Alex & Fi

Spot the Difference...

2010-02-28T21:07:00.012Z

Both around eight months but which is which?

It's been a busy few months...

2010-02-27T20:25:00.002Z

...and a lot has happened since November.

Here's a photo update. Sorry for the huge delay!

20 Weeks & Another Milestone

2009-11-15T18:59:00.006Z

Believe it or not Angus is 20 weeks old today!
As you saw from the previous posts he is getting pretty big for his moses basket so we decided to introduce alternative sleeping arrangements this weekend.

As you can see he looks pretty comfortable if a little lost.

We'll see how it goes over the next couple of nights as we ease him out of the basket...

Meeting the Family

2009-11-09T22:12:00.003Z

As some of you may know we finally got to Scotland to introduce Angus to family hence the lack of posts for a while.

Sorry to those we didn't make it to but as I'm sure you understand family took priority and we managed to squeeze in a flying visit with the Munros & MacLeods on the way back from Stornoway.

Here are a bunch of photos of all the places & people Angus saw.

The Long & The Short Of It

2009-11-06T20:02:00.007Z

It's been a while since we blogged for which we apologise. October was a busy month in which we finally made it to Scotland as a family. More of that later....we promise!

In the mean time we went to another hospital appointment today and Angus was weighed and measured for the first time in 6 weeks.

I give you...

....our 5.5kg (12lbs 2oz) 60cm long boy!!

We can only assume that Gramma and Granny's cooking has had some effect!

Angus is 12weeks Old!

2009-09-21T15:46:00.003+01:00

The attached photos cover the last two weeks which have seen Angus starting to wear proper clothes(still newborn size...so far), have another visit from Gramma and another hospital appointment. This time he was weighed and is now over 4kilos!! As at 16 September he was 4.2kg/9lbs4oz. Even better he was discharged by the neonatal team. So now the only appointment we have to go to is a Child Development one in November.

He's also had a bit of a cold and been a bit grumpy but in between times is practicing his smile and it's nearly there. We're pretty sure it won't be long and it looks like there may be a dimple in there too!

Enjoy the photos.

More Angus Wk9

2009-09-11T18:01:00.006+01:00

A little late but here are some photos of Angus from week 9 (last week).

He was weighed at 3.68kg/8lbs 2oz. So he is now size "newborn" in clothing. Not quite into the 0-3month stuff just yet but it won't be long if he carries on at this rate!!

He also had his first set of immunisations and seemd to cope fairly well. He was a bit grumpy for a few days but we're not sure if it was any worse than normal.

We also had a bank holiday here and Alex spent it productively with his birthday present from the Family Munro.

Eight Weeks Old Today

2009-08-23T20:59:00.008+01:00

Despite the fact that he's not meant to be here till Tuesday our boy is eight weeks old today.

Here are some milk drunk photos...

We've also uploaded some moving pics.

The "Eyes" Have It

2009-08-05T23:05:00.002+01:00

The eye test went well and wasn't as traumatic as we thought it would be. In fact true to form Angus slept through it all!

Typically we waited for 1hr 40 minutes then saw the consultant for 4minutes during which time she deemed his eyes to be fine.

The Boy Done Well

2009-08-04T16:17:00.006+01:00

Sorry it's been a while. Who knew having a baby at home, feeding every 2-4hours and needing nappies changed would be so tiring!! So hopefully you'll forgive us for the lack of writing and photos.

Well our boy has made great progress. We had a visit from the neonatal community team again yesterday. He pulled his feeding tube out (AGAIN!!) on Friday night and we decided to leave it since he had been breast feeding exclusively for the previous 48hours anyway. So we were a bit nervous about him being weighed. Thankfully he had gained 80g since Thursday an average of 20g per day which is spot on for the norm. So given that he had been exclusively breastfeeding for five days and that he now weighs 2.52kg he was discharged from the neonatal team. HURRAH for Angus!

So now we’re on our own....with the backup of the regular health visitor and GP of course....but YIKES!!!

We still have some follow up appointments to go. The first is tomorrow for his eyes. He is to get the retinopathy check although there was some debate about this at the hospital since the threshold is 32wks and he was born at 31+5. We gather it’s not terribly pleasant involving drops into the eye to dilate the pupil so that the consultant can view the retina. Not sure how Angus will take it since he’s not keen on being held down at the best of times!!

He is also due to get a hip scan later this month because he was breech and thereafter a neonatal follow up in September. Apart from that it’s over to us to get our little family settled into some kind of normality!

Meanwhile enjoy the photos below...

2009-07-15T22:33:00.000+01:00

Just a short update tonight as it’s late, had a sleepy day today though we had some more good breastfeeding early evening. Also had a weigh-in today and the boy has gained 68 grams making 2.098 kg or about 4lbs 10 ozs. We didn’t manage a stroll today but as they are concerned about swine flu at the hospital currently it’s probably as well that he stays where he is for the most part.

Enjoy

Today's Update

2009-07-13T23:01:00.001+01:00

Some more photos for your viewing pleasure, we had a good day today, the remains of our boy’s umbilical cord finally fell off leaving a nice neat belly button which we hope will heal over nicely. He was also weighed and is 2.03 kgs or about 4 ½ lbs which means we’re now up to 42mls of Mum’s milk every 3 hours. We had some good alert time out of the cot today and we may even go for a wee walk around the hospital tomorrow just to scare the living daylights out of Mum and Dad! Still having some problems with feeding which means he’s going to be in the hospital for some time to come but Angus is setting the pace so who are we to argue.

Update

2009-07-10T22:36:00.001+01:00

Another couple of photo albums, the wee man was weighed today and was a huge 1.952 kgs, roughly 4lbs 5 ozs which is over his birth weight and a nice milestone. We had a wee bit of a frustrating day today as he was very tired and wasn’t really interested in boob (how rude!). But this is only against yesterdays yardstick where he really performed well so it’s hardly surprising he was knackered today. He also had his naso-gastric tube replaced today which is just horrible for him and us so we’re still positive, looking forward to tomorrow.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alex.mo2005/Angus08Jul09?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alex.mo2005/090710Angus?feat=directlink

One More Step...

2009-07-09T05:44:00.004+01:00

We had a good day today at the hospital, Angus was taken of all monitoring this morning and as a result was able to be moved out of SCBU into the ominous sounding ‘Bay 5’ which is a sort of halfway house prior to us going home. Don’t get too excited yet though we still have a long way to go, we have to get feeding cracked and the wee man has to be able to regulate his temperature before we can take him home but they are all steps in the right direction. The other good news is that he’s still gaining weight, he was 1.88kgs today which is 4 lbs 2 ozs. He’s now getting 39 mls every 3 hours and seems to be tolerating it well, Mum has been able to keep up so far and we haven’t needed to resort to formula which is great. We also had to do a baby first aid class today which you have to do before you’re allowed to take your baby out of the ward which makes sense.

I’ve posted some more photos which are on Picasa here:

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/alex.mo2005/Angus08Jul09?feat=directlink

So, It’s a Boy... Apparently!!

