Here are two similar quotations on the subject of parenthood, especially with reference to the dreaded teenagers:
"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong." Charles Wadsworth.and
"Few things are more satisfying than seeing your own children have teenagers of their own." Doug Larson.So true, so true...
Our Christmas Card
Originally uploaded by Son of Groucho.
Couldn't go a whole month without posting anything, so here it is. Hope that anyone reading this has a Great Christmas.
Hope Santa brought you all you wished for......
The Lake from the bridge
Originally uploaded by Wosog.
I know I've been a very bad blogger (again) recently, but yesterday was such a momentous day that I felt I had to mark it with one of my rare blog posts. This picture from Wosog shows the campus of the University of Stirling. This is where Wosog and I deposited our beloved Gsog yesterday leaving our house very empty and very quiet. We are hoping that our second born returns from Stirling with a degree in accountancy. The game plan is that he becomes such a wealthy professional that he can boost my meagre pension from time to time and give me the retirement that I dream of.
The grounds of the university are, as you can see, quite spectacular with an impressive loch and views of the Wallace Monument and the Ochill Hills. Unfortunately Gsog's room in the hall of residence is somewhat smaller than he is used too and the decor is somewhat Spartan. This doesn't matter too much though, does it, when so much of his time will be spend leafing through weighty tomes in the University Library?
Anyway, hopefully this is "the start of something big" and the bold, long-haired Gsog will return from Stirling a stern, sobre-sided accountant. Watch this space.
Well Gdog has made it to Australia. She had to travel all on her own down to London by train, get to Heathrow Airport, fly to Hongkong and finally fly to Melbourne. The initial stages of this mammoth voyage coincided with Wosog and I returning from sunny Santorini. As a result, we won't see The Little Princess for a total of six weeks: it must have been something we said!
An anxious Wosog tracked the migration of her baby by means of frequent text messages and slightly less frequent mobile phone calls. Gsog hadn't phoned her to see her off because he had forgotten when she was going ('nough said)! We were particularly concerned that the wee soul would fall asleep in Hongkong Airport and miss her flight to Oz. However we needn't have worried, and she is now recovering from her jet lag with my excellent cousin David who lives near Melbourne. In a few days she'll tie the corks to her wide-brimmed hat and join her fellow conservationists as they head off for Tasmania. Watch this space for more details.
As for me, I had a great holiday in Santorini (more of which later). However, I've just remembered the one thing that I don't like about holidays: the fact that you have to go back to work after them. I'll sign off now as I'm off to buy a lottery ticket.
When we heard Gdog was going to Tasmania, we thought we would give her the opportunity to demonstrate her deep knowledge of that far off land by mentioning the tasmanian devil. "That's some sort of plant, isn't it?" said Gdog. I didn't think this was likely in view of the cartoon character based on the creature!
Well, Gdog here is what the tasmanian devil "plant" sounds like, and here's a bit of info about them.
Sometimes I wonder if we should let her walk through Glasgow on her own far less travel to the other side of the planet! Anyway I'm sure she'll be fine (typing slowly due to crossed fingers).
I don't know if I mentioned it, but Gdog's going on a wee trip to Australia next month. She's going there as a student volunteer. The organisation involved, International Student Volunteers, Inc., has projects in various parts of the world. Gdog has known for a while that she is going to Oz, but she only found out this week (a) which part of Australia she is going to, and (b) what exactly she will be doing there.
It turns out she is going for 2 weeks to the Long Point Wetlands Rehabilitation Project in Tasmania, which is run by the the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. One thing we hadn't thought about until very recently, following a conversation with my cousin in Melbourne, is the fact that Gdog is visiting Oz during their Winter. Here is the advice she has been given about the weather she can expect:
"The daytime temperatures will range between approx. 10° to 18° C (50° - 65° F) although may be as cold as - 5° C (23° F) overnight outside. Weather conditions vary in winter, however rain and windy weather can be expected on some days, so please ensure that you are adequately prepared for cold, wet and windy weather. Please note also that wet clothes may not dry overnight, so at least two sets of clothes to work in should be brought unless you don'’t mind putting on wet clothes in the chilly morning!"This is not exactly the picture I would have had in mind previously when I thought of Australia!
Had a great week or so following my birthday. Enjoyed a nice family meal at home on the day itself in which Gdog and Gsog actually spent some of their valuable time with their long-suffering parents. On the Friday went out for a nice meal at a restaurant in Glasgow with other family members. The sole aim of this, of course, was to shame them all into buying me a present----and it worked beautifully.
"Swag" included lots of nice tokens for shops that sell books, CDs and DVDs. I also got a bottle of wine and this excellent little Headliners XL statue of The Great Man. Several of my kind relatives clubbed together to buy me a ride in a hot air balloon that I can take anytime between now and October----I should have produced enough hot air by then!
Wosog had already given me DVDs of all the well known Marx Brothers movies and my children gave me a DVD of The Constant Gardener and Corinne Bailey Rae's CD, which I really like. Wosog gave me a garden gnome called Gordon. I have been asked to point out that she bought me "that big fancy camera" for my birthday, but gave it to me before Christmas. My brother-in-law Bilosog sent me a very nice case of vino. If I've forgotten anything here I do apologise, but thanks to everyone anyway!
