Dr Scudleys Casebook

Got ma letter from the Hospital today regardin’ ma MRI scan ah got a couple of Weeks ago. Ah was a bit apprehensive when ah was openin’ the thing, thinkin’ this could be’ THE letter, the one wi’ the Shite news.Ah’ve been lucky- so far, ma First Diagnosis of the Cancer gave me a Fifty/Fifty chance of living, ah had, by all accounts, a massive Heart attack after ma Second dose of Chemo, that should’ve killed me [ Mr Miracle ah was called by the First Three Doctors who saw me afterwards], the stroke ah never even knew ah’d had. These things point to me bein’ a lucky Bastard. Paty hardly had time tae say ‘That’ll be that, then’, before he was gone. Ah have quite a lot of painful moments, a horrible jaggin’ feelin, as if somebody’s just stuck a pin in yer leg or foot, leg Muscles constantly hurtin’, sudden,short, sharp pains just under ma oakster, mad dizzy spells when whatever ah’m lookin’ at, whether it’s a book or the Telly, takes on a Blue or Reddish tint. That’s obviously the circulation problems in ma heid that are causin’ that. Ah’ve got narrowings and blockages of the arteries that carry the blood from my stomach to my leg and it looks like the wee bubble in the artery for me, Angioplasty. The letter said that by pass surgery is a possibility but only if this Angio thing doesny work. What a golden opporchancity tae gie up the Fags, one of many that ah keep makin’ a C–t of.. Tomorrow ah’m gaun for it.

Pumphy Community News

The big news out of Pumphy this Week was the scandal at the Womens Orange Lodge [ The Daughters of Billy] when it came oot in the wash[ or maybe it came oot in the Sash,?, ah don’t know] that Five of the ‘Daughters’ are pregnant. Where’s the scandal in that ye might ask,- well, it turns oot that that they’re aw pregnant tae the same felly. The mystery shagger, or Sashanova as local wags have been callin’ him, was takin’ a chance gettin’ big Billy McBigots wife, big  Billymina, up the duff because A- she’s scary as F–k and B – big Billy’s even scarier. His favourite meal is a Cheese and Catholic Omelette. Ah’m sure we’ve no’ heard the last of that, in fact, as ah write a source has informed me that Pumphy’s very own Porn star couple, Monty Fuck and Fanny Sayer [ no relation to porn Historian Simon Tea bag Montefanny, have offered Big Billy and big Billymina an undisclosed fee for the rights to film the story, which will be filmed  on Sunday and shown at the Pumphyplex Cinema House from Tuesday. The Film, called ‘The Sash, the gash and the ugly’, will no doubt be the couples usual mixture of lust, Pizza’s and Electricians wi’ huge appliances.

Ah love Music

The Telly hasny been workin  for a week or Two so ah’ve been listening tae a lot of Music and ah’ve been enjoyin’ makin’ ‘Spotify’ playlists. Ah’ve got one playlist called ‘Classical and Film Music and there’s aboot Six ‘oors of stuff on it. Ah think ah might have tae put them in separate playlists. Ah remember the auld Nescafe advert wi ‘Morning Mood’ for it’s Music. Ah didny know that, at the time,  but Auld Scud knew, though, and he went one better by showin’ me and playin me an LP it was on. Edvard Grieg was the Composers name and he was ma introduction intae the world of Classical music. Auld Scud had a box set of Classical stuff and there was a booklet in it that gave ye a wee History of the featured Composers, when they were born, when they died, and stuff in between. At that age [ aboot Nine or Ten ] ah was an avid reader and ah read  the booklet and discovered names like, Tchaikovsky, Rachmananov, Borodin, Berlioz , Bizet. Ah had the good fortune to be aware of some fantastic Classical music when ah was younger. The 1812 Overture, William Tell Overture, Carmen, Danse Macabre, Donald where’s yer Troosers?, played at 78rpm, or 16rpm. Even back then ah was obsessed by how old folk were when they died and ah had the composers in order of longevity. Even now when ah read aboot somebody, ah’ll see maybe 17 89- 1820 and think ‘Fuck sake, was it worth it’. Then ah might see 1820- 1910 [ as was the case wi’ Florence Nightingale and think ‘ Good on ye, well done’. Anyway,  that’s the Classical and Film music – ah lumped them the gither [‘together’, for posh talkers ] because ah think yer Filmy boys are like the auld Composers. Georges Delerue,[ Steel Magnolias, Her Alibi ], John Williams [ Dances with Wolves ], Ennio Morricone[ Once upon a time in the West, Once upon a time in America ] -that, tae me, is modern classical music. Despite aw that guid music ah miss the Telly a wee bit, especially the Weather. BBC Scotland have got big Judith and Kawser, who wid get a free pie at a Pumphy Juniors game, easy. BBC 1 have got Louise Lear, though, she’d get a free pie at the Theatre of Bings, or Recreation Park – or ‘The Track’ tae give it it’s proper name. Rastafarian roll up time. The Photy was taken just a few Hours after ma Heart attack in 2015.

