TomGlassey

Well hi there folks and welcome to a good old beef from me after a weeks silence. Today it’s the airport that is doing my head in. Well not just the airport, I guess I could say general security on the Island. Our Government has followed a policy over the last 20 years or so, that appears to be based on what everyone from outside the Island appears to know what is best for us. So, we have imported boat loads of civil servants from the UK and given them out top jobs so that they can and are free to make the same mess over here, as they have done across the water. We used to have a nice quiet quaint little airport until the playboys and girls turned up. Just look at (in my opinion) the outrageous goings on down at Ronaldsway. Firstly we now have to find an extra 2 million quid for an extension to a runway that in my opinion is totally unnecessary, all because Alan Bell used the wrong cheque book when he was paying for the thing. This extension it would appear, is to comply with minimum runway lengths throughout Europe, or is it by the CIA, god knows and he isn’t answering me so far and I have asked him twice. They are getting away with murder on this compliance lark. They are using compliance as an excuse to waste out money and squander our resources. Over half the runways in Europe do not and will not comply with this latest bloody nonsense. The Americans certainly had a security problem in their airports. However, I still believe the aircraft that crashed in to twin towers would have done so anyway. To prevent or eliminate it here, we decide to build a runway that is capable of taking the size of aircraft the terrorists prefer to use. Once this monster has been completed they have another little nugget up their sleeve folks. Yes they are going to erect the most expensive hi-grade security fence around the entire airfield. This will undoubted become the most expensive fence ever built to keep mushroom pickers off the airfield. I think the cost was something like £200,000 the last I heard. Well let’s hope Allan gets his right cheque book out this time then. Then you take all the rest of the nonsense that goes on down at the airport, such as taking your shoes off to be checked out. In my case, I am usually handing my shoes over to a neighbour or at least someone that knows me well, in order for them to make sure I am not carrying a couple of bombs in my heels. Well folks I can tell you that I already have enough problems finding my way around our cluttered pavements without the additional hassle of lugging a couple of bombs around in my shoes. Flying is still in my opinion by far and the best way of getting from A to B, and until someone events a better way we are stuck with it. Anyway no one is going to take a damn bit of notice of me, so I will now shut up on this subject. In fact people I am going to belt up for the day as I can’t concentrate very well on writing these days. It’s coming back to me, but a few more days are needed under my belt. I will blog again tomorrow as I have probably achieved nothing more than doing your poor heads in this morning. I am still plodding my way along the Silverburn folks; however, I do get scared every time I see a digger or something arrive at the railway station. A dratted security fence along the banks of the river I think to myself, or could it be that some civil servant has located a document in the Manx Museum telling the story of how a drunken monk from Rushen Abbey fell in the river and drowned back in the 17 hundreds, so now they have to erect a security fence to prevent it happening again today! There are no monks left, so I guess it would just be as always is the case - done in our best interests’ folks.

