We will soon be back in the censorship capital of the world, with no more freedom to put Youtube movies on the blog. To be honest, it doesn't surprise me that the authorities draw the line there. Imagine what fun and scandal could be had. It's easy for them to argue that photographs can be doctored but video footage would be much harder to dismiss.

In the next few days, before hopping on our Air China flight to Beijing, we will be eating lots of breakfast cereal, turning to prunes in the swimming pool, watching kids' TV from 6 am, living off scones and coffee and wondering what we might miss and could take back with us. What's more, we might just post a few more short films on our blog. Here's one from the 2009 summer archive.

If one tires of the seals, dolphins and bird life, there are always oil rigs to spot on the Cromarty Firth. This stretch of inland sea water on the North coast of the Black Isle is home to a number of rig-related service  industries. All year round rigs come in for maintenance and sprucing up before heading back out to the North Sea. In the evenings they are all lit up like Christmas trees and one can spot well in to double figures.

Despite Ali's year-long stint working off-shore as a geologist, there wasn't a hint of nostalgia as we passed the rigs. He did manage to impress Freda and Edie, for a moment, when he announced that he used to travel to the rigs by helicopter. The conversation soon moved on to more exciting things like - how to build a sledge for the Playmobil people.

Once the mahjong-playing is over, Freda and Edie use the tiles for what they're really intended - building. This was today's creation - a travellers' inn with steading accommodation for the horses. As long as they make sure all the tiles are accounted for later, or the next game could be frustrating.

Freda announced today that every Wednesday one member of the family gets to decide what the evening activity will be. We threw the dice and it was Freda's turn to choose. Mahjong it was. Thank goodness it wasn't Twister, as I'm still nursing a few snowboarding injuries, including my sprained thumb. Here's a snippet...

During the second game Edie picked up, placed the tile in her hand and after a few seconds of pondering announced: "I don't really have one to throw away, unless I use one of my pair." Luckily she accepted my help, as closer inspection revealed she had "gone mahjong" without even realising it.

Wondering where the Mahjong tiles came from? Granny Annie carried this 5-kilo set back from China in her hand luggage two years ago. They might not be as pretty as the antique bamboo ones but they're a pleasure to use.

Freda, Annie and Ali enjoyed a perfect day's skiing at Cairngorm on Monday. Freda, on her second day on skis, perfected her technique and persuaded Granny to buy her more than one Hot Chocolate in the cafe. Ali managed a few harder runs on his own and came back raving about the 2-mile, 2000 ft descent to the Ciste Carpark via Coire Laogh Mor. Granny had dug out her purple one-piece skisuit from the attic, but there was no hint that she hadn't skied for 12 years as she cruised down the pistes. We finished off the day with fish suppers in Aviemore. Perfect weather (-5, zero wind), perfect conditions (as good as it gets), and virtually no queues - who needs the Alps when you can ski like this on Cairngorm?!

Ali's sister, Katie, came to visit with her partner Richard. They are on their way to Skye for a romantic week at Port Elgol cottage and squeezed in a few days on the Black Isle with us. Richard runs his company called 3D2D, which he set up in 1981 to provide craft fairs for artists, designers and craftsers around Scotland. Katie makes beaded jewellery and works with Richard, organising fairs. The biggest of the year is the 3-week West End fair during the Edinburgh festival, where at least 100 exhibitors set up their stalls. They also run events at The Highland Show, Scone Palace and a number of other venues. My favourite was at Crathes Castle, where the marquees were set up in the beautiful gardens. 

Freda and Edie have revelled in their time with Katie and Richard, dancing the can-can, making Playmobil set-ups and reading stories. Ali and Freda accompanied our guests on a 2-hour cycle to Culbokie and in the evening we had a belated birthday dinner followed by Mahjong and yet another very late night.

Katie brought a homemade carrot cake up from Edinburgh, which she decorated with Freda and Edie. It was absolutely delicious but left me in a quandary  when the girls announced they had been licking the outside of the cake earlier. I was instructed to cut pieces from the inside. This might seem strange but there's a very logical explanation - Katie borrowed a silicone baking tray from a friend, which hadn't been washed properly. By the time she realised the cake tray was smeared with washing-up liquid the cake had already been baked. They were licking the edge of the cake to see if it had picked up the taste. It had just a hint of something tropical, not enough to spoil our eating pleasure. It was what you might imagine a fruity shampoo tasting like. The biggest shock? The number of candles on the cake had to be multiplied by 4 to accurately represent my age. That seems like far too many.

