PENGUINS! PENGUINS! PENGUINS!

So, the last few days, in reverse order.

Today: FireFight.

Shite weather, low turnout, fun games. I really hope we can get the rent changed to a "Per paying player" payment instead of a flat rent. As it is, we lose money if we have fewer than 20 players or thereabouts... But I still enjoy playing when there's only about 6. A new rent agreement would be a major load off my mind. As it is, I don't sleep the night before a Firefight day, mostly through worrying about the turnout the next morning. Gah.


Yesterday and Friday: Edinburgh.

My mum's cousin, and her husband and kids ( Margaret, Winston, and Jack and Beth - Jack being a year or so younger than me, and Beth a year or so younger than my sister ), were up from Kent to visit and we'd gotten hotel rooms in Edinburgh for the "Family gathering".
Originally mooted as being in Dublin, then Stirling, I really don't know why the hell we bothered. There's room at Grandma and Grandad's place for everyone that came up anyway, so for me, Kat, Morgan, Julie ( My sister ), Mum and my stepdad David - not to mention Grandma and Grandad to go all the way through there only for Margaret and Winston to announce that "Oh, Jack and Beth will be down for dinner after they watch Top Of The Pops in their rooms..." seemed something of a waste of time.

Morgan was very good, considering - Slightly cranky, but easy enough to distract with stuffed animals. She enjoyed her dinner, and happilly trundled around the restaurant / bar until it was decided that Kat and I were NOT going to be able to go clubbing after all, as Morgan was to stay in our room.
*Sigh*
Oh well... So much for a few beers, and a nice relaxing movie on TV / book to read.

We didn't mind TOO much, since we knew we'd be up early as we wanted to head to the Zoo in the morning, and maybe hit the Museum of Childhood as well.

Nah, not happening.
As soon as we got up to the room and put her in her cot, Morgan went nuts.
Not even just crying - outright screaming tantrums.
We took her into the bed with us for a bit... It quietened her slightly.
In the end, we didn't get to sleep at all until roughly 5am.
Breakfast was between 8:30 and 11.

Mum phoned us around 8 IIRC, and came up for Morgan at 9ish.
She was informed that we had had next to no sleep, and that if she could take Morgan to her room, we'd be down for breakfast around 10:30... With apologies to the family for our ignorance. I hoped they'd understand our tardiness.


No need! Seems that Jack and Beth didn't want to bother coming down for breakfast, either.

So although the whole damn point of us going through there was to see them, they didn't actually speak directly to myself, Kat or Julie for the whole time we were there!
I have NO idea why not - Since the last time Beth was up, she was cool. OK, it's been a good few years since we saw Jack, but he didn't seem to have changed too much since then. ( Even at dinner the night before, Julie, Kat and I had sat at one end of the table with Morgan... And with the rest of the table still empty when they got there, J&B STILL chose to sit as far away from us as possible.
WTF?
Screw it... I won't be bothering with such family gatherings in future if that's how it's gonna be ( Great dinner or no great dinner ;) )

So our plans were out the window for Saturday as well, and as it was 1pm before we got to leave the hotel, the Zoo visit had to be really rushed.


Got to see Penguins though.
Penguins rule.