We are just back from a lovely few days visiting Trish, Cory, Duncan, and Fraser in Aberdeenshire. I had a week of holiday that I needed to take before the end of the year, and we've not been up in a few years so we decided to make a holiday out of it. We managed the 6 hours of driving in each direction and had a really great few days. Here are a few of my favourite photos.
On the way up we broke the journey at Stirling Castle. It's a really great place, definitely well situated for a castle, and with loads to see. As we're English Heritage members we managed to get in for free, so didn't mind that we only spent an hour or so there exploring a couple of spots. Here are Marisca and Elspeth, doing that thing they do.
Part of the castle was dedicated to children with a room on colours, music, carving, and dressing up. Here's a lovely Scottish lady (excuse the bloke with the funny hat in the background - that's not even part of the dressing up).
For most of lunch Tom enjoyed throwing his food on the floor (a new favourite pastime) which delighted the couple next to us more than it does us. Before that, we had some fun with prisms).
And here is some statue fella looking over his domain. This was about as bad as the weather got all weekend!
We spent much of the time outside, which was great! We had a scavenger hunt walk around a local forest, including much hide and seek. Once Marisca invested in two walking sticks (having seen a walker with two walking poles), she was happy to walk all the way - probably only a couple of miles but it felt good.
We were both struck by how autumnal the place looked. Large landscapes, tall trees, golden leaves. Really beautiful.
Of course we spent some time indoors too, and the Amundruds were perfect hosts, even going so far as to put away all of the inhalable toys. Tom had a great time crawling around.
Here's the best photo I have of the children. Ah well, can't win 'em all.
Thomas, just being Thomas.
More autumn, this time at Duthie Park.
On our last morning we went to Duthie Park, ran around the winter gardens and tried out two of the playgrounds. Here's Marisca measuring the length of her shadow (it's really tall).
Endless fun running over the bridges (this one, in particular) with Fraser.
And playing together on the slides. The two of them had great fun together - there's a couple of years difference in age which seems just right for Risky to run around after Fraser giggling all the while. Although it'd be exhausting, it gives a lovely foretaste of what it might be like for us in 3 or so years time!
On the way home we broke our journey at New Lanark. Another world heritage site and planned village, like Saltaire. Very different atmosphere though - this place has been turned into a museum at least to 90% (normal people still do live there) compared with home, which is more like 90% normal. Interesting to draw the parallels, and fun for Marisca to have a go at being a millworker's child, complete with uniform.
All in all, a great holiday. Tiring for the children, being run ragged by very enthusiastic and active older boys, but fun. We've a couple of days at home now before we turn to our own boy getting distinctly older himself in a few days.
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