When we returned from the Christmas Break, we had horrible, rainy, cold weather for about 3 weeks straight. Since then, we have experienced all kinds of weather. The sunny days give me hopes about the things we can do outdoors this spring and summer and the rainy days give us excuses to be inside sipping cocoa and reading books.
People talk about the weather constantly here and most admit to this excessive talk about it. The multiple seasons in a day remind me of Texas weather; only a slightly colder version. Today, we woke to beautiful snow on the ground and we've had flurries all morning. Unlike Dallas residents, Glaswegians seem to take it all in stride. Everyone was motoring about just like normal this morning. Even the dedicated commuting cyclists were out and about.
Now that is something that I have noticed quite a lot here. Many people cycle to work and walk their dogs in all kinds of weather. On Friday, we had 40 mile/hour winds and heavy, heavy rain but I saw many cyclists on their way home from work and many people walking their dogs.
It makes me feel lazy when I see them. I certainly didn't walk Missy enough in the good weather much less the bad weather in Texas. And I don't have the confidence on my bike to ride through this traffic and I haven't seen any children riding in the rain yet so I'm not sure how I could manage the commute to school! Nevertheless, it does make you stop and think about your Carbon Footprint.
We took advantage of the sunny weather on Saturday and went to the Edinburgh Zoo again. It was a great day and it was nice to be outside in the fresh, frigid air!
Wonder what tomorrow will be like?!?!
Monday, 3 March 2008
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Swimming Gala
Here is a picture that I took of Ethan at his Swimming Gala on Monday. I learned shortly after taking it that cameras were not allowed in the competition! Oops. Anyway, the gala was a competition for The Glasgow Academy classes Prep 5 - Trans (Jr high) just like a swim meet at home. Ethan qualified to swim the 25 meter Breaststroke and he did great! We were very proud and it was fun to see a school competition! Ethan swims at school every Friday morning for PE.
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Winter Holiday in the Borders
The boys enjoyed a full week off for their Winter Holiday and we took advantage of it by heading to a holiday home in the Scottish Borders. This is the area south of Edinburgh and Glasgow and north of the border of England.
The house we rented was in a village called Gattonside over looking the River Tweed and the larger village of Melrose. It was a wonderful house with lots of space, a yard and a beautiful view. There is tons of history and plenty of Scottish countryside to see so we enjoyed little outings each day.
We visited the Dryburgh Abbey (abandoned in 1544; they were tired of defending it from the English), the Jedburgh Abbey (almost destroyed that same year) and the Melrose Abbey (which we could see from our house). Each Abbey was amazing and they have done a wonderful job of preserving the structures after fire and battle. http://www.discovertheborders.co.uk/search/type/Abbeys.html
The Borders are also famous for being the home of Sir Walter Scott, the poet and writer that changed the image of Scotland from a land of the savages to the romantic countryside that we know! We traveled to one of his favorite places high in the hills for a look at "Scott's View" where you can see for miles and miles. It's just as you would imagine, beautiful rolling hills with patchwork farmland, sheep and cattle dotting the landscape and the River Tweed winding it's way through the scene. Really breathtaking.
The day that we were in Jedburgh happened to be the day that they were celebrating "Hand Ba", a tradition for 250 years. As we entered the town and were walking toward the abbey, this little old lady came and told us to "watch out, it's crazy up there. Keep your children close, they might get hurt, today is Hand Ba". We were thinking, what in the world could be happening? We stopped in the information center to ask and they explained that Hand Ba' is the traditional ball game where the Uppies and the Doonies manhandle a leather ball stuffed with straw to get it to their side of the town (Up or Down). They form a scrum and scramble to get the ball then throw it in the direction they want it to go and the mob chases the ball and forms a scrum again. The legend is that the Scots cut off an Englishman's head after a battle and used it as a ball and therefore the game was born. http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Having-a-Ba39-in-Jedburgh.3781198.jp
Well, Scott Nicol was so excited as we guided our 3 small children into this crowded town! We were there in time to see the teenagers start their game and it was quite interesting. The whole town shuts down for the day (notice the boarded windows in the pictures) and everone is in the town square. We watched for a while as the scrum moved back and forth, up and down in the town and then Scott stayed to watch the adults have their turn while the boys and I went onto the Abbey. Scott said the adults scramnble was not near as fun as the teenage one! It was a treat to see this crazy tradition. (Also notice in my pictures the boys climbing the Abbey's walls at the end of the scramble to get cut through the town; maybe they were uppies headed uptown?)
On Saturday, Scott enjoyed a guided tour of the River Tweed for a little fly fishing, and then our friends Jo and Andrew Waddell and their 3 boys Jude, Sol and Casper came for a late lunch. We had such a great visit. We'd been enjoying the blessing of sunshine our whole vacation and so we had lunch then went outside for a game of rugby. We also walked across the river on the footbridge for ice cream at the local sweet shop. It was such a wonderful day!
We continue to enjoy the blessings of this beautiful country each time we have a chance!
The house we rented was in a village called Gattonside over looking the River Tweed and the larger village of Melrose. It was a wonderful house with lots of space, a yard and a beautiful view. There is tons of history and plenty of Scottish countryside to see so we enjoyed little outings each day.
We visited the Dryburgh Abbey (abandoned in 1544; they were tired of defending it from the English), the Jedburgh Abbey (almost destroyed that same year) and the Melrose Abbey (which we could see from our house). Each Abbey was amazing and they have done a wonderful job of preserving the structures after fire and battle. http://www.discovertheborders.co.uk/search/type/Abbeys.html
The Borders are also famous for being the home of Sir Walter Scott, the poet and writer that changed the image of Scotland from a land of the savages to the romantic countryside that we know! We traveled to one of his favorite places high in the hills for a look at "Scott's View" where you can see for miles and miles. It's just as you would imagine, beautiful rolling hills with patchwork farmland, sheep and cattle dotting the landscape and the River Tweed winding it's way through the scene. Really breathtaking.
