... is keeping us from getting out and about and enjoying Scotland this winter. And winter it definitely is. We've got a howling blizzard going on outside right now and it feels good to be sitting inside our cozy living room, the set-up and decorated Christmas tree twinkling in the corner. Yes it is up already - don't judge us! - we'll be out in London next weekend and if we waited until the weekend after that it would feel like too late. Plus, we have to get started on Christmas cards, and how can you write those without a little bit of atmosphere to set the mood?
We've got at least 20 cm of snow on the ground now and it has been snowing or raining off and on for most of the last week. The forecasts call for a continuation of that trend next week as well. Just as we were starting to get a little homesick, Mother Nature was kind enough to give us a taste of Canada. Because the city (and country in general) is so unprepared for snow like this, a lot of stuff just shuts down and people hunker down and wait it out. But we've actually been a little busy the last week.
On Tuesday night we bundled up and went down to Crathes Castle for a demonstration and lecture from the Aberdeen Astronomical Society. It was really well done and one of the lecturers happened to be a client of mine from BP. They had some telescopes set up outside to look at the moon, Jupiter and some other astronomical oddities. Fiona took some time to get great shots of the castle at night. Her photography skills amaze me - even though she adds the caveat here that these photos were taken with her 'happy snaps' camera, not her 'professional' camera. I think she's looking at some evening classes to get even better. Even though it rained off and on during the evening it was still good fun, especially as several work colleagues showed up as well.
Saturday afternoon we met up with more work colleagues at Pittodrie stadium for Scotland v Samoa in international rugby. It was plenty cold, but we went prepared and even though it was our first exposure to rugby we had a really good time. The match was fairly even and competitive and I can see the appeal of the game for others. The pomp and circumstance around the game was impressive as well - from the singing of 'Flower of Scotland' to the Samoan haka. Most impressive - the size, speed and strength of some of the brutes playing this game. The Samoans were almost as wide and thick as they were tall. Post-game we all hustled over to the nearest pub for a few pints, more rugby on the big screen and good conversation. We finished the evening at the Greek restaurant. We emerged to an Aberdeen covered in a thick blanket of snow and had fun trudging through the big, fat flakes on the way home. Even more fun, though, is watching Casey bounding through the drifts, tail wagging, face buried in the snow, running around like an eedjit. Fabulous.
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