Monthly Archives: June 2018

It will surprise no one that we awoke to grey skies and lashing rain which did not bode well for our plan to test Frank’s new boots with a hike – preferably a climb up Dumyat.  Jesse was all set for her day out – it was the Edinburgh pride festival so she felt called to go wave rainbow flags with her peeps.  We dropped her off at the train station to catch the 10:34 train with strict instructions to be on the 4:38 train at the latest as we were expecting the big family do to start around 5pm.

Then we tried to figure out where we might get a somewhat dry walk in.  Watching the radar which showed a huge swath of rain cross the entire country (bar London), we decided it was better to head west where we might be able to find some clear skies after the rain moved through.  So what destination should we aim for?  We explored multiple museum options and other indoor activities but nothing really appealed.  Then I accidentally searched for “hand dyed yarn”  and found a farm nearby that spun and dyed their own wool.  We had unknowingly driven past it on the way to Perth yesterday when the shop was actually open so it didn’t work as a destination for today.  But there was a wool shop in Drymen that carried their stuff  and Drymen was west so we had an initial destination!

Off we go in the rain, hiking boots in the back seat, to the village of Drymen to find the smallest yarn shop I have ever been in.  It barely fit 3 people so the one customer that was there when we arrived had to leave before Frank and I could get in.  But she had some great local stuff in addition to some of the standards and had loads of suggestions of designers and Ravelry patterns to check out.  I got some of the Strathearn Fibre yarn I had been looking for – the blue is gorgeous in natural light which I found out by stepping out of the shop into the street as was recommended.  I could have bought more but we are already hitting space constraints on our cases so I restrained myself.

Then it was time to find somewhere to have lunch.  We made a quick detour to Balmaha, a lovely little village on the shores of Lock Lomond, and stopped into the tourist information center to get some ideas.  It turns out that this was one of the stops on the West Highland way (a new item on my bucket list BTW).  The skies had begun to clear a bit and we could have hiked a small section of the route but we saw the state of the through hikers (sodden, muddy messes albeit laughing and chatting) and Frank pointed out that we would be wearing our hiking boots on the plane tomorrow (since they wouldn’t fit it the cases) so we really didn’t want them to  be wet and muddy.  {sigh}

We decided to head toward Killearn where we thought we had had a lovely bar lunch several years ago when a phone call from Frank’s sister-in-law preempted that plan.  Apparently, the family do had  been arranged for 2:30 not 5:30 and we hadn’t gotten the text.  We texted Jesse who had arranged to meet one of the Troon cousins for lunch at 2pm after the parade had finished and was bummed at the change of plans.  We made a midcourse correction and headed straight to Bannockburn where several tables at McQs had been reserved for the afternoon.  We were the first to arrive and eventually we had nearly the entire clan gathered (well 16 of us!), including one new boyfriend who was meeting nearly everyone for the first time. (Good luck son!)  Unfortunately, grandma wasn’t doing very well.  She had had several seizures during the night – including one that morning – and though she insisted on attending, she didn’t look well and didn’t last long.  Frank and one of his brother’s ended up taking her back to the care home nearly straight away and she had another seizure upon arrival.  The consensus seemed to be that all the running about had worn her out (OMG, I broke my mother-in-law!) but that she would be fine after some rest.

We ate, drank, laughed, and drank some more.  Eventually we had to vacate the room we were in for a private party so off to the main lounge we went.  The Peru-Denmark match was on and it was tough finding seats for the 11 of us that remained but we managed to take over and entire section of the pub. Jesse finally arrived from Edinburgh and joined the revelries. Several hours later,  just a few remained and it was time to head back to the cottage to finish packing.  We emerged into the screaming sunshine (figures!) but we still needed to eat still and at 9pm on a Saturday night, the choices are limited.  Frank still had one box on his “must eat” list to check so we stopped at a local kebab shop for a donner kebab (think gyro but spicer) and then back to the chippy for me and Jesse.  Fat and carbs consumed, cases were stuffed and an early night was had.

