A big readjustment

Just a short post today - its all been a bit manic this end, summer brings out weddings and gala days and I always somehow end up helping out with all of them!

Firstly (because I'm so eager to show it off!):

Wedding cake! My old high-school bestie got married at the weekend and asked if I would do the cake as a wedding gift. I'll confess that I got really stressed out about it as it all became rather last minute but I got there in the end so super happy!

My other big time consuming task was gala day dresses for my niece and her fellow Bauer girl. They started off like this:

I'm not sure who I blame most - my 12 year old niece and classmate for deciding that they were too old for kids clothes, or their parents who let them buy the dresses. Either way, as you can see my pre-pubescent niece suddenly (to her absolute horror) had a dress giving her gigantic boobs (and they really were gigantic on her). As usual, the buy was last minute so they had no other option other than to ask me if I could do something to fix it and make the girls presentable to the public.

So this happened:

Missy found that the boob made a good skull cap. The dresses were basically demolished. The only seams not ripped open were those holding the loops for the ribbon back. My hubby did ask if I would have been quicker making the dresses from scratch, to which the sad answer was yes, it would have been quicker.

Anyway, the 12+ hours effort paid off:

I was at the above mentioned wedding, so missed the gala day, but I was reliably informed that the dresses held up well and that both girls were very happy with them!

Until next time.

A Busy Holiday

Well, we're all just back from a long dog walking holiday (I say just, we got back Friday, it's just taken me this long to find the time to sit down and recap the weeks adventures!).

Typically, we go to the Lakes each year, but this time we decided to check out our own home turf a bit more and do a staycation in Scotland, namely the Trossachs area. A quick internet search had showed us that, whist lacking in dog friendly museums like Keswick, there were a few dog friendly gems on offer to check out.

The Kings Knot

 Monday we stopped in Stirling for the day and basically walked the entire old town. Missy enjoyed hunting for ghosts in the beautiful graveyard by the castle and we found the Kings Knot, an odd little gem of a dog walk. The castle doesn't allow dogs, but we still managed a look around the grounds and got the first ice cream of the holiday there. Despite her best efforts, Missy got no ice cream although I did share the end of the cone with her!

We finished our drive up and through Killin, where we were based for the duration of the holiday. It's one of these lovely little villages were sadly everything closes at 4 - we managed to pop into the post office and get some leaflets for the local area and the owner of the place fell into the trap of Missy's flirtatious stare and gave her several of the free-to-try anchovies. She certainly seemed to enjoy them, although my suspicions that the dog thinks she's a cat have begun to creep in again!

The village was short on take out options but the Cowry was recommended to us and, discovering the pub part was dog friendly where we could shelter from the elements, we were not disappointed.

Tuesday was Loch Katrine. It was the only day of the holiday that really rained, and fortunately the hardest squall hit whilst we were safely inside the boat enjoying our island tour of the Loch. The steps leading to the top were far too steep to even think of taking Missy up, so we were enjoying a cup of hot tea as the rain struck and all the other passengers gave up and joined us. Whilst the hubby and I found it very interesting, I don't think Missy thought much of it seeing as she slept for the majority of the ride!

We then went on a four mile round trip to the Loch view point and back before heading back to Killin for a late lunch in the Capercaillie pub. My in-laws have stayed in Killin many times and, for the afternoon walk, we decided to follow the directions to the crannog that was supposedly in the area. I felt we did well following them, and we certainly all enjoyed the hours walk around Loch Tay, but we could not find that crannog for the life of us! We managed to find a patch of signal and called my FIL who informed us that the island I had previously admired was it, and did he mention to me about a castle in the area...

We gave up on the crannog and rescheduled it for another day. The weather had turned close and we were all being eaten alive by midges so decided on getting an early night for the next adventure.

Inchmahome Priory was the highlight of the week for me on the Wednesday. It's a Historic Scotland site where you have to take a boat out to a tiny island where a beautiful old ruin is located. Missy was a darling and shyly said hello to anyone who would pat her on the boat and then she made friends with a little toddler who, every time we passed them by, would shout "Doggie!" and demand his father take him over to see her again. It was a glorious day and we all enjoyed a picnic looking out onto the lake, although we were somewhat scuppered for a good stroll when we realised that the island was only half a kilometre across!

We stopped in Callander on the way back and took a quiet evening to ourselves. Missy spent the evening snoring on the sofa alongside hubby.

Missy awaits her fate on trial

Thursday was a last minute call. We had originally planned a day trip to Oban, but deemed it too far in the end. Inveraray Jail has long been on our to do list and, at an hour away, was a realistic option. We'd seen flyer for it before and the tagline of 'Fun for all the family - even the dog!' had sold it to us before we'd even looked into it properly.

An 18th century jail, it was a fun insight into the justice system of Scotland. Despite the somewhat grim subject matter at times, it was explained very well and the audio tour was both informative and interesting but not dry at all.

We finished the evening giving the crannog a second go (we did find it!) and also found the castle ruins before we had our last evening meal in the Cowry pub. Missy fell asleep in front of the fire where she chased rabbits in her dreams.

