Audi sold

Another must-do for this summer is to go camping with the boys. I dug out my old two-man tent to see if that was still serviceable. It is, but memory serves me that it had a leak somewhere, which could do with being fixed given the long range forecast for this summer. I bought a two-ring cooker and some cookware and a windbreak, so I've gradually compiled most of the gear. I now need to bite the bullet and get out there! I did manage to leave my credit card in Go Outdoors after this purchase,and it was several days before I realised and then was able to track it down. Minor panic with the trip to London and Dubai looming.

Sharon has been back doing some running, testing out the repaired foot. She managed to get round Arthur's Seat this week but the "good" foot is now giving her some pain. As the surgeon said, he doesn't have the experience of his patients asking about running after their operations, with them generally being about twenty years older than Sharon.

We've put on a couple of dinners recently, with the St.Johns round and then Ruth and Norman Martin, Anne-Marie and Hannah on another occasion. May often seems to be our time for entertaining, especially in the run-up to the Pampered Chef incentive trip. Sharon's excitement is mounting as the days go by and the outfits are considered and discussed (not, generally, with me).

I had some rare time alone with Rowan while his bigger brothers were at their golf and Angus was with Sharon. We went down to Ocean Terminal, where unfortunately the soft play has closed and the juggling ball has gone! This was a ball stuck on a pillar outside the windows - someone must have removed it. Rowan and I had lunch at the handmade burger co., overlooking a submarine in the dock. It was nice just to get him on his own for once and interact with him. Too often his head is buried in his Nintendo DS or he is distracted by his brothers for him to talk any sense to you.

I sold my Audi Avant on e-bay for its reserve price of £500 to a chap from North Edinburgh. Subsequent to making the purchase he mumped and moaned about me not having truthfully represented the car's condition but he had the opportunity to look the car over before handing over the cash, so, galling as it is to be traduced somewhat, it was sold as seen. And if it hadn't developed the oil leak I'd have preferred to keep it as it was a better drive than the Mazda 6, albeit with a more thirsty engine.

I had a quick repeat visit to the Michelin-starred Castle Terrace restaurant for a "Big Data" dinner hosted by Oracle, with some of my peers from Edinburgh organisations. It was quite an interesting evening with good food to boot!