Data for today:
Steps: 4185 (2 miles)
Meters of wool purchased: 800
Pints of cider consumed by cider drinkers: approx 12
Different types of drinks consumed: 10

We refuse to be deterred by grey skies so today’s plan was to head out to find some sunshine – and if there happen to be a few shops for my mother-in-law, all the better! So bacon rolls devoured, we picked up grandma and headed to one of the many places that call themselves “the gateway to the highlands”: Perth. The rain was fairly persistent for the 40 or so miles to Perth but was kind enough to let up as we perused the city centre for parking. We just *happened* to find a free space right outside a yarn store (which was sorely disappointing unfortunately) and then the wander about the town began.

Perth is a lovely wee city with a nice pedestrian area in the city centre. There are lots of charity shops among other things so Jesse was happy. We have spent WAY more time shopping this trip than makes me happy but there you go. The sun was threatening to spill through the clouds most of the day – and managed a wee peep once or twice – but at least we were dry the entire time. Frank found the perfect hiking boots, Jesse found a fabulous suit (in Primark of all places!) and grandma got some bling earrings. Then a lovely lunch in Reid’s Cafe which had a nice gluten free menu and a chili jam that Frank decided was so good it was worth of suitcase space so a jar will be finding its way home. I had homemade soup and sandwich on gf bread which is really all one can ask for. It’s the simple things in life really.

A bit more wandering and it was time to head out but not before checking one more box on Jesse’s “to eat” list: a 99 which is really nothing more than a cone with a Flake stuck in it but it was on the list so we needed to figure that out.  Luckily, a local cafe obliged and the required ice cream was procured.  I’m sure most people thought we were daft for eating ice cream when it wasn’t blazing sunshine and hot but I don’t think we cared at this point. Then it was time to head back and see that grandma got safely delivered so that she could rest up for the “all family” gathering currently scheduled for tomorrow night.

We also had plans for the evening as it was time for a trip to Cambusbarron for the annual “box of curry” festivities. Mind you, we’ve never had the curry delivered in a box after that first time but it doesn’t matter, the name has stuck. And that’s really all there is to be said on that since much food, drink, and conversation occurred among the group of dear friends until a taxi delivered us home in the wee hours.

Data for today:
Steps: 10,395 (4.7 miles)
Charity shops visited: 5
Orders of chicken pasanda in the box of curry: 4
Explanations of American politics attempted: 0 (we’ve given up)

(Bonus points if you get the movie reference – it involves cheese!)
The weather this morning was particularly schizophrenic: sunny spells with intermittent showers and extreme winds. I believe “blowing a gale” would be the appropriate description. Not really fit weather for wandering about town behind a wheelchair and I have definitely had my share of mall time for the week. So we decided to postpone today’s visit with grandma until the evening meal and have a wee day out just the 3 of us who don’t care about the wind and rain.

So off to Edinburgh we go! Frank and I stayed there last time we visited as I was at a conference at the University so we had much more recent memories of the place than Jesse. We found an (expensive) carpark with a stupid self pay machine (woo hoo – 3 dodgy tenners all gone!) and headed to the most touristy of roads in the entire country: the Royal Mile. Throngs of foreigners in the streets taking pictures of the most bizarre things. Large groups of tourists swarming shops, gabbling in every language you can think of. We stopped for a coffee (read: to use wifi and the toilets) before setting out. The entire street is lined with keich shops (officially Scottish for shite but used like kitsch for descriptions of stores selling touristy crap) but Jesse managed to get a decent deal on a Scottish rugby strip in one. We tried to get up to the castle so Jesse could take a picture for the folks at Disney to see what a real castle looked like but it was not to be as construction in the courtyard to prepare for the Edinburgh Tattoo was well underway.

Wandering back down the street we stopped in St Giles Cathedral for a wee look round and so I could light a candle for my mum. (I haven’t missed an opportunity in 11 years of traveling. I hope she’s smiling on me. ) And then off to a few more charity shops on the side streets. Lunch was had in a small cafe off the Grassmarket before wandering up Victoria Street – which everyone now knows was the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books. Every second shop has something to do with wizards or muggles so something HP related. {sigh}

We did take in a great street performance of a deluded juggler who managed to juggle machetes on an 8 foot unicycle in the gusting wind so that was 5 pounds well spent. Then the obligatory visit to Princess Street to continue the quest for hiking boots and any clothes that Scotland might sell which Jesse can wear in Florida. The intermittent sunshine was getting more scarce and clouds were threatening so it was time to head back. We got to experience Edinburgh traffic – it took us 70 minutes to do the same journey home that took 40 minutes when we arrived – so now we do feel like locals.