Awaiting her picnic

We had had grand plans for the trip back of stopping in Perth, but decided to just stop at Huntingtower Castle instead. Another Historic Scotland site, this one allowed dogs on the grounds but not within the castle itself. The hubby and I took turns going in and out of the castle whilst we filled in the quiz and then enjoyed our lunch in the sun on the grounds.

And then we were home and Missy insisted on peeing on every fence and lamp post as we trudged around her usual stomping ground - I like to joke to people that she's checking her face book feed!

Until next time,

Bathgate Highland Games

Missy observing the pipers

I always laugh at myself about these things. I dislike stereotypes and I've always felt that the Scottish have had a great disservice done to them by Hollywood. No, we're not all ginger and wear kilts all the time. I've never even tasted buckfast (or buckie as its actually called around here), let alone spending all hours drinking it and don't get me started on deep fried mars bars...

And that's the smaller, lighter caber...

However, give a man a caber and I'm right there getting all worked up if the judge calls it a ten-to-twelve when clearly its five-to. I adore everything about the games - the pipers, the dancers, the heavy games and the whole avenue of burger and chip vans. The best part is that they are almost always dog friendly and its a great place to bump into other dog owners and discuss they best part of your fur-baby amongst lots of very loud music.

This year I went with a friend who used to compete with the Highland Dancing. I've been learning highland for a few years now and it was really good to to be told about the fine details of competitive dancing and to point out dancers we thought were doing really well. We both had dance-envy by the end of the day though!

An unfortunate miss

As a result of her competitive dancing, my friend had also never seen the heavy games. The commentator was very tongue-in-cheek about the athletes and did a good job of explaining what was happening in each game. Whilst the caber tossing is the big draw, I do love the aptly-named 'weight over a bar' event (pictured above). For me, the thought of carrying a 4-stone weight is horrific, let alone trying to toss it 15 feet in the air over a bar!

Missy made lots of doggy friends and we all had a nice time out in the fresh air. The weather held for us but it wasn't so sunny that we burned or overheated. The mood of the event was really good and everyone seemed to be having a genuinely nice time.

All in all a good day. 

Hermand Beechwood

I absolutely love it when you discover a new place right on your doorstep. Yesterday my friend was running the Bing Blitz at Harburn Estate and, knowing it was a 'tough mudder', volunteered my shower for her as the run was literally happening on my doorstep (well, 4 miles down from my doorstep).

Knowing it was a respectable walking distance, I decided to go along with another friend to spectate and, on the way, passed this inviting image:

Of course curiosity won out in the end. 

I made a mental note of the exact location and distance and put it on the to-do list. I wish I could be more enthusiastic about the run itself, but the heavens decided to open as we waited to get photos of the runners and the whole thing was terribly organised - little things from the spectators area grass not being cut (so we were literally soaked through from the onset) to there being only one gazebo for shelter with 4 tables inside. Had the weather been lovely I'm sure it would have been fine, but this is Scotland, you have to prepare for rain in all occasions.

So, partly to make up to Missy for all of us being soaked through yesterday, and my own curiosity, we visited the Hermand Beechwood on today's afternoon walk.

I wasn't disappointed. This is quite possibly the most picturesque wood I've ever found, it really is something straight out of a story book. A quick look on the woodland trust website says that this wood was planted in the 18th Century and, despite being small, offers an enclosed and interesting area for the dog to investigate (also, with it being a little over two miles to get to, the resulting round trip is plenty for an interesting afternoon).

With spring being firmly underway, I try and keep away from fields and livestock. Missy has little interest in sheep or cattle, but I wouldn't want to risk anything happening by accident.

We got lucky and the weather held out for us (we managed to fit the walk in between two heavy showers). I also noticed another woodland adjacent to this one, so perhaps soon I'll go and investigate that too!

Just a short post today, till next time!

I love it when a plan comes together...

A break from our regular programming!

So, my sister is the big knitter in the family - she has the patience to just churn out vast swathes of knitting that become blankets, baby clothes and toys. I, on the other hand, whilst a very competent knitter, always preferred putting the final creation together which is why I ended up moving into sewing as a dominant hobby. But I do still dabble with wool, as you can see!

Anyhow, with the Inkling (my newest nephew-to-be) due to arrive within the next 6 weeks or so, I decided to send down a variety of blankets. Whilst they may not look the best, the knitted blankets are the perfect size for in the car, and the pair allows for one to always be washed. I previously made a set for my niece Felix (all cats, no surprises there!) and my sister used them so much that she actually asked for these. Felix now has both of hers sewn together (which was always the intention, which is why there is no border) and it fits a single bed perfectly.

A nautical theme was picked as, firstly, I personally love the theme. I'd have my whole house decked out to look like a beach house if my husband allowed me. And perhaps if Scotland had slightly less than ten months of winter. Secondly, as the nickname applies, Inkling has been given an affinity to sea creatures - his early scans had his hand at his mouth, so he had Cthulhu-esque tentacles (my sister is a massive Lovecraft fan and she made the association!) and it kinda all came from that. I love the song 'Wave over Wave' (there are many versions, but Great Big Sea have probably done the most famous one) so I went with that for filling in the middle of each blanket. Once linked, it will read the first two lines of the chorus.

