Easter Hijinks #3: The Gripping Finale
Monday, 24. March 2008, 21:54:35
I'm home now, pleasantly surprised to come back to a wonderfully tidy house (oh yeah, I did do that before I left, didn't I?) and slightly nauseus from reading my novel on the bus home. The oil-burner placed to my left has warmed sufficiently to begin filling the air with the sweet scent of Blue Orchids, and Amarok, the best music software available anywhere, is running through a playlist of some of my most soothing MP3s.
I'm home, and I'm happy.
I love my family. You might not have caught me saying that a few years ago but the wrenching, reluctant feeling in my heart as I left MacDuff makes that simple truth an inescapable one for me. Behind their bickering my parents still playfully enjoy each other's company, and both obviously enjoy having their children under their roof (well, it's obvious in my Dad only if you know where to look, but I think I've got the hang of it at last). Ranald and I were both treated like kings, as is only right and proper. Ranald, excited by his upcoming trip, was a whirling dervish of packing and preparation, but found time to pose for some snaps of him in various outfits, ostensibly destined for his own page on Bebo but I doubt he'll mind me posting them here:
Boiler Suit Ranald. Action Figures now available - collect the set!
Naval Uniform Ranald. Smart, save for the ginger paintbrush he's wearing on his chin. And the knobbly knees
Thai Boxing Ranald. It's important to look stylish when kicking and punching an opponent to death. Also, that outfit should show off the splattered blood nicely.
Oh, and he also posed long enough for me to take one of his 'Mother's shame', as he called it: the first half of a giant tattoo he's having done on his back:
He'll get the second wing when he comes back from Sea, he tells me. For the record, that one wing cost him a cool £120. Little bugger earns too much!
Anyway, dinner on Sunday evening was a special one. Not only were we celebrating Ranald's first trip away but as Dad himself was at sea over xmas (He's been a 'Master Mariner' - ship's Captain - for over 40 years now) this was his first time to enjoy a special meal with his family. Mum half-jokingly offered to fish out a few crackers she still had left over from the festive season, but we were all more than happy demolishing the bottle of Champagne bought specially for the occasion and the fine array of home-cooked Cullen Skink and roasted meats.
Dinner was so good I didn't even have room for the Black Forest Gateau: Gillian would have been proud of me!
Later that evening I managed to convince my Dad to let me put on the present I'd bought him for xmas. A DVD box-set of a certain sci-fi series starring a rag-tag fleet of humans running from the threat of a terrible robotic enemy...Battlestar Galactica. Not only is it my current favourite TV show, I see my parents shadowed in the two main human leaders of that series (Dad as Commander Adama is a no-brainer, but my Mum can be as formidable as President Laura Roslin when she needs to be!). Dad likes a bit of sci-fi now and again but he's very particular about what he accepts as good TV. BSG had it all to prove if it Dad was even going to tolerate the initial mini-series...
I'm happy to report that not only did they watch all three hours plus of the mini-series that night, but Mum ripped opened Season 1 the very next afternoon - they were still watching it, tearing through episode after episode, as I left for the bus home, so I can safely say they liked it! I can practically guarantee that when they reach the big cliff-hanger ending of season one they'll be through to Aberdeen to get seasons 2 and 3 off me by the end of the week; BSG wins itself some more fans!
I'm tiring fast so I'll bring this little blogging adventure to an end. It has been a rare weekend, with joys and horrors in equal amounts. Truthfully, it's been fun (mostly) and it will be a shame to go back to work tomorrow. However, Ranald has promised to come stay at mine for a night on his way back down to Edinburgh tomorrow so that should be good. I've just bit-torrented the glorious return of Futurama, too: Bender's Big Score, so maybe we rabid 'Rama fans will find time to sit down and view over a beer or two. I think I'll give the blogging a rest for a day or two after this, but before I go here are a few more pics from the weekend:
Lachie: The Gayest Dog in the Universe. This is a rare pic because he HATES having his picture taken, and scurried away under the table the instant after I took this
Meer, Mum's new cat, is a Disciple of Evil Forces - Fear her Malevolent Collar!
Yep, the weather in MacDuff was just as bad as Aberdeen, if not worse. Sadly, there wasn't enough snow lying on the ground to stop me travelling home for work, even if the bus did skid a few times stopping at various town stops. Bah.
See ya soon, everyone.
I'm home, and I'm happy.
