Frances144

I hope the Edinburgh flight gets in tonight. My kids are on it. Fingers crossed. The SIC Roads Weather Stations are saying that Sumburgh is 20mph lower than everywhere else in the islands, so I am praying they come home safely. Editted to say they've landed safely. Oh, the relief!

Surgery - my back done - prolapsed L5/S1 discectomy at Woodend Hospital. I am on the URGENT NHS list, waiting for a cancellation - nothing doing so far.

When the kids went in the big coach to the Panto, the driver used to take a small detour around the back of Bolts and stop so everyone could appreciate the time and effort (and electricity bill!) in that garden!!! It was great. I will remember it forever, and I was just a parent!

My Bernese Mountain Dog bitch had the loveliest temperament. She was sold to me by a Breeder who had bought her into her stud because my bitch's mother had won her class at Crufts a few years back. So, Lotte (my dog) had alot of potential. Sadly she was quite small for the breed standard and so the owner (not the breeder) decided she was no use for breeding and to sell her on at a vast price to me. Lotte was beautiful. Bernese Mountain dogs have to have their markings in the right place - this is part of the Kennel Club Breed Standard - and her's were all there. She had been hipscored as a puppy, and had all the other checks done with "low" scores. Sadly, from about Year 4 we could see there was something very wrong with and she was on a diet of Rimadyl or Metacam or something else on and off for the rest of her short life. She died aged 7. I would never buy another Kennel Club recognised breed. I now have 2 Patterdales and a lurcher and you couldn't get a bigger mix than that. They are fairly vet-free apart from the lurcher who is old now and made of wet tissue paper. He still hunts and is active, despite a terrible accident. Mongrels have strong genes IMO. They don't have acceptable "complications" like eyes having to be pinned up. Patterdale Terriers are virtually indestructible! http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e302/Frances144/Capture-005067.jpg

The gentlemen at R W Bayes on the street (just opposite Osla's) are brilliant. Absolutely wonderful. I use them for all my framing. I can highly recommend them. Innovative (if you can't decide, like me!), helpful and a very good reliable service.

I think mobile phone numbers have to be the most unmemorable (is that a real word?) ever. Mine, I have had for years, and I still can't remember it, find it nearly impossible to find in the phone and have it written down somewhere in the house. I also can't remember anyone else's mobile phone numbers either - even ones I phone daily. Is it the amount of numbers? I have memorised most folks' BT phone numbers just out of habit and general use but a mobile number holds no memory in my head at all. Funny that! Just an observation!

Is it me or are the gritters gritting slightly less grit these days. Sometimes they go past and you can barely see any evidence of grit/salt - is this the credit crunch we are hearing?

Well.... when it was me, I told my family that should anything happen and they need me home fast, it wouldn't take that long. I also said I only got one life and wanted to do this as it was WHAT I WANTED!

Brilliant idea, Fifi. It makes my weekend (how sad am I? - please don't answer that!) to have a nice Chinese take away out here in the rurals. One takeaway usually does two meals too with a bit more padding, ie rice.

I like the Jamieson's green wool Christmas tree - that is innovative design. Looks great - well done to whoever thought of that!!

Sadly, I couldn't find the bit where it says "be sure to treat your passenger requiring a wheelchair like a dog turd recently found on the bottom of your shoe after you have walked around a house with a white carpet". Funny that! Oh well, Round 3 before Christmas as I'm going down for the long-awaited Surgery. I will let you know if the festive spirit will have improved their Customer Relations special skills. There are a few issues Aberdeen end, IMO, that could do with improvement. btw, thank you Rasmie for that interesting read. Appreciated.

Well, where do you do the majority of your Christmas shopping: Online? In Shetland? Go on a trip south? I would be very interested to know. Thank you.

Well, I'll be! You learn something new every day (well, you don't if you're me coz I don't get out much!). But I have to say, cor! Good luck to you. Poi awa'!

The actual medical definition of influenza is:- If there were a £50 note at the bottom of your garden, would you go out and get it? If you have real flu, then there is no way on this earth you would or could. If you have a cold, then you would be skipping down there like a shot, sniffling as you go, but planning what to spend the cash on!