Lastly, is my proper sewn quilt! Gotta admit, this is possibly the best quilt I have ever made. Its on a diagonal and everything! The bulk of the fabric was from a fat quarter set, and I got the fishes material separately to just make it a bit more my own.

Here's a close up

And that's about it! I posted these off earlier in the week and got confirmation it had arrived today - I'd have shown them off sooner but didn't want to spoil the surprise! 

Back to regular programming next time!

Belated Easter

Well, Easter has come and gone and I have been very good and not put myself into a chocolate induced coma (yet). Whilst I do not celebrate the religious aspects of Easter, I understand its importance to many and respect the symbolism. I also understand the practical aspects of Shrove Tuesday and Lent. Truly, its an odd little holiday - whilst I always got eggs growing up, there was never really more to mark the day than that (no egg rolling and the Easter bunny was a novelty and not a thing, I suppose my parents felt that, like Christmas, Easter has the possibility of getting completely out of hand), so its something that's uniquely become personal to me as an adult.

I digress. My favourite traditions of Easter are simple. My husband and I have, for the last ten years now, enjoyed 'dippy eggs and soldiers' as our brunch (a tradition Missy terribly enjoys - I don't know why, but she is daft on boiled eggs). This is Missys third Easter with us and we always try and get out to Beecraigs for the Easter trail. We managed that on the Monday this year (sadly no organised trail, but they have just opened a new information centre) and watched all the families rolling eggs down the big hill and Missy did her best to eat up all the discarded pieces!

 

I always go overboard with baking. This year I didn't really bother with eggs (my niece and nephew received some house warming bits as we were meant to be going to see my sisters new house, but that plan was cancelled last minute). I made mini-egg rocky road and creme egg tiffin, as well as the classic birds nests. I made them on top of cupcakes this year as, though I really do enjoy the nests, they can quickly become too much. There was also some chocolate cupcakes, but I didn't photograph those.

 

We did have our Easter Bonnet contest! Now in its second year, my family are keen to make a tradition of it. Sadly my nephew had picked up a stomach bug, hence the venue change, and couldn't join us (his hat was brought along in his stead and, no, it wasn't too much chocolate - I jokingly suggested such and received such an affronted tirade from my sister that next time I will stay silent!) To everyone's delight, my Manchester based niece also joined in with a photo entry. My brother agreed to be the independent adjudicator this year (it was such a hit with the kids that he wants to do one next year, so this years winner will judge next year) and I'm afraid to say that Missy and I came in joint last. 

I like to think that Missy and I have better taste than he! With my mother having won, and her love of tat, next year I'm going to have to do something really ridiculous. I have some ideas, but none seem overkill enough.

Although Missys bonnet I'll keep neat and pretty and simple.

Much like the traditions I enjoy most.

Strolling in the Sunshine

After the better part of £300, Missys odd limping hop has finally been resolved - she has had a knee injury and the resulting bone growth and inflammation basically means she has very mild arthritis in the joint. The vets happy that it shouldn't get worse provided the supplements that they've given us do their job and everyone is very keen for Missy to fully have her bounce back.

On that note of good news, this weekend we manged to finally get training for the Kiltwalk that we are doing in September. Bearing in mind that Missy is still technically in recovery (try telling her that) we decided on the nice flat and well paved Union Canal. 

Google informed me that the park and ride to the end of the canal in Edinburgh and back again was ten miles, so it seemed a nice starting point. We were accompanied by a friend who is also joining us on the Kiltwalk and had arranged to meet another friend at the halfway point for the picnic who was then going to accompany us back.

We were phenomenally lucky with the weather and as a result the canal was incredibly busy - we saw people rowing, kayaking, running, cycling and, those on the same wave length as us, plenty of other dog walkers. Missy got a little too curious about a swan and made a swift retreat at its hissing, so no one was harmed except perhaps for her dignity!

The Union canal runs right through Edinburgh and, despite the fact that you can literally walk over a main road, is incredibly scenic with little impact of noise from traffic. If you know what to look for, there's plenty of wildlife to spot - though you'll need to make it a dawn or dusk trip to see the foxes. 

After our picnic we all headed back to the house for an evening of board games and enough cake and ice cream that any health advantages of the walk were well and truly neutralised. 

Then the ninja sunburn struck.

So, when we had all gotten back to the house, everyone was fine, it was only a few hours later that the redness started to develop. No one had brought sunscreen as the weather had turned out much better than forecast (you'd think being married to a red head I'd have learned my lesson before now). Nonetheless, I seem to have gotten off the lightest and the pinkness has now passed with no real agitation, but weirdly my friend who was out with us the shortest amount of time has ended up with the worst.

So, note to future self. In addition to the rain coat you'd brought as a just in case, and the thermos of tea which was a just in case, now pack sunscreen.

Saying that, this is Scotland. That one day was probably our summer!