Got in to the office this morning - still feeling a little under the weather with my head cold - and I was sitting at my desk when my PC alarm went off reminding me I had a Dentist's appointment in 15 minutes! My Dentist is in the south of Aberdeen in Holburn St and here I am sitting in my office at Bridge of Don.
I jumped in the car and, predictably, ran in to rush hour traffic approaching Market St. I tried to phone my Dentist, but had to leave a message on their answerphone. I arrived there about 10 minutes late - "Ian Stewart to see Mrs Bachoo" - "I'm sorry, Mrs Bachoo is not in today" - what?
Their computer showed the appointment had been cancelled - although I hadn't been notified. Apologies all round and appointment re-scheduled for tomorrow - when I was supposed to be in Fraserburgh - ah well, nothing else for it, I guess.
So that was an hour out of my day straight away.
I do hope the rest of today - and the week - goes better than this. Outlook is promising - lots of high pressure around. Golf at the weekend was good - even managed to get the shorts on again yesterday - and I'm hoping for more opportunities this week. I think Inverurie must have some kind of strange micro-climate, judging by what Gary said in his blog about the weather being wet and miserable.
Bennachie was one of the next walks on my list - I see Carole's beaten me to it. Jo and I still have to go back to Meldrum House and sort out accommodation - perhaps this week.
Ian R. Stewart Family Blog
Monday, 26 April 2010
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Weekend blues
I've got a head cold - all go "aah" - so feeling a bit sorry for myself this morning. Jo and I had gone down to Glasgow on Thursday evening and we picked up Dawn - who can't drive yet - and headed off to the Red Deer at Auchenkilns for some supper with Barry and Helen.
The journey down was fine until we hit the massive roadworks just before Cumbernauld. It's just a forest of road cones and the lanes are separated by these red and white monstrosities, with a speed limit of 40 mph, policed by average speed cameras. We were in the outside lane and I started to look to move over to the inside lane a couple of miles before we got to the turn-off to Airdrie at Auchenkilns - but it never came and we ended up having to go a couple of miles past the turn-off and try to work our way back through the unknown territory of Mollinsburn etc. After a few wrong turns and a slight detour through Cumbernauld, we finally found our way. It appears that you have to make a very early decision to take the inside lane if you want to turn off towards Airdrie - probably about 5 miles before - all very well for the locals who know this now, but very confusing to strangers.
Anyway we had a nice meal and afterwards I took this photo in the Red Deer:
We stayed overnight at Barry and Helen's and, in the morning, I drove Jo over to Mary's and then headed in to Glasgow for a couple of meetings. When I got back to Elderslie Brian was home and we had a nice chat whilst the girls pored over family history - again - it's Jo's obsession just now.
The drive home was slow and painful for the first part - congestion through Glasgow with the roadworks at the Kingston Bridge, followed by the long haul through cone forest. What made it worse was there were two police motorcyclists, driving side by side, all the way through the roadworks, after which we assumed they would turn back - but they didn't - they kept going all the way to Stirling, doing exactly the speed limit - bah.
A bit of excitement on the national radio news - Banchory got a mention - apparently there was a power failure and 600 homes had no electricity. We phoned Ross, but there was no problem at home - it must have been at the other end of the town.
Jo and I listened to last Saturday's Sounds of the Sixties as we drove home. It was a special edition, with the second hour dedicated to the memory of the first proper rock and roll tour in the UK, exactly 50 years ago, featuring Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, at the end of which there was a tragic road accident which killed Eddie Cochran at just 21 years old. It was very entertaining, featuring music clips and interviews with some of the musicians who backed them up, including Joe Brown, who told some amusing anecdotes. It was, as Jo remarked, much more entertaining than the show of the same tour we had seen at the Fringe last year.
Last stop on the way home was just before Clattering Brig where we stopped and bought a bunch of daffodils. The stall wasn't manned but there was an honesty box, in which there was just one pound coin, so we helped ourselves to a bunch and doubled their day's takings!
This morning looks a bit grey, but the rain seems to have stopped - at least for now - so I'll go and shower now and keep my fingers crossed that it stays dry for the golf at least.
The journey down was fine until we hit the massive roadworks just before Cumbernauld. It's just a forest of road cones and the lanes are separated by these red and white monstrosities, with a speed limit of 40 mph, policed by average speed cameras. We were in the outside lane and I started to look to move over to the inside lane a couple of miles before we got to the turn-off to Airdrie at Auchenkilns - but it never came and we ended up having to go a couple of miles past the turn-off and try to work our way back through the unknown territory of Mollinsburn etc. After a few wrong turns and a slight detour through Cumbernauld, we finally found our way. It appears that you have to make a very early decision to take the inside lane if you want to turn off towards Airdrie - probably about 5 miles before - all very well for the locals who know this now, but very confusing to strangers.
Anyway we had a nice meal and afterwards I took this photo in the Red Deer:
We stayed overnight at Barry and Helen's and, in the morning, I drove Jo over to Mary's and then headed in to Glasgow for a couple of meetings. When I got back to Elderslie Brian was home and we had a nice chat whilst the girls pored over family history - again - it's Jo's obsession just now.
The drive home was slow and painful for the first part - congestion through Glasgow with the roadworks at the Kingston Bridge, followed by the long haul through cone forest. What made it worse was there were two police motorcyclists, driving side by side, all the way through the roadworks, after which we assumed they would turn back - but they didn't - they kept going all the way to Stirling, doing exactly the speed limit - bah.