2009-07-07T09:52:00.001+01:00

For anyone out there who doesn’t yet know we are now parents! Our son, Angus, arrived 8 weeks premature on 28 Jun 09. Needless to say events leading up to and since the birth have been such that writing about it has been pretty far from our minds. Fi’s waters broke whilst on a night away here (I blame the Mexican food!) and she was admitted to Pembury Hospital for observation. Despite being told that baby was breech and was now unlikely to turn everything was pretty calm at that stage and she and the baby were monitored regularly. The following day we were initially told that we would be kept in for 3 nights but after much pleading on my part (I only had one pair of socks!) they agreed to transfer Fi by ambulance with a midwife on board to Addenbrooke’s.

Again after admission to Addenbrooke’s everything seemed pretty calm for a few days, the monitoring continued and baby seemed fine though Fi had started to have more frequent and regular ‘tightenings’. On Friday morning these started to coincide with cramp like pains. Because of this she was moved to the delivery unit on Friday evening and had a fairly calm night though the tightenings began to increase in intensity. I slept on a camp bed on the floor just in case! During Saturday it became clear that the baby was going to arrive very soon and due to the breech positioning Fi would have to be sectioned so we had a succession of people coming in telling us what would happen to Fi and the baby (and me, I was to get scrubs!) once moved to theatre. As Saturday night progressed however the pain for Fi increased dramatically but the staff remained unconvinced that these were real contractions. Finally at around 2300 an obstetrician attempted to do an exam but couldn’t see anything, the reason for which became apparent when the midwife had a feel and felt a foot!

Things started to happen very quickly at that point and our boy was born, a footling breech at 0113 on Sunday, Fi had only had gas and air, she’s hard as nails! Our little boy was delivered onto Mum’s tummy but wasn’t breathing at that point so was whisked straight off to be worked on, the team of paediatricians got him going very quickly in the delivery room and he was then taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where we were allowed to visit him several hours later.

Angus is doing very well, his birth weight was 1.91 kgs (4.2lbs for the old school and colonials!) but they now think that this was skewed because of the equipment on him when he was weighed. His weight has just today crept back over 4lbs and we’re moving on up, Mum is managing to express loads of milk and we get to feed him through a tube, he is still being constantly monitored and we are aware that we’re not out of the woods by a long shot but things are looking very positive. He is going to be in the hospital for a while yet and leaving each day is very hard but he is being looked after by the most amazing people, which is very reassuring.

There’s so much more to say but I doubt anyone is still awake so I’ll cut it short there, occasional updates to come when we have the energy. In the meantime the Picasa albums are here, enjoy. Thank you so much for the kind words thus far.

I Do Like To Be Beside....

2009-06-20T22:41:00.003+01:00

We had a few days away last week.

We stayed here the first night and had a wander round the beautiful Burnham Market. Apparently it is affectionately known as "Chelsea by the Sea"....we did see a few Sloaney types walking around so as you can imagine we fitted in perfectly!! The hotel was great though, friendly staff, good food, lovely room.

We then drove a bit further round the coast stopping to admire a windmill and a couple of beaches on the way and stopped in Cromer and stayed here. A fantastic B&B with fabulous views of the beach and the coast. We got to stay in the suite on the top floor hence the night & day photos of the view. We ventured out the next morning and made it up to the lighthouse and back.....I even managed to stay awake all the way home too!!

Photos below.....

090618 Norfolk

29 Weeks Plump

2009-06-12T17:05:00.006+01:00

We had another scan yesterday and this is the best of the pics we got to take away....not such good quality as previous ones.....but then space is getting tight in there!

Apparently our little "Silver" is not so little after all.
With the combined abdominal circumference and femur length measurements they reckon he/she is already 3lbs 110z which is classed as "large for dates". As a result, Nikki will be delighted to hear, I have to go back for another glucose tolerance test....this time at the hospital where I get to drink a high dose of the horrible liquid glucose then have bloods taken over the subsequent two-three hours.

We may also go back for a further growth scan in four weeks.....watch this space!

But it's Friday...

2009-06-05T15:22:00.011+01:00

Thursday cake club was postponed this week. I was hosting and since I had not one but two appointments at the GP surgery yesterday I thought it would be easier all round to have it today.

This week I baked...

Apple and Cheese Scone Loaf - with apple, cheese, mustard and the secret ingredient.

And of course there had to be cake!

Coca-cola cupcakes...the icing went a bit wrinkly, no idea why, but they taste good! There might even be some left by Monday for a certain person getting home.

ps Oh and just in case you're worried about the GP appointments all is well. I had to go a for a glucose blood test which involved drinking this for breakfast an hour before they took blood...YUM! Then I was back in the afternoon to see the midwife who is very happy with everything.

Was That It?

2009-06-03T14:26:00.004+01:00

Summer is over as of today with the average temperature dropping back down to about 18degrees.

At least I got three days of sun and t-shirts....I'm now not quite as blue as I was last week. Although I'm sure I won't be able to compete with the hubster who has been dealing with temperatures of 45+!!

I'm now waiting for the wet stuff to arrive in time for him coming home.

28 Weeks Plump Today

2009-06-02T13:02:00.002+01:00

More Running buddies...

2009-05-26T21:27:00.004+01:00

You might remember my previous post about my friend Elsabet who ran the 2 Oceans race in Cape Town at Easter. You may also remember I mentioned her ambition to run three races this year and being thwarted in her attempt at the London marathon. She did however manage to run this wee race the other day. She finished 89km in 10hrs 27minutes.

Pretty amazing huh?
Next up she's hoping to join our other running friends in October here.

Keeping Busy

2009-05-22T12:53:00.006+01:00

Mmmmmh Cupcakes!

I've started a tradition (or perhaps better described as a habit) with a couple of friends here and we gather weekly for the Thursday Cake Club.

We take it in turns to host and usually try bake something but I have to confess this week I cheated with bought cakes from here...hence the fancy icing!

Not Quite The Weekend I Had Planned

2009-05-09T16:02:00.007+01:00

I thought this would be the easiest way to keep everyone update.

I ended up in Hospital on Friday as a result of a bleed.
The consultant was fantastic and admitted that she was being extra cautious but as my sis Ali says "Cautious is good. We like cautious." They checked all my vitals and then listened in to the baby's heartbeat....which took a while to find as it was busy getting it's groove on and wouldn't stay still!! A very good sign.

All seemed to be well though and despite a somewhat sleepless night in a single hospital bed on Friday night we got to come home yesterday and both "Silver" and I are fine. I've had two steroid injections in the rear (OUCH!) in order to assist baby should I for any reason go into premature labour and with no further symptoms we were sent home.

I should mention my fantastic neighbours who have been on hand to give me lifts and make sure I'm being fed without my having to do anything.....I'm very lucky to be living in this community.

We had a good sleep last night and I'm still being used as a punch bag on a regular basis so all seems normal.

Now for the rest of the weekend.....I foresee a lot of sitting in my immediate future and with my Ma coming down to visit (make me sit!) I don't imagine I'll be going out clubbing after all....Goshdarnit!

22weeks + 4days

2009-04-26T16:42:00.002+01:00

Bureaucracy Gone Mad

2009-04-24T17:28:00.005+01:00

You may remember my entry last year about my friend Elsabet who like some others we know is crazy enough to actually enjoy long distance running.