Jesse headed out for dinner and drinks with some cousins and friends so Frank and I picked up his mum for a quiet dinner at a local pub-style chain restaurant: the Highland Gate The food is nothing to write home about but there’s plenty of room for the wheelchair and mum thoroughly enjoyed her chicken dinner and half a shandy. The sun was back out at this point so we went for a lovely drive along the hillfoots out to Alva to see where Frank’s niece’s new house is being built (gorgeous view BTW). On the way back we were treated to a rainbow.

Data for today:
Steps: 13,915 (6.3 miles – that’s more like it!)
Wind speeds: 30mph with gusts up to 55mph
Cost of first fuel fill up: £52 (that’s £1.29 per litre or about $8 US gallon)

Today would be a day of family gatherings which inevitably means food.  Breakfast is generally the simplest affair since it’s just the three of us in the cottage and we all have similar likes: bacon rolls!  If you’ve never had a Scottish bacon roll, I don’t know if I can adequately describe it.  First you start with a morning roll.  This is the only soft squidgy white bread thing worth eating.  It’s not like a hamburger bun, kaiser roll, bap, or any other baked good I’m familiar with.  You generally buy them from the baker or local shop regularly (daily in some cases) and only a few at a time as they don’t keep very long.  We cheated and bought some at Waitrose when picking up more bacon. I found a gluten free version of these which is very close to the original so I am all set.  Next you need to understand the bacon. Now I don’t want to start holy wars on this (smoked versus unsmoked, etc) but just to say that rashers of British bacon are one of the things I miss most in the US.  It’s not ham-like as Canadian bacon is and not as fatty as US bacon is (streaky bacon they call it here).  It has more meat than fat and two rashers on a buttered morning roll (with a fried egg if you are so inclined) is a wonderful breakfast sandwich.

So fortified, we headed out for one of Jesse’s bucket list activities – charity shops!  It doesn’t do them justice to call them thrift stores, even though that’s really what they are.  It seems every charity in Scotland accepts donations of goods and every one has a small shop on the high street where they resell those goods.  So within the course of an hour covering a very small section of Port Street and Murray Place  in Stirling we hit shops for: the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, and Marie Curie.  Jesse got dress shoes and CDs in the first and a couple of shirts in the last.  And I grabbed a fabulous night dress for 99p!  A very productive hour!

Then off to the care home to pick up Grandma whence we headed to another local landmark: Dobbies Garden Center.  It’s not just a DIY shop.  Think the garden center at Lowe’s meets the patio section at Target meets Kohl’s meets REI and throw in a tea shop, sweet shop, and food hall. We were meeting auntie and uncle there for lunch but first Frank was trying on hiking boots.  Nothing for the fat feet here.  Then it’s off to the cafe for dinner (the mid-day meal) where we had a round of toasties, wraps, and baguettes and I had a jacket potato with Coronation chicken – one of my favorites.  And the piece de resistance: a raspberry meringue the size of your head. We spent an hour chatting about a variety of subjects including GDPR and electric cars. We shopped a bit more (I found a smashing raincoat on sale that I just might have to buy – it’s full length and purple!) and mostly bought sweets: flying saucers and marshmallow shrimps were also on Jesse’s “must” list.

I had a small amount of work to do (even unemployed I keep busy!) so I got dropped off at the cottage for my Skype call with Paris and Frank and Jesse took grandma back and visited a few more shops. Eventually it was time for tea (the evening meal) which became a Herculean event. We had originally thought of meal out with one brother-in-law and spouse. That turned into dinner for 11 at Mango. So all three brothers and assorted offspring and nearly-offspring gathered in an Indian/Italian restaurant (it really wasn’t as weird as it sounds) for 3 hours of eating and drinking except for the two drivers as there is a zero tolerance policy here. I actually felt bad for the other diners in the room with us as the chatting and laughter got quite loud at times. Three of the eleven opted for Italian (gf spaghetti carbonara – yum!) and the rest had Indian – or in the case of the haggis pakoras, Scottish Indian. A decent photograph of the chaos is still to be found.

Then it was home in the lashing rain and off to bed.

