The Voyage Home

Which turned out quite epic. We took the scenic route home (via Fort William rather than the usual A9) and although we made fairly good time it was a hot day and the kids were flagging somewhat by the time we got to Loch Lomond. Most of these pics were taken through car windows hence some odd reflections.

Just after the Ballachulish bridge I think.

Glencoe.
Rannoch Moor.

Also Rannoch Moor, through an open window while we were stopped at roadworks.

Somewhere near Tyndrum I think.

Good weather.

Ruthven Barracks

It was quite windy...

.. and a bit chilly. However the kids enjoyed running around.

There was an entertainingly wonky coo on site.
Last time we were there the coos stood at the bottom of the hill by the entrance gate (there was an apparently alluring bull on the other side of the fence) glaring at anybody who tried to get in.

Bit scenic innit?

wild things

Lots of hairy things to be seen.

This one is the Boy's favourite.

Oh, and some oystercatchers.

And a kitteh.

A little jaunt to the north

More presents at Granny and Grandpa's!

There were balloons..

Pretty things in the garden.

zing

As the other day was also my birthday, I treated myself to some flowers.

Anybody got a tiny Lego Schumacher?

One of the Boy's birthday presents - how cool is this? :-D

We can haz cake

Mmm, chocolate cake.


Miss Mouse kindly helps out testing the cake.

A hot day

Miss Mouse looking like an old-fashioned children's book illustration.

The two of them being adorable for a minute.

It really was a hot day. I went out for a run first thing - a good job too, if I'd gone any later it would have been too hot for such expenditure of energy!

Intense sky

The Boy was at a birthday party at a sports centre so I sat in the car with the windows open, doing a bit of knitting and enjoying the sunshine and astonishingly blue sky.

Bright bright bright

A lovely day - just admiring the view..

The Boy enjoying running around. I've never noticed before quite how far that tree on the left is leaning..

And finally.. a beastie in a tulip.

A subtle hint

The Boy usually gets his own breakfast in the morning - we haven't particularly encouraged him to do so, he just likes to (partly because he wakes up before we do). This morning there were no clean bowls. I got up, washed a bowl for him, pottered around for a bit doing this and that - and then wandered into his room and saw what he'd drawn on his whiteboard. My Boy entertains me so much!

And a big welcome to Adventure Ted

Ted (or Bob) is part of a thing the Boy is doing at school this term to encourage writing. Ted will be having adventures with us and the Boy will be writing about what they've been up to. Tonight Ted watched the Boy doing his spelling homework.

Boing

Or not. The cat likes the trampoline, but not to bounce on. Yet.

Odd reflections of curtains as this picture was taken through a window.



And a bit of pink and blue, just because.

Headgear

What the well-dressed three-year-old is accessorising with this season.

Friends

It's not often that cats sit or stand on Miss Mouse as she's a bit of a fidget so she was delighted when Hester was this affectionate.

Tulip time

They don't last long but what they lack in longevity they make up in BRIGHTNESS! Not subtle.

Green feet are my delight

First socks!

Into the blue goddammit

And widdle fluffy clouds.

Polling Place

Election Day/End of the World as we know it. This is the view from the side of a Polling Place - a beautiful evening.

A return to the sock drawer

Unfortunately I was too slow getting the camera and missed the ungainly (and unfeline) waggling of the back legs in order to squeeze into an almost too small gap.

May the Fourth be With You

The kids help Daddy blow out his candles. Note the rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock t-shirt. That's style for you.

Bleached

These daffs started out yellower but turned the most gorgeous pale cream in the sunlight.

It's a midlife crisis

Well, if Mrs McGregor can do it, I figured Mrs MacDonald can have a go. This is me swearing as I stall it again. We went to the industrial estate where I used to go to practise stalling a car. Ah fond memories.

Mum, Dad, don't worry - I have no intention of riding a bike properly, like on a road or anything (where would I put the kids?). This is because I like to learn things and I'm getting nowhere with the crochet..

It's a curious thing

Suddenly you notice that your baby has stopped waving round randomly and can suddenly do really co-ordinated things like brushing her hair while watching something else. And she's really not a baby any more.

However I consoled myself with something equally mysterious and impressive - a completed hand-knitted sock. It's a curious thing, I could do a naalbinding sock, turned heel and all, based on a simple diagram of the Coppergate sock, but knitted socks have seemed to me to be weirdly abstruse. And actually they still do - I just followed the pattern and like magic it turned into a sock! So a mystified 'woohoo!'.