Wednesday 9th March

 

 "I can't get these candles lit!

Everytime I light them, he blows them out!"

 I love the devilish look on Luca's face, don't you?

Uncle Ross, however, was not going to be beaten by a four year old! . . .  

 

 

I'd bought little tear drop candles that spelled out Happy Birthday but I didn't have the heart to rearrange the candles after Luca had enthusiastically planted them all in the cake.

"It's an anagram," we told Ian, "for Happy Birthday :)"

AND SO TO THE BLOWING OUT OF THE CANDLES

Here are the determined duo attempting to blow out the candles . . .

 

. . . still attempting to blow out the candles, with advice from Granma Liz . . . 

 

and finally managing to blow out the candles with the extra wind needed being delivered by Daddy.

 

You can just see Gary giving his support at the edge of the photo! I think he was beginning to worry that Granda and Luca were going to expire before they got those candles blown out.

Of course if they'd taken Granma Liz's advice and moved the cake a bit closer, the job could have been done in half the time!!

A good day!    :)

Monday 7th March

What was for tea tonight?
Leftovers from yesterday's birthday lunch, of course!
And what will we be having for tea tomorrow night?
Why, we'll be having leftovers, again. . .
but with the addition of sausages . . .  because Luca will be eating with us.
And we all know there are limits.
Sausages are good :)

A lovely day again today. I can't believe how lucky we've been. This morning I went out for a wee walk with Anne - without a coat on - and it's only early March!!

Yesterday, when Luca took a little bike ride with me pushing from behind (the bike has a big long pole attached which means you can walk along behind the bike pushing it along without bending down), he turned round and said, "Isn't it a lovely day!" It certainly was!

Look very carefully at the photo below. Look closely . . . there's a salmon in the water.

Sri and I took a walk along the platties the other day and came across this guy  in the process of reeling in a fish. Neither of us had ever seen anyone catch anything before, so we lent on the railings and watched. Fascinating. I struggled to get my camera out and missed the best shot which was of him holding up his prize but I think you can just about make out the salmon. He's letting it go to carry on swimming up the river.

As we wandered on we were joined by a woman with a newspaper in her hand.
"I've never seen anyone land a fish before," she said, "D'you think it hurt being dragged about with a hook in your mouth?"

Does it? I'd never thought about it before.

Saturday 26th February

Things are looking up. . . the temperature is rising and we've seen some blue sky the last couple of days. Thank goodness :)

My little daffodils at the front door have decided that spring is on the way. Look they're peaking up out of the soil!

Another week has passed in a flash.
I swam twice this week and walked once. . . my proud boast to the nurse at the heart clinic on Thursday morning!
Brownie points :)

"You're looking much better this year," says she.
"Yes," say I.
"Probably because my diet has improved. Eating a lot more vegetables and a lot less cheese," I smug.

"You know the latest findings are showing that dairy products don't affect your cholestoral level. My husband read it somewhere. . . Google it!" says she. Mmm.

"So what about alcohol?"
"Really only at weekends," I reply. "Couple of bottles of wine," I state defiantly.
"Excellent," she says, "mustn't give up the wine!"
Not a teetoller then I guess.

For you , Lucy. My blood pressure is 130 over 80. I told your father this because the nurse assured me it was a good score.
"Mine," he chuffed, "was 110 over 60!" Oooh.

Saturday 19th February

What a day!

Another day that's cold and dark and wet! I thought things were looking up when I sat and stared out of the window with my morning coffee today. There was a brightness that made me think that maybe, just maybe - if I wrapped up - I could go out into the back garden and start pulling up the soggy brown sludge that was the leaves from last year's summer. It's so depressing looking out and seeing nothing but brown but it wasn't to be - tha rain came on :(

Had to get out for a bit so I weatherproofed myself and walked to the supermarket to get rolls for lunch. By the time I got back my trousers were soaked through to the skin and my hair was a mangle of frizzy fuzz! It isn't snowing but the rain is bitter cold!

I've thrown the weight watchers book out the window and descended into a frenzied orgy of eating everything I can lay my hands on. . . while watching multiple episodes of 'Coronation Street'.

Ian's off out to play squash so I've come upstairs to the computer. Maybe a session tapping keys will lift my spirit.

 Let's look at some holiday photos!

 This was our first day in Hong Kong and we had decided to take a tourist bus trip. Did all the touristy things which included a visit to Aberdeen! A small fishing village.

And here we are on a san pan!  A must for every 'would be' tourist :)

Thursday 17th February

Hello again!

I've found my glasses. . . again. This time they were on the side of the bath. Last time I lost them, they were here - beside the computer. The time before, they were on top of the bread bin!

What's going on? Well, it's the inevitable consequence of opting for single vision glasses when I bought my new ones at the end of last year!

Having noticed that the fashion in glasses was for narrow lenses, I decided there wasn't room for varifocals and knowing that I can read perfectly well without glasses, I thought it was a good idea to opt for single vision :(

Don't suggest I get a chain and hang them round my neck - I've thought of that and I don't fancy walking around the streets with chains hanging from my ears!

... Mary phoned. That's me just off the phone. And now it's lunchtime!
I was just thinking of her this morning too!
Anyway, I'll need to go!
Sorry :)

Tuesday 15th February

The flowers as promised yesterday!
They're sitting on the dining room table. It's the best place to put flowers, I've decided. Because, you catch sight of them as you go about the house and every now and again, the scent catches you unawares!

Let's hope the roses last a bit longer than they usually do. Lillies are great in this house - they'll last for weeks but roses? - Their heads have usually drooped within a day and they're dead of premature old age within two! :(

Last night, Ian and I traversed the highways of Deeside on Ian's annual real ale survey for the Good Beer Guide.
He was the sampler and form filler.
I was the driver!

We started in Ballater then came home via Tarland, Aboyne, Potarch and Feughside.
"Let's start early," said Ian."That way we'll get home at a decent time."

Well it wasn't that decent - the hour when we got home. I reckon it was near enough eleven. . . and for this old fogie, that's long past Monday night's bedtime!

Having sampled a half pint in two pubs in Ballater, one in Tarland, one in  Aboyne and one at Potarch, Ian confided to me that he was quite relieved that the beer in The Feughside Inn was off.

Three pints of beer on a Monday night is perhaps a bit much. . . two and half is infinitely more acceptable :) !

Monday 14th February

It's been ages since I wrote anything on my blog!Every day since I've come home, I've sat myself at the computer and logged on and every day, I've logged out again. . . just couldn't think of anything to write.
No need, I've said to myself. Ian did a fine job of narrating our holiday for us.

But today I've changed my mind so I'll show you some of the photos I took and tell you a wee bit about them.
Maybe I'll do this once and then say nothing else or maybe I'll bore you all to death by going on and on and on for days to come :)

This is the foyer of the hotel in Hong Kong where we stayed. Check out the chandaliers. Beautiful aren't they?

 On the opposite side of the foyer from the reception desk, there was a large 'Gone with the Wind' styled staircase and at the top of the stairs sat a harpist playing soothing music!!

What do you think of the view? Lovely isn't it? That was the view we had of the harbour from our bedroom window.
I must have taken a dozen photos of it and deleted them all. My photos just didn't do it justice. I'm glad I kept one though!

If you look very carefully, you can see my reflection in the glass.

Short and sweet, I'm afraid! That's Ian home. . . I'll away down and see him. I'll take a photo of the lovely flowers he sent for Valentines Day and let you see them tomorrow!!