From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
So, still on the subject of health and medicals, I've to go back and see my GP again in 6 weeks after the nurse has done my bloods. I've started on a low dose of beta blockers and last night was my first statin so we'll wait and see how I get on.
Funnily enough, 6 weeks takes me to the time of my knee arthroscopies and also to my next appointment with the cardiologist - I need a medical season ticket.
I spoke to Barry last night - he and Helen have finally got the package they were looking for and both are now retiring at the end of the year. How does that work anyway, that Barry, who's over 5 years younger than me, is retiring?
Nice birthday present for Barry - 56 last Sunday - and Kieran was 21 yesterday. Not long till Ross' 27th and then Lauren's 28th - busy time of year. It would have been my pal Terry Edmonds' 64th birthday today as well, but he's been gone for a while now. The circle of life.
Got golf at St Andrews on Friday, followed by a curry - sorry, there I go again - I've mentioned that already. No golf on Saturday or Sunday this week, however. Might be the movies on Saturday - or possibly Pittodrie - or maybe even the CAMRA meeting - beer festival post mortem. Need to be bright and alert on Sunday as that's the day we're planning to go up Lochnagar, weather permitting.
Next week is looking busy socially as well - corporate invite to Gleneagles on Tuesday; last Wednesday of our midweek golf; then the Terry Edmonds' Memorial golf at Aboyne on the Friday, whilst we're off to a barbeque in Culter on the Saturday, then it's Boat of Garten weekend - our 50th outing in our 25th year!
Only 10 weeks to the wedding as well - look forward to seeing everyone.
Still no news of any offers on our time share exchanges for Oz and Or next year - I think we'll be struggling for the former - it's the middle of the school holiday season down there - may have to pay for some hotels etc.
Ian R. Stewart Family Blog
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Monday, 23 August 2010
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Well, it's been a week since I blogged so I guess it's time to update the diary. What's been happening since we had our weekend at the Fringe? Recovery is the first phase - took me a couple of days to feel OK again after a hard weekend pounding the streets of Edinburgh until the wee hours of the morning.
Got some golf on Wednesday evening - and, would you believe it, there's only two more Wednesdays left in our Summer Quaich competition - after next week, it's too dark to play 18 holes after work - how sad. Even daytime/weekend golf will be phasing out over the next 5-6 weeks as we head through autumn to winter. The end of season events are being organised now.
Still, you didn't really want to hear about golf, did you? Too bad - it's my blog and I wanted to let you all know how sad it now feels to realise the summer is slipping away.
We had Luca for 2 days last week - the usual Tuesday and, on Friday, he stayed over as Gary and Carole hit the town on nights out. Talking about Gary, do you all realise he's now hassling me because I haven't been to get my kilt fitted yet? After all those months of inactivity Gary, how could you? (I'm only teasing really - I'm going along this week).
We had a lovely afternoon on Saturday - we'd been invited along to Hugh and Jackie Riches' for an afternoon party/meal. What a glorious day it was - Jo and I walked down to the old coach house down at Bellfield/KGV park. I thought I'd take a picture of Jo and the flowers on the main street - standing in the bus turning circle. Of course, a bus came along just at the wrong time - Jo thought it was hilarious:
Well, it's been a week since I blogged so I guess it's time to update the diary. What's been happening since we had our weekend at the Fringe? Recovery is the first phase - took me a couple of days to feel OK again after a hard weekend pounding the streets of Edinburgh until the wee hours of the morning.
Got some golf on Wednesday evening - and, would you believe it, there's only two more Wednesdays left in our Summer Quaich competition - after next week, it's too dark to play 18 holes after work - how sad. Even daytime/weekend golf will be phasing out over the next 5-6 weeks as we head through autumn to winter. The end of season events are being organised now.
Still, you didn't really want to hear about golf, did you? Too bad - it's my blog and I wanted to let you all know how sad it now feels to realise the summer is slipping away.
We had Luca for 2 days last week - the usual Tuesday and, on Friday, he stayed over as Gary and Carole hit the town on nights out. Talking about Gary, do you all realise he's now hassling me because I haven't been to get my kilt fitted yet? After all those months of inactivity Gary, how could you? (I'm only teasing really - I'm going along this week).
We had a lovely afternoon on Saturday - we'd been invited along to Hugh and Jackie Riches' for an afternoon party/meal. What a glorious day it was - Jo and I walked down to the old coach house down at Bellfield/KGV park. I thought I'd take a picture of Jo and the flowers on the main street - standing in the bus turning circle. Of course, a bus came along just at the wrong time - Jo thought it was hilarious:
We stayed in and watched another episode of The Wire on Saturday night - that's us on to Series 4 now, so I guess we're hooked.
Monday morning, it was back to my GP again - he wanted to check on how I was getting on with the beta blockers, and to prescribe my statins - plus check on when I'm going to get my knees done (1st October). He read some of the specialist's report out - he said the next stage for me after the arthroscopy would be a complete - not partial - knee replacement - hopefully not too soon, however.
Going to St Andrews on Friday - it's been a while since we played any of the old links courses there. Whoops, sorry - I'm back to golf again! Hope to go and see The Girl Who Played With Fire this weekend or next week - the second of the Millennium series' films is released on Friday. Only problem is that Jo hasn't finished the book yet - best get cracking, Jo!
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Videos
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
A couple more videos from last weekend at the Fringe are now on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976VOeBuGus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkKHE57aUnc
What a beautiful day today - pity I have to face the long drive back from Fraserburgh - and Jo's out tonight as well.
