FRANCE 0 SCOTLAND 1 :o)

We dared to dream, the dream is real, we have beaten France at Hampden and now we have done it to them again in Parc De France. What a beautiful stunning result. James McFadden you are a hero thankyou, Alex McCleish thankyou, Roy Aitken thankyou, all of you I love you.
Now then BBC Scotland you continue to be a disgrace, you are anti- Scottish, a complete waste of carbon.
Viewers in Scotland have had the humiliation of watching the England games live on BBC Scotland. And we cannot see our own games live, what a disgrace, what a humiliation, what a national scandal. This BLOG has just gone political. Watch this space.

Waverly

The last sea going paddle steamer in the world, always a welcome sight when she returns to the Clyde. http://www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk/ Waverley Flagship of our fleet is the famous WAVERLEY - the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world. It is thought that this famous ship is probably the most photographed ship in the world!Built on the Clyde in 1947 - to replace the original Waverley that sunk off Dunkirk in 1940, the Waverley was originally built to sail only between Craigendorran & Arrochar in West Scotland. It is amazing to think that she now sails right round Britain offering regular trips on the Clyde, the Thames, South Coast of England and the Bristol Channel with other calls at various ports & piers throughout the UK.£1 doesn't get you much these days, but in 1974 it bought a 693-tonne paddle steamer! Mounting running costs left the then operators no choice but to withdraw Waverley from service with the idea of preserving this unique ship. The Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS) http://www.psps.freeserve.co.uk/ stepped in and took over the helm - for the princely sum of £1. It is a credit to the Society and supporters that the Waverley became more than a museum and now operates a full programme of cruises from Easter to October. 2003 saw the completion of a major restoration project, which returned Waverley to the original 1940s style with which she was built. This has only been possible with major grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund totalling over £6m and the PSPS. Contributions have also come from Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, the European Regional Development Fund and local authorities. WAVERLEY has been supported by the PSPS with a vibrant membership of over 4,000 for 30 years but only the excellent partnership with the HLF has provided WAVERLEY with a viable long-term future.There are many books & videos on Waverley for those who wish a more in-depth look at her long & varied history, or log on to our supporters website at www.pswaverley.org for more information on both Waverley & Balmoral. Owned by a registered Charity and British Registered to carry up to 800 passengers, Waverley's on-board facilities include a self-service restaurant, two fully licensed bars, heated observation lounge, 'Jeanie Deans' tearoom and a souvenir shop. A visit to the engine room is a must on any trip to see the magnificent engines at work. Waverley also has a disabled toilet on the main deck and the crew are trained & happy to give every assistance to allow less-agile passengers to enjoy their day with us.

STACY MATHESONS BOAT.

The shots of the Gaff Rigged Ketch above have been a source of great enjoyment to me, especially since I discovered that the builder is none other than Peter Matheson who is a Sutherland man from Bettyhill. I was born in Portmahomack, Easter Ross, but lived my early years in Sutherland at Forsinard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forsinard Not only that but he went to the Tech in Golspie a couple of years before me. http://www.golspie.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=120 What a fantastic boat, I look forward to getting to know the boat and Peter a bit better, as he has now moored at the pontoon at Braehead. His daughter Stacey now owns the boat and will be operating a charter business. Good luck and well done Stacey.
http://www.clydesideboatbuilders.co.uk/index.html

Hopi Candles

Not posted for a while due to pea sea gremlins and sometimes i just cannot be buggered as the choir boy said to the Bishop.
Will take my camera out next week and get going again.
The sinus problems have kicked in again so i am not up to the mark with things right now. Am seeing the ENT people tomorrow for a pre assesment for my op, so it must be iminent.
Maureen was talking to someone today and they mentioned Hopi Ear Candles as being a good treatment for sinus and tinnitus problems. Both of which I suffer from. So she is going to get me some tomorrow and will give them a try. Probably set my fecking heid on fire. Oh well if thats what it takes.

MORE STEAM MACPHAIL.......VITAL SPARK OF PARAHANDY FAME.


VIC 32 passing POTC. Later on Fyne Spirit (Ex. RNAS Cockchafer, A cockshaker more like,) went plowing upriver on full throttle and nearly threw us on to the shore, we had 26 passengers on board. I expressed my disappointment to him on channel 10, as this is the Festival channel, he apologised, not good enough mate, what you did was dangerous, stupid and ignorant. There are some morons driving boats. That is what this BLOG is for, I will sound of, and if someone has an issue they can leave a comment, or get me on channel 12. Or come on board and talk. We had someone from Festival control moaning that we went past the Zap Cats to fast, even although we were doing only 1000 revs. If we had been going any slower we would have stopped. There is another character who rings from the Tall Ship making spurious complaints about us going to fast past the berth and basically most of it is down to vindictive jealousy. He has even gone as far as accusing us of damaging a boat but has failed to provide the evidence. Wee wifies. The Gilmours have set this Waterbus business up on sheer guts and determination, with very little outside help, and in doing so has attracted petty sniping from some quarters which is down to pure envy.

Pictured bellow is the Wee Spark. You need a real sense of humour to be seen in that, must go and have a look at it tomorrow, as it is the first of my four days of. Will give Fyne Spirit my regards. :o)

Pure dead brillaint, so glad I saw this.

VIC32 and Vital Spark passing Braehead and Yarrows, magic.