Tuesday Tales

It's Tuesday morning and Jo's out walking in the rain with Anne. We'll be heading to Inverurie as usual this afternoon to pick up Luca from school and take him back to his home. It's damp and it's forecast to be that way for the next couple of days - hope it brightens up for the weekend and next week - I've got my Boat of Garten golf outing Sunday/Monday, then, on Thursday I'm off to the West Coast for our annual walking trip. I missed last year as I was still recuperating from my knee replacement so I'm looking forward to the trip this time - I think!

We've now booked our trip to London in August. We're going down to see two musicals - Sunny Afternoon (www.sunnyafternoonthemusical.com/) and Beautiful (www.beautifulmusical.co.uk/). Colin and Johanne are coming with us. I've booked the tickets and the flights, but not any accommodation yet. One idea I spotted looks quite interesting - https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/5062078?checkin=12-08-2015&checkout=14-08-2015&guests=4&s=x94q. That would certainly be different.

I also discovered that Johanne's name on her passport is Johanna. At college and school she used to spell it Joan. Seems like she couldn't make her mind up.

Jo went in to Aberdeen to chum Anne on a shopping trip on Saturday. I did a bit more of the wall in the back garden then headed off to the Legion where a few CAMRA colleagues came out to Banchory to help with the presentation of Club of the Year. This photo has already been on Facebook:

Trish Ewen is the Steward at the Legion receiving the plaques, but two of my fellow members (Rigg Robertson and George Howie) appear to be archetypal CAMRA members, whilst Jim Strachan and I look like a different breed, I think? Appearances aren't everything.

Saturday was also the day that Partick Thistle confirmed that they are staying in the SPL for at least another season, after thumping St. Mirren 3-0.

Sunday was a complete write-off. I was due to play a golf tie but thankfully my opponent called to re-schedule it to last night (Monday) - a great decision as it turned out as it was a lovely day - the complete opposite of Sunday's washout. Well at least it gave me a chance to work my way through the Sunday Times.

I pulled out of our usual Monday afternoon cycle group as I was playing golf in the evening, but it was so nice in the morning that I decided to go for an early morning ride instead - up to Torphins and back. Start at Burnett Park and along the old railway line then through the forest tracks to Hill of Brathens. From there, head west towards Glassel, turning off along farm tracks and up to the small community at Mill/Hill of Beltie then down the lovely tree-lined avenue that takes you down to the main Aberdeen - Torphins road:

I crossed the main road and approached Torphins from Craigmyle Road which runs parallel to  and north of the main road. Lots of nice houses there - pretty big too - and some of the new ones not occupied yet.

The problem with cycling more than once a week is washing and drying my cycling gear, which gets pretty well mud-splattered on some of the off-road routes we go on - particularly the farm routes where the large pot holes retain rain water virtually all the time. So I finally decided I needed to buy another hi-viz cycling top (plus another couple of wickable marino wool base layers):

Monday afternoon was preparing the other wall in our back garden for repair - it too is falling down due to the pressure of the earth and plants inside it.

So that's my diary up to date again. Not exactly Pepys, but Jo calls me a "Social Historian"!

Dental addiction

Exactly a week after my last visit, it was back to the dentist again today. I had to decide whether to continue with the root canal treatment or abort this and just have the tooth extracted. After some further discussion, I opted for the latter. It was a fairly simple procedure and we were back home fairly promptly.

So today, rest and paracetamol is prescribed - and no alcohol, which is particularly bad timing as I always go out to the pub with the football guys on a Friday night. Note to self - ensure future dental treatments don't take place on Fridays!

We missed a FaceTime call from Kelly this morning as well.

Big change in the weather this week. No more shorts weather - the average temperature has dropped by 12 - 15 C. Still managed golf on Monday and Wednesday and cycling yesterday however - and a gentle hill-walk on Sunday too. Tuesday, of course, was Luca day and we bought more mortar in Inverurie and I've made a start on the next stage of the wall - the coping stones. It's not going to be the same level top edge, however. In fact, it's going to have a bit of the roller coaster about it. I didn't put the same height of mortar in the bricks below as was there beforehand and it's now a rearguard action trying to keep it as level as possible. You learn by your mistakes.