A couple more videos from last weekend at the Fringe are now on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=976VOeBuGus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkKHE57aUnc
What a beautiful day today - pity I have to face the long drive back from Fraserburgh - and Jo's out tonight as well.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
The tale of the badly located parliament
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Sunday morning - breakfast 8:45 am, then pack our bags and off we go again. The plan this time was to head straight for Holyrood Park and go to Foodies at the Fest again. Our train home was at 4 pm so we had plenty of time - the only problem was we were carrying our backpacks - and it's all uphill from our B & B.
I was wondering if there might be a shortcut to Holyrood Park which didn't involve going all the way up Broughton St and the Bridges then down the Royal Mile. Jo jokingly suggested we should climb Calton Hill and have a look from there. We laughed the idea off at first, but then thought - why not? It was going to be another nice day - misty start, but clearing, so up we climbed - two old fogeys with cardiac conditions, puffing away.
The views at the top were great - across the Firth to Fife in the north and across the city to the west. There's a bit of a Greek temple style folly at the top:
Sunday morning - breakfast 8:45 am, then pack our bags and off we go again. The plan this time was to head straight for Holyrood Park and go to Foodies at the Fest again. Our train home was at 4 pm so we had plenty of time - the only problem was we were carrying our backpacks - and it's all uphill from our B & B.
I was wondering if there might be a shortcut to Holyrood Park which didn't involve going all the way up Broughton St and the Bridges then down the Royal Mile. Jo jokingly suggested we should climb Calton Hill and have a look from there. We laughed the idea off at first, but then thought - why not? It was going to be another nice day - misty start, but clearing, so up we climbed - two old fogeys with cardiac conditions, puffing away.
The views at the top were great - across the Firth to Fife in the north and across the city to the west. There's a bit of a Greek temple style folly at the top:
and this one is taken with my back to Princes St:
Round towards the north west, Jo sat on the edge looking down over the Glass House where we had stayed on our last visit to the capital a few months ago:
South east towards Salisbury Crags/Arthur's Seat, peering through the early morning mist:
then looking directly down Princes St with the zoom:
South east overlooking the Scottish Parliament, which, to me, is the wrong building in the wrong place - what was wrong with Calton Hill? Donald Dewar is no longer around to face the music on this one:
Holyrood Palace is a different matter altogether - a graceful building in what was a fine and natural setting:
We even stopped to have a cup of tea at the Palace after we came down from the hill:
Then it was the Foodies Festival. Jo opted for the rum tasting - what was wrong with the gin one, Jo? By now it was a glorious day and we sat in the sun and listened to a few of the performers, including the Soweto Gospel Choir and the Oxford Belles female accappella group. Time to grab some grub - pig in a bun was the order of the day:
Took this snap of the Palace on the way back:
Walking back towards the foot of the Royal Mile, I looked up and saw two walkers in the far distance on top of Salisbury Crags - it must have been at least half a mile away, but the air was clear so I zoomed in as best I could:
Then it was the train home and we were back in Arbor Court well before 7 pm. Lovely weekend - but much rest needed now.
I bought a blue car today
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
No I didn't really buy a new car - that was the title of Alan Cumming's show late on Friday night/Saturday morning. Apparently, this was a sentence he had to write when he became a naturalised U.S. citizen a few years ago to prove he had a grasp of the Queen's English!
Saturday morning was a very slow start - hardly surprising - and we would probably have stayed in bed for a while longer had we been staying in a hotel, rather than our usual B & B. It's very nice and homely, but breakfast was at 8:30 am sharp and we were out of the place, pacing the streets again just after 10 am.
We strolled up to the west end of George St and the Book Festival in Charlotte Square - a regular stop for us. We were able to relax, have a cup of tea, read the papers and buy some books. We had tentatively planned to do the 10 am walk down the Royal Mile, but our late night scuppered that.
I read about the Five Guys Named Moe show on at McEwan Hall at 5:15 pm - it's a show I've tried to see a few times, but kept missing it, and this production had Clarke Peters (Lester Freamon from The Wire) in it, and we had time between shows if we could get tickets. So, off we wandered to the Udderbelly complex and we were lucky enough to get a couple of tickets.
OK - now some lunch, then back to the Gilded Balloon for the Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury - and very good it was too. (More photos etc on my other music and ale blogs, and also on Facebook and You Tube).
Jo wanted to have her photo taken in front of the Udderbelly - a giant inverted cow:
Later on, she insisted on taking one of me right inside the complex:
There was only a short break between shows - a total of 4 today, all just a few yards away from each other. Five Guys Named Moe and Danny Bhoy were both inside the McEwan Hall:
Both shows were terrific - Danny Bhoy was another I'd been meaning to see, but hadn't got round to until now.
So now, we had time for dinner before heading back to the Udderbelly for the late night John Cooper Clarke show. After a bit of huffing and puffing, we finally chose well - Maison Bleue ( http://www.maisonbleuerestaurant.com/).
JCC was pretty good as well - Jo was prepared for the worst, but she was, I think, expecting some kind of ogre - and he's certainly not that nowadays.
So we got back to bed at the relatively early time of 1:30 am - just one day left!
No I didn't really buy a new car - that was the title of Alan Cumming's show late on Friday night/Saturday morning. Apparently, this was a sentence he had to write when he became a naturalised U.S. citizen a few years ago to prove he had a grasp of the Queen's English!
Saturday morning was a very slow start - hardly surprising - and we would probably have stayed in bed for a while longer had we been staying in a hotel, rather than our usual B & B. It's very nice and homely, but breakfast was at 8:30 am sharp and we were out of the place, pacing the streets again just after 10 am.