Her ambition for this year was to run three marathons.
She ran the first race the "2 Oceans" in Cape Town on Easter Saturday in a time of 5hrs 41mins. The next race was this one on Sunday and then this one on 24th May.

Sadly due to the inadequacy of processing of a visa she is currently stuck in Cape Town and not in London preparing for the race! Infuriatingly despite reassurances about timecsale neither the visa nor her passport have been sent to her. This apparently is due to a "global IT outage" which has resulted in the delayed processing of applications since 2nd April......Aaaaaaargh!!!

Our only hope is that she will be able to defer her race entry to next year and that when she finally DOES get her passport and visa back she'll at least be able to come over for a short holiday and not forfeit the previously booked and paid for hotel accomodation!

Good luck to all our other running friends and their associates who will be able to take part in their chosen races this weekend.

And....perhaps I've given some of you food for thought as to alternative future race locations that may have a slightly warmer climate than this one?

Rotten Apple™

2009-04-20T09:44:00.001+01:00

I’m not normally a big fan of Apple, I usually consider their products to be overpriced style-over-substance trinkets though I do like the iphone and the last time I was in an ULISWA I bought the ipod Shuffle to listen to whilst running because it’s small and the last thing I need is more weight when I’m waddling along! Unfortunately it packed in after about 6 weeks, refused to charge or play music, I got that one changed after a fashion and the second lasted about the same length of time, I took that one to the shop in Cambridge where they changed it there and then.

My third 2G ipod Shuffle is now going through it’s death throes and I am mightily miffed, so I have had it Steve Jobs, I need a very small reliable 1-2Gb mp3 player with a clip and yours, frankly, are crap. Suggestions for replacement very gratefully received.

Yesterday's News

2009-04-07T16:38:00.004+01:00

I know you will have seen the e-mail version but I felt I should post these on here.

Oh and Ian I'll thank you to keep your Mr Burns from the Simpsons comments to yourself!

Place Your Bets Ladies And Gentlemen!

2009-03-18T18:13:00.003Z

Thank you all for your well wishes lovely people.
We ARE starting to get excited now.

We did wonder how long it would take for anyone of you to mention the gender question!

We have early guesses at girl from Ian and Christine but Andy is opting for boy.

Any more takers??

Two Blue Lines

2009-03-17T18:07:00.008Z

We have to apologise for not having been in touch for a while but we’ve been a bit busy working on a special project that has been a long time coming to fruition.

The condensed story is that Alex and I have been trying for quite some time to create a Mini-Morrison all of our very own. Unfortunately we discovered that we are unable to so without medical intervention. We embarked on treatment in November and were surprised and delighted to have a positive pregnancy test. This, on our very first attempt is amazing and against all the statistics. We were even more delighted (if a little daunted) to be told at a very early 7 week scan that we had twins. Sadly despite being cautiously optimistic this was not to be. A further scan at 12 weeks revealed that what we thought was “Twin1” had in fact split to create identical twins in other words Triplets 1 & 2 and sadly they did not survive beyond 9weeks. Our silver lining was that “Triplet 3” was hanging in there, above average size, had a good healthy heartbeat, normal skull, spine, arms and legs and nuchal fold measurement.

As you can imagine we have had a worrying few weeks waiting to go for another scan which we did today and to our delight "No 3" is doing extremely well.

So we feel it’s only right to let you know and start to try and enjoy the fact.....that WE’RE 17 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!

Now all we have to worry about is the next eighteen years!

Finally some decent snow....

2009-02-02T20:41:00.010Z

For the first time this year we've had some proper quality snow overnight, you know the crunchy type that makes good snowballs and snowmen. Whilst the entire south east of England has ground to a halt we've been busy, not gently sliding into other road users but taking photos. Make the most of it because by tomorrow it will all be gone. Apart from these lot, who will probably be getting it big time tonight!

Be careful out there and don't forget to pack a shovel, several blankets, two complete sets of clothing, a Thermos flask, Belisha beacon, a St Bernard and a direct GPS guided link to HM Coastguard. Meanwhile, some photos of wintery silliness.

BRRRRR!!

2009-02-02T11:23:00.005Z

Yesterday

Today

I'm just sayin'

Cold Comfort

2009-01-11T11:23:00.007Z

We thought we sould get out of the house yesterday and go somewhere new. We decided on Thetford Forest which, when we looked online seemed like a lovely place to go for a walk.
It's only about 45 minutes drive from us and despite the -4 degrees temperature we decided to go anyway.

We got there and followed the signs for the Forestry Commission centre thinking we would park up and walk from there...and that there might be a place for a hot cup of something and maybe even a bite to eat when we got back. Our plan was thwarted by our refusal to be suckered into paying £7 for parking!!! Should you decide to park for up to one hour then it only costs £2 but for more than fours hours, in other words a day out, it was £7! At least the sign at the entrance warned us about the charges and that it was a one-way road with no going back. So after a swift u-turn we went on the hunt for a lay-by, which we duly found.

We headed off with many layers of clothing and walking boots, although the cold was still pretty bitter on our faces (the only bare skin exposed). The start was a little disappointing. We were hoping to reach the river but kept being diverted away from it on tracks or by Alex's biggest bug-bear (apart from paying for parking) - private roads! So we ended up at the edge of the vilage of Brandon amidst a housing estate. We carried on up to the High St in pursuit of some sustenance. We found a great wee coffee shop and had sarnies and tea and of course a bit of cake!

From there we headed off and found the river and had a lovely walk back along the river side in a big loop to a bridge and along the road back to the car. We even spotted some wildlife on the way back. In the end we walked about 10k not a bad effort.

Lang May Yer Lum Reek

2008-12-31T22:41:00.003Z

Happy New Year to you and yours whenever it comes wherever you may be.

Lots of love for 2009,
Fi & Alex...xxx

Fa la-la la-la, la-la la la!

2008-12-26T11:02:00.004Z

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We went for a walk yesterday that took a little longer than planned so we kinda mis-timed our dinner. So we sat down at 8pm to eat and Alex was too hungry to set up the tripod and get a photo of us both....so I'll have to do!

Dinner was delicious though. We had duck with a cranberry and cherry stuffing! Mmmmh!

Hope you all had a wonderful day.

Lots of Christmas wishes,
Fi & Alex...xxx

You Know Me and Bridges....?

2008-12-22T18:17:00.005Z

We went to visit St Ives last Saturday and it really is a lovely little town particularly the St Ives Bridge which dates from the fifteenth century.

Of equal note is the rather strangely named street we walked up!

If you do go to St Ives we heartily recommend the River Tea Rooms, particularly if it's absolutely Baltic outside!

'Tis The Season....

2008-12-10T19:11:00.005Z

We figured it was time for us to catch up with our fellow bloggers and get in the festive mood.
Although our fireplace leaves a lot to be desired and our advent calendar is not as exciting as some...

We have decked the hall...

...And trimmed the tree.

I think it needs more work, Alex thinks it's garish enough. What do you guys think??