The other development this week is that I've been roped in to help save Banchory Sports Village's Sponsored Golf Tournament, which is only 3 weeks away. They have only attracted 5 teams so far and they were looking for 20. When we ran it for the squash club back in 2007, we had everything in place by now - although in the end it was all to no avail due to legal processes. We never even cashed the sponsors' cheques. I hope I can help BSV this time but it's very late in the day and the local economy is not as strong as it was.

Our friendly little red squirrel has been prominent this week. It seems he takes exactly the same route each time he comes - leaping from branch to branch.

Tomorrow, I've got to make the CAMRA Club of the Year presentations to the Legion - again. There won't be any room left on their walls soon.

Still researching for the new bike - I'll get there eventually.

Root canal failure

Jo came with me yesterday morning when I was getting my root canal treatment. It was a specialist root canal dentist and she worked on me for an hour and 45 minutes - all to no avail, it seems. The deep clean treatment seemed to be going well initially - the first two canals were cleaned out OK, but the 3rd one seemed to be causing a bit of a problem - it was pretty deep and she kept taking measurements. Then an X-ray was taken, after which she consulted one of the other dentists in the practice - and then another one after that. The problem was that they weren't sure whether the 3rd canal was perforated or not. If it was perforated, then it would be impossible to get a good seal and all the work - and cost - would have been wasted, and, in all likelihood I would have to have an extraction.

A second X-ray wasn't conclusive either and, in the end, I've been given a week to think about it. Next Friday I have to tell them whether to go ahead and complete the root canal treatment and hope for the best, or just have it out. I have no idea what's best.

Not surprisingly, the tooth was a little tender after that marathon session, so it's now paracetamol for me. Anyway, we went back home and Jo headed off for her usual Friday afternoon swim, so I decided to do a bit more work on the back garden wall. I knew my first mix had been too dry, so this time, I added a bit more water. Mixing away, it still seemed too dry so I added a little splash more and all of a sudden, it's too wet! After that, you can't undo it - all the mortar mix had now been used up - so just get on with it, Ian. Time will tell whether it will be OK. It's frustrating - Jo says it's just like baking or cooking - you go from undercooked to overcooked in seconds. Anyway, here's how it looks this slightly damp Saturday morning:

If the bricks are intact, I'll put the coping stones on top next week - but first I'll need to buy more mortar mix.

Last night, we went to dinner at Dan Corbett's. Archie and Eileen Cook gave us a lift down. It was a real throwback evening. Dan had prepared - without the offered help from his friend/partner Mary - 3 different types of steak meat and we were then to cook them in a fondue. How very 1970's. Good fun actually.

This morning, Jo's preparing food for the pensioners' lunch at the church. I've got nothing planned until this evening when 4 of our Headbang group are heading off to the Lemon Tree.

Tomorrow morning, weather permitting, I'm going on a short hill-walk instead of playing golf. It's my first walk with the guys this year and is coming less than 3 weeks before a weekend of pretty serious walking on the West Coast islands. I wonder how I'll cope?

Another (2) Brick(s) in the Wall

We're told that today will be the last day of the glorious spring weather - at least for now. Golf in shorts last night was glorious and this morning was equally nice - and I took full advantage when I joined our regular Freewheelers group for a quick 30 kms ride, squeezed in before my latest appointment with the physiotherapist.

My knee is ever so slowly getting better. I've been told to stop the daily icing and only to use it now when I feel the need. Keep going with the exercises, but still nothing load-bearing yet. Next assessment 12th May.

This afternoon, it was back to the wall for me. I mixed up a little bit of mortar and re-laid two of the bricks as a test run before I do the rest. Time will tell if I got the mix right or not:

I needed a hot bath afterwards. Looking in the mirror constantly reminds me of the effects of the ageing process on my body. Small things like new freckles/brown spots appearing on my neck:

The old sun spot on my nose is changing shape a little as well, despite the fact that I've been vigilant with wearing my hat when out at golf etc:

No doubt I'll now get chastised by the medics in our family.

Tomorrow morning, I'm off the dentist again for root canal treatment. Hope he's kind to me and I can enjoy my meal tomorrow night - we've been invited round to Dan Corbett's for dinner.

The Wall

No - not Pink Floyd's 1979 album and 1982 film - remember Gerald Scarfe's images?:

They didn't need no education, but I may soon - especially when it comes to wall-building. we've moved the loose bricks, taken out the earth and cleaned the old mortar off the bricks. Now it's a question of putting it all back together again. Of course, in hindsight, when the bricks were taken down, they should have been placed in position so that it was easy to put the jigsaw back, but we'll just have to try and figure it out ourselves now. Here's my first go at laying them out in order:

Jo's out at swimming just now - but no doubt she'll want them in a different order!

