Scaring Off That Big Black Dog.

Somewhere out there,  they are there,  alone,  lonely,  miserable bordering on depressed but they say nothing and if you ask,  they say that “they’re fine.”

“It’s okay not to be okay “.. became a mantra often repeated on social media in the past few years..

But is it really okay not to be okay?

How do you know when your friend,  colleague or family member says that “they’re fine”.

Another popular one .. i would rather listen to your problems than your eulogy.

Sounds cliched,  a sound-bite to like or share on social media,  but what are you actually going to do about it?

Late one night on a camping trip,   when the drinking and singing had settled down to a chilled quiet talk round the fire,   a good friend of mine confessed to having the Black Dog of depression following him.

I’d never heard of the term before and asked him to explain.

Celebrate The Life and The Living!

Today was one of my best mates Alex’s funeral,  a very different affair in these days of crisis and coronavirus with limited numbers allowed in the crematorium and no purvey in a local pub or club afterwards.

Alex was one of the best, an outgoing,  gregarious character,  intelligent, charming and with a biting wit which he used to wind up opponents at work,  on the football pitch and in the terraces.

He was a semi-pro footballer before we worked together in IT,  clicked instantly and he played football with my group of pals for a few years were his class always showed.

He loved karaoke and would sing on any occasion.  Both of us love dancing and I wish that I had half his confidence in just getting on the flor on his own when a song played that he liked.     He usually dragged me up tho,  even although i love dancing,  getting up on my own isn’t really my thing.

Today,  around 100 people outside the crematorium and 25 or so inside including myself,  for which I’m very honoured.

The celebrant was the same person that married him and and second wife Laura 11 years ago,   a lovely celebration of the vibrant life of a colourful charactter and complete gentleman.

His passing last week was very sudden and came as a shock and I’m not ashamed to tell you that I had more than a few tears for him.

I’m going to miss my pal very much.

—

The funeral was on the other side of Glasgow,  so after paying respect to Laura and the family and friends,  I stopped in at my dads on the way home.

He’s 85 and has been in serious lockdown for the past 16 weeks as he knows himself that if he gets this virus then its game over and contact is limited between his carers,  my brother Duncan and myself.

We sat chatting about life,  watching the tv that he watches,   usually series and movies created before I was even a glint in his eyes.   But its what he likes and I was happy just to be in his presence and listen to his stories of Glasgow and the mischief he got up to as a kid.

Someday, and hopefully that day isn’t anytime soon,  I’ll be the paying tribute to him,  as I did for my mum,  only this time i won’t have dad looking up at me with pride.

So while he’s here,  I’ll celebrate the living.

You should do the same,  it’s too late when their gone.

Cheers Alex,  cheers to you too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Much Is Your Investment Worth? #SolvencyII

How much is your investment,  your pension,  your unit trust,  your ISA worth?

Simple answer .. same as your car or house,  it’s worth whatever someone will pay for it.

Markets change, we all know that,  the value of shares have plummeted during the current crisis as uncertainty grips and the economy crashes.

But forgetting about the actual monetary value of your holdings for a moment as that is transient.

Imagine that a few tyears ago you or your pension manager bought 100 units in some fund or other,  this time next year you’ll still own 100 of those units .. right?

Not necessarily ..

Oh No Not My Baby – COVID-19.

The old adage that if you play with fire,  you will get burned has always beeen true.

But never more apt than for our NHS and care workers on the front-line dealing with patients who have the virus.

My daughter Laura has been working on the front-line since people started being hospitalised with the symptoms in early March.

She texted me a few weeks ago to tell me that she had tested positive for the virus and sent me a copy of the positive test.

Obviously I called her immediately.

Intermittent Fasting – 6 Month Review

You fat B   .. you fat B… 

My scales did their best impression of the audience greeting Roy Chubby Brown as I stepped on them after being for a week’s holiday in the sun.

That was July last year and I was my heaviest weight ever .. ever ever!

If you look back on my blog then you’d see that  I’d already hit my heaviest in March 2018,  did some exercise and cut the carbs and lost a stone I wanted.

