Scarlet Pimple

Up at 6a.m here in British Columbia. Canada. At 6.30 my new ICT fan pal, whom I've known for years, comes over and enters home. He is keen on ICT. Coffee on the stove for him after driving 40 K from his home to mine. He's an ex-goalie so knows his stuff. Feeds him a doughnut from Tim Hortons' coffee shop and he settles down to relax. Veteran city bus driver to trade , he's the best , calmest driver I have ever been with. Ex goalie for a junior team and so lots to talk about pre-match. When he saw the semi -final he was gobsmacked!!!! At this point I was barely able to stop the sneaky smile coming over my face because I knew I had him... Check T V to ensure everything is fine and dandy. Join Gary for a cup of coffee and pumps up cushions on Chaise Longue for the long haul. Have previously obtained permission from tenant downstairs to go ape if need be. Confirmed. Weather check is meaningless when I remember that I am not in Glasgow but here , in very warm and sunny Maple Ridge, B.C. 7a.m here in Western Canada on Saturday 30/5 ---- switch on T.V. to start the game . On our feet silently clapping the team onto the park and hope that the guys inside Hampden can hear us. Run to cupboard and get the smelling salts that I forgot on my first trip to get the coffee. Park these on the glass top of the table and remembers that Bob's your Uncle. Bottom Line, chums........have a great game. S.P + one. :ictscarf:

"Well. the horses are now all in the gates. and we are just waiting for the signal........There it is! THEY ARE OFFFF and the 96th running of the Inverness Caley Preakness is now well under way . Approaching the half way mark and Caley 1 is leading the bunched remaining horses who are closely following by three lengths with the jocky trying to hold him back .He's raring to go and watch what happens in the final straight 'cos if he keeps up this pace he will either drop dead or win by 6 lengths. The excitemenrt is mounting and the crowd are on their feet screaming for the blue clad jockey to whip the hoss. But he 's a class act and knows how to get the best out of a horse without hurting it and this horse is extraordinary and trained to the limit and is in superb condition plus he has a big heart and will always do his best no matter what. They'r turning now round Telford's Drift and he's still full of fight and the jockey is beginning his run to the finishing line. The crowd are all on their feet and going crazy, the noise is bedlam and still rising. It's a two horse race now with all the other hosses left in their dust. The second favorite is Falkir'k's Dream who has always been in contention right from the start and has proved to be a thoroughbred of real talent . Never started to flag but has been under the cosh from the get-go, withering from Caley1's blisterng , aggressivepace. He is undoubtedly now a real threat to our champion in the blue and red colors, though, and both horses are now neck and neck after a mighty effort from Falkirk's dream which has drawn him level but might just prove his undoing, But wait! Caley 1 has JUST CLICKED HIS PACE UP A NOTCH and is now leading by a length and seems to be unstoppable in his determination to win this mighty, prestigious cup. Quarter of a mile to go and, again, Falkirk's dream matches the pace of his frenetic adversary in what is turning out to be the race of the century for both horses and jockeys. Both sets of supporters in this mighty crowd are past cheering on their favorite but all are in unison in cheering for this fantastic display of grit and determination, pace and skill of the jockeys in putting on a show not seen hear at Hamden racecourse for at least fifty years. ' Who will now win. That is the question. 1/4 of a mile to go and the brilliant two are 50 lengths in front of the pack who simply did not have the heart and skill to match this terrible twosome who are unbelievably outstanding on their day in the sun. Now we are down to the run down the straight in front of the Stand and it's still neck and neck with Caley 1 shading it by a head. Whilst people are falling over the front stand rails andd ropping down on the people below, the hard-working jockeys are urging their steeds forward with everything they have. But now they know that both horses have each given so much energy and effort that these two have to battle their own kind to win this race and so the Jocks are simply holding the rains loosely and letting them go. As the crowd react in a fever pitch of excitement you can't even hear yourself think but with only a few yards to go there is a definite gap between the brave and bold horses and ittt's a WIN for Caley 1 by one length. What a race and what a worthy winner, But such a pity that either horse had to lose and that final spurt was all it took from one of the two utterly exhausted steeds to deliver the big prize. They say that no one remembers a loser but you will have to work very long and hard well into the future ,to convince anyone who was present at this "Blazing Saddles" tournament today, who saw this tremendous show of power, dedication, energy, skill and lovely colored tunics on the tiny Jockeys that this was a race where there was, and always will be, two mighty winners. .

