Frydmania

The Christmas round up 2008

November 30th, 2008

So, this is the one to read first, if you’ve had our Christmas email and are coming for a quick update.

Cunningly, this is a partial news update, from mid-September up to end of November.  If you want April - Sept, click ‘general overviews’ in the right hand column, and you can get that chunk there.  For anything earlier than that, if you’re still game for a look, have a browse on some of the individual posts.

September is always busy for me at work, and end of September saw me having a second go at arranging a stand for the Scottish Learning Festival.  It’s the big education exhibition of the year in Scotland, and I coordinated the people and materials for the two days worth of visitors.  Meanwhile, we tried to get on with putting more things back after carpet fitting at the start of the month - pictures up, bookcases back in place etc.

September also brought new work colleagues for Dan, and the opportunity to put some new systems in place for building websites.  So far, the response from potential customers has been positive, and hopefully this will continue. 

October had lots of time with people.  We went to a friend’s wedding in picturesque Aberlady, followed by reception and ceilidh in the village hall, which had a nice log fire to keep the autumn chill at bay.  We managed to see some friends at various points, and visited my brother and his fiancee in their first home together, in Otley, near to Leeds.  This included a quick look at the school where they both work, and a drive to Ilkley, home to one of the braches of Betty’s, the upmarket tea rooms in three different Yorkshire towns.

October also saw a big step forward - I started refresher driving lessons, after 15 years of cheerfully cadging lifts and avoiding the issue of driving in a big city.  Still lots to learn, but lots of improvement, and the prospect of further practice to come, as Mum and Dad are passing on a car to us. 

The initial terror of getting behind the wheel has been replaced by the next terror of having to drive solo, without the instructor and a spare set of pedals…Thankfully, people have been very encouraging about the time it took them to be confident in a car, so I hope that I can improve little by little, and also do some of the things we’d like to do more easily, such as visit friends who live outside Edinburgh.

Dan’s birthday came by, and with it a James Bond premiere…It was kind of them to arrange it the same night, we thought.  One friend asked if we were dressing up for going to the opening - we said no, but then saw quite a few guys in full tux, at the end of the film, and one woman in a ballgown, so perhaps we’ll have to make more of an effort next time. 

We did manage to squeeze lots of people into our flat the same weekend, so Dan could have a ‘bread and soup plus cake’ birthday party (tested as an option back in January, when a friend and I had a joint party). 

I had a quick work trip to Paris in early November, followed by us heading on to our friends in Italy for a week’s holiday.  My arrival was a bit delayed, on account of not being able to book a night train after the work meeting, and having to stay a night extra in Paris at short notice.  However, the train route was nicer for being able to take it in in the daylight, at least for part of it, and being met at Milan Central by Dan and David. 

We had a good week reacquainting ourselves with Rachel and David and their four kids - as well as where the contents of the family bookcases were up to, a year on.  And on return, trying to do a bit of garden tidy up, my garden helpers of earlier in the year reappeared, and seemed perfectly happy to sweep leaves and cut down stems of plants that had tied back.  Clearly they don’t make Barbies that interesting any more…

2008 has brought lots of new arrivals among friends, and it’s been great to see pictures via the wonder that is Facebook.  As university classmates become ever more farflung, and life remains busy for everyone, it’s nice to catch up a little this way.  And yes, we might even manage to put some of our own photos on there for people to see - sooner or later.

2008-9 is a special run of birthdays and anniversaries in the Frydman and Mackenzie households, so there’s plenty to look forward to over the coming months, including my brother’s wedding in April.    But we equally look forward to hearing from you, finding out how you are getting on - drop us a line or email, and let us know. 

Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a happy New Year,

Love from

Dan and Alison

Entry Filed under: General overviews