Luca spent the night here last night - I picked him up at school and I drove him back this morning. We discovered that he'd left his school sweater behind yesterday - it was used for one of the goals at football. Some things never change. I tried to retrieve it for him this morning at the school but ran out of time before the bell rang and he had to get in line. Hopefully Carole will manage to retrieve it tonight when she picks him up at the After School Club.

So this is my period of respite before I go to golf this evening - in shorts. The great spring weather continues. I'm also backing up files, music, photos, video etc on the new network WD My Cloud drive I bought. So far so good.

I've also got another new toy - The Vamp (http://www.thevamp.co.uk/) - a simple little device that makes any old speaker a Bluetooth speaker. Very nifty - play all the music on my new network drive via my new iPhone and connect it wirelessly to The Vamp, which is wired to the old speaker. No power cables required - take it anywhere.

No joy yet with the Marriott Phuket Beach accommodation we're trying to get next year. Ironically, we got offered it this year but chose not to take it due to the military curfews in place in Thailand at that time. We'll keep waiting.

Jo's booked a little trip down to see sister Mary and family in a couple of weeks' time - coinciding with my first Boat of Garten trip this year. No Club 55 available, so she's trying out the Gold Bus (http://www.citylinkgold.co.uk/), which we're told is very good. Zero cost for over 60's of course - apart from a 50p advance booking fee - and she gets tea/coffee and a sandwich. Sounds good.

Tuesday - Inverurie? No

It's yet another fantastic day today. I've just come in from clearing the old mortar off the decorative bricks in our back garden before attempting to re-build the wall, and I'm having a quick cup of tea and a biscuit.

This afternoon, I'm off to Inverurie to pick up Luca from school - his parents are going to the cinema tonight, so he's staying here, instead of us feeding him over there, and we'll take him back to school in the morning.

Kelly FaceTimed on Friday morning. Jo had just headed off to Costco and missed her call, but it was nice to talk to Kelly - and get kisses from Miller. We're already thinking about our next trip Down Under, but we're waiting to see if we can get in to the Marriott Phuket Beach Club first of all, to break our journey. I went for my first post-retirement haircut on Friday before my physio appointment. I think Jo was slightly disappointed - she wanted me to put a pony-tail in! I got more ultrasound on my knee and my next appointment is this Thursday. It is improving, but very slowly. Jo was out for lunch with Anne, so I went for a run on my bike after the physio. My route took me past Knockburn Loch:

We also had our free tea/coffee and scones at Raemoir Garden Centre on Friday afternoon, and it gave Jo a chance to look at some of the trees she wants to buy. Whilst she studied the options, I sat in the sun reading my paper:

Saturday was a lazy day but we were out in the evening at the annual Malaysian Evening at the church. Lovely food and a good laugh.

Sunday was golf in the morning and the Sunday Times in the afternoon - a period of rest before what I knew was going to be a hard cycle on Monday afternoon - and so it turned out. It was a nice run, however, albeit involving a fair bit of climbing - all the way up through Scolty Woods to Shooting Greens and then down to Feughside and back via Mill of Cammie to Banchory. I relaxed in a hot bath afterwards before heading out on the bus to a CAMRA meeting in the evening.

I had to cut another notch in my belt last week - I think the leather is stretching.

Cough, cough

It's 2 weeks now and still we're coughing away - not as much as before, but still enough to disturb our sleep - it's irritating and debilitating.

You may have read my anti-courier and Apple rants on My Pet Hates blog the other day but it looks as if we've got most things sorted now - but not without a fair degree of pain. I had made an appointment at the Apple Store to get them to get us all set up properly - I didn't want to make any mistakes in transferring my number and my data over from my old iPhone 4 to my new iPhone 6, not to mention coming from a company account to a personal account, and likewise getting Jo set up with her number and data on my former iPhone 4.

Simple you would think? Not so - the Apple Store couldn't complete the task as I couldn't prove my old company phone was now owned by me. I was told I had to phone Apple when I got home and see if they would authorise it. So that was most of Wednesday afternoon written off - and a chunk of this afternoon too.