Well yesterday was Valentine’s Day. Barbara and I have never gone in for these so-called special days. It seems to me that just about every day in the calendar is dedicated to someone, something or some event. They are nothing more than money making rackets though as far as I am concerned. Barbara and I buy presents and pull surprises whenever we feel so inclined. These days, every day I wake is a joy and usually full of surprises. Mind you, I did once have a rather special Valentines Day back in 1968 in Liverpool when I was at school which I will tell you about later. Now then, I went to the hospital last Wednesday for my usual chemo treatment. I might not have done so if I had known what lay ahead of me. The chemo treatment went as normal. After chemo I was looking forward to going home when the nurse decided she needed a doctor a doctor to look me over. This was arranged and the doctor came and decided after consulting with another doctor that I didn’t look to clever and needed a scan in order to confirm what he thought was wrong with me. I was informed that if the scan confirmed it, I would become an emergency patient and flown out to Liverpool onboard the air ambulance that day. This came as a great shock to me as I felt fine. Anyway I did become an emergency patient and I was carted off to a ward and told to wait for the arrangements to be made. An hour later I was downgraded to just an urgent case and would fly out on the patient transfer flight the next day. Very good I thought, treatment has not even begun yet and I must be getting better. I asked the doctor what exactly they intended doing with me. He said “Radiation at Clatterbridge.” I explained that that was impossible as I had had radiation treatment last July and they would never agree to radiation again so soon in the same place. No one was listening to me though and bless my soul within an hour I was upgraded to a full emergency air ambulance patient again. Not to worry, it didn’t last long as within another hour or so I was not going anywhere. The doctor came in and informed me that he had spoken to Clatterbridge and they would inform the specialist who was due over to the Island the next day and he would decide the treatment. I was then left for the night in peace not knowing really what was to become of me. I still did not know whether I was to be sent to Clatterbridge the following day or not. I lay in bed worrying about Barbara. What on earth would she do? How could she come to England on a minutes notice? What would happen to Skipper and Orry our parrot, not to mention all the other birds? About 11 p.m I drifted off to sleep only to be woken at 11-30 to be given a sleeping pill! The following morning I woke, dressed and lay on my bed still wondering what was to become of me. The doctor turned up mid morning and informed me that I was going nowhere. Clatterbridge was not an option because of my because of my earlier radiation treatment and the fact that I had only just had a chemotherapy cycle. If only he had listened to me yesterday. The Specialist had arrived on the Island to see other cancer patients and after looking at my scan he decided that he could get to the bottom of my problems over here. My brother arrived mid morning and together we observed the general goings the ward until lunchtime. At one point, an unattended bed came crashing threw the ward doors and crashed in to one of the nurses cabinets at the far end of the ward. The porters followed close behind put didn’t seem too put out by the affair. I will tell you more about my stay in Nobles Hospital at a later date. Well to finish off for today we go back to that Valentines Day. I was telling you about at the beginning I was at school in Liverpool and took myself off with a mate one Saturday afternoon to watch Prescott town play a football match. Prescott won the match 5-1 as I recall. The Prescott striker was named Eddie Valentine and he scored three goals and we all went home delighted. Until next week then people, I am still soldiering on the banks of the Silverburn River.

Good morning folks. Well this has not been my best week. I have been so damn tired that I have hardly been able to do anything. Anyway today I am having a good day and soon I will be leaving for Port Erin. It is very cold today and at present the sun is shining however, it is also snowing, which proves our weather is very much like our government and tries to be all things to everyone but really hasn’t a flaming clue what to do next. With Christmas now well and truly astern of us, Easter is lying dead ahead. When I was at school at the convent in Liverpool I used to wonder how Jesus Christ could have possibly died and risen on a different date each year. I didn’t know then and of course the nuns never explained to us that Good Friday was originally a pagan feast day and was always acknowledged on the Friday at the end of the month that was nearest to the next full moon. They kept it to themselves that the Christian church had swiped the pagan feasts of Christmas and Easter because they couldn’t accurately date the birth and death of Christ themselves. Anyway I guess I am already in hot water so we shall steer away from that subject now. Well old Jeremy Clarkson has been at it once again, and if Clarkson can get away with calling Gordon Brown a one eyed Scottish idiot on the BBC, then I can certainly get away with calling him a brainless English crack pot on my blog. Carol Thatcher gets sacked from her show because off air she said a black tennis player looked like a gollywog. Jonathan Ross and his mate get suspended for insulting someone, yet Clarkson can say whatever he likes and get away with it. I guess it goes to show the BBC doesn’t really have any ethics. It’s all about how much money you are worth to them. If only having one eye makes you an idiot, then Clarkson’s got two which must make him a double idiot. As for me with no eyes at all, well I guess I must be in a league of my own. Well my friends, that is just about it for this week. So until we meet again. This is Tom Glassey on the banks of the Silverburn River.

Okay folks, I’m back for at least once a week. Barbara has been giving me a severe ear bashing all morning regarding the blog. I have had to agree to write a blog once a week and it will probably be on Fridays. Yes I really do enjoy writing the blog and I have really missed it. But I really did need to get on with other things that I have neglected. The book is now taking shape and hopefully will be out later this year. I have also had to agree to certain changes to my Manxtails articles. There material now will not appear on any blogs as it was starting to cause major confusion. Now then, can I thank all of you that have emailed believing that I am very sick and the odd one or two that seem to think I’m dead! Yes people, I did get very ill this time round with my chemo, then all of a sudden about three days ago, I started to make a recovery. On Monday I could not walk up the stairs without stopping. I can now run up the stairs. Yes things are looking a lot brighter lately. It was my poor Uncle Normans funeral yesterday. I wrote his Eulogy of course but was too ill to read it myself so I handed it over to vicar Roberts at the Abbey church to read on my behalf. There are so many wonderful things I could say about my Uncle Normie, However, I shall leave it to the March edition of Manxtails. Well we are now deep in to January and February will be with us in a few days. Just a few more gales and maybe the odd storm to get through and it will be spring once again. This has been a very long and difficult winter for me. There have been lots of tears and disappointments. I really do believe now that I have got the fight back in my belly. I just about gave up on everything. I now have the thirst back and I am ready for the battle all over again. I am off now to make a cup of tea and I hope you will all do the same. I will blog again next Friday which is the day after I see the oncologist who will check my progress before chemotherapy the following week. Until then people I say farewell. This is Tom Glassey blogging once more on the banks of the Silverburn River with a happy wife. J

