11th July - Jeannie...

It has been an absolute age since I last published a post - sorry! Steve and I have been doing many things - mainly working but having a nice time as well!

Three weeks ago I went down to Northampton to visit some family. It was great to get away from the city and be in a home again. Also, the south is warmer - I know I should know this already but was struck by how mild it was when I got off the train in the middle of the night.

It was largely a sleepless weekend, but incredibly enjoyable! On the Saturday I took Ellie and Matthew to the park. We played football, went to the 'seaside' and made some new friends. Three year olds are very friendly! That afternoon we went walking. It was very beautiful, very English. We all got stung by stinging nettles - I had forgotten just how vicious they are - the boys were valieantly beating them with sticks to punish them for hurting us.

Saturday evening we had a barbeque - now I insist on calling it this because it really isn't the same thing as a South African Braai in many ways:

1. The meat consists of sausages and burgers.
2. It is not done in a big, rusted upside down drum or a hole in the ground - certainly no flames were seen.
3. No one took their shirt of.
4. There was no smelly wood smoke.
5. There was actually next to no smoke at all.
6. No one was drinking Klippies and Coke or castle.
7. There wasn't a Dog trying to steal escapee meat from the fire.
8. No flies.

All this said - it was very nice. We ate outside - my first time in AGES! It was warm - again, a first in AGES!

On Sunday we went out to a beautiful reservoir for a bike ride. Apart from the chariot Matthew was riding in losing a wheel in a very Ben Herr style, it went without complications. It was so beautiful. The English are a very nationalistic lot. They were still in the world cup at this stage. Four out of every five people we passed were wearing some kind of England supporter outfit. Quite a contrast to Scotland - no England supporters what so ever, or if there are any around, I'm sure they are in hiding...

That afternoon was England's match against Ecuador. I watched the first half with the Foxes and then went to catch my train, I did not miss the score though for as England scored the station master announced it over the PA system! People here really do care a lot about football. Got Back to Glasgow very tired, but happy at midnight and went to sleep.

The following weekend was the Glasgow International Jazz Festival. Clare came through to stay with us and went to a gig with Steve. On Friday night I went to my Office barbeque - again sausages and burgers, no smoke, no dogs, no flies...

After the barbeque we went out to a club called 'The Buff Club'. Great fun. Nice soul, funk and jazz music. I have been having such a good time getting to know Viki and Joanne from work. I havn't laughed this much in a age! They are such fun. We laugh, we do gymnastics in secret in the office and we make creatures out of office stationary.

After the night out Clare took Steve and I out for breakfast at Cafe Gandolfi. Delicious! Sunday night I went to a gig with Steve. Chris Botti - very skilled musicians and good show men. Afterwards we went out for supper - very civilised!

Other than that nothing much has happened apart from our office ceiling caving in and a minor flood at work. I'll get some pictures soon.