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.

Thursday night - the weekend starts here

Whew - another week closer to retirement. Luca's here tonight - he's playing games on Jo's i-Pad just now but he has to do his reading homework soon.

Gary's just been on the phone - he was concerned about who was going to apply Luca's medication tonight. No contest of course - it's Granny Jo. Granda Ian is just that silly old man that Luca occasionally patronises.

It's 4 years since Gary and Carole got married at Meldrum House. Remember this?:

Gary and Luca are hoping to go to USA next year - ideally California Disney, plus Oregon of course. We would hope to join them - especially if they choose to go during the Aberdeenshire school holidays in July, when we will be there anyway.

Tonight is my fasting night prior to my second blood test tomorrow morning. No breakfast for me then - or at least not until much later. No cycling either. Perhaps I'll manage a game of golf in the afternoon if the weather's fair. I'm off to Aberdeen in the evening so need to finish early to catch the bus in to town. We're going to see MacFloyd - a Pink Floyd tribute act.

Wednesday - one day's work left this week

It was Fraserburgh again for me this morning, but, first, I had to scrape the car. Yes, the skies were clear last night and there was a fairly heavy frost on the windscreen - the first this year.

The drive north east was effortless and soon I was approaching the village of Strichen, where Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, has his home - in the heart of his constituency. The signs that greet you tell you that Strichen is a 16th Century planned village. It sits in the shadow of Mormond Hill, which used to house a huge underground NATO monitoring station, keeping an eye on the Russian fleet movements in the North Atlantic in the days of the Cold War.

On the west side of Mormond Hill, there is a prominent White Horse carved out - an unusual sight in Scotland, something more normally associated with southern parts of the UK. There used to be a Stag's Head on the east side of the hill, but it's pretty overgrown now and urgently needs some TLC to restore it to its former glory.

At the western entrance to Strichen the villagers have recently put this welcome sign up:

Nice to see the hanging baskets still here at this time of year.

It was another busy day for me in the Broch - non-stop until I left, going home via Dyce, where I dropped off our architect, who's unable to drive just now due to a recent ankle operation. This, of course, meant I had to encounter the rush hour round the airport area - no fun.

Tomorrow, it's Aberdeen, thank goodness - and we have Luca staying with us tomorrow night as his parents celebrate their anniversary.

Tuesday night - one third of working week over

Today was the first day I travelled home from Fraserburgh in the dark. The clocks changing last weekend have certainly made a difference - and not one that suits me so far. Still, it was a lovely evening - I watched the sunset over a silhouetted Bennachie as I drove south west.

It wasn't quite as nice this morning as the wet weather that has been lingering in the west finally made it over to the east coast. There was plenty of standing water on the roads.

Today was also when both Carole and Gary had separate doctor's/hospital appointments - I hope they both got some answers and some satisfaction prior to celebrating their 4th wedding anniversary on Thursday.

Back to Fraserburgh for me tomorrow - another busy day in store. I had the chance to go to Pittodrie again in the evening to see the Dons play Hamilton in the League Cup, but I know I'll be knackered and won't really enjoy it, so I said no to Malcolm Grigor's invitation.

I did at least get some exercise yesterday - an early morning cycle with Archie Cook, then some doubles squash in the evening. My legs were like jelly on the cycle, but I felt a bit stronger at squash, although I do feel a bit sore and stiff today.

I spotted another of Banchory's new "artistic" murals yesterday:

The jury's still out as far as I am concerned - I can't see them surviving the test of time - more like sub-standard graffiti.

Tonight I received my new safety cycling glasses, with interchangeable lenses:

Yellow?

or Tan?

Dark?

or Darker?

Plain perhaps?

or, for the real, geeky, Bono look, try plain with the glassless inserts

Need to think about which ones to wear on my next cycle - don't want to dent my street cred.

The weekend's over - or is it?

The good thing about doing a 3 day week is that Sunday night is not really Sunday night any more - no work tomorrow. The bad thing is that I'm now officially a "TWaT" (Tuesdays. Wednesdays & Thursdays).

Gary, Luca and Carole's Mum, Liz are over this afternoon for dinner. Jo did steak pie - my suggestion. Apple Sponge with custard and ice cream to follow - lovely.

Golf at Monifeith on Friday was excellent and then I took Jo in to the theatre. I met up with Gary, who had driven Liz in for the theatre, and he, Luca and I went to Pittodrie to see the Dons scrape a win against Motherwell.

Saturday was lazy day but there was golf this morning and perhaps cycling and/or squash tomorrow, depending on the weather.

The coming work week brings Managers' appraisals - probably for the last time - and then Friday night drinks will be in Aberdeen for a change. We're planning to go see a gig at the Lemon Tree. This coming Saturday we are going to the Kilgours for dinner with the Masons. That should be nice.