The Littlest Morrison

2008-11-25T19:16:00.004Z

Ian & Nikki are on a whistle-stop tour of the UK and stopped off with us to introduce us to Alasdair. I'm sure they'll be updating their own blog at some point but here are some photos taken of the boy over the two days they were here.

The Boy Is Back In Town

2008-11-20T10:21:00.006Z

You can tell your husband is home after four months away when the drill comes out! And no for all you dirty-minded people that is not a euphemism or double entendre.

This was actually taken on Sunday but we've been busy getting the house ready for our Texan visitors on Friday.

There's No Place Like Home

2008-11-16T18:25:00.002Z

I'm home, my foreign excursion is over and I'm looking forward to 63 days off! Poor Fi!

I flew home on one of these and can strongly recommend it, frankly if your airline won't let you get your sleeping bag out on their planes, take your footwear off and crash out then you're roughing it.

You do have to wear ear protection though and the trolley service.... well there is no trolley service so maybe not for everyone.

A Decade Plus 1, Part1

2008-10-29T21:16:00.002Z

I just got back from a couple of weeks in Scotland.
It was Blair's birthday and we had a little celebration on the day.
The official party is on Saturday so there will probably be more to follow.

The Colour Purple

2008-10-09T18:03:00.008+01:00

Dear readers, some of you know how clumsy I can be.....no I'm not going to re-live the knife and the toe incident!

On said clumsy occasions I have been known to develop some cracking bruises. The multi-coloured legs in Nottingham are probably still my finest!

I know my latest injury is nowhere nearly as dramatic or painful as some and for the record I'd like it to be known that I in no way intend to divert your symapthies. I merely share my week with those bored enough or with the time to read it.

Instead of picking a fight with a tree, I had a minor disagreement, a spat, a quibble even with a fence and I actually won....
....but the bike pedal wanted the last word!

Indeed on day one it looked like I'd gotten away with a bit of a scratch....

But as experience should have taught me by now it takes a few days for true colours to really shine through!

It's not so much the bruise as the marks that exactly match the edge of my pedals!!!

I'm having an apple crumble to make me feel better.

Shut Yer Trap

2008-10-05T12:52:00.003+01:00

Our baby Venus Flytrap is FINALLY earning it's keep!
Apologies if any of you are squeamish!

Domestic Goddess...

2008-10-02T18:43:00.004+01:00

...or just stingy?!

When you're cooking for yourself food (especially fruit & veg) is a problem. You either have to eat it for every meal till it's done or it goes off.
So I've been experimenting with cooking in bulk and freezing stuff...

Butternut Squash Soup - deelish!

I also bought apples then discovered on getting home that I already had some! So....

Apple Crumble...individual sized!

Weekend

2008-09-30T14:42:00.003+01:00

I went a way for a few days last week and had two nights at a friend's place and one in a hotel....it was a struggle though not as rough as some!

I left on Thursday to go and visit a friend from Cyprus in Stroud. We had a lovely couple of days and the weather was even nice.

On Saturday I drove to High Wycombe to meet up with more friends from Cyprus. It was Harry's 18th and Julie's 40th so Harry and family came over from the sun and they had a joint party at Julie's house. There were other folk I knew from Cyprus there too so it was a lovely night....if a little cold in the garden!

Sorry hubster no photos of me since I was taking these again! Hayley may have some so if I get copies I'll post later.

All in all it was a lovely weekend catching up with people and returning on Sunday.

It's Raining Again!

2008-09-23T19:40:00.007+01:00

After a wondereful week (not quite) of having my boy home the rain has started.

I'm not sure what it says about us but we went to B&Q three times in three days...can you tell there was a list of stuff for Alex to do while he was home?

How we managed to have six days without the wet stuff amazes me. We even had heat at the weekend! Obviously not nearly to the levels of Cyprus or other eastern locations that shall remain nameless, but heat nonetheless. We both had shorts and t-shirts on and went for a great bike ride and then out in the garden. We managed to do a bit of planting...

We don't do borders or flower beds, with our transient lifestyle it's all in pots.
I'm not sure what to put in the large one, we had an olive tree in Cyprus.
Any suggestions would be welcome!

Alex doesn't believe it's been raining at all here (before or after his visit) so I attach the photo below as proof. I know it's not a patch on Ike but it's been pretty wet since 0530 yesterday when you left!

Hey la, hey la my boyfriend's back!

2008-09-17T11:10:00.001+01:00

I'm just sayin'

xxx

It's not easy being Green

2008-09-12T19:19:00.005+01:00

To travel into Cambridge my options are:

Get the bus from the village green for £5 day return
Drive 2 miles to the Park & Ride site and get the bus for £2.20 return
Get the train for £1.60 return (with a railcard so this is with discount) - although this involves either driving or walking half a mile to the station then walking for 30mins to get into the town centre at the other end

Is it me or is it just nuts that it costs me more to be environmentally friendly by not using the car?
Admittedly I could walk to the train station and have done on occasion but the walk at the other end is far from pleasant or fun in the p***ing rain!!

I'm just sayin'

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented. Edith Sitwell English biographer, critic, novelist, & poet (1887 - 1964)

2008-09-08T19:52:00.005+01:00

Good taste or bad you should try this.
Credit to Silversprite to whom I linked "stalkerella-like" from Ian & Nikki.
If you're interested in trying it out, please go to The Very Good Taste Blog for the rules and leave your comment.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros - Ian assures me his version made in our Nottingham kitchen counts
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding - I've been to Stornoway!
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns I take this to be Dim Sum
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail - does soup count?
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - never a meal proud to say!
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV - Not to my knowledge but then if I had would I remember? Apparently I have again thanks to IM!
59. Poutine - ashamed to say I've had the Uk version but not original
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - no but had tripe does that count?
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict - don't mention Cairns to Alex!
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. - not three star but one star here
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa - no just the plain old common variety without the roses!
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

(PS. The list has generated a lot of questions, so an FAQ has been created for it over here!)

I've eaten 51 out of the 100. Not bad for a lapsed vegetarian!!
I couldn't cross them out but the things I would never try are: phaal(I know my heat limits!), durian & umeboshi (I can't do smells), kaolin - dirt is not food!, fugu (food ain't worth dying for!), foie gras - on principle some I'm not sure that I'd be able to if faced with them...sweetbreads?! And many I know I'll never have the opportunity to.

How many have you had?

Ninjas are everywhere!

2008-08-30T14:35:00.006+01:00

A week ago we had a bit of a fancy dress night in the bar, my team decided to go as ninjas (obviously), we had grand plans to make a dramatic entrance but saltpetre is surprisingly difficult to get out here and in any case I thought better of setting off a small home made explosive in this particular location. We had a really great band from Tennessee in the bar and they really made the night. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Feel the fear...

2008-08-29T13:27:00.006+01:00

...and do it anyway. Susan Jeffers,1988

I came downstairs this morning to find this guy in the living room.

I expected him to strike up a conversation he was so huge! However before he got the chance to join in with my Callanetics (I laugh at your lotus bunny pah!), I overcame my fear, managed to get him in a VERY wide mouthed jar and took him outside.

I pointed him the direction of the shed.
Negotiations were brief: stay away from the bikes, deck chairs and gardening stuff and the place is yours.....sorry babe I can't vouch for the tools!

