Day 188 - 30 Dec '23 - Killearn. It had been really frosty last night, with the fallen leaves and grass all sparkly and crunchy. This morning when we got out of bed, (granted, it was almost 10am!) the sky was overcast and we were hopeful the forecast snow would finally arrive.
Then, shortly before 11am...
SNOW!
The flakes started fairly small and light, then got larger and heavier, and the wind was swirling them all around. I'm not sure who was more excited between Abi and I!
Alex had a bit of a tickly cough, so we told him to stay inside, but Abi and I got dressed in our waterproof jacket and trousers, and went for a walk to the shops for a couple of things.
Abi managed to throw a couple of snowballs at me, and I had every intention of throwing some back at her when we returned, but unfortunately it stopped snowing and changed to sleet.
Then it changed to rain. Back to snow. A bit more sleet. Some more rain. A little more snow. Then sleet again. And all the snow got washed away.
Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.
The rest of our day was spent inside in the warmth, alternating between watching the rain and Harry Potter 7. Dan was feeling pretty shady, but not too bad on the whole. Having an easy day today meant he'd be in top form for Hogmanay tomorrow!
Day 189 - 31 Dec '23 - Killearn. Hogmanay! (New Year's Eve for all the non-Scottish people in the world). It was fine this morning when we eventually woke up, so we went for a drive to Loch Lomond. This was Britain's largest freshwater lake, and where I would come as a little girl on the boat we had for a while.
It was a lovely still day, and quite chilly, but zero chance of snow again for the next wee while. We stopped first at Balmaha, then went to Luss, a lovely conservation village on a different shore.
Once we got back home and had some lunch, we went up to the Killearn Village Hall to help Rebekah and Scott set up for the party that night. We were there for about an hour-and-a-half getting things ready; putting out the tables and chairs, moving them around, decorating them, moving them again, hanging lights and disco balls, moving the tables once more etc..
We watched Harry Potter 8, finally finishing the series, then ate a light dinner. We'd had a late lunch, and were getting supper at the party, so baked beans on toast was enough for the kids and I, while Dan had a banana sandwich.
"So you're sending me out on a night of drinking with no food again?" he said to me with a laugh.
Despite living a five-minute walk to the hall, we were definitely not the first to arrive! It seems to be a universal truth, being late when you're the closest there. Luckily we got there before the band, which gave us plenty of time to sit down at our table and open our drinks.
The next five hours were filled with lots of dancing, laughing, talking, drinking, and eating the yummy supper. The band was AMAZING! They played a fantastic range of upbeat, popular songs, that had everybody on the floor at one time or another.
They played until supper came out, and then we had a miniature ceilidh! It was SO MUCH FUN! All those classes of enforced Scottish Country Dancing at school came rushing back, and I was happily twirling with Abi to the Gay Gordons, Military Two-Step, and the Canadian Barn Dance. The last ceilidh dance was the Dashing White Sergeants, which I danced with Rebekah's friend Stuart, as it was a bit too fast for Abi.
Alas, after only four dances, that part of the evening was over. The band carried on playing but stopped briefly for the Bells at midnight.
Cries of "happy new year" were repeated by everyone, followed by lots of kisses and hugs from everyone.
"Mummy, do you know that old lady?" Alex asked me.
"No, why?"
"Because she just gave me a big kiss on the lips!"
"Yeah, she gave me one too!"
At 1am the band stopped, the party was over, and the tidying began. Once again there were lots of helpers, and by 1:45am Dan and I felt we'd done enough to be able to head home (the only thing left was a bit of sweeping and cleaning).
We were all shattered. Alex was wiped and still coughing loads, Dan and I had sore feet from five hours of dancing in trail shoes, and Abi had spent most of the night dancing off a large bottle of IrnBru!
What a way to end/start a year!!
Day 190 - 1 Jan '24 - Killearn. 10am was when Dan and I woke up. Abi was at 10:30am. Alex slept until 11:40am; we left him to sleep that late so it would help him get better.
Sleep: nature's cure-all!