We strolled up to the west end of George St and the Book Festival in Charlotte Square - a regular stop for us. We were able to relax, have a cup of tea, read the papers and buy some books. We had tentatively planned to do the 10 am walk down the Royal Mile, but our late night scuppered that.
I read about the Five Guys Named Moe show on at McEwan Hall at 5:15 pm - it's a show I've tried to see a few times, but kept missing it, and this production had Clarke Peters (Lester Freamon from The Wire) in it, and we had time between shows if we could get tickets. So, off we wandered to the Udderbelly complex and we were lucky enough to get a couple of tickets.
OK - now some lunch, then back to the Gilded Balloon for the Life and Rhymes of Ian Dury - and very good it was too. (More photos etc on my other music and ale blogs, and also on Facebook and You Tube).
Jo wanted to have her photo taken in front of the Udderbelly - a giant inverted cow:
Later on, she insisted on taking one of me right inside the complex:
There was only a short break between shows - a total of 4 today, all just a few yards away from each other. Five Guys Named Moe and Danny Bhoy were both inside the McEwan Hall:
Both shows were terrific - Danny Bhoy was another I'd been meaning to see, but hadn't got round to until now.
So now, we had time for dinner before heading back to the Udderbelly for the late night John Cooper Clarke show. After a bit of huffing and puffing, we finally chose well - Maison Bleue ( http://www.maisonbleuerestaurant.com/).
JCC was pretty good as well - Jo was prepared for the worst, but she was, I think, expecting some kind of ogre - and he's certainly not that nowadays.
So we got back to bed at the relatively early time of 1:30 am - just one day left!
Monday, 16 August 2010
Hit me with **** ****** *****
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Here's some more of the Fringe weekend story. Our first "show" on Friday was the Ale Tasting at Leslie's Bar. It was a little confusing at first - we thought we were early and bought ourselves some beer before we noticed a small group sitting in the corner with some jars of hops etc in front of them. Never mind, we sat down and joined in and tasted three half pint samples. At the end of the talk, we were astonished when we were told we could have another two pints free plus a commemorative glass - all for just £10!
Then it was on to see the Paul Robeson story - small, intimate surroundings and a Nigerian singer (Tayo Aluko - wonder if he's a relative of Aberdeen footballer, Sone?) with a deep rich voice. The story itself had Jo in tears and the occasional song was very good. The one by which he'll always be known - Old Man River from Showboat - has been uploaded to You Tube - watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IUc1yCh6Hs
From there it was off to the Royal Mile where we grabbed a bite to eat at a nice little bistro - Lazy Lohan's and saw the most awful show:
Here's some more of the Fringe weekend story. Our first "show" on Friday was the Ale Tasting at Leslie's Bar. It was a little confusing at first - we thought we were early and bought ourselves some beer before we noticed a small group sitting in the corner with some jars of hops etc in front of them. Never mind, we sat down and joined in and tasted three half pint samples. At the end of the talk, we were astonished when we were told we could have another two pints free plus a commemorative glass - all for just £10!
Then it was on to see the Paul Robeson story - small, intimate surroundings and a Nigerian singer (Tayo Aluko - wonder if he's a relative of Aberdeen footballer, Sone?) with a deep rich voice. The story itself had Jo in tears and the occasional song was very good. The one by which he'll always be known - Old Man River from Showboat - has been uploaded to You Tube - watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IUc1yCh6Hs
From there it was off to the Royal Mile where we grabbed a bite to eat at a nice little bistro - Lazy Lohan's and saw the most awful show:
There has to be one at every Fringe - and this was it. The cast numbered 10 and the audience just out-numbered them at the start - by one! - but, by the finish the cast were definitely greater than the remaining audience. Frankly, we expected a play going by this title to contain at least some music, but, apart from the odd snippet of miming, there was nothing.
The late night show was Alan Cumming's opening night. I wasn't sure what he'd do, but it was mostly musical with a few tales in between. He developed a pretty nice rapport with the audience, many of whom were obviously big fans, but perhaps on reflection he slightly over-did the gay thing and there were one or two, not quite awkward moments, but you could sense some uneasiness in certain sections of the audience.
So to bed - 2:30 am and another 2 days to go!
From Beasley Street to Chicken Town
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Don't have much time just now to post all the photos of our weekend at the Fringe - but it was fun, although pretty tiring. It was 2:30 am on Friday night/Saturday morning when we got back to our B & B, and just an hour earlier the following night - we're too old for this nowadays. Glad we got the train down so at least I didn't have to drive.
Just one quick photo of Jo for now - at Stonehaven station on Friday:
Spare a little thought for her today - it was exactly 19 years ago that her Dad passed - William Lincoln Sowerby never properly recovered from the heart attack he suffered.
Don't have much time just now to post all the photos of our weekend at the Fringe - but it was fun, although pretty tiring. It was 2:30 am on Friday night/Saturday morning when we got back to our B & B, and just an hour earlier the following night - we're too old for this nowadays. Glad we got the train down so at least I didn't have to drive.
Just one quick photo of Jo for now - at Stonehaven station on Friday:
Spare a little thought for her today - it was exactly 19 years ago that her Dad passed - William Lincoln Sowerby never properly recovered from the heart attack he suffered.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Though she was born a long, long time ago, **** ****** should know
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Yes - I can hardly believe it was 8 years ago today that Mum died. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a Monday and Barry had phoned me to tell me that Mum was going downhill and I should come down. Jo and I made our preparations and drove down, but we'd left it too late - she was gone by the time we got there. Barry phoned again to tell me - we were between Dundee and Perth. I stopped the car for a while but then drove on.
