Year Round Commuter, Cyclist and Adventure Seeker.

A short post to wish you all a Happy New Year. And all the best for 2012. With it being a leap year I've a feeling it's going to be a good and vintage year. Best wishes from us all! Alex. Maryann, Andrew and Euan. XX

So like many people I ponder the year that has just passed and look back on what was achieved and think... 'was it a gud yin..?'- lol ...- in my honest opinion yea I think it was. Did I achieve much, well I think I did... Its been a very quick year, god only feels like last Christmas. Back in January we had a lot of snow. This year hardly any (yet). We started with a weekend in Aviemore and this family time was certainly a theme of 2011. What was my biggest achievement of the year- I would probably say getting out and about on my bike. I changed it in November and to date I've racked up a fair few miles, and for a me that's not bad. And its certainly something that I enjoy, and plan to much more of it in 2012... Also I did a bit of hill-walking, but not as much as I would have liked. Ive bought a good pair of walking boots with some Christmas money so this will be rectified in 2012!, lol . Derry in May, then in July we had 1 of our best ever holidays in Cyprus 2 w...

Been a busy few days on run up to Christmas, both on the home front and at work. After a busy weekend at work I enjoyed a night out with most of the Irvine team at the race course in Ayr. We went last year and it was a laugh. I stayed at the travel lodge. Booked back in September, was only 15 quid. This is why I like booking them often as they are very competitive. Ayr is only 8 miles from my home but 28 quid or so for a taxi, so it made sense. Lol. We had a good night. Then left and went into Ayr to McArthurs. Then into Madesions. I will admit. I over indulged a bit. Shots mainly. Not a good example as the Boss to set. I buggered off at 1am. And this is when things went wrong. Very wrong. This is what I vaguely remember. -: Walking away to Gribbons and getting a taxi. Getting out near Asda/ toward Bannatynes. And walking up towards Subway. Some how (unknown) I've fallen. Ice. I assume. Or tripped over a pavement. Fell cracked back of my head. Blood - a fair bit. Right hands covere...

This is Defo the middle of a very long week. After a weekend off I normally work 9 days on 1 day off. I'm off on Friday then we enter the last full retail weekend before Christmas. So those that know me, I expect to be busy. We are starting to be busier, the builds are coming but not in the volumes of recent years. With the economic situation the way it is, spurred on by the doom and gloom that is reported in the media, cash is tight for people. And I am clearly seeing this in my place of work. Another noticeable trait I am seeing with customers, is the research they do before actually making a purchase. Mobile apps, smart phone applications are used to compare prices. Read reviews. The list goes on. I do it myself. Most certainly. We have seen a big increase in reserve and collect. I recon around about a 30% increase on volume to this time last year and this medium of turn over accounts for around 12% of my stores turnover. Which is a lot. As a manager in a retail environment, th...

Rebecca Ferguson: Heaven (2011): CD: hmv.com Im not ashamed to admit that if you are looking for an easy listening album, this is a cracker: I'm not a fan of listening to people that have came from the x factor but in fact this is a very good album. great voice, and I have enjoyed listening to it tonight. So there... Bet you never thought you would get that from me.. lol

If World War One was a bar Fight... Germany, Austria and Italy are standing together in the middle of a pub when Serbia bumps into Austria and spills Austria's pint. Austria demands Serbia buy it a complete new suit because there are splashes on its trouser leg. Germany expresses its support for Austria's point of view. Britain recommends that everyone calm down a bit. Serbia points out that it can't afford a whole suit, but offers to pay for the cleaning of Austria's trousers. Russia and Serbia look at Austria. Austria asks Serbia who it's looking at. Russia suggests that Austria should leave its little brother alone. Austria inquires as to whose army will assist Russia in compelling it to do so. Germany appeals to Britain that France has been looking at it, and that this is sufficiently out of order that Britain should not intervene. Britain replies that France can look at who it wants to, that Britain is looking at Germany too, and what is Germany going to do abo...

