Caryl

We are now in Inverness but didn't see the park and cinema acara mentioned. We won't be seeing Ireland either - not enough time and too expensive Net access is really hard to find with consistency. After tonight I think we will be without it until next week as we head for Thurso and the Orkneys and the B&Bs don't seem to offer wifi there. We went to the Floral Hall today and found these tiddlers... I updated the photos tonight so there are albums from Aberdeen to Inverness, including Culloden, Loch Ness and Elgin Cathedral, among many other sights. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/ ... /Scotland/

Hi all, we are now in Aberdeen and it is cold and overcast with scattered rain. We got a last minute deal on a hotel room and have a night with complimetary breakfast and dinner for 3 for 55 pounds ($140NZ approx). Best thing is the hotel has parking (many don't) plus free wifi that works at a good speed so I have managed to update the albums... http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/ ... /Scotland/ Check out the album list down the left of the Scotland album, especially Deep Sea World and the Butterfly and Insect World. It has lots of snakes and spider pics. 8) There are fish featured in one of the other albums too but I am tired and can't remember which one. Will look around Aberdeen tomorrow before heading for Inverness.

We got to handle millipedes, Josie the snake and a tarantula today!! :bounce: It was awesome! I will post pics as soon as we get a decent Net connection. Currently going through a cellular site and speeds are about the same as for dial-up :roll: Tomorrow we head for Aberdeen. We have been cruising down the motorways in an Audi A3 at 70mph which is about 115kph I think. Had to search the Net to find out what some of the road signs mean but others have us confused still :-? Haven't caused any accidents yet although Veronica (the GPS) did have to say "Perform a U turn as soon as possible" a few times :lol: Road signs leave a lot to be desired here, as do road markings. Driver behaviour is better though.

Stirling Castle was warmer than Edinburgh Castle! :lol: Have also been to the Wallace Monument and Callendar House. The Falkirk Wheel was fascinating and fun to ride on. Was hoping to play with snakes and tarantulas at a butterfly farm today but discovered Friday is snake feeding day so have put it off until then We saw our first squirrels today!!!! What cute little rodent pests they are :lol:

More poictures are going to have to wait as the Net connection here is too slow. Can email and write in forums though 8) Not sure what the temp is here but I believe it has been about 16C. No sign ofrain since we left home but I believe some is coming across from the west. Linlithgow Castle was fascinating. The outside walls are there and stone inside but all wooden bits are gone. They have boards showing what it would have looked like and what each part was. I have a pic of mum and Grant standing in the fireplace of the kitchen. They could have run races in it!

I hate people who think you work from home so are available to answer their computer questions 24/7. They ring at odd hours and always start by saying "I'm sorry to ring you at this hour/time/so late but..." If they were really sorry they would not have rung! Also, people who think since you are at home you have time for a long rambling chat about nothing. Retired people are good at this. They ring about a minor computer problem but you get long conversations about other stuff as well, despite explaining you are trying to get work done.

It is definitely different having such a longer history and such old buildings. You wonder how they managed to build them without all the modern machinery available today. The streets are unbelievable. Many are cobbled and all are half the width of ours. I find it confusing when cars park in either direction on the side of the road. They do not have to park facing the same way as traffic flow as we do here. We visited the Linlithgow Pet Shop yesterday and they had similar to what we have here. They had neons, harlequins, gourami, platys etc. I wanted to see a weather loach as we don't have them but they didn't have any either. It was just a small pet shop in a small town. Prices seem to be similar. I can't remember what they were though exactly and wasn't sure what prices were at home as it has been a long time since I bought fish. I will try and remember to write some prices down next time. I remember they had some elodea for sale! :lol:

We are having a good time despite having trouble figuring out the road rules, signs, and speed limits! Am driving around in an Audi A3. Very nice and quiet except when we are screaming at Grant "Next exit!!!" or "Wrong way!!" etc. Thank goodness for the GPS but there are roadworks everywhere and new roads not noted on it. Many roads look like driveways and are not signposted or lit. Have got photos uploaded from our arrival in Edinburgh plus sub albums of Edinburgh Castle, the drive from Edinburgh to Linlithgow (where we are staying for a week) and Holyroodhouse. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/ ... /Scotland/ Yesterday we visited Larbert, where mum's ancestors came from, and roamed through the cemetery looking for their graves. Today we went to Deep Sea World, Scotland's national aquarium. They have a 112m underwater tunnel they claim is the longest in the world. The main difference between it and our aquarium, or Kelly Tarlton's, is the lack of visitors. Very few there on a Monday morning so it was good. We got to play with a bearded dragon and got some great pics of poisonous frogs too. We also visited Linlithgow Palace. Both places were interesting but our Net connection is too slow to allow uploads so can't show you that yet. Am getting out and about despite having sprained my ankle in the Royal Mile the other day :roll: Tomorrow we are thinking of doing the Falkirk Wheel and visiting the historic sites at Stirling. T shirt weather the past 2 days but forcasting a bit of rain later in the week.

Having a wonderful time. Mum very proud she made it up to the first tower on the Great Wall. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v144/carylnz/Beijing/ The photos aren't badly taken (most aren't anyway) the odd colouring and lack of clarity are due to the pollution! Note the sub albums on the left of the Photobucket page - especially the fish. Hey, can I add a guppy to my tank? I must say, all looked very healthy and were active. There were some eels though in a very bad way

I moderate in The Tropical Tank www.thetropicaltank.co.uk

I have a thermos flask. Is that what you mean by vacuum pack? :lol: I feel guilty going through the checkpoints even when I have done nothing wrong! Sneaking something illegal in would be totally beyond me :roll:

You had better all behave yourself!!

Well done Bailey!!! By the way - YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHARE THE PRIZE WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS!!! :lol:

At last! Someone who can kill guppies faster than me!!!! :bounce: Go for something hardier

That's because us older women (if we're lucky) no longer have the kids at home so only have one male (sometimes) to clean up after. The younger ones are too busy, after a full day at work, cleaning, cooking, washing etc to spend as much time in here

They are fascinating creatures and have an undeserved bad reputation (mostly). It must be depressing to have everyone say Eeeewwwww :lol:

Better than he was but not good. Did all as suggested and he perked up for a few hours but is back to just sitting on the bottom. Not feeding so not pooing much now. At least he does move when they tap on the glass or put their hand in. I am at a loss as to what else to suggest. We took out water from the town supply in case it was a local problem but it didn't make a difference. Added salt and Stresscoat. Also tried Melafix.

No thanks wok (although we appreciated it last time!) we won't have time tomorrow. Only 2 hours between flights and it will take that long to get processed :roll: Grant and I (and my mum) are heading overseas. We have 4 days in Beijing then about 6 weeks in Scotland (tracing mum's family tree) and 4 days in Vancouver coming home. We get back just in time to attend the FNZAS conference at Rings Beach Queen's Birthday weekend :bounce: I will be posting a diary of our experiences here, whenever possible, with a link to my photobucket album. I did this when we were in Borneo a couple of years ago. As I take over 200 photos a day there will be plenty to see! Grant and mum have their cameras too :lol:

One more sleep! The house sitter has fish feeding instructions. Bags are almost packed. :bounce:

I did not open a can of worms. I merely asked who else enjoyed Nick Baker's Weird Creatures programme. I did not ask for a debate on who liked, or disliked, other presenters. :evil: I suggest you get back on topic and leave the subject of the Irwins alone. Since none of you know them personally your opinions on their motives, or behaviours, are moot. Since it is obviously a hot subject I will not be moving it into a separate thread either as I can see it getting out of hand very quickly.

Isn't it an aquatic plant? :lol:

Hi and welcome. I am sure you will find room for more tanks :lol:

The swelling is creating stress and cracking the glass.

Consumer or community law office. I think you will find tanks come with warranties that don't cover things like this. Unless you can prove it broke due to a fault in manufacture, you don't have a case.