Data for today:
Steps: 6,038 (2.8 miles)
Hiking boots tried on: 7
Charity shops visited: 6

We combated the grey drizzly morning with a nice fry-up for breakfast: eggs, sliced sausage, beans, toast.  Jesse had gotten about 12 hours of sleep so we were ready to face the day. It was to be a pretty quiet day though – just some time visiting with grandma and other family.

My mother-in-law likes to shop.  I do not.  She wins.  So off to the Thistle Centre we go.  We spent about 90 minutes wandering through various department stores with the occasional stop in an outdoor or sporting goods shop to look for new hiking boots for Frank.  (Apparently the current British brands don’t cater to fat feet.) Jesse immediately took off for the music and bookstores and it was quite entertaining corralling everyone when it was time to go.  You don’t realize how much you rely on being able to phone/text without consequence until you can’t.  It’s 50 cents for each text we send, 5 cents for each one we receive and $1.79/minute for phone calls.  So no, I am not pleased when the KC Chiefs want to chat with me about tickets for the upcoming season.  Grrrr…

Grandma got a lovely new top on sale for just a tenner (£10 or about $14 for the uninitiated) and then it was time to meet family for lunch.  On the way out, we had to pay for parking and found a machine to solve a small currency issue we found ourselves with.  Apparently, the UK is moving from paper to polymer notes and the Bank of England stopped issuing paper £10 notes earlier this year.  And there was a deadline of March 2018 to stop accepting paper £10 notes.  So the three I have left over from last year are no good in the shops – as I found out trying to by slice sausage in the butcher shop.  We can apparently go into a bank and swap them but haven’t had chance to do that yet.  So when we find an automated parking machine that takes the old notes, we are very excited!  Even if it means walking around with 8 pound coins in change.  Now we just need to find two more stupid machines!

Parking paid for, albeit somewhat dubiously, we were off to the Birds and Bees for a bar lunch with one branch of the Cannon clan.  Since there were 8 of us and the restaurant was very full, we could only sit outside – which was fine since the sun was splitting the trees.  So for the next two hours we sat and chatted and ate and laughed until we thought Grandma was going to melt.

Since one Cannon cousin needed to head back to Dundee, the younger ones went on a road trip and we headed back to the care home to get my mother-in-law settled in.  Now yesterday when we dropped her off, she went straight to bed because she was absolutely shattered.  Today we finished up a bit earlier and returned to the home to hear lots of music and singing – the day’s entertainment was still going on.  I skipped down the hall pushing her chair while singing “Bonnie Wee Jeanie McCall” (A fine wee lass, a bonnie we lass is Bonnie Wee Jeannie McCall.  I gave her my mother’s engagement ring and a bonnie wee tartan shawl.  I met her at a wedding on the cooperative hall.  I was the best man and she was the bell of the ball.) She initially asked me to help her get into her pajamas (it was 3:30 in the afternoon) but then decided that she’d rather go along and see what everyone else was up to.  So we left the social butterfly – who had been on death’s doorstep the previous week – sitting in the dining room chatting away with “Roy.”

With Jesse away to Dundee and Helen safely delivered home, we had some time to ourselves so it was back into town to continue the search for hiking boots.  We tried a different car park this time to see if the old note trick would work again (it didn’t.  Harrumph) and walked along the high street to find the two outdoor shops we thought might have what we needed.  We popped into one of the charity shops where my niece volunteers and said hello then continued the quest, only to be disappointed.  One shop didn’t have what we needed and the other is closed – as are so many high street shops it seems.  It’s only been 16 months since we were last here but the changes are astounding.  The economist in me wants to think that such change is the sign of a healthy economy but in my heart I know that’s not the case.

Back to the flat for a wee drink in the sunshine to wait for Jesse.  Then a trip to Paulino’s for the full monty:  haggis supper for Frank, fish supper for Jesse, and chicken supper for me (no batter and fried in the same fryer as the chips but not the fish so less chance of cross contamination).  So we had a chippy picnic at the flat watching quiz shows and feeling thoroughly native.

Data for today:
Steps: 9865 (4.7 miles) – mostly behind a wheelchair in a mall
Cups of tea outside the flat: 0 (hard to credit that!)
Embarrassing stories told over lunch: at least 6
Seconds to disassemble and stow the wheelchair: about 15 – we’re getting very efficient!