Well I've been enjoying my only weekend off in December. For those who know me, and what I do this is a very BUSY month. This weekend was all about chilling, relaxing and literally keeping a low profile and thats exactly what Ive done. On friday night we went to Liza and Adam's engagement party in Renfrew. I was on driving duty. Was great catching up with some auld work pals from the old Focus DIY, and we chatted about the old days the good, bad and the ugly. Great times! Sat- Was my day. Gym, swim, sauna. got home. house is silent. Had place to myself all afternoon lol and it was bliss. wrapped some presses that arrived. Saturday night I went down street with the local lads for a couple drinks, caught up as it had been about a month. And sunday- done nothing. Caught up on hrs of sky+, x fix factor lol, watched a few films... wrote the Christmas cards with the kids, and kept them entertained. The way sundays should be.... So an really relaxing weekend... Back to work on monday ...

Quick update. Was Maryann's birthday last week so we celebrated with a visit to Jamie's Italian in Glasgow and an over night stay. Had a great night, after dinner - which I'll be honest was in my honest opinion very disappointing. Maryann enjoyed hers more than I did mine which was most important. Apart from that it's now only 3 weeks till Christmas. Better get that sorted. Lol. Hopefully Maryann will read this and tell me what she wants. Obviously at this time of year - flat out at work. So busy busy !! And yesterday we finally got snow. Maybe even if it was just a wee bit.

Today's been 1 of those lazy days where I've done hee-haw. I was off, took Euan to school in the pissin rain. Got back and continued to do nothing. The weather outside was crap. Windy. Raining. I messed about on pc, installed the extra ram I bought then had some lunch. Watched Telly and fell asleep. For 2 hours- picked kids up from school then lay on couch for next 7 hrs and watched 3 films. So as I type this, today's accomplishment has been nothing. Zero. Nadda. Maybe your allowed or should have days like this. Well I did, and to anyone that knows me, these days are unusual. So a very boring blog on doing nothing. Lol. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Granny Hamilton This month marks the 20th aniversary since Granny Hamilton left us.. I commented on this earlier in the month. Many happy memories of a child hood... every sunday- Murray mints, smarties and cremola foam.... a relict of a child hood in the late 70s and during the 1980's. Much happiness and Great memories. This even continued to the funeral, when my dad (Gran, was my Dad's mum) - made me take a driving lesson behind the hearse, as I was learning. He said, as good a time as any... lol Photo above. Granny 2nd from right. This photo around the 1940s. Below the Dutch Clan- Margaret with Isa and my Gran. and the kids Gwen, Barbara and Hans Jnr. I assume Hans Snr was taking the photo... This in the back garden at 25 Kerse Terrace, Rankinston , Ayrshire. Photo around 1980/81 As of 2011, the same house has been in the Hamilton name for over 70 years. My Aunt Isa ives here still... Remarkable. This photo below was on her 80th in 1987 In Memoradum. Margaret Hamilton 1907-1...

Been quite on here so thought I would post an update. Had a great birthday weekend (2 weeks ago). Sat night was out with friends for dinner and stayed over night. Rocking in a night club till 3am then tried to get into the casino but Maryann got knocked back for being too pissed. Now that was funny. Also had a great night on the Fri. After a bit of shopping met a crowd o the twitter team for a bevy and got the last train back.. As such last 2 weeks have been very quiet. Busy at work, and laying low till end of the month. Maryann's birthday next. - Last 1 of her thirties. not good... old age you know :). Anyway looking forward to another night out in Glasgow next Fri. Going to Jamie's Italian near George SQ. and a stay over. Ive heard some bad reviews but this is our first visit so will give it ago.. Well Christmas today is only 1 calendar month away. 2011 has went as fast as ever.... Cheers A.

1 of Andrew and Euan's wee pals today celebrates his 7th birthday.... Happy Birthday - Jamie!!

