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I was thinking of displaying my Blogs Of The Day ranking in the sidebar. But then I had a look at what Oh Bloggitt!‘s current BOTD ranking is – number 605 of 1028 blogs. So I think that one will be deferred for now.

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Son should soon be moving out to his own place – he’s applied for the tenancy of the Balmaclellan house, supplied references; now he’s just waiting to hear from the estate agent.

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….And we’ve had a letter telling us that our rent is going to be raised – because property prices around here are going up. Sigh….

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Should really be working, instead of blogging – just started on the 2007 Elfin Diary. But work is so boring……

The Steadings’ wood supply has just arrived – 24 tons !! of logs to be chopped up and chainsawed and barrowed and stacked.
C says that will last us two winters – I’ll be happy if it just lasts the one, so that we can cut down on our coal bills.

In the village this morning, I spotted a notice for a walking group. “For anyone who is new to walking or just want to improve their fitness. 30 minutes guided walk around a level, firm path. Meeting every fortnight.” Not a bad idea, I thought, maybe I could join them? Then I checked where the walking would take place – it will be in Dalry, which is three or so miles up the road.
So, anyone from around here who wants to join this walking group will have to travel those three miles somehow. Anybody capable of walking the three miles there and three miles back (along a tarmaced, mostly level road) is unlikely to need the benefits of a gentle 30-minute stroll once a fortnight. So – in an area that’s criss-crossed with footpaths and tracks that are open to all walkers – they will be driving there and back. In order to take a walk. I’m reminded of a conversation I once had with a woman who ran a gymnasium. She was shaking her head in disbelief at the number of gym members who regularly drove two or three miles to the gym, spent an hour on an exercise bike or a walking machine, then climbed back into their cars and drove home.
(I believe that type of stupidity – using money and complex technology to do something that can be accomplished simply and for free – is known as the “Butterbox Principle”; from the fact that American fridges used to, and maybe still do, have special insulated compartments for keeping butter soft. Apparently US housewives didn’t know that butter could be stored outside the fridge.)

Anyway. Finally got that report printed and posted – in the end I had to drag my machine over and hook it up to B’s printer (yes, I know – wireless networking will be included in the next upgrade). Still haven’t got the CD-burning software sorted. Sigh.
B and Son have gone off to fetch the new bath. It’s a big one – wider than the usual size. And B mentioned this morning that he had only just thought that it might not fit through the doors or up the staircase! We’ll just have to wait and see….

…for jury service, that is. Got a letter from the Sherriffs’ Court telling me they now don’t need me. Hmmphhh…
In other news, Son is one step closer to getting his own place up here – he’s finally told the estate office that he wants the Balmaclellan property when it becomes vacant. He’s now just got to find the deposit. Oh, and a job – he’s been looking steadily, but been turned down everywhere, and getting pretty peed off by it.
SaraWillow just went home, after spending a couple of days here. She was stopping on her way home from a bike rally up past Carsphairn. It was nice having her.
And I managed to get the online Transit finished and uploaded today – inside the deadline! Now I just have to finish off an astrology report – then I can get back to building my computer. Good!

‘We give up,’ says family besieged by activists

And the animal rights brigade are hailing this a some great victory for their cause. How stupid can some people get? Had the family said “Yes, we have listened to your arguments and we have come to realise that you are right. We cannot in all concience continue to exploit animals”, that would indeed have been a triumph for animals rights and something for the protesters to be proud of.
However, the family were forced to give up by years of violent harrasment and bullying – not only of themselves, but also anyone they were associated with. Even their elderly part-time cleaner had her windows smashed and anonymous threats pushed through her door. As for digging up and stealing the body of the family’s grandmother – what the hell sort of diseased mind thinks up that sort of sick stunt?
Yes, it’s quite a victory, lads – a victory for obsessed, intolerant, narrow-minded, animal-rights ayahtollahs everywhere.

….to do jury duty! Next month in the local Sherriffs Court. Eeeek!
Don’t suppose it will be anything important – I can’t think of any big trials that are scheduled to take place in this neck of the Scottish woods. It will probably be fraud or embezzlement – those are the usual sort of cases that go to a jury trial around here.
Still, I’ll be getting travel expenses and subsistance allowance – might even end up a bit in front, in the process.