Clutching at straws...

And so the great Glasgow summer continued in a similar vein. This meant we were really starting to clutch at straws to keep the supreme being entertained. Suggested recipe for success below:

1. Take one supreme being to local Home Bargains (avoiding rainshowers)
2. Empty pocket of change
3. Allow same supreme being to buy bucket of straws with change
4. Return home (avoiding rainshowers)
5. Empty straws all over house and improvise, improvise, improvise

Videoclip: Row, row, row your boat (with straws)

 Videoclip: Straw trumpets

 A glimmer of sun, and the shades are on

Having clutched at one straw too many

The great Glasgow summer...

Glasgow has a good summer once every 7 or 8 years. That might not be a scientifically proven fact and meteorologists might dispute it, but I have been in Glasgow for about 15 years and there have been about 3 good summers in that time. And that is a fact. The last good one was last year, which was a glorious summer all round in Glasgow, which normally prides itself on being the wettest city in the UK.

So this year had up to August been posing somewhat of a dilemma to my evidence-based theory on Glasgow's (not) sunny season, by being a lovely summer for the second year in a row. Impossible the sceptics cried! And so it seems the end of the Commonwealth Games may yet have proved those same sceptics right. August this year has brought with it some more familiar weather, and so we have dug out the wet weather gear and merrily gone back to splashing through the puddles of the great Glasgow summer. The only problem now we have a toddler is that it takes an awfully long time to go anywhere, rain or no pouring rain...

Videoclip: Splashing in the rain

Drying off post-splash

And so sadly we have to find new ways of entertaining ourselves indoors as well as out. But in every threat there is an opportunity, and so we have been trying to explore the supreme being's musical creativity. Now, Mozart made his musical debut when he was 4 and Chopin aged 7, but as a supreme being Emily is set to beat them all, mastering the trumpet and singing her first duet all by the age of 21 months. Not to mention her love of percussion. Drums, bells, xylophone and tambourine - all of these have been mastered and she is currently developing her own one-woman band. So you can imagine our house - a joyful cacophony everyday.

 Make sure your instrument is clear of blockages before playing

And off she goes...Dizzy Gillespie stylee

Videoclip: Debut singing from Mary Poppins

And after a hard day's puddle splashing and musical practice? Nothing can beat a good old fashioned nosh-up and giggle session...Wonderful. That's how to spend the great Glasgow summer.

Videoclip: Post-dinner giggles

Pure dead brilliant...

And so sadly the Commonwealth Games draws to a close in Glasgow, which means I pick up my proverbial blogging pen once more. It's hard to sum up how we all feel post-Games, but suffice to say it feels a bit like the best Christmas season ever has just ended, and you know it isn't going to be repeated ever again. Still, Glasgow really did itself proud and we all loved every minute of it.

 Our 'Commonwelfie' - taken during some gripping athletics

The final days saw us return some hospitality to the Gurney's as they came west to sample some of the Commonwealth feel good factor, in what turned out to be not so feel good weather conditions. The kids all stayed up far too late, joining in the ritual screaming at the athletics on the telly, and Emily became absolutely besotted with her cousins Abbie and Rosie, particularly Abbie. This culminated with Emily getting up far too early at 5.45am, with her first excited word for the day being 'Abbie'. A word that was repeated much over the few days...

Travelling trouble in triplicate on the train

Competing for the 'Hide and Seek' Gold medal

It was great watching Emily interact with her cousins. She wanted to copy their every moves and followed them round everywhere. Her attempts to be a young lady were very cute, doing everything they did but not quite correctly. Although saying that, she does most definitely manage to out eat them both. She even presented Abbie with a Commonwealth medal in a somewhat haphazard fashion. Poor Abbie, but she did tolerate her wee cousin's affections very well.

Abbie's Gold medal presentation

And the final few days of our Commonwealth extravaganza saw road cycling and athletics top the bill, alongside numerous trips to the live zones at the BBC, Merchant City, Kelvingrove Bandstand and Glasgow Green to soak up the atmosphere. And following the celebratory closing ceremony, there seems to be a unanimous opinion in the press that Glasgow truly delivered "the standout Games in the history of the movement". Whether that's true or not I don't know...but I do agree with Prince Imran in his closing speech when he said "Glasgow - you were Pure, Dead Brilliant!"

Videoclip: The Women's Road Race