Welcome to Aberdeen

It was a rainy welcome to Aberdeen today, but the Linx arena is looking great, and ready to go for the Le Gruyere European Curling Championships.

Last minute work was ongoing. Here, many hands make light work as a camera gantry is readied to be lifted into place.

Kays of Scotland have found a new source of curling stone granite (above), but it is not likely to be in production for a little while yet!

Ice is nice.

This addition to the Linx is to provide extra changing room accommodation for the twenty teams which will play at the arena in the A Divisions.

A smile awaits the visitors! I caught these key members of the local organising committee relaxing, while awaiting the arrival of teams and others looking for their accreditation. L-R: Rona Thom, Rita Esson, George Esson (the chairman of the loc) and Norma Pert.

She usually stays shy of the camera, but this is Joanna Kelly, the World Curling Federation's media relations officer. (If there are no further blog posts, that's because she's revoked my media privileges after seeing this pic online!)

Here are the A Division umpires, out of uniform, looking forward to a long week, with some very long days for the officials. L-R: Dor Borthwick, Mats Olafsson, Anne Malcolm, Leslie Ingram Brown (the chief), Maria Davidsson and Harold Forrester. There's one more to come for the A, that's Michael Schlatter.

Pics by Bob