Greetings all,

And a very Happy New Year to you all. It’s going to be an interesting year one way or another. Brexit is going to do whatever Brexit is going to to do, but far more importantly, the wannabes are starting a new adventure.

I’m writing this, sitting on Charles de Gaul airport. Never my favorite place on earth, it’s lost none of its charm. But more of that later.

I am here, en-route back to the UAE for a week or so. A few meetings. Some personal stuff to sort out, then it’s off to sunny Erbil for the next adventure.

But first I hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as we had.

Christmas Hols

We all got home to Craigellachie safely on 14th December and by 16th, the house was suitably festive and Christmas ready. Scottish Christmas Trees delivered the four trees as promised and I have to say, these were quite possibly the best trees we have ever had. Beautiful shape and the most wonderful fragrance. Small girl, wifey and I set about decorating them with a vengeance and they looked great.

Beerbarrels2U also lived up to their promise and gallons of assorted real draft ale appeared over the weekend wand was duly set up ready for our guests arriving and the festivities. We had a selection of Sharps Doombar, Fullers London Pride, Adnams Ghost Ship and a few Christmas Specials. Proper Cracker, Naughty Elf and Shepherds Warmer. With a few cases of bubbles to keep wifey happy, we were well sorted.

The Guests Arrive

I collected my German chum Wolf from Aberdeen airport on the Tuesday. We were delighted he chose to spend Christmas with us, more so as it was his first ever visit to Scotland. Wolf and I met in Jakarta many years ago and have remained chums ever since. He is a very talented music producer and sound engineer and I am pleased to say we have done a few projects together. He arrived with a remastered version of the song by Stuart we were playing with before Christmas. Hearing his version just reinforced how much I have to learn about mixing and mastering.

The grown up offspring arrived a few days later, as did my chum Clayton in his new 911. Just in time for the annual mince pie and mulled wine party. This is a casual drop in affair where friends and neighbours pop in for a glass of cheer and a slice of Christmas. It was a slightly muted affair this year. A lot of neighbours we’re away, plus a lot of our friends were all creaking under various seasonal maladies. None the less, the House was filled and a severe dent was put in the beer stocks. We also got through some 25 liters of mulled wine and a fair few bottles of bubbles.

As usual, Wifey tried her hand at making mince pies. Bless her, she does this every year and every year these misshapen, gloopy efforts appear and are mixed with the shop bought variety. However, hers all went and were, I have to say, delicious.

It was another late night and thanks to Wolf and Clayton for helping me keep the various fires going, the sausage rolls rolling and the mulled wine mulling. All in all, it was another very pleasant sociable evening.

The Glenfiddich Tour

As a first time visitor to Scotland, I felt I needed to show him something, well, Scottish. We drove into Elgin and Aberlour a few times, sampling some of the various hostelries, but he commented that the scenery was not unlike the countryside near where he lives in Germany. So, I decided to take him to visit the Glenfiddich distillery. It’s only a few minutes drive from home and you can’t get much more Scottish than Glenfiddich.

We went for the late morning tour, timed so it finished just after the bar opened. It really is a fascinating place and we were lucky to have what was essentially a private tour, given we were the only visitors.

I am pleased to say Wolf very much enjoyed it, especially the tasting at the end. As I was driving, I only got to ‘nose’ the samples, but made up for it later, buying a bottle of the new Glenfiddich Fire and Cane. One of their experimental range. And very nice it is too.

If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend the tour. But make sure you have nominated driver available.

The Big Day

All too soon, it was Christmas Day. Well, it wasn’t too soon for small girl. She was beside herself with excitement by Christmas Eve and I was worried she might explode if we made her wait any longer.

All the preparations for dinner were made. The stockings hung, a carrot left for the reindeer and a mince pie and glass of milk for Santa. I was worried he might be lactose intolerant, suggesting a rather nice 21yr old single malt instead. I was overruled.

As usual, wifey and I were the last up making sure everything was ready for Santa and got to bed around 1.30am. Small girl woke us up around 3.00m asking if it was time to get up. We managed to tie her bed until 7.00 then gave up.

I am pleased to say, Santa had been and he was his usual generous self. Small was spoiled absolutely rotten. But then again so was I. As ever, a huge Thanks to all the Santa’s out there.