I only told the staff in the geriatric ward where I work part-time about my birthday after the event. On Monday I went into my small office to find it festooned with balloons and banners. There was a bottle of wine on the desk and an individual birthday cake. I was later presented with another garden ornament in the form of Doc the Dwarf from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
All in all, a pretty good week!
Gdog is going to Australia for 4 weeks in July. She's taking part in a project organised by International Student Volunteers, Inc. As far as I can gather, she'll be involved in a conservation project for 2 weeks then have a nice wee holiday for the other 2 weeks. She's, understandably, very excited about the whole thing.
Wosog, on the other hand, has already started worrying about what might happen to her little girl not just on the other side of the planet, but during the journey there. This is not helped by the fact that Gdog will be leaving just before we get back to Scotland from our summer holiday in Greece. More joys of parenthood, right enough!
I never make New Year Resolutions. I do make resolutions at other times of year---then it somehow doesn't seem quite so bad when I fail to stick to them.
I've been badgering Wosog to stop smoking for years, but it seemed the more I pestered her about it, the less likely it was that she would stop. I've been a passive smoker all my life: my late father was a pipe smoker and my mother, who is now over 80 years old, still smokes! Wosog, however, smokes those nice menthol cigarettes, and when we found to our horror some time ago that Gsog had started smoking it was the smell of his ordinary cigarettes, among other factors, that finally made Wosog decide to stop as from 1 January 2006. Gsog says he is going to stop at the same time, but because Wosog has pressured him to do it, I'm not completely convinced that his heart is in it.
I'm not sure that the first part of 2006 is going to be entirely stress-free sharing a house with two people coming off cigarettes, but I'm certain it will be worth it in the long-term.
If there's anybody out there, I'd like to wish you a Healthy, Happy 2006!
I've been on holiday this week. I don't usually have holidays left to take at this time of year, but a while ago I realised that I was "running out of year", so to speak. My current car is getting a bit old and I was thinking of replacing it in March next year, or maybe February. On Monday I test drove (test drived?) three cars and, to cut a short story shorter, I'm taking delivery of my new car next week.
Yesterday and today I ventured into The Big City to look for Christmas presents for Wosog. The reason why I had to make 2 visits was that I was singularly uninspired yesterday, although I did take one or two photos of Glasgow when the weather was so nice (see attached example). I even considered getting the little lady a more unusual present, say one of the tasteful pictures from Haunted Memories, but I just couldn't decide which one she'd like most. Today I had a better idea what I was going for and, although I had to spend more than an hour getting a bluetooth phone to connect to the new car, I still had time to get something that I think Wosog will really like---though maybe not quite as much as a Haunted Memories picture. Unfortunately, it cost a bit more than I had planned. Never mind: Wosog assures me that she is worth it.
So there you are: the power of Positive Thinking---and a very expensive half-week. Just as well there's only tomorrow and Friday left: I don't think I could afford to stay off much longer!
Gdog is home briefly because she hasn't managed to get a job on Glasgow yet, and she is still working at one of the local supermarkets. I saw her briefly last night, and was surprised to find that she's supposedly staying in tonight (though I'll believe it when I see it). We might actually have some "quality time" together (to use the jargon).
Gsog has just got a job in the same supermarket as Gdog. It's only since he started his job that he seems to have noticed the hours that I work! He describes my hours as "insane", which I suppose compared to his 14 hour working week (over and above school) is a fair description.
All in all, the house seems helluva quiet!
Gsog's birthday is just before Christmas, but his skates always fall apart long before then, and the emotional blackmail to get his birthday money early begins. To be fair his most recent set of skates lasted longer than average, but the other week I was told that they were becoming unsafe. Various cracks in the frames were pointed out, with the subtext that no responsible parent, far less a medical man, would let his beloved offspring jump off various unlikely objects wearing such potentially lethal gear.
Two hundred and fifty of your English Pounds were dispatched to sunny Wales, and after a slight delay the high tech wellies on wheels arrived. Unfortunately, there was some difficulty attaching one of the frames to the boot, and, at further enormous expense, we had to send the offending boot back to Wales to be fixed! Gsog received the second boot yesterday, and plans to test drive the new beasts today.
I decided to upload a picture of one of the boots to Flickr with explanatory notes for the uninitiated. Some newly acquired Flickr friends chose to put their oar in as well. Thankfully the boy did see the funny side.
The Sogs stay, appropriately perhaps, in a rather wet region of Scotland. Sog and his wife Wosog had 2.4 children, but 0.4 died some time ago in mysterious circumstances.
The remaining two children are 20 year old Gdog (grand-daughter of Groucho), and Gsog (grandson of Groucho), who is 18 years old. Gdog is studying for a degree at the nearby University of Life. Gsog is studying at a different university about an hour's drive away. It must have been something we said!
Sog has been a people mechanic for over 25 years, while Wosog is a teacher. They have been happily married for almost 25 years.
So, there you have them: The Sogs---a microcosm of contemporary Scottish life!