Tales from the stairwell

It’s never endin’ wi these wee C–ts  next door. Aw day Saturday, Three times on Sunday and every day this week, the Polis have been here tryin’ to sort some disturbance. One of the Three lassies who lives there was being escorted by a couple of Polis, laughin’ up at her pals in the flat sayin’ ‘Ah’m gettin’ lifted’. Ah thought tae masel  she’ll no’ be laughin’ if she ends up  sharin’ a holdin’ cell wi Two Women Rugby players who’ve no’ had a fight or a shag for a Fortnight. The Tranquilisers help, of that ah’ve no doubt, but they canny half zonk ye oot [ ah could say they can’t half zonk one out, but, Fuck that], and it takes a good Hour to fully wake up. The thing is that ah take Two of the Woodstocks [ Fluoxetine] when ah get up and they mellow me oot, tae the point where ah canny be ersed daein’ anything except get stoned. Ah get a bit stressed wi’ the C–ts next door and wish the problem would go away. That’s where a couple of big butch Women Rugby players  who’ve no’ had a fight or a shag for a Fortnight wid come in handy. Ah know that’s no’ very PC, but ah think the PC world has created C–ts like the C–ts next door. They get a Fuckin’ sweetie and a hug at School if they’re bein’ wee C–ts these days and aw the blame gets shifted on tae the parents- or their uncle Jimmy or Gary for shaggin’ them when they were wee. Ah wid hate tae be involved in somebody gettin’ evicted but ah’m on the verge of writin’ a letter tae the Cooncil or ma Two MP’s Hannah and Bardella to see if they can dae anything aboot it. Just got a text there tellin’ me that Man City have beaten Liverpool. Time for a break.

