Sunday, December 2, 2012
Googlewhacked
One of the reasons I have not been blogging or posting recently is that Google are trying to charge me for more photo space.........well thanks Google, you're the best. Not.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
The Olympics
So, about ten years ago we applied for Olympics tickets.......we got badminton, judo and dressage. We also used air miles to pay for some of the flights which helped - and we stayed with Katie's sister in Hampstead which was a real bonus - good company and free lodgings in one of the most sought after areas of London town.
Anyway, they promised travel chaos and terrorism would be events but there was none of that - there was just pure, well organised, action at all times - it was fantastic. the volunteers were absolutely amazing and every single thing was organised to within an inch of its life. Well played London.....
What a great way to finish the summer holidays - it's been an adventure getting tickets and finally getting to go but we are so glad we did, it's been amazing. Roll on the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014.
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| Badminton at the Excel |
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| not one of the players although he is smashing....ha....ha...ha... |
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| the high octane Diana memorial fountain... |
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| In front of the triathlon course.....the peak age is usually 35 for triathlon....I'm almost still in with a shout. |
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| Hyde park for some hockey and some Wiggins. |
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| Judo at the Excel. The day Gemma Gibbons won Silver. |
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| A judo player with Doctor Evil. |
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| Gibbons gets the medal.. |
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| Strictly Horse Dancing. |
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| Apparently they all do the same bloody routine!!! |
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| Rounding off the week with Fat Freddy's Drop at the HMV forum. |
What a great way to finish the summer holidays - it's been an adventure getting tickets and finally getting to go but we are so glad we did, it's been amazing. Roll on the Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2014.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Portugal - The Algarve
However, after the last two years when I had no clue what was happening during the next school term it is nice to finally be able to have a well earned relaxing holiday in the sun.
So off we went to the Algarve on a Thomson's holiday - I'll be honest, I was filled with a wee bit of dread. Especially because the place we booked was in a resort that really had little life about it. But the Hotel had very very good reviews, had a huge pool and a gym - isn't it sad as I hurtle towards 40 that these things are quite exciting for me?
We flew from Manchester which saved us a bit of cash and to be honest a 3 hour car drive is no big deal when you go to Carradale all the time.
Everything was going really smoothly until we arrived at the check in desk (3 hours early). The guy was happy to check us in but my passport was due to expire in two weeks...I had known this in advance and had done some furious checking and was of the opinion that as long as it was valid on the day of travel and valid for the duration of the holiday then it would be ok....but the wee guy made a big deal of it and passed it to his supervisor who then had to phone someone else to check, ignoring my please of "ehm, I've checked with the Commonwealth Office and it's fine by the way."
Anyway, she finally found out that in fact I was right (as usual) and they allowed me passage to Portugal...so they holiday could begin.
And begin it did, I'll spare you all the details but champagne on arrival, half board with a gluten free menu to die for and a resort that had everything - it was just what we needed.
A highlight of the trip was the fact that Ewen and Andrea and our Goddaughters happened to be down the coast at the same time and we were able to catch up with them twice during the stay. Made a great holiday even better.
Some other highlights of the trip?
* Magret (sic) from Airdrie who was out tour rep - at the welcome meeting she offered us the chance to join Magrets resort ramble. As Katie had fallen asleep during the meeting I suggest that we had had enough rambling from the lass from Airdrie.
* Managing to do three 10k runs and two gym circuit sessions during our ten days (didn't I say I was sad now I am old?)
* The unbroken sunshine for 10 whole days.
Here are some photos....
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| after a day at the water park it appeared that I had been held onto for longer than I thought by Niamh. |
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| Niamh is not scared |
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| The beach near Olhos D'agua |
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
The Derby 2012
Yet again our excellent friends Noan and David invited us down to Southampton for an amazing day out at Epsom Downs racecourse. This year was made extra special for a number of reasons....
1) We originally thought we wouldn't be going.
2) Steph couldn't drink beer and had to watch what he was eating.
3) We won a wee bit of money!
4) It was wee Betty's jubilee and she was in attendance - and even drove around the racetrack before the races.
So we did our usual and got the flight down to Southampton and met David at the airport - from then on it was non stop hilarity (and drink) for the whole weekend.
On the Friday we had a barbecue out in the park and played some quoits (like last year) and then we sat up far too late before retiring to gather our thoughts and dream of winning a million from a £3 stake on a horse we had never heard of before,
The day itself was very much along the lines of last year - charity auctions, guest presenters etc.
We had a great time though and couple of people asked us for our autographs....
I gave this guy some career advice
Before explaining the benefits of a classic floating 5-3-2 to this guy.....
1) We originally thought we wouldn't be going.
2) Steph couldn't drink beer and had to watch what he was eating.
3) We won a wee bit of money!
4) It was wee Betty's jubilee and she was in attendance - and even drove around the racetrack before the races.