UPDATE
Following Iain's comment I'm adding this...

I know I should've taken a closer one with something next him or once he was in aformentioned jar....but he was on the move and anxious to get out the jar so I didn't get a chance!

Buttercup, don't break my heart (no really, don't!)

2008-08-23T12:19:00.004+01:00

I'm doing a bit more exercise whilst out here, I like to run 4 miles, row 2 km, cycle 10 km and do a few situps 3 times a week, work permitting. However this isn't for any great noble reason, I'm simply trying to offset the (occasional) intake of these which as you most of you will know I am addicted to.

Forunately they are difficult to get in the UK otherwise I would be what is diplomatically referred to as a 'larger gentleman'. Unfortunately they are freely (and I mean that literally, there are boxes of them in the dining hall!) available here. I figure I'll stop when my blood turns to sludge.

P.S. I'm not that bad, really!

Another Month Another Wedding

2008-08-22T21:49:00.003+01:00

I got round to uploading photos from the latest family wedding.

This time it was the turn of my cousin Christine and her partner Rob to tie the knot. They've been together for over ten years so they had an extra special chief bridesmaid and best man...their kids Ella and Mikey. The other best man was also a bit special, not only a friend of the groom for several years he's also brother to the bride and my cousin Graeme.

Birmingham Babes

2008-08-22T19:53:00.002+01:00

I went to Birmingham last weekend to go this exhibition.

I went with my mum and the "patchwork girls". I use the term girls loosely since I was the youngest there and the average age even with me and Paula (also in her thirties) was still around 60!

We all had great fun. Mum and I went to some workshops and I've come back all inspired to make more of my laundry bags and more! Watch this space.

It's Amaizing!

2008-08-14T22:25:00.006+01:00

Tacky title I know but hey it's late and I'm condensing about three entries into one here!

As you may know I was in Scotland recently but just before I went up Ali & Blair visited Cambridge. We had a couple of days of good weather. We spent one of them here. Photos below.

Thankfully my visit this time was to see family & friends and not to decorate. There were a couple of birthdays, a visit to St Andrews and some work done at mum & dad's house too.

Here are a few photos... Alison & Erik : yet again I cam to visit and we talked so much I forgot to take any photos!!! Remind me the next time.

Sign Of The Times

2008-08-13T19:10:00.003+01:00

My Internet connection crashed last night and still wasn't connecting this morning.... I felt like my right arm had been cut off...how sad is that?!

To be fair this feeling is due to two (I think perfectly understandable and reasonable) sets of withdrawal symptoms...
1. Mini Morrison updates (soooo cooot! to paraphrase Katie Jayne)
2. Communication with my far away boy.

It was said far away boy that solved the problem (rather embarrassingly) by phone from his desert location to assist me in suggesting how to rectify things....which, as you can tell, he did!

Thanks baby! I'd be in a technological abyss without you.
xxx

You know what this date means...

2008-08-07T21:43:00.002+01:00

I know there may be other Big! Exciting News!* happening elsewhere in the world but I'd like to wish my gorgeous boy a very happy birthday!

In the words of the blogosphere queen....
Happy --th Anniversary of your 30th birthday baby!

A bottle of this will be on ice awaitng your return when we will have your birthday tea.
You've got a bit of time to work out what you want on the menu!

Love you baby!
XXXX

Where's Alex gone?

2008-08-05T16:45:00.002+01:00

Well, hello everyone, here I am somewhere in the desert, it's very hot and humid, the hours are long, the food is.... strange and I have to drive on the wrong side of the road and actually stop at 'STOP' signs, also whenever a bus driver even thinks about putting his hazard lights on I have to stop 2 miles away for fear of running an excited individual over who just has to cross the road without looking.

Yes, you've guessed I'm living in a small American town in Qatar for reasons which I won't (or possibly can't!?) go into. I am enjoying the challenge of working with the Americans who have the most incredible can do attitude, I went to see a rather large gentleman last weekend for 8,000 litres of diesel and he apologised because I would have to wait until the next day! If this was the British I would have had to get ministerial approval and a letter from my Mum.

The scale of stuff here is truly amazing, have a look on Google Maps if you don't believe me. We have access to two gyms, two swimming pools and all the usual fast food places, so it's not too shabby really.

Anyway, hope to have more cryptic messages for you just as soon as I can think them up.
:-)

07 W.A.

2008-07-23T19:36:00.005+01:00

So it's Day Seven W.A. (Without Alex) and I'm doing OK.

I'm slowly coming out of my usual week long hibernation and starting to do normal things like going out to the shops with the 3-Dimensional people.

I'm not that bad....honest I've been working on house stuff namely getting rid of the wardrobe doors in our own room and trying to finish the spare room.

Good job I managed it....Ali & Blair come to visit tomorrow....Yipee!

See the attached for the house progress.

Always Late To The Party

2008-07-21T22:54:00.002+01:00

I promised an album from my cousin's wedding.....finally here it is!

What? A trip to Ikea without a domestic?!

2008-07-15T18:52:00.003+01:00

It's true! We actually had a trip to Ikea where we....didn't....have....a....fight!
I KNOW!
It's a miracle!

We did have a rather scary drive back on the motorway with a mattress on the roof rack.....not our best plan ever. We had to come off again pretty sharp when we realised that said mattress was bending up with the wind resistance and causing the car (and therefore us) to swerve a little alarmingly on the motorway. With large articulated lorries rushing past it was a bit hairy!

We made it off and into a lay-by where we had to unpack and re-pack what was a VERY full car! We got a few bemused looks from passing cars while we emptied out boxes, mattress and several household items including curtains on the ground while we wrestled a mattress into submission with straps and folded it in three to squash inside the car!
We got there in the end without any loss of temper....only my nerve at driving!

Thanks to the wonderful handy-work of Alex, the bed is now built. He even built on a "Morrison" adaptation: a shelf for lamps and bedside stuff since there is no space for a bedside table.
The room is a work in progress (as with the rest of the house) which Alex sadly will not see the end results of till he gets some time off in September. I will be working away on it though so he like you can watch this space.

Unless you come to visit...

A little bit of sunshine

2008-07-12T18:17:00.005+01:00

In the spirit of missing Cyprus and enjoying good food we cooked Kleftiko....in Cambridge.
We were blessed with the gift of a traditional Kleftiko pot from Alex's colleague Stasoula as a parting gift from work. Persuading the guy on the butcher counter at a well known supermarket (I have to shop there, there isn't anywhere else, but I ain't giving them readership!) to chop up a shoulder of lamb for us took some convincing. However the result was fantastic!

We're not in a huff!

2008-07-07T21:11:00.006+01:00

To follow in the footsteps of a much more experienced fellow blogger we felt we should explain why it's been quiet of late.

1. We left Cyprus - first with a bang (or bit of a party) with all our friends (sadly my camera ran out of battery so these are the only photos I have!)...then not so much a whimper but a calm four days in the sun with no work or packing to do staying some place nice.

2. We arrived in the UK - and were reminded how beautiful parts of the UK can actually be.

3. We went to another wedding - this time my cousin Gordon to Catriona on 23rd May. Lots of family and a good time had by all.