Hello folks. Yes I am back again and so soon! Well no not really, I have come out of retirement to write a very special blog dedicated to a very special person. My Uncle Norman (Gregson) or Normie as he liked to be known, followed all my blogs. He didn’t have a computer, but he made sure each week that they were printed off for him by someone in an office. Norman sadly past away on Tuesday morning, he simply never recovered from a so-called ‘not to serious’ operation. I was extremely close to my Uncle Normie. He was a very special person and I am more than happy to be delivering his Eulogy in the Abbey church Ballasalla next week. By some very strange irony I found myself in the chemo ward at Noble yesterday. I was about to begin chemo again for the second time. Last year I was on this very same ward receiving my chemo and just across the passageway lay my Dad. He had died that morning. Yesterday Normie lay just across the passageway having died the day before. Now let me try and give you a brief insight in to Normie’s life. He was a wonderful friend, never let you down and always there for you. I recall a time back in the early 80’s when I had relocated to North Wales. I had gone there to learn a bit about restoring antique furniture. I had taken up residense in a flat, which was on the top floor of an old folk’s home. Hardly ideal, but with very little money I could not afford to be fussy. I had only been there a few days and was still feeling my way round. I had taken to nipping over the road to a little pub called the Castle. This was in the town of Abergele. I knew absolutely nobody; neither did I know my way around. I didn’t know the names of any streets or how to get to the nearest shop even. I remember sitting in the Castle Pub this night having ordered a pint and trying to make it last because I only had about a quid left. There was no one I could turn to for help as I did not know anyone. I sat there almost crying in to my beer, when all of a sudden the door of the pub burst open and a voice I knew only to well roared across the bar. “Never fear Toma, Normie’s here” Norm had been visiting his sick Mother in a hospital in Wales somewhere and tracked me down. Within seconds he had pulled up a bar stool ordered his Bacardi, a pint for me and drinks for the landlord and anyone else that was within arms reach at the bar. He even managed to talk the landlord in to giving him a lift to Liverpool the next morning in order to catch the boat, and I enjoyed my first lock in in Abergele since my arrival. We staggered home at some ungodly hour and turned in for the rest of the night. The following morning Normie had woken on time, dressed, made tea and on leaving, he tossed a handful of fivers in to my bed. In a flash he was gone almost as quickly as he had arrived. That was Normie. Whenever I was heading for trouble, Normie just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Back in about 1970, Normie had not been over here very long. He had relocated back to the Island from Coventry and gone into business with my Dad, landscape gardening. The bowling green in Port Erin is a monument to his work. Anyway I was returning to college in Birmingham where I was hoping to become an engineer. Normie was at the same time travelling back to Coventry to collect his daughter Mandy. She had been staying with her Gran, the fantastic Dolly, a living font of human kindness. Well Normie and I boarded the Manx Maid and set sail for Liverpool on what turned out to be the roughest crossing for 4 years. We both sat in the passenger lounge, and as the ship sailed out of Douglas and got further and further out to sea, so she became a tossing pancake. Everytime she took a roll to starboard, every dish and table crashed down the length of the deck, and then all came back on the return roll. Any old man spotting his opportunity positioned himself across the open door to the deck and began catching all the passengers as they were hurled from one side of the lounge to the other. Normie decided to set himself up as the official commentator of this malarkey. He described how the old man was hanging on to the lady passengers much longer than he was the men. Normie thought it was great crack. Soon we were hit by a huge sea which dislodged us out of our seats and sent me and Normie crashing to the floor. I landed on top of Norman and he couldn’t do anything because of the fit of laughter he had gone into. Eventually he pulled himself together and we managed to get the seat firmly back in position. Every passenger was throwing up and we were the only two who were wrapped in delirious laughter, lying spread out in the middle of the lounge floor. We eventually we got into Liverpool and boarded a train to Birmingham where Normie regaled the passengers in the carriage with the story of our epic sea voyage. I was starting to think we had just crossed the Atlantic. Eventually someone sniggered “Where have you sailed from?” There was much laughter when we replied “The Isle of Man.” In Birmingham Normie got off the train and came with me to the college before continuing his passage to Coventry. I had a small homesick tear in my eye as I climbed the college steps. I didn’t turn around but I know Normie was weeping too as he trudged his way back down the college driveway. God bless my Uncle Normie, I shall miss him terribly. He has not gone forever though. I will join him again at some point in the future. Until then, Goodbye my very special friend. We part yet again with tears in our eyes, but this parting is not forever. Only a tiny part of you has died. Our love and friendship is still here and will never ever die. Now I know you are all enjoying Barbara’s blogs. I have not returned to takeover again this has been a special blog for a very special person. For the record though, I am now back on chemo and already feeling much better. You are still of course more than welcome to email me at tomglassey@manx.net. For the time being though, good bye people and farewell from Tom on the banks of the Silverburn River.