Tales from the Stairwell

They wee Bastards next door are just takin’ the Piss oot the Polis and everyone else in the block. Yesterday [Saturday] was probably the highlight of the Five Months that they’ve been here in regard to it’s entertainment and disruption value. It aw kicked off just after Midday when the wee Gadgie who is findin’ it hard to adjust tae the fact that his ex want’s eff all tae dae wi’ him, turned up ootside and started shoutin’ and swearin’. He was tryin’ to persuade, who ah’m guessin’ is his ex’s new felly, tae come doon and get stabbed. Obviously the ‘New’ felly didny seem keen on the idea and stayed put. So, ah’m thinkin’ -‘Fuck sake, the Polis’ll be here right at ma doorstep, practically, and the Marrakesh Express has just arrived at Scud Central’. It was worse a few Weeks ago when ah had the Seven Grass plants growin’ at the Windie. The C–ts aw died on me, though, – it’s been a Shite year for ma indoor Gardenin’.Anyway, A Woman from the next Stairwell along came out and politely asked the Gadgie tae eff off and when she mentioned tae him that the Polis were comin’, he did. A minute later the Polis turned up which, for me kick started the Air Freshener routine. It’s the only thing that ah always know exactly where it is in the Flat. Ah’m thinkin’ wi’ ma luck, the Polis’ll knock on the door and it’ll no be Fuckin Coffee that they’ll be smellin. The Polis came and went after a few minutes – bein’ a nosey Bastard and worryin’ aboot next door  clypin’ tae the Polis aboot me and the Bob Hope, ah found oot that Gadgie guy has a restraining order against him, keepin’ him away from his ex next door. What Pissed me off a bit was that the Polis [ Four of them] came away laughin’ and jokin wi’ the neighbours, as if they’d just nipped in for a sit doon and a Fuckin’ Biscuit. Five Months of them comin’ tae that door at least Four or Five times a Week rangin’ fae Four in the Mornin’ to Midnight,  and they leave laughin’ as if nothin happened. Ye could have an argument for effective Police work there, or ye could’ve, like me, thought ‘Fuck sake, is that it ? About an Hour later and Gadgie guy showed up again. His new approach tae gettin’ back wi his Girl, stabbin’ her new felly, or both was to whistle and no’ say a word. For the First Two minutes it was quite good and then it got darker- ah never in ma life expected tae hear an angry whistle. ye always associate whistlin’ wi’ good moods and happy feelin’s, like the ‘Paintin yer fence on a sunny day’ whistle and yer ‘Ah got ma Nat King Cole last night’ whistle, ye dinny think of a menacin’ whistle. Anyway, Percy Edwards, got tired of whistling and started swearin’ again and threatened, again, tae stab the ex felly. He ran off just before the Polis arrived – Two vans and Six Polis, to no’ catch a Gadgie. There was an audience by this time which consisted of me leanin’ oot ma Bedroom windie and the young couple to my left leanin’ oot their windie and we were in a debate wi a couple of Women from the next stairwell. One of the Woman had been threatened by whistly Knife boy and the other Woman had earlier politely told him tae eff off.  Ah mentioned in passin’ that ah had some Zyclon B and just needed Twelve Feet of rubber tubing leadin’ from ma door tae the troublemakers letterbox, and ah’d  gas the C–ts..  The majority decision was to phone the Cooncil and get the C–ts thrown oot. That was in the mid to late Afternoon and it was all quiet on the festerin front till aboot Eleven at night. There was a lot of shoutin’ and swearin’ from just outside the front of the Hoose. This persons rage was centred on ma next door neighbours front windie. Ah’ve never seen anyone so animated, if that’s the word, with rage. The individual wanted his Dug from the flat and threatened tae stab people and smash windies if he didny get it. This had gone on for aboot Twenty minutes wi’ various neighbours askin’/tellin’ this C–t tae shut up, until a Bear of a guy over the road fae me came oot tae sort the C–t oot. Ah thought, the size and weight difference alone is gaunny make this a quickie. If ye can imagine Ernie Shavers gettin’ intae the same ring as a Five year aulds wee brother. As it turned oot, it was a no contest. The C–t, turned oot tae be a lassie and big Ernie couldny do anything. It changed the tone of the proceedings, though and Bunny Boiler effed off intae the night. True to form, the Polis turned up when everything had calmed doon. Things had calmed doon tae the point where ah thought it was safe enough to have a Rastafarian roll up. half way doon the joint ah heard a ‘Polis’ knock from next door and thought ‘Fuck sake min’, where’s the Air Freshener’ ?. It turned oot, after ah’d turned in tae nosey Bastard and put ma lug tae the door and looked through the wee spyhole, that Four Polis were at the door sayin’  ‘we’re no’ bothered what ye’ve got in there just open the door’. Ah thought, Fuck it, they’re no’ gaunny bother what’s in here, then. Anyway,  Twenty minutes later the Four fae the Laughin’ squad came outside, laughin’ and by this time it was the Sabbath. Cheeky Bastards. Ah thought Fuck this and opened ma door and ah let rip. Ah said that whatever they’d been told it was Shite, because for the last Five Months these C–ts have been the scourge of the stairwell wi’ the Polis visitin’ wi’ a monotonous regularity. Ah was on the verge of sayin’ to the Polis ‘ Ah dinny care if they aw got molested by their uncles when they were wee, just shoot the C–ts’, but some PC C–t wid’ve objected.. It aw ended quietly and there has been a Golden silence since then. Ah maybe shouldny have got involved, though, probably end up gettin’ stabbed.