A bit of excitement on the national radio news - Banchory got a mention - apparently there was a power failure and 600 homes had no electricity. We phoned Ross, but there was no problem at home - it must have been at the other end of the town.
Jo and I listened to last Saturday's Sounds of the Sixties as we drove home. It was a special edition, with the second hour dedicated to the memory of the first proper rock and roll tour in the UK, exactly 50 years ago, featuring Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, at the end of which there was a tragic road accident which killed Eddie Cochran at just 21 years old. It was very entertaining, featuring music clips and interviews with some of the musicians who backed them up, including Joe Brown, who told some amusing anecdotes. It was, as Jo remarked, much more entertaining than the show of the same tour we had seen at the Fringe last year.
Last stop on the way home was just before Clattering Brig where we stopped and bought a bunch of daffodils. The stall wasn't manned but there was an honesty box, in which there was just one pound coin, so we helped ourselves to a bunch and doubled their day's takings!
This morning looks a bit grey, but the rain seems to have stopped - at least for now - so I'll go and shower now and keep my fingers crossed that it stays dry for the golf at least.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Blogging again
If you're viewing this by the e-mail thread, check out the new blog I've opened - http://bvhill-walkers.blogspot.com/. If you're viewing my blog (http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/) on the web, then you'll see it on the sidebar anyway.
The football blog has details of Friday night's activities, but the less said about my golf on Saturday, the better.
The Sunday walk/climb convinced me that my cardio condition is beginning to have more effect, or be more noticeable - at least judging by the way Colin raced up the hill ahead of me yesterday - I always thought we were roughly comparable in terms of fitness levels, but obviously not. I had to keep stopping to recover my breath as we climbed - my heart rate climbs so quickly nowadays, then comes back down just as fast, it seems, when I stop. It will be interesting to hear what the doctor says at my annual medical in a few weeks' time.
I slumped in a chair when I got home and vegetated in front of the TV and the Sunday Times - armed with a glass or two of wine, of course - lovely. Today, I don't feel too bad - a little stiff, but not as bad as our last training walk just before we went on holiday - I was sore for days after that - trudging through the deep snow was no fun on that occasion.
So, a day of rest today, then squash tomorrow, hopefully, and golf on Wednesday.
Not much else to add really - perhaps Jo and I might meet at Meldrum House on Thursday, on my way back from Fraserburgh. When I was last there, we said we would go back at the end of March when they had finished the rooms - we have to decide where we, and all the Lesinas, are going to stay. We'll check with Carole and Gary first, of course.
Talking of Gary, perhaps I shouldn't have wound him up so much. Did my last blog look like blatant favouritism towards Lucy? - probably. OK - this time, I'll just have a go at Jo and Kelly for not blogging more often - they definitely don't have the same excuses!
The football blog has details of Friday night's activities, but the less said about my golf on Saturday, the better.
The Sunday walk/climb convinced me that my cardio condition is beginning to have more effect, or be more noticeable - at least judging by the way Colin raced up the hill ahead of me yesterday - I always thought we were roughly comparable in terms of fitness levels, but obviously not. I had to keep stopping to recover my breath as we climbed - my heart rate climbs so quickly nowadays, then comes back down just as fast, it seems, when I stop. It will be interesting to hear what the doctor says at my annual medical in a few weeks' time.
I slumped in a chair when I got home and vegetated in front of the TV and the Sunday Times - armed with a glass or two of wine, of course - lovely. Today, I don't feel too bad - a little stiff, but not as bad as our last training walk just before we went on holiday - I was sore for days after that - trudging through the deep snow was no fun on that occasion.
So, a day of rest today, then squash tomorrow, hopefully, and golf on Wednesday.
Not much else to add really - perhaps Jo and I might meet at Meldrum House on Thursday, on my way back from Fraserburgh. When I was last there, we said we would go back at the end of March when they had finished the rooms - we have to decide where we, and all the Lesinas, are going to stay. We'll check with Carole and Gary first, of course.
Talking of Gary, perhaps I shouldn't have wound him up so much. Did my last blog look like blatant favouritism towards Lucy? - probably. OK - this time, I'll just have a go at Jo and Kelly for not blogging more often - they definitely don't have the same excuses!
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Is There Anybody Out There?
As Pink Floyd once famously sang ....
Never mind - I'll carry on solo blogging, even without reciprocation. Having spent 3 weeks with the Lesinas, I'll forgive Lucy - she's a pretty busy little girl, keeping her house, job and boys all in order - but the rest of you? Bah!
We seem to have recovered from our journey back very quickly - it certainly helped to arrive back to such lovely weather at the weekend - golf in shorts already - great! I went for a couple of hours kip on Saturday afternoon but then got up and watched the Masters virtually until the close.
I awoke at the perfect time of 7:40 am on Sunday morning and since then it's like I've never been away. I hardly slept at all last Wednesday or Thursday at Lucy's as I was felling pretty ill and I certainly didn't sleep overnight Friday on the plane, so how have I managed to recover so quickly? What happened to all the sleep I missed and the effects of jet-lag? Will it all still catch up with me, or is it a myth that we need so much sleep? Perhaps I should ask Jo, who planned to stay up a bit longer than I did on Saturday, but, in the end, crumbled and retired to bed for a solid 15 hour stretch!
