Scotland Run and a Run

So went to Scotland to visit the in laws

Now for any of you who have read my blog before you know they live right near Loch Lomond the gateway to the fabulous countryside.

So we always do a lot of the same thing but his time we ventured out a bit more, get me, changing my routine - I shall alert the media lol.

So we went to the Falls of Falloch - such a beautiful waterfall and it's also a short walk from the car park which is great with a little one.

It all seems very mystical I'm surprised I didn't see an fairies or sprites :) 

Also on the way back home got to visit a great pub call The Drovers Inn it's over 300 years old and Rob Roy drank there. 

It's also supposed to be haunted. 

Don't know about the Haunting but it did have some nice spirits, to drink (See what I did there lol).

The bar staff are really knowledgeable and help me pick a lovely Whiskey that was nice and smooth.

It also a beautiful trip trip back through some stunning scenery 

We then headed to the pub Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha for some food. I had a lovely Scottish Smoked Salad and a cheeky wine.

It was so lovely, fresh and tasty and was very nice paired with a Pinot,

They also Dumpling which is kinda like Christmas pudding. Not 100% sure what it was all I know it was yummy and would definitely have it again..

Or the sticky toffee pudding my other half had, honestly I only tasted it so I could report back to you lot - well that's what it told him :) 

As with any trip to Scotland we visited the Loch Lomond Sealife Centre. It's so near to where we were staying and the little one loves it.

Now it's not the biggest sealife centre about, but it does have a great array of sea-life :)

We made the most of staying with the inlaws and got a couple of dining out chances without the little one.

We went lunch at The Balloch House they have a nice selection of wine and also my current favourite tipple Black Cow Vodka but as we were having Italian I paired it with a lovely Rose

We order off their Pizza menu - really reaonably priced around £10 each and they were huge.

Just look at the size of them, I pretended I was healthy and had a salad as a side order, Paul went for Chips

You could tell they were hand made and they tasted divine especially for the price. I left feeling very full.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is visiting that area.

The next day to burn off the pizza calories we visited Loch Katrine where as it was such a nice day we hired bikes - the bike rental for all three of us for the hour was on £21 

It was the first time the little one had ever been on a bike, well in a wagon on a back of a bike (it was really hilly so glad the hubby was pulling him along instead of me lol).

It is such beautiful countryside and the little one just loved it.

Honestly if I could get paid to write I would seriously consider moving up there as he thought it was great as he could just run and run and run.

Unfortunately the demand for dyslexic travel and food writers aren't that plentiful. I have no idea why :) oh well guess I have to stick to the 9-5.

But back to how beautiful it was amazing sky, wonderful mountains and fantastic Loch that make you want to dive in - well that is if it wasn't so cold and you remembered to bring your swim suit 

I could have stayed looking at the water for hours. But the bikes needed to be back.

It was a bit of a flying visit, but no trip to Scotland would be complete without a cheeky night out at Cameron House- it where we got married so has a special place in our hearts.

It also a stunning hotel and it everything you would expect from a Scottish Hotel. tartan on the walls, big roaring fires and a great selection of whisky. Although I had a couple of wines.

We also paired the wine with a couple of snack, a fantastic baked Camembert.

and a ham, Cheese and Bread-stick board (with a couple of cheeky olives.

The perfect accompaniment to a nice cold glass of wine.

The staff and the service is totally amazing as well, they really take care of you.

Also when I say they have a great selection of whiskey's I really mean it.

But I had to head back as I was taking part in a 5k run for Race for Life Cancer Research with a few of my friends.

But it wasn't just a normal 5k it was a Pretty Muddy 5k meaning the course was punctuated with fun obstacles full of mud.

Well apart from the space hopper challenge bit, I haven't been on a space hopper in years but glad I still remember how to do it and didn't totally embarrass myself

So it was lots of fun and I made it through till the end still smiling.

To prove how muddy it actually was here is a before and after picture.

Unfortunetly the white top could not be saved and had to go in the bin.

But the good news is we raised around £1500 which will go to help fund research to help find a cure for this awful disease.

It was also good prep for my Run Disney Half Marathon that is coming up in November super excited and super scared all at the same time, fingers crossed I can get round - will keep you posted. 