However, at least my new phone seems to be working fine now, and Jo's got a phone that works at last - her old one was falling apart.

Jo was at her hairdresser's this morning and I had planned to go cycling again - for the first time in 3 weeks - but I had such a bad night's sleep, coughing away, that I couldn't face joining the rest of our group, so I cancelled. I lay in bed for a couple of hours, feeling sorry for myself - it was a glorious morning. Eventually, I decided to give it a go on my own - and I ended up doing exactly the same route as the others - a lot more than I thought I was capable of today, albeit fairly slowly and carefully. Photos on my cycling blog (http://bvetscycling.blogspot.co.uk/).

Tomorrow, Raemoir Garden Centre beckons - Jo has a voucher about to expire for coffee and scones. I've also got my next physio appointment at noon.

On Saturday, I've cancelled my golf - the tee time I had was too late as we're going out early to a Malaysian Evening at the church centre.

Back to just the two of us

Gary picked up Luca on Friday night after work and took him home to see his Mum after a week with us. He was good - but we were not. Struggling with this persistent cough/cold all week, it was hard to keep our energy levels up to match Luca's. We hope he had fun - he always seems to smile and enjoy his visits to the old fogeys in Banchory, but he must realise by now that his Mum and Dad have a bit more get up and go about them than we do.

It was great that the weather was nice all week and he was able to get outdoors. His favourite spot is climbing up the little former "Bonnie Banchory" slope, where the old Deeside railway line used to cross the main road:

I played my first competition "Medal" at Banchory on Saturday afternoon - not very well - and had a friendly bounce game on Sunday morning. Most of the evening entertainment from Thursday to Sunday, however, was the televised Masters golf from Augusta, Georgia. It was great - beautiful place, which I had the privilege to visit back in 2006 - and it always seems to kick off the golf season proper in the Northern Hemisphere for most amateurs.

Today (Monday) it was golf again for me in a Seniors match at Banchory. The weather's still fine, albeit a bit cooler than last week. I had hoped to come home to find my new iPhone had arrived. It was supposed to have been delivered on Saturday morning but never arrived, so I assumed it would come today - but, again, no sign. Quick call to Vodafone who traced it to the couriers' depot in Aberdeen. I am now assured that I will get a text tonight telling me exactly when it will arrive tomorrow - and even the driver's name. We'll see. It's the usual inefficient and unreliable service that seems to happen all the time nowadays - and it's a little inconvenient too as we had planned to go in to Aberdeen tomorrow, but I guess I need to wait a while now.

You may remember the little red squirrel that is a regular morning visitor to the trees opposite our bedroom. We first started seeing him regularly during my long convalescence period after my knee replacement and I've tried on many occasions to get a proper camera shot of him/her, but, this afternoon, he/she was back, feeding on the new shoots and buds on the sycamore tree and I was finally able to get my camera focused on him/her as he/she fed:

Satisfaction at last!

Physio diagnosis

Caroline tested my knee ligaments and cartilage and said they were fine. Her conclusion this morning was that I have Baker's Cyst - not really a cyst at all, more a sac:

She gave me some ultrasound and I go back again next week. I have to keep on doing the knee exercises, and ice the back of the knee, but no real need for any more Ibuprofen, which I'd stopped taking this week, without any noticeable difference. She said that these things normally disappear themselves between 6-12 weeks after the op, but the ice, ultrasound and exercises should give the healing process a nudge forward. She checked for DVT but no signs present.

I also asked if there was anything I shouldn't be doing, but she confirmed that cycling, walking and golf are all OK, and any of these will not cause any more damage to the knee - the same answer as the surgeon gave me - that's encouraging.

Deeside hotter than the Algarve!

What a great week it's been - more or less wall to wall sunshine and with the temperature getting in to the 20's - just!Comforting to note as well that the Algarve, where I was sweltering in 34 C last week, is down in the teens - and raining! Good timing for a change.

We're still suffering from this bug - lots of coughing in the house, and sleep has been difficult unless propped up. My voice went yesterday as well, which is why I haven't got round to getting my new phone yet - it needs a call to Vodafone and I couldn't risk doing that with my squeak. I had to miss our cycling group's outing to Aboyne and Tarland this morning on probably the best day of the year so far - I definitely wasn't up to any strenuous exercise.