The Masters was great - I again stayed up until the bitter end on Sunday. It looked wonderful on large screen HD TV. It was, however, a bit odd seeing the first 2 days in "real time" - Thursday in Grants Pass and Friday at LAX - then watching it on Saturday and Sunday evening here.
Monday I was back in our Aberdeen office at the usual time, then played squash in the evening, but we had a bit of a disaster - the flooring rose on one side of the court and it became unplayable. I've since reported it to the owner - I do hope we haven't done any permanent - or extensive/expensive - damage to his court.
Tuesday was up in Fraserburgh dealing with the Union again. It's tough telling lower paid workers in our canning business that they can't get any pay increases as we're losing business all over the place to foreign competition which has considerably lower labour costs than ours. Fortunately, our chilled businesses don't have to face up to the same overseas pressure - logistics just don't allow it - our competition here is from other UK manufacturers and there's a bit more of a level playing field.
When I finally got home about 6:30 pm, Luca was still there - although Jo was about to take him back to Inverurie. He was strangely reluctant to even look at me, let alone talk to me. I know it had been a month since I'd seen him, but, come on, he knew who I was! OK - resort to Plan B - chocolate! Ah - that's better - suddenly we're best pals again!
Nice to see the wee man anyway - although it did rather put an end to our plans to go and see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which we had noticed was still on at the Belmont. There was a 5:30 pm showing last night, but not tonight or tomorrow and it finishes on Saturday. Don't know if I could face the prospect of driving back from Fraserburgh tomorrow after work, then going to the late evening showing, back home at midnight then back in to Aberdeen early on Friday morning!
Tonight will be the first chance I get to play midweek golf - looking forward to it - weather looks quite promising.
Tomorrow (Friday) it's a 20th anniversary celebration football match, followed by a curry at the Derbar. Hopefully, I'll still manage a round of golf on Saturday morning, then, on Sunday, it's the second of our training walks - this time up Clach na Beinn - first time ever.
So that's me up to date now - what's happening in your world?
Never mind - I'll carry on solo blogging, even without reciprocation. Having spent 3 weeks with the Lesinas, I'll forgive Lucy - she's a pretty busy little girl, keeping her house, job and boys all in order - but the rest of you? Bah!
We seem to have recovered from our journey back very quickly - it certainly helped to arrive back to such lovely weather at the weekend - golf in shorts already - great! I went for a couple of hours kip on Saturday afternoon but then got up and watched the Masters virtually until the close.
I awoke at the perfect time of 7:40 am on Sunday morning and since then it's like I've never been away. I hardly slept at all last Wednesday or Thursday at Lucy's as I was felling pretty ill and I certainly didn't sleep overnight Friday on the plane, so how have I managed to recover so quickly? What happened to all the sleep I missed and the effects of jet-lag? Will it all still catch up with me, or is it a myth that we need so much sleep? Perhaps I should ask Jo, who planned to stay up a bit longer than I did on Saturday, but, in the end, crumbled and retired to bed for a solid 15 hour stretch!
The Masters was great - I again stayed up until the bitter end on Sunday. It looked wonderful on large screen HD TV. It was, however, a bit odd seeing the first 2 days in "real time" - Thursday in Grants Pass and Friday at LAX - then watching it on Saturday and Sunday evening here.
Monday I was back in our Aberdeen office at the usual time, then played squash in the evening, but we had a bit of a disaster - the flooring rose on one side of the court and it became unplayable. I've since reported it to the owner - I do hope we haven't done any permanent - or extensive/expensive - damage to his court.
Tuesday was up in Fraserburgh dealing with the Union again. It's tough telling lower paid workers in our canning business that they can't get any pay increases as we're losing business all over the place to foreign competition which has considerably lower labour costs than ours. Fortunately, our chilled businesses don't have to face up to the same overseas pressure - logistics just don't allow it - our competition here is from other UK manufacturers and there's a bit more of a level playing field.
When I finally got home about 6:30 pm, Luca was still there - although Jo was about to take him back to Inverurie. He was strangely reluctant to even look at me, let alone talk to me. I know it had been a month since I'd seen him, but, come on, he knew who I was! OK - resort to Plan B - chocolate! Ah - that's better - suddenly we're best pals again!
Nice to see the wee man anyway - although it did rather put an end to our plans to go and see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which we had noticed was still on at the Belmont. There was a 5:30 pm showing last night, but not tonight or tomorrow and it finishes on Saturday. Don't know if I could face the prospect of driving back from Fraserburgh tomorrow after work, then going to the late evening showing, back home at midnight then back in to Aberdeen early on Friday morning!
Tonight will be the first chance I get to play midweek golf - looking forward to it - weather looks quite promising.
Tomorrow (Friday) it's a 20th anniversary celebration football match, followed by a curry at the Derbar. Hopefully, I'll still manage a round of golf on Saturday morning, then, on Sunday, it's the second of our training walks - this time up Clach na Beinn - first time ever.
So that's me up to date now - what's happening in your world?
Sunday, 11 April 2010
USA family photos
Check out the updated sidebar I've put on the blog - http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
I've been taking "official" family photos at the end of our holiday at Grants Pass ever since 2002 and I've put all 9 to date in the sidebar.
There's been a few changing faces, but I'm probably the only one whose hair style hasn't changed over the years!
I've been taking "official" family photos at the end of our holiday at Grants Pass ever since 2002 and I've put all 9 to date in the sidebar.
There's been a few changing faces, but I'm probably the only one whose hair style hasn't changed over the years!