So we did our usual and got the flight down to Southampton and met David at the airport - from then on it was non stop hilarity (and drink) for the whole weekend.
On the Friday we had a barbecue out in the park and played some quoits (like last year) and then we sat up far too late before retiring to gather our thoughts and dream of winning a million from a £3 stake on a horse we had never heard of before,
The day itself was very much along the lines of last year - charity auctions, guest presenters etc.
We had a great time though and couple of people asked us for our autographs....
I gave this guy some career advice
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| Alan was sacked from Celtic the very next day.....ooops. |
Before explaining the benefits of a classic floating 5-3-2 to this guy.....
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| Alan Pardew may be able to pass my tips on this year to the Newcastle team. |
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| Katie and Andrew get excited when the food arrives. |
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| Noan and Chris pretend to know what they are doing. |
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| Katie returns with our winnings |
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| She adds a few zeros before telling Noan how much we won. |
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| it's the jubilee! |
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| I love you man. No man, I love you. |
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| Winning. |
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| No, I've not put on the beef, this is Steve Backley. |
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| The end of the night is a bit blurry. |
Monday, August 6, 2012
Everything is wonderful
Everything is wonderful - apart from the fact we have no internet in the house.
So I am currently sitting in a Beanscene people watching, trying to upload photos on what I am pretty sure must be a dial up internet connection and I thought I would update the blog. Probably no pics in this post but we've had lots happening lately and what I will do is return to this post in the very near future and make it much more visually interesting by inserting photos where required.
Last time I wrote it was all about moving house again, well it finally happened. and here it is....
(pics to follow)
It's in Shawlands and at the very top of a big tenament block - glad we don't suffer from vertigo. We had no real problems with the move other than logistics but let me take you back a couple of weeks in order to fully appreciate the nightmare logisitics of the situation.
We had to move out on the 1st of June. However we were flying out to Southampton to return to the Derby races extravaganza with our friends David and Noan on the 31st of May (more about the Derby later) - so all of our stuff had to be out of the house before we left........problem was, there was nowhere to move it to.....our new place wasn't going to be ready for us moving in until the 9th of June.
So, we scattered our possessions all across the city and beyond. There were boxes in our cars, boxes at my parents, we had stuff in a lock up in Paisley, boxes at my school and various expensive items hidden in a variety of more secure locations.
The mission? After a drunken weekend return to Glasgow, find places to stay then try to remember where all of our stuff was then move it into our new place on the 9th.
We returned from Southampton on the 2nd and Noan had very kindly given us a key to our house in North Queensferry which we very gladly accepted. We stayed round the corner from Gordon Brown for three nights then relocated to Motherwell (Carfin!) where our great friends and Godchildren live. They looked after us for the next three nights, which was great. I should point out at this time that we are extremely grateful to everyone who helped us either by giving us a bed or helping to store our possessions.
We moved in on the Saturday and hired a van, but Katie was the only one who knew where her paper licence was so she had to be the driver. So we bought her a copy of The Sun, a coke and a Gregs.
Everything is fine with the new flat and at the time of completion of this post we now have internet and Sky HD......but no television.......that comes tomorrow........two months after we moved in!
So I am currently sitting in a Beanscene people watching, trying to upload photos on what I am pretty sure must be a dial up internet connection and I thought I would update the blog. Probably no pics in this post but we've had lots happening lately and what I will do is return to this post in the very near future and make it much more visually interesting by inserting photos where required.
Last time I wrote it was all about moving house again, well it finally happened. and here it is....
(pics to follow)
It's in Shawlands and at the very top of a big tenament block - glad we don't suffer from vertigo. We had no real problems with the move other than logistics but let me take you back a couple of weeks in order to fully appreciate the nightmare logisitics of the situation.
We had to move out on the 1st of June. However we were flying out to Southampton to return to the Derby races extravaganza with our friends David and Noan on the 31st of May (more about the Derby later) - so all of our stuff had to be out of the house before we left........problem was, there was nowhere to move it to.....our new place wasn't going to be ready for us moving in until the 9th of June.
So, we scattered our possessions all across the city and beyond. There were boxes in our cars, boxes at my parents, we had stuff in a lock up in Paisley, boxes at my school and various expensive items hidden in a variety of more secure locations.
The mission? After a drunken weekend return to Glasgow, find places to stay then try to remember where all of our stuff was then move it into our new place on the 9th.
We returned from Southampton on the 2nd and Noan had very kindly given us a key to our house in North Queensferry which we very gladly accepted. We stayed round the corner from Gordon Brown for three nights then relocated to Motherwell (Carfin!) where our great friends and Godchildren live. They looked after us for the next three nights, which was great. I should point out at this time that we are extremely grateful to everyone who helped us either by giving us a bed or helping to store our possessions.
