Daily Archives: July 22, 2007

July 21 –

Today we start to close the Scottish chapter of our adventure. We packed up and got the flat ready to vacate. We have accumulated a few too many souvenirs of our trip so we packed up two large boxes with things to be shipped home. They weighed 14.5 kilos each (!) and cost £117 pounds each to post home! It would have been cheaper to buy an extra plane ticket! But sometimes you have to do what you have to do….

We said our teary goodbyes to the Cannon clan and then hopped in the car and headed west to see my family. I think that Kate and I are officially 2nd or 3rd cousins which makes our kids 3rd or 4th cousins but it doesn’t seem that way. Duncan and Andrew are only months apart and within minutes of our arrival, they were off to Ayr on the train to go bowling (Duncan won!). Gillian and Amy are about 18 months apart but still get on well although sometimes it seems that Gillian has more fun chasing 6 year old Michael around than anything else.

My cousin Susan came by with her two kids: Emily is just 2 and Matthew is 4 months. I got to play with the baby and then hand him back when he started to fuss – my favorite part of being the Auntie! We had a lovely BBQ – even though the rain chased us inside – and consumed much wine, beer, whiskey, etc. I think it was the early hours of the morning before we were finally off to our beds.

/san/

[Pedometer:  8333 steps or about 4 miles.  I refuse to admit how much was stumbling…. ;-)]

July 20 –

Today was set aside to take care of family business.  I still couldn’t go a run in the morning because it was raining (again? still?) so I did some work at the coffee shop before dragging the whole family out of bed.  My job today was to help pamper my mother-in-law – tough assignment!  Frank and Duncan were tapped to help move and rebuild two sheds and Gillian got to help Auntie Therese and Leah do some shopping before they go on holiday.

So my tough job was to get a pedicure while my mother-in-law got a manicure.  I’ve never had a pedicure outside the US so this was a real experience.  No large massage chair and chattering Vietnamese women; just a small foot spa and lots of personal attention.  A masque for my feet (!?!) and some reflexology made for a lovely outcome.  And mum thoroughly enjoyed her manicure – hand massage and all.

Then we had lunch in a little cafe and did some shopping before she headed to the fancy spa for a facial using the voucher we gave her for her birthday.  I got a short run in before Frank returned to pick me up and take me to the family homestead for our going away meal. 

We had a lovely family meal of homemade lasagne courtesy of my brother-in-law Jim and enjoyed a few drinks and many laughs before heading back to our flat for the last time to pack up and get ready for the next step in the adventure.

/san/

[Pedometer: 9452 steps or about 4.5 miles]