Friday, 9 April 2010
Waiting, waiting, waiting
Well, here we are sitting in the lounge at LAX with several hours to kill before our flight back to London, so I thought, to help pass the time, that I would just do a quick blog update.
Yes, I'm still feeling pretty s..t - had to get up just after midnight to take some medicine and pick up the sick bucket and managed to waken Lucy in the process - she thought it was Cade having another sleepwalk!
We left GP about 5:15 and it was an easy ride down to Medford airport - although, with clear skies again, it had been a very cold night and there was frost on the windscreens of the cars that had been sitting at the airport overnight.
The flight down was fine and we walked round from the Alaska/Horizon leg to the International terminal. It's another gorgeous day here in Southern California - what a lovely year round climate - as long as you get away from LA itself.
The lounge we're in (reLAX) is very nice - smart, clean and new and with big windows with lots of daylight - Jo thinks it's the lack of daylight that makes airports such depressing places. Lots of free food and drink - not much use to me just now - plus magazines and TV and wireless internet. Unfortunately, the Masters coverage doesn't begin for a couple of hours yet - I'll see some before we leave here, but, just now, I'll have to make do with the scores on the Golf Channel and the internet.
Anyway, the team photo from last night:
Notice Jo demonstrating how cold it was? The temperature had plummeted by an amazing 22 degrees in 24 hours!
Cade then presented me with a Pop Warner top - same as his Dad's - that's the organisation that run Cade's (American) football - so I decided to model it when they were all out:
Here's Jo relaxing in the lounge as we wait for our connection:
Yes, I'm still feeling pretty s..t - had to get up just after midnight to take some medicine and pick up the sick bucket and managed to waken Lucy in the process - she thought it was Cade having another sleepwalk!
We left GP about 5:15 and it was an easy ride down to Medford airport - although, with clear skies again, it had been a very cold night and there was frost on the windscreens of the cars that had been sitting at the airport overnight.
The flight down was fine and we walked round from the Alaska/Horizon leg to the International terminal. It's another gorgeous day here in Southern California - what a lovely year round climate - as long as you get away from LA itself.
The lounge we're in (reLAX) is very nice - smart, clean and new and with big windows with lots of daylight - Jo thinks it's the lack of daylight that makes airports such depressing places. Lots of free food and drink - not much use to me just now - plus magazines and TV and wireless internet. Unfortunately, the Masters coverage doesn't begin for a couple of hours yet - I'll see some before we leave here, but, just now, I'll have to make do with the scores on the Golf Channel and the internet.
Anyway, the team photo from last night:
Notice Jo demonstrating how cold it was? The temperature had plummeted by an amazing 22 degrees in 24 hours!
Cade then presented me with a Pop Warner top - same as his Dad's - that's the organisation that run Cade's (American) football - so I decided to model it when they were all out:
Here's Jo relaxing in the lounge as we wait for our connection:
Getting ready to come home again
Well, it's not been a great finish to the holiday for me - I picked up some kind of stomach bug and have been laid low for the last 2 days, unable to eat. I hope I'm going to be at least a bit better tomorrow for the long journey home.
Ironic really, because yesterday was the best day since we came up to Oregon - beautifully warm and sunny - but I couldn't enjoy it, I'm afraid. Today Scott had a day off work and we had planned to go and play another round of golf, but I had to let him down - I just didn't have the strength.
Tuesday, we had Braeden again and so we didn't really do much else - just hung around. In the evening, we went to Applebee's for dinner - Braeden got his face painted and Lucy had a cocktail:
Was that where I picked up the bug? Don't think so - it doesn't feel like food poisoning.
We've had the traditional end of holiday team photo now and the rest of them are all away out to a small do at Braeden's school - and I'm sitting here typing this short blog to keep my mind off things. Oh well.
Incidentally, I now have a 5th blog going - www.iansaleadventures.blogspot.com - check it out.
Ironic really, because yesterday was the best day since we came up to Oregon - beautifully warm and sunny - but I couldn't enjoy it, I'm afraid. Today Scott had a day off work and we had planned to go and play another round of golf, but I had to let him down - I just didn't have the strength.
Tuesday, we had Braeden again and so we didn't really do much else - just hung around. In the evening, we went to Applebee's for dinner - Braeden got his face painted and Lucy had a cocktail:
Was that where I picked up the bug? Don't think so - it doesn't feel like food poisoning.
We've had the traditional end of holiday team photo now and the rest of them are all away out to a small do at Braeden's school - and I'm sitting here typing this short blog to keep my mind off things. Oh well.
Incidentally, I now have a 5th blog going - www.iansaleadventures.blogspot.com - check it out.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Post Easter Sunday dinner
Dinner was great - but we over-indulged and felt the need to go for a longish walk. First of all, we had to roll the boys' eggs and thankfully, the sun came out just in time. Some of the neighbours, who were out walking, came along to see what was going on:
We all went for a short walk with the boys on their scooters, then Jo, Lucy and I headed off with Holly for a longer walk down to the dog pound at Schroder Park, down by the river. We sat in a corner taking in the rays, whilst Lucy ran Holly around:
Here's a bit of Lucy and Holly in action:
On Monday, Jo and I had a free day and spent it down in Medford. We spent about an hour and a half in Barnes and Noble, buying books - over $100 worth! Then we decided to do our Harry and David shopping and perhaps take in a couple of camera shops too. I thought I should be able to remember how to get to Harry and David's, but I was wrong. OK - no problem - use my Blackberry maps feature - all we need to do is get the address for Harry and David - Google it, I thought. Bad news, their web site wouldn't load. OK - let's try using the Maps Search feature - no problem - two addresses came up, so I keyed one of them in and we followed the instructions which took us right to the door of ...... we don't know what! It certainly wasn't the Harry and David's retail store that we wanted. There was one funny moment when I re-input the data just to check we were in the right place and received back the instruction to "drive one metre and you are at your destination" - Jo burst in to hysterics and suggested throwing the Blackberry out the window!
