Played at OOTB for the first time in ages on a hot, thundery airless night in the CG Cellar Bar. We played “In a garden of music” and “Not pretty”, we were both on the wrong side of relaxed and I couldn’t get my little drum machine set up in the short time we had so though there were no mistakes it wasn’t quite what we’d hoped for. I was also the reviewer so I recorded the proceedings as they ran, the result will appear on the OOTB website and in 100000 emails in a few days. My own concentration was low on the night also, a few hours before I’d found out that another grandchild was on the way, taking the current count up to four. Multiplication is a wonderful and mysterious thing and since I heard the new I’ve thought of little else than the new baby who’ll appear some time in 08. Has it been raining at all?
Friday.
A posse of children arrived and the house has been buzzing. Early experiments with food mathematics were abandoned as curry and rice consumption and pizza and chips shovelling reached new heights. Fortunately a few bottles of house red were on hand to dilute various sundry poisons and the like.
Saturday.
The sun shone the grass grew and bbq was lit and more food formulas duly explored. Things went exponential when a driving test was passed and an unexpected engagement was announced (Not Ali & I!). Champagne was the order of the day and a van load of congratulations go to new driver Gillian and the happy couple Kate and Les (minders of a brace of cute kittens we are inheriting shortly), whatever you get in happiness you more than deserve. Out of the heat of the moment, why is itunes such a pain to work with?
Sunday.
More food, more sun and an impromptu visit to Edinburgh Zoo. In a kind of nostalgic way I enjoyed pushing a two child buggy up the 100% hill that forms the Zoo’s Alpine spine leading to wolf country, zebra land and a cute exhibition of mobile phone masts in their natural environment. From the top of the zoo-hill Edinburgh and those Pentlands never looked lovelier and in the Stripes Café hot dogs were never more expensive or tasteless. I also admired Fraser’s legacy of the wild exotic plants sprouting from all corners and the penguins on parade almost made me want to apply for a 6 month job in the Falklands. T in the Park brought the quote of the week from my son regards the antics of the Gossips’ Beth Ditto: “You can’t smoke a fag on the stage but you can act and look like that?!” The world’s gone Fratelli mad and quite rightly but at least I missed the Skids.
Monday.
A pleasant blur of work, Nintendo Wii golf (3 birdies to me), various alcoholic drinks, massive amounts of pizza for the kids and grandkids and Cameron Diaz and Julia Roberts in “My best friend's wedding” on Film 4. I also booked a chocolate fountain for my own daughter’s wedding, now only a few panic filled weeks away and my son-in-laws stag night/weekend in Newcastle beckons. I may have watched a lost episode of Father Ted later in the evening but who cares?
Tuesday.
More mayhem with the garden, grandchildren and the Wii and other children of various ages. I made nachos but not in the form of a nacho hat a la Homer Simpson – conventional but with bigger beans and flavour. I slept soundly but a head cold is hovering and there is no known cure.
Wednesday.
I leave my job of Friday (in Oxford tomorrow and starting afresh on Monday) so today I received a bottle of Benromach single malt and pirate copy of Shrek 3. I truly have the best colleagues in the world - sometimes. Tonight I am exhausted.