8.15 a.m. Well good morning folks. It is great to be back again. I decided over the weekend that it would be probably for the best to cut the blog down to a five day a week, as it might prove to be difficult to keep it up over 7 days. I would probably just dry up eventually. Whereas, if I make it a five day week project instead of drying up, I will probably just become a little damp. Then of course nature stepped in and decided four days of blogging will be quite enough for you this week Glassey. Ah well, nature did not allow for Barbara stepping in. Anyway, I am back, you just can't keep a good man down, or, as Ian Qualtrough would say, "You just can't get rid of rubbish!"

Talking of Ian Qualtrough, for those of you off Island or new to the Island, Ian Qualtrough use to run the timber yard, this is now run by his son John, in Castletown. Some years ago, a radio station was making a programme about Castletown, and during the course of making the programme they took themselves off to Qualtrough's timber yard. Of course they had to interview Ian. During the interview, the interviewer said to Ian. "Well, Mr Qualtrough, just exactly how many men work for you then?" Ian thought for a moment, and then replied. "Well, I guess about half of them!"

I have just enjoyed a bacon bap for my breakfast after my 24 hour fast imposed on me by the doctor yesterday. Talking of breakfast, I recall a memorable breakfast I once had, or in fact, didn't have as the case maybe. It was back in the days of Manx Airlines. Do you remember those days we used to have over here, when the boats went to Liverpool and the planes went to Heathrow? Yes folks, once upon a time, our boats and planes actually took people to where they wanted to go, rather than where the ferry company or airline wanted you to go. Well anyway, I was flying out to Heathrow on the first flight out. They used to throw in breakfast as part of the deal. I was travelling alone, and the breakfasts were served in plastic moulded trays. These trays that held your breakfast were in fact a remarkable peace of engineering. The breakfast or parts of the breakfast fitted exactly in to each moulded bit of the tray. The groove moulded out for the sausage was exactly the right size for the sausage, and so on for the bacon, black pudding and hash brown. There was not one millimetre to spare. I would imagine even a person with sight would have difficulty cutting up this breakfast with the plastic knife and fork provided. For a blind person it was just about impossible. Well, as I stabbed away at my breakfast, with the food fast disappearing from my tray, I heard the stewardess asking the chap sitting next to me if he would like a breakfast. "No thanks" he replied. "I have already got most of his!"

I close today with a big farewell to Wendy and Sean. Wendy a Peel girl who left to seek her fortune in London many years ago, popped in to visit me over the weekend. She is a regular blog reader and it was brilliant to meet up with her and her partner Sean. I hope they both return to the island again soon.

This weekend I look forward to meeting up with another blog reader, Anna from the Wirral. Anna, the wine is in the cooler, and the sunshine is on order. I intend to spend a couple of hours out on Langness later today. I have attached yet another print of one of my my wife Barbara's paintings of Langness.

Well people it is now time to bid you all farewell. If I am not struck down by another virus, bus or runaway steam train, I shall be back tomorrow.

This is Tom Glassey. News at 8..55 on the banks of the Silverburn river.