Freda: The vet came today. His name is Douglas. He's worked as a vet for over 14 years. He got his job here in 2005. The last three weeks he has been climbing mountains in Argentina. He prefers working with horses. The horses had the injections to prevent them from getting Influenza (horse flu) and Tetanus. Each syringe holds about 1.5ml of medicine. When the horses had their jabs, they looked like nothing had happened. I really want to be a vet when I grow up!

Being in Aberdeen gave me the impetus to renew another long-forgotten winter hobby - model plane construction. In student days I used to make one 1:72 airfix model every year: spitfire, hurricane, U2 spyplane, harrier jump jet. This year I returned to the WW11 theme and started on a Messerschmitt Bf 109, from German occupation of Libya. This plane first saw action in the Spanish Civil War and all the way through the Second World War from North Africa to the Russian Front. These days, with children running round the house it's a longer process, and I only managed a half-finished job. I hope to finish it, though, before we return to China...

This bedroom might be tiny (approximately 1:24 scale) but hanging the wallpaper and laying the carpet was just as troublesome as in a full-size house - wrinkles, ruckles, bubbles, blisters - but the dog didn't seem to mind. Renovating Katie's dolls' house (Katie is Ali's sister) is one of the projects we have on the go in Aberdeen. Granny Eppy kindly provided a refurbishment grant, which allowed us to purchase some roof tiles, the above wallpaper and some home accessories - dog bed, xylophone, medical case, food, telephone etc. I'm hoping that by the time we return to 40 Fountainhall Road, someone else has hung the next roll of paper.....