Heading towards Christmas holidays

I had a bit of time off around Christmas. Apart from trying to get the usual things done, we also managed to make paper chains (but without a stapler - first-world issues) and tried to get out and about.

Stirling Station

Kept up the running - gloves and 2 tee-shirts needed.

Winter Sun - Menstrie Railway track

Cooked a duck which tasted great. The raw smell was not to everyone's taste. (and minichef baked some bread)
 

Duck down

Did some proper man-christmas shopping at the last minute.

Primark queue

Played a few gigs with Billy Ferguson and the Kettles family.

Had a lovely time.

 
 

Kelpies - again.

We love visiting the Kelpies. Not in the summer when it can be a tad busy, but off season.

Here's why:

It was a calm day.

Park Run Anyone?

No I can't believe it either, but about 30 years after I last went for a run (New Jersey - Out and about round the Marriot) I have completed a 5km (3 long mile) parkrun.

And wonderchild 2 was there to encourage me along the way.

 
Well done us!

 

I would drive 500 miles

We've been fans of the Proclaimers for longer than we've been married, so the announcement of the 2018 tour was music to our ears.

Then the discovery that the concerts had sold out across Scotland was a bit of a downer.

However, there were still tickets in Dublin.  So 2 tickets, 2 flights, 1 or 2 nights in a hotel, airport parking, and we were committing to an expensive weekend.

That was my cue for a bit more digging, and I found that the twins were playing in Blackburn (England - Manchesterish) on a Saturday in October.

2 nights in the Premier inn, and 2 tickets for about £200.   

We were lucky to be in Row "C" which is quite near the front!

Runrig - The Last Dance

The soundtrack to our university years contains a number of bands who are still playing these days.  Elton is about to get his last few concerts underway (and I dont have a ticket yet) 

So when we saw that Runrig were calling time I was scheduled to try to get tickets. 

I joined a facebook group, and had a little trial run booking tickets before the site opened. 

Then two days before the sale started, I saw a wee post on FB saying that someone had bought tickets.  I followed the link on my phone and found that the mobile site was open for business!

Boom!

2 tickets bought and 6 months of a slight worry that someone might spot the error and cancel the tickets.

We could have sold the tickets many times over, but I still wanted to hear the band and it was listed as their last gig.

And it was great!







 

Mackintosh - not McIntosh

Summer holidays - continued...

So we reach the last week - the dreaded single digit days before the start of term.  So in an effort to keep Mrs C's mind of the impending return to the golden hours of classrooms and assemblies, of saturday trips with the hockey team, etc etc, we headed off to see what we could of Chas - Chas McIntosh, currently doing the season in Kelvingrove.   Obviously there are no photos of this as I was very good and only took a couple.

We weren't over-fussed about the CRM exhibition, but I did like the heads who were hanging around.

And we hit the pizza jackpot afterwards:

For the first time IN MY LIFE I had to get a doggy bag.  Oh the shame! 

Home alone

Summer holidays - continued...

Due to a terrible mix-up in the space-time continuum, I have been left alone at home for 10 days.

3 airport runs in 3 days and I have an empty house to look after.

Missing you all terribly.

The freezer is emptying, and my cooking is still experimental!

I had a day out in the hills with some colleagues as we learned how to ride a bike.  Here is Artur in the last picture with his intact skin.  The stitches are now out, but he may carry the scar for some time.

 And a quiet ceilidh at night for some of the local junior doctors.

Swimming with the fishes

Sometimes I plan our holidays - looking for things to do, places to see, and activities to try.  But some days just dont work out the way you plan.

So after a visit to the Brora visitors centre, where we had a whistle-stop look at the exhibits (nice) an a facinating chat to one of the staff, who spent time showing us her pictures of seals taken in the last couple of days.

We were not equipped with the camera power, but even with our trusty phones, found that the seals were exactly where she told us they would be.

And we swam in the sea! When did we last do that?