8.30 a.m. Well yesterday was a bit of a land mark for the blog. We reached 7000 hits since we started back in February, and yesterday we had 150 readers which I think is the highest amount of readers in a day since we began. With the amount of blogs that are printed off for people who don’t have access to computers and the blogs that are printed in Manx Tails, we are now reaching thousands of people each month, a very big thank you to you all.

I am just back from walking Skipper. It is another beautiful day. As I wandered through Poulson Park, I passed the sliding thing the kids play on in the top corner. I don’t know what they call it. Anyway once upon a time there used to be just a plain old-fashioned seesaw there. I remembered one day when I was about 7 or 8 being in the park with my brother, we jumped on the seesaw only to discover it was broken. The leg that prevented it from going all the way down to the ground had broken off. Dad nipped off somewhere and came back with a branch and screwed it onto the seesaw. With the Seesaw working again, we were happy kids. I remember a couple of kids shouting down the park to their mates. “Mr Glassey has fixed the seesaw.” I somehow doubt that such a small deed would bring such enjoyment or cause kids to be as grateful today. Indeed you probably wouldn’t be allowed to fix the seesaw unless you were fully compliant with all the health and safety regulations, not to mention donning a hard hat, a pair of metal toe capped boots, and of course a copy of the latest health and safety manual. Well there doesn’t appear to be anything as simple as a seesaw in the park these days. Toys like we had have moved on and become much more complicated.

Last night I received the sad news that my old friend Tony Mincher has died. Tony has been struggling with cancer and heart problems for sometime. Tony was always full of fun. In fact I don’t think there was a serious bone in his body. I was on more than one occasion the victim of his practical jokes. Here is my account of one of them. I will be telling you of many more in the coming months.

Tony called one Sunday lunchtime, to take me for a pint to the Lancashire hotel in Santon. At that time, Tony was driving a little two seater sports car. We arrived at the Lanky as it was known, had a couple of beers and left to return to Castletown.

As we got outside, Tony told me excitedly that his car had been vandalised whilst we were in the pub. Tony opened the door of his car, and once I was seated in the passenger seat, he clicked away with his camera. Tony had put me in an old wreck of a car that had been abandoned in the pub car park. The car had no engine, no wheels, and no windows. Tony stood there laughing his bloody head off with his camera as I waited to be driven away in this engineless, wheel less car.

On that same day, I also remember calling in at the golf links hotel at Castletown for a pint. Tony went ahead of me, and as we passed through the revolving doors, Tony continued through and headed for the bar. I went all the way round, and as Tony stood at the bar ordering his pint, I was stumbling around back in the bloody car park once again.

God bless Tony, and let’s hope they have a sense of humour up in Heaven. For sure they are going to need it.

Tomorrow I will tell you about my night spent in custody with Tony.

I said at the beginning we broke a couple of records yesterday regarding the blog. Can anyone tell me what blog means? Please answer to tomglassey@manx.net

Well, that is about it for today people. Hopefully I will return tomorrow. I shall now sit outside in the front for an hour or so, on my new garden seat.

Until tomorrow then this is Tom Glassey with News at 9’oclockish. Sitting on the banks of the Silverburn River.