Olympic Homecoming.

A lucky shot today. M had jobs to do this morning so we both got up early and had breakfast, and after he had left, I showered and dressed and wandered into town to meet him. As I walked down Union Street I noticed it was getting busier the further I went, and a surprising amount of people were wearing/holding Union-Jack-themed items... Yep, that would be the Olympic Homecoming Parade then. Luckily I had my Canon slung over my shoulder and both lenses with me, so I put on the wide-angle and started taking some shots. I got a few of the athletes on the bus travelling up the street, but my favourite was this group of Aberdeen University students, who had taken along their Scottish-themed oars from the rowing club to wave like flags for the Olympians. I was really quite proud of this shot!

I had a cup of tea outside Books and Beans afterwards, and met M after he'd finished his work to head back to the flat via Oddbins for a bottle of wine for a present for our hosts tonight. We spent the day pottering about the city, meeting up with M's Grandparents and associated relatives for coffee and cake, wandering on the beach and tidying up the dust sheets and tools from what will be our new house. It's looking great now we've tidied up some of the remnants of the recent renovation and I can't wait to give it a clean and start putting our stuff in it!

After we'd tidied all-but-one pile of decorating equipment, we walked back to our flat to get ready for dinner. We met up with M's Mum and Dad at 6.00 and headed across the road to their neighbours, T and A. They're a lovely couple, one Norwegian and one American; both CEOs/directors of their respective companies. They have 3 great children as well, although distinguishing them when I usually only refer to people with their first initial is rather difficult as their names all begin with Z. Their two daughters joined us for dinner, one older than me and one younger, and both full of interesting stories. T and A's son was away travelling; the family has connections across the world and all three children have visited more countries in their first 15 years than I could hope for in a lifetime. They are all fluent in more than 3 languages and just very interesting people in general! We had a brilliant meal cooked by T on his outdoor grill, with some help from the ladies with side dishes and hors d'oeuvres. We all enjoyed a bit too much red wine, lots of cheese for dessert and good conversation all night. Home with spinning heads at midnight, hoping to not wake up feeling fuzzy for work tomorrow!