Filthy Friday

It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post which was titled "Summer has definitely arrived". Well this morning it doesn't feel anything like summer as a low passes over NE Scotland. I was due to be on a combined cycle/hill-walk up Mount Keen (the most easterly Munro) today but it's definitely not a day for tackling the hills.

I'm still hoping for a short cycle this afternoon when these clouds move away and I also intend to go along to the brand new "Banchory Sports Village" for the first of their Open/Demo days. We've been in Banchory for 36 years - more than half my life - and it seems that we've been waiting virtually all that time for this new facility. It would have been great if it had been around when I was still capable of using the facilities there - especially the squash courts - but, a bit like the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road, it's taken too many generations and it's passed me by, I'm afraid.

The new pool will be popular - not sure how much use Jo will make of it as she enjoys her trips over to Westhill on Wednesdays and Fridays and she might not be so keen to change her habits.

Luca's been over at Banchory again this week - it's his second stint here but he doesn't have his bike with him this time - not that I'd be taking him out in this weather anyway. It's been a hectic week for me so he's spent most of the time with his Grannie. I'm always first up in the morning and often Luca gets up before Jo's awake, so I offer him breakfast, but he'll only take it from Jo. He's 12 years old and already ingrained in traditional habits!

The first week Luca was here we managed to get him along to the barber's for a haircut. He never wants much off and it was a bit of a negotiation struggle but eventually we settled on this:

Luca and I went cycling along the Deeside Way that week and we stopped off at his favourite spot on the river where he used to walk with Jo:

The October school holiday break is fast approaching and that's when Jo, Gary, Ross, Luca and I are heading off to our Marriott time-share in Marbella - part 2 of my 70th birthday travels. I had to renew my passport recently as it wouldn't have covered our journey to Australia next year and that's when I realised that Luca wouldn't have a valid passport yet, so we took him over to Tesco to have his photo taken:

The passport is still in process but hopefully he'll get it soon.

There was a big kick-boxing tournament at Fraserburgh recently and Luca was entered for his first ever competition. Here's his group receiving their instructions:

Luca ready for action:

It wasn't to be the greatest moment of his young life. In fact, he got soundly beaten in both his bouts and was pretty badly traumatised after the event. Thankfully he recovered after a day or two and Fraserburgh is now a distant memory - although he's still carrying a bit of a foot injury from the event, which is preventing him playing his favourite sport of football just now.

Gary asked me to video his fights, which I did. You can view them here, but I'll be deleting them shortly, so move quickly if you really want to see them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRrtLG8eIsE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcRsFEUqYZY

The local Inverurie Herald featured the event too:

Talking about football, his team organised a photo shoot:

What else has been happening? Well, I had my annual appointment with my cardiologist and all seemed well as far as he was concerned. My main health issue just now is the continuing pain I am getting in my side when I move in certain ways. I've had all the blood tests and a physical examination but they're all clear. Perhaps it's intestinal? I'll give it another few weeks and if it's not better by then, I need to go back to the GP.

Last weekend we went down to see our relatives in West of Scotland. On Saturday we had the Family Day with the Barrs:

The photo's a bit blurry, I'm afraid, but at the front left foreground we have Lucy B and her boyfriend sitting opposite Cameron, Sheila's son. Back left is Lesley and her new man, another Iain, and they're seated beside Dawn. Next to her is Sheila, then Aunt Nancy and me. Jo is sitting next to Helen and Barry.

Here's another one of me and Nancy - the two elders!:

Helen went out and bought lovely crusty Glasgow rolls in the morning and Barry cooked the bacon. Two rolls each kept us going for a while! We drove over to Elderslie and Brian and I went to see St. Mirren beat Aberdeen, with Sam and Tom in tow. Afterwards we had an Indian takeaway, with Mary, Brian, Julie, Guy and the boys.

It had been a foul Sunday but it was much brighter on Monday morning so Brian and I slipped away for 18 holes at Cochrane Castle and Jo and Mary drove over to Houston to do the house-sitting duties and keep an eye on Sam, Tom and Leo. After lunch Jo and I drove home to recover from all the food we had eaten.

This weekend is busy again - cricket tomorrow for me - Scotland are playing Papua New Guinea in Aberdeen and it's an opportunity to see our national team locally - hope the weather's ok. On Sunday, Jo and I are off to Edinburgh for our annual Fringe trip, about which more next week.