there went 2008

The horrible cold/flu/lurgy has gone, HURRAH! Just in time for me to be human when Gordon and Barbara came to visit so I've had a really great couple of days with them. They delivered HUGE boxes from Kath & Steve, with post-its and printed labels to identify whose Christmas present was which and they were all amazing. She'd told me she'd got hundreds of plastic balls for a ball pool for the children but I'd forgotten until I had to convince Alex that blowing up (oops - inflating!) a 5ft by 4ft plastic car in my living room was just not going to happen. So I had a tide of coloured plastic balls whirling through the living room instead.

Paul fixed up my PC and installed windows from Sid's copy, and apart from endless Gates updates it seems to be working fine, I just need to re-install all the various bits of software I'm used to using and maybe get the wireless thingie working too. We all thoroughly enjoyed the time with Paul and the children especially since I think the living room was mysteriously tidier after they'd put away all their toys etc than it was when they arrived. Poor Alex was quite disappointed to find that the huge ball of scrunched up wrapping paper wasn't actually another present.

Mysteriously, it got to be 4am before Gordon and I realised the time, by discovering that the PC clock was set to Pacific time instead of GMT. I organised a 2ft square space in the house by deciding to release books on bookcrossing with the intention of giving them to G/B to take with them as the first step on their journey.

I had the pleasure of being chauffeured over to Rachel's in MK yesterday afternoon, enjoying looking at all that english countryside instead of the road on our way over to see see all of the Gordon/Barbara side of the family except Mark and Blair in the same place at the same time. Imagine - one house, three of five adult children, their partners, all eleven grandchildren, the grand grandparents and me, the eccentric auntie. It was great. I'd spent all the day before tottering around the house in five inch heels to break in the fabulous new shoes Dee gave me for Christmas and Barbara declared I should wear them to Rachels to maintain my image so it felt like everyone else was about knee high on me. Well, OK, my nephews are all 6ft or over but they spent most of the afternoon being horses or wheelbarrows so it came to the same thing. Some of the books are already heading for Lincoln with Becky so maybe the whole bookcrossing movement will have another little surge of interest.

Quick stop at Tesco on the way back to pick up bite bits to go with the wine and cheese, and another extended evening of wine and chat till we realised it was already nearly 2am and it felt *early*. Baby toad-in-the-hole thingies are gorgeous, Creme Brulee with cream with a couple or four bottles of rather naice wine. We left the blini's till breakfast this morning and I feel all sad that my unexpected company have gone now, only back to MK for the moment but back to Aberdeen on Saturday. I *think* I have them half-persuaded to change their minds about the Rammy, it just wouldn't be the same without them, so watch that space! Watch out for the new Rammy feature that arrived in one of the huge boxes too ;)

Children this afternoon too (ahhhhhhh I feel so spoiled!) and off up to town this evening for a different NYE. Rotten shame I have to work on Friday, but that's next year so who cares?

Before the Bells, before the phone lines jam, before the fireworks - here's wishing everyone a fabulous Hogmanay and everything good for 2009

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