To everyone else

What have I been up to? Well, organising the meals for tonight's do at Franco's, that's one. Oh I do get frustrated when people don't respond - especially when you are trying to help them.

I'm also organising our traditional Christmas Eve football at DATA for Dave Williamson's birthday - got a good response to this - there's 16 playing.

I've posted off my Dad's birthday card today - he's 88 on Sunday! I finally decided that I should, after all, write to Harvey's about our settee, so that's another thing done today. Tomorrow, it's off to Dundee with Colin, Dave and Malcolm.

So what are the plans for Kelly's and Craig's arrival next Friday? They arrive at 17:35 - do Gary and Carole want to pick them up and bring them over to ours, or shall I do it?

On Saturday 27th December, I've got tickets for the Aberdeen - Hearts match - who's coming?

HELLO CADE

HI CADE - ARE YOU OK?

HAVEN'T HAD ANY ANSWERS TO MY PHOTO QUIZ - ARE THEY TOO DIFFICULT?

PLEASE REPLY

LOVE

GRANDA IAN

Countdown to Christmas

Less than a week to go now - Jo will be partied out well before then. Not so for me - I sorted out the arrangements for our do at Franco's tomorrow and now I'm trying to co-ordinate everyone's orders for the meal - they want us to pre-order everything.

Nothing much else new - Fraserburgh today - the canning factory closes down for 2 weeks from tomorrow. Quiet night tonight then work tomorrow, followed by football, then Franco's, and then, on Saturday, we're off to Dundee to see Thistle for the first time this season.

Right, Cade - this one's a bit nearer home for you:

Skype

Good to see Inverurie has entered the world of Skype. Gary phoned us at 10:15 pm last night - he was surprised he couldn't get through to us - we were in bed reading our books by then - no computers on.

Now just Kelly and Craig to sort out - Kelly was going to send me a photo of their webcam so I could check if it's the same as mine - if so, it's not Vista that's causing them problems.

A new day, a new world - to Cade

Well done, Cade - your Mom said you got all the correct answers to the places where our photos were taken - but you didn't actually name them - maybe it's because you knew the answers but you didn't want your Mom to find out? - she would never have guessed on her own!

We can let her know now though, can't we? The Great Wall of China was first - maybe your Mom would have gotten that one, huh? The second one was taken in a desert - but which one? Not Arizona - no camels there - and not Dubai either - although it was very close - it was Abu Dhabi - they are both part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - look it up on the map. We had just been riding big 4-wheelers across the huge sand dunes - they take the air out of the tyres before you go on the dunes to give more control.

The 3rd photo with Jo in it was taken at Giza, just outside Cairo in Egypt, in front of the Sphinx and one of the pyramids. Now here's another question for you (all of you!) - which is older? The Great Wall of China or the pyramids of Egypt?

Today's photo quiz - which city was this taken in?:

Here's another clue:

and another one - but can you guess where the photo was taken from?:

Tuesday

Today's picture from round the world features Jo - taken in January, 2001 - where do you think this one was taken, Cade?

We had our meeting last night to decide where to go for our golf next October - and, for a change, it went very smoothly - we all voted to go to Almeria in Spain (http://www.desertspringsrentals.com/).

Today it's work and tonight I'm out for dinner with our computer software suppliers.

Kelly/Craig

I should have clarified - they don't travel up until Boxing Day (evening) and return on Monday evening.

Good news week

The good news is that Flybe did allow Jo and I to transfer our free flight vouchers to Kelly and Craig, so they'll be up for a few days after all - they arrive on Boxing Day and go back on Monday 29th.

Back at work and it doesn't feel too bad - I think I needed to get out of the house - cabin fever!

Did Cade guess correctly that I was at the Great Wall of China in yesterday's blog? Where do you think I might have been in this one from the year 2000?:

3rd post Sunday

Oh - and what's Carole's middle name? Just noticed the posting was by CCC.

Sunday 2nd post

I walked along to the shops and picked up my Sunday Times and, when I got home, I went to take my usual seat and suddenly thought to myself - why is it so uncomfortable? From the very first time we bought this settee, the place that I sit very quickly seemed to depress. I know it's fairly well used, but it shouldn't have collapsed so quickly. I'm disappointed in it - perhaps we should have complained at the start? I decided to take a picture, but it doesn't really demonstrate the point, does it?

Anyway, in the course of taking the photo, I broke off the tiniest corner of my camera's battery latch. It still takes photos but I couldn't download them to my PC as I kept getting a warning that the battery compartment was open, so I had to search for the fragment and try to sellotape it back in to place. It works, but it's only a short-term fix because any time I have to charge the battery, I have to remove it from the camera and this will mean un-sellotaping and re-sellotaping each time - that's sure to infuriate me.

Perhaps the script was already written - I've never quite taken to this camera the way I always enjoyed my previous Fujis - maybe a new one is now on the horizon!

Don't you just hate it when products you buy aren't quite what you wanted or expected?

Has Cade guessed yet where I was in the photo on my previous blog? Come to think of it, Cade hasn't posted anything to the blog recently - but, then again, nor has Lucy - and Scott has still to make his debut too.

Sunday at home again

Well done Carole - your first posting! Keep it up. To move photos simply click on them and drag. If you need to centre them, the icons in the text box above do that.

I awoke before 5 am this morning - I think it was the sound of Ross in the kitchen. When we got up, all of last night's meatloaf had gone - and Jo only had a corner nibble.

I rolled over and it was after 9 before we both got up. Jo's off to church now and I'm sitting here doing this and contemplating whether to walk along to the shops to get my Sunday Times, or do it the lazy way. I do miss our regular paper deliveries.

No golf obviously - the course was closed yesterday anyway but it seems much nicer today. Mind you, I probably wouldn't have been tempted anyway. I'll give myself one more day before taking any exercise. My body is getting dangerously addicted to lethargy. I had been playing quite a lot of squash and football again and had found it difficult to squeeze in sessions at Bannatyne's - they say this is a stereotypical pattern for new gym joiners - hugely enthusiastic at the start and then tailing away. I must try to break that mould. Pity Banchory doesn't have a proper leisure centre - the Tor-na-Coille would be an ideal location.

Tuesday is D-day for CALA's planning application. It looks like being thrown out, but you can never be sure, and I'm sure that won't be the end of it anyway. Roxanne (Jekyll and Hyde) Sloane-Maris features in this week's Piper donating crockery to the Scouts. Hardly a coincidence I think - she must believe in her own mind that this mini charm offensive will persuade everyone that she's really a nice, kind, caring person with the aims of the community at heart - and not the pantomime villain she's been cast as.

Still stalling for time - must get showered and dressed and out. The first Test from India is the background just now, and there's golf from South Africa and Dubai to follow plus lots of footy. I aways enjoy watching golf played on courses I know well, like the Emirates Majlis. It's interesting to see how much the major construction projects have come on since we were there last February. They say 40% of the world's cranes are based there just now

The next few blogs will feature me in different world locations. Today - well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?

This was taken in November 1999.