We crossed over the boarder between England and Scotland and it started to rain. Luckily it didn't last long and by the time we got to East Kilbride it was dry again - at least for the time being.

First order of business was to find a replacement window for Neil's car. While we were staying in Manchester the back-quarter passenger window was smashed by someone hoping to get valuables out of the car. Little did they know there were none! There were some Bob Segar CD's but I guess they weren't fans as they were not taken. Another car was also broken in to in the same street.

Greg and I spent the first day at home waiting for the window repair man (and recovering and resting up). Stacey, Brett and the kids went off to explore Glasgow. Armed with a map and some brochures Brett was keen to get going. After the car window was replaced, Greg and I went off to do some shopping. Greg needs a new pair of shoes - too much walking, and another pair of jeans - one pair is just not enough. We also need to stock up on more food as we had forgotten how much 3 small children can eat!

When we were last in Glasgow (just last week) we visited Stirling Castle with Chris, Craig and Marg. Today was a chance to repeat the visit with the family. This castle was chosen to see first because it provides opportunities for the children to interact with objects from the days when Kings, Queens, Knights and Unicorns were the flavour of the month. The children dressed up, played musical instruments, designed their own jester's outfit and engaged the costumed guides in conversation. Uncle Brett even got stabbed by a knight! After touring through the castle, counting unicorns on the castle tapestry, checking out the Royal Kitchens and gardens it was off to the souvenir shop where plastic horses, knights and unicorns were added to the treasure trove to be taken home. Back at the house after our castle visit, it was time for Stacey and Brett to pack up and go to the airport for their weekend away in Barcelona. The 3 kids will stay with us in Glasgow.

With Stacey and Brett away we decided that the best course of action with the kids is to keep them occupied. Firstly, we arranged with Craig and Susan McCall (Neil and Isobel's daughter and her husband) to bring their children, Connor and Leah around to meet Will, Tom and Hayley. With introductions over and gifts given it was as if the children had known each other all their lives. Then, with boys in one car and girls in the other we all went to have a look at the Falkirk Wheel - the only rotating boat lift in the universe. Not only were we able to see this marvel of engineering based on Archemedies Principle but we took a boat ride to experience how the wheel moves boats from the level of one canal up 30 metres to the next canal - AMAZING! This wheel replaces 11 lochs and uses no water and very little electricity. We all found the Falkirk Wheel interesting but the children were more enthusiastic about the water park and playground beside the wheel. We spent several hours relaxing in the sun (yes SUN!) while the 5 children played happily together exchanging stories of their sporting prowess and favourite activities. When it was time to go home, we took the girls and Craig and Susan had the boys. We really lucked out as the girls were both asleep 5 minutes after we left and did not wake up until we got back to the house 40 minutes later. We all went out to the Lee Burn restaurant for dinner before going to bed exhausted. Now...... what to do tomorrow?

Rain was forecast for Sunday so we decided to spend the day at Time Capsule - an indoor water park and ice skating rink. We had a late start to the day and arrived at Time Capsule in time for a 90 minutes session in the water park followed by a 90 minute ice skating session. Once the children were in the pool we only caught glimpses of them among the hoards of children enjoying the water slides and pools. When it was time for ice skating we moved from the heated indoor pools to the chillier ice rink. None of the children had ice skated before so we were not sure how they would go. Tom put on his skates, took to the ice and could travel around the rink unaided almost immediately. William was a little more cautious but was soon up and skating around with Tom. Hayley was less sure of herself and used a penguin-skate-aid for some of the time until she eventually became aware that she could let go of it and get around the rink without falling over too much. She persevered until she could get all the way around without the penguin and without falling over - she was very proud of herself. Three very weary children returned with us to the house to await Stacey and Brett's return from Barcelona later in the evening.

After gifts from Barcelona were given to the kids and stories and photos shared with us, it was time to pack for our night away in Inverness. We left the house late and made our way through the traffic to the western side of Glasgow and set the GPS for Tyndrum and The Green Welly for our lunch. This favourite motorbike stop was full of tourists and even some bikers were braving the damp conditions for a break in their ride. Next stop was Fort William for a quick visit for Stacey, Brett and the kids to the Commando Memorial; the kids were more interested in the snow they could see on the surrounding mountains. Next was Loch Ness. William was in the car with us and as soon as we told him the Loch he could see was Loch Ness, his eyes were glued to the window. We stopped at Urquhart Castle to search for Nessie but only Tom and Hayley were absolutely sure they had seen the mysterious monster! We then drove on to Inverness for an overnight stay.

We wandered around Inverness in the morning for a couple of hours and were lucky enough to meet the Lord Provost of the Highland Council, Helen Carmichael. She was in town to watch the unveiling of a mural that will cover the Cathedral while it is being refurbished at a cost of £4.5 million. She happily posed with us for a photo and Greg told her that this was our 5th visit to Inverness and that if we could live anywhere in Scotland, it would be Inverness. We then drove on to Pitlochry and purchased a quilt (as Hayley called them) or kilt (for the rest of us) for each of the 3 children. All kilts were put on immediately and the rest of the day was spent proudly wearing their new clobber.

As St Andrews was only a slight detour on our way home, it was decided we must visit. We were delighted to find out that the British Open would be played there in 10 days and the stands were being erected to hold the 5000 lucky (read wealthy) spectators that would have front row seats. We were able to walk on the Old Course from the 1st to 2nd tee and then found a 9 hole putting course open to the public. Brett and the 3 kids, beautifully attired in their kilts, paid £1 each and played their nine holes at the Old Course at St Andrews. I'm sure the children don't realise the significance of their game today but it will be some thing we will be sure to remind them of as time goes by.

Wednesday was our Edinburgh day. First stop was the Royal Yacht Britannia. Greg and I decided that 2 visits in 2 weeks might be a bit much so we settled in to the café with a coffee while Stacey, Brett and the kids went on a 1 hour tour of the yacht. We then all headed in to town to visit Edinburgh Castle. We had purchased our tickets on-line so we did not have to queue to get in. We took a 30 minute tour of the castle which did not really appeal to the kids so we basically did our own thing. The children were interested in the weaponry and armour and we were also lucky enough to see a changing of the guard. This does not always happen, but as the Queen was actually in Edinburgh today the guard at the castle was changed every hour, on the hour. We think the Queen might be stalking us as she was also visiting Lancaster when we were there about a month ago!

Greg had been preparing the children for their visit to Edinburgh since they arrived last week. The first night they were with us, he read them the story of Greyfriar's Bobby and has been mentioning the story on a daily basis since. Today we visited the statue of the small dog and rubbed his nose. We then went in to the churchyard to visit his grave. Sure enough, as Greg had told the children, there was a pile of sticks in front of the headstone! The children added a few more sticks before our visit ended. The last item on our 'To Do' list for Edinburgh was to visit the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Unfortunately we did not get to do this as the Queen had been hosting a garden party there and the roads were all blocked off.

We headed back to Glasgow to farewell the children's new Scottish friends, Connor and Leah and to say our own farewells to their parents, Craig and Susan. We all decided to meet up again in 2 years when they visit Australia.

Tomorrow we leave Scotland and head towards London. bring it on!