Today started very early with a run to Glasgow Airport to pick up Jesse!  She’ll be hanging out with us for the family circus this week. We aren’t very familiar with GLA so it took a couple of circuits through the airport before we could find a place to double park and collect her and her bag.

Then back to the flat to fulfill her first request: bacon roll and a cup of tea!  It’s been 5 years since she was last here – we can date it precisely because it was the first time Andy Murray won Wimbledon – and she has a list of “things to do/see/eat” while she is here. We then showered and headed out to pick up grandma for a grand day out.  We had heard that her health hadn’t been great recently so we were pleased that she was chipper and ready to go a run in the car.  Off to Callander where we were hoping for a stroll up to the Bracklinn Falls but it was not to be.  We took short jaunt around town, stopping in a shop or two for Frank to investigate new hiking boots since his didn’t make it out of Iceland in one piece.  The obligatory cup of tea and a cake in our favorite tea shop (gluten free cherry bakewell tart for me thank you) and it was off to do more visiting.  Into Bridge of Allan to see gran’s sister and one of the many uncle Jimmy’s. We got to show off photos of the new house (Frank is so excited!) and hear about Jesse’s Disney adventures.

We had a lovely chat but it was getting late and we were famished so off to the Westerton Arms  for a lovely – if late – bar lunch.  Here Jesse got to check box number 2: steak pie! Frank got his first haggis of the trip and grandma made short work of her gammon steak.  All that excitement was enough so back to the care home for an early bed and we made visit number two – stopping in Bannockburn at the family homestead now occupied by Frank’s middle brother and family.  That was also a quick stop – with the obligatory but most welcome cup of tea – before we headed out again for a quick run to the shops for a few things and then on to visit number 3 with youngest brother and family.  This was a bigger clan gathering than we had yesterday as 4 of the 6 cousins were all there – the oldest from both families were missing.  We discussed housing markets (we have a niece waiting for her new house to be finished),  labor markets (is Uncle Frank going to get a job in NY?), and travel (will they ever come and see us in NY?)

By this time, Jesse was fading fast so it was time to get her to bed but not before a quick stop at the chippy for two bags of chips which were quickly devoured.  This doesn’t constitute a complete checking of a box for her, however, as she wants a full fish supper.  That will have to be another day.

Data for today:
Steps: 5241 (2.4 miles) -mostly pushing a wheelchair
Hours awake for Jesse: 29
Cumulative cups of tea while visiting: 3 (tea at home or in a tea shop doesn’t count)

So I’d like to tell you what the morning was like this morning but unfortunately we didn’t see much of it.  While we had consumed slightly less wine than the previous night, having two nights of heavy bevvies had taken it’s toll. With no major plans for the day, we all slept in and eventually had “breakfast” at about noon. We sat outside in the emerging sunlight, enjoying croissants and coffee and conversation.  This morning we covered the Me Too movement, entitlements, and travel troubles.  Finally we made our way to repacking and loading up the car for another transition – from coast to inland, from my family to Frank’s.

A short drive to Stirling brought us to our AirBnB rental: Skeoch Cottage – a converted farm building and by far the nicest place we have ever rented through AirBnB. The place is gorgeously done, impeccably clean, and shall I mention the jacuzzi bathtub?  Sharon, the owner, is a gem (who happens to know my in-laws) and had the place well stocked with everything from cereal to wine.  We did still need to pick up a few things though so a stop at Tesco was in order.  I was so excited to see the how range of gluten free items had grown that I had to take a photo.

I even found a gluten free version of morning rolls – an absolute necessity for making bacon rolls for breakfast!

We had a quick stop to visit Frank’s mum and let her know that we would be coming by tomorrow to take her out. Then it was time for dinner. Without the gourmet stylings of our grillmaster from the weekend, it was a meal at the Jam Jar in Bridge of Allan where we indulged in some of the “hair of the dog” with our Sunday roast.  The sun was still with us so an outdoor table was a must.

Another short stop to visit the younger brother and family before heading back to oor wee cottage for a relatively early night because Jesse arrives tomorrow!