Jessie Hamilton Stewart (nee Barr) was 81, but she hadn't been at all well since her fall in the bathroom at Foxbar Drive a few years before - and Dad couldn't cope with her after that. Here she is in her younger days - isn't she bonny?
Yesterday, we had a couple of deliveries - first the new bed for where the futon used to be; then John Lewis delivered the TV cabinet. It needed a little bit of assembly for the base, but Ross did this and tidied up all the wiring. Here it is now:
Not a moment too soon either - the old one was on the brink of collapse.
Yes - I can hardly believe it was 8 years ago today that Mum died. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a Monday and Barry had phoned me to tell me that Mum was going downhill and I should come down. Jo and I made our preparations and drove down, but we'd left it too late - she was gone by the time we got there. Barry phoned again to tell me - we were between Dundee and Perth. I stopped the car for a while but then drove on.
Jessie Hamilton Stewart (nee Barr) was 81, but she hadn't been at all well since her fall in the bathroom at Foxbar Drive a few years before - and Dad couldn't cope with her after that. Here she is in her younger days - isn't she bonny?
Yesterday, we had a couple of deliveries - first the new bed for where the futon used to be; then John Lewis delivered the TV cabinet. It needed a little bit of assembly for the base, but Ross did this and tidied up all the wiring. Here it is now:
Not a moment too soon either - the old one was on the brink of collapse.
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Hanging around, nothing to do but frown, ***** **** *** *******
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
It's not a Monday, but it is a rainy day - why does it always seem to rain on Wednesdays - my regular midweek golf day? It's certainly been that way for the last few weeks - every other day fine, but Wednesdays seem to get the worst of it. Oh well, nothing I can do about it.
Come to think of it, the rain did start last night. Jo took Luca home after tea and I was sitting there watching TV, listening to and watching the rain falling out the back. Suddenly, I noticed some bright evening sunlight lighting up the tops of the trees at the back - it looked lovely. I tried to capture it on camera, but I'm not sure I did it justice:
It's not a Monday, but it is a rainy day - why does it always seem to rain on Wednesdays - my regular midweek golf day? It's certainly been that way for the last few weeks - every other day fine, but Wednesdays seem to get the worst of it. Oh well, nothing I can do about it.
Come to think of it, the rain did start last night. Jo took Luca home after tea and I was sitting there watching TV, listening to and watching the rain falling out the back. Suddenly, I noticed some bright evening sunlight lighting up the tops of the trees at the back - it looked lovely. I tried to capture it on camera, but I'm not sure I did it justice:
That one was without the flash - this was one taken seconds before when the flash was still on, which, of course, makes it seem darker beyond the range of the flash:
Which one looks better? I'm not sure.
Just to brighten up a dull day, would you like to see what Albyn sent me?:
It's all happening on 1st October - hope I recover in time for the wedding - can't miss out on all the dancing, can I? - and for my golf trip to Spain a week later. By coincidence, I go back to see the cardiologist on Monday 4th - I guess Jo will have to wheel me in then as well.
Well, I finally finished my tedious book last night - The Song is You by Arthur Phillips (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Phillips). I had bought it (and a few others) at our favourite bookstore in Medford in March, but never got round to reading it until recently. It's a relatively slim novel, although very wordy, but it seemed to take me ages to finish it - I guess it didn't exactly grip me, but I was determined to finish it - and I did. The last section was the only decent bit of the book. The critics' quotes on the cover kind of gave the ending away, which made things a bit worse, I think.
What else did I do while Jo was over at Inverurie? Well, I watched another couple of episodes of the re-run of Tony Palmer's All You Need is Love series, plus I finished watching an interesting 2 hour film about Donovan's life before going up to bed to finish my book. Jo was pretty late home and I was out for the count by the time she got back.
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
Yes, yes, yes, it's my ****** almanac
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Maybe not quite autumn yet, but I definitely noticed a bit of a change in the air today - the car was covered in dew this morning and it was misty driving over the moor at Garlogie - a harbinger of things to come?
I've been trying to make the most of what's left of the golf season - realistically probably only another 6-7 weeks now. It was our delayed Senior Club Championship at Banchory last week and that meant me playing on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Add to that my usual Saturday morning medal, and, some time ago, I'd agreed to play for our Seniors team at Kemnay yesterday. I'm glad today has been a rest day.
Of course, I then compounded the felony by agreeing to turn out at squash doubles last night. Malcolm Grigor's pal, Peter Craddock, was up from Yorkshire and he was trying to arrange a four for doubles and there's only Keith Gray and I around just now - so I agreed. I somehow managed without apparently doing too much damage to my poor old knees - but I almost slept in this morning after it all!
So, it's Tuesday and we've got Luca today so I'll make sure I'm out of here sharp tonight. On Friday afternoon we're off to Edinburgh for our annual Fringe fix. Did I show you our schedule?:
The Call Mr. Robeson show is a biography of Paul Robeson, singer and activist from the 30's and 40's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson). He was Grannie Barr's (my Mum's Mum - Sarah) favourite - Old Man River was the song he was most famous for.
John Cooper Clarke could be a bit of a culture shock for Jo - he's still a pretty edgy performer, but we'll see how it goes.
Starting to think now about our trip to the Royal Albert Hall in November - best get flights and accommodation booked soon, I guess. Nothing back yet from Interval re our requests for Oz and Oregon next year - early doors, I suppose.
Maybe not quite autumn yet, but I definitely noticed a bit of a change in the air today - the car was covered in dew this morning and it was misty driving over the moor at Garlogie - a harbinger of things to come?
