8.45 a.m. I am just back from walking Skipper. This week Barbara has a bad back, and so I am walking alone with Skip. This morning we have had Poulson Park all to ourselves. I did forage along the Silverburn for a short distance. However, the only contact I made with life in general was with a couple of pheasants.

Today I want to say a big hello to two new blog readers, new in the sense that they have contacted me, so, ‘hi there’ to Susie in Liverpool. Welcome aboard the blog bus Susie. Remember to hold on tight as it can be a little bumpy at times.

Also, a big hello to Gina who emailed me from Columbia, in South Carolina, USA. Gina is hoping to come and live amongst us here on the Island within the next couple of years. Well Gina, make sure you call and visit me when you come here for a holiday in August.

We seem to be doing well in the USA now; there are about 12 blog readers of which I am aware.

Now, I apologize to our USA readers for this next item as they probably won’t know or care what I am talking about. However, I have to get it out of my system before I can move on.

Last night of course was the European cup final. I think the reason Ronaldo missed his penalty, was because that was the first time he had ever been awarded a penalty without diving for it, and he could not work out what the penalty was for. I also note that the tactic deployed by Manu, to get Drogba sent off in extra time so that he could not take a penalty also worked. I suppose Chelsea will now resort to that old football adage. “Just wait until next year” While Manu will try to convince the rest of us that they are not just the best team in the World, but they are the best team that ever played the game, in the entire history of the World.

Well, it’s now Thursday and so far I have gone the entire week without having fish and chips. I know I had kebab and chips on Monday but that hardly counts. So, Mr and Mrs Keig, I may well be over to visit you this evening. I was listening to Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. on the radio yesterday afternoon, and they played the song ‘The lights all went down in Massachusetts’. It reminded me of a time when I was at school, and the night the lights all went down in Liverpool. Once a week, we blind kids, well about 6 of us would go on a school outing with the local secondary school down the road, Yew Tree Comprehensive. On this occasion we had all been in to Liverpool city centre for some reason or other, on one of the Corporation double decker buses which had been on hire to the school for the day. Anyway as we all trooped off the bus at the end of the trip outside Yew Tree School, one of the teachers from the sighted school noticed that the light bulbs from upstairs on the bus were missing. He called everyone back onboard the bus, and said that he would not allow any kid to leave the bus until whoever had nicked the light bulbs owned up. After about 10 minutes he decided that none of the blind kids from St. Vincent’s would have taken the light bulbs as what good would light bulbs be to a bunch of blind kids. So, all us blind kids trooped off the bus leaving all the sighted kids from Yew Tree comp stuck onboard the bus. If by any chance any of those Yew Tree Comp kids read this blog, can I unreservedly apologize to you now, 40 odd years late, as I was one of the ring leaders from the blind school who stole the light bulbs!

Until tomorrow then people, this is Tom Glassey with News at 9.30, watering the newly laid turf in my back garden, on the banks of the Silverburn River.