The day that we were in Jedburgh happened to be the day that they were celebrating "Hand Ba", a tradition for 250 years. As we entered the town and were walking toward the abbey, this little old lady came and told us to "watch out, it's crazy up there. Keep your children close, they might get hurt, today is Hand Ba". We were thinking, what in the world could be happening? We stopped in the information center to ask and they explained that Hand Ba' is the traditional ball game where the Uppies and the Doonies manhandle a leather ball stuffed with straw to get it to their side of the town (Up or Down). They form a scrum and scramble to get the ball then throw it in the direction they want it to go and the mob chases the ball and forms a scrum again. The legend is that the Scots cut off an Englishman's head after a battle and used it as a ball and therefore the game was born. http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Having-a-Ba39-in-Jedburgh.3781198.jp
Well, Scott Nicol was so excited as we guided our 3 small children into this crowded town! We were there in time to see the teenagers start their game and it was quite interesting. The whole town shuts down for the day (notice the boarded windows in the pictures) and everone is in the town square. We watched for a while as the scrum moved back and forth, up and down in the town and then Scott stayed to watch the adults have their turn while the boys and I went onto the Abbey. Scott said the adults scramnble was not near as fun as the teenage one! It was a treat to see this crazy tradition. (Also notice in my pictures the boys climbing the Abbey's walls at the end of the scramble to get cut through the town; maybe they were uppies headed uptown?)
On Saturday, Scott enjoyed a guided tour of the River Tweed for a little fly fishing, and then our friends Jo and Andrew Waddell and their 3 boys Jude, Sol and Casper came for a late lunch. We had such a great visit. We'd been enjoying the blessing of sunshine our whole vacation and so we had lunch then went outside for a game of rugby. We also walked across the river on the footbridge for ice cream at the local sweet shop. It was such a wonderful day!
We continue to enjoy the blessings of this beautiful country each time we have a chance!
Monday, 11 February 2008
Cycling in the City
Exactly one week after our snow, glorious, snow day we had this sun, glorious, sun weekend. It was so mild and nice this weekend and we all loved being outside!
We cleaned up the bikes, pumped the tires and headed to the Botanic Gardens. Charlie rode on the Trail-a-bike for the first time and he felt so big like "the brothers." It's just about 2 miles to the park and so we cycled there, had a picnic, played at the park and then cycled around a paved path near the Kelvin River. It was wonderful to be outside and to utilize some of our outdoor toys!
The boys are on Winter Break this week so we are enjoying a lazy day. Ethan, Christopher and I went to see the musical Dr. Dolittle on Friday night. It was brilliant! And tomorrow we will go and see the "Wee Fairy Tales" at another theatre. We are enjoying this city and all that it has to offer for our family!
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Snow, Glorious Snow
We have had quite the weather this week! One day it rained, snowed, sleeted, hailed, and was sunny all in the same day! My friends say that winter in Scotland is just like that, you really do not know what the day holds. We are learning to dress in waterproof layers at all times!Last night we had a beautiful snow fall so we woke to a winter wonderland. The boys had a great time playing outside with the neighbors.
Just like most snow days in Texas, the snow was gone by noon. We're hoping for more tonight!
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Museum and Wagamama
Last Sunday afternoon, we decided not to try the beach again but to take advantage of some of the culture and sights in the city. We live 2 miles from the wonderful Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. This was our first visit and I know we will be back soon! The museum is full of hands on activities for the children and something to suit everyone's taste and interest. It is also in one of the prettiest buildings in Glasgow. They even had a model of a Woolly Mammoth which of course, we love! So I think while the temperatures are hoovering around freezing, we'll stick to the indoor activities!
We also went to the boys' favorite restaurant, Wagamama (I think they just like to say the name!). It is an Asian Noodle House that is kid friendly with fast service and yummy healthy food! I would never have dreamed that their favorite would be one of our favorites as well! Expanding our horizons!
We also went to the boys' favorite restaurant, Wagamama (I think they just like to say the name!). It is an Asian Noodle House that is kid friendly with fast service and yummy healthy food! I would never have dreamed that their favorite would be one of our favorites as well! Expanding our horizons!
Ice
We took for granted many conveniences in Texas and one of those is the availability of ice for your beverages. We do not have an ice maker in our dorm fridge and we can sometimes buy bags of ice in the store (not always as it seems to be seasonal). When you ask where bagged ice might be in the store the associates usually chuckle! So what did our friends turn us on to to solve our dilemma? Ice Bags. You hold a bag much like a Ziploc under the tap, fill it up and pop it in the freezer. The little bags are perforated so that each one make approximately 18 cubes. Viola'! You now have ice. These bags can be found in the grocery store right next to the household paper goods in a box just like baggies.
When we were in Louisiana during the Christmas holiday, we had the luxury of staying at my brother's newly completed lake house. It's enormous and has no less than 5 Ice Makers/machines (an industrial one to boot!). So when Scott was filling the baggies last weekend so we could have a proper Vodka and Tonic, he noted that he "really couldn't imagine Uncle Chris filling baggies to get a few ice cubes!" He just might if he were here without an ice machine!
When we were in Louisiana during the Christmas holiday, we had the luxury of staying at my brother's newly completed lake house. It's enormous and has no less than 5 Ice Makers/machines (an industrial one to boot!). So when Scott was filling the baggies last weekend so we could have a proper Vodka and Tonic, he noted that he "really couldn't imagine Uncle Chris filling baggies to get a few ice cubes!" He just might if he were here without an ice machine!
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