Plenty of Pish

Ah love the WWW, Pusbook, Spotify, free Sudoku , Youtube -you name it it’s aw there, auld Fitba matches, Platini, Maradonna and pele et al, at the touch of a button.  At this point ah’d like to give a mention to Et al, who doesny get enough recognition.He, she [ ‘it’, these Days], seems to pop up everywhere, sport – Best, Law,Charlton et al – Politics, Hitler, Stalin Thatcher et al – Gangsters, Dion o Bannion, Santos Trafficante, et Al Capone. Ye wid have to achieve something in life wi a name like ‘Santos Trafficante’- that is a name and a Half. Ah always said tae masel that if ah ever got a Brazilian Jock Russell Dug, or a Jock Russell fae a Gangster, ah wid call it Santos. Ah was driftin’ away fae ma original topic which was the Internet. Ah go on the Pusbook quite a lot and it’s full of ads aboot this, that and the next thing and most of them are beyond a Joke. It’s suddenly become eerily dark[6.45pm-Saturday evening] and it’s just reminded me aboot last night. Ah’m sure ah was woken up by heavy Thunder last night, 10pm-ish. Anyway, the Pusbook ads are, like ah said, beyond a joke. Ah don’t know who the Dating sites are aimed at but the Female models they have in them certainly dinny look like they wid have any trouble getting’ a date wi’ a Man, Woman, Bi, Gay, Lesbian, Trans Gender or anyone of the Three Hundred and Seventy Four other variations that ah canny even remember, noo. Unless they’ve got a Lion doon their Knickers tae specifically scare suitors off, these Women wid have nae bother gettin’ a date. Ah’ve never reached that stage where ah felt lonely enough to go on One of these sights and ah’d probably be a prime example of the people who do  frequent the things. Sometimes on the auld Pusbook, ye’ll see the wee Blue Thumb appear beside somebody’s name, meanin’ that they ‘Like’ the site and when ah see the name beside the ‘Like’, ah’m thinkin’, aye, makes sense. They never look anything like the models in the ads. It’s been, for me, a disturbingly long time since ah got ma Nat King Cole, but ah’ve never thought, Oh aye, ah’ll try that. They wid be better calling them names like, for Him, ‘Turn up at ma Door wi yer Tits oot’ or , for Her, ‘Turn up at ma Door wi’ a hardon’. Ah was always a Norman Wisdomy, shy, bashful type when it came to the opposite Sex[ sounds like  who the ‘Famous Five wid’ve been up against at the Fitba’]  until such times as ah got tae the ‘ Here we go, ah’m gettin’ a shag’ moment and ah instantly became ‘Buddy’, as opposed tae the Nutty Professor. If ah was standin’ at a Bus stop beside Joanna Lumley or Madonna ah widny say a word if ah was sober. If, on the other Hand, ah had the right amount of Alcohol, ah’d be thinkin’ ah wis in there wi’ a chance. If ah was sober and an attractive lookin’ Woman started talkin tae me ah’d automatically think she was either doin’ it for a bet or she was a Bunny Boilin’ Psycho who wanted tae take her revenge oot on the poor C–t who just happened tae look a bit like her cheatin’ Husband. What ah’m gettin’ at is that it’s quite sad that people feel the need tae try one of these sights in the First place. That’s the Polis at they noisy wee Bastards next door. Time for a Ratafarian Old Holborn.

