Even though last night was not a late night (by most Cannon family gathering standards), we decided to make today a mellow day of rest. Some of us were actually able to sleep in – I was not one of them and found myself wide awake at 7 am. So I puttered around trying to decide how to spend some quality alone time without waking the rest of the family and I came up with only one option: run!
So I broke out my running shoes and gear, so neglected in Italy, tried to revive my Garmin and headed out into the beautifully sunny morning. Yes, I said sunny when talking about Scotland. I headed straight through town, garnering looks from the folks headed to work on a Saturday morning. Down past the Raploch and over the Stirling Bridge to the Causewayhead roundabout. The Garmin took 7 minutes for the satellites to find me then died shortly after the turn around so I have to guess at both time and distance (5 miles at about 45 minutes – probably less but that’s a safe bet). I stopped at the Spar for the butter we forgot when shopping yesterday then popped into the bakers for half a dozen morning rolls for the family. I got back to find Frank trying to suss out the coffee maker while the “kids” still slept.
Frank and I had a lovely breakfast on our own (roll with sausage and egg for him, toast with jam and yoghourt with fruit and muesli for me) and then decided to head into town and let them sleep. We wandered around the town stopping at the chemists for a few items as well as the news agent’s for a paper. We noted all the things that had changed in the town both since I was a student there 25+ years ago and over the visits we’ve made since then. We chatted about people we’ve known and those we’d like to see again while we are here. Frank recently reconnected with an old girlfriend on Facebook and was hoping to see her while we were here; she’s quite an accomplished landscape artist and I was eager to meet her. We also tried to figure out whose phone number we still had and who we’d jut have to pop in on.
As it was getting close to lunchtime, we decided to pick up a few things at the Marks & Spencer food hall so we could have lunch while the offspring were having breakfast. While wandering the aisles deciding on a salad, Frank leaned over and whispered to me, “ I think that’s Allison” – referring to the old girlfriend we had been discussing earlier. He was hesitant to approach her as he hadn’t seen her in more than 25 years and he didn’t want to look like an idiot. I, on the other hand, have no problem with him looking like an idiot and encouraged him to take a chance. Which he did, and it was her. So they had an interesting reunion in the checkout line at Marks and Sparks. What are the chances?
We aroused the sleeping beasts, made them bathe and everyone enjoyed the appropriate home cooked meal. Then off to visit Gran. She seemed to be having a good day today so we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go for a drive. We piled everyone in the car and headed for Callandar – along with most of the rest of Scotland. Gran was not up for a wander about town so we got ice cream and then headed home via a different route through the Trossachs. We then made a pit stop to visit the other branch of the Cannon family as Tom is currently working night shifts and we wanted to catch him before he headed out to work. We had a lovely visit with Tom, Una, Nikki, Amy and Ross and after the obligatory cup of tea, headed home since Gran was worn out.
A brief respite at the flat (where the wifi is spotty at best unfortunately) and then we headed out to cabaret night at McQ’s, the local pub where Jim tends bar. And what a spectacle that turned out to be! First the three course meal (served by my niece Leah who also works at the pub) with a few pints of cider. Then Johnny Lee Memphis, Elvis impersonator, took the stage. What a howl! He’s from Tullibody not Tennessee and had the obligatory sequined jumpsuit on. He actually looked more like John Stamos than Elvis but there you go. He sang half a dozen less popular Elvis songs before taking a short break and returning with a new outfit and some dancers. Holy Vegas Strip Batman! The dancers were decked out in beads and feathers and didn’t seem to know precisely what was going on. Eventually we got to some of the more famous Elvis songs as well as Tina Turner and a few other artists. The room was filled with (mostly) middle aged women and couples – Duncan and Gillian lowered the mean age by a good 20 years – but everyone seemed to be having a great laugh.
The capper for the evening was when Jim got up to do a dance routine with two other lads from the audience (one who looked like a Hobbit in an Elvis wig!) and was even coaxed into “singing” a bit. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard – I actually howled! We eventually called it a night and headed up the road to Jim and Therese’s house where we waited for a taxi to take us back to the flat. Unfortunately, the wifi still wasn’t working which is why this post is late.
Steps: 12, 922 or 5.6 miles
(Plus the 5 miles I ran this morning but the family doesn’t get to take credit for it.)
The Cannon Family's travel blog 
Great nite after all, we really didnt expect that, laughed ma heid off x