4. I then stayed in Scotland - and spent much more time than hoped cleaning, decorating and doing maintenance on our flat to get it ready for letting out. Still no tenants so if anyone has friends in Edinburgh looking for a flat to rent please direct them here where you can also see the finished results.

5. Alex joined me for the last week of June - and helped finish off the flat we then got to spend a bit of time with my family (photo to follow coz Blair took it and he's on holiday right now)

6. We spent half a day at the Scottish Parliament - mainly because I spent over a year working on specifying furniture for it before I was made redundant(2003) and never got to see the job finished. It was a bit disappointing to be honest. The bits I was most interested in are out of bounds to the public unless you pay £6.00 for the guided tour...maybe on my own but not something either of us were willing to hang around for.

7. We caught up with some friends.

8. We visited Janet & Angela in Stornoway - no photos but we had a lovely stay and meal out.

9. We took our time travelling back to Waterbeach - We stopped at St Andrews for one night, Newcastle at Malmaison and York at Hotel du Vin.
We indulged in nostalgia for my childhood by clambering on the rocks in St Andrews, saw the amazing Milennium Bridge in Newcastle(no trip with Alex would be complete wihout one bridge!) and the Angel of the North and then climbed York Minster.

10. We finally made it home and realised we had to start all over again with interiors which ended the week with a trip here but that's for another day!

A few photos of our 10 reaons.

Lucky For Some....

2008-06-13T19:26:00.002+01:00

Continuing on the train theme, I have been party to the good, the bad and the ugly(4hr journey from Glasgow to Edinburgh as mentioned by IM) in recent months and today's experience almost restored my belief....until...

I left our flat in Leith, caught a bus up town, got a train from Edinburgh to Glasgow that left on time, arrived on time and allowed me to connect with another train almost perfectly to get to my folk's house within 2hours of leaving.....then I realised today is Friday the 13th and the train left from platform 13!!

Coincidence?
I'm just sayin'

Fi...xxx

This is the age of the train... or is it?

2008-06-09T22:19:00.003+01:00

Okay my view of travel by rail has been tarnished a bit.

Shortly after I posted my comment on the previous entry yesterday we came to a grinding halt north of York. Because of a "buckled rail" caused by the 'heat ' yesterday trains weren't allowed to travel south of York so my train was cancelled, we were moved onto another, already full, train and we then had to wait for a driver who knew the alternative route via Leeds....... it's a railway line, you can't really take many wrong turnings, just keep it balanced on the silvery bits, stop at red, go at green!

All this meant I missed both my connections and didn't get under the eiderdown until well after midnight instead of the 9 pm I was expecting. And to top it all off, I spent the last hour of the journey staring at a poster which said

Cross Country Trains. Your journey, your way

Oh the irony!

Where's the sun!?

2008-06-06T12:24:00.006+01:00

I actually had rain dripping down my back on Monday underneath my clothes, what's that about!?

A wee update, we're now in and pretty settled though there are a few boxes kicking around that refuse to unpack themselves. Our removals from Cyprus arrived on the afternoon that we took over the house. We barely had time to take all that in when the stuff we'd put in storage arrived the following morning. Some people would say that if you've had stuff in storage for two and a half years you don't actually need it but we've now secreted most things away despite a shocking lack of wardrobe space (if you come and visit, you're going to have to drape your clothes over the door, sorry!) What surprised us was the amount of mirrors we have. Not really sure what that says about us but I don't think I like it. Anyway the house is fine and I've got my fridge back so I'm happy! Unfortunately our mower didn't cope very well with the trial separation, had a breakdown and we've had to split amicably, I've now gone for a racier model!

Cambridge and the surrounding area seems very nice if a little flat, it's incredibly green and fertile which is a huge contrast to Cyprus. The city is lovely with just about every nationality under the sun as you'd expect, what did surprise me was the amount of bikes, I mean I knew there would be a lot but I'm pretty sure they must breed or something.

Right now I'm on the train heading to Edinburgh to help Fi get our apartment ready to be rented again (did you know they had wifi on trains, I didn't!). Poor Fi has been working her socks off for the last two weeks and I think it's about time I pulled my weight.

Looks like I may have to go away with work for a couple of months sometime in July so the prose from now on will be Fi's and therefore much better than mine. Though I believe they have t'internet where I'm going so I may be able to stick my oar in occassionally. Forgot the photos of the house but we did take some so I'll try and get them up next week.

ADSL Envy

2008-05-18T22:07:00.006+01:00

A proper entry is coming we promise but I'm so happy with our recently connected broadband speed that I had to blog it.

Now I can finally contribute to the search for extraterrestrial life at a proper speed!

It's a fair cop

2008-04-25T15:19:00.003+01:00

So yesterday I received a letter from these clowns, from whom we hired a car to attend Innes & Susan's wedding, telling me that they were charging me a £35 admin fee for passing on a penalty charge notice from these muppets. The penalty charge notice was enclosed but I couldn't think what we could have done to deserve it.

On reading further it appears that we were caught, by a camera operator, contravening a 'give way to oncoming vehicles sign' at 2013 on Thursday 10 April 2008. Ian & Nikki were in the car at around that time but will have as much difficulty remembering it as we did..... given that the alleged incident took place here in Wolves Lane, London, N22, approximately 433 miles away from where we actually were!

As I'm sure you can imagine, we were pretty speechless....... I've finally managed to break through the space/time continuum after years of trying!

What makes it even better is that Enterprise have already taken their admin fee without asking me (to be fair it is in their T&C's) and so until I can prove I'm innocent I'm out of pocket by £35. I think that's how the legal system works in a civilised society, guilty until proven innocent.

Bikecam by proxy

2008-04-20T08:58:00.006+01:00

Here's a bikecam from a while ago, I am currently bike-less so am trying to live vicariously. Please humour me!

This is the second part of the previous vid. It's pretty rocky, so much so that the zip failed on my seat bag and my Leatherman tool fell out, so if you're reading this and found one, can I have it back please?

Enjoy

Material Girl

2008-04-16T10:41:00.006+01:00

I made a comment on Jen's Blog the other day which, with hindsight made me look more than just a little sad and extremely materialistic!
Unlike Jen who is an unashamed stiletto lover and doesn't care who knows it I do get pangs of embarrassment about my material ways. How did this come to be? What happened to the hippy student with long hair and Doc Martin boots(one pair!!!)? Is this a sign of getting older?

We are now half way through the process of moving.....it takes a while from here!

As you know from our previous post, we have been without most of our posessions including our lovely "superking-size" bed, washing machine & diswasher, pictures, crockery, cutlery, the majority of our clothing (and shoes!!!) and various other items for 23days now.
It has made us realise what makes our home a home* as well as highlighting what you can live without.

My name is Fi and I miss our stuff....there I said it!

*home - is it too sick making to say each other?

A Bit of A "Do"

2008-04-16T08:56:00.002+01:00

Since most of our readers also read Ian & Nikki's Blog you will be aware that we went back to Scotland for a wedding. Innes & Susie were married on Friday 11 April at The Caves in Edinburgh. It was a lovely day and even stayed dry (for some of it!!).

