David Campbell

Saturday Noon
                       Yesterday I went to a book launch. It was a book about storytelling by a very interesting person called David Campbell. David commissioned me twice to write playets for educational broadcasting when he worked at BBC Radio Scotland. I think a new controller got rid of him because he liked talking to people. I think one of my playets was probably the last thing he produced. It started off with someone throwing up. He spent ages producing the throwing up. Soggy cornflakes plopping into a bucket with accompanying vocals. There really sounded like an awful lot of throwing up at the start of the recording. Then it says ... produced by the Education Unit of the BBC .... something like that. Good joke!
                      The last time I bumped into him I said I'd visit him, but didn't because ... well, what would I say? I'm getting shyer and shyer the older I get.  But I always say hello when I see him because he is a very interesting guy!
                      I didn't speak to anyone at the book launch. Shook David's hand and said hello. Had Brian Wilson come along with me we could have had quite a time! There seemed to be unlimited plonko collapso and very nice cake. Interesting music too!!
                      I'm going to spend most of the afternoon in the lobby, doing the bliss.

One Month Into Retirement!

Thursday 10:55 p.m.
                               It's a day over a month since I handed in my notice and walked off the jobbie for month's holiday.
                               So how's it been going then, Hotboy? Well, Jack, it's been going very well! Every day can be a wonderful Thursday now, and the meditations have improved faster than they would have otherwise. But I haven't quite settled down yet. There is still some stuff I have to do.
                                The machines are in retreat, so that now I can scan things if I want and still upload photies, like the ones above. I'm still fixing the scan for the Cyclists book and have still two thirds to do. I don't really have to do anything for the other books still waiting to be uploaded, and they're just waiting for the good offices of the consigliere and for the kiddo to get her computer fixed. Of course, in the war against the machines, there was was flanking movement and the machine she was working on had a hard drive failure. The consigliere has been massive in all this uploading stuff and I don't think I would have done it without him.
                                Nobody is buying the books of course. However, they might or they might not. Once my pension thingy is sorted out, it won't matter. I don't need the money. I'll have ten books on Kindle shortly and that's very nice really. I don't really care if nobody buys them. Personally, I've given up reading books and writing them. I'd much rather watch the telly!!
                               There is real warmth in the out-breath when I'm doing the vase breathing, but I'm not going to go on about the wonderful meditations  ... they will be more wonderful later, that's for sure!
                                My mother in law got out of hospital today and the Domestic Bliss is away in Newmains till tomorrow.
                                Apart from getting fatter and fatter from drinking too much home brew, I'm in love with my life at the moment. Oh, what a fortunate creature I am, I am! What a fortunate creature I am!
                               

Mare photies!

Tuesday 11:05 p.m.
                             Some of Cramond and some of trees blown down or half blown down. The allotment looks really green because it's covered now in wee weeds. The kirk is Cambusnethan Church in Newmains.

Tons of photies!!!

Tuesday 10:55 p.m.
                             I haven't been able to upload photies recently due to the war with the machines, but I got something reconnected tonight. There's a couple of Cramond which might have been a fortnight ago now. One is of a tree in Inverleith Park which blew down last week or the week before. There was a huge storm today as well with hailstones. Weird.

Today!

12:36 a.m.
                Today is the day that I don't have to go to work tomorrow. Big hurrah!
                I don't think I'll ever have to go to work every again. Isn't that amazing? Hurrah!
                Whilst sitting on the cushion today, the peace and joy and such like were such that I wondered how long I would have to live to experience the satiation, the contentment, etc., And I did not think this would take very long though I know it might take an awful long time. But there was a glimpse.
                Hmmm? Is there any point in saying this to folk who don't meditate? I don't think so. Flatheids just don't get the bliss. But I am basically writing this to myself. Maybe I'll read over it when I get the black spot to gauge the thoughts. But today the meditations were amazing. Hurrah!

The Two Granny Day!

Friday 11:24 p.m.
                          So I'm talking to the auld maw about the other granny, whom she's never met, and she says: 'She's done!'
                          I had a look at the other granny a wee bit later. This woman cannot go home on her own. I think I'll have to refine my addictions in Newmains, just when the totally selfish life was about to check back in as well. Well, it's not all about moi!
                          I'm able to do the bliss as well. None of these other people seem to have that. But the auld maw has her hearing aid in today. She still needs to get her ears syringed, but ... it was like the prophet had started to talk again. She said when the was lying on her bed she wasn't really asleep most of the time, but it was a place to go to let the cares and the worries pass you by, a solace. This is very like a river meditation where you just seeing the thoughts arising, abiding, and declining, but don't follow them. So this wummin isny worried, at all.
                          Gorgeous  day today. We came back via the lang wang. I think that's what it's called. I didn't ask.

The Best of Times!

Thursday 10:10 p.m.
                                I'm going to grow my hair down to my feet, so strange. End up looking like a mountain range. The inimitable Bob.
                                The best of times was the summer of 1988. I had the kiddo and the sun shone, and I had some money. I used to take the kid to the Botanic Gardens almost every day, and when she slept, I got stoned. Sometimes, I meditated and got stoned. In those days I thought I wanted to be high all the time. That was before the pizzaman. The canny bliss was probably better.
                                I'm in one of these wonderful configurations just now, this time before you get the black spot. This wonderful time.
                                I know I shouldn't gloat. Gloating is very bad. No, mustn't gloat. I'm gloating like hell! This is the end of all elaborate plans, my friend. The ten books what I wrote for some reason will be stuck on Amazon until the end of the world. I did help to bring up a kiddo, and that is wonderful, this ending of the completely selfish life. And you've got to look at it as it passes moment by moment ... well, was that alright? I think so ... and then you've got to look at the shape from the inception till the collapse, and that was wonderful. There is going to be something so unexpectedly close to perfection ... the perfect curve from when the ball was thrown until it landed ... this summertime is going to feel like that.
                               Why are you happier than you were, Hotboy?Well, Jack, I hated the jobbies. Although sometimes I knew that the jobbies were great jobbies, and the people were really nice, I fung hated them through and through. So, goodbye to them! Hurrah!