It's been an interesting and exciting week in many ways. Our Headbang went well again (details on that blog) on Friday, but the Calcutta Cup match rather brought us down to earth on Saturday - how exactly did Scotland contrive to lose again?
Golf on Sunday was on a skating rink of a course - another beautiful, but cold, day - hardly a cloud in the sky and not a breath of wind, and treacherous underfoot - but it was fun. Got a game of squash on Monday too, but no other exercise since then. I've managed to avoid the gym for another week.
Last night, Jo was good enough to drive me round Deeside to complete most of the annual pub surveys for CAMRA, ahead of local voting at next week's meeting for which entries will make it in to the GBG next year. We didn't have to do Tarland this time and I'd already done Torphins, but we started at Lumphanan and then headed for Ballater, then back to Aboyne, Potarch and finally Feughside then home. We started early, hoping to get back quickly, but it always takes a bit longer than you think and our total elapsed time was well over 3 hours.
By the time we got home, it had started to rain fairly heavily - the first serious precipitation we'd seen for a while. This was ironic in a way, because, on Tuesday evening, we'd had a surprise call from Deeside Construction/Destruction (you choose) to say that they, plus the roofers, were going to arrive on Wednesday morning to finally finish off the work they started a year ago on our balcony/porch roof/harling - and they did turn up as scheduled and start work, but not without another "Irene" incident - you remember the neighbour from hell from the time we put the driveway in? Well, this time, it was dust drifting on to her car in the driveway. I think it's all something and nothing and hopefully it won't come to anything.
Anyway, back to the weather - as I said it's ironic that the builders are here after so much good weather - and now it starts to rain - sod's law! They did manage to get some work done today, so hopefully they will finish off this time. Here's our porch, showing the balcony - without railings:
Where are the railings you may ask? In our driveway - in one huge piece:
Can you make it out OK? I took this photo late last night in the pitch black. Jo said the railings were cast iron and somebody might nick them so we best move them in to our garage. Well, I could lift my end, but Jo quickly realised it wasn't on and we just left them where they were. It would need a team of Irish navvies/Gypsies with a lorry to move them anyway, so I think they're pretty safe where they are - I think!
Today I was working in Fraserburgh and Carole and Gary are off to the movies tonight, with Luca off for half term tomorrow, so I offered to pick him up from school and take him back to ours, where he's staying tonight. I'd collected him before when he was at nursery but this was my first time from school proper.
I got a nice text from Carole half an hour before I was to pick Luca up, telling me to make sure he remembered his hat and gloves. The (Spiderman) hat was no problem - he was wearing it, but he was adamant that he didn't take gloves to school today. Was I wrong to believe him? Only time will tell.
Luca was full of beans so before jumping in the car, we went to the park to let him run around a little:
I cancelled squash tonight because I was picking Luca up, but I might get a game tomorrow - and then it's our last weekend here before we head to Oz in just over a week. I've arranged to go down and meet the new owners of Deeside Brewery on Saturday, and hopefully a game of golf again on Sunday, but that's all I've got planned for the weekend.
Looking forward to seeing Kelly again next week - and meeting Chris for the first time. Not really looking forward to the journey however - we leave here on Friday afternoon/evening and get to Sydney on Sunday morning - and Adelaide on Monday - nightmare! Last year, we stopped off at Hong Kong for a few days to break the journey, but this time, we're going hardcore (as Kelly calls it) and doing it all in a one-er. We get off the plane in Singapore - but only briefly. Qantas usually take over the last leg, but they've just grounded (again) their fleet of A380's, the big new plane we flew on last year - the wings are apparently falling off. I wonder what it'll be now?
Oh - and I today finally received my letter calling me to see the specialist about my stomach and a possible endoscopy - I've still got that awful taste in my mouth, and that's been over 3 months now. The appointment was for 2 weeks today - when we are Down Under. I phoned to change it and got lucky - the doctor had just had a cancellation for next Thursday - the night before we go.