Looking back to when I was a very young teenager and getting in to Telford Street and standing beneath the trees on the right side of the park as you enter for six pence, I can hardly credit the momentous changes and progress achieved by my team since then. Way back then I think T.V had just been invented and was presented in black and white on 12 or 14 inch screens !! Just being able to view the game on this absolutely stunning occasion is reward enough but when and if the cup is hoisted I will simply be riveted to the spot, standing in my living room in obeisance and unable to take my eyes off the T.V. And the joy will be so great all round that I simply cannot guarantee that a tear or two will not flow...so there. On that note can I go to the bathroom please? ......... For the 4th time today. :ictscarf:

Now it's just Auld Bertie.. that is if he is still on this mortal coil which I doubt.

Incredible pitchers IHE. Incredible. What a lovely hallway at the entrance there. What? ............Oh no, I was not referring to the spittoons, old chap, just the lovely colourful images.

Er--not unless I win the Lottery 69 and 50 million dollars. There was a spellnig error in that sentence . What I typed was "You would find a holiday on the East coast of Canada as a breathtaking experience. But good try IBM, Good try!

Kingsmills, You don't know how close your prediction is. I am not going to tempt fate by telling you the final score but....... if I were a bettuing man....

Yes, Charlie, I spotted D.J MacDonald, our stern but respected Rector. The clothes are reminiscent of what I remember my sister wore at, or around, that time. Warm, clean, boring and didn't show much leg except the ones in the flat shoes of course Ha! Ha! My sister was a well developed young woman and so I have a feeling that the pubescent lads would not be paying too much attention to her shoes......? Yes, the space does look so small compared to my memories of it but time does that to a person doesn't it ? Nevertheless, I still get a strange feeling when I look at this picture and others of our old haunt, the Academy. It was a good time to be alive and we did learn as well didn't we? I'm not sure that I would shed a tear if I went back to visit but you just never know. There is no doubt that this hallowed place had a deep affect on all of us despite possible denials to the contrary. As I gaze at the picture, I now know that It certainly left an unexpected and deep imprint on me. Like I was leaving something valued , solid and comforting and now have to make my own way in the world and into the unknown with all its challenges and uncertainties. Just hope I can make it to the finishing line without losing what marbles I have left. C'mon Al, just go home to Mrs Zheimer and leave me alone with my nostalgia, there's a good lad. Enter Wan Smile from the sidewings.........

Didn't know that the Viva made a Hatch Back , IBM. Thou art a veritable fund of knowledge. Fancy holidaying in the Bay of Fundy on East coast of Canada.--Great selection of wildlife there from whales to sea birds etc. The huge whales there were almost hunted to extinction but a few survived and are making a painful comeback. What a sight they are when they breach.

Nice looking pub Scotty. Enjoy the game and the company. Looking good for a few folk now.

Legal for me too --for $4. Crazy. I can't get over it . Somebody up there must love me? My heart has been racing ever since the phone call came in. A wee tear slipped out after I put the phone down when the enormity of this momentous occasion really hit me but I quickly brushed it away so that Matilda, my beloved little girl cat wouldn't see it. She pretends that she thinks I'm a stiff upper lip kinda guy but I know that she really knows that I am just a big softie at heart. We play this stern game all the time but somehow she always ends up with what she really wants and that's her belly rubbed. Darned charmer. Settle back in Scarlet's high chair at 6.30 am on Saturday and enjoy the build up . Wait for the intermission for ads and dash to the microwave to get a cup of coffee then settle down for the main event with a wee toddy in my left hand, on account of the fact that in my right hand there will be another, different, toddy all purchased at great cost specially for the occasion. Out come the teams and Scar baby spills his drink on the chaise longue 'cos his hand is trembling so much that it's rhythm matches that of his heart. Settles down and prays to G..d that he is still alive by game end. Cheers guys--enjoy the moment. It's really great to be a child again isn't it.

I have a feeling that whoever wins the 2015 cup will have had to work very hard for the honour!

Hullo dear Canadian and U S chums.. After much work I have managed to oblige my Western Canadian T V friends to find me the channel , that's going to show the GAME on Saturday, So, finally I received a call today from my hard working Chinese Technician from Shaw Cablevision, the Western Canadian cable provider, to say that they have finally found a channel that is streaming the game . And are going to set this channel up for me today and check back on Saturday at 3.30 p,m (GMT) to make sure I am viewing it on my 52 " screen in full technicolour and in possible H.D. Now that's service with a smile eh? Wheeeeeee! I am ecstatic and jumping around in my living room punching the air as often as I can in a ridiculously childish show of emotion. I LOVE IT! Which I know you will not hold against me----- forever. I hope. The Shaw Cable Channel in Western Canada is in the green sports section ---GOL T.V. which I think is either 147 or 167 and probably is H D accessible. Gol T V states on their 2010 webpage that the channel is 151 but that surely must by now be out-of date.Total cost to me for the 3-4 days will be about $4---daylight robbery. GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!

