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February 2019

Despite being a short month February has been pretty busy. It's also had some really frosty days... -8 some mornings and also really mild,,,15 degrees on the 27th!! Maybe the snow will arrive in March?!
The month started with an overnight run to Berwick to take Auntie Gillian out for dinner for her birthday. A new restraunt was tried, very good.
The big event this month was The Great Bowhill Birthday Bash to celebrate the significant birthdays happening this year - a 95th, two 50th, a 40th and a 30th! It was lovely to see all the family and enjoy Brodie and Rosemary's wonderful hospitality. Mummy made a malteser cheescake for this event - it was a big hit!!
The other big event this month was the new kitchen!! Daddy and Euan did the sensible thing and went away for a couple of days whilst this happened. Meanwhile, Mummy survived with a kettle and microwave in the corner of the lounge. However, it was worthwhile as the new kitchen is looking fab!
The Bothy trip was great although I wasn't sure we were going to make it against the wind on the way over!! We made it and established ourselves in a busy bothy, got the fire lit, dinner cooked and then relaxed. The pizza's for lunch had mixed results but notes have been taken for the next time. Lots of photos were taken and I will try and get a slide show sorted.
Euan is continuing to really enjoy going to scouts. Activities this month included air rifle shooting, an incident hike at Kinnoull Hill, some more first aid training and more cooking on camping stoves.... in preparation for next month's camp!!

Euan's bit

Wow! 2 months have past already! We started the month off with the great birthday bash for everyone. I had great fun eating the whole night!
Whilst the new kitchen was being fitted my Dad, Shan, Howard and I ran away to Invermallie bothy! We had great fun paddling about and whitiling.
At Scouts we've been doing air rifle shooting and we had a incident hike where we put up an emergency shelter. Overall it was a good month and I look forward to the one ahead!

March

Most of March was occupied with putting the house back to some normaility following the new kitchen fitting. It's an ongoing project!! However, a widened driveway and new gates have been added to this months completed projects.
For his final World Book Day at primary school, Euan chose to be Mr Twit. This involved a purple suit, bushy beard and wig. It was very effective. We also had the final primary parents night. Euan continues to do well but needs to be reminded that he isn't always right!!
Euan took part in his first Scout camp this month at Douglaswood on the outskirts of Dundee. The weather was kind to them and he had great fun, including making mug cakes and smelting woggles.
Mummy had a week of annual leave at the end of the month. The weather was great so plently of long walks around Errol...and to collect Euan from school. Auntie Jennifer popped down to Dundee for a visit so we had a wander round the V&A. Jennifer thought it was nice but not living up to the hype!!
Some excellent rugby was played, in the snow and the mud but it was cancelled one Sunday because of waterlogged pitches, so we took a run to Ikea - a constructive day
The month was rounded off by a gardening day resulting in two skip runs to get rid of the debris.

Euan's bit

March over already! Just like that! We started of the month of March with World Book Day! I dressed up as Mr Twit with a purple jacket, some purple trousers and a glue bucket. I also had a fake beard and hair! It was really fun doing World Book Day for the last time.
Then I had ACWAI 2019! At camp I had great fun making Mug cakes and crepes! We also made woggles out of pewter and an escape room! On the last day my team won a box of Maltesers each!
Then it was Parents Evening! I got a reasonably good report in my opinion! Overall this has been a really good month and I hope it will be the same this month! Hope you all have a great Easter and have a nice time!

April

Wendy's bit

We had a very busy month in April as most of the days were school holidays! Euan spent the first week of the holidays with childminder, Karen. They did lots of fun activities including making teepees at the Ninewells Community Garden, a visit to the V& A and pancake making.
Mummy was off the second week of the holidays so we made the most of the good weather with assorted days out. A visit to the Crannog on Loch Tay was fascinating, and the refreshment at the Highland Chocolatier in Grantully was described by Euan as the best hot chocolate he had ever had!
Our Edinburgh visit involved more eating out at a very nice Italian deli. We also did some fabric shopping in Edinburgh = the remainder of the month then involved the sewing machine coming out of retirement to produce a waistcoat and bow tie!!
Mummy and Euan both took part in a scout hike at Moncrieffe Hill. It was a beautiful day and the views over Perth and down the Tay were stunning.
Camping at Rothiemucus at Easter was great fun - there was even an Easter bunny running around..