I love my family. You might not have caught me saying that a few years ago but the wrenching, reluctant feeling in my heart as I left MacDuff makes that simple truth an inescapable one for me. Behind their bickering my parents still playfully enjoy each other's company, and both obviously enjoy having their children under their roof (well, it's obvious in my Dad only if you know where to look, but I think I've got the hang of it at last). Ranald and I were both treated like kings, as is only right and proper. Ranald, excited by his upcoming trip, was a whirling dervish of packing and preparation, but found time to pose for some snaps of him in various outfits, ostensibly destined for his own page on Bebo but I doubt he'll mind me posting them here:
Boiler Suit Ranald. Action Figures now available - collect the set!
Naval Uniform Ranald. Smart, save for the ginger paintbrush he's wearing on his chin. And the knobbly knees
Thai Boxing Ranald. It's important to look stylish when kicking and punching an opponent to death. Also, that outfit should show off the splattered blood nicely.
Oh, and he also posed long enough for me to take one of his 'Mother's shame', as he called it: the first half of a giant tattoo he's having done on his back:
He'll get the second wing when he comes back from Sea, he tells me. For the record, that one wing cost him a cool £120. Little bugger earns too much!
Anyway, dinner on Sunday evening was a special one. Not only were we celebrating Ranald's first trip away but as Dad himself was at sea over xmas (He's been a 'Master Mariner' - ship's Captain - for over 40 years now) this was his first time to enjoy a special meal with his family. Mum half-jokingly offered to fish out a few crackers she still had left over from the festive season, but we were all more than happy demolishing the bottle of Champagne bought specially for the occasion and the fine array of home-cooked Cullen Skink and roasted meats.
Dinner was so good I didn't even have room for the Black Forest Gateau: Gillian would have been proud of me!
Later that evening I managed to convince my Dad to let me put on the present I'd bought him for xmas. A DVD box-set of a certain sci-fi series starring a rag-tag fleet of humans running from the threat of a terrible robotic enemy...Battlestar Galactica. Not only is it my current favourite TV show, I see my parents shadowed in the two main human leaders of that series (Dad as Commander Adama is a no-brainer, but my Mum can be as formidable as President Laura Roslin when she needs to be!). Dad likes a bit of sci-fi now and again but he's very particular about what he accepts as good TV. BSG had it all to prove if it Dad was even going to tolerate the initial mini-series...
I'm happy to report that not only did they watch all three hours plus of the mini-series that night, but Mum ripped opened Season 1 the very next afternoon - they were still watching it, tearing through episode after episode, as I left for the bus home, so I can safely say they liked it! I can practically guarantee that when they reach the big cliff-hanger ending of season one they'll be through to Aberdeen to get seasons 2 and 3 off me by the end of the week; BSG wins itself some more fans!
I'm tiring fast so I'll bring this little blogging adventure to an end. It has been a rare weekend, with joys and horrors in equal amounts. Truthfully, it's been fun (mostly) and it will be a shame to go back to work tomorrow. However, Ranald has promised to come stay at mine for a night on his way back down to Edinburgh tomorrow so that should be good. I've just bit-torrented the glorious return of Futurama, too: Bender's Big Score, so maybe we rabid 'Rama fans will find time to sit down and view over a beer or two. I think I'll give the blogging a rest for a day or two after this, but before I go here are a few more pics from the weekend:
Lachie: The Gayest Dog in the Universe. This is a rare pic because he HATES having his picture taken, and scurried away under the table the instant after I took this
Meer, Mum's new cat, is a Disciple of Evil Forces - Fear her Malevolent Collar!
Yep, the weather in MacDuff was just as bad as Aberdeen, if not worse. Sadly, there wasn't enough snow lying on the ground to stop me travelling home for work, even if the bus did skid a few times stopping at various town stops. Bah.
See ya soon, everyone.
WIDGETIZE
Odessa # 25. March 2008, 19:31
kirsten # 25. March 2008, 19:44
That is one massive tattoo your brother is getting!! owch!
GrantTLC # 26. March 2008, 07:42
Kirsten: It's ALWAYS happy smiles in the end, hon.
Odessa # 26. March 2008, 10:14
Children of the sun....la la la!
GrantTLC # 26. March 2008, 10:19
Odessa # 26. March 2008, 16:56
Look foward to seeing how good the animation holds up on the M.C.O.G dvd box as it is 25 years old now! I have to admit I think the style of animation in those days does beat today as I think recently it all looks very samey! However at least the Star Wars 3D animation looks like it is breaking new ground......