Just read your blog about Wycliffe Wells etc and the Uncle Bill stories. Of course, drinking 1.2 litres of (free)beer comes second to shooting a croc ! Is this a joint effort or all Margaret's work ? Perhaps a career as travel writer beckons ? Any chance of just one or two photos with grey skies and wet streets ? I'm just about to e-mail our friends in Adelaide with some of Claire's graduation photos so it's nothing but Australia tonight. I wonder if Andrew should have seen a bit of it before NZ. Then again I'm working beside a Kiwi at the Western and he likes living in Scotland. No accounting for some peoples tastes !

We were going to say how is sunny Darwin but it's always sunny in Oz. However we would just like to say that the day we were in Venice it was 40C ! So we can match your temperatures any day. It was a bit cooler in Verona, only 37C. Had a great time around Lake Garda, it realy is a nice part of the world. Got a bit of a belly after all the pizzas and pastas but the golf and the badminton will help.

Have looked at some of the pictures/blog and must admit it always looks great. This summer has been pretty crap but it's lovely and sunny outside just now.

We are going for a meal to Margaret Murray's on Saturday night so I will give her your latest news. Andrew is off to India in 4 weeks time. It's a bit scary how the time flies past. Is it a year since our last game of golf ? I've won my last 3 games so I must be doing something right.

I'll try and send you an e-mail with some of Claire's graduation photos when I figure what I'm doing with our New PC which runs under Vista. Our old one went on fire !

Hi you two see you are progressing well along the north weat coast of Oz. I am afraid my pleasures at the moment resort to going on to U Tube and singing along to David Paton belting out Just a Smile, Magic, Penny in My Pocket and Canada on 70s pop shows. Buy whats wrong with that, it makes me smile!!

I am sure Mr Orr has checked them out. We both seem to agree to being big fans of that band!!!!

Anyway hope you are both well as you make your way around the antidipodean continent.

Here in Ole Blighty our English cousins have been hit by horrifiic floods in the SW of England. Here in Scotland it has been not too bad albeit inconsistent, lots of rain then few sunny days then a few days of torrential rain.

The Carnoustie Open was a brilliant spectacle with big Padraig Harrington surviving a double bogey on the 18th to take Garcia to a five hole play off.

Andy, wee Bill and I are doing a a Last of the Summer Wine Tour to Nerja in southern Spain in October so that is something to look forward to. Went to see Rod Stewart a few weeks back and it pissed down and the guy making most money was the guy selling waterproof ponchos..... right Del Boy character"!!!! Cushty!!!!

Great concert and the support was one of my fave bands from the late 70s The Pretenders. Terrific night it was ,,,.... I think!!! A glass of average plonk was £3.50..................and I had a few.

Going to see the mighty BARCA play the Jambos at Murrayfield on Saturday. They expect over 50,000 to turn up.

Right I am off to my scratcher so I will sign off. Take care Jim

Hello to you both! Just logged on to your website to catch up on your travels after returning from our own holidays. We had a fabulous time in St Lucia and were reluctant to come back to this miserable weather here. We are in the process of getting through the washing just now but will send an e-mail with photos soon.

Hope you are both well. You are looking as if the travellers life is suiting you both.

Love Susan,Bruce Craig and Cameron xx

I salute your response Mr Orr what a passion piece it was although your head is obviously high in the sky after the Diddy Cup win. But dont speak too loudly as you lot could be trembling by January as my Auntie Iris tells me that the girl next door is well in with Romanov and if she had a spare penny in her pocket she would wager there is more MAGIC to come from old Tynie in the season to come so that just a smile, just a lonely will let me know where I belong.........

Anyway E&M you must be wondering what we two saddos are rambling on about when you are experiencing the trip of a lifetime and we are chuntering on about Jackie Dennis, Stewart Tosh, Davie Paton and Perry F**ckin Como?

I'll never forget.....Did he no have a wee ice cream van outside in Easter Road? Had a few magic moments there. Hot Diggity there was some idle gossip that there were plenty falling stars to catch in the vicinity of the ground with the slope...... arf arf!!

Well life can get a bit dull in old Blighty post Wimbers so spare us some pity. We need to amuse ourselves somehow eh Mr Orr???? But hey we did win a bit of silver thanks to that Scottish chappy Murray who must have made a mint from that success.......wonder if he is a Jambo?