It's been the school Easter holidays as well and Luca has been out every day playing with the kids in number one. Jo has been working in the garden and I've caught up with all my admin, and this afternoon I decided it was time to wash and clean both cars - inside and out. Hot work - especially as I rather suspect this was the first time Jo's had her car cleaned since she got it.

Jo found this in the garden:

It's tiny - poor little thing must have flown in to the windows.

It's the physio for me tomorrow - fingers crossed.

Easter and beyond

Ross, Gary & Luca, and then Carole - in that order - all arrived over on a hot sunny Sunday afternoon, with the promise of Jo's roast beef dinner. Lured by the opportunity to have a cigarette, Carole and Ross - yes, he's started again - were first out on the balcony, with Gary and Luca eventually joining them:

By now, Luca was in possession of his Easter Egg. Earlier he had been sent on an Egg Hunt in the back garden - Jo had hidden all our eggs out there:

Where are they?

Found some!

Where's mine Grannie?

Gary and Carole went home, leaving Luca here during the first week of the school holidays. He's a good boy and is no trouble - certainly not to me. He and Jo sit and chat away like Jack and Victor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_Game). It's just a pity that Jo - and now me as well - are suffering a little from a bit of a bug, so we're not exactly full of beans.

The great weather continued on Monday and Tuesday. I was golfing with the Seniors down at Ballater yesterday but this morning I had to go back to the dentist due to toothache. He did a bit of tidying up which will hopefully relieve the pain for a while, but he gave me a tough choice - have the tooth extracted or undergo root canal work. Any other tooth, I would have said take it out, but it's right next to the one that was extracted a few months ago and would leave a wide gap there, so I opted for the root canal treatment.

Anyway, Jo and Luca came in to Aberdeen with me and walked from Holburn St., along the Dee, and through Duthie Park to the Vue Cinema to see a film Luca was keen to see - again. Whilst they were watching that, I went over to my old work at Bridge of Don and got my car tyres changed over from winter to summer. It was a little weird walking in there again - especially seeing my old office locked up and empty. Next thing to tidy up is our mobile phones which are still on the company contract. They don't make it easy to change over - I'd tried before I went to the Algarve, but failed - and I didn't quite succeed today either - but we've made some progress. A combination of little techies trying to baffle old codgers like me, plus the Data Protection Act - and probably Health and Safety as well - are amongst the barriers to change.

Reverting to medical matters once more - I seem to have spent a lot of my retirement on these - I've got my first physio appointment for my knee this Friday. I've still got some pain and swelling - although it seems a little easier today - and ultrasound and massage have been prescribed. I've tried light compression stockings and tight elastic bandages, but these resulted in my leg looking like this at the end of the day:

You can see where my short socks stopped and pushed the fluid up to my calf and knee.

Back for Easter

My golf trip to the Algarve this week was very good - exceptional temperatures, reaching 34 C (93 F) - very high for this early in the season. We only played 4 rounds of golf, rather than the usual 6, so it was a bit easier physically, and the travel (Ryanair from Edinburgh) was short, punctual and at reasonable times, so I got back to Banchory by 5pm last night (Friday). You would have thought that would mean a nice easy evening at home - but, no - due to calendar clashes, it was our first Headbang of the year last night, so I was straight out again. Yes, I do feel tired today, but I'm not expecting the sympathy vote - especially not from Jo, who's apparently now picked up Luca's bug and is feeling a bit poorly.

My Golf and Headbang blogs have been updated so not much else to say here about this week, other than the fact that I've got my letter to make an appointment with the local physio to receive some massage and ultrasound treatment on my recently repaired knee. The leg below - calf and ankle - are now pretty swollen with fluid. I don't suppose the flights have helped, but Ibuprofen on its own doesn't seem to be helping much, so I'm sitting here today with my leg up and an ice pack on to see if that helps.

Where did this week go?

The week's almost over and it's been all go. I don't know how I ever found the time to work.

It was the dentist and hygienist on Monday morning, then out for a 34kms cycle in the afternoon, before attending the latest Banchory Sports Village meeting in the evening, after which Jo, Ross and I had a beer and a chat about Ross' planned house purchase in the lovely new lounge/diner at the Douglas Arms Hotel:

On Tuesday morning, we met the lawyer who was putting in the bid for Ross. Offers had to be in by noon, but the other noted interests walked away, which gave more time to consider the matter. We arranged to meet my friend Gary Grant, local architect, on Wednesday morning to get his professional assessment of the state of the property. The conclusion was that it needed a lot more cash spent on it - and it could be a bottomless pit - so Ross has walked away for now. Something else will show up soon we hope.