I do love an excuse to get dressed up and even more so when the guys get their kilts on.What is it about the kilt that gets men, who ordinarily won't go near, get up on the dancefloor? Must be something to do with all those swishing pleats!!

Finally some luvvie photos.

2008-04-15T17:53:00.003+01:00

We've been working out how to do this as well as having been in Scotland for a wedding. Please forgive the delay.

Such a Luvvie

2008-03-26T13:57:00.004Z

I've been "thesping" again!

Yes we know it's totally the wrong time of year for a pantomime, but we have been beset with various probelms, some of which are unique to our location....like the Dame being sent away for three weeks at the original performance dates....you can't argue with this particular boss.

Curtain up at 1730 Cyprus time......I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes!!

Fi...xxx

A Moving Experience

2008-03-24T18:03:00.005Z

As the few of you who read our blog know we are about to embark on another move...in six weeks time (YIKES!).

As a result we have spent our Easter weekend organising our belongings to ship back to the UK.
The packers arrived at 0815 this morning and got stuck in to wrapping and boxing up our goods & chattles. Most bizarre of all was the guy from Airdrie (a town of 36,000 people in the central belt of Scotland according to The Airdrie Page).

Alex got extremely anxious after about an hour of not being allowed to help or do anything. The anxiety all the more heightened by having to say goodbye to his bike for six weeks. Eventually one of the guys let him fill out the several pages of stickers to number and label all the boxes and parcels. So he was happy for a while.

So no more bike rides, bikecam, PC, Media centre PC (allowing us to pause or record live TV), pictures on the walls, steak done on the griddle or baking of cakes. No milk will be microwaved for my coffee nor teavana tea brewed, no dishes will be washed by machine (we're renting a washing machine for clothes...we draw the line!!)
but. worst. of. all.
............NO KING SIZE BED!!!

We said goodbye to all our comforts and the house looks very bare without them.

Apart from that we're doing OK.

Happy Easter everyone!

Photos to follow when I can work out Picassa uploading!!

In The Spirit of Friendship

2008-03-24T17:28:00.004Z

OK!OK! I know wine is not a spirit but I'm trying to be all clever with double meanings an' that!

My wonderful friend Elsabet has a bit of a running habit. She is both crazy and fit enough to run this every year. She ran it for the sixth time on Saturday and I'm sure at least two of our readers will be interested to know her result, a PB for her.

Since I am neither crazy (at least not in the same way!) nor fit I could not conceive of running in support. I chose instead to offer my support in a way best suited to me........that is to partake in a small libation of the same name.

Well done Elsa! I am, as ever, in awe of the fact that you can do this, in spite of running your own business and a home with four boys and a husband!

Fi...xxx

The return of bikecam

2008-03-19T12:15:00.003Z

Back by popular demand (well, Jen asked for it) a bloke riding down rock strewn paths on a bike that, it will prove a month or so later, just isn't up to the job.

Enjoy

This is getting ridiculous

2008-03-16T11:38:00.003Z

I think my bike is trying tell me something.... I just don't know what it is.

Spot the obvious omission in the photo below, this has never happened to me before.

Maybe it knows it's going for a long sea voyage in just one weeks time (Eek!) and is trying to garner a sympathy vote.

That Was The Week That Was

2008-03-12T14:37:00.007Z

With the hubster's stereotypical posts last week when I was away I was trying to think of something girlie to blog about.....but it's not really me so here's a run down of last week.
I had to go back for my final management meeting for HIVE and managed to tag on a couple of days in Glasgow with the folks. Brownie points gained for arriving on Mother's day were immediately lost when I realised I'd left the card at home in Cyprus! Blame the twenty minutes early taxi driver taking us to the airport!!
The plan was for some shopping and quality time with Ma & Pa, Sis & Nephew. The hoped for shopping trip on Monday was nearly scuppered by the snowfall in the morning. Yes I said snow! not unheard of in Scotland in March but still...I'm a wimp these days so it was pretty damn cold! When I can work out how to transfer my phone photos I'll post them.
We braved it anyway and went out for a wander....thought I disappointed myself by not buying anything. (Hubster wants to know where his real wife's gone!) Spent some time with Blair, who was great fun and had some interesting ideas on improving global warming (for another time), then had dinner with sis.
I spent Tuesday in Glasgow town centre looking for a wedding outfit...again without much success! (I'm getting worried about myself!)
Wednesday was travelling to Salisbury...a place I've never been. Lovely cathedral, old mill and town buildings...again photos on the phone.
Dinner with colleagues (lovely) and a day of meetings (not worth mentioning) then travel back Friday.
Arrived home at 6pm to rush around get changed and glammed up for our friends Jo & Rob's leaving "do". It was suit & tie for Alex, long dress and a shot of caffeine for me! Photos below. It ended up being a great night if a little long as proven by the tired & emotional state we found ourselves in on Saturday. Things improved somewhat with the presentation of a cup later in the evening.

I'm on my last working day tomorrow with handover to my successor for four days next week...then freedom!

Eh!?

2008-03-04T18:37:00.003Z

Continuing in the vein of ranting at things that don't work properly (hands up if you can tell Fi is away for the week!)

Those people who, for reasons known only unto themselves, read this blog, will know that I'm something of a computer geek but the VOIP phone I purchased about a year ago has given us no end of trouble including cutting out, suddenly disappearing altogether and randomly throwing a tantrum and deciding that actually it totally hates that Skype thing and will not play with it ever again. I recently reinstalled Vista on our home machine (I like it even if no-one else on the planet does, including Microsoft it seems) and when I came to install the phone I got this message....

Maybe Linksys are in cahoots with MS and this is a ploy to make us buy Windows Kahuna or whatever the next edition will be called. In any case, does anyone want to buy a phone? Only those people with time travelling abilities need apply!

Titanium my foot!

2008-03-01T09:37:00.004Z

This is a Bontrager Race Lite CRZ saddle, it is light, comfortable, has titanium rails and retailed for £40 when I bought it 6 months ago... it is also crap. I'll admit I ride fairly hard and I'm not exactly svelte but it's titanium, they make rockets out of this stuff, surely it can carry my lardy behind around for a couple of years without shearing but apparently not.

Chris Bontrager, if you're reading this, I'm not buying your saddles any more. Should you wish to send me something to make me feel better I may consider but right now I'm taking my business elsewhere!

A Dozen Red.....

2008-02-15T08:43:00.004Z

....gerbera, my favourite flowers from my husband for Valentines day. Even though I didn't get him anything....Think I need some lessons from Jen!
Thank you baby!

(Tarnished) Silver Linings

2008-02-08T09:15:00.000Z

I can't believe it's been exactly one calendar month since our last entry......that really is a lapse!

But while others have been having babies, cooking great food and bedding bunnies, our lives have kinda been on hold due to illness.
We both came back from our festive trip to Scotland with flu like symptoms and just as they were clearing I got a stomach bug that knocked me for six.
The colour of the cloud lining refers to the fact that being unable to eat as much as I usually do for almost three weeks means that I've lost a bit of weight and therefore kick started my New Year's diet!

....and a Happy New Year!