Had chips in a cone at The Fort last Monday - best description "average" from me and "good" from my OH. He thinks, compared with the rest, they are the best of a pretty poor bunch. The Fort are, at least, consistent - we think this is due to the amount of traffic so that the chips are never chewey and old. There is just no excuse for chippings (thank you, Happy Haddock!). This is a very sad state of affairs. The Happy Haddock used to be great, Ian's were just as good and The Fort stayed the same. What has happened to the great chip? They are the bench-mark of Shetland cuisine! Oh, the chypocrasy!

At least they acknowledged you and your dog's existence. They couldn't even be arsed to look up from what they were reading to answer my query with a grunt.

I have perused the Podcasts and have the Stephen Fry stuff, the Radio 4 Friday Night Comedy inc News Quiz and Now Show, 8 out of 10 cats, Armstrong & Miller (Timeghost), Logan's Run, E4 laughs at Edinburgh. I also have some Radio 7 stuff - a friend gets it for me. List includes: Dad's Army Sticks out Half a Mile All gas and gaiters Big Bang Day Blackadder Blake 7 Belack Expectations Cabin Pressure Absolute Power Cadfael (books and 2 radio dramas) Narnia Chambers Colvil and Soames Douglas Adams Dr Syn All Harry Potter I Claudius Kicking the Habit Men from the Ministry Mrs Bradley Michael Palin Himalayas Jeeves Navy Lark Rumpole Space Force Space Hacks Saturday Night Fry The Castle The Now Show The Lost Weblog (rubbish, utter rubbish) So, any more things like that would be appreciated. Anyone got Yes, Minister on CD? More Cadfael radio dramas, more Radio 4 comedy dramas would be great. Thanks everyone - appreciated. Fx

Try the Hydro Shop in the Street - I hope they got a full refund from their attendance at Charm School!

I am going south some time soon for a back operation. The pain is bad so I am sleeping odd hours and spending the rest of my time at night resting and listening to my iPod. I am quickly running out of things to listen to in the wee small hours. Has anyone got on CD any good Radio dramas, audiobooks, comedy programmes, etc that I can transfer onto my iPod to listen to? If so, please pm me with details - I have some already and can say yes or no to you and then we take it from there. I am willing to pay postage there and back. All CD's will be returned, I promise. I will try the library too but the majority of their stuff is on cassette. I like just about anything that takes my mind off my misery! Many thanks Frances

Brilliant! Thought, tbh, it is really scary how little some folk actually know about where their food comes from or what it is.

I am still a-wheelchairing with Flybe and I must say they are horrible to me. Last time I wanted to have my wheelchair after the security bit and shops at Aberdeen airport - not a huge walk and one I wanted to do as I haven't seen a shop for at least a year. "Customer Service Desk", and I use that term very loosely, told me that I could only have a wheelchair before security and no I could not look at the shops but just get straight on the plane (so i would go through security last minute). I said but I want to look at the shops and could manage that. No, i was told, it was before security or nothing. So I went and ate my lunch and thought abit about the situation. I went back to "Customer Service Desk" and said in a very loud voice, in front of all the other desk staff (EasyJet, etc), "Fine, I have taken my morphine. I am going through Security now and I will go shopping on my own. If I pass out, perhaps Flybe would have the courtesy to then provide me with a wheelchair" and off I stomped (well, limped - I have slipped discs in my back and awaiting urgent NHS surgery). I did what I set out to do, knackered myself and limped down to the gate (luckily a nearby one) and went to sleep (morphine and pain does that for you!) by the desk waiting to be called to board the plane. Funnily enough Flybe sent a wheelchair plus attendant to find me to get me on the plane first. There is a lot of work to do before this system even begins to work and no one wants to get involved or help. I am beginning to become an expert as I am using their system on a fairly regular basis - Consultants, scans, ops..... and I am not impressed. Flybe have made me feel small, unhelpful and in their way.

I have registered on the Car Share website and not ever had a bite. I would be interested to know if it has worked for anyone else?

What about 1 SIC employee = 1 yellow van. They never do lovely sharing, ever! Perish the thought! They need that spare seat for their Voe pie and, on a Friday, their newspaper!

I think the Council should request a feasibility study and then a Customer Focus Department to deal with this. Flybe have a Customer Focus Department who are busy focussing on the complete lack of wheelchair appearances despite requests using their Special Assistance Request Department. Or there is the old fall-back position, the Focus Feedback Forum......

The best crispy chicken wontons can be found at the Red Dragon takeaway, Lerwick. Truly divine and a real treat at lunchtime!