Data for the day:
Steps: An embarrassing 5,803 (2.7 miles)
Miles to empty in the car when we started our journey: 410
Miles to empty when we arrived an hour later: 428 (?!?)
Cups of tea consumed with family: 1 (but it’s early days yet)

No grey mornings here – loads of sunshine met our bleary eyes and it took a little effort to get moving after the “counseling” session the night before.  But move we did – to Largs to catch the ferry to the Isle of Cumbrae where we were to spend the day cycling around the island.  It sounds more ambitious than it is: the circumference of the island is just over 10 miles.  After renting our bicycles in Millport, we ventured around the island anti-clockwise (counter-clockwise for the Americans 🙂 ) enjoying the incredibly blue skies and mild temperatures.

With one circuit completed, we made a short stop at the smallest cathedral in Britain: the Cathedral of the Isles, one of two cathedrals in the Scottish Episcopal Church Diocese of Argyll & The Isles.  It is a lovely wee church dating back to the early 19th century and we admired the stained glass and worship space before heading back out into the screaming sunshine to find some lunch.  We got a table outside one of the cafes across from the beach and enjoyed a lovely lunch before hopping back on the bikes to tackle the clockwise trek.  We took a “short cut” that cut down the length of the ride by about a mile but included climbing straight up hill before a long straight back down into town.  Since only one of the four of us is an avid cyclist, it made for a challenging end to the day.  Nevertheless, we made it and finished up the day with well deserved ice cream (two scoops for me: tablet and Fry’s peppermint cream!) Then we headed home for another lovely BBQ (tuna this time) and more conversations about solving the worlds problems.  Tonight’s topics included welfare dependency, childhood obesity, and personal responsibility.

Data for today:

Steps: 10,615 (5 miles)
Miles cycled: ~19.5
Sunscreen applications: 2
Bottles of wine consumed: ?

We awoke very early not to our alarm (which was set for 4am) but to a barrage of texts that came in just after 3 am letting us know that the Capitals had won the Stanley cup. Great news to start the day. And what a day it has been. Out of the flat by 5 am and on the road to the airport. While we’ve done this drill plenty of times in the past, t’s much easier to manage when it’s already daylight at that hour. Return the rental car by 6 am and then a short walk in the grey morning – but you knew that part – to the terminal to check in for our 7:35 flight to Glasgow. And the chaos ensued from there.

No business class upgrade for this short trip so we waited in line with the rest of humanity to check our bags. Then to the security line which was actually pretty well run. I can’t say that for the rest of the airport operations. Reykjavic airport is not ready for the volume of passenger traffic that now flies through it. There are no gate waiting areas – but lots of duty free shops – and not every gate has a jet bridge. We managed to get to the general vicinity of our gate just before 7 am to see a mass of people milling around in a sort of queue but not a queue. There were 4 gates with flights leaving within 30 minutes of each other but the gates weren’t all open and a mass of humanity was milling around trying to figure out how to queue for the right gate. Right as we thought we had time to nip into the shop to get some Skyr, they opened gate D33 and the crush was on so the yogurt plan was abandoned and we proceeded to inch forward for the next 40 minute or so. Apparently, our gate was one without a jetbridge so they were bussing us out to the plane on the tarmac, one busload at a time. So 40 people would go and get dropped off and the bus would come back for the next load. Chaos! We then got to sit on the tarmac for a while and ended up leaving nearly an hour late with no indication of why or apology.

A short 2 hour flight to GLA (where they were out of any snack I could eat) and we landed to bright sunshine. We picked up the rental car – a ginormous Peugot hatchback – and headed to town to find some food. Cafe Wander suited the bill and I got a jacket potato with chicken mayonnaise and bacon and Frank had the ubiquitous lentil soup and a ham and cheese panini. Then a little wander up and down Buchanan Street peeking in the shops (and caging their wifi) and it was time to head to the coast.

The sun was with us the whole trip and when we got to Troon, it was time for shorts and t-shirts. We sat out in the back garden enjoying the sun and discussing all manner to topics over beer, wine, prawns, and an amazing grilled tenderloin. We continued with the drinks and discussion until the wee hours.

Data for today:
Steps: 12,830 (which should be 6 miles but is really probably due mostly to shuffing in place in the airport)
Minutes between landing and drinking my first IrnBru: 15
Number of cool features on the Peugot that we exclaimed over: 5