The 'now that I'm 40' list of things I'm going to do (and have probably been wanting to do for a long time) is well underway, only 24 hours into my fun forties. Ali and I got up at 5:30 am on the 19th February to drive to the Cairngorm mountain range for our snowboarding debut. We had booked a lesson with the Ski + Snowboard School. Knowing that I find it difficult to spend money on anything that can't be justified as functional/necessary, some relatives gave me a financial contribution to the day. The best thing was that Ali came too and although the oldest in our group of six, we were by far the most energetic and studious. It was the best birthday I've ever had, not only because we did something fun, novel and exciting but because I fulfilled a decade-long dream of unleashing the snowboarder within.

We found ourselves under the methodical and patient instruction of Bryan, whose older brother, Barry, was teaching a level 2 group nearby. At the start of the lesson, having climbed to the top of the nursery slope, Bryan asked us all to state what our personal (snowboarding) goals were for the day. Mine were simple, knowing that this might be my one and only lesson, perhaps my one and only day on the slopes until another milestone birthday: "I'd like to be able to take a tow up the hill and snowboard down, safely and in control, using turns" (i.e. not sliding sideways). However, it seems I was aiming too high. Bryan's first aim for us all was to be able to stand up on the board without falling over or taking off uncontrollably down the mountain. We hid our disappointment at his suggestion that linking turns was virtually impossible at the end of one lesson, and that we wouldn't be going anywhere near a tow. Bryan was to be surprised. What he didn't know was (1) we were determined; (2) we were fairly fit (we could reascend the nursery slopes 3 times while other class members did so once); (3) we'd had a sneaky practice before class and already knew that we could stand up on the board. The fun was just starting.

What we also concealed from Bryan was that within 20 minutes of being on the board (before the lesson started) I had already sprained (thought dislocated at first) my left thumb. My thumb, hand and forearm were throbbing and I feared having to drop-out. I opted for Ibuprofen and tucking my thumb into the main part of my glove, keeping it out of harm's way. The helmet gave me confidence to get up some speed although a bulk of the day was spent practising slow, controlled movements - sliding on the heel edge, sliding on the toe edge, turning 180 degrees on each edge, etc. By missing half our lunch break to practise some more we were linking turns by 2:30. "You two are ripping!" said Bryan when we climbed  back up the slope, or "You nailed it!" Imagine how chuffed we were.

Our rapid progress persuaded Bryan to help fulfill all our dreams for the day - he offered to introduce us to the tows. He rounded off the lesson and said his goodbyes in the tow queue, assuming we would all get left behind in a heap at the tow station. Using the T-bar with a board is much harder than with skis and we weren't even instructed on how to deal with the short downhill section two thirds of the way up, or how to disembark. The truth is, he didn't think we'd make it.....but we did. Well, I fell off near the top but joined up with the others as they descended. Bryan showed off his moves, finding little jumps for us to try (that had been another 'joke' goal) and coaching us in the big bad world of the pistes. My thighs were burning from dedication to correct posture, and my coccyx aching from some downhill, backward falls but nothing could take away the thrill of our achievements. Bryan announced that if we return for another lesson we can progress straight to level 3. We were the best level 1 boarders he had ever had.

I was concerned in the run up to the day that it would be a disaster, that my belief that snowboarding was an achievable goal (given the time constraints) was entirely misplaced. I could see myself doing it in my head (and I couldn't say the same for other things, like swinging on a trapeze or swallowing a sword) but what if I was wrong? It would have been such a disappointment to have been unable to do it, simply because I have longed to try for so long. There aren't many things in my life like that, that I've longed and strived for, except for being accepted by VSO as a volunteer and broadcasting my first radio feature. As it happens, I wasn't wrong. I found the snowboarder within me and achieved just what we set out to. Endorphines pumped round my body for the rest of the day, masking all aches and pains. That's until I got up this morning. I can't open a jam jar due to my sprained thumb but who cares? Thanks Ali, for coming. Thanks friends and family who spurred me on. Thanks for the donations and thanks mum for taking care of Freda and Edie for the day. Seth Westcott watch out.

Sunday saw Ali and the girls attend an Inverness Orienteering Club kids coaching session at Carse, while Lesley worked on a VSO report. It was the first time Freda and Edie had orienteered in a proper forest with proper maps - previous experience has been limited to running round the Simao Teachers' College campus (see www.leafgovso.co.uk/orienteering.htm ). There were quite a few folk there, including children of friends in Inverness, and we all had a great time on a fun "Yellow" course, practising electronic punching and fitting the map to the ground, all in a stress-free non-competitive environment. In 2 weeks time we might be doing the real thing at a local event close by.

After my romantic day out on the hill with Alec I was more than a little relieved to discover that I hadn't been locked out of the house when I got back to Craiglea. In fact, I was welcomed with great reverence and warmth by Freda and Edie, performing the role of waitresses dressed in Tibetan finery. After being forced into the shower I was shown through to a private dining room where Lesley and I were served a selection of delicious dishes cooked and devised by the girls themselves. There was even a printed Anniversary Meal menu and Gin & Tonics all round!