7th August
Just a week to go before the family holiday to Scotland. We usually drive up, breaking our journey at a little Lodge called Todhills, near Carlisle. Refreshed after a swift breakfast, we continue further North. This year we are planning to take another break near Stirling in order to visit the Falkirk Wheel. By all accounts this should be quite interesting from what Marcus has pointed out to me on the website. We shall be arriving at our cottage on the Rothiemurchus estate during the late afternoon, just in time to take delivery of the Tesco shopping order that I placed before leaving Basingstoke.
10th August
In between all the preparations for holiday, such as the washing and ironing, I just have enough time to tell you that now is the time to dust off the leaves of your pot plants and give them some final attention in time for the Village Show. This year Marcus is going to enter his Pitcher plant in the carnivorous section. It has been on the windowsill in the kitchen for months, and I have to say that I have done most of the watering. Violet-Elizabeth, on the other hand has taken great care of her collection of cacti and succulents and will no doubt be spoilt for choice on the day. There are 8 classes in this section of the Show, ranging from a Fuchsia to a foliage plant, so be looking out your best specimens and bring them along!
11th August
Packing continues apace at the Manor ready for our eagerly awaited departure to Scotland at the end of the week. As usual, Spencer is attempting to put his foot down about the amount of stuff we are planning to take, and keeps asking whether the things we were packing were really essential. I reminded him that because we are going self catering this year due to the credit crunch, the more food we take with us from the Manor larder, the less we will need to buy when we are there. In any case, I doubt there is a Tesco Express round the corner from where we are staying.
12th August
Spencer had the day off work to load the car and make the final preparations for the holiday. In the evening he took Marcus and Violet-Elizabeth off up to London to see a BBC Prom Concert that they wanted to go to. This gave me the opportunity to sneak a few extra things in the back of the car without them being noticed. And guess what? Secreted under a rug at the back of the boot was a bottle of Scotch, a bottle of Gin (Spencer’s tipple of choice) and four bottles of real ale. I ask you! Those don’t constitute essential items in my view, especially when I am trying to find room for the Slow Cooker. Well, they don’t have an Aga at the cottage we are staying at.
Readers might be wondering what has happened to Pablo whilst we are away, and I am extremely grateful to the RSPCA who agreed to let him stay in their cattery for two weeks as part of the deal for us adopting him when we did. Readers will remember that we had only intended to get another cat when we returned from our holiday. Usually our neighbours oblige, and they have always fed the various animals in the Manor menagerie, but as Pablo had a history of straying, it was thought to be better all round that he had a holiday with the RSPCA.
13th August
Departure day! After the usual return trip round the Tesco roundabout to collect various forgotten items, we were finally on our way up the A33 towards the M4, A34 and M40 north.