Swine flu

Take two... with a bacon buttie!

Life's just a carrot cake...

Well hey ho indeed! The icing on the cake says it all really. D-day was officially 21st April. Thanks for the cake, Julie-Ann, and thanks to all my fantastic colleagues at Aker Solutions for making my day. Every day, that is! What a hoot!

Esau Wood

Esau Wood saw a woodsaw saw wood like no other woodsaw would saw wood. In fact, of all the woodsaws Wood ever saw saw wood, Wood never saw a woodsaw that would saw wood like the woodsaw Wood saw would saw wood. Would Esau Wood saw wood in the wood with the woodsaw Wood saw saw wood? Yes, Wood would!

Bollards!

These workmen are installing bollards to stop nurses from parking on the pavement outside the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. They are cleaning up at the end of the day.

How long do you think it will be before they realise that they can't go home?

This is a real photograph..!

(photo:anon)

Isle of Wight update

Well, there we all were for Gary's 40th birthday. It was great to see him looking so good, and I noticed that he's inherited the Yates family trait of early gret hair. His silver streaks make him look very distinguished.

It was superb, too, to be able to show Jan and Ge around some parts of the Island that they hadn't seen before. We had a brisk, and very windy, walk along Ventnor front, before tucking in to a full English at a seafront caff, and a mellow walk around the botanic gardens. I'm looking forward to the next time, perhaps when it's just a wee bit warmer!

I've uploaded some new photos to this year's Isle of Wight album

I've uploaded some pictures from Frances's sixtieth birthday famuily weekend at Gardoussel on my web albums site. Thank you Alex, Sharon and Frances (and the girls) for a great weekend and following week. See you next year!

Phew! What a scorcher!

The old cheesy Sun headline is quite appropriate as the Isle of Wight basked in a July heatwave. Latest holiday photos are online here, and you can click the photo above for an enlarged view.

Bedecked!

I've been experimenting with some container gardeing this year, and I've adorned my front porch with some colourful pots. Rather pretty, don't you think?

See more garden pics online

At the Old Man of Hoy. Dorene and I went on one of those "Ranger Guided Walks" that the Highland Council organises. This involved taking the John O'Groats ferry over to Hoy, bus to Rackwick Bay, then a walk over the cliffs to the Old Man. The colours in the steep rocky cliffs - different hues of deep reds and browns. Birds skimming across the sea as we headed back to the mainland on the wee JOG ferry.

How nice to go for a balloon flight down the River Don on a sunny spring evening. Lucky folks!

Sunset sky

The end of a gloriously sunny February afternoon in Kembhill Park, Kemnay

Happy birthday Sam

Hi.. May name is SAM, and I am THREE already! Whoopee!

(...and my mum's getting good at using Photoshop!)

New Year 2008 - and a super wee visit from Alex, Sharon, Skye and Gaia. Alex - thanks for all the great meals! (Paul took these pics)

Work, work, work...

November

Early November - sunny days, clear nights, golden trees by the River Don - a perfect Indian summer.

October 2007

Why a Ford Fiesta? 'Cos I crashed the Beamer, that's why! A wee sideways whoopsie and an unintended close encounter with a crash barrier, in heavy rain on the A9 just after the Kessock Bridge, provided a rubbish ending to an otherwise fantastic road trip to Caithness. So, after the "uneconomic" demise of my beloved Beamer, I'm now driving this groovy wee Fiesta. And I love it to bits!

Jean came up from the Isle of Wight for a few days vacation. We climbed Bennachie! You can find proof this high altitude adventure in a new photo album. Click "Stu's Photo Albums" to view. >>>

Gardoussel 2007

Well, after a two or three year break, I finally picked up a camera again (thanks, Sharon!) and took some piccies when visiting Alex and Sharon and family in the south of France in September. I've put an album on line, so I can bore you with my holiday snaps. Click "Stu's photo albums" to view

Stanley Yates (dad), c.1970

 

Helcyon Order

Ryde Castle Hotel, summer of '68. We were the Saturday resident band, supporting acts like Arthur Brown, PP Arnold and the Nice, Family, Spooky Tooth and more. Paul Athey on drums, Mick Wood and Jack Hallin, guitars and keyboards. My bass guitar is a Hofner Senator, played through a Vox amp. Wendy Clapcott took this pic.

Abducted by aliens?

Creatures of Earth, you have nothing to fear! (Paul insisted I post this pic, in revenge for the "duvet" pic, below) 

Duvet days...

Happy birthday Paul, 18 on June 3rd.

February2006 

Three kids on holiday on the Isle of Wight

Paul with pals Rory, Mairi and Jemma

Hug a windmill! Jackson and Mandy getascloseasthis. 

Propeller Heads!

Ruth, Jack, Mandy, Jackson, August 2005

Kilted!