the end, Luis Garcia managed to bollocks-rock us with a toe-poke securing all three points for the home side. Yet again, Gilberto proved he can't pass and is certainly not value for money. Sadly, the same can be said of Pires & Ljungberg. However, my man of the match had to be Lehman, the man was brilliant between the sticks and kept us in the game for a long time. In fact, it truly did look to end all square, but football's a funny ol' game and it really only does take a second to dash all dreams to hell. The addage goes, "you can have many friends, many lovers even many wives (for some), but you can only have one football team". I'm here to tell you that is so very wise & true. For were it not, Arsenal would be exchanged for a younger, prettier mistress. However, I'm a Gooner and always will be, no matter how much shite they are on the pitch. Come on Arse, stop with the antics and let's play some footy for real. Oh yeah. Thanks for reading. Go click on some of the ads and help me pay for the next trip overseas. :-) Wastrel On! (Listening to: Where the Streets Have No Name (Can't Take My Eyes Off of You) by the Pet Shop Boys)

Exterior of the Crannog

I'm remarkeably unmotivated today, so you get another Crannog photo. This time from the outside looking onto Loch Tay. You really can see how canny these forebears were. It really borders on the brilliant doesn't it?

Liverpool are entertaining Arsenal at Anfield as I write this. And where am I? At work, like a dull dolt, unable to motivate myself to do much of anything. I suppose the upside is that the game is 38 minutes in and Liverpool haven't scored yet. Up the Arse!

Wastrel On!

(Listening to: I Am a UFO by Kevin Lux)

Crannog Door

From the inside of the Crannog looking at the light streaming through the open door. One marvels at the technical prowess of the ancient folks. The crannog itself is pretty large. There were 18 (or so...the memory fails) on our tour and we all fit comfortably around the centre fireplace leaving plenty of room around the walls for bunking, eating, gaming & whatnot. It's deceptively large both in diameter & height. Of course, the chances of ever having a basement were nil to none, while the potential of a flood wiping out your life was pretty high. To point, the day after we left Loch Tay (and the Crannog Centre), a massive deluge arrived and flooded great parts of the area. I have no idea if this Crannog survived, but if our modern builders built it with the same skill as our forebears, than I imagine it likely did survive. Chelsea got trounced over the weekend by M'boro. 3- 0 was the score in the "contest" and while it gains other teams nothing in terms of the Championship, it sets up a potential downfall of the champions in the upcoming season. ManU won in a boring encounter, while Arsenal were saved with a last-gasp net by our own mid-field travesty Gilberto and ended up with a 1-1 draw. Finally, he's done something right. Let's hope that streak continues. The Gunners face Liverpool at Anfield tomorrow. If they play like they did against Bolton on the weekend, they'll suffer a loss of some magnitude. Especially, since Benitez quips out such gems as "but the most important thing, is the difference between one thing and the other thing". Truly, how could a team possibly lose when their manager has so obviously got his finger on the pulse of ...something. My wife's team, Blackburn, went down to sorry Everton leaving them struggling for (but within reach of) that coveted fourth place. See the season already has a winner unless Chelsea totally cock it up and ManU don't. So, everyone is now playing for 4th to ensure European football. Tottenham currently have it with 45 points. However Arsenal are on 41 with a game in hand, while Bolton, Wigan, West Ham, Man City & Blackburn are all within striking distance having 37 - 39 points apiece. I'll be content if Tottenham drops a few and Arsenal secure that 4th spot. That has to be our focus now. Show me a man without a mask and I'll show you a hasty disguise! Wastrel On! (Listening to: Tell Him by Celine Dion (with Barbara Streisand))