Bad Times after Good Move

So I finally Moved house and for a couple of days it was all going well; Well as good as it could go surrounded by boxes and having to do a lots of unpacking..

My removal men from Crutch Brothers were brilliant and if you live in the South East (Kentish) area of the UK I would definitely recommend them.

so after a weekend where I moved and  I attended a 80 party

which necessitated Avocado on toast the next day to get rid of my Hangover.

All finally seemed to be going okay then....

my poor mum ended up in a bad way and needed to go into Hospital, won't go into too much detail but she was very,very sick but thanks to the amazing fantastic work of the NHS. I honestly can't praise them enough they do such great work for not the most stunning of pays.

Everyone we dealt with were so helpful and kind, I can gladly report she is all fixed up now and is finally back at home recovering well.

Although all this trauma means that's there has been next to no cooking going on in the Dyslexic cooking house-hold let alone un-boxing of our stuff.

It was back and forth to the hospital and then a take away's or toast before flomping into bed.

Although I did manage, when mum was out of the woods and back on a normal ward a morning of shopping to buy some bits for the house and I got this fab new pan from Ikea.

Yay no more scalding water burning my hands when I putting on Pasta or Potatoes.

also this was picked up for the little man

and to be fair considering he moved house and had mum on the edge with all the stuff going on with his Nana he been such a good boy and has actually really brighten up the dark days.


But as it coming up to a bank holiday weekend (4 Day weekend yay) I think I have a bit of a relax with a nice cold drink.

I will also get into my new kitchen and do some cooking as normally on Easter my mum does a big family dinner but this year she will be resting (Definitely pop by with chocolate and hugs) I think I do some fun foodie for just the Hubby, son and I.

You never know if the sun is shining might be able to even get out cooking in our new garden (Although considering this is the UK and a bank holiday the forecast will probably be rain, rain with extra rain for good measure.)

Weird Christmas plans in the Netherlands

So last Friday I went to visit my friend in the Netherlands again..

It's weird as we were all full of fun in an airport with people traveling hither and thither, all full of happiness.

We started off in similar fashion having a few drinks because the working week was done, I was getting a bit of me time. Which for me personally I think is really important if you have young children. As sometimes you sort of lose yourself and just need a day or two to remind yourself there is another world out there and it not just nappies. Although can't last anymore than two days as I miss the cuddles.

So we had wine and cocktails at the airport:

Mojito

Followed by drinkies on the plane.

Some poor (Drunk) girl behind us had never flown British Airways before, and needed to tell the whole flight how happy she was that you got a free drink. She was only 20 and on her way to a rave in Amsterdam (Ah to be young and foolish).


The flight from London is really quick just under 1 Hour, that the great thing about living in the UK Europe is just on your door step. But I think in the UK as there is a body of water separating us, we feel further away. I haven't been to nearly enough of Europe as I should have been. Although that's because I'd rather head over to the States so always saving my pennies for that.

But I do plan with the little one a few more jaunts to nearby places to expand his horizon and my own. Especially as you can drive to Europe so can take all the stuff we need with us too.

We got off the plane and headed for the train. OMG coming from England where the train service at best is bad, to go on to the ATM service in the Netherlands, like night and day. So cheap for starters.


All the trains have free Wifi and when you log on it gives you information on when you will arrive at your destinations.

Absolutely bloody brilliant. To celebrate how great it was we had a bit of fizz (Although I have now discovered that you are not supposed to drink on these local trains so I apologies to the authorities and vow not to do it on my next trip).

We arrived at our destination and were reading for a great night, my Friend had just moved into a fabulous new house just on the Edge of the little town of Hilversum. It is beautiful she worked in fashion for years so has the most amazing eye for detail pair things together that I would never even think of.

I love her dog or as I call it the "Friends" dog.

As we were just settling for a big session of drinking and eating the sad, heartbreaking news of the Paris attacks was emerging. It's hard to fathom how awful it is. This misguided people driven by hate, taking innocent lives of people just trying to get on in the world.