But this time,  I had exceeded that high weight by another half a stone,  partially due to pressure of work,  long commutes making long days and comfort eating.

I was having the carb coma after eating carbs at lunch and if I’m honest with myself I was worried about becoming diabetic or  having high blood pressure and the more severe health issues that come with that including heart disease and stroke,  particularly as my dad had a stroke around my age and although he’s 85 now he’s partially immobile and it has affected his quality of life.

At 16 stones that did it .. enough was enough.

On Laughter … The Secret Of Life!

On laughter … intelligence, seriousness, empathy, history, the secret of life!

Love this and worth a watch.

If we can laugh together,  then we can live together.

If only our politicians had more humour and empathy.

 

Will Celtic Win The League — Wanna Bet?

Last week, after 2 games played I caught up with my yearly assessment of whether Celtic would win the league or not.

https://dancingbhoy.wordpress.com/2019/08/23/will-celtic-win-the-league/

My opinion at that time was that it is ours to lose, based on the signings we had made, current performance and backed that up with the odds available at the various bookmakers.

Has that opinion changed after 4 games played including the weekends game against our closest rivals Rangers and the transfer window closing last night?

Undoubtedly, Celtic have spent significant sums and strengthened, the 2 new players that I had question marks over namely Julien and Bolingoli played well at the weekend removing any serious doubts on their abilities over the season, although Bolingoli looks better going forward than in defence. The other new replacement Taylor signed just before the window closed last night will more than likely make this position his own pushing Bolingoli forward.

The new signing and debutante in the Glasgow Derby, Hatem Abd Elhamed, looks like a quality player at either right back or centre-back, fast, strong and aggressive.

Then there was the return of Fraser Forster in goal who had very little to do as the back 4 in front of him and Brown in centre midfield swept up the Rangers attack before it became a credible threat.

Additionally , the other new signings of note include Mohamed Elyounoussi, who looks like a good addition of an attacking winger.

Too many to name really, but the team played well despite being written ff in some quarters of the media and Edouard let the line with strength and guile as usual.

As the transfer window slammed shut, Rangers finalized a deal to bring back Ryan Kent who was a decent player for them last season, good going forward, scored a handful of goals, but is most celebrated by the rangers support for striking Celtics captain Scott Brown .. a fee of £7m for a player who hasn’t even had a first team game with his parent club?

Serious, are you mad, or just feeding the bears a squirrel to give them hope and distract them with the fact that Celtic are going to win this league comfortably now.

Yes it’s only 4 games in, but Celtic have set down a marker both on and off the field.

The league is a marathon and not a sprint, things happen over the season, players get injured or suspended, but Celtic have superior quality and strength in depth and I’m confident that we will win this league.

—

To back that opinion up, have a look at the bookmakers sites, pre-season Celtic had a win ratio of 5 times more likely to win the league than Rangers, this dropped to 3.5 prior to the Glasgow Derby game.

After Sundays win with 4 games played,  it’s is now 7.5 times more likely that Celtic will win the league.

A £100 bet on Celtic returns £33.33 where as the same bet on Rangers returns £250.

Games Played	Celtc Odds	£100 Return	Rangers Odds	£100 Return	Win Ratio
0	4/9	£44.44	9/4	£225.00	5.06
2	11/20	£55.00	21/10	£210.00	3.82
3	4/7	£57.14	2/1	£200.00	3.50
4	1/3	£33.33	5/2	£250.00	7.50

Now that we’ve got that game out the way and the transfer window is firmly shut, my money is on the Celtic to win this league comfortably.

A bet of 10 grand returns £3,333,  tax-free,   better than money in the bank with low risk.

Are you uncertain or uncomfortable about that?   Then give it a little time for the odds to go more in Celtics favour,  your returns will be reduced but your risk will be lowered.

I’m not really a gambling man,  I don’t bet money every week hoping it wins,  not even just for fun,  a few quid here and there doesn’t matter to me.

But I do like to assess risk and reward and a one-off £10k bet paying £3.33k return is a completely different matter.

---

As a final note,  credit where credit is due to the board for splashing the cash on some decent signings.    My remaining criticism is that we should have did that sooner,  had the team gelled and we would now be in the Champions League group statges rather than the lesser Europa League.

