9.20 a.m. I have just enjoyed mackerel on toast for breakfast, after my morning walk along the Silverburn. I spent all afternoon yesterday trawling around Castletown bay looking for callig and mackerel. I can promise you that all, the callig and mackerel that went for an afternoon swim yesterday afternoon, all returned home safely.

A couple of years ago, my financial advisor advised me that I should make an investment over a five year period in a certain building society. I took his advice, and of course the investment has now gone a bit belly up. So, I got myself a new financial advisor who phoned me up on Saturday morning and told me to place a bet on the 3.20 at Mussleborough. If anyone comes across a horse that answers to the name West with the Wind, please let me know, as it owes me £50. Never mind, at least I did recover the £50 in the Derby. I don’t normally bet on horses or anything else for that matter which is just as well.

Talking of horses, my Dad was very much a horse man. Back in the 1940’s he worked on the Cringle reservoir using a horse and cart to carry stone. I remember back in my 20’s when I lived at home on Janet’s Corner, Dad had a field on the Douglas road, about a quarter of a mile towards the airport from the Janet’s Corner housing estate. For a few months he kept a small Welsh Cob pony he was breaking in for someone else. We also kept goats at the time, pigs, a couple of calves and some chickens. Anyway I would go up there to milk the goats and of course talk to ‘Goblin’ the pony. Sometimes I would bring Goblin back to the house with me. To do this I held him on a rope and walked him down the pavement to our house which was the first house on the estate. Crossing the main Douglas road being blind with a pony on the end of a rope, was sometimes a tad tricky, however, we managed. The fun really kicked in when I was approaching the bus stop on the main road at Janet’s Corner. I am told that one or two elderly residents of Janet’s Corner who were stood at the bus stop, actually reached the qualifying 100 metre sprint time for the Olympics when they saw me approaching with Goblin on the end of my rope. Most folk step aside when they see and blind person and their guide dog approach, I can tell you they travel at super sonic speed when they see a blind man and his horse approaching.

Well folks this time next week I will be at Clatterbridge. Young Chris my boatman is coming with me for the first week. When I am not being treated at the hospital, we intend to explore the river Dee and the Mersey. I don’t think it is going to be possible to keep the blog going from the Wirral. However, I will be updating you at weekends. I must say a big thank you to Wendy here. Wendy has offered to write the blog for me from her office in London. It would mean me calling her by phone though each day and I don’t think I could write the blog off the cuff in that format. None-the-less it is extremely kind of you Wendy to offer your services.

Well, that is just about it people for today, I shall return tomorrow, but until then this is Tom Glassey with News at 10 on the banks of the Silverburn River.