tamthebam

I wouldn't recognise the Invisible Man or Thomas Pynchon if they walked past me in the street. Have you ever done that thing where you see someone you think is famous but you say to yourself "Naw, can't be them.."? It's just there was a guy looked very like Alex Salmond in the Advocate Pub on Friday night when I was having a post work pint but he wasn't surrounded by bodyguards or anything.

Aberdeen Fanzine "The Red Final" had a great cover when Duncan Ferguson got put in the pokey. It was a Gordon Reid cartoon of Duncan in a prisoners suit with arrows on it and a ball and chain around his ankle holding up a Monopoly board where all the squares were "Go to Jail"..... Maybe the OP got a five hunner quid bankers draft or similar?

There was a deid wasp hanging from a bit of web on the washing line the other day. It's almost as if it had been caught, the spider had tried a nibble and like a child forced to eat sprouts said "yuck" and left it. If even spiders don't like wasps what use are they?

Hermless by Michael Marra, recently covered by Loudon Wainwright III "Hermless, hermless, there's never nae bother fae me, You wouldn't notice that I wasn't there if I didn't come hame for my tea.."

Edinburgh Uni 2 Spartans 2 A good crowd tonight for the first game at the new improved Peffermill. It's rather impressive now although I suspect the pitch, although fine now, may take time to bed down. And my half time pie, usually scorching at the Uni, was cold... The great and the good of East of Scotland football were spotted at what is now called the East Peffermill Stadium- John Greenhorn, Sir Peter, Mike Lawson, Keef A, Gary Jardine, Grim O'Grady.... the game was a good one for the neutral (me I suppose) and Spartans looked to have nicked it with a penalty (clear cut actually- tam the unbiased) but a cracking strike just minutes from time won a point for the Students. Uni don't look as bad as their league results might suggest and have some good players. Anyway here's some photos in glorious CityChrome

I might wander down and check out the brilliance of their new DEVIL'S ILLUMINATION.....

It would be rather funny to say to one of these guys: "right, so you don't recognise any laws. O.K.... I'll just pull out this rather large and deadly knife and you can hand over yer wallet sunshine...."

City should be worth a watch (as always). We've had great players come through our youth ranks over the years. The goalie, Billy, we've got on loan from Livingston looks a good player certainly..

How?

that photo made me think of Raiders of the Lost Ark..

Weeeeeeeeellllllllll, does she make you wanna shout, come on now shout etc

When I was a wee kid I used to hate Michael Aspel (he had a kiddie's request show called "Ask Aspel") for no apparent reason. Then I grew up and didn't dislike him anymore, it was more a sort of "meh". I hated Meg Ryan even before she did that Parkinson interview. I don't really like popstrel Lorde either, if only because this b*****d got to use the name first (different spelling I know):

thanks to the Rovers fans for turning out in good numbers- you guys always brought through a big support in Meadowbank days so nice to see the tradition continue.

You'll need more breeze blocks than that if Nishy is going to sit on the subs bench! Thanks to all the Sons fans who turned out yesterday. It was a good workout for the team.

this comes up for some unknown reason and spookily this next picture comes up with the caption "Enigma, Tam the Bam". I've never even met Haddington's finest P&B poster in the flesh....!

Dorian Ogunro is an ex player of and current manager at Edinburgh University, King Cup winners 2014 and successful Lowland League applicants... ...and he lived down the road from me in Edinburgh when I was a kid...!

As I'm totally crap at fighting I tend to avoid it. However if pushed I'd resort to a couple of dirty moves (knee in the bollocks, that kind of thing) and then leg it. Remember the old proverb kids, "he who runs away, lives to cack it another day!"

the remains of Richard III- ancient with a dodgy back the remains of James McPake- ancient with a dodgy back....

hooker hiring pensioner Mr Thipthorpe Tony Mowbray

I'm not a Loons fan (Meadowbank back in the day) so I can't quite remember if Hegarty directed followed Henry Hall but I do remember Hall's team was quite decent and good to watch whereas Hegarty turned Forfar into a bunch of dirty, cheating cloggers. I've never liked the sod since.

I was at Buxton v Matlock a couple of weeks ago- the Derbyshire Derby if you will.. A stadium reminiscent of a 2nd/3rd Division Scottish Ground, say a bit like Station Park, Forfar, a crowd of 500 on a night Man U were playing on the tv in the Champions League and Matt Thornhill, late of Hibernian FC. having found his level- from Scottish Premier to Evostick Premier. Buxton's ground is apparently the highest in England. I will post a couple of photos if I can be arsed. Tomorrow is Hartlepool Monkey Hangers v The Mighty Shrimps of Eric Morecambe...

heed's cheerful and he's usually a miserable cnut, so that cheers me up!

Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 49Offence of having in public place article with blade or point.(1)Subject to subsections (4) and (5) below, any person who has an article to which this section applies with him in a public place shall be guilty of an offence and liable— (a)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding [F1twelve]F1 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both; and (b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding [F2four]F2 years or a fine or both. (2)Subject to subsection (3) below, this section applies to any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed. (3)This section does not apply to a folding pocketknife if the cutting edge of its blade does not exceed three inches (7.62 centimetres). (4)It shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (1) above to [F3show that the person had a reasonable excuse]F3 or lawful authority for having the article with him in the public place. (5)Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4) above, it shall be a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (1) above to [F4show]F4 that he had the article with him— (a)for use at work; (b)for religious reasons; or ©as part of any national costume. (6)Where a person is convicted of an offence under subsection (1) above the court may make an order for the forfeiture of any article to which the offence relates, and any article forfeited under this subsection shall (subject to section 193 of theM1Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (suspension of forfeiture etc, pending appeal)) be disposed of as the court may direct. [F5(7)In this section, “public place” has the same meaning as in section 47(4).F5] A quite common "reasonable excuse" used by neds is the fishing excuse- I had the knife for fishing. My old man used to keep a rusty old knife in the car for gutting mackerel that he caught - I dare saw if the cops ever searched his car (which was usually a tip on wheels) he could have proved he went fishing. Another excuse is that the ned works in a warehouse and uses the knife for cutting plasting binding. I wish I was actually a qualified lawyer because I could charge you b*****ds for this advice and assistance!!

this is Meadowbank..... before Meadowbank! In the top half is Marionville Road and the patch of ground in the foreground is where the current pitch is. In the 2nd picture the pitch you can just see in the bottom right is, I think, "New Meadowbank" which was laid out by the Edinburgh Junior FA after they moved from Bathgate Park which became the New Street Bus Garage. Pictures taken in 1932.

http://thescotsmanpublications.newsprints.co.uk/view/20005800/li850335_preston%20athletic%20v_jpg a link to a photo in the Scotsman archives of a Preston Athletic (when they were Juniors) match against Dunbar United at the Panners' old ground. I think this ground was buried underneath Cockenzie Power Station. (they wouldn't let me sneakily nick it, hence the link. curse the copyright laws! )