John's bit

Euan and I woke up in a bothy on 1st April. "More fool you" Said Mummy!! It was a nice cosy little bothy, especially once we got the fire going. The other people in the bothy were impressed with the speed at which we got the fire going.
Euan & I were then off on a bothy recce trip to Mark cottage & Doune Byre. Mark cottage was busy because it was the annual meeting of the group that look after the bothy, good job we had the tent. We called in at Doune Byre and cooked up a bit of lunch, a nice bothy.
We had a constructive weekend in the garden and got the crops planted before we had a lovely weekend away at Rothiemurcus. We had advised the Scott family that we were going camping for Easter and they were also present at Rothiemurcus. A very pleasant few days away.
John had a few days off work to rearrange the house in preparation for a new lounge carpet, it looks excellent.
The month ended with a rugby tournament at Crieff. There were three Perth teams, a mix of P6 & 7's. Perth won, and what a final it was. After extra time it was still a draw so it went to sudden death and Perth scored. The boys invaded the pitch, what excitement!

and finally..........Euan's bit

We started the month off with sleeping in a bothy. Allt Sheihshan, near Blair Atholl. It was quite a long walk in and quite small and cosy. My mum and I went to the scottish parliament, which was very interesting. We also went to Inverurie to met Auntie Jennifer and had a look round a garden centre.
Then we went camping at Rothiemurcus with Shan's family. We went cycling and then canoeing along the river spey, and fell in.
We also have planted the potatos, oninons, leeks and carrots in the garden. We also had some unexpected horse chestnut trees... We are looking forward to the new month and more canoeing/bothy adventures!

May

There have been lots of outdoor activities in May, mainly for Euan but Mum and Dad have been active too!
Euan was away at Dalguise Outdoor Centre as a residential trip with the rest of the P7's for 4 nights. They had fantastic, sunny and warm weather...which meant there wasn't actually that much dirty washing to do when he came home! Despite being absolutely exhausted from the trip, Euan managed to summon up enough energy to go along to Scout's on the Friday night. This was an evening at Willowgate doing some kayaking and Katakanu! Great fun! They had a return visit two weeks later to do some stand up paddling boarding which had involved a lot of swimming about in the water!!
Not to be outdone, Daddy decided to take a trip to Lochore Meadows to do some windsurfing. The weather was ideal, and he was soon flying across the water! Euan and Mummy looked on in appreciation at his skill as we cycled round the loch (well actually we were just checking he hadn't drowned!)
Home improvements continued in May - Euan's bedroom had a makeover whilst he was away. Walls are now painted orange and blue ...looks better than it sounds!
Mummy and Euan had an overnight trip down to Shipley in Yorkshire at the beginning of May to attend Laura and Nick's wedding. It was a lovely occasion and a joy to attend. Many people commented on how dapper Euan looked in his tartan waistcoat which Mummy had sewn for him. Not forgetting the bow tie!

June

June was Euan's final month at Errol Primary School, so many of the activities centred around events for transition to Perth High School in August. Euan had two full days at Perth High, involving getting the bus, finding his way around classes and a timetable as well as sampling the school dinners. This all seemed to go well. Later in the month, both Mum and Euan attended a couple of evening sessions at the school. This first one in DET (Desgin, Engineering & Technology) involved making a wooden Post-It holder and the second was an art class. Both very enjoyable and a good opportunity to meet other pupils, parents and teachers. The end of year service at Errol church was very enjoyable, with all of the P7 pupils looking very smart in their ties (Euan had to borrow one from the school office!)
Outdoor activities this month included a walk in Glen Clova, Scout cycle camp and a bothy trip to Gelder Sheil, using the new bike trailers for the first time. Dad and Euan also went for a swim and play on the climbing wall in Dundee while Mum went out for lunch. The weather has also allowed some al fresco dining. Dad has been playing with the Primus stove and has produced, pitta breads, naan breads and meatballs so far!
We managed to fit in two agricultural shows in June - West Fife at the start of the month. Getting out of the car park through the thick mud was entertaining as was watching other drivers tackle this problem!! No such concerns at the Highland Show, which was a lovely day out. Euan was too busy making pork stir fry at the RHET building to meet Nicola Sturgeon in the other room. As usual, having food to eat made up for his disappointment!
We had an entertaining evening at the 4th Fife Scout Group 'curryoke' night, taking place to raise money for a new Scout Hall. We didn't sing but certainly enjoyed the curry.

July

Awaiting further input for July but we have been busy starting the month with a day in Perth getting haircuts etc.
Camping at Lunan bay allowed us to go climbing at a nearby quarry and surfing. Good weather made this a very nice couple of days away.
Bike expedition to two bothies. Glas alt shiel and Gelder shiel. The path between the two was a bit hard going!!
Shepherds hut in Wooler and a days climbing at Berryhill crag
Trip to London, should have been on the new sleeper train but it wasn't in service. Greenwich maritime museum was amazing.