I've been trying to make the most of what's left of the golf season - realistically probably only another 6-7 weeks now. It was our delayed Senior Club Championship at Banchory last week and that meant me playing on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Add to that my usual Saturday morning medal, and, some time ago, I'd agreed to play for our Seniors team at Kemnay yesterday. I'm glad today has been a rest day.
Of course, I then compounded the felony by agreeing to turn out at squash doubles last night. Malcolm Grigor's pal, Peter Craddock, was up from Yorkshire and he was trying to arrange a four for doubles and there's only Keith Gray and I around just now - so I agreed. I somehow managed without apparently doing too much damage to my poor old knees - but I almost slept in this morning after it all!
So, it's Tuesday and we've got Luca today so I'll make sure I'm out of here sharp tonight. On Friday afternoon we're off to Edinburgh for our annual Fringe fix. Did I show you our schedule?:
- Friday 16:00 - Ale/whisky tasting session
- Friday 18:15 - Call Mr Robeson
- Friday 21:20 - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
- Friday 23:59 - Alan Cumming - I bought a blue car today
- Saturday 15:00 - Hit Me: The life and rhymes of Ian Dury
- Saturday 19:30 - Danny Bhoy
- Saturday 23:30 - John Cooper Clarke
The Call Mr. Robeson show is a biography of Paul Robeson, singer and activist from the 30's and 40's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson). He was Grannie Barr's (my Mum's Mum - Sarah) favourite - Old Man River was the song he was most famous for.
John Cooper Clarke could be a bit of a culture shock for Jo - he's still a pretty edgy performer, but we'll see how it goes.
Starting to think now about our trip to the Royal Albert Hall in November - best get flights and accommodation booked soon, I guess. Nothing back yet from Interval re our requests for Oz and Oregon next year - early doors, I suppose.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
Bad Motor Scooter
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Yes, I was down at Montrose yesterday afternoon, playing for Banchory Seniors. It was a lovely day and I felt fine - apart from the fact that it took forever.
I did a few hours in the office, then went over to our lawyers to sign a document about our change of bankers, but I was still down at Royal Montrose GC not long after 11 am. I was one of the first there, so grabbed a cuppa and a sausage buttie and then got ready for the noon start.
The bad news was that I was in the last group, which meant it was almost 1:30 pm by the time we teed off - the wait seemed interminable, but it was nothing compared to the wait on the golf course - it took nearly 5 hours to play the round. It was bad for us, but I also felt for the young pair behind us - imagine having to play behind a group of 40 Seniors!
Of course, by the time I got home, Jo had taken Luca back to Inverurie, so I never saw him either.
Today is the next attempt to play the Seniors Club championship at Banchory - it's nice just now, but there are some forecast localised lightning storms - hope we don't get rained off again.
What else is new? Well, we've finally ordered a TV table for our back room - plus a new "kangaroo" bed which Cade and Braeden will use when they come over in October. Incidentally - 10 years old yesterday - how did that happen? Look at this tiny mite a decade ago:
I've also now started to look in to the possibility of going Down Under in January - and Oregon in August. We'll see what we can get, but I think the prospect of a round the world trip is now officially off the agenda - at least for the time being.
So, Gary has finally got his best man - still waiting for him to officially blog it, so I won't steal his thunder. There were some plans to go to McCall's for the kilt hire this weekend, but it looks like it might be next week now. Carole's in the throes of sending out the invitations, so it's all starting to move along nicely now.
I've now changed the scheduled date for my knee operations - it's going to be Friday 1st October, which should allow me sufficient time to recover in time for the wedding.
Yes, I was down at Montrose yesterday afternoon, playing for Banchory Seniors. It was a lovely day and I felt fine - apart from the fact that it took forever.
I did a few hours in the office, then went over to our lawyers to sign a document about our change of bankers, but I was still down at Royal Montrose GC not long after 11 am. I was one of the first there, so grabbed a cuppa and a sausage buttie and then got ready for the noon start.
The bad news was that I was in the last group, which meant it was almost 1:30 pm by the time we teed off - the wait seemed interminable, but it was nothing compared to the wait on the golf course - it took nearly 5 hours to play the round. It was bad for us, but I also felt for the young pair behind us - imagine having to play behind a group of 40 Seniors!
Of course, by the time I got home, Jo had taken Luca back to Inverurie, so I never saw him either.
Today is the next attempt to play the Seniors Club championship at Banchory - it's nice just now, but there are some forecast localised lightning storms - hope we don't get rained off again.
What else is new? Well, we've finally ordered a TV table for our back room - plus a new "kangaroo" bed which Cade and Braeden will use when they come over in October. Incidentally - 10 years old yesterday - how did that happen? Look at this tiny mite a decade ago:
I've also now started to look in to the possibility of going Down Under in January - and Oregon in August. We'll see what we can get, but I think the prospect of a round the world trip is now officially off the agenda - at least for the time being.
So, Gary has finally got his best man - still waiting for him to officially blog it, so I won't steal his thunder. There were some plans to go to McCall's for the kilt hire this weekend, but it looks like it might be next week now. Carole's in the throes of sending out the invitations, so it's all starting to move along nicely now.
I've now changed the scheduled date for my knee operations - it's going to be Friday 1st October, which should allow me sufficient time to recover in time for the wedding.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Not exactly the Hot August Night that Neil Diamond sang about nearly 40 years ago - in fact, it almost feels autumnal today - it looks a bit dark and gloomy outside. Mind you, the evening is marching on - Jo has been on the phone to Lucy for the last couple of hours, so I guess tea's going to be late tonight. Gary might be popping in - hope he's not hungry.
