Weekend things

Every year our calendar for June is crammed with happenings. I think June and December must be the busiest months of the year for us!

 

This weekend started as June is supposed to continue. I'm also hoping the sunshine continues, although it has been replaced by heavy rain today and the forecast doesn't show a return to sunshine any time soon.

 

Anyway, enough about the weather and back to our weekend.

 

It wasn't crazily busy though, and actually began with a rather relaxed Friday afternoon in the garden.

 

 

 

 

Fraser was quite content to sit in his little shady patch and look through his toy basket for a while, while I sat in front of him in the sun and tried to catch up on my crochet memory blanket. I'm still not caught up but I did get a few more squares done!

 

 

 

 

It was so lovely in the garden that even the biggest boy was persuaded to come out and join us all.

 

 

 

 

Saturday was the day of our local gala day. Each year the Gala committee sets a theme and this year it was 'all things Scottish'. The boys always take part in the Gala with their Boys' Brigade Company and they have something of a reputation to keep, having won the prize for best float for quite a few years running! This year their float was a Forth Rail Bridge made out of bamboo sticks and pulled along by the boys dressed as famous Scots.

 

We made a dressing up police man hat into an explorer's hat with some white packing tape for David's costume. Then we tea stained some paper and made it into a map of Africa. Does anyone know which famous Scot he was going as?

 

 

 

After dropping the older three boys at their float, we found a space to watch the parade and waited patiently.

 

 

 

As the sound of the pipe band that leads the parade began to reach us, Alasdair turned to me and said, 'Aw I love that noise!'

 

 

 

 

Second in the parade are always the little gala queens and page boys, their trailer pulled along by a big tractor.

 

 

 

Then the next float is always the one that has been given first prize.

 

And it was the Boys' Brigade and their bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And just in case anyone doesn't know what the real rail bridge looks like....

 

 

They did a pretty good job!

 

 

Our famous Scots were Andy Murray, David Livingstone and Eric Liddell.

 

 

 

 

The rail bridge even had the Flying Scotsman train going across it.

 

 

 

 

The gala day parade takes place at lunchtime so that left the rest of the afternoon free for other stuff.

 

Like food shopping, and Fraser's first time in the big boy trolley seat.

 

 

He didn't last long in it as he's not steady enough to sit unaided on his own yet. In fact, he looks like he's clinging on for dear life!

 

Back home again, and the sunshine had given way to torrential rain. A perfect excuse for Calum and David to indulge in their new hobby. One that is shared with nearly every other child their age just now - loom band making.

 

 

The green bands are a lovely apple smell.

 

 

 

 

 

No Saturday would be complete without a spot of baking. Especially as we had some people round in the evening.

 

 

 

 

And on Sunday my hubs was speaking at a church in Stirling.

 

Stirling is such a pretty, green part of the country and really not far from us at all. Only a 40 minute drive.

 

The boys think that Striling castle looks like a mini Edinburgh castle!

 

 

 

The church service we were at is held in the lecture theatre of a museum so after the service we topped up our Scottish history knowledge! With the 700th anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn coming up in a couple of weeks, there was a special exhibition about it with some things I'd never heard before. Did you know, for example, that parts of the US Declration of Independance are based on the Declaration of Arbroath (written after Bannockburn) as there were a few Scots involved in drawing it up?

 

 

 

David (8) wasn't so interested in the Scottish history but this, the world's oldest football!

 

 

 

 

We spent a lovely afternoon with a family from the church and enjoyed a beautiful walk near their house.

 

I have no idea what type of tree this is, but isn't it huge?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was every possible colour of rhododendron growing.

 

 

And some more unusual trees!!

 

 

This week is looking busy too, although the weekend looks a little less busy than last. So far anyway.

 

Now, sunshine, don't stay away for too long!

 

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