The rest of our day was spent inside and on the couch. Not a particularly productive way to start the year, but a restorative one nonetheless.
Alex was in bed around 6:30pm, claiming a sore tummy (as soon as he sat down at the dinner table...hmm...). Abi was also asleep by 8pm.
Dan had some work to do on his computer, so we decided to watch Tenet. This was the second time we'd seen it, and it made just as much sense as it did the first time around. I even found an article from GQ that explained it, and that didn't make much sense either! Maybe third time will be the charm?
Day 191 - 2 Jan '24 - Killearn. Another day of kicking around home. I do feel like we've become quite accustomed to being in one spot again, so it will be interesting how we adjust to being back on the road soon.
It was drizzling or raining all day, so a planned walk with Jonny and Jordyn was shelved. Alex was feeling much better today after a long sleep, so that was good. Dan, however, was quite bunged up. Well, it is winter, and people do get colds!
We met Jonny and Jordyn, and Deborah and Scott (and their daughters) for dinner at a hotel pub in Drymen. Once again it was at 4:30pm, and Dan and I remain utterly convinced at the brilliance of going out at this time! We will definitely spread the word...
The restaurant was the same place the kids and I had gone with Rebekah, and we had another delicious dinner. I just had a starter as my main, which you may think wasn't much, but a whole bowl of tempura cauliflower is incredibly filling!
We said goodbye to Jordyn, who was heading back to Edinburgh; we wouldn't see her again until their wedding in April in Mallorca.
Day 192 - 3 Jan '24 - Killearn and Glasgow. I had a rubbish sleep. Even though we were all in bed at our normal times, it would seem my body clock had shifted a little, and the idea of going to sleep at 10:30pm was not to be.
"I think," Dan suggested, "we have now reached full restoration," as he, too, didn't get to sleep easily.
(We had been sleeping soundly since we arrived at Killearn, anywhere between nine and twelve hours every night. It would seem that six months of constantly moving and activities every day, was more exhausting than we'd realised).
In the end, I fell asleep somewhere between 1:30am and 2am. Then I woke up numerous times until our alarm went off at 8:10am. Today, we were back in Glasgow for the first round of our travel vaccinations - YAY!
Our first stop, however, was a bit of shopping, and I am pleased to announce I am now the proud owner of not one, but two new jumpers! Abi got some new waterproof trousers, and both kids now have new winter gloves.
On to the travel clinic!
Because we plan on travelling to numerous countries across Europe, Africa, and Asia, we had quite a long list of vaccinations to get: cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria/tetanus/polio, Japanese B encephalitis, tick borne encephalitis, rabies, malaria, and dengue fever, as well as possibly meningitis ACWY, and BCG.
Today we got three each, and we will be back in a week's time for four more. Even then, we will still have more to get.
Alex was first up, and after some initial reluctance, he decided that it wasn't so bad after all, and couldn't feel anything more than a slight prick.
Then it was Abigail's turn, and despite numerous protestations she would be "fine and calm and still and peaceful", she changed her mind fairly rapidly and started crying and gripping her arms tight.
"Come on Abigail," I implored.
"I don't want to get them!" she sobbed.
"But you have to Abi."
"You won't be able to go to all those wonderful places, and will have to stay with me!" said the nurse.
After a few minutes of cajoling, and a lollipop, she suddenly stopped all the crying and resisting, and sat still, with her face buried in my neck. Finally!
My turn next - two in my left arm and one in my right. Dan followed me, but because he was left-handed, he got two in his right and one in his left.
After almost an hour-and-a-half, we left with eight sore arms, two lollipops, and £686 less in our bank account. OUCH! But still, half the price that they would be in New Zealand. Unfortunately, we've got more expensive ones yet to come.
We did a bit more shopping, had some fish and chips for lunch, a little bit more shopping, then headed home via the supermarket. By this stage, the kids were feeling pretty good, but Dan's and my arms were starting to hurt, and I also had a headache building. We had had the tetanus booster, and everyone knows how sore that one is!
