Second Saturday posting

Kelly's been on Skype since my earlier blog this morning. She's had to stay in on Saturday night as her pal is ill - disaster!

I took the chance to model our team shirt for the golf trip next week:

Here we go again

The snow came back with a vengeance yesterday. It looked like a major blizzard was upon us - and it hadn't been forecast. So what happened in Aberdeen city? - yes - panic and gridlock. It seems everyone decides that they have to head off home early in case they get snowed in at work. Two hours later, the snow had gone and the roads were black again. I left the office at 4pm and sailed home easily - no traffic, no snow.

So, it was a really busy day for me yesterday - lots of meetings and things to finish off and instructions to give for next week - but I think I got through it all ok. I got sympathetic comfort food when I got home - liver and bacon - beautiful!

Saturday morning, nothing to do, nowhere special to go, yet still I awake at 6am - I wish I could lie in longer. Downstairs to breakfast - hardly any milk - can't have my cereal. Guess I'll have to dress and trudge off to the garage for some milk - bah.

Kelly must think the mail system in Oz is pigeon post - I got my birthday card from her this week!:

What does it say inside? - life's too short to act normal! What's the message here then, Kelly?

So, Jo's deserting me again today. She's off to Aberdeen wedding dress viewing with Carole. Oh well, I guess I'll have to vegetate again in front of all the TV sport. I could do some packing as well, I suppose - don't think I'm going to need my golf clubs tomorrow - still snow lying on the course.

Have a good weekend y'all.

Anybody out there?

Not much activity on blogspot recently. Is everyone OK?

Busy day at work yesterday but managed a quick trip to the gym at lunchtime, after being given the go-ahead from the physio on Monday evening. I must say that my knee seems to be much improved - the ice packs, ultrasound and ibuprofen definitely seem to have helped - or is it just sod's law that as soon as you get an appointment, it starts to get better?

Watched the Man U match last night - although it was the poorest reception we've ever had on Sky. I couldn't get an HD picture at all and had to revert to channel 402 - and even that was breaking up all the time. It must have been all the snow in the area. I was also monitoring the score from Pittodrie - Aberdeen yet again lost to a lower league club in the cup - could be another manager with his marching orders shortly.

Ross at last got some more work last night - down at Kincar - but he said the roads were pretty bad when he came home. This morning they were very poor as well - at least until I got a bit nearer Aberdeen. Still, it's only February, and this tends to be the worst month of the year. The days are getting noticeably longer however.

What's happening with Jo? Well, as she's not blogging, I thought I'd bring you all up to date. What does she do with her time? Good question. She missed her planned swimming on both Friday and Monday - unreliable friends it seems - so she felt she had to walk to the supermarket and then clear the back garden. Good timing - she managed this just before the snow returned, although she's now complained of an aching back after spending a few hours pushing brooms (sounds a bit Roger Miller-ish - remember King of the Road? No? Too young? Oh well).

Today she's travelling over to Oldmeldrum to have lunch with Carole and Liz at Meldrum House - very nice.

Must go now - got a lot to do before the week's out and I can get away with a clear conscience next week.

Monday travels

Been to Edinburgh today - one meeting - an hour and a half - then home again. I was back in the house by 3 pm. OK, I still had some work to do, but it was easy enough from home and saved me driving up to Bridge of Don and then facing the journey home with all the commuters.

I travelled with Michael - he just got back yesterday after a couple of weeks' golfing holiday in Mexico and California. His body clock hasn't recovered yet - I met him at Ye May Gang Faur and Fare Waur and he was having a little snack there. Then we stopped at the Horn and he had another breakfast there! The downside was that, after our meeting, when I was ready for some lunch, his appetite had gone, so I ended up just grabbing a roll and some crisps at a service station - no wonder I had indigestion later.

I did get a nice cup of tea and a pancake when I got home - Jo has taken to making something that smells attractive at lunchtime to make sure Ross gets up at a semi respectable hour. Yesterday it was toasted cheese and today pancakes - and I was the unwitting beneficiary of the leftovers. Tea was lovely too - home made steak pie. Oh - and yesterday, my personal Valentine treat was that Jo made dumplings with our stew - super - haven't had them for ages.

Anyway, business is very slow for Ross - we've advertised in the Piper again this week and hope that gets some action. He's getting a little down about it, but it's still very early days and he just needs to stick at it and try to build up a good reputation for reliable service and let word of mouth help from there.

Tonight I was at the physio with my knee. He had a good prod around and stress tested it and his conclusion was that it was nothing too severe and, with a bit of stretching exercises, ice packs, ibuprofen and ultrasound it should be fine. I'm going back again on Wednesday and then I'll see how it is after next week. I'm missing my squash, but I've got to stay clear this week at least.

That's all for now - best take the bag of peas off my knee before it freezes completely - my knee that is.

Birthday request

As it's only 3 weeks to go until my birthday, I thought it was time to drop a heavy hint or two - a book I would like is Composing Himself by Jack Bruce.

Mild weekend

It's been a pretty calm weekend - certainly by recent standards. I was back on the golf course this morning and conditions were delightful. The absence of wind meant the temperature felt fine - even though it's still only a few degrees.

When I got home, I looked out the back and what should I see on the embankment, but 2 little deer:

Jo arrived back from the Milton at the same time as I did and there to greet her on the porch were her Valentine's Day flowers, which she swiftly took upstairs and put n a vase:

That's been our Sunday so far, but yesterday Jo went in to spend the day with her former work colleague Sylvia. They had a nice long lunch at the Mariner - I told Jo I would have found it hard to go back there as it would bring memories of Dave Edwards and the poor condition he finds himself in now.

I just vegetated on a diet of sport - a bit of golf from India in the morning, then the classic Aberdeen - Celtic 4-4 draw (sorry, Gary!), followed by the typically tragic Scottish tale of woe in the rugby at Cardiff. Also had a pint with Colin and watched the second half of the France-Ireland rugby then the Man City-Stoke footy cup tie. Phew - enough sport for one day, I think.

On Saturday night, we watched The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button - it was long and left us both a bit cold. Pity - I thought the idea had some promise, although Brad Pitt as an 80 year old baby was more like a gremlin!

That's it for now. I've looked out some of my stuff for travelling to Marrakech a week tomorrrow, but, before that, it's Edinburgh tomorrow then the physio in the evening. My knee was troubling me again on the golf course this morning - not a good omen for a week of golf - nor, for that matter, the ideal preparation for a year when I'm hoping to be doing some relatively serious hill-walking.

Lastly, just noticed that they've made a film of the book I finished last month - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - it's released March 12th.