Barbara has now started a blog to keep readers up to date with progress. To read it go to http://www.manxforums.com/forums/blog/barb...?showentry=834I I will be back some time soon.Tom Glassey on the banks of the Silverburn

Good morning people. Well I have not blogged for 8 days now. Last week was not my best week every. I will simply be glad now begin treatment again next week. I have decided that now though is the right time to bring the blog to an end for the time being. I will of course be back again but I don’t know when. It might be in a few months and it might be 12 months. Shortly I will hand over the wheel to Barbara.. I shall then fly home to the land I left 12 months ago. It has been one hell of a voyage. I have put our ship on the rocks twice. I am of course hopeful that the ocean tug SS Chemotherapy will pull the ship clear again next week. Whilst I have been writing this blog I have made new friends from every corner of the globe. Every one of you has been absolutely fantastic in coming with me every step of the way. I will of course continue to write for Manx Tails. However, I really need the time to concentrate on my second book, “On the Rocks.” One of my problems is that I get an ache just behind my right shoulder which kicks in after I have written a few lines. I don’t know what the cause is, and it will have to wait now until this chemo session is over before I can deal with it. Of course all of you that have been emailing me can continue still to do so but I suggest that you email me directly at tomglassey@manx.net Well my watch is now at an end. 8 bells have just sounded and it is now time to handover the wheel to a fresh pair of hands. So good people this is Captain Tom Glassey saying thank you and over and out from the SS Silverburn.

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.

Anyone who titles their blog by the date each day is hardly going to miss out on new years day. I imagine that most of you by now will have broken your new year’s resolutions. I have still kept mine from a few years ago which was never to make anymore. I find myself beginning 2009 in exactly the same way as I did 2008. That is to take up my sword and engage in battle with cancer once again. This is quite definitely not the way I would have chosen to begin this year or any other year. But then what choices do we really have in life? At present my mother is in hospital and is enjoying it so much, she does not want to come home. I have been to Nobles many times over the last year, and though I have nothing but praise for the staff there I have never enjoyed it so much that I did not want to come home. Well now time for a little moan. It seems to me that every day of late, our civil service and Government get more stupid. In this weeks Examiner the prison is or appears to be trying to prevent people from playing with toy planes, this time hiding behind that word ‘security’. They have decided that the model plane club should not be allowed to fly their toys near the prison as it poses a security risk. Have you ever heard as much clap trap? If model planes are posing a security threat to the prison, what on earth did they build their new prison on or near an airfield? It’s so easy for any Government run establishments to get away what nonsense they want. All they have to do is quote one of three words, security or health and safety. Well, here is to 2009 folks and I hope you all have a good one. I leave you today with a little tip which has come my way from our good friend Cheryl, across the Atlantic on the banks of the Columbian river. The friendship test.; “In order to check out who is your best friend, lock your wife/girlfriend and dog in the car for one hour and when you open it up, see who makes the most fuss of you.” Tom Glassey. On the banks of the Silverburn river.