And that brings me to the last time Mr Orr met. It was up at Wimbers in fact midway through our run of 22 in a row. Ah think I'll go and watch the well worn out video again for the 22nd time.

There was Ian, his good lady and you E&M and a good night it was too. The belly bouncing demonstration at the station will go down in Scott/Buchan folklore as will the entertaining of the passengers on the train back to Ashtead. COME ON MIN WAKE UP!!!! Give us your party piece for goodness sake.. What do you mean ye cannae sing or tell a joke. Dae something......... tap dance or recite a poem. Heavens Sake!!!

Anyway enoughalready no more slagging off the Hibees. May the best team win and I cannae wait for the first game of the season in a puckle o weeks to go and you Mr HonORRary Pilot Person to go

Dear M&E

I am writing this message all on my own so I have a dictionary, thesaurus and abacus at hand just in case there's any sums involved. Aileen says a joint effort is imminent until then I hope things are still going hunky doryly?

I took this solo opportunity to reply to the message sent in June by that cheeky b***** Mr Buchan, it appears that since they discontinued the publication of his soccer annual he's become grumpy and forgetful (he'll be saying he doesn't know who Perry Como is next). As regards Mr David Paton, I have known him since he was a wee boy and believe me the runner he and Billy Lyall did from the tattie man, the near success of the Beachcombers, the success of Pilot and the huge variety of session work etc. etc. pale into insignificance (a dictionary moment) when I make my next statement. The biggest and most important performance he gave in his illustrious (nearly another one) career was at the International Club in Princes Street in 1964. We had already played a gig that evening and the young Paton was in attendance (the connection was his sister Ena and Ally Black), well for some reason on the way across town Ally took the huff (I think somebody told him he'd never be a millionaire) so who stepped in at short notice to take over the lead guitar role ? Yes Mr. Magic himself. When I saw him, Stuart and Billy on TOTP taking the place of the unable to make it Queen I was overcome with joy as Toshy had been our percussionist (that's an upmarket drummer Jim) for a year or two. These boys held me in such high esteem that they included my initials in the band name, originally going to be PLT they weren't 100% happy so they thought of me and, as a mark of respect, added the IO and I can tell you I was mightily moved. To hear that he isn't very knowledgeable about football upsets me a great deal, it's almost as bad as finding out that John Inman was gay. When I read you had been to see the Pretenders at Hampden I thought Hearts had played a friendly but lo and behold it was Chrissie and the boys. Anyway James I'm sure you're trembling at the thought of the new season but never give up sooner or later you'll be over the moon but I don't think you're my no.1 will apply this year.

Why don't you see sense All the Best Co Pilot Orr XXXX

Hi guys and thanks for the postcard from Eucla. It arrived the day after I got a card from Montrose, Pennsylvania courtesy of Dennis Paton and Debra. Apparently its a bit of a quiet wee place and not a basin in sight.

Well its been a wet and miserable summer here in old Blighty. I headed to Hampden last week to see the Pretenders and Rod Stewart and it was fair piddling down. There was a Del Boy chappy standing outside selling ponchos and I said "You must be making a fortune pal" and he just larfed the way only Cockneees can larf and said "Not arf you plonka" as he scoffed his jellied eels and listened to Chas and Dave on his dodgy iPod singing. God Bless Hookey Street.

Great concert or should I say PERTY!!! and everyone was well lubricated and singing along to alll the hits especially Maggie May and Youre in My Heart as it mentions Celtic or Sellik as they say here in Weedgie land.

The Pretenders were fabbydoo too and did all the old hits. But in true Pretenders style I two guitarists died during their set though and it being Hampden a couple of subs had to come on. I was of course roaring as you and I tend to do at concerts and Chrissie Hynd must have heard my dulcet, rasping tones bellowing in her lug from three hundred yards away as she eventually did play my favourite "Stop Your Sobbing" and shouted "OK I'll play it but gonnae Stop Yer Roaring" your doin' my napper in."

Its a day I will never forget as it was one of those days when everything seems to go wrong apart from the concert that is. Firstly. I switched on my kitchen light just after midnight on the morning of the gig and BANG the lights fused. "b***** it, I'm off to bed!!" I said to myself, I'll fix them in the morning. After a good kip I jumped into the bath and I thought FAHNNY!!! I think I smell gas. I called the Gas Board and engineer arrived within half an hour. Sure enough I had a leak.