One of our jags today was for yellow fever, and other than the 'usual' possible side effects (headache, sore arm, fatigue etc), there were much more severe reactions (brain swelling, liver failure, death etc) to be on the watch for, up to 10 days for some and 56 days for others!
I'm sure we will be absolutely fine. And as for our sore arms, nothing a little paracetamol and sleep won't fix. Mind you, getting undressed and having to lift our arms above our heads was RATHER painful!
Day 193 - 4 Jan '24 - Killearn. Everyone survived the night! Abi didn't flinch when I carried her from our bed to hers at night, when I accidentally squeezed her shoulder to avoid dropping her. Dan and I had also improved, with only a mild ache in our 'double arm'.
Dan was still coughing loads, however, and his stomach was hurting from it. We decided to chill out (again) to let our bodies process the vaccines, and anyway, it was a bit wet in the afternoon, which gave us time to plan the next leg of our trip.
At 3pm we walked to Deborah's house for her and Scott's youngest daughter's first birthday! Happy birthday Maya!
It was a lovely quiet affair, with a few family members, some drinks and nibbles, and the most delicious chocolate cake baked by Rebekah. So chocolatey and fudgy and yum!
Day 194 - 5 Jan '24 - Killearn. Our last day here for a while, and it was a beautiful sunny one. We (read: I) decided it would be the perfect opportunity to climb the Conic Hill Jonny recommended.
It soon became apparent exactly how unfit I had become. Walking Abigail to and from school twice a day was a 3.5km round trip each time, with two hills to climb on the journey. Being a lot more sedentary recently meant my thighs were burning and my chest was heaving, as we climbed the stone steps to the first viewpoint.
But oh my goodness, WHAT A VIEW!
We then carried on up the path, but this one was still undergoing its upgrade. This meant there were lots of muddy bits, and little rivulets cutting through the path.
There were loads of bags filled with their stones, lining the side of the path in preparation.
"I pity the poor people who had to carry these up here!" I said, tongue firmly in cheek. "They must weigh a literal tonne!"
"They probably choppered them in, Nic," said Dan.
"Yes, I KNOW that, Dan!"
Honestly!
When we got to the top, we had to scramble up a fairly steep rocky side to the hill, but the view from here was even more spectacular.
Simply stunning. Loch Lomond in all its majestic glory. It's the largest freshwater lake in Britain, and looked amazing with the sun shining on it's still a waters.
We could have stayed there for a while just soaking up the stillness, and I dare say the view as the sun set would have been wonderful, but we thought it best to head back down and go home. We had a lot of planning to do for our trip, and we were leaving here tomorrow to do a bit more sightseeing.
After dinner, Dan and I started our planning. First off was our accommodation for the next four nights, as we were travelling up the highlands for a bit before coming back to Glasgow for our travel jags.
Then we got stuck into the complicated Eurail booking system. We've bought a three-month rail pass for Europe, and their system is rather convoluted. They have an app, where you first buy the pass, then load it on, then plan a trip (eg country to country), then load a journey onto the trip (eg train station to train station), but you have to go onto their website to reserve your seat (some
trains require reservations, some don't). The pass can only be on one device at a time, and each person needs their own pass with their own trips and journeys loaded onto that! The pass covers the cost of all the train trips, but seat reservations are not included, and those prices vary depending on the train.
"The price for us to reserve our seats from London to Paris is $220NZD," Dan told me once he'd booked them.
"What?! I'm a bit concerned that the three month pass you bought won't actually save us any money at all, with seat reservations costing that much!"
"Well, if we were to buy the actual train tickets, leaving at the day and time we've booked, it would cost us $1200."
"Oh."
It was then my turn to book something - our accommodation in Paris. Remarkably, in winter, the price for two nights in a tiny wee apartment with one bed and two sofa beds was still over $200NZD per night. And that was the cheapest.
"Europe is going to cost us an absolute fortune," Dan said with a sigh as we lay in bed later on.
"Yeah," I answered rather despondently.
We always knew it would be a killer. I don't think either of us really grasped exactly how much.
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