In the convent where I went to school in Liverpool, every Thursday evening we had to go to the school chapel and confess our sins to the priest. Mine would go something like this. “Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been one week since my last confession. I have been disobedient and I have been cheeky. Last Sunday I took money out of the collection plate when it went around during mass, instead of putting a penny on it. Please forgive my sins?” I would then be sent to the back of the church and told to say 10 decades of the rosary. Had I not admitted to the collection plate business I would have got away with 2 or 3 decades? Trouble was, I knew that the kid who was going round with the collection plate was totally blind like me. The nuns had told us that if we died with sin on our soul we would not be allowed to enter the kingdom of Heaven and would have to spend sometime in purgatory, and at that time I was keen to go on a non stop flight. Later when I had decided the whole damn thing was nothing but a fairy story, I asked myself how can it be considered a punishment to be ordered to spend sometime talking to Jesus and Mary the very people I am suppose to love and who in turn love me. It seemed very weird. When I put this question to the nuns, I was told not to be so smart. So, these unanswered questions remained trundling around in my mind for the rest of my school days. In later years I dismissed the whole of religion as little more than a scourge that has blighted the entire world for thousands of years. Not even when I was told last year that I might only have a short time left to live, did I have any notion to turn to religion. People have often said to me that the world is a very unfair place. Why do some folks on the planet starve, whilst others wallow in food? Why do some folks live in poverty, whilst others bask in riches? Why are some the picture of health, whilst others are sick from head to toe? Answer. Well, of course I don’t know, but stop and ponder this thought! I don’t have a personal God, but that does not mean that I don’t believe in anything. I believe there is a vastly superior power at work, call him/her/it God if you wish. I’m sure they don’t mind. But someone created this world, it didn’t just happen. Just imagine if they had made it so everyone was equal. We would all be the same size, the same colour, we would all be able to run at the same speed, and we’d all have the same level of intelligence. So there would never have been a Shakespeare, never have been a Churchill, Mahatma Gandy or President Kennedy. There would be no point in football or any other sports because we would all be at the same level. We would all be healthy so how the heck would we die? What kind of world would that be? One that neither you nor I would want to live in! So, I don’t know about a God but I am certain that whoever it was that created our existence knew exactly what they were doing. You will not find wealth or poverty in a graveyard. There is neither health nor sickness. Everyone is the same. Dead! Would you still swap your unfair world? Tom Glassey on the banks of the Silverburn River

Good day people. Well firstly I am generally feeling better about life in general these last couple of days. I am still having problems sleeping, so last night I took 3 of the sleeping pills which is the maximum allowed. They made no damn difference what-so-ever. I might as well have swallowed a tube of smarties, so I have chucked the damn things in the bin and tonight I shall return to the brandy bottle. Blimey the other day we discovered a copy of my book on sale on Amazon for £35. They must be mad. Its strange how last week I went through a really dark, dark, low period, and this week I feel much better, yet nothing has changed. As we both sat up in bed this morning, Barbara touched the lamp I bought her for Christmas. She commented on how lucky she was to have a lamp that only required a touch to turn it on and another touch for it to brighten up. I thought to myself. I wished I could just touch a lamp and my darkness would end. Then it occurred to me that, no, I was the lucky one, for I had no need of any artificial light. My lamp burns within me brightly and although it may have dimmed from time to time, it has never gone out.