OK - wrong Harry and David - try the other address - and this time we were successful and completed our shopping. There was a camera store nearby and I managed to glean some more info on a likely camera to buy, so now it was time to head back NW to GP. I thought it might be nice to pop in to one of the local breweries that we had never been to - Walkabout - it was on the way back anyway. I'd just seen some of their beer in Harry and David's (and in Kaleidoscope last week), so I again Googled the address and punched it in to the Maps function.
The Blackberry took us to the exact address quoted on the web - the only problem was it was a residential home with no sign of a brewery nor brewpub! We thought about knocking on the door, but chickened out. We even checked the address - and again when we got home - and it was the right place OK - very strange!
No matter - we headed back to GP and decided to pop in to the Wild River brewpub - it was great. Not only did they have a super cask conditioned double hopped IPA on, but we also had our favourite snack - peel and eat shrimp, followed by shrimp salad. It was mid-afternoon and the place was lovely and quiet and we gained a new respect for this brewpub, which we'd both been iffy about previously. The only downside was that they didn't have any "Growlers" available to allow us to take some of the cask conditioned IPA back home.
Dinner was yesterday's leftovers - superb. Today we're babysitting Braeden again, so I'm planning to watch the Barcelona - Arsenal match. It's much nicer out now - and better weather is promised for tomorrow.
We all went for a short walk with the boys on their scooters, then Jo, Lucy and I headed off with Holly for a longer walk down to the dog pound at Schroder Park, down by the river. We sat in a corner taking in the rays, whilst Lucy ran Holly around:
Here's a bit of Lucy and Holly in action:
On Monday, Jo and I had a free day and spent it down in Medford. We spent about an hour and a half in Barnes and Noble, buying books - over $100 worth! Then we decided to do our Harry and David shopping and perhaps take in a couple of camera shops too. I thought I should be able to remember how to get to Harry and David's, but I was wrong. OK - no problem - use my Blackberry maps feature - all we need to do is get the address for Harry and David - Google it, I thought. Bad news, their web site wouldn't load. OK - let's try using the Maps Search feature - no problem - two addresses came up, so I keyed one of them in and we followed the instructions which took us right to the door of ...... we don't know what! It certainly wasn't the Harry and David's retail store that we wanted. There was one funny moment when I re-input the data just to check we were in the right place and received back the instruction to "drive one metre and you are at your destination" - Jo burst in to hysterics and suggested throwing the Blackberry out the window!
OK - wrong Harry and David - try the other address - and this time we were successful and completed our shopping. There was a camera store nearby and I managed to glean some more info on a likely camera to buy, so now it was time to head back NW to GP. I thought it might be nice to pop in to one of the local breweries that we had never been to - Walkabout - it was on the way back anyway. I'd just seen some of their beer in Harry and David's (and in Kaleidoscope last week), so I again Googled the address and punched it in to the Maps function.
The Blackberry took us to the exact address quoted on the web - the only problem was it was a residential home with no sign of a brewery nor brewpub! We thought about knocking on the door, but chickened out. We even checked the address - and again when we got home - and it was the right place OK - very strange!
No matter - we headed back to GP and decided to pop in to the Wild River brewpub - it was great. Not only did they have a super cask conditioned double hopped IPA on, but we also had our favourite snack - peel and eat shrimp, followed by shrimp salad. It was mid-afternoon and the place was lovely and quiet and we gained a new respect for this brewpub, which we'd both been iffy about previously. The only downside was that they didn't have any "Growlers" available to allow us to take some of the cask conditioned IPA back home.
Dinner was yesterday's leftovers - superb. Today we're babysitting Braeden again, so I'm planning to watch the Barcelona - Arsenal match. It's much nicer out now - and better weather is promised for tomorrow.
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Easter preparations
I had a nice walk up town yesterday - Lucy dropped me at the camera shop (still looking) and I walked back - round the shops, with a brief stop for an Amoretto ice cream and a chapter from my book, sitting outside the Bridge St Market - then through All State Park, over the Rogue river and back past the BMX track and up Redwood Avenue and home again - about 3 hours in all.
When everyone got back from their various travels, we settled down to prepare for Easter. Lucy boiled the eggs (free range from Uncle Bobby) and the boys coloured and decorated them:
The next job was more tricky - devilled eggs - peel the eggs, then take out the yellows, mix them with mayonnaise and put the mixture back in the half eggs - laborious work, but tasty:
I finished Catcher in the Rye - what a strange book - a bit dated as well, but I'm glad I finally got round to reading it. Next up is the two rock biographies I have been saving up - Ginger Baker's and Jack Bruce's - two opposing views of their years together and apart - how they hated each other!
Scott barbequed steaks again last night - and delicious they were, with lovely jacket potatoes and trimmings. Unfortunately, I had been nibbling at the pistachios and cashews as I finished my book and this definitely took the edge off my appetite.