There is always a reoccurring theme when I either return from a weekend off or a holiday or even a sun off and that is my sleep pattern on the Sunday night. Last night I swear I got 3 hrs sleep. I don't know what it is. Always happens without fail. Answers on a post card. Please lol. So naturally I'm knackered on the Monday. 1 of life's unanswered questions lol.

It has not long turned Friday 11th of November 2011 - 11.11.11 We remember. And never forget

Tonight passed 5000 followers. Prob 20 per cent ish element of spam. But I like numbers. Higher the better. Lol.

Today's effort was just over 27 miles, bring the total since Mon to 61 miles and in under a week 84 miles. Very cloud and overcast, weather forecast was for rain, but I ventured out otherwise. Took the hill top route around Mauchline - Back into top end of village and back road to Tarbolton . Across B719 and down past Trains Nursery and onto Stair and past the Stair Inn . (cracking eatery). This was where I took a different route- Moved onto T rabboch and joined the A70 for around 5 miles till I reached Ochiltree . I then could have decided to go back to wards home but decided to continue along back road to Auchinleck and stopped at the Barony A Frame monument for a breather. I took a short audioboo of a story tale that is on 1 of the exhibits. Very interesting. lol Then onto Sorn , past Sorn Castle and back via Balochmyle and back into my home village of Mauchline . - not ideal weather- well I suppose it is November ! http://boos.audioboo.fm/swf/fullsize_player.swf Todays r...

Sun absolutely shinning today. So grabbed the bike, pointed it in a direction and went onward. Quick 18 miles. http://runkeeper.com/user/lexjah/activity/59031551

Well just started my nov week aff. Looking forward to a bit o biking etc and general chill axing. And next weekend some birthday carnage as have done for last donkey years. Lol.

Today I went to visit my wee auld aunt Isa up in the small village of Rankinston. In last year she's been a bit I'll but today it was great to see her looking very well. Still independent at 84. We had a good natter and a coffee and then I biked back.

Just watched paranormal activity 2 on Halloween. Seen before but amazing how much more you enjoy 2nd time round and look out for things moving. I watched no3 other day, but think I should re watch. Lol. And maybe even 1st one again lol.

Well the mora is Halloween and marks the end of what I feel has been a very quick month. 2011 is fast coming to an end. This year has flown in. Mental. Only 7 weeks till Christmas. Nov is a busy month here as it always is. A wee weeks hol coming up from fri. Dancer ! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Today I relaunch on blogger- lexjah.com. For the first time I bring all our social connections to 1 place. On own domain on the web. Please feel free to have a look as I document my family as they grow up, share things that interest me (and hopefully you lol) and have a groan (there will be plenty of that..) and share celebration. www.lexjah.com lex as in my first name jah as in james Alexander Hamilton lol Ive had this alias for over 10 years.. This blog cover the last 2 and a bit years. Ive got blogs going back to 2005 and am trying to figure out how to add them lol. I need to build some followers so I would appreciate some help and sharing. Thanks Anyway enjoy. and hear from me soon.. Alex..

Today Robert Black was convicted of a 4th child murder. - Jennifer Cardy in Northern Ireland in 1981. - Making his crimes more prolific than that of the Moors Murderers. BBC News Story He was sentenced to life. AGAIN. The sick bastard will be kept in jail until he is dead. This will cost millions. He took 4 innocent children's life's. Also: Susan Maxwell (11) was abducted from Cornhill on Tweed in Scotland in July 1982; Caroline Hogg (5) from Portobello in Edinburgh in July 1983; and Sarah Harper (10) from Morley in Leeds in March 1986. All three bodies were discovered within a 25-mile radius. Cases like this boil my blood that this country does not have the death penalty. This man should be sentenced in such a way for these crimes. This will never happen. This man should die. A painful death.

