Julie Fowlis - Bothan Àirigh am Bràigh Raithneach

Regular readers will know I'm a great fan of the BBC's "Transatlantic Sessions". Here's Julie Fowlis singing for us in the language of heaven

Little Douce Coop

American and English are subtly different languages, and the differences can be rather startling. In the UK, a rubber is what we use to erase pencil marks,the item that it shares a name with in the US has an entirely different function. Americans talking about their "fanny" in the UK will be surprised to learn that in the UK a fanny is not a backside, but an adjacent female body part. The scope for embarrassment is boundless.

However, this post is about henhouses and the vagaries of US v UK pronunciation. We'd say, "Little dewse Coupay" in Britain, whereas we all know how it sounded when the Beach Boys sang. My hens have a nifty new coop, complete with wheels so it can be moved to fresh pastures. It's very smart, neat and tidy - "douce" in the Scots.

So, it's a "Little Douce Coop" - Enjoy your new home, ladies!

What does ME feel like?

I get asked that a lot. Here's as good an answer as I've found, although the experience extends to razors, cups of tea, cordless phones, remote controls. I even lost my car recently - took me 15 minutes to find it again.

Thanks to Leanne Hunter http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=172271661588 - who posted this to the Facebook UK Chronic Fatigue Syndrome group.



Toothbrush, Toothbrush, Where for art thou Toothbrush?

I search under the cupboard,
I look inside the kitchen sink,
I look inside the breadbin,
I look inside the fridge.

But my toothbrush is nowhere to be found.

I look inside my cabinets,
I look under the couch,
I look inside the fish tank,
Turn the living room inside out!

But my toothbrush is nowhere to be found.

I search around the garden,
I look inside the shed,
I check between the bed sheets,
And underneath the bed!

Where could my toothbrush be?

I search around the bathroom,
My toothbrush isn’t in the bath.
It isn’t on my storage shelf.
Or beneath the bathroom matt.

Where’s my blooming toothbrush?

I sit with hands tight on my head,
How will i brush my teeth?
I don’t want plaque on my gums,
When i go to sleep!

Now it’s getting late,
And i want to go to bed,
I give up and sigh and say goodnight,
And raise my weary head.

And then right there before me,
My toothbrush proudly stands,
In the place it’s always been,
In its own little stand!

I start to feel frustrated,
I should have looked there first,
Before the contents of my house,
We’re angrily dispersed.

What did i need my toothbrush for?
As i hold it in my hand.
All night it’s had a purpose,
One now, i can’t understand.

Why did i need my toothbrush?
What could its purpose be?
My brain flicks on, its purpose;
Was to stir my cup of tea?

Farewell, Farewell - Fairport Convention

Here's one of those wonderful Fairport tracks in which Sandy Denny's gorgeous voice and Richard Thompson's guitar skill weave in and around each other to create something magical. Poor Sandy has been a long time gone, but over 40 years later RT still tours to delight us. If you've never seen him, I urge you to do so before he calls it a day.

Ben Keith

Neil Young's long time musical collaborator Ben Keith died last week. Here's "Out on the Weekend" complete with Ben Keith's steel guitar.

Is this thing on?

So, two months just flew by. It's been fun establishing ourselves here at Gilston. The summer has been pretty good , at least by Fife standards, and we've got a lot done. The ME has been restrictive - I'm having to pace myself carefully, but I've got a lot done. I've worked on being able to graciously accept offers of help, even though internally I was snarling at the need and my injured pride. I've got rid of the inner snarl now, and life is easier all of a sudden.

Return from the Cybervoid

After 7 weeks of absurdity I'm finally back online! I coud use this post to give a blow by blow account of my dealings with unco-operative and obtuse Internet Service Providers, but it would probably bore you as much as it does me, so we won't go there.

On the plus side, however, we are now established at the new address. The financial storm clouds have parted, and I have been granted early payment of my pension on the grounds of my ill-health. Combined with the Employment Support Allowance I was granted at my appeal tribunal back in March, I now have a guaranteed income. It's not as much as I used to earn, but it is a good two thirds of that amount, and I'm now spared a great deal of worry.

Moving house with ME is quite an experience. I found that there were days when the sheer need to get things done carried me through, followed by some heavy-duty "payback" days. Oddly, there were a few times my depression, which is normally under control, put in an appearance, despite the steady progress I felt we were making.

I'm sitting here in something of a trance today - yesterday was my regular colonoscopy examination, a souvenir of the bowel cancer I had nearly 20 years ago. To add to the fun, I was examined from both ends on this occasion! The sedative used always gives me a filthy hung over feeling, although I'm happy to report that the test revealed all is well.

It's good to be blogging again, watch this space!