Today we're about to sit down to Easter lunch/dinner and tomorrow, it's back to work and school for the Lesinas, leaving Jo and I to do our own thing - probably a trip to Medford to look at cameras, visit Barnes & Noble plus Harry & David's.
Hope you're all well and having a good Easter.
When everyone got back from their various travels, we settled down to prepare for Easter. Lucy boiled the eggs (free range from Uncle Bobby) and the boys coloured and decorated them:
The next job was more tricky - devilled eggs - peel the eggs, then take out the yellows, mix them with mayonnaise and put the mixture back in the half eggs - laborious work, but tasty:
I finished Catcher in the Rye - what a strange book - a bit dated as well, but I'm glad I finally got round to reading it. Next up is the two rock biographies I have been saving up - Ginger Baker's and Jack Bruce's - two opposing views of their years together and apart - how they hated each other!
Scott barbequed steaks again last night - and delicious they were, with lovely jacket potatoes and trimmings. Unfortunately, I had been nibbling at the pistachios and cashews as I finished my book and this definitely took the edge off my appetite.
Today we're about to sit down to Easter lunch/dinner and tomorrow, it's back to work and school for the Lesinas, leaving Jo and I to do our own thing - probably a trip to Medford to look at cameras, visit Barnes & Noble plus Harry & David's.
Hope you're all well and having a good Easter.
Friday, 2 April 2010
More rain!
Yesterday was nice - see golf blog - but it's back to the rain today. We're off to Medford shortly to have lunch at one of my favourite pubs/pizza houses - Kaleidoscope.
Holly's bounding all over the place - and she wants to chew at everything just now - clothes, tables, chairs - you name it.
Jo's blog showed the boys' masks, but what she didn't tell you was what I saw when I walked down the corridor the other night. Lurking in the dark in the bathroom was this hulk of a man wearing a mask - pretty scary. Scott said he was planning a surprise for the boys, but I'm not so sure exactly what was going on. Suggestions on a postcard please.
Holly's bounding all over the place - and she wants to chew at everything just now - clothes, tables, chairs - you name it.
Jo's blog showed the boys' masks, but what she didn't tell you was what I saw when I walked down the corridor the other night. Lurking in the dark in the bathroom was this hulk of a man wearing a mask - pretty scary. Scott said he was planning a surprise for the boys, but I'm not so sure exactly what was going on. Suggestions on a postcard please.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Washed out in Oregon
It's been wet - very wet - noisy enough on the roof of the trailer to keep me awake. Some people found the noise of the rain strangely re-assuring, but they were mostly the ones who were sleeping under a proper roof. It's been cold too - we had snow on the hills around us yesterday:
Thankfully, it's stopped for now - and we've even had a bit of sunshine - enough to get the shorts back on - but don't be fooled - it still feels like Scotland with the cold wind coming off the mountains. The only difference is that because we're so much further south (Grants Pass is 42 degrees of latitude, compared with Aberdeen, which is 57 degrees) - roughly on a par with Barcelona - when the sun does come out, it's more immediately above us and you can feel the heat from it much more.
Last night at dinner, Cade produced his first efforts at crocheting a beany hat - and Jo couldn't help but join in:
I don't know if you can quite make it out or not, but Cade dropped a stitch which left a very convenient hole for his hair to stick out of - he's very in to the surfer boy style just now and is growing his hair out.
Incidentally, as we finished off Scott's birthday cake - and yummy it was too - we had two types of Blue Bunny ice cream:
In case you're wondering what "Turtle Sundae" is, it's chocolate shaped in turtle shells - lovely jubbly.
I had a bit of a communications disaster yesterday - my Blackberry failed on me at the same time as our works VPN and Webmail went down. It was a new battery I needed - should be no problem to get one for a standard product like Blackberry Bold? Think again - I spent a very frustrating afternoon in Medford going round all the usual suspects - including a battery specialist - but nobody could supply one - although they could order one for delivery in 7 days - and, of course, if it's a new phone you want, or a new service plan/provider, no problem - instantly available and hundreds to choose from. I got back to GP and Scott instantly solved the problem for me with one quick phone call and I picked up the new battery this morning.
Jo and I went shoe shopping this morning - new trainers for her and a pair of waterproof walking/hiking shoes for me - all for only $60, courtesy of a deal that was on, plus a discount voucher Lucy gave us - we would have paid much more than twice this back home. We had lunch at the Laughing Clam afterwards - nice pub and always a good selection of microbrews on.
I've finished another book now - a whimsical one I picked up at Laguna Beach last Friday - all about the bittersweet tale of Jan & Dean's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_and_Dean) late career. I've now started on an old American classic, first published in the 40's - Catcher in the Rye. I always meant to read this but never got round to it. I finished Catch 22 last year and I'll probably tackle Jack Kerouac next year - all of this decades later than I should have read them.
Here's some sunnier shots to finish with:
Thankfully, it's stopped for now - and we've even had a bit of sunshine - enough to get the shorts back on - but don't be fooled - it still feels like Scotland with the cold wind coming off the mountains. The only difference is that because we're so much further south (Grants Pass is 42 degrees of latitude, compared with Aberdeen, which is 57 degrees) - roughly on a par with Barcelona - when the sun does come out, it's more immediately above us and you can feel the heat from it much more.
