Car problems

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

Yes, it's me again - final posting for this week.

Bad start to the day - there was no heating when I got up this morning. I tried to re-boot the boiler 4 times but it seems to have given up the ghost now. The earliest appointment for the gas engineer to come out is Wednesday, so I do hope the forecast increase in temperatures this weekend does happen. It's still pretty cold and damp here just now.

My car was scheduled to be back today after a month in the bodyshop but I got a phone call from the insurer yesterday, telling me that the Specialist Cars had had some problems fixing the wheel/suspension/axle and had had to do it 3 times over as they uncovered more damage than they had initially been able to see. I took this as an early warning that my car would not be ready today, and so I filled up the loan car with diesel this morning.

Well, blow me - I got a call from the bodyshop this morning saying my car was ready after all! I'd like my own car back, but I didn't like the idea of Accident Exchange gaining a full tank of fuel at our expense, so I've now arranged to swap over on Monday morning and I'll use the loan car to go up and down to Paisley this weekend for the Christening. Of course, this meant telling Accident Exchange, and I then had to sign another form explaining why I wouldn't be returning the car today.

Last night we went to Woodend Barn to see Roddy Woomble. I thought he was good, but Jo decided that he wasn't really of much merit, but praised the female fiddle player/pianist/backup singer. The setting in the hall was very nice - all candlelit, linen-covered tables. Here's Johanne and Jo posing for the camera, with Colin talking to his next door neighbour on the left:

Well, it's Friday afternoon and there's not much else for me to do this week, but I'm the only Director on site - Michael's in USA attending Cathy's Mum's funeral and Francis is in hospital having another eye operation, so is it right for me to leave early? Do I hear the gym beckoning? Tough call.

Is it May?

From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/

It's not been great so far, has it? - at least not in this neck of the woods - but there's talk of it getting warmer this weekend - not before time too.

It's Thursday and that means the 110 mile round trip to Fraserburgh and back for our weekly and monthly management meetings - after Wednesday night golf. I always feel a bit tired on Thursdays, but tonight, we're going out again - to Woodend Barn to see Roddy Woomble (http://www.roddywoomble.com/). Not that I know much of his stuff - and Jo knows even less - but Colin and Johanne bought tickets and asked us if we'd like to go along, and I said yes. Supporting the local arts centre is always a good idea - we should do it more often.

So, since my last blog, we had a nice Surf 'n Turf meal at the golf club last Friday with Dick & Theresa Taylor and Gary & Mel Grant - fun evening. I golfed early on Saturday morning and then on Sunday 11 of us headed over the Lecht to Grantown and Boat of Garten - our 53rd outing there! It was pretty windy on Sunday and we caught one bad squall on Monday, but otherwise, we got off lightly, judging by accounts of the weather elsewhere.

It's been a short working week then, but this is my second day in Fraserburgh so it's not been complete plain sailing. Coming up here on Tuesdays affords me the opportunity to stop off back at Inverurie on the way home and see Luca (and Gary & Carole usually).

No more golf planned for me until next Wednesday - Jo and I are heading down to Glasgow on Saturday afternoon, in time for Guy and Julie's twins' First Communion on Sunday. Hopefully, Brian and I will get the chance to see the Champions League Final on Saturday night somewhere. I'll miss the Scottish Cup final on Saturday afternoon, but so what?

I've got my appointment at the Sports Orthotics centre in Hamilton at 4 pm on Saturday first of all, so it means a slight detour on the way down. Perhaps we'll also get the chance to pop in and see Dawn briefly - and maybe Barry on the way back - if they're all around?

We're coming up to the busy time of the year - lots of golf and other trips before we head off to USA on 10th July. I was supposed to be doing hill-walking "training/acclimatising" this coming Sunday, but, for the second month in a row, I'll be missing out. In fact, I'll probably only manage one of the monthly walks before we all head back to the Lake District again in September - will I be fit enough to keep up with the rest of them by then?

Then there's the Aberdeen Beer Festival in 2 weeks' time - I should be working there, but it clashes with Lauren's wedding so I'm not going to manage to put in many hours of volunteer work this year.

I've got a golf outing to Blairgowrie on Friday 15th June, another to Tarland on Tuesday 19th June, Kemnay on Friday 22nd June (and a Headbang to follow this!), Balmoral on Monday 25th June, with hill-walking scheduled for Sunday 24th and then it's my annual cricket trip to Lord's on 29th June. As if that wasn't enough, I'm down in Dumfries for our Summer Tour the weekend before we go to USA! Whew!

I'll be ready for our holidays by then - but it's always a bit crazy at this time of year, as the days get longer - my diary in June is always packed full.

I've been blogging like crazy this past week - 2 episodes of Renshaw's Chronicles, 2 regular blogs, plus updates for the golf and ale blogs - haven't I been a good boy!

Finally, a quick hi to Kelly, whose birthday is on Sunday - Chris is taking her on a long train journey to Uluru (Ayer's Rock in old parlance). Enjoy!