Speaking of Neil Diamond reminds me of our holiday in Branson, Missouri several years ago. It was billed as America's entertainment capital, but, just before we went, we met John and Jane Taylor who had been the year before - they warned us we were far too young to be going there - and they were right. Poor Kelly - she was with us and must have wondered what she had come to - we certainly did.
I remember we went to see the Platters - well, one of the franchises going by that name anyway - and everyone stood up and sang - and saluted - the Stars and Stripes before the show. We felt like spies or traitors, not knowing the words.
Our next show was a Neil Diamond tribute act - how awful it was. What possessed me to go and see this show I'll never know - I don't even like Neil Diamond! Perhaps it was a bit of Hobson's Choice.
Another holiday memory was the first time we went to USA just after Lucy went over - the late 90's it would be. Lucy was due to get a job in Oklahoma so we booked a holiday in nearby Arkansas. Of course, that job never happened and Lucy ended up in Redding, California - half a continent away, but we were committed to Arkansas by this time, so off we went.
Once we got over the cultural shock of holidaying in the Bible Belt - the county we were in was a dry one and there was a church every hundred yards or so, it seemed - all in the middle of nowhere - we actually had a good time and have fond memories of that holiday. Ross must have been there, but not sure if Kelly was or not?
One day we went to the local Ozark Folk Center. It all came back to me this weekend when I was watching re-runs of Tony Palmer's series from the 70's on popular music - All You Need is Love. Each week, a different strand of music is featured and I was watching this one on country music and thought I recognised something - yes, it was the Ozark Folk Center. That was the place where I was hauled up on stage and asked to dance with one of the singers - how embarrassing. Here's a short extract from the film, showing the Center:
Not exactly the Hot August Night that Neil Diamond sang about nearly 40 years ago - in fact, it almost feels autumnal today - it looks a bit dark and gloomy outside. Mind you, the evening is marching on - Jo has been on the phone to Lucy for the last couple of hours, so I guess tea's going to be late tonight. Gary might be popping in - hope he's not hungry.
Speaking of Neil Diamond reminds me of our holiday in Branson, Missouri several years ago. It was billed as America's entertainment capital, but, just before we went, we met John and Jane Taylor who had been the year before - they warned us we were far too young to be going there - and they were right. Poor Kelly - she was with us and must have wondered what she had come to - we certainly did.
I remember we went to see the Platters - well, one of the franchises going by that name anyway - and everyone stood up and sang - and saluted - the Stars and Stripes before the show. We felt like spies or traitors, not knowing the words.
Our next show was a Neil Diamond tribute act - how awful it was. What possessed me to go and see this show I'll never know - I don't even like Neil Diamond! Perhaps it was a bit of Hobson's Choice.
Another holiday memory was the first time we went to USA just after Lucy went over - the late 90's it would be. Lucy was due to get a job in Oklahoma so we booked a holiday in nearby Arkansas. Of course, that job never happened and Lucy ended up in Redding, California - half a continent away, but we were committed to Arkansas by this time, so off we went.
Once we got over the cultural shock of holidaying in the Bible Belt - the county we were in was a dry one and there was a church every hundred yards or so, it seemed - all in the middle of nowhere - we actually had a good time and have fond memories of that holiday. Ross must have been there, but not sure if Kelly was or not?
One day we went to the local Ozark Folk Center. It all came back to me this weekend when I was watching re-runs of Tony Palmer's series from the 70's on popular music - All You Need is Love. Each week, a different strand of music is featured and I was watching this one on country music and thought I recognised something - yes, it was the Ozark Folk Center. That was the place where I was hauled up on stage and asked to dance with one of the singers - how embarrassing. Here's a short extract from the film, showing the Center:
I started writing this entry last night, but never managed to upload the video at home, so I just decided to finish it off in the office this morning.
Gary did make it over last night and we are getting some progress on the wedding plans - no doubt Gary will reveal all in his blog today.
Well, it's now Tuesday morning and I'm feeling fine so I've decided I can allow myself to go and play golf for the Banchory Seniors at Montrose today. Jo's made me promise to stop if I feel too tired - and I will.
Have a good day.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Keeps me searching for a ***** ** **** and I'm getting old
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Not exactly a Heart of Gold, but at least no major problems uncovered when I had my angiogram on Friday - although I will now be going on to statins to help reduce my cholesterol level - to add to the beta blockers I started last week.
Both are still fairly low dose levels and are largely preventative - as much to minimise potential future problems as to cure current issues.
Lucy asked me to describe my day and the experience on Friday, so here goes:
Jo and I got to ARI in good time - before the scheduled 8am arrival. Ward 41 is a small 2 room unit for private patients and we got excellent treatment - 3 nurses looking after me - there was nobody in the other room. A short questionnaire, then the first of many blood pressure checks, followed by blood samples taken and then an ECG.
It was then just a waiting game - obviously any emergencies got priority in the theatre - so we just sat and read the paper and our books until I was told to put my gown on just after 11am to get ready for a call from the theatre - oh, and by the way, here's a razor - use it!
It's a long haul from Ward 41 down to the new cardiac theatre but I was down there for all the identity etc checks well before noon, and I saw my doctor for the first time - I had to sign a consent form. Because of the invasive nature of the procedure, there's apparently about a 0.1% risk that things can go wrong and the procedure itself can cause cardiac arrest or stroke.
Finally in to theatre for all the pre-ops. It's very high tech and there's lots of prep work. I was horizontal by this time and couldn't see exactly what was going on but they must have applied a local anaesthetic before my doctor came in and inserted the tube - not sure who made the aperture to the main artery in the groin.
