Granda would have been proud

As you'll have been aware (I may have mentioned it once, twice or thrice recently), I was playing football this weekend at the theatre of dreams - Firhill Stadium, home of Partick Thistle FC. It was great fun walking out onto the hallowed turf, and my enthusiasm obviously influenced the club photographer - if you click on the link below you may recognise a certain ageing enthusiast:-
www.ptfc.co.uk/media/photo_galleries/miscellaneous_galleries/2010-2011/firhill_cup_and_fun_day/image_011

Once viewed, please vote on the poll on the right........



It's not only opposing strikers who have had to put up with my close attentions of late, Luca has also "enjoyed" a little more of my time of late. Here he is above outside the polling station before I cast my vote (I voted Green just to p**s off Alex Salmond) sporting the most curious of grins. Click on the picture to gain a closer image, has Luca been taking smiling lessons from Cherie Blair?

Back to Firhill, here's the boy getting his face painted. That familiar reticent smile and questionable stare was bestowed upon the face painter throughout

I'm a tiger!

For most of you this picture is simply a cute photo of Luca eating a cake. Dad however will be looking at Luca's company - yes, that's Willie Kinnibugh, Simon Donnelly and Jackie McNamara in his company

Yes, this was his favourite bit of the day. We simply couldn't get him off it, he loved it. Luca is without question the most cautious of children, so we relished watching him repeatedly throw himself from the top of this bouncy slide. I've rarely seen him so carefree. Indeed, at one point he threw himself from the top with such abandon that he didn't touch the slide until halfway down, rolling the rest of the way down like a chubby avalanche. "This is really good!" he squealed as he prepared to climb the steps again while simultaneously hiding the fact that he'd hurt his elbow.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Carole yet. But fear not, as I will in the next blog. Carole bought a raffle ticket at the stadium, and when the draw was made during a break in play was delighted to hear she'd won something. Her disappointment as she reached the centre circle to find her prize was a signed picture of the Partick Thistle squad was negated by the company around her. As the photographer lined her up for a picture she stopped him to insist on having "two good looking men in the picture with her"

She wasn't referring to Luca and I.

Two Thistle players were quickly identified and rounded up into the picture, both giggling like schoolboys. "They'll have thought I was a proper cougar" Carole confided with me later, "but I don't care" she declared, falling about in laughter

**Useless fact of the day - A "cougar" refers to a powerful, predatory older woman who uses her appeal and status on younger, more inexperienced males**