Tales from Amatriptyland

Ah’m noo the heaviest ah’ve ever been, over Eleven Sone, and it’s Crisps and Biscuits that are to blame. Over the course of the last Month ah’ve had aboot Half a Dozen proper cooked meals. Ah canny be bothered wi’ preparin’ meals. Ah always end up wi’ a Hundred dishes that ah canny be bothered wi washin’. Ah have a bowl of Alpen every Day wi’ a chopped up Apple or pear, or both in it- Ah Half the Fruit and chop up some and throw it in. Ah eat the Two Halves that are left. Ah find  that’s enough for the days food preparation, Ah’ll get a few Biscuits durin’ the Day – Linda Broon got me a Hawick goody bag and there were Ginger Nuts among the goodies. Ah’ve no had Ginger Nuts for ages [ ah get Tablets] and ah’d forgotten how guid they were. Ah consider Four slices of Breed and a Packet of Crisps a meal. Ah waste a lot of food and ah’m Shite at judgin’ amounts and that’s where the waste comes fae. Ah’m no’ very keen on re heatin’ stuff from earlier or freezin’ stuff, so, what’s left goes in the Bin. And ah do feel bad aboot the waste – there are loads of starvin’ folk in the World and ah wish ah could help – Alpen and an Apple and pear save on the waste………. Ah was thinkin’ earlier on about Pumpherstons place in History and culture. Films like, ‘Raiders of the Top Park’ ‘Bridge on the Hairy Tip’ Mutimy at the Bowly’, books like The Goon and Sixpence,  based on the true story of the local Mechanic who died in mysterious circumstances after lowering his price for sortin’ a Bike engine.  Famous musicals like Bingin’ in the rain. More of these and other Pumphy might appear after a Rastafarian Old Holborn.

Tales from Amitriptyland

A good pal paid me an unexpected visit earlier on and it was a great wee deviation from the mundane. Ah widny say  ah’ve got the ‘Black Dug’  at the moment – more like it’s wee Puppy that ah can give a quiet tellin’ off to make it go away. Anyway, ma pal was tellin’ me aboot a Telly programme wi that Simon Sebag Monty Python, or Montefiore, maybe, aboot the History of Spain. Ah learned where and how Tapas originated and it was fascinatin’. Aw ah know aboot Tapas is that it’s tiny wee amounts of lots of different Shitey tastin’ stuff. It’s just as well they’ve had some guid Fitba’- players over the last Twenty years or so in Spain – they’ve  needed  something special to take their mind off the food. Ah think ah’ve had it Twice, once should definitely be enough, but ah have a recollection of having it Twice.  We were also talkin ‘aboot Mossend Swifts and Mcrae’s Battallion. Ah think ah’ve got the spellin’ of his name wrong, but any Jam Tarts will tell ye that he, alone, won the First World War.  Ah’ve been tryin’ tae think of all the famous singers and groups from Pumphy over the years – and there are a few. Pumpherston Airplane,  Pumpherston Lake and Byprox, Bing Crosby[goes withoot sayin’ obviously]. ‘Goes withoot sayin’ could get ye intae trouble,though. If ye were in a discussion and somebody said ‘Einstein, that goes withoot sayin’, they’ve still said Einstein- and ye might get somebody who says ‘there’s an obvious name ye’ve no’ mentioned, to which , you or somebody else in the company wid say, ‘tell us who, then’. The other person might say, ‘naw’ ah’m no’ tellin’ ye’. Somebody else could chip in wi’ ‘Why the F–k no’, to which, the other wid say ‘Cos it’s obvious, ya daft Cunt. He might then say ‘ Who are you callin’ a daft C–t, ya C–t’ ?, to which, the others reply could be ‘that goes withoot sayin’, ya Cunt’. Then ye’ve got an argument because somebody didny state the obvious. Anyway, Byproxy Music is another auld Pumphy Band, ‘The Top park Mountain Dare Devils. Those are the famous names – others have almost been forgotten. the once famous Ella Fitzfella, the Drag Queen, who was huge in the Forties. There will be more on Ella and others at a later date.

