Graduation

So I graduated last Friday, and a tremendously proud day it was too… Best bit, though, was when the piper’s pipes started playing up and the whole congregation started wetting themselves laughing. Brilliant!

German Football Strips

 

Stick with it, takes a wee while to get going.

Unsure?

My word, this is funny!                   (nicked from B3TA)

And there’s another one!

And while I’m on videos, check this out, been looking for it for a while to show you guys down south. This has been on TV, and is sooooooo weird. I think it’s the way he laughs at the end that pushes it just too far.

A Trip Up North

To Aviemore, for a nice, chilled weekend. Went up on Friday night with Dave and his girlfriend, Jenny, there they are, up there, look at them! Climbed a hill, drank plenty Magners in the sun and ate a lot of nice food. Perfect. Even were nearly ran over by a steam train.

Pictures of Kat

Well, following on from my best present ever post, I thought it was probably about time I posted some photos. The only problem is the weather’s been awful, and I’ve been doing nothing but work, so the only time I have to play with the camera is in the flat. Which means I have one subject, Kat. I’d hate to live with me.

Michael Jackson’s Masseef Hand

This made me chuckle. It can also get filed under geek, cos it’s a bit of nifty image processing.

His thrusting makes me feel really, really uneasy.

This is funny

Needs sound, and NSFW…

Hugs Hugs Hugs!

Talking of hugs, check this one out! Man that looks like a good hug!

What a trip, part 1! (WARNING – MASSIVE BLOG)

Jeez another absolutely amazing trip. This year’s been full of them; Islay, Holland, France, Bristol, Connect, and this one’s easily up at the very top of the pile!

The Macca Gathering

When we were clearing out my Gran and Grandpa’s house, when my Grandpa was moving into a care home, we found this nasty looking, grimy thing in the pantry. Which, when cleaned up, turned out to be an authentic Fabergé-school Russian drinking cup, known as a kovsch. It sold for rather a lot of money, some of which we used at the weekend to have a family gathering at Crieff Hydro, which was an amazing weekend. Here’s what the Auction House had to say about it…

In May, an early 20th century Russian silver and cloisonné enamelled Fabergé kovsch sold for £*. Dating from circa 1907-1918, and made by Fedor Ruckert, working at the Moscow branch of Fabergé, this traditional Russian drinking vessel was of unusually large size and decorated with a striking palette of ochre, orange, black, white and olive green. It was discovered during a routine contents valuation in the kitchen of a house in Fife having lain unrecognised for many years.

Quick research (after all, that’s what I get paid to do) throws up a couple of semi-interesting facts. Fedor Ruckert was born in Moscow, but of German origin, and made articles in Moscow in cloissoné enamel. Fabergé’s Moscow signature often obliterates Ruckert’s initials, poor guy, so he doesn’t always get full credit. Cloisonné is the technique used to create the designs like the above (pretty darn ugly if you ask me) kovsch. You solder bent wire onto a metal surface to create “cells” which you then fill with powdered enamel of different colours. On heating you get the effect shown above. Not very pretty (in this case) in my opinion but a hell of a lot of work, so I can see how it could be expensive. Anyway, thankyou Mr Ruckert, and the rich Russian expat who bought the Kovsch, for providing us with the means for a fantastic weekend.

27 Maccas in one hotel for the whole weekend, ranging in age from 3 up to 75. Had a brilliant time, loads of eating, drinking, walking, banter and even a interMacs football game, roughly Stoney against Moffat with a couple of ringers on each team. (Stoney scored the most goals but Moffat scored the “next goal the winner” clincher. There was a ceilidh on each night in the hotel too, which was actually really, really good, especially as we Maccas love a good dance. I properly fell right on my arse during an eightsome reel as well, which was super embarrassing. Another highlight, and always a MacEwen favourite, was, as Dad put it in his wee speech, the Strip the Macca. Good gag.

Tons more photos available here. Will have a video to put up soon hopefully too… here we go, bit of a Macca in-joke in this one…