Eve of departure

After 3 days' work at the beer festival last weekend, I then had 4 consecutive days of golf, and I was supposed to be cycling this morning then golfing again this afternoon, but I got a bit of a soaking last night and couldn't face either today, so it's been a fairly restful one.

I've now set up my new personal e-mail account, but it will take some time before I can change my details on all the various web sites and regular e-mail lists I'm on, so bear with me for a while. Both addresses work just now anyway.

We were very nearly on our way to Oz in November - a long-standing request for a week's timeshare at Marriott's Phuket Beach club came up, but the political unrest in Thailand put Jo off, so I had to unravel the booking. It now looks like it will be next year before we can go Down Under, but with Phuket off the agenda, where else do we go for a brief vacation to break our journey to Adelaide? No other Marriott Vacation Clubs on that side of the world, so it might have to be a hotel stop-off somewhere.

We're off to London in the morning - Graham Parker & the Rumour gig tomorrow night, then Jersey Boys at the theatre on Saturday night.

Scotland Scorchio!

What a great run of weather we've had. If only I'd know it was going to be like this, I wouldn't have volunteered to do so many hours in the dank atmosphere underneath the Richard Donald stand (the Beach End) at Pittodrie at the Beer Festival. Still, I did cycle on Thursday morning and I golfed this morning in shorts - it was lovely. I had a beer on the balcony after winning my tie by what is known in golf circles as a "dog licence" - i.e. 7 & 6 (7 holes up with just 6 to play). For younger readers, in old money, that's what a dog licence used to cost (37.5p. in today's money).

The beer festival went well and I quite enjoyed the daily bus trip in and the walk from Union Square to Pittodrie in bright, warm sunshine. It was so nice on Friday that I took a slight detour and walked over Broad Hill. We used to run over the top 30 years ago when I was on my lunchtime training runs. You get a nice view of Aberdeen beach from the top:

Looking north over Kings Links towards Balmedie and Peterhead in the distance

Looking south, with the Beach Leisure Centre in the foreground and Girdleness Lighthouse in the distance

Looking out to sea - and Norway!

Anyway, I was very grateful that Jo came to pick me up on Saturday after my last shift - I was pretty tired by then and probably wouldn't have fancied the walk back to the bus station.

I sat out in the back garden for a bit this afternoon but my attempt to photograph it went horribly wrong - my camera must have been on the wrong setting:

Tomorrow, I've been picked in the Seniors team again for the match at Brechin. I've got golf at Kintore on Thursday afternoon as well, but then we're off to London at the weekend to see Graham Parker & the Rumour on Friday, and then Jersey Boys on Saturday night.