Tales from Amitriptyland

Well, the longest day of the year came and went wi a whimper. Ah think that Mother Nature should make it compulsory for the longest day to be bathed in Sunshine and no’pissin doon wi rain. It should be the kind of day where ye wish that ye could hang glide over Glencoe listening to Malcolm Arnolds Four Scottish Dances [ no.3 ] or the opening Music to the film Steel Magnolias. The latter, especially, for me, is  one of the most soaringly beautiful, joyous and uplifting pieces of music ah’ve ever heard. Ah dinny think ‘soaringly’ is a  word – a wee red line has appeared under it Twice, but, so what. As ah mentioned before,  Auld Scud loved his Classical music and a Sunday was his music day, whether anybody else liked it or no’. Sometimes it wid be the big Band stuff, songs like Perfidia, Frenesi,  Chatanooga Choo Choo, Don’t sit under the Apple Tree, In the mood etc. Some days it wid be the Classical music and the 1812 overture, the William Tell overture, Scheherazade and the Polovtsian Dances. They were the good days, listening tae music that ah still listen tae noo. On a bad day, ye got Al Jolson –  who wisny a favourite of mine. He liked Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin – ah have tae meander off here. When ah worked at B and Q in Livvy ah had a colleague and pal fae Ghana, called Ibrahim – like the Fitba’ player, but withoot the ‘ avich. Anyway, one day we were talkin’ aboot music, what we liked, what we didny like and Ibs said a few names and when he said ‘ Nat King Cole’ ah  lost it and started laughin’ and Ibs looked hurt and shocked at ma reaction. He lost it when ah told him that, far from mockin’ his choice, Nat King Cole was a much loved and revered singer in Scotland as much as any where on the Planet, his name was rhymin’ slang in Scotland for something that ye hope tae get on a Saturday night on the Piss – no’ wi Peanut Butter Fanny, obviously. So, fae that day onward Ibrahim would say to me every Monday ‘Hallo Chief Colin, did you get your Nat King Cole’ ?. So, meanderin’ back to where ah was, Auld Scud and his music -he listened tae aw that Tartan and Shortbreed blaw it up yer Kilt Shite, which, on a Friday when ye were stuck in the hoose and had tae listen tae it,  was a Muhammad Ali Thrilla in Mannila’ experience. Well, ah can assure ye that after Three Hours of Accordion and Fiddle music, ye feel as if ye’ve come as close to death as ye can withhoot actually dyin’. Mind you, in aw seriousness, ah’ve been as close to death as ye can be withoot dyin’, when ah had the Heart Attack at the same time as ah was gettin’ the Chemotherapy. Ah ‘died’ Twice on the hospital bed, and never a day goes by withoot me thinkin’ tae masel ‘You are one very very, lucky lucky Bastard, but aw that Accordion music was the nearest thing to that and it has left a scar – ah still, to this day, collapse and start foamin’ at the Mooth whenever ah hear Jimmy Shand.

Tales from Amitriptyland

Ah watched the First fight between Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard the other night on the You tube. What a fight that was. No doubt in a couple of Hundred Years when Boxing’s been banned for being cruel and the powers that be can wipe oot Ten Million people at the flick of a switch, they’ll be thinkin’, that looks awfy. But it’s here and noo and ah want tae say that that fight wisny cruel, the loser might say the result was, but the fight itself was a Fifteen round education in the Art of Boxing. If the rules of the time stated that both fighters had to keep going until the other one couldn’t, they’d still be fighting now. Their Grand kids wid be pleading wi’ them to call it a draw. It certainly wisny cruel. There was nae blood, nae sickening punch, nae knock oots, nae worrying about somebody’s well bein’. It was Two men steppin’ into a ring, wanting tae knock Fuck oot each other, and however bizarre and strange that is, they did it in such a way that made it look like a Masterpiece that Da Vinci wid’ve been proud of. That fight, and the brutal, brief and spectacular Hagler v Hearns fight should be used in Boxing Schools as coaching manuals. The greatest fight that never was, for me, the Hagler and Leonard that should’ve happened Three or Four years before they finally met. What a much anticipated fight that wid’ve been at the time.