I had been warned to expect a feeling like a hot flush, but this never happened. In fact, it was all over before I realised it. There's a bank of 6 screens to my left that the surgeon is watching but I couldn't see them all the time as the overhead x-ray camera is remotely controlled and is about the size of a TV screen itself, so it was often blocking the screens out for me.
The good thing about the procedure is that you get the answers there and then - you don't have to wait. Dr. Broadhurst told me everything was OK - no blockages - just a couple of minor warps in the vessels, which were, he thought, merely symptoms of age. Ideally, all the surfaces should be completely smooth, but he said there was absolutely no cause for concern. He did suggest, however, that I should now start on statins to keep my cholesterol level down and try to avoid or minimise any future problems.
So, I was then wheeled back to my room but had to remain horizontal for a while. It was now over 16 hours since I'd last eaten and I was starving, but I had to wait almost another hour before they gradually raised the back of my bed sufficiently for me to eat something. It was only hospital fish and chips, but, frankly, I'd have eaten a wean's scabby heid.
I was then given a card I have to carry in my wallet for the next 90 days - in case I'm involved in a car accident, say, and the plug in my groin comes out and the artery opens.
We had to wait another couple of hours before I was allowed to get up, go to the loo then get dressed, but we still managed to get home well before 4:30 pm.
I took it easy, as advised, but, apart from a bit of tenderness in the groin area, felt OK. Jo turned to me after tea and said "I'll give you a lift to the pub and back, if you like - I assume you are meeting your pals as usual?" I hadn't even thought about it - I'd been told I would have to lay up for several days. I gave it a bit of thought and then said OK - I'll go down for a little while then. The subliminal message was, I think, that Jo wanted me out to get the big TV to herself. Ross ran me down at 9pm and I got a lift back from Jayne Williamson at 10pm, so it was short and sweet.
On Saturday, I awoke and had a quick look at the groin area - I'd been told that it would feel like I'd been kicked by a horse and would be covered in bruising. - but there was nothing. I showered - no baths allowed - and removed the dressing to reveal the dispersible plug blocking the hole to my artery. Everything seemed fine, but we put a new dressing on anyway.
The rest of the day was just lazing around with the papers and the TV. Gary came over just before lunch to take Jo in to town to do some wedding essentials - cake, ring etc. - so I had the place to myself. Golf and cricket on TV are ideal soporific aids when you're supposed to be recuperating.
We decided to go for a bar supper to the Tor-na-Coille hotel and asked Colin to join us - he was on his own and had been travelling up and down to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee since Wednesday. Johanne had picked up an infection which had exposed the transmitting unit in her breastbone for her Parkinson's, and she was getting the unit moved on Monday. We had a nice meal again and it's good that they seem to be getting the place back to a decent standard.
So, here I am blogging again. It's Sunday morning - still no sign of bruising, and other than a little nausea and tiredness, no apparent after-effects from the procedure, so I plan to go back to work tomorrow after all - but perhaps not all day.
Not exactly a Heart of Gold, but at least no major problems uncovered when I had my angiogram on Friday - although I will now be going on to statins to help reduce my cholesterol level - to add to the beta blockers I started last week.
Both are still fairly low dose levels and are largely preventative - as much to minimise potential future problems as to cure current issues.
Lucy asked me to describe my day and the experience on Friday, so here goes:
Jo and I got to ARI in good time - before the scheduled 8am arrival. Ward 41 is a small 2 room unit for private patients and we got excellent treatment - 3 nurses looking after me - there was nobody in the other room. A short questionnaire, then the first of many blood pressure checks, followed by blood samples taken and then an ECG.
It was then just a waiting game - obviously any emergencies got priority in the theatre - so we just sat and read the paper and our books until I was told to put my gown on just after 11am to get ready for a call from the theatre - oh, and by the way, here's a razor - use it!
It's a long haul from Ward 41 down to the new cardiac theatre but I was down there for all the identity etc checks well before noon, and I saw my doctor for the first time - I had to sign a consent form. Because of the invasive nature of the procedure, there's apparently about a 0.1% risk that things can go wrong and the procedure itself can cause cardiac arrest or stroke.
Finally in to theatre for all the pre-ops. It's very high tech and there's lots of prep work. I was horizontal by this time and couldn't see exactly what was going on but they must have applied a local anaesthetic before my doctor came in and inserted the tube - not sure who made the aperture to the main artery in the groin.
I had been warned to expect a feeling like a hot flush, but this never happened. In fact, it was all over before I realised it. There's a bank of 6 screens to my left that the surgeon is watching but I couldn't see them all the time as the overhead x-ray camera is remotely controlled and is about the size of a TV screen itself, so it was often blocking the screens out for me.
The good thing about the procedure is that you get the answers there and then - you don't have to wait. Dr. Broadhurst told me everything was OK - no blockages - just a couple of minor warps in the vessels, which were, he thought, merely symptoms of age. Ideally, all the surfaces should be completely smooth, but he said there was absolutely no cause for concern. He did suggest, however, that I should now start on statins to keep my cholesterol level down and try to avoid or minimise any future problems.
So, I was then wheeled back to my room but had to remain horizontal for a while. It was now over 16 hours since I'd last eaten and I was starving, but I had to wait almost another hour before they gradually raised the back of my bed sufficiently for me to eat something. It was only hospital fish and chips, but, frankly, I'd have eaten a wean's scabby heid.
I was then given a card I have to carry in my wallet for the next 90 days - in case I'm involved in a car accident, say, and the plug in my groin comes out and the artery opens.
