Hayfever...

OK, this week, I'm going to moan. I've been suffering from really bad hayfever this week. Worse than I've ever had before. Is it just me, or is everyone the same? I've spent the entire week dosed up on antihistamines and sucking strepsils. I'm not a happy bunny!

Headed home last weekend to Durham (where my folks live), and spent a bit of time with them and my dog. My parents look after him, as I've got a one bedroom flat on the fourth floor, and I work long hours, so it wouldn't be fair for him to live with me. So I only get to see him every few weeks. It's his twelfth birthday today, so Happy Birthday Ozzie!

Anyway, more soon, but "time for bed, said Zebedee"...

I've been neglecting my blogging...

It's only a week in, and I've already been neglecting my blogging. Slap wrist. Bad boy.

Had a good weekend, went to Kelso (many people asked me why...). There's not a huge amount there, but the River Teviot just outside the town's very pretty, and I saw a nice big salmon swimming along. Melrose is quite pretty too - the Abbey and the buildings near it.

Sadly, weekends are far too short, so Monday found me back at work. Much as the cut and thrust of politics interests me, I'm beginning to get fed up of the long hours I have to work (one of my colleagues refers to it as the Hamster Wheel... pretty accurate descriptionif you ask me!). I've been doing this job for over a year and a half now, and I'm beginning to feel my time should come to an end soon.

I've set myself a target of September 2005 to get out of this job and into something else. Trouble is, I'm used to the overtime money, so it'll need to be better paid than the standard rate I get!

I'd love to be able to sell my photographs for a living, but realistically, I'd need to shift a hell of a lot of photos to pay the mortgage. And that's just on a one bedroom flat in Leith!

Sometime soon, I'm hoping to have my website up and running to sell some of my prints, but for now, it's a bit of a blank canvas at www.kyoburn.co.uk until I get the time to do some web design on it. Come back soon...

A night out

Had a lovely time tonight - one of my colleagues is getting married a week tomorrow (actually, I guess, a week today, now...). Drinks at Beluga, a wonderful Italian meal at Ciao Roma, then more drinks at Biblios.

And now time for a kip...

Night night!

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz!!!

Glasgow explosion

Sadly, the BBC have reported this morning that there have been seven fatalities in the Glagsow explosion. Terribly sad news, and my thoughts are with those involved.

An eventful day...

Today was the launch of Project Scotland, an initiative to encourage young Scots to take a gap year to undertake volunteering work, while getting support for living costs.

I spent the morning at the press launch in Bute House, the First Minister's official residence in Edinburgh. Always interesting to get away from the desk…

If you're interested in Project Scotland, there's an article on the Scottish Executive's website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2004/05/SENWw833.aspx

Unfortunately, when I got back to my desk, I heard the breaking news of an explosion in Glasgow. A plastics factory has collapsed, injuring a large number of people. A number are still trapped under debris now. Thankfully, as yet, there are no reports of casualties.

As you'll probably guess, where I work is very much affected by the News…

A new beginning...

... and I have writer's block already. Good start...

I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Mike, I'm 27, and I'm an English ex-pat living in Scotland.

When I'm not working (which seems to be pretty much solidly, these days!) I spend my time taking photos, in the hope, one day, to be able to give up working behind a desk, and get out into the real world!

I'm very lucky to be where I am, though. I live in Leith, the northernmost part (and becoming one of the trendier areas) of Edinburgh, and I work only a couple of minutes walk from Princes Street.

Anyway, enough for the first blog - don't want to spoil the fun for later!