November starts

Saturday afternoon, listening to the football scores coming through on Radio Scotland - Thistle winning 3-2 at league leaders Hamilton. 94th minute - should be confident of a great result, but years of being a Jags fan have taught me to fear the worst - and it happens - a late equaliser. Opportunity wasted - but no real surprise.

It's exactly a year since my knee operation and overall it's been a great success, allowing me to play golf, walk and cycle without pain again - although it's been feeling a bit sore this week - the first time I've experienced any real discomfort. The other knee - the left one - has been troubling me a bit and I'm going to see the surgeon next Friday. I may ask him to look at the right one too, just to be sure.

Yesterday I had my fasting blood test and am going to see my GP on Monday to get the results and determine what blood thinner I am going to use. I walked down to Bellfield and on from there to the Post Office at Tillybrake to pick up what I thought would be a small parcel. It turned out to be somewhat larger than I imagined and I had to humph it over a mile back home. It was a surprisingly warm morning and I was bathed in sweat when I arrived home, still not having had any breakfast or fluids since Thursday night. I ate and drank everything for brunch.

Incidentally, my parcel was a replacement Archos DVR that I had bought on e-Bay - my old one had given up the ghost.

With Jo out at her usual Friday afternoon swimming session, I headed off for a few holes of golf before jumping on the bus in to Aberdeen for a few beers and something to eat prior to going to the MacFloyd gig at the Lemon Tree. I was back home just after midnight, but it had been a long day and I've been in relax/recovery mode today.

We're out for dinner tonight at the Kilgours - that'll be nice. Tomorrow golf, then Monday cycling before stepping back on the work treadmill again on Tuesday.

Gary's medical tests didn't bring very good news and he has to go for a heart scan, due to an apparent enlargement of part of it. Hope it happens soon and he gets a clear prognosis. Coming so soon after Lucy's recent health scare, it prompted Jo to ponder this morning on the "bad genes" she had passed on to her children. Nothing to do with me of course.

Gary's news came in as we were in the throes of planning the logistics of he and Luca going to USA next July, trying to organise accommodation at Newport Coast, Disney and the Lesinas joining us - a complicated process.