'Sno fair

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

Taking a day off work afforded me the opportunity to walk down to the village for a haircut. Jo was heading off to Morrison's so I chummed her along - both of us fighting our way along the snowbound pavements. The icicles on the buildings are getting longer each day:

There has been so much snow and the ploughs have been out constantly, with the priority to keep the roads open. The smaller ploughs have also been clearing the pavements outside the shops in the High St, but the result is that huge snow barriers/walls have been building up at the edge of the road - they are becoming a hazard in themselves and today, there were diggers out loading up lorries with the surplus snow:

The sight of this delighted Jo - she had remembered this from our first winter in Deeside 27 years ago, but had been pooh-poohed by others (not me!) who told her it was just another of her flights of imagination.

Here's our house and cars in the driveway this morning:

Guess I better get back and do some work now!

London weekend

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

We got there in the end - expensively and a good bit later than planned. What should have been a simple trip to Terminal 5 with BA then a tube straight to Gloucester Road, just across from our Fraser Place apartment, became a bit more complicated when we had to go with Flybe to Gatwick, then the Gatwick Express and a taxi.

No matter - we got there in time to check in, grab a quick snack then walk round to the Royal Albert Hall. Jools Holland was preceded by a half hour set by Rumer, then Jools and his band did a straight through 2 hour set with the usual array of guest artistes, notably including a slimline Alison Moyet.

We walked back after the gig and bypassed the bistro I fancied, back down to the Compton Road/Gloucester Road junction. We failed in a couple of attempts to get a meal - too late, Guv - it's after 11pm - "but your sign says open until midnight" - not for food, mate. So, much to Jo's chagrin, we settled for a couple of pints, some pistachios, olives and crisps!

After breakfast on Sunday morning, we took a taxi to Piccadilly and wandered round Green Park, The Mall and Clarence House before our 11:30 am booking at the Ritz. I recalled my time between 1974 and 1977 working in Devonshire House for James Buchanan & Co - we even walked past the site of the IRA bomb that blew up our offices.

Nowadays there's a whole new entrance to Green Park tube station being constructed, which is the reason for the temporary green woodwork in Green Park as I posed in front of my old office:

It was a beautiful, crisp and bright morning with lots of tourists walking along the Mall to Buckingham Palace:

Finally, inside the glitzy Ritz tearoom:


A harpist played in the hall:

We needed to walk after almost 2 hours of drinking endless cups of tea and eating sandwiches and cake, so we strolled along Piccadilly and popped in to Fortnum and Mason's:

Up past Eros, and up Regent Street for a bit, then back along towards Bond St, then a full loop back to catch the Tube to Heathrow, where we were initially told that our flight was cancelled. Fortunately, I asked somebody else and it turned out, that, whilst Aberdeen airport had been shut intermittently, it was open again and our flight was going - so we got back at a fairly reasonable hour after a short but hectic weekend.