Tripping.

The schools here have now been back for two days and A seems quite happy being in P2 so far.

It's N's turn tomorrow...

...new shoes await their first wearing - at 12:45pm he will be starting his first afternoon at nursery. He says he doesn't want to go...

Before the ending of the summer holidays becomes more distant I just wanted to make sure I included here more photos of our late summer adventures. Here follows, therefore, a quick romp back through the last week and a bit.

We were invited to visit my Aunty for a family do. She loves to cook and we all love to eat. Lots of delicious dishes had been prepared and although I'm now trying to cut down on the amount I eat, I do like to indulge a little on special occasions. I even had some sticky toffee pudding, it was scrumptious.

Some time later in the week, on a sunny afternoon, I took A & N and their bikes to the loch. Here are a few of the many photographs I took -I like to have such images stored by from happy summer days to sustain me when the colder, darker months are here.

I love A's exuberant throwing of stones into the loch.


Then, last Sunday afternoon we visited Finlaystone. I've been here quite a few times with the children (and have blogged about it before) but it was hubby's first time. Each time I visit I always come across something new, this time was no exception. First we start with the woodland areas...

The waterfall. We'd recently had quite a lot of rain so the waterfall was the most impressive I've ever seen it.

The pirate ship, me hearties.

Puffing Billy.

Wood detail from one of the log teepees.

Event board on the side of the tram.

The tram (in deep shade in the glade).

A & N look out though a window of the old laundry. I go in too and find a little room off the main one which I'd not been in before. It contained many of the old pieces of laundry equipment...

... including this beast. There is a plaque with more information on the hatch...

... it's a washing machine! I think I'll stick with the one I've got, thanks.

The old laundry from the outside, the new (to me) room is the one through the door on the left.

We're now heading up to the gardens...

...past the stable block (I like the red doors),

through the arched gate (and also through the cafe where the children each get a vanilla cone with strawberry sauce),

and through the greenhouses. I'd like one like this in my garden, I'd love somewhere pretty to sit outside even when it's raining.

Apples and roses fruit and flower against the wall. There were a lot of apples just lying on the ground behind the netting. I hope the gardeners pick them and use them rather than let them rot.

Cosmos. Something else I'd like for my garden, and more achievable than the greenhouse/veranda dream.

Hanging around.

A view over the lawns. A little bit of the big house can be glimpsed through the trees on the right.

A Fungus on the lawn.

The house.

The view to the Clyde from the lawn in front of the house.

A quick glimpse of the fountain. Normally we'd linger here and the children would play but it was already five o'clock and we were being encouraged out by one of the rangers so they could lock the gates.

A detail of a boar carved on a stone just outside the garden gates just before we return to the car and head home for tea (fish and chips!)