Currently Listening White Christmas By Bing Crosby see related

The Barn, Misterton, N.Notts

How do you like our new house? For project development progress see my photo albums on Facebook.

I see Kelly has come back to life on Xanga.

Currently Listening Drastic Fantastic By KT Tunstall see related

         Hello all my wonderful friends. Anybody out there still on Xanga?

             Or have we all gone over to Facebook? You can also find me on Flickr and Snapfish. Talk to me.

Currently Reading Chesapeake By James A. Michener see related

       This retirement is really good. After 2 days of retirement I was back on the rig! Can you believe that? They called me back to move it to it's new drilling location. Only 5 days and I was back home again. I can live with that now and again, and the beauty of it is I can always say, "sorry, I have other things planned". Now they want me back up to Aberdeen on Tuesday as Marine consultant in a meeting. Flying me up and flying me back again; can't be bad, and it keeps the holiday fund nicely topped up.

As for my 60th birthday bash in the Lake District.......3 nights of fun and frolics with my dearest friends!! It was a great success and we're all looking forward to doing it again. Some censored photies attached:

Brothers in arms!

         By the end of the first night my legs wouldn't do what I wanted them to. Roger was hit with the same affliction.

'Pinkie'

      'The Spice Girls' at Kirkstone Pass

'Take That' at Kirkstone Pass       

               The band

                                        'Ned Kelly'

   Who's bright idea was this?

About a week ago it actually stopped raining, so we shot up to the caravan for a few days. We're going again on Wednesday for about 8 days, and I suppose it'll start raining again. Our next planned major expedition is in October when we'll be going over to St.Louis to stay with Karl, Louise and Ewan for a couple of weeks. Can't wait !!!

That's it for now folks.

Currently Listening Sweet Warrior By Richard Thompson Dad's Gonna Kill Me see related

Yippee.........out of work!!

  I can't believe my last Xanga update was February. Blimey, that was years ago. I guess you all know what's happened in between. Kelly Elizabeth Scott became Kelly Elizabeth Fox on the 3rd March; David Fox became "the boss", or so he thought! They came over to Blighty via Paris /Brighton/London and spent 2 nights in a caravan with us in Yorkshire (real England), which was interesting. Then they got married again in Brighton on the 14th and headed back to Oz on the 15th with tears all round.

Not much of great interest has happened since then; me doing my rig thing every 3 weeks, Maggie judging periodically. Oh, we did join the National Trust. We are quite chuffed at having recouped our membership fee allready, having covered 2347 miles and visited 138 stately homes in the space of 6 weeks (I exagerate of  course)

Stately chook in a Stately Home

Recently South Yorkshire has disappeared under water to a large extent. Misery all around and 5 lives lost; and it's still raining!! Fortunately our feet are still dry. 

And, after 30 years, I've finally kissed the rigs goodbye. Retired on the 27th June. Am now frantically digging up the back garden and planting spuds/peas/carrots, and bringing in hens and a pig or two. Well, a bloke's gotta eat!

So what's next? Summer I hope, if it ever stops raining. The day I would normally be going back to the rig I intend to be sitting on my sunbed with a nicely chilled bottle of chardonay!! Then there's my birthday dooo......... 3 nights in a cottage in the Lake District 13th-16th July with 8 of our dearest friends. I guarantee it'll be a laugh. Then off to St.Louis Missouri in October for a couple of weeks with my 2 boys and Louise.

Toodle oo for noo.

Currently Reading The Historian By Elizabeth Kostova see related

Winter blooos

    I've just realised how long it's been since I updated my blog. Reason? I've been hibernating. Stuck my nose out today, and once I've done this I'm going back into hibernation for another 2 weeks. Then I'm pressing the Speedos, slapping on the sun block and heading for Oz. There's a wedding or something going on over there and I'm going over to check it out. Maggie's going out on Sunday, almost 2 weeks ahead of me. I've got to stay out here in the North Sea to pay for that of course (she's flying; I'm walking).

Not a lot has happened since my last blog, apart from Christmas or New Year, but I dont really want to talk about that as I was on the rig for both. Maggie enjoyed seeing Louise and Ewan who made a 2 week visit for Christmas. Anyway, off with the old and on with the new, as they say, and the year ahead has a lot of exciting things in store. The event of the year of course, is Kelly and Dave's wedding on 3rd March in Sydney; and then their 2nd wedding in Brighton on the 14th April. Hoping for big attendance for both. Bring a bottle to Brighton cos I'll be stoney broke by then. Both events are going to be great fun, and I'm really looking forward to having the whole family together when Karl, Lou and Ewan join us in Sydney.

This is my last year on the rigs as I'm planning quitting in June. We're looking for a small holding so we can rear pigs and chickens (not turkeys) and sow corn. All charitable donations will be gratefully received to keep us alive. I think B & Q is my best bet for future employment. Why am I quitting? Well, the following pictures will give you a clue......30 years of this environment is enough for any man!

Test flaring after finding oil.

A relatively calm day in winter.

Now we're talking winter!

Hope to see you soon, either in Oz or Brighton.