Hello folks, well that’s Christmas out of the way for another year. I hope you all had a good one and that by now you have also rewrapped your unwanted Christmas presents to pass on next year. Don’t forget to write the name of the person who sent it to you on the box or you may end up returning it the person who sent it to you in the first place. I have to say that this Christmas will not exactly go down in my memory book as the greatest ever. I have not coped too well with the news that my cancer has returned. I coped much better last year. I said at the very start of my blogging that I would always be honest with you and try and reflect each day or week as it is. I don’t wish to depress any of you so if you want to fast forward the next bit, I suggest that you log out now. I have been on such a high when since the specialist said he didn’t want to see me again for 4 months. I knew when I found the lump under my arm that it was cancer starting its second lap. My days just got worse from then on. I would burst into tears for no real reason and I started at one point to loose my mind as well. One night, well it was 3 a.m. actually; Barbara woke up to find me sobbing like a baby. When she finally extracted from me what was wrong, I told her, I did not want to end my days in hospice all alone. I just can’t imagine what put those thoughts in my mind. Sometimes with cancer no matter how loving your family and friends are, you do feel very alone. I am much better now. I don’t like the idea of having to wait until January 15th before I can see the consultant again. But that’s the way it is. I do feel a lot more positive now though. I am ready to go to war again against the same enemy. Barbara bought me an internet radio for Christmas. It is absolutely fantastic! I can now listen to radio Tipp, a station I use to listen to when I was in Tipperary. I have or at least Barbara has found two American local radio stations that only play hits from the 50’s and 60’s which are also brilliant. When I went through my really low period last week, I even stopped listening to football matches on the radio. I didn’t see the point because if it was a cup round, I might not be here for the final and if it was a league match, I may not be around to find out who wins it. All that is behind me now though! I am not exactly the picture of health at present. However, I am in much better shape than I was. We are having a bit of a gathering tonight which will be great. I want to end by thanking all of you for your many emails and presents. I assure you that none of them have been rewrapped for next year. I know that everyone would wish for a happy new year. It’s a bit unrealistic to expect every day next year to be happy so, I shall set a more realistic goal, and wish that you have more good days than bad ones. Until next time then, Tom Glassey on the banks of the Silverburn River.

I want to begin today by thanking all of you wonderful people around the world that have emailed me and sent text messages. They are a great comfort to me. I started this blog last February, since then over 20,000 people have logged on. Well in theory that could mean one person has logged on 20,000 times, or 20,000 people have logged on once. In that time we have shared the good and the bad times together. You have all been absolutely fantastic. The blog has really served me well through the difficult times early last year. I did say that I would end the blog this February to concentrate on my book. Well in truth I have now almost finished writing the book. I just couldn’t wait to start it, and once I got going it wasn’t too difficult to blog, write for Manx Tails and write the book at the same time. Assuming I would finish with the blog in February was rather arrogant on my part. I was assuming I would remain cancer free. It just goes to show how important it is to not only deal with the present, but also to make the best of it. Nothing else is certain. Well folks I will call it a day now. I don’t want to depress you all, especially at Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and I will talk to you again soon. So, from the banks of the Silverburn River, have a wonderful Christmas. Tom

I am not long back from the hospital. My news was not good I’m afraid. The doctor thinks cancer enjoyed my company so much last time that it has come back for another visit. I have to have a scan as soon as possible, then probably more chemo. After that, its anyone’s guess. Yes I am a bit down in the dumps today, but that will not last. I just need a day or so to sort my mind out, and try and come to terms with this damn cancer lark. As the days go by I will continue to blog when I feel up for it. I know the way I feel today is only a temporary state of mind. Tomorrow I will be stronger and as the day go by I will be stronger still. Yes, I was doing so well as they say. But you simply can’t take anything for granted in life can you? The past is gone and tomorrow is full of the unknown. I can only deal with today. Bye bye for now people, from the banks of the Silverburn river.

There is something very strange happening in the wild. The other day I heard birds twittering at 5-40 a.m. Today there was bird song at 4 a.m. Why are the birds suddenly singing in the pitch dark? Answers on a postcard please! At present I can hear the children playing in the school playground across the road. Their shrilled and excited voices rise up into the sky and blend in with the birds chatter. The sky is full of happy sounds. It seems hard to imagine that these young kids will one day be old people which wither away and die. It makes me think how short and temporary this life of ours really is. It only seems as if it was five minutes ago that I was running around in a school playground myself. Yet, 50 years have gone by and what did I do with them. Time it seems to me is very much like money. You can have loads of it and when every penny is gone, you don’t seem to have very much to show for it. Time is a great commodity. Your boss hasn’t got enough of his own so he happy to buy some of yours. Once you retire you will have all your time to spend on yourself, or so you might think. There is and will always be someone staking a claim to your time. Your kids have a great deal more of it than you. However, they still demand bloody great chunks of your time. The phrase “there’s no time like the present” is very apt, because the past has gone, and the future is guaranteed to anybody. The present is all we have. Today is a blessing, and if tomorrow comes out way it’s a bonus. Well my time is up for today my friends so if I receive my bonus, I will be with you tomorrow. Tom Glassey, on the banks of the Silverburn River.