August

August started with a family trip to another bothy, Mark Cottage on the shore of Loch Long. We canoed across in the rain but luckily the bothy was dry and once the fire was lit, it was very cosy. There were lots of other visitors to the bothy. Some invited Euan to join them fishing on the shoreline ...I'm glad we weren't relying on a catch for tea!
The following week, Wendy and Euan headed up to Shetland to spend some time with Granny. We spent lots of time outdoors as the weather was remarkably good. On our visit to Sumburgh Head we only managed to spot one puffin, but Euan accidentally found a geocache the Brownies had hidden so that made up for the lack of Tammie Norries! On our way back, we were stopped at the barrier to allow a plane to take off and another to land. Euan was fascinated by this scenario. It was Shetland Boat Week whilst we were on the islands so we were lucky to be able to go for a sail on the Vaila Mae. We were very pleased to leave the pier as the midgies were particularly ferocious! Euan was allowed to take the helm as we went up through Bressay Sound. He did very well keeping the boat on course. We also managed to visit Cunningsburgh Show. As well as many Shetland ponies, sheep and other animals we were amazed by some of the creations in the vegetable animal category! We shared our flight back to Edinburgh with Nicola Sturgeon. Euan declined to go and speak to her!!
For the weekend of Wendy's birthday we headed down to Wooler to stay in a modern 'shepherds hut'. It was very cute. We then popped down to Alnwick Castle with Auntie Gillian before having lunch in the Treehouse restaurant. Euan said it was the best roast dinner he had ever had!!
Euan started at Perth High School on the 21st August. Apart from missing the bus home on his second day, he seems to have settled in particularly well and is really enjoying the range of subjects.
There was a scout camp at the end of the month at Glen Lyon. Unfortunately it was very wet and a bit cold but Euan enjoyed it. Other scout activities in August and September have included a charity car wash, challenge hike and chip shop treasure hunt. Euan has also started back to rugby. There have been a couple of tournaments which have gone well Wendy and Euan visited a few buildings during the Doors Open day in Dundee in September. These included some bell ringing and steeple tour at the cathedral, a visit to the vets and some experiments at the medical school at Ninewells.

October

We started the October holidays with a visit to the Brew Dog pub in Perth for pizza's. Just as good as our previous visit! The following week Euan took part in a couple of adventure days organised by Ancrum Outdoor centre in Dundee. He particularly enjoyed the burn walk but the multi activity day at Monikie was also a hit! The second week of the school holidays saw us heading to Split in Croatia for a few days. It was pleasantly warm, easy to find our way around and lots of good food. We particularly enjoyed the Pasticada which was a rich beef stew usually served with gnocci.
Euan took part in a Halloween baking competition at school - the lychee eyeball cupcakes looked particularly gruesome. Euan also took part in the Future Chef competition, producing a two course meal in 90 minutes for under £10. He got through the heat at school and went through to the next stage at Perth college. Unfortunately he wasn't successful at this stage but really enjoyed taking part. He is already planning his dishes for next year!

November

Euan and Wendy visited New Lanark on one of the in service days in November. The weather was chilly, but there were glorious blue skies which made the buildings look particularly spectacular. The roof garden with the hare sculptures was amazing! Euan's birthday cake request this year was for a kiwi cake (the bird, not the fruit) It was a challenge but Wendy mamged to create something which resembled a brown, flightless bird in the end!!We had an outing to Dundee Rep for a little bit of culture at the end of November. Euan was a little sceptical about going to see Oor Wullie but it wasa fantasic evening out and highly entertaining.

December

A fairly quiet month. Euan managed to get involved in a cooking demonstration at Perth Farmers market - haggis stuffed pheasant with a whisky cream sauce! Between Christmas and New Year we headed down to the farm, to meet up wth family and go to a ceilidh. We took part in our first ever eightsome reel ... and didn't do too badly in the end!
Managed to cram in a visit to Gillian and we all went to the pantomime, Alladin, at the maltings, very entertaining.
Euan, Shan and John headed off to Invermallie bothy for two nights before Xmas and had the place to themselves. A good couple of days keeping the fire going, cooking and eating.
Euan and John then wandered off to a new bothy, Melgarve, nice but busy, and back to Ruigh aitechan for a night before heading home for a quiet new year in the house.

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