We moved in on the Saturday and hired a van, but Katie was the only one who knew where her paper licence was so she had to be the driver. So we bought her a copy of The Sun, a coke and a Gregs.
Everything is fine with the new flat and at the time of completion of this post we now have internet and Sky HD......but no television.......that comes tomorrow........two months after we moved in!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Crazy times
I'll skip the bit I usually put on posts these days, apologising for the lack of posts and promising future posts......it's getting really dull, but then again, so is the lack of posts.
So, here is a post....With info and everything and some photos - how exciting.
Firstly, it is a big congratulations to myself for finally getting a full time permanent job - it's in the school I am currently in and they have very kindly started my contract immediately which means I get paid for some of the summer twice (I suppose if you move from one job to the next and are owed holidays then you get paid for them). So that's also allowed us to book a holiday - we are off to a secret location in Portugal. So secret in fact that we've just found out our good friends Ewen and Andrea, with our Godchildren, will be there at the same time.
Secondly, we are in the middle of a heatwave here in Scotland - this makes a big chncge from the usual crimewave. This week people have been burning to a crisp, bursting open fire hydrants, dying in ridiculous accidents, drinking all day and generally getting nothing done. Some girls in my school complained that it was too warm to do PE - I asked them what the optimum temperature for PE is because they complain when it is mild, complain when it is cold and complain if it is dry. I should have copied the picture above from the BBC last week when it forecast a whole week of sun - i didn't because I was so sure it was a mistake.
Third thing, and this is a doozy, is that we are on the move again! Not to anywhere exotic unfortunately just further into Shawlands. Our landlord has had to move back from London which has kicked us out, the flat we'd like to move into can't have us move in until the 9th of June. But we have to be out of our current accomodation on the 2nd. Further confusing the matter, we are going to the Epsom Derby again this year, leaving on the 31st of May. So we are packing up our stuff and moving out on Wednesday the 30th. Flying to London, returning on the Sunday (3rd) and then we'll be homeless until the following Saturday. It's a wee bit like being back in NZ again.
Oh, and to top it all off - the people who are currently renting our flat are on the move too - but not until July so we can't even just seamlessly move back into our own flat. On the bright side, if our current tenants don't steal all our furniture, then it will be a good time to get in and get our stuff back.
What else is new? Hmmm, it's hard to pin point anything else in the middle of what we are dealing with at the moment but we did go to Paris a couple of weekends back for my Mum's 60th. We had a great time, my brother and his new squeeze came along and it was all in all a trip de magnifique or something like that.
So, that's that for now but we have quite an exciting few months coming up - in fact it's an exciting year. Definitely one that's worthy of regular blog updates......but I'm not promising anything.
So, here is a post....With info and everything and some photos - how exciting.
Firstly, it is a big congratulations to myself for finally getting a full time permanent job - it's in the school I am currently in and they have very kindly started my contract immediately which means I get paid for some of the summer twice (I suppose if you move from one job to the next and are owed holidays then you get paid for them). So that's also allowed us to book a holiday - we are off to a secret location in Portugal. So secret in fact that we've just found out our good friends Ewen and Andrea, with our Godchildren, will be there at the same time.
Secondly, we are in the middle of a heatwave here in Scotland - this makes a big chncge from the usual crimewave. This week people have been burning to a crisp, bursting open fire hydrants, dying in ridiculous accidents, drinking all day and generally getting nothing done. Some girls in my school complained that it was too warm to do PE - I asked them what the optimum temperature for PE is because they complain when it is mild, complain when it is cold and complain if it is dry. I should have copied the picture above from the BBC last week when it forecast a whole week of sun - i didn't because I was so sure it was a mistake.
Third thing, and this is a doozy, is that we are on the move again! Not to anywhere exotic unfortunately just further into Shawlands. Our landlord has had to move back from London which has kicked us out, the flat we'd like to move into can't have us move in until the 9th of June. But we have to be out of our current accomodation on the 2nd. Further confusing the matter, we are going to the Epsom Derby again this year, leaving on the 31st of May. So we are packing up our stuff and moving out on Wednesday the 30th. Flying to London, returning on the Sunday (3rd) and then we'll be homeless until the following Saturday. It's a wee bit like being back in NZ again.
Oh, and to top it all off - the people who are currently renting our flat are on the move too - but not until July so we can't even just seamlessly move back into our own flat. On the bright side, if our current tenants don't steal all our furniture, then it will be a good time to get in and get our stuff back.
What else is new? Hmmm, it's hard to pin point anything else in the middle of what we are dealing with at the moment but we did go to Paris a couple of weekends back for my Mum's 60th. We had a great time, my brother and his new squeeze came along and it was all in all a trip de magnifique or something like that.
So, that's that for now but we have quite an exciting few months coming up - in fact it's an exciting year. Definitely one that's worthy of regular blog updates......but I'm not promising anything.
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