I have now tossed the sleeping pills I got from my doctor into the bin. I would rather put up with sleeplessness than have the side affects of those damn pills. The other night I was sitting in our front room being extremely miserable about life in general. I was getting wound up about the long wait before I can see a consultant. I figured my cancer was getting worse and would not improve until treatment started which is still sometime away. Barbara was watching telly next door and popped in to check everything was OK. “What’s the matter she asked?” I told her my concerns. She tried desperately hard to allay my fears and after 10 minutes of her best efforts, she had one last ditch attempt to revive my wounded spirit by diverting my mind onto something else “Well, never mind” she blurted. “Soon you will have your Flying Scotsman.” Of course I didn’t have the faintest idea what she was talking about. She quickly realised she had just parted with her little secret. I collect money boxes, I know not why, I just do. She had ordered a model of the flying Scotchman which is also a money box. It hasn’t arrived yet. We both laughed later at the idea that the flying Scotchman was going to bring me out of my misery. It was those damn sleeping pills that were making me depressed. I have been absolutely back to normal again now that I have stopped taking them. I would like to thank all those who voted for me and have made me Manx Forums blogger of the year or whatever the award is called. Blimey I have reached the age of 55 and never won a single thing in life, so indeed it is a great honour for me to win this award. I did once however win third prize in the sack race at school, but this by far outweighs that.

Talking of awards, I hear that Malew commissioners decided to award the freedom of Ballasalla to the person who had not shown any disrespect towards them over the last year. However they couldn’t find anyone so they have decided to award it to the person who has shown them the least disrespect. I would have loved to have won that award but I am told I was not even in the running.

Tom Glassey. On the banks of the Silverburn.