During our trip to Scotland in May, whilst I was panicking at the thought of being stuck in Bahrain for the whole summer and all that entailed (see previous post!) we decided that Callie and I would take another trip to Scotland in August to a) beat the heat and b) have something to look forward to! Yes, I think we did need some time out of the Sandpit by then as it wasn't good for Callie to be inside all the time, plus during August the heat was definitely cranked up another notch! However, when the trip came around it felt more like an added bonus than a desperate necessity!
Anyway, off Callie and I trotted for just over two weeks with the family. Great fun! Having successfully negotiated the lengthy flight without Jamie thanks to Candice's suggestion to introduce Callie to the joys of stickers(!) we spent the first few days with Granny and Granda Mac before embarking on our usual whistle stop tour of Scotland! Unfortunately, Callie was not on her best form initially, having just got over a virus not long before we left only to pick up something else on the plane (thankfully not swine flu!) She coped pretty well but was certainly not herself the whole of the first week of our trip which was such a shame for both her and everyone we had organised to catch up with! Needless to say she bounced back and was back to being a bundle of energy in no time! I certainly think the one thing I'll remember from this trip home is just how much Callie longed to be outside in the fresh air having been cooped up for months in Bahrain. I didn't really think that much about it before we went to Scotland but after witnessing Callie get up every single morning (even when not very well), head straight for the front door in her pyjamas and bang on it for out, I was left in no doubt! Fortunately, she was able to get out for a while most days as the weather was mostly reasonable. Also, Granny Mac had thoughtfully invested in pair of wellies for her so even if it was wet she could still splash in the puddles. However, the wellies were not a hit, possibly because they were a bit big on her, and got kicked off at every opportunity! Barefoot at the duck pond, hmmm, very hygenic!
I think Callie's favourite place this visit had to be the beach at Cullen where my parents stay. She worked out that most of the times she got into my dad's car she ended up at the beach so, on being let out in the morning would go to the car and bang on the door to indicate it was beach time! When she was told the car was locked she immediately toddled back into the house, picked up the keys and went straight back to the car, the smarty pants! No flies on her then! Pictures are of Callie paddling in a rock pool ("Get my feet out of here this minute, Granny!") and building (or destroying in Callie's case!) sandcastles with Granda Cowie, plus C chilling at the park! By the beach in Cullen there is also the golf club and Callie was further impressed by the putting green, not to mention the yummy scampi and chips served up for lunch in this particular establishment! Callie whiled away several hours of her trip dropping golf balls into the holes, pulling out and replacing the little flags, which were just her size! I won't get my hopes up that she might turn out to be the female Tiger Woods just yet though!
Back with the McDonald clan up in Inverness, Callie was again very well entertained with trips to the park, the river and the wild life park. Unfortunately, on that particular day Callie was not in the best of moods and was especially put out when Granda Mac put some bird food down near her feet causing the ducks to peck her toes! She usually loves birds but I guess the close proximity was a bit too much for her! Above is Callie with Auntie Em and Uncle Richie, Granny and Granda Mac.
As much as I enjoy my daughter's company I must confess that the highlight of my trip home was a whole day away in Aberdeen catching up with friends and doing some shopping in peace! It's amazing how much I was able to achieve without a one year old in tow, although every so often I found myself looking round for her, forgetting she was in Cullen with Granny and Granda! This will certainly be repeated at Christmas, hopefully overnight as well!
As usual the time flew in and we were back on the plane for Bahrain in no time. Callie thoughtfully decided to not sleep the whole way home but, hey, at least we had the stickers! Looking forward to our third trip to Scotland for Christmas with the added bonus that we have to go super early so Jamie can get a new work visa! Having said that, Callie might not be impressed with the dark, miserable December weather we're likely to get! In fact, I think it'll be a rather nasty shock for her.... oh well, at least Santa will visit!
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