Tuesday afternoon/evening was over at Inverurie as usual, and on Wednesday afternoon I went for another cycle - a mere 25 kms this time.

This morning I had my follow-up with my knee surgeon. I had been concerned about the frequent pain and discomfort I was still getting 4 weeks after my cartilage operation, but he told me not to worry - this wasn't uncommon. There's still a bit of swelling round the knee and I need to keep taking Ibuprofen and treating it with ice packs, but he also said I should get some physiotherapy - ultrasound and massage in particular. I asked if there was anything I should not be doing and he reassured me that cycling and walking were good for it, and - huge relief - golf was fine too. Just as well, as the season starts at Banchory on Saturday and then on Sunday I'm off to the Algarve for 4 days of golf.

After my appointment at Albyn, I met Jo at Costa Coffee in Union Square - she was supposed to be coming with me, but couldn't find her phone this morning, and I was late for my appointment at Albyn, so I had to dash. Jo eventually found her phone and managed to catch the bus in.

Our plan was to go to the Apple store and get our phones sorted out - tomorrow is my last official day of employment. I'm still technically on the payroll - although I don't get paid - and I've had all my benefits until now, but henceforth they stop - including our phones. I have to arrange car insurance from next week as well.

Anyway, we were shuttled from the Apple Store to the Vodafone shop, but it was the usual sharp intake of breath that we were met with. Transferring our phones from a company contract to personal ones was in the "too difficult" box for both these businesses. The short and long of it is that I think we're on track now and we'll be able to transfer over after I come back from the Algarve.

We popped in to see Colin and Johanne this afternoon and we took up the exercise bicycle I used last year to recuperate from my knee replacement - hopefully it'll help Colin recover from his hip replacement as well. Whilst we were there, Johanne brought out the Notre Dame 1970/71 Year Book, featuring Johanne (Joan) in Class III C and somebody you might recognise in Class III H:

I cycled up to the Legion tonight to meet up with Malcolm and Dick to discuss travel plans for Sunday's flight to Faro. Of course, the clocks go forward so it'll be an earlier than expected start for us - 7:30 is really 6:30 am.

When she's 64 - and beyond

Friday was hectic all right - Jo was at the West Church Coffee Morning then swimming in the afternoon before her birthday tea. I was out buying flowers in the morning and then played a few holes of golf before taking Johanne in to see Colin in the afternoon - he might be getting out today.

My camera failed at the crucial moment when the cake was lit and happy birthday was sung - the memory card was in my computer - but I got it working again by the time the chocolates were passed around - check this short video on my You Tube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd2ar0nzwNM

Luca had had a good week at school and had been given an award - check out the sticker:

With Mothers' Day and a birthday within a few days, the front room is full of flowers:

Yesterday (Saturday) was a lovely day so we went for a walk along the Dee to the other end of town. My knee was troubling me - could it have been the golf yesterday? - so we stopped on the river bank for a while, watching the multitude of Oyster Catchers on the bank opposite:

I've never seen so many of them together - what were they up to?

Back up the river a fisherman was casting for salmon, with the bumpy knoll of Clach na Beinne as a backdrop:

We eventually made it to Buchanan's and sat outside for our coffee and cake:

Soon it was time to walk home:

It was a struggle for me to limp home - my knee was very painful. I've had to cancel golf this morning (Sunday) and am sitting here with an ice pack on again.

I did manage to get yet another episode of my Chronicles done yesterday, so that's me up to the year 2000 now, leaving only another 7 years between that and the start of this Family Blog in 2007 - the end is in sight! Check http://renshawschronicles.blogspot.co.uk/

Tomorrow, I have the dentist in the morning and hope to cycle in the afternoon - if my knee's OK - it's less strain than walking or golfing. Ross has taken the day off work tomorrow because the house in Bridge St that he's interested in has suddenly had a closing date of Tuesday noon put on it. The main question mark is the adjacent land, which is, or was, apparently up for sale - we're waiting for more information on this.

I go back to Albyn on Thursday for my follow-up visit with my knee surgeon and we will probably go in to the Apple store to get me a new phone - all my old company contracts etc come to an end this week. Need to get my winter tyres removed as well.