We had to wait another couple of hours before I was allowed to get up, go to the loo then get dressed, but we still managed to get home well before 4:30 pm.
I took it easy, as advised, but, apart from a bit of tenderness in the groin area, felt OK. Jo turned to me after tea and said "I'll give you a lift to the pub and back, if you like - I assume you are meeting your pals as usual?" I hadn't even thought about it - I'd been told I would have to lay up for several days. I gave it a bit of thought and then said OK - I'll go down for a little while then. The subliminal message was, I think, that Jo wanted me out to get the big TV to herself. Ross ran me down at 9pm and I got a lift back from Jayne Williamson at 10pm, so it was short and sweet.
On Saturday, I awoke and had a quick look at the groin area - I'd been told that it would feel like I'd been kicked by a horse and would be covered in bruising. - but there was nothing. I showered - no baths allowed - and removed the dressing to reveal the dispersible plug blocking the hole to my artery. Everything seemed fine, but we put a new dressing on anyway.
The rest of the day was just lazing around with the papers and the TV. Gary came over just before lunch to take Jo in to town to do some wedding essentials - cake, ring etc. - so I had the place to myself. Golf and cricket on TV are ideal soporific aids when you're supposed to be recuperating.
We decided to go for a bar supper to the Tor-na-Coille hotel and asked Colin to join us - he was on his own and had been travelling up and down to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee since Wednesday. Johanne had picked up an infection which had exposed the transmitting unit in her breastbone for her Parkinson's, and she was getting the unit moved on Monday. We had a nice meal again and it's good that they seem to be getting the place back to a decent standard.
So, here I am blogging again. It's Sunday morning - still no sign of bruising, and other than a little nausea and tiredness, no apparent after-effects from the procedure, so I plan to go back to work tomorrow after all - but perhaps not all day.
Thursday, 29 July 2010
Wishing I Was Lucky
From http://ianrstewart.blogspot.com/
Yes - it looked like being Wet, Wet, Wet again yesterday, which would have been the 3rd Wednesday in a row that our midweek golf had been postponed. In the end, however, it turned out to be a rather pleasant evening - the heavy showers we had seen in Aberdeen earlier on were very localised and Banchory seemed to escape.
I had arrived home still feeling a bit under the weather and Jo wasn't keen on me going out to play golf, but I did - and it went very well - my best round of the season - and I felt a lot better after having done it. Win-win, as they say.
I was up early this morning and actually at my desk in Fraserburgh - 55 miles away - not long after 7:30 am. I had a lot to do this morning and was supposed to be heading back down to Aberdeen this afternoon for a meeting with our lawyers to sign off the final papers to change our main bankers - but - surprise, surprise - there's been a last minute glitch, so I've now apparently got a bit more time. I may just head home - perhaps I'll do as Gary suggested and pop in and see Carole and Luca on the way back.
Am I apprehensive about my angiogram tomorrow? I guess I am. I've done as instructed and cancelled plans for the weekend's activities, but I hope I'm OK from about Monday or Tuesday.
Haven't had any dates yet for the knee ops - the letters are overdue now. Might need to chase them up.
I think I'll finish with a bit of politics - probably because I've just been listening to the news. Our new P.M. has certainly been talking fairly bluntly on his world travels. His comments about Gaza last week and Pakistan yesterday are not the normal political rhetoric and seem to have caused a bit of a stir in Israel and Pakistan. I find it refreshing, however, that a political leader can state his views in a clear, concise way that is easily understood. I do hope it continues and he doesn't come under pressure to resort to political jargon.
Judging by the comments coming from Holyrood as well, it looks like my bus pass may become one of the first of a number of cuts in public spending. Oh well - I always thought it was a bit generous to offer this to all over 60, with no means testing and no contribution to the pass. Worse things happen at sea.
Yes - it looked like being Wet, Wet, Wet again yesterday, which would have been the 3rd Wednesday in a row that our midweek golf had been postponed. In the end, however, it turned out to be a rather pleasant evening - the heavy showers we had seen in Aberdeen earlier on were very localised and Banchory seemed to escape.
I had arrived home still feeling a bit under the weather and Jo wasn't keen on me going out to play golf, but I did - and it went very well - my best round of the season - and I felt a lot better after having done it. Win-win, as they say.
I was up early this morning and actually at my desk in Fraserburgh - 55 miles away - not long after 7:30 am. I had a lot to do this morning and was supposed to be heading back down to Aberdeen this afternoon for a meeting with our lawyers to sign off the final papers to change our main bankers - but - surprise, surprise - there's been a last minute glitch, so I've now apparently got a bit more time. I may just head home - perhaps I'll do as Gary suggested and pop in and see Carole and Luca on the way back.
Am I apprehensive about my angiogram tomorrow? I guess I am. I've done as instructed and cancelled plans for the weekend's activities, but I hope I'm OK from about Monday or Tuesday.
Haven't had any dates yet for the knee ops - the letters are overdue now. Might need to chase them up.
I think I'll finish with a bit of politics - probably because I've just been listening to the news. Our new P.M. has certainly been talking fairly bluntly on his world travels. His comments about Gaza last week and Pakistan yesterday are not the normal political rhetoric and seem to have caused a bit of a stir in Israel and Pakistan. I find it refreshing, however, that a political leader can state his views in a clear, concise way that is easily understood. I do hope it continues and he doesn't come under pressure to resort to political jargon.
Judging by the comments coming from Holyrood as well, it looks like my bus pass may become one of the first of a number of cuts in public spending. Oh well - I always thought it was a bit generous to offer this to all over 60, with no means testing and no contribution to the pass. Worse things happen at sea.
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