So off I went to work and on the bus I pondered on what else could go wrong as these things tend to come in threes or so my granny fae Ferryden tellt me.

Anyway off I went into the office and around 11am I had the urge to download the previous night's curry. That done I sorted myself, slid the lock and was about to exit the cubicle when WALLOP I was struck on the napper and ended up back sitting on the seat with the door on top of me. I wasn't knocked unconcious and there was no blood but my bonce was fair throbbin'.

As the old Led Zep song says I was Dazed and Confused, even more than usual.

The door had decided to jump off its top hinge and give me the Glesga Kiss. A pure dead mental hardwid door it was byraway.

Just as well I had finished my business as the shock of it all might have made me s**t myself.

So that was my unlucky day but then I got a ticket for the gig at less than face value and my luck started to change.

Well at least I cheered up the rest of the staff in the PR department who have now christened me LAVVYHEID!!!

Okay thats enough nonsense for now. I'm off to strum the ole geetar at Billy McNeill's old pub.

Take care and keep your eyes open for bad ass cludgie doors in the outback.

Jimbo x

Hello!

Was looking at your website for the first time in ages and feeling extremely envious! Looks like you're having a superb time. Can't believe you've been away almost a year and that Gus and I are approaching our first wedding anniversary!!! We're planning to spend a month in Nicaragua and Venezuela early next year, so that Gus can re-discover his roots. I don't suppose you will be around South/Central America at that time? I know that it featured in your travel plans originally.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my new job at the Home Office. Out and about most of the time and very rarely in the office - which suits me fine! Haven't really heard much from DfES people, although I think everything is carrying on as per usual. I saw Christine Bateman at a conference yesterday and she asked about you.

Take care and continue to have an amazing time.

Love P xx

Hello you Travelin Wilburys. Got your e-mail.

Andrew won't be in NZ until around April. I'm not sure when you said you would be there or how long you were staying ? He's had umpteen injections. Just as well his dad works at the Western as he couldn't find Ward 41 (infectious diseases unit). I must admit the first time I had to find it to collect patients notes I got lost !

Claire went to see 'Phantom Of The Opera' in London but she said the one she saw in Edinburgh was better. She and her pals were at Leicester Square for the Harry Potter premier but couldn't see anything for all the umbrellas. By the way I think I forgot to tell you I went see Bob Dylan at the SECC. So it was one old codger watching an even older codger. Anyway must go as packing for our flight to Verona tomorrow. Can't send you a postcard cos you never stay in one place long enough. Byeeeee.

Really enjoyed the last slideshow with the underwater critters Mr and Mrs Cousteau. Where did you berth Calypso?

Waiting in anticipation for the pics of Broome. Will talk soon. Are you still in mobile range? Luv Jean xx

It's that time again, to get the atlas out and follow your journey around the coast whilst I look out at the rain. It's been a bit wet to say the least. Anyway, we were up in Dundee and Montrose last weekend for Claire's graduation. She got a second class honours degree and we had a great night out with her and her flatmates and their parents. The sun even came out for the champagne reception ! Claire heads to London tomorrow for the Design show and hopes she can sell some of her designs. She will be coming home when Joan and I are in Italy as we fly out next Saturday. Andrew is leaving home for a while as he flies out to India on 1st September for 4 months, followed by 3 months in Thailand, Cambodia, etc the on to Singapore and they fly to Auckland. He has a 2 year working visa for NZ. He came up to Montrose with us to say goodbyes to the family. He hadn't seen his cousin David's little boy, Thomas, who is coming up for 2.

Jim Bird is still going on about meeting up in Buenos Aires but I think I might be visiting NZ instead. It will probably be long after you have been there.

Anyway I must go and look at the photos and the blog and will no doubt be jealous as usual.

Hi Both

All packed and ready to set off for Jackdaws Nest tomorrow morning. Just hopes the weather holds up. You have probably missed the UK weather news this past week but we have been hit by torrential rain with many parts of England flooded quite badly with loss of life. In Yorkshire a dam is breaking up so the M1 has been closed with several villages also being evacuated. Engineers are working to try and shore it up while they drain water off.

Will let you have more news when we get back.

Hope you are both OK

Love Pam and Jim xx