Stirling

At last we have internet ... what a relief on so many levels. It means that I can catch up with our photos and our travel story. We can read our emails without using data and 'phone home'. We have had such a fun adventure together. Lars and Roxcy are amazing travel buddies. They are easily pleased in many ways ... except when it comes to food. Travelling with children is really energising. They see the world through different eyes and we have done things that we would not have done.

Scotland is beautiful. We have loved it here. The landscape is amazing and the light is beautiful ... so many shades of green and grey. There is soooo much green here. I find it hard to put into words how beautiful the landscape is. Some times I feel like I am in a Bronte novel ... like Jane Eyre. I can almost see her walking across the moors. There is something haunting here that is hard to describe and I am really confident that my photos have not captured the atmosphere and beauty at all.

There are two world views in our photos ... Lars & Roxcy's view and experience of Scotland and ours. I hope you will be entertained. 

A hang over photo from our visit to Game Park. I thought it was funny.

This is our first morning in Stirling. I love the cobbled streets, I thought Stirling was gorgeous. These streets and buildings are so old. So much history. 

This is my first porridge of our trip. I love porridge! Pete makes me porridge every morning, before I head off to work. I think he makes a good one. I have been really looking forward to trying Scottish porridge. It was yummy ... we had breakfast in a small cafe, just up the road from Stirling Castle, that was run by a couple from Poland. Kind of funny, Scottish porridge made by someone from Poland ... it was good. There are a lot of people from Eastern Europe living and working here.

Lars distressed at the breakfast menu at our cafe ... 

We went for a walk round Stirling Castle. I love looking at the decor ... their fabrics, colours and design. This is curtain fabric in the master bedroom.

I love these soft colours ... I think of Lucy when I see these colours.

I could not resist this painting of a unicorn, given that they are so popular with young girls at the moment. They sure are in our family. Now we know where they originated ... Scotland.

Pete is always keen to look at the Royal Gardens, particularly their vegetable gardens. Pete loves his garden and has a vision of how he wants it to look. He and Suzie spend many hours working together and discussing how they can make the garden work and look better. We have enjoyed fresh vegies for the last couple of years and it has been so exciting to go and pick something that we/Pete has grown. It is instant gratification. We really liked the way they had planted their herb garden here. Something for Pete and Suzie to do when we get back to ChCh.

While we are looking at gardens and textiles Lars and Roxcy are getting into what life was like in a Castle, how people lived, what they did and what they wore. Our Prince & Princess ... we have had many conversations with Roxcy about if she was a Princess and what her room would be like, what she would wear and what would her Mum & Dad be if she was a Princess.

Stuck in the chimney.

Game of Thrones moment ... maybe.

One of Lars' tasks was to see or have his photo taken with a knight in shining armour and here he is. Pete has had a lot of fun writing down things that Lars and Roxcy have said on our travels, which are really funny. Ben Nevis and Inverness next.