As for O'Fere I think he may stay but for how long into the future? 2-3 years or he does well and likes the town. and stays on for a longer time. Just have to wait and see. My wife went for a coffee and a doughnut at Starbucks in London and it cost her $10Can. equivalent,. Here? About half that. She says that travel is expensive over your way--a double decker bus ride to the suburbs of London especially. Gasoline was double the cost in Scotland in 2006. Today she is off to the shops to compare prices and goods. I must admit I found Canadian prices to be less than those in Blighty back in 2006 when I was last over. Maybe gas prices have evened out recently though with the drop in the value of oil. Currently we are on $1.31 Can per liter ($6 per gallon)in Western Canada or equivalent to 3.18 pounds per gallon-- rough calculations. In Real Estate transactions here we seem to get hosed by often incompetent Realtors who put an advertisement online and just wait for calls. I tried selling my house myself but the Realtors drove their clients round the block so that they avoided seeing my sign and by and large they boycotted the sale. The buyer retains the bizarre idea that a "For sale by Owner " means a lack of professionalism because they, the buyers, don't know very much about the process themselves and so opt for the safety of selling with what they think is a professional Realtor. Then they have to keep phoning their Realtor for updates on the sale and to prod them into activity. Realtors are primarily after listings because the more homes they have listed the better chance THEY have for a sale. It's a rough business!! It's all about sales commissions and money, not the client. After any sale a client is easily forgotten.

We agree Charlie. Why can't we just filter in and then filter out after the game? Much simpler , freedom wto roam whwerever you wanted to . Changing halves at 1/2 time and so on.

And that sounds awfully like the modern version of Shakespeare's play, I.H.E. --Oh you are a clever old devil. One of these days I will meet up with you for a yarn or two. Have you ever been to Canada ? As for the truth behind all the old stories and legends and book lore who knows where it lies. They were all "at it" in these lawless days and one was little better than another as far as I can judge. From lawless castle take-overs. to sheep and cattle reiving , to kidnapping and rape of damsels from their families --the young lady Keith was taken by storm up to Caithness by one of these Northern Lords of the Manor to one of his castles there and imprisoned. Finally, with her spirit and hope broken she then jumped out the window to her death 20-30 feet below rather then submit to him.Thus leading to a bitter feud by Keith and this fellow. The latter, by the way, being one of the wealthiest baronetcies in Britain. He came over from France with the Duke of Normandy in 1066 and was assigned lands in the North of Scotland when the English tracts of land that were allocated to others who had helped William the Conqueror ran out. Same with a lot of other Scottish landed gentry.

But the substitute keeper didn't do too badly did he? Great experience for him too?

Hit them hard from the off. Don't let 'em settle. This will take the pressure off the back four and keep them fresh for the inevitable push back which must come to allow the opposition to score. Just a thought.

That was my main plan Hawkeye, but the second option will now be on the radar too. Thanks! S.P.

Perth ICT--your comment could also be applied to Real Estate Agents in Canada whose commissions start at $15,000. One agent who once sold a home for me told me recently that he made $175,000 last year but has decided to retire due to illness. That's about 90,000 pounds at todays exchange rate. He's really professional though .

Thanks IBM--makes sense too because it was on the EAST side of town and I think MacBeth had a place the other side of Nairn didn't he?

I like Williams but haven't heard his name too many times this season. Works hard..........

Bottom Line? : It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to see ICT in this unique Final and it will be a great day of football. I don't think Falkirk gives a jot about how good Caley Thistle is because this is a very special game and they will be upping their game greatly. Let the best team win and let it be a fabulous final. Anyone who can't be bothered to get off their chair, get a ticket and have a great, excitintg day out at Hampden Park are going to be the losers. My wife is on holiday in London otherwise I would be there myself. What I am doing to see it, however is to have contacted the Service Supervisor for the Western Canada Cable company, of which we are a customer and persuaded him to find a channel for me that runs a video of the game and he has been unable to locate one so-o-o----he then arranged for one of his good techs whom I know to call me and he promised to call me back Friday next, set up his own VPN service with me over the phone and allow me to access the video of the game online. What I must do now is to find out where I can access the BBC live game video(or any other live video) so I can download it onto my computer on the Saturday, 30 May.--can anyone assist me here please? Will the BBC video link be on our match day thread? Thank you, Nail biting S.P.--------------- P.S. no quicks left now, starting on finger tips.

What Iain doesn't tell you is that he then went back to reading Destinies in Motion until he again fell asleep to awake three hours later totally refreshed and thinking he was a wizard.

Niall--the young gent in your photo is the spitten image of Charlie Harpers' sidekick, Alan, in the very U.S.successful T V show called Two and a Half Men. The actor's name is Jon Cryer. The main star is Charlie Sheen earning $1,000,000 per episode prior to his going of his rocker and quitting the show. Very slick show.