Friday/Saturday

Finally got my injections on Friday then came back to the house for lunch, only to discover Ross at home in bed again - he had driven his Mum to school but hadn't gone in to work as he had said he was going to - in fact, Harris phoned here to find out where he was!

I picked Jo up at school and managed to get her out of there by 4:00 pm - half an hour later than originally planned - and even this was only courtesy of her friend Chris, who was good enough to shoo her along.

We left Aberdeen in perfect conditions - warm(ish) and sunny but, at Forfar, we could see the gathering clouds and the portent of what Sally Traffic had been warning us about on Radio 2. It's a bit of a tortuous cross-country drive from Forfar to Pitlochry - not easy in the gloom and sodden roads, but we made it in ample time to check in at the Moulin Inn (est 1695) and have a bar supper with Colin & Johanne, after which we headed down to the Festival Theatre. Our room was up and down and across various stairways in the old hotel - and it had a very tartan feel - see above.

Stuart Maconie was excellent and we even bought his book afterwards and got him to sign it - I asked him to make it out to Kelly, who listens to him on Radio 2 every night and was very envious of us going to see him (see pages above). I'll read it and take it down to Kelly when we visit Cornwall in 3 weeks' time. The theatre was running "Fearie Tales" after the show - basically a couple of actors reading ghost stories - a bit juvenile for me, I'm afraid.

We had time to sample a few more of the ales produced at the micro-brewery there before we retired to bed. Incidentally, the lounge and dining room are filled with stuffed animals - Jo posed in front of the fox with a game bird in its mouth.

It rained heavily overnight and after the full Scottish breakfast we went down to the town centre for a walk (with brollies). The fish ladder and dam were over the other side of the Tummel but the river was in full spate. Our route there meant crossing a small suspension bridge - the entrances had been ticker-taped by the police but somebody had torn them down. Never mind we thought, let's cross anyway. Four very nervous people hastily reached the other side and immediately vowed not to go back the same way! The videos demonstrate the power of the water.

Coffees were then called for and after that lunch at the Moulin again. The road home was over past the Glenshee ski slopes and it didn't take long for Jo to start feeling ill (Johanne was the same Colin told me later). When we did finally get home, Jo headed for bed and TV and so I nipped down to the Douglas to watch the Wigan - Chelsea match with Colin - and Archie, who spotted me heading there.

I got home after the match and Jo was now downstairs watching the latest Pirates of the Caribbean adventure on Sky Box Office - a remarkable recovery!

The east coast was much drier than Perthshire and it was almost balmy on Sunday morning when I went to play golf - nice to play off grass, rather than frost or ice.

Thursday night/Friday morning

Jo likes the new suite - the room is full of the smell of new leather.

I went along to the big meeting in the Burnett last night on the KGV playing fields project - it's a very adventurous and wide-ranging project and requires major fund-raising and will take several years of hard work. I had to give it our support but it's a long shot and very distant - and will probably not come about before I finish playing squash!

Ross did get up this morning and take Jo to work, but when she got there she realised she had left her handbag somewhere - cue panic phone calls home! She had left it in my car, which she had moved to let Ross' car out, so I'll just take it in to her when I pick her up this afternoon as we head for our night in Pitlochry.

I'm at home again, clicking my heels - I was supposed to be getting my vaccinations for South Africa at 9:00 am and I went to the chemist to pick them up last night, but they hadn't even received the prescription from the Nurse! I went down to the surgery and found it was still lying there in the out tray, took it back to the chemist, but then discovered they did not have one of the vaccines and wouldn't be able to get it until 10:00 am this morning, so I had to change my appointment with the Nurse - the earliest I could get was 11:40, which has completely screwed up my working day now. Things never go to plan - if it's not tradesmen or house deliveries, it's something else. End of rant.

Wednesday/Thursday

Well, Ross and I managed to get the old suite out of the back room OK and take it down to the garage. I spoke again to the charity shop and they have had a recent run of offers on old suites and don't really need any more - particularly if not in excellent condition, so I said I would just arrange to have it dumped. Ross had eyes on the chair (aka the mouse's graveyard) but the door to his room is so narrow that the only chance of getting it in would be for him to take the blocks off the chair and take the door off its hinges. I said I wouldn't get the chair taken away until next week and if he really fancies doing that, then he's welcome - of course, I know already what the outcome will be, but at least I've given him a chance.

We woke Ross this morning (Thursday) before we went to work, as he was to be there to let the men in with the new suite. Of course, I kind of guessed he would not stay awake and sure enough, I got a phone call from the driver at 10:30 this morning - there was no answer. I told him just to go in and where to put it. I just don't know what to do with Ross!

