Xmas photos

Happy Boxing Day to all - and Happy Anniversary to Jo and I - 43 years ago today. We got married at 4 pm - it was pitch dark!

Facebook prompted me this morning and so I posted their choice of photos of Jo and I - to selected family only. I was complimented on it by both Jo and Carole, who thought I'd made it up myself, but when I told them it was all FB's work, I lost all my brownie points!

All's well again - my beer is now at 22 C:

We had planned to go and see Star Wars today but we've had a re-think this morning and will do it tomorrow instead. I think we're just going to zone out today.

Now for the photo gallery from yesterday:

Jo's flowers

The smokers

Luca & Minecraft torch

Yes it's a Minecraft Xmas

Carole's pressies

Lizzie's pressies

Ross' pressies

Jo's pressies!

More Jo's pressies!

Family

Merry Christmas!

Hope you're all having a good one. I'm temporarily home alone as Jo is at church, but I've got my instructions - oven on at 10:40, turkey in at 11:00 am - job done!

We've been on FaceTime with the Aussie branch of the clan this morning at the end of their Christmas celebrations in the sun. Kelly is looking healthy:

After a break of nearly 40 years, I've started to dabble with home brewing again - using a Cooper's (of Adelaide) kit coincidentally. It's in the utility room, just above the boiler to try and keep it at the correct 21-23 C temperature, but it's fallen to just 18 C so I've had to put some claddding on and install a heater in there temporarily:

Apart from monitoring the temperature daily, my next task is on Tuesday when I have to check the specific gravity. Once that's stable, it's ready to drink - or bottle. It doesn't look very wholesome just now, but it should clear - fingers crossed.

Gary, Carole and Luca will be over early afternoon - in time for Top of the Pops, says Gary and Ross is picking up Lizzie from her work at 2 pm and they'll be in after that. Looking forward to it - and no doubt we'll FT with Lucy later on.

Shortest day

I'm told today is the Winter Solstice - I had always thought it was the 21st, but apparently this year it's the 22nd December. Dad's birthday was the 21st - he would have been 95.

It's nearly a week since my last post, so what have I been up to? Well, we had our Cycling group's annual Xmas lunch last Wednesday at the golf club, after a short cycle in the morning. I couldn't make the usual Thursday morning cycle because we had planned to go and get our Christmas tree then, but I managed to get out for another short run in the afternoon.

We went back to the same supplier as last year, down at Dess. We bought the first tree we saw - amazing. Having done that in record time, we took a slightly circuitous route home which eventually brought us to Torphins, so we popped in to Platform 22 for a coffee, where I noticed they had now started brewing their own beer as well.

Friday was a quiet-ish day until we went for our 3rd Headbang of the year in the evening. The only exercise I got was walking along to the shops to get my paper, passing the workmen who are progressing the construction of the houses on the site of the former filling station:

I picked up the Deeside Piper as well and noticed that my photo featured as the Picture of the Week:

Saturday was tree decoration day. Didn't I do a good job?:

The artificial tree is up in the back room as well:

as are the cards, which Jo put up in new places this year:

Jo was busy preparing for Sunday as well - steak and ale pie was on the menu for the visit of Dawn, Barry & Helen on Sunday. I met the three of them out at Buchanan's for a coffee so they at least got a glimpse of Ross, who was working that day. Gary, Carole and Luca also came for dinner. No photos, I'm afraid.

Yesterday (Monday) I had a Doctor's appointment. I've been getting more dizzy turns than usual and wondered whether the new drug (Rivaroxaban) was causing it. I've been advised to go back on aspirin for a couple of weeks and then revert to Riveroxaban as a final test before deciding whether to try an alternative drug. Going back on to Warfarin is also a possibility, but the regular monitoring of the levels that's required here is not really possible when I'm in Australia for 6 weeks, then the same in USA in June.

Inverurie this afternoon, as usual. It' Luca's last day at school before the break.