Funny Kids, Disappearing Whisky, Ballerina Cake and Mad Wind

Can't believe I've let 2 months go by since the last post. Let me see...a house move and 4 conferences in 4 weeks. Busy as a dad with two kids. We've also had Anna and Eric visit and now my dad is visiting us. Anyhow on with the stories. A couple of days ago we're sitting at the table eating dinner when Amanda tells Julian that he needs to finish his dinner. He tells her basically no, but in this way: "Well, mamma, but dadda says that kids can do anything they want. So the kids want ice-cream". We kind of looked at each other smiling at how clever he was. Yes I had told him that kids can do anything but it was under a completely different context. I'll now drop some cute pictures through here as I tell you a couple of more stories so that you can forgive me for not writing on here sooner.

We went with Anna and Eric to Glasgow a couple of weeks ago for a visit, including to the yearly Whisky festival. Eric and I paid our 25 pound entrance fee kind of reluctant to see that much monkey go, but then we found a bottle of 200 pound 23 or so year old Whisky (Glen Ellen in case anybody really wants to send me a birthday present). We tried it and nearly dropped at the spot at how good it was. Then the entrance fee wasn't so bad. So we went around the corner to try some other stuff (including a terrible 4 year old whisky: the company must be in dire straights) but really we just wanted the owner of the Glen Ellen to forget us long enough so that we could come back and have some more. So we managed to sucker him into giving us another shot. Then we tried to figure out what the heck else we could do. Eric decided to ask the owner of Glen Ellen exactly that question so he said rhetorically: "Really, what does one drink after having a Glen Ellen". The man took some serious offence and said, in a very Scottish accent, "Look here man, I cannot give you any more, you're gonna have to go somewhere else". Eric thought he should clarify the rhetoric behind his question and said, "No really, I don't want any more I'm just wondering what else in the world I can have now that I've had the Glen Ellen". No surprise the owner repeated that "You're gonna have to go somewhere else, this is my last bottle".

Anyhow, I splurged and bought a couple of bottles of Whisky and Eric bought me a couple of more and then I found myself with a pretty nice collection...that is until my Dad visited. Today I found myself after a couple of nights of my Dad visiting with a nearly empty Ardbeg (45 pound bottle of my favorite smoke in a bottle) and basically vapors of the Glen Morey (25 pounds) and with one half of one of the three bottles that Eric gave me left. I can imagine if Eric is reading this his mouth has dropped by now. So I told my dad the story about Eric and the Glen Ellen man. He kind of liked the story until I told him that I've hidden all of what was left of my Whisky and that he had to go somewhere else for his Whisky. He promised me a new bottle and I said, "Uh huh."

I am reminded that this is a blog about our kids so I'll say... Julian, if you're reading this and you're old enough to drink Whisky and can afford to own a bottle, don't worry about me drinking it. Worry if your Grandfather can reach it.

Ok, thanks for letting me go on with that tirade. I feel better now.

Yesterday was my birthday and I took Maya and my dad to the store to get me a birthday cake. We got to the cakes and Maya decided she was going to choose one for me. After failing to convince her to get me a fudge something toffee or rather chocolatey something she chose a Princess Ballerina cake. Of course it was Pink. Here is what it looked like. I quickly saw that I had not choice in the matter, but at least I was determined to put 36 freeking candles on that sucker. So Julian, Maya and I put those darn candles on the cake, lit it, sang happy birthday and blew them all out together. In the fleeting moment we had before the little cake went into thermo-nuclear meltdown I made a fleeting wish that I can't tell you about of course but that it involves family and mushy stuff. Why is this important you ask?

Well today we got up and had a post-birtday breakfast of Mekici (Bulgarian dounuts) then we headed out to the North Sea because the forecast was WIND and that's all I wanted for my birthday: another chance to fight with the North Sea. I should have been more careful since the wind was gusty and blowing out to sea but I got a good start and got into a plane which was a blast. Bailed on the turn, rested and then tried to come back. Did some more fast surfing on the way back but burned myself up so I couldn't come back. Tried swimming with the gear back since I didn't have the strength to sail again, but then ditched the sail and tried paddling the board back. Seemed like I was going nowhere since the wind and waves were pushing me out to sea and I was sure that I wouldn't be around to see another birthday. Fortunately the Coast Guard had been called and came to rescue me and grant me my birthday wish only one day after I had made it. So I've been kissing Amanda, Maya and Julian (not dad because he's wiped out my Whisky collection) and hugging them more often than usual. I know I can sail better than than when I was younger (many other things I was better able to do when I was younger) but I still find that I have to have a healthy level of respect for Mother Nature and be smarter about the sailing. Yet, I suppose if you don't push yourself to the limits then you just won't know where they are. So I'll see if Dad can get me a coast guard radio rather than a bottle of whisky before he leaves.