Tonight, I've got a meeting at the Burnett for the proposed new King George V playing park facility - the time scale is years and so I don't really expect anything concrete to come out to help get new squash court(s) - but I'll make the right noises anyway.

Monday/Tuesday

Bypassed our usual squash match on Monday after work and went to the Legion instead to have a 60th birthday drink with Jas, and wave him off on his month long trip to Kenya and S.A. When I got home, I phoned Dawn (as I had promised Barry I would) concerning plans for legal guardianship of Dad and possibly getting him on the waiting list for Erskine Glasgow. I'm afraid my call brought out a lot of emotion in Dawn about Mum's final years and it was a difficult hour long call - it's obvious there are still issues between Barry and Dawn that need to be resolved before we can move forward with Dad. Anyway, we at least agreed that we would arrange a visit to look over Erskine Glasgow next Tuesday and we'll take it from there.

On Tuesday, I was in Aberdeen, then Fraserburgh, then dashed back to Bannatyne's to get in (just) before the 4:00 pm deadline - I had a good long session there then headed over to Carriage's and had a bit of supper with Malcolm and a guy he works with, plus Gary - Ross was invited too, but, as usual, showed up late and skipped the meal - it probably would have been breakfast for him anyway! We then headed off to Pittodrie to see Aberdeen knock Falkirk out of the Scottish Cup 3-1 - a good performance and not as cold as we had been led to believe.

I got a bit of a nip in the ear from Gary about posting his medical results on my blog - but how else would his sisters, let alone his mother, know about it? He needs to start his own blog and then he would have full editorial control! He finally started his new job today and it seemed to go well - he said he was shattered - it was his first day's work in a month!

Our new suite for the back room arrives tomorrow, so Ross and I have the difficult task tonight of trying to get the old one out of the room and downstairs. I phoned the charity shop yesterday and they are going to come along and pick it up some time, so we'll store it in the garage for now.

Stan England was due to start laying the concrete plinth yesterday, but cancelled due to the early morning frost. He says they will be back next week, but, ironically, it's got mild again and he could easily lay it now.

Sunday night/Monday morning

Barry phoned me last night about Dad - he has been assessed by a Doctor and is not fit to grant any Power of Attorney, so Barry is proposing going along the Guardianship route, which seems quite complex legally. Barry is also suggesting paying a visit to Erskine Glasgow (Flanders House) with a view to getting Dad on the waiting list there, in the event that he is unable to cope living on his own. Barry and Sylvia (who manages the day care centre that Dad has lunch at) are both a bit concerned about his depression in particular. Of course, I only see him occasionally and recently he has seemed quite happy, but Barry tells me there are days where Dad won't get up out of bed at all. I'll talk to Dawn today and get her views.

Jacquie Howden (secretary to me, Michael and Francis) had a bit of a shocking weekend. Her husband, Tom, has been in hospital having a knee operation and was due to get out yesterday, but he had a heart attack on Friday night. They are probably going to move him to ARI today. He seems stable OK, but it's certainly not a good time for the Howdens right now - Jacquie still has to run after her brother, who has been incapable for many years.

The weekend

Football on Friday was about my 5th day in a row of hard exercise - squash and gym interspersing 2 games of football - and it showed - I felt heavy legged and drained. Envious of Kelly doing all those miles on the Cornish roads - hope her joints are in better shape than mine. I didn't take up running until I was almost 40 (about the same time as I started playing indoor football again) and, on reflection, although I enjoyed the races we did, the miles of training certainly did not help my dodgy knees and hips.

Our huge new TV arrived on Friday - about 5 pm - after I had waited in all day. I eventually had to go to football but Ross, with a bit of help from Jo, got it set up by the time I got home. The photo above doesn't really give a true perspective on its size - it's like a home cinema!

On Saturday, Ross and I put the back seats down in both our cars and filled them with various things, including Ross' old double bed (he now sleeps in the single bed that was up in Jo's office) and took everything to the tip - including the Christmas tree, much to Jo's chagrin - it normally sits on our balcony until about June!

Played doubles squash and then we went down to the golf club with Colin and Johanne for the Mexican evening - it wasn't bad at all.

After golf on Sunday, we all had a celebration lunch in the club for Jas' 60th birthday (tomorrow). He and his family are still all flying out to Kenya on Tuesday, despite the troubles there.

This week, Gary, Ross and I are going to Pittodrie on Tuesday to see the Dons' cup replay against Falkirk, and, on Friday Jo and I are off to Pitlochry for the Winter Words Festival - we're going to a talk by Stuart Maconie.