Tenerife

I managed to secure accommodation for Kelly's and Craig's extra week in Tenerife, using one of my spare time-share exchanges - check http://www.intervalworld.com/web/cs?a=1503&resortCode=IVH&childResortCodes=IVH

Kelly said they're thinking of taking the bus up to London, then train to Gatwick and fly from there because it's cheaper than flying directly from Exeter. My advice is don't do it, Kelly! Bite the bullet and fly from Exeter!

Deeside Brewery

Football yesterday was good - and I managed a beer afterwards with Ken Page, who has headed off to Switzerland this morning for his usual annual ski-ing trip with his pal, Huw Jones and Ken's daughter Debbie, making up an unusual threesome.

This morning, I was just about to leave to pick up Jas for the drive down to Deeside Activity Park for our first viewing of the new Deeside Brewery, when Jo (who wasn't even dressed at the time), said she'd like to join us - so off the three of us trotted. (You can tell today's theme is unusual threesomes!).

It was a beautiful, crisp, cold morning and it was good to see round the brewery and brought back memories of our plans of a decade or so ago for a similar venture. Good luck to Rob James - it would have been nice to have done it ourselves, but there you go. We had a nice tea and coffee - and Jas and I even had bacon butties too - before we left.

I was persuaded by Jo to buy one of the Deeside Brewery hats which were on sale at the merchandising stall, and she posed in it when we came home:

Squash this afternoon, then we're baby and dog(s) sitting for Gary and Carole this evening.

Football team photos can be viewed at http://bvetsfootballgroup.blogspot.com/

Deeside Piper

Went out to buy the P & J this morning and picked up a Deeside Piper at the same time - I was intrigued to read the letters page because I had been told that they had, indeed, published my second letter (in response to Roxanne's) in the paper - even although on their web site, they published my original letter (which was largely about the planning process itself).

Never mind, two mentions is better than one - hope somebody takes notice!

Finally got through to Kelly and Craig this morning - they weren't communicating with the world yesterday as they apparently had a bit of a wild time on Hogmanay - or, at least, Kelly did!

We're just sitting here in vegetation mode again this morning - although I am playing football again this afternoon. Otherwise no plans. Tomorrow, I may take a run down to Deeside Activity Park to look over the new Deeside Brewery that Rob James has installed there to replace the one he was running at his home at Hillside, Lumphanan. I've been promised the first official tour as I'm the local BLO (Brewery Liaison Officer!) for CAMRA.

2009

Happy New Year to everyone!

We had a nice time at Colin and Johanne's last night - although I only took one photo of Jo and Anne sitting in the extension at the front of the house watching the fireworks:

Today we decided just to vegetate - leave the door locked, don't get dressed and do nothing. Best laid plans - the doorbell rang not long after 11 - it was Gary and Luca and they stayed for lunch, but Luca didn't fancy tea for some reason.

We Skyped Lucy and tried to phone Kelly as well - they appear to have changed their minds and have opted for a place in Tenerife not on the coast - will Craig survive?

Tor-na-Coille

Timing is everything I guess. I had sent a letter off to the Deeside Piper last week about the Council's planning meeting re CALA's proposed development. It wasn't published, but, instead, Roxanne's letter was.

I decided therefore to try again and responded to her letter this week, but the Piper has today published the letter I wrote last week, before I had seen Roxanne's letter - check http://www.deesidepiper.co.uk/letters/Planning-process-39shrouded-in-mystery39.4834426.jp

They also crucially, for me at least, omitted the last paragraph I had put in about the squash courts and the fact that they are sound, and are lying idle, despite approaches from the councillors to allow access to the courts, at least until the planning decision is made. I might try again next week!

Hogmanay

Even although Cade's not playing, here's the answer to my previous photo quiz. For those of you who haven't been before, this was taken in 2002 from the top of Sears Tower, formerly the highest building in the world, looking out over the city of Chicago and beyond to Lake Michigan:


Can you really see the curvature of the earth, or is it an optical illusion?

Didn't bother going to the office this morning - had a bit of a lie in for a change. Anyway, we're changing phones, servers etc and have no internet or e-mail access there anyway, so I'm better off here anyway.

I only worked a morning yesterday as well and then headed out to Inverurie for a bit of a birthday lunch with Jo, Carole and Luca - the mini chocolate birthday cake was nice! Two years old now - wow! I also managed a game of squash doubles later on, so it was a nice easy day all round.

I've taken the holiday cardboard boxes to the tip this morning - Jo was a bit concerned about me doing this as she doubts my eco credentials and was worried that I wouldn't properly separate the polystyrene from the cardboard!

So I'm sitting here in the kitchen doing my blog and watching the bacon for lunch - Jo is hoovering next door. We're playing football again this afternoon at 2:00 pm and tonight we're going to the Kilgours for dinner, so that's today done.

We just found last year's Christmas cake, so we've opened it and are now working our way through it!

We found a couple of suitable places for Kelly and Craig to stay in for the extra week they are in Tenerife, but, by the time we had agreed which one to go for, it had gone! Never mind, there's plenty of others so we'll get something soon.

Post Xmas

Boxing Day was largely spent by the telly until Kelly and Craig arrived later in the evening. I had been fixing up the Xmas present that Ross bought me (a huge hard drive that stores all my music, videos, photos etc and links to the TV, sound system etc). We Skyped Scott and Lucy and Ross linked my laptop up to our big TV so that we could all see them in their little Elf hats - it didn't come out too well on this photo, but you get the idea:


On Saturday, Ross, Gary and I went to Pittodrie and saw Aberdeen beat Hearts 1-0 in front of a full house - it was great. When we got home, Jo was wearing her gifts from me - ear-rings and necklace:

Craig spent the night in Peterhead and Kelly took my car and went to the cinema with her friend, so I had a chance to play golf on Sunday morning before everyone arrived for dinner:

Kelly and Craig were considering going to the sales in Aberdeen this morning and I offered to drive them in and take them home, whilst I popped in to the office, but they eventually thought better of it, so I just got up at the usual time and came in for a couple of hours - I'll head off home and have lunch with them then take them to the airport this evening.