Last night at dinner, Cade produced his first efforts at crocheting a beany hat - and Jo couldn't help but join in:
I don't know if you can quite make it out or not, but Cade dropped a stitch which left a very convenient hole for his hair to stick out of - he's very in to the surfer boy style just now and is growing his hair out.
Incidentally, as we finished off Scott's birthday cake - and yummy it was too - we had two types of Blue Bunny ice cream:
In case you're wondering what "Turtle Sundae" is, it's chocolate shaped in turtle shells - lovely jubbly.
I had a bit of a communications disaster yesterday - my Blackberry failed on me at the same time as our works VPN and Webmail went down. It was a new battery I needed - should be no problem to get one for a standard product like Blackberry Bold? Think again - I spent a very frustrating afternoon in Medford going round all the usual suspects - including a battery specialist - but nobody could supply one - although they could order one for delivery in 7 days - and, of course, if it's a new phone you want, or a new service plan/provider, no problem - instantly available and hundreds to choose from. I got back to GP and Scott instantly solved the problem for me with one quick phone call and I picked up the new battery this morning.
Jo and I went shoe shopping this morning - new trainers for her and a pair of waterproof walking/hiking shoes for me - all for only $60, courtesy of a deal that was on, plus a discount voucher Lucy gave us - we would have paid much more than twice this back home. We had lunch at the Laughing Clam afterwards - nice pub and always a good selection of microbrews on.
I've finished another book now - a whimsical one I picked up at Laguna Beach last Friday - all about the bittersweet tale of Jan & Dean's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_and_Dean) late career. I've now started on an old American classic, first published in the 40's - Catcher in the Rye. I always meant to read this but never got round to it. I finished Catch 22 last year and I'll probably tackle Jack Kerouac next year - all of this decades later than I should have read them.
Here's some sunnier shots to finish with:
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Monday afternoon/evening
The boys arrived home in the school bus - were they pleased to be home? You bet:
Amidst gathering storm clouds we set off to give Holly her walk. Have you ever seen Jo walking so fast? Me neither:
Amidst gathering storm clouds we set off to give Holly her walk. Have you ever seen Jo walking so fast? Me neither:
Monday, 29 March 2010
Sun no more
Saturday was but a brief early glimpse of spring in Oregon it seems. Since then, it's got cool and rainy - and it's forecast to stay that way all week. Never mind - we'll amuse ourselves somehow, but it looks as if the tans will be washed off by the time we get back.
On Sunday, Scott drove his truck over to the coast to deliver the truck canopy he had borrowed back to his Dad, whilst Jo and Lucy went to church and I babysat the boys. It was a quiet day and we just had Lucy's home-made hambone soup for tea - and very nice it was too.
Today it's back to the old routine for the Lesinas - school and work holidays are over. Jo and I went to the Y for the first time - Jo did 32 lengths and I spent some time in the gym. It's Scott's birthday today, so we picked up a cake for tonight on the way home to let Holly out of her cage. I'm watching the Man City - Wigan match just now and the pack will soon be home - we have to be waiting for the school bus at 2:30 pm - Braeden has to be seen to be passed over to a responsible adult - do we qualify?
Anyway, some photos perhaps? First of all, when we had the beautiful sunshine on Saturday, the boys couldn't wait to get out on their trampoline:
Daddy was pretty excited too - he'd just bought a dirt bike (I think that's what you call it) and was up at the crack of dawn putting new forks on:
Scott says it's to keep the boys company when they go on theirs - but we're not so sure, are we?
On Sunday, after sitting around the house all day, I felt I had to shake myself out of my lethargy so I jumped on Scott's bike for a short run round the estate and down to the river:
Today, it's just Holly and us just now - she's a cutie all right - with boundless energy:
Of course, one word from us and she does what the heck she likes:
On Sunday, Scott drove his truck over to the coast to deliver the truck canopy he had borrowed back to his Dad, whilst Jo and Lucy went to church and I babysat the boys. It was a quiet day and we just had Lucy's home-made hambone soup for tea - and very nice it was too.
Today it's back to the old routine for the Lesinas - school and work holidays are over. Jo and I went to the Y for the first time - Jo did 32 lengths and I spent some time in the gym. It's Scott's birthday today, so we picked up a cake for tonight on the way home to let Holly out of her cage. I'm watching the Man City - Wigan match just now and the pack will soon be home - we have to be waiting for the school bus at 2:30 pm - Braeden has to be seen to be passed over to a responsible adult - do we qualify?
Anyway, some photos perhaps? First of all, when we had the beautiful sunshine on Saturday, the boys couldn't wait to get out on their trampoline:
Daddy was pretty excited too - he'd just bought a dirt bike (I think that's what you call it) and was up at the crack of dawn putting new forks on:
Scott says it's to keep the boys company when they go on theirs - but we're not so sure, are we?
On Sunday, after sitting around the house all day, I felt I had to shake myself out of my lethargy so I jumped on Scott's bike for a short run round the estate and down to the river:
Today, it's just Holly and us just now - she's a cutie all right - with boundless energy:
Of course, one word from us and she does what the heck she likes:
Saturday, 27 March 2010
SoCal no more
It's greetings today from Grants Pass - it was a bit chilly when we woke up to fog this morning but it's now a beautiful, sunny day - and we're just chillin', although I believe a quick trip to Walmart is on the agenda.
Since my last posting we've been to Long Beach (where we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific and also saw the Queen Mary), and spent the Lesinas' last day of vacation down at Crystal Cove - on the beach and in the sea.