I know a lot has already been said, and who am I with my lowly blog to add more? I'm saying something as I am a person in this world and I have a voice and even if only one person hears it could make a difference. All I am going to say is Hate breeds hate, compassion will always breed compassion. People have been hurt have lost loved ones and had their lives turned upside down in the most devastating way. I feel nothing but sorrow for everything that went on. I hope that we find some way to end this terrible loss of life.  And the most important thing is we all stay strong and keeping love and compassion in our hearts as that is the best way to beat hate and fear.

So was a bit subdued when we went to bed and got up the next morning especially as the scale of the horror unfolded. But we where there and we wanted to enjoy our time.

So we headed into Hilversum for a quiet day of drinking an eating.

As we were in the Netherlands we came across a sex shop, not my thing but I did like the theme of the window very autumnal lol

then we headed to the market, I loved it the last time and loved it again. So many stalls filled with fresh produce and it smelt divine. We picked up some yummy cheese for later on in the day.

As we skipped breakfast went back to the same place we went before "Flinders"  to get some eats. I got some traditional food of Bittenballen which are deep fried bites filled with meat (Don't know what kind of meat and thought best not to ask) but they were delicious but so fattening. We order the Fish Bittenballen and some great cheese bites. That were like spring rolls with cheese in the middle. Total Nommage

We also added some lovely dipping bread.

Washed down with a fantastic Gin and Fever Tree Tonic - Well I am on my holidays don't judge lol.

There seemed to be a commotion going on outside, our friend informed us it was the local Christmas parade. It is to mark the arrival of Santa coming by boat from Spain to the Netherlands. Now I normally happy and fascinated by other countries traditions. although I was slightly uneasy about this one.

Now I'm all for people, especially the kiddies having fun and feeling the Joy of Christmas. But I, as coming form London, didn't really get or understood Santa's helper "Black Pete". where people get dressed up put on black face make up, bright red lipstick and a curly black wig and give out treats to the children.

Now this is not my culture or my tradition so I am the first to say I don't full understand its significance. also someone tried to tell me it was because of the coal from going down the chimney (Although that would not account for the Red lip and curly wig). But in a western multicultural place it seem very outdated.

So people tried to modernize it and a caught a picture of this lovely lady with a pink face.

 But Our friend told me that only 18% of the population see a problem with it. I just think round children it send a weird message. Although it wasn't sinister in anyway and the kids loved getting the candy and all the local seemed to be having fun. I just think a bit of modernizing to bring it in to the 21st Century would make it a truly amazing festival.

Also got to see Santa and he seemed fun.

As for me I prefer the Elves version of Santa's helpers rather than these garish Petes

We stayed in the cafe most of the day gassing about this and that we even had to order some more food love array of meats and cheeses.

 at around 5pm we left to go and meet our friends son and his new girlfriend. All I can say is he was brave considering we're a nightmare at the best of times but after a drink it's a lot worse.

We met at the Soul Kitchen and after another round of deep fried snacks,

Some more drink and a chat with the Bar owner.

Sitting out in the cold

We moved onto shots to warm us up.
JAGERBOMBS

had a great chat and then made the long walk (which was all of 7 minute) back to our friends house where we all curled up on the couch again and had some glasses of fizz an tucked in the cheese we purchased.

Next morning and our last day boo. We awoke to our amazing hostess cooking us bacon.. mmmm bacon which was especially nice as she doesn't eat it.. I know mad right.

to make the most of our time before we headed back to the airport we went to the lovely town of Urtrecht.


Had drinks on the train again (Sorry still didn't know at that time it was bad).

Utrecht is fab, it like a mini Amsterdam with beautiful canals

Lovely architecture

Yummy shops and a great cafe culture.

we managed to find this great restaurant De Beurs and as it was dry we sat outside for a bit of a cocktail

it was so nice we went inside to have some lunch.

I have a big burger.

So yummy so tasty and medium just the way I like it.

So after being very well fed we had to make our way back to the train station and boarded the train back to Schiphol...


I was very excited as it was a double Decker train, we don't have these in the UK and I think they are very cool - but then again I am sad.

So plane home (after extensive Security which was heighten due to everything that been going on), cab back and just in time for a big huge mummy hug before bedtime. That what making go away great you get so excited for going back and giving the little one a big tight squeeze and just getting a beaming smile in return.


So apart from the obvious it was actually a good weekend and just want I need to re-charge my batteries before the Christmas Rush..