We often wonder what it would be like to live here – maybe when we retire – and I suspect that it might be something very much like today. The bright sky and dry conditions were definite signs that a run was in order so I off I went on a 4 mile loop through the town. Then Frank made bacon and egg sandwiches for breakfast. We showered, tidied up, and headed out for a day of visiting.
First to the nursing home to retrieve mum then off to the shops in Tillicoultry to pick up a rain jacket I had seen in the town but they didn’t have my size. We stopped in the Marks and Spencer outlet to find a cardigan to replace the one I lost in Helsinki. Then we drove all around the wee towns (Dollar, Alva, Alloa) avoiding road works and looking for a tea room to have a sandwich and a cup of tea. We couldn’t see any that appealed – or could handle the wheelchair – so back to Bridge of Allan and a nice bar lunch at the Westerton Arms. Baked potatoes for the ladies (mine with prawns and Helen’s with cheese and coleslaw) and Frank had the first haggis of the trip. No drinks though: Helen wanted to warm up with a cup of tea and with Scotland’s lower limit for drunk driving, Frank was abstaining so I did too. Gave me an excuse to order and Irn Bru – another first this trip!
Then we took Helen back to her room to rest up for dinner out later and we went to do more visiting, spending most of the afternoon drinking tea and chatting with other Cannon’s. Of course, the day wasn’t completely idyllic as I have begun to show signs of coming down with a cold. Sore throat, post nasal drip, etc. So off to the chemist to see what can be done. And the answer is: rest, drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, etc. All the things you know but don’t want to hear because it gets in the way of your holiday. So I beefed up my stock of ibuprofen and got ready for the evening’s revelries.
Tonight’s agenda – dinner out at the Old Bridge Inn in Bridge of Allan. A small party of six, we had a lovely meal, possibly the best roast duck I’ve ever had – before getting Helen to bed, dropping off the rental car, and heading back to the Cannon homestead for a trip to the local pub for drinks: The Tartan Arms where several family members work on occasion. Thus relieved from any driving responsibilities, we enjoyed several pints and blethered for as many hours with various family and friends who tend to frequent the place.
As we closed in on midnight, it was time to go so we headed out into the cool dry night for the roughly two mile walk back to our flat. That’s probably the only way we got close to our 10k steps – 9789. We probably didn’t need to stop and pick up some takeout on the way home but we did anyway and enjoyed someone’s version of chicken biriyani while watching Gordon Ramsay tear apart a hotel owner before falling into bed. I suspect we’ll do it all again tomorrow.
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