Overindulgance

Christmas morning was the usual display of excess and overindulgence. I love it. Huge breakfast washed down by lots of bubbles, lots of pressies, washed down by lots of bubbles. Turkey roasting assisted by lots of bubbles. You get the idea. Wolf, No1 Son, Stew and I nipped out to the local boozer around 1.00pm. Just to be sociable. I left after 2 beers and a nice GlenDronnach 18yr old to carry on cooking. Just as well.

Dinner was fabulous if I say so myself. And for once I didn’t forget anything. I usually find a cremated bowl of something in the aga 3 days later. Not this year. We still had a houseful of guests and the table was literally groaning under the weight of the food, but we got through it. Christmas dinner is a marathon not a sprint. My mistake was breaking out the Craigellachie 19yr old at the end. It was a tad, err, robust, shall we say. One large nip and that was me snoring gently on the sofa. I awoke an hour or so later and redeemed myself, helping wifey with the dishes. And so, Christmas Day was seen out watching tv specials in front of a roaring log fire and somehow forcing Quality Street down my throat. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

New Year

Over the next few days after Christmas, the house emptied as folks went home. It was pleasant having a few days to ourselves before the New Year festivities.

We did discover the joys of walking Snuggles the Wonder Dog along Lossiemouth beach. He loves it. I hadn’t realised just how pretty Lossie could be. Hellish cold at times, but rather nice.

As it happened, New Year was quite a quiet affair. A pleasant dinner at home with Wifeys parents, a movie, watching the village firework display at midnight. A few glasses of New Years bubbles then bed. We had planned a raucous trip to the Highlander, but we were all too knackered. I think the house moving pre Christmas and the full on Christmas festivities had taken their toll. So by 2.00am we were all sound asleep.

1st Walk of the Year

The early and rather sensible finish did mean we were up relatively early Jan 1st. Quite a mild day, we decided to take Snuggles the wonder hound for a long walk. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned. He thoroughly enjoyed himself. I am not sure our neighbours chickens did. I can confirm no chickens were severely hurt during the great chicken hunt of Jan’ 19. But there is a cockerel with a few less tail feathers and a far higher pitch call than he used to have. My sincere apologies to our neighbours once again.

Charles De Gaul

And so to work and new adventures. It was a fantastic, if tiring Christmas break. But all good things must come to an end. And so here I am, sitting in something called Fauchon waiting for my connecting flight from CdG to Abu Dhabi.

If you have read the Sfaxian Tales, you may recall that Air France is not my favorite airline. Nor Charles De Gaul my favorite Airport. And yet here I am. I had booked with KLM, but as AirFrance and KLM are one and the same these days, the devious swine fooled me.

It’s been many years since I regularly travelled through CdG. I had hoped it might have improved. It hasn’t. If anything it’s worse. It’s even more confusing, unpleasant and in-efficient than it used to be. After the slowest security check in the history of security checks, you still have to get a transfer bus. This bus crawls around the nether regions of the airport and really is quite a depressing experience.

Oh well, I thought. I have 7 hours transit time so no rush. And, as I am up in the pointy end, I can chill in the relative comfort of the business lounge. Can’t I? Nope. Apparently not. I am on a code share flight with Etihad and the lounge doesn’t open until 3 hrs before flight time. So, I am in a naff cafe being charged nearly 10 quid for a small glass of naff beer. Still. Could be worse. The service is so bad, no one has come near me for over an hour to see if my empty glass needs replenishing. Otherwise it could be really expensive.

I hate Charles de Gaul airport.

And so to Work…..

If all goes well, I should arrive in Abu Dhabi around 06.30 tomorrow am. A taxi ride to the office in Dubai, then a quick change into a suit and I am Ready.

I think I will be in the UAE for a week or so, then fly to Erbil. It’s not a well defined roll, so I can make what I can of it. I have some ideas and some ambitious objectives in mind. No doubt this first trip will be a lot of housekeeping issues. Finding an apartment. Finding a car. Figuring out where I can essentials. Like food and beer. Then 6 weeks or so, home again. That’s going to be a lot of fun.

Stay tuned to see how the Wannabe settles in to a new way of working and a whole new way of life. Also, to see if my luggage actually arrives tomorrow. I gave my doubts.

All the very best for 2019.

Graham thewannabescot.