But I would just like to say, of all my children it is Lucy I favor the most. I would like you all to know how special she is and therefore, at the time of my demise the 3 others will inherit any debt and Lucy shall get all that is wonderful and of worth....just like her. And yes, cade shall finally get my blackberry as he asked so many years ago, "when Granda Ian dies can I get his blackberry please"
Mmmm - you've guessed - we've had an interloper again.
Anyway, Wednesday at the Aquarium of the Pacific - here's Braeden outside the seal pool:
We went a stroll round the harbour and Scott was taking this one of Cade and Braeden with the Queen Mary as backdrop:
Lucy was feeling a little low today - lack of sleep she said - and it shows in this photo:
We had one of Scott's famous barbeques back at our villa - half a ton of cow - lovely!
On Thursday, the adults walked and the boys scootered down to Crystal Cove and we had a lovely afternoon on the beach and in the water.
Scott and Lucy went to one of the local stores and bought a wonderful side of honey smoked ham for our supper. They had to get to bed as they were planning to be on the road by 3am on Friday morning to beat the LA traffic and get back to Grants Pass at a decent hour.
Jo and I could take our time - we had the whole day before our flight to Medford at 9pm. We had a nice early morning stroll round the State Park then came back for our second breakfast, before checking out and printing off our boarding passes.
We sat by the pool for a while then caught the shuttle bus down to Laguna Beach to go to a bookstore to get something for Jo to read - she had finally finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - it's a long book and she thought it would last her until she got to Oregon, but, as I told her, it's a gripping, can't put down book.
Coincidentally, there was a brewpub just 200 yards from the bookshop so we had lunch there, then read and snoozed on the beach before heading back to get our bags and await SuperShuttle to take us back to LAX. It was hardly an ordeal waiting at such a lovely spot outside reception:
Our driver was 5 minutes late, but he only had one other pick-up to make and he seemed to know all the short-cuts in a journey that took us exactly half the three hours that the reverse journey had done a week previously.
So that was our day virtually over - we had time for a snack at the fish restaurant at the Alaska terminal - rather nice - clam chowder and shrimp, washed down with Sam Adams - perfect - until I saw the bill. My beer was $9.50 and Jo's glass of wine was $10.50!
All went to schedule and Lucy was at the airport to pick us up bang on 11pm and we were back in Grants Pass, tucked up in bed in the trailer before midnight.
This posting has been spread over a few hours and it's been a beautiful afternoon - still and sunny, with the temperature climbing to 76F. Scott's putting the ribs on the barbeque as I finish this, so beers are now called for - Bridgeport IPA for me and Newcastle Brown for Scott.
Since my last posting we've been to Long Beach (where we went to the Aquarium of the Pacific and also saw the Queen Mary), and spent the Lesinas' last day of vacation down at Crystal Cove - on the beach and in the sea.
But I would just like to say, of all my children it is Lucy I favor the most. I would like you all to know how special she is and therefore, at the time of my demise the 3 others will inherit any debt and Lucy shall get all that is wonderful and of worth....just like her. And yes, cade shall finally get my blackberry as he asked so many years ago, "when Granda Ian dies can I get his blackberry please"
Mmmm - you've guessed - we've had an interloper again.
Anyway, Wednesday at the Aquarium of the Pacific - here's Braeden outside the seal pool:
We went a stroll round the harbour and Scott was taking this one of Cade and Braeden with the Queen Mary as backdrop:
Lucy was feeling a little low today - lack of sleep she said - and it shows in this photo:
We had one of Scott's famous barbeques back at our villa - half a ton of cow - lovely!
On Thursday, the adults walked and the boys scootered down to Crystal Cove and we had a lovely afternoon on the beach and in the water.
Scott and Lucy went to one of the local stores and bought a wonderful side of honey smoked ham for our supper. They had to get to bed as they were planning to be on the road by 3am on Friday morning to beat the LA traffic and get back to Grants Pass at a decent hour.
Jo and I could take our time - we had the whole day before our flight to Medford at 9pm. We had a nice early morning stroll round the State Park then came back for our second breakfast, before checking out and printing off our boarding passes.
We sat by the pool for a while then caught the shuttle bus down to Laguna Beach to go to a bookstore to get something for Jo to read - she had finally finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - it's a long book and she thought it would last her until she got to Oregon, but, as I told her, it's a gripping, can't put down book.
Coincidentally, there was a brewpub just 200 yards from the bookshop so we had lunch there, then read and snoozed on the beach before heading back to get our bags and await SuperShuttle to take us back to LAX. It was hardly an ordeal waiting at such a lovely spot outside reception:
Our driver was 5 minutes late, but he only had one other pick-up to make and he seemed to know all the short-cuts in a journey that took us exactly half the three hours that the reverse journey had done a week previously.
So that was our day virtually over - we had time for a snack at the fish restaurant at the Alaska terminal - rather nice - clam chowder and shrimp, washed down with Sam Adams - perfect - until I saw the bill. My beer was $9.50 and Jo's glass of wine was $10.50!
All went to schedule and Lucy was at the airport to pick us up bang on 11pm and we were back in Grants Pass, tucked up in bed in the trailer before midnight.
This posting has been spread over a few hours and it's been a beautiful afternoon - still and sunny, with the temperature climbing to 76F. Scott's putting the ribs on the barbeque as I finish this, so beers are now called for - Bridgeport IPA for me and Newcastle Brown for Scott.
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