2008-01-08T13:13:00.000Z

We're back home and (slowly) recovering from our travels and the hideous flu type bug kindly passed on by IM. He was always so generous at Christmas time.
A great time was had in Glasgow with the Campbells & Bellamys. Thanks to Ma&Da Campbell for putting us up, to Ali for cooking & hosting the Christmas dinner and to Graham for providing the turkey.
We managed to cram in three visits in Fife in one day to the MacLeods, the Langskaills and the Munros before dashing back across the M8!
Sorry to all that it was such a short time spent and thanks for your hospitality.
We then spent a few days in Stornoway with the entire Morrison clan shoehorned into No17.
Thanks to "Ganny", hope the washing machine's recovered!

We've uploaded some photos.

Finally a huge thank you to all for the generous gifts.

A very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year to everyone.
Fi & Alex...xxx

Merry Christmas...

2007-12-25T10:49:00.001Z

... to everyone. Not white in Glasgow unfortunately.

Okay, let me at those Brussels sprouts!

Have a great day everyone.

xxxx

You're so (Ben) Vane

2007-12-24T09:40:00.000Z

I walked up Ben Vane yesterday making it my 21st Munro. The conditions were beautiful for climbing what is my last easily accessible (from Glasgow) Munro. There were actually lots of other people out as well including a father and son who intended to camp out overnight. That's one way of getting out of Christmas shopping I suppose! Very icy at the top with a strong north westerly blowing.

I do collect Munro's but to call me a Munro bagger would be to do a disservice to all those people who take it seriously. I have done 20 in 8 years, at this rate I'll have done them all by the time I'm 140 years old! Though in my defence not living in the UK does make it more difficult.

Walking in Scotland does attract a certain person, you must be an eternal optimist and also slightly insane as the photo below will testify.

Of course what this means is that I will now have to go further afield to satisfy my desire to climb the high mountains. Think I'll get a warm sleeping bag for Chrimbo.

A Further Anniversary of a 29th Birthday...

2007-12-17T19:20:00.000Z

....I'm just not saying how many!
We've had a lovely day, mainly because we were not at work! I received the perfect gift from my lovely husband who knows me better than most.
Can you guess what we will be dedicating one day a month to next year??

In the words of Cliff....

2007-12-09T16:25:00.000Z

Christmas time! Mistletoe & Wine....Well not quite not mistletoe and after a weekend of excess probably no wine for a while. We have decorated the house though.
We actually did it last weekend but since I was back in Blighty for work and Alex up to his eyeballs working here neither of us got round to blogging it!
I'm enjoying seeing all our fellow blogger's decorations...those that have put any up that is!
See our photos. This is our first attempt at using a Picasa album, but we got there in the end.

Christmas Time

On The Road Again....

2007-11-28T12:53:00.000Z

Well folks the time has come around already and we're on the move again.
Not quite yet, we're here till the end of April/early May. It's back to England for us (unfortunately). This is where (roughly).

I suppose we should look on the bright side at least we'll be a bit closer to you all.

	Cyprus	Cambridge
Houston	6865.77 miles	4853.90 miles
Fort Worth	6774.86 miles	4765.01 miles
Stornoway	2418.41 miles	484.84 miles
Glasgow	2281.59 miles	309.56 miles
Stonehaven	2241.41 miles	337.71 miles
Edinburgh	2238.46 miles	286.51 miles

Elfin' Funny

2007-11-24T17:59:00.001Z

I'm not one to celebrate Christmas too early...indeed being a December baby I was a real pain to my parents as a child insisting that the tree didn't go up until after my birthday. Given that it's only a week before this did not make it easy to find time to put up and decorate the tree with everyone working & going to school. Sorry guys!!
That said my kooky American friend Debbi starts celebrating as soon as Thanksgiving is over, in fact she enthusiastically celebrates all holidays and has a wardrobe for each! We worked together in Glasgow and I remember not one but several (tens of ) Christmas jumpers as well as sock, tights, earrings and even shoe clips with holly, parcels, candy sticks and any other symbol of the season of good cheer.
Telling then, that with Thanksgiving celebrated on Thursday, I received a link to an elfin' funny website on Friday......take a look and tell us what you think.

Jen: I know we've been gone too long and need to come back to the blogosphere. We've missed ya'll too! Congrats on the Llama!

Fi...xxx

Xmas is coming...

2007-10-30T14:35:00.000Z

...and I need funds! Anyone want a much loved camera which has been overtaken by the digital age?

Green and pleasant land

2007-10-23T17:31:00.000+01:00

Definitely green but not pleasantly warm!

Farm Track

2007-10-17T16:57:00.000+01:00

This is pretty flat, but quick with some good opportunities to get airborne. I really like this stretch.

Blogger Video or Youtube

2007-10-06T09:15:00.000+01:00

I've noticed that the last Bikecam vid posted to Youtube was badly pixellated. I'm going to post the same one via Blogger. Which do you think is better?

Don't Go Too Close to the Edge!

2007-10-01T18:45:00.000+01:00

Here's some proper Bikecam for you, this one involves a heck of a slog to the top but the downhill is well worth it. Enjoy.

Fork off

2007-09-29T16:27:00.001+01:00

Fi spent the day shopping today so I decided to be all blokey and stripped my forks down. I'd been meaning to do it for ages and was a bit daunted but as it turns out it wasn't too bad.

Once the two parts are separated it's just a case of getting the springy bits out (if I'm losing anyone just say) and giving them a wipe.

And incredibly, it all went back together! We'll see if it all falls apart and kills me at a crucial moment!

Below is a bikecam vid with a twist, it's an uphill bit just to restore some balance in the universe, normal service will be resumed very shortly.

Oops!

2007-09-23T12:29:00.000+01:00

I'm usually pretty careful about suntan lotion especially living in this climate, but yesterday I forgot to top up. See below!!

Interflora eat your heart out....

2007-09-18T13:48:00.000+01:00

I'm a Scottish Islander so I like to say it with spuds!

And who said romance was dead!

Avoid those manholes

2007-09-16T12:33:00.000+01:00

More bikecam, a short one this time but quite technical and you really don't want to hit those manholes! Enjoy.

Grammar!!

2007-09-13T15:24:00.000+01:00

So tripadvisor finally posted my review which is great except that for some unknown reason I've put a 'you're' where I should have put a 'your', which is my one pet hate (well I have several but you don't need to know the rest). I'm off to flagellate myself.

2007-09-11T14:54:00.000+01:00

I had to sign up to tripadvisor recently to post a glowing review of the hotel we stayed in whilst we were in Dubai (It should be up shortly, apparently they have a VERY rigorous checking system!) One of the things I like is that you can stick pins on a map to track the places you've been to. In some ways it's quite depressing though, you quickly realise there's a lot of world and you haven't been to a lot of it. It's called 'Travel map', check it out here.

On a separate note we went back to Ta Piatakia on Saturday to celebrate Rob's birthday. Happy birthday Rob, older and wider! Also we bid farewell to Jo's mum and dad who head back to New Zealand shortly. We wish you a safe journey

And here it is on Youtube

2007-09-06T12:05:00.000+01:00

For comparison