Ah Mondays...

After a good old fashioned sunday lunch and family photo session yesterday we left my parent's house and headed south for the second part of our two centred break - at my lovely husband's parent's home.

We stopped en route in Dunblane to visit and have dinner with our good pals. The eldest had some 1-2-1 tuition in his current obsession; minecraft, the middle son had a whole new world of playmobil to explore and the littlest had his first taste of petit filous.

Anyway, Monday.... there are so many photos I could have used for today.

In the morning, Iain set up his office in his parent's dining room and the rest of us just relaxed into holiday mode in a new space. The middle son loves setting up armies of toy soldiers and so took over the hallway, stairs and lounge, leaving not much space for anyone else.

Mid morning, while the littlest had a sleep, I took the eldest on a walk, nay pilgrimage, to the Tunnocks factory. He is a huge fan of teacakes, or any other Tunnocks confecitonary to be honest, and loves the fact that their are made in his daddy's home town. The factory don't do tours and will only allow children over the age of 12 onto the floor, due to health and safety reasons, so we made do with a look in the windows, a photo at the door and then a visit to the Tunnocks Bakery and Tearoom instead. I love the Tunnocks bakery. If there is anything further from the sleek but homely, powerful international branding of Tunnocks Caramel Wafers and Tunnocks Teacakes, then it is the bakers shop on Uddingston Main Street. Sure they sell the teacakes and the caramel wafers in boxes of six or boxes of three dozen, there is even a wee photo board with some famous faces amidst the local celebrities and newborn babies, but the real appeal of the place is the freshly made bread and rolls, the pineapple cakes (6 for £2) and the carrot cake which in the words of one employee is "absolutely beautiful the day, I'm no joking you, it's absolutely beautiful, naw it really is". Through the back there is a wee tearoom serving mince rounds (I've had one and they really are "absolutely beauitful") and chips, cups of tea and donuts and apparently in days gone by there was even a myna bird in the place which chatted to you and took your order (or some such story). Its a popular place and the lunchtime queues can rival those at Greggs. We didn't stop at the tearoom but loaded up with all manner of confectionary and headed home.

In the afternoon we made a trip to Kelvingrove Museum, where my blip for today was taken. It is a great museum, always worth a visit. This time the egyptian exhibit really caught the attention of the two older boys and they loved wrapping the mummy up in bandages.

In the evening I drove back to Stirling to meet up with two of my flatmates from student days and celebrate one of their birthdays. We moved into our wee flat in Aberdeen eighteen years ago and spent two cracking years together - it is crazy to think how long ago it was, but lovely to be back together, just the three of us. Try as we might we failed in getting a decent photo of the three of us, but there was a good amount of laughter taking a few selfies...