This failure to invest in a timely manner happens most seasons and far too frequently for my liking,  indicating an underlying issue which needs rectified,  whether that be in the identification and recruitment of candidates,  negotiating deals or deciding that the team needs support and investing the money sitting in the bank to improve the team.

 

 

 

 

Work Stories – Wage Slaves?

This new job is like a prison.

It entraps you, cages you, expects certain aspects of discipline and timekeeping.

It enforces a dress code, smart trousers and a shirt for men or a dress or trousers and blouse for women.

No jeans allowed.

Or so they say.

I’m wearing jeans, smart dark blue ones with a Ted Baker shirt and tan boots.

It’s how I roll and fuck them if they want me to change.

The place is empty until just before 9am and has a Le Mans start at 5pm with people already having been to the loo, washed their cups, packed their laptop and cleared their desks waiting for the clock to tick-tick onto the hour.

I’ve never seen a place empty so quickly, Well not since my shipyard days when there wasn’t any overtime on the go.

Certainly not in an office setting.

It’s pointless waiting on the lifts at 5pm as the upper floors fill them. I’m on the 5th and the executives are on the 11th. Somewhere in between the lifts are packed. It’s the stairs for me.

Gets the steps up anyway!

Flying The Nest?

2 down, 1 to go!

Well it’s finally happened, My kids are all growing up and leaving me to start life’s of their own.

Laura 28 left first, just over a year ago, buying a house with her partner. She called me last night to tell me they are getting married next year. I’m delighted for them both.

Steven 30 leaves this weekend, moving into rented accommodation with his partner. They’ll be buying soon but giving it a try first

Both of these were expected.

What wasn’t expected is that my munchkin Claire 21 would be moving out so soon.

She recently graduated from Strathclyde with a first class honours degree. I’m very proud of her. Even more so that she has her first job working for a major bank on an amazing starting salary.

A salary that many of my own extended family couldn’t hope to earn despite working for many years.

There’s the proof that education and guidance makes the difference to people’s starts in life.

What wasn’t expected is that she’d be leaving home so soon and moving south to their headquarters.

Coincidentally her boyfriend lives in the same city.

What’s the chances eh??!!

I’m pleased for her but can’t help feeling a bit sad.

This place we live isn’t just a house, it’s home.

Soon I’ll be rattling around in it on my own.

The thought of downsizing crossed my mind, maybe renting it out and using the money to see the world.

But truth be told I’ve seen as much as I want to see with the exception of New York, Vegas, Washington DC and the California coast

I’ve no desire to backpack across Vietnam or experience food poisoning or malaria in less civilised parts of the world.

So what next?

I’ve no idea really, keep working, no mortgage to pay so just enjoy life.

Truth be told, I think it’s time I found a new partner and settled down.

Life’s too short and too precious to live it on your own.

—

2am on Monday morning. This new job comes with bank holidays.

But if truth be told I’m not convinced if being staff rather than self employed is for me.

Especially with a daughter getting married next year!

It’s going to be costly. 🙂

A Gun At My Head?

It’s been a big year, many changes occurring but nothing too bad or irrecoverable.

2 days at court with the legalities of finally reaching a settlement with my former partner.

She took the stand and laid it on thick. But she lied and I could prove she lied.

At lunch on the second day after I’d shown the evidence they wanted to talk and we settled out of court.

Yep I took a hit, not as bad as it could’ve been after already giving her a 6 figure settlement but she was holding a gun to my head and it was worth taking the hit to keep the house.

Who gifts 6 figures? Seriously?

Not even the judge believed that.

It was my own fault, blindly trusting someone with my hard earned cash, giving them a loan to help them move on, only for it be used against me as a bargaining chip.

I should have got the legal steps in place at the time. My bad.

I made the mistake of treating people the way I expect to be treated. My word is my bond. If I make a promise then that promise will be kept.

It’s a done deal and life goes on.

The gun is no longer at my head. The mortgage has been paid off. There’s still money in the bank.

Life is good.

Now that the stress has been removed it’s time to have some fun!!