Merry Christmas Everyone

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. We had a nice cosy family day with our children and Janis's Mum all there for dinner. No arguments, or falling out!

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It was also my Birthday so I enjoyed that too. I received "Is it just me or is everything shit?" from my son, Grant and I just love it, I guess its because I am just a Grumpy Old Man as in the BBC tv series . Bruce gave me "That's not my truck.." for a bit of humour after my Moldova trucking trip and Claire gifted me with the DVD of SPARTACUS. Janis got me a super food blender/mixer and Jamie's Italy Itallian food recipe book that I will use to help me make lovely food for us.

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We also enjoyed playing a game on Grant's Sony PS2 game computer. It was a music quiz with real buzzers and Claire won every game. Well-done Claire.

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We also spoke briefly to friends afar including Ferruccio who was just leaving Tripoli to work on a Tug supply boat, Kirsty (Janis's sister) and her man Dan in Toronto and Ferruccio's Mum & Dad in Italy. I never did get around to phoning Suz, one of my best mates, who had gone home to Sydney and her family for Christmas although we have been in touch by phone text.

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Merry Christmas Everyone

"Almost There" by Andy Williams

Well, it’s nearly Christmas Day. Where has the past 12 months gone?
Back to the present time and Thursday. It’s a mad house here in Aberdeen. Janis and I were carrying out our usual ritual at this time of year, that is buying lots of food and putting it in our freezer and forgetting about it until 11 months are past and then throwing the food away (as it is well past any sell/use by date) and we start all over again. So we go into Marks and Spencer to buy lots of fine food for our festive feast. As usual we had about 14 plastic bags of shopping and M&S have a service that allows you to pick up the shopping by car at the rear of their premises. We leave our shopping and head for a coffee at the John Lewis store and then get the car to go and pick up our shopping that we are to collect within the allotted time of 1 hr. Normally this works very well and we collect our shopping and head for home. BUT not this time! No. For some unknown reason everyone in Aberdeen has decided to shop at M&S today and as we head for the store we are held up in a very large traffic jam. We eventually get to where the road is for entry to the M&S pick up point when a police car flashes past, a policeman jumps out and declares to me and motorists behind me that we are blocking the traffic behind us and we are to move on straight up the road. I try and explain out predicament but there is no reasoning with him so we drive on. But what are we to do now? We have to pick up our shopping at some stage and soon as some of it needs to be kept cold and we are all just creating a bigger traffic jam by driving around in circles in Aberdeen city. So I make my merry way around the city in the car along with a lot of similar minded drivers and we eventually return to the place from where we were told not to go. This time around the police officer is distracted by something else and it is chaos anyway. Cars are now abandoned at the roadside and people are walking to the pick up point of the shop to collect their shopping. So that doesn’t help in the least. I manage to sneak around the corner and into the queue towards the pick up point before the policeman notices me. I have to say that while I have been doing a mini tour of Aberdeen many cars have entered this road so I am way behind where I would have been had the policeman not moved me on. AGGHHHH!!! Anyway, we eventually get to the pick up point and get our shopping and leave without further ado. Why does it happen to me! Is it only me?

Today, Janis was working so I agreed to go shopping (again!) for the last minute things for Christmas time. (and I suppose tomorrow too.) I bought some filet steak and haddock. The Haddock was for our meal tonight and I was making the meal, wan kai thai-style red curry. One of our favourites. I then had a phone call from Claire to say that her central heating was not working and what should she do??? Difficult when she is 20 miles away down a phone line. I organised her and then washed my two cars. The SAAB was badly in need of a wash and took quite some time to clean. My other little beastie didn’t take as long but by then it was time to pick up Janis from work and then it was what we call in Scotland, teatime or dinner if you are posh. Tonight I am meeting up in a local pub with my good friend Harry so I better get on my skates.

Catch you all later.

"Slow Down" by the Beatles

I have just returned from my adventure to Moldova. I really enjoyed the experience. Have a look at my BLOG elsewhere on this site.

As soon as I was home Janis and I went to a Christmas function at Ardo House hotel. It was really good with nice company too. Not much time to draw breath and it was out again on Saturday lunch time to meet up with some old work chums for our annual get together. I then met up with Janis and our friends Dave and Jackie for a meal at the Royal Thai and then on to the Lemon Tree night Club to watch Souled Asylum. They were fantastic. Good sound system and singing. Hear them at this WEB link. Sunday and Monday came and went in a blurr and now its Tuesday already and we havn't got our Christmas Tree up yet! We are going out tonight as we have been invited to a Christmas meal with the New Hope Trust. Looking forward to that.

While I was away a letter arrived to inform me that I have got the job working on the Aberdeenshire's Childrens' Panel. So I will be getting some training over the coming months before sitting on my first panel in June.

Claire's fiance has gone back to sea for 6 weeks so Claire is a bit sad but will be with us over Christmas time. Our boys will be with us too so it looks like it will be a nice cosy Christmas here although I will be thinking of these little boys and girls many miles away in Moldova with no mummy or daddy to give them any love and cuddles on Christmas Day.

"On the Road Again" by Canned Heat

My bags are packed ready for tomorrow. This will be my last Blog till I return from Moldova. I hope to take some pictures on the way and load them on this Blog site for everyone to view on my return.

Its my niece's 21st Birthday Party tonight in Stonehaven so Janis and I will be going along to her party. Claire and Ferruccio will also be there. I will be getting up early on Saturday so it will be home early and then into Aberdeen for my interview before getting picked up by Paul, the other driver.

"Got To Be There" by Michael Jackson

Was called upon to pick up presents and clothing for the NHT from more schools and a church today. I had to drive that slow blue slug again today but only had to go half the distance. I was in Dundee, Anstrother, Glenrothes and Dunfermline. My friend John came with me today and he is a great help. We loaded about 250 boxes and 30 bags into the minibus. Its Hard work on your own but with John there its a lot quicker and easier. Made it back home by 6PM.

I will be packing my bag tomorrow for the trip over to Moldova. I will then be taking the bag to the New Hope Trust so that it can be put into the truck in advance of picking me up in Aberdeen on the Saturday morning. As if I am not doing enough (who said retirement was relaxing?) I have an interview on Saturday morning for acceptence to the Aberdeenshire's Children's Panel before setting of on my new adventure. Wish me luck! If I get the job I will be studing for a few months in 2006 and then placed on the Children's panel by mid 2006.

Superfast ferry - Rosythe to Zeebrugge

So Saturday is going to be an eventful day and I've Got To Be There!