Five on Friday - the school holiday edition.

Good morning Friday! Good morning. Thank you all for stopping by and saying hello. Thank you also for your emails behind the scenes, I really love to hear from you. My special get well wishes this Friday go to Gina, who is forced to take it easy after fracturing her ankle. 

I am in a happy place this week and I am sharing five of our holiday activities and other unrelated news. I am off work all week and I have been keeping the peeps busy. It keeps the house tidier. I am also giving you five random photos taken recently. So really, it should be Ten on Friday. Please stop by at Amy's to say hello to other Five on Friday bloggers. 

Most of Alistair's popcorn were lost in the wind. 

On Monday we went for a picnic at the Loch Ardninning nature reserve. My friend Christine came with her daughter Annie (isn't it a funny coincidence, the names). My Annie also brought her friend Alice along. It was unusually windy up on the moor. It is always a bit windy but the wind on Monday was biting. Still, us hardy Scots are not easily put off, and we had a windy picnic at the top of the hill, barely sheltered by a pile of stones. We did come across a perfectly sheltered spot under a rock face about 2 minutes after we continued the walk. Next time! Our boots were caked in mud. Jack loved it, we all did. For the next few months, we won't be visiting with the dog because there are ground breeding birds in the area, which we don't want to disturb.

Mr or Mrs Wagtail down at the river. It seems to like this spot, we often see it there.

On Monday we also got planning permission for our extension. I am delighted and exited. The architect is currently responding to the building warrant query list and it can't be long for this to be granted, too. 

This is a photo of crazy swimmers conquering lock 25 on the Forth-Clyde canal. 

On Tuesday we went into town. Before Christmas I had put in a small silent auction bid for a 'party' at the Juice Garden for up to five children, a prize I gave Annie for her Christmas. It was a bargain present. It isn't a place where I am often seen (I don't buy into the superfood/raw food craze) but Annie loves it and the juices taste nice. We took a bus, me and seven children, and caused much hilarity for our fellow travellers. James, Alistair and I dropped the girls off for their juice experience and rushed away for a short visit to Hamleys. I owed the boys some money and this was a good opportunity to pay them back. I am really bad having my own cash handy and I sometimes raid their piggy banks. I know, shocking. We bought two boomerangs (the neighbours will be delighted), a new small skateboard and a Darth Vader lego torch. Did I mention that I owed the boys quite a lot of money? When we got back to the Juice Garden, the girls were enjoying their own juice creations, and offered to make us some, too (all included, which was very nice indeed). They were allowed to use the industrial juicing machine and their own recipes. James's juice contained 5 bananas and quite a lot of other fruit, too. So much sugar in just one cup of juice but oh, it was so good... I assumed we would go home afterwards but I was wrong. Five girls in town, it can't be a quick visit. We had to go to the Buchanan Galleries for a toilet stop, to the American Candy shop for yet more sugar, then to Lush for bathing essentials, and on to Tiger for all sorts of bits and bobs nobody needs but everybody desperately wants. My feet were killing me but it was surprisingly stress free. We nearly left Alistair behind at Tiger's - accidentally I should add.

I just love the two different coloured flowers on the  lungwort I found on a recent walk

On Wednesday we went for a long walk in Pollock Country Park, a huge park on the Southside of Glasgow. It is the home of Pollock House, an impressive National Trust property, and the Burrell Collection (free admission, great art and artefact collection). There is also a golf club, mountain bike tracks and miles of footpaths to explore the woods and countryside. We stayed clear of all things culture and headed for the woods. It was an overcast chilly morning but it didn't rain. We enjoyed our walk with Johnny, Eadie, Maisie and their dog Rudie, who is Jack's best mate. I tried to draw attention to the many pairs of courting birds but only drew blank looks. We had to trick dogs into giving up stolen boomerangs (yes, the new ones) and we saw a heron take flight in a densely wooded area. It barely had enough space to unfold its wings. Alistair won the diva of the day prize. 

Mr Mallard's colours are just amazing. He was moving fast and is a little out of focus

On Thursday we rested our feet and souls. Ok that's not entirely honest. The boys ran wild in the garden and I took the opportunity to do some dreaded chores, like decrumbing the toaster and scrub the kitchen floor. I sorted through recent clothes donations. I ask you, how many superhero t-shirts does a boy need? And why are so many boys clothes a drab khaki colour? I cleaned five pairs of muddy boots, hoovered the stairs and cleaned James' and Alistair's bedroom. I don't know where they find all the yuck that is collecting on their floor. Quite possibly there is a door to an alternative and filthier universe which opens into their bedroom. I tried and failed to find the fabric we bought to make a dress for Annie. It is probably in the alternative universe. We ate cheese on toast on our front steps, enjoying the gentle warmth and watching our crazy cat Pippin rolling on the warmed paving stones. It was a good, productive day. 

The teenager didn't participate in any of the above. He alternated between sleeping all day, and going to supported study at school. Any teacher who volunteers to give up entire days of their holiday to help my teenager (and others) do well in their exam deserves to be knighted. The council's education department of course will not acknowledge the efforts but us parents, we do appreciate it.

I am not sure yet what Friday will bring. Maybe we'll go to the BMX park in the morning. I am not keen but the boys are. 

I hope your week was a good one, just like mine. Wishing you a great weekend. x