I awoke on Sunday to hear news of the death of a local man in a village some 6 miles from my home. - Stuart Walker  - Stuart Walker, 28, from Cumnock in Ayrshire, was found dead with "horrible injuries" on an industrial estate at around 5am on Saturday morning. There was speculation he may have been attacked because of his sexuality, but  Strathclyde Police  said they were in no position to comment. Chief Superintendent John Thomson said: "We have a number of leads and we do have a number of open lines of inquiry. "I am optimistic that we will be in a position to bring this matter to a conclusion sooner rather than later." Detectives are checking CCTV and making door-to-door inquiries in a bid to trace his last movements. Comment- I was totally sickened by news of how Stuart died and I hope for gods sake the people/person that did this are found, and convicted quickly. It's the way in which this poor guy left us that makes this case even more brutal. And b...

Happy birthday to our 1st born. Today marks a decade since he was born lol. They say the 1st 10 years are the most important. This is my personal celebration.   Happy birthday son! , love Dad

The Scheme State Of Mind By One Last Secret - YouTube .

BBC News - Google plans big changes for Reader .  

Today marked the end of the tyrants 42 year dictatorship in Libya. Gadaffi Killied I hope that this marks the start of the rebuild for the people of Libya and that peace is brought to the country. There will be a hell of a lot of work to do and I hope it's not another Iraq. I always remember where I was on 21st December 1988. When Pan-Am flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie. A bombing carried out by the people under this man's rule. Lockerbie is only 70 miles from where I live. I hope it's closure in some way for the people that were effected by this particular tragedy.

On 24/10/2011 Andrew reaches his 1st decade.- the mighty age of 10. More will follow. the height of nonsense lol, has came far from the 4lb 10oz born 7 weeks early in 2001.

The girls - Amy and Emily, both home tonight. Congrats Guys..

Great to see Amily and Emily home....

Well. Iphone4 going to its new owner on Monday and I look forward to taking ownership of my iphone4s on Friday 14th October. Last week Apple announced the update to the iphone4. Updates to camera to 8mp and camera quality, IOS5 and the iCloud, make this the best update Apple have done. I was a bit disappointed there was no iphone5, but maybe next year

Apple .

Today I booked an appointment to go into new Apple store at Braehead. I've had a continual problem with the home button. So I went in not expecting much. I was greeted as I entered and was shown to the genius bar. I explained my issue to they guy and within 8 mins no questions asked, was given a new phone and another years warranty. This is why I get apple stuff. Fantastic. !!

This week was chuffed to see the safe arrival of Emily (5lb 5oz) arrived at 4.50pm on Sunday 25th September 2011, followed 1 min later by her wee sister Amy (3lb 3oz) - identical twin sisters to a good pal Brian and his wife Susan Corbett. Congrats and best wishes for the future.

Another great Ayr Gold Cup. And a 90 quid win on the big race itself. A 14hr combo of champers. Dinner and clubbing made for a very memorable day. !!

This app needs a mention in my blog. As a large user of social media and everything that comes with it, I sing this apps praises for allowing me to read all my blogs rss feeds in 1 area. I also use it to catch up on the blogs I follow by other members of my twitter hard-core time line. This apps FANTASTIC. - a great way to catch up on the move. So there you go !

Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11. This was marked across the media in various forms and like a lot of people I watched coverage across the news networks. 9/11 happened about 6 weeks before the birth of my first son, Andrew. I can't believe the time that has passed already. Very scary. In those 10 years we had grown older, moved house twice and had another son -Euan. The people that died that day were robbed of their lives. Where families were ripped apart and scenes of chaos and destruction will always be etched in my memory. In 2008 I had the fortune of visiting that great city and going to ground zero to witness the birth of the rebuild. The site and area is massive. You can't take into account the size of the area until you see it yourself. A touching legacy for me was witnessing the pictures of missing people that still are pinned up in various locations. Today I watched various programmes recalling how that day was reported. And also the work that is on-going,...

No 13 today ..... How the years pass ! Lol