No such thing as a free lunch? Well there is if you forage for it. And we’re a bit of a foraging family, particularly in spring and autumn. September’s a great time for free treats from the earth – apples and brambles a-plenty for chutneys and vinegar; rosehips and hawthorn berries for a winter syrup. And the veg in the garden are still producing – tomatoes, beetroot, kale and green beans. It’s the last of the fresh produce before the hard winter months come in. A time to stock up and bed down.
And so with Mrs Rooke away – the kids and I jumped out to the hedges to pick natures fruits, and returned with magenta coloured fingers and mouths and a massive tub of blackberries. And then it was over to Mrs Rooke on her return to magic up blackberry vinegar and blackberry and apple chutney. It’s good for the mind, body and soul to live off and with the earth.
We're a great fan of experiences and so earlier in the year had arranged for the the girls to get presents of a half day zookeeper experience at Edinburgh Zoo. We’d heard stories that it could be quite fun but we still weren’t really sure what to expect, so we just followed instructions and duly arrived with wellies and facemasks on early on a Saturday morning ready to see what the animals could throw at us (apparently Covid restrictions have only just stopped for zoos!). It had taken quite a few months to get a booking so it was clearly quite popular, and we sat waiting in the entrance lobby quietly excited.
Their zoopkeeper guide was called Hannah, and she quickly explained the running order and equally quickly it became obvious that this was a zookeeping experience for the girls, and that Tanya and I were somewhat superfluous, mainly there to hold the coats so to speak. The girls were going to be working with their very own big five – red panda, meerkats, opossum, hairy armadillo and then a grand finale of feeding the penguins. There’d be some mucking out to do, some mucking in to help feed and train, and then a little bit of mucky play thrown in. Needless to say they loved it!! The whole experience was really, really well done and really, really hands on. And then with the rest of the day to look round the zoo (my personal highlights being the cheetah and chimpanzees), all in all it was a top-rated day out, really educational and fun. Thanks to all who contributed to the experience and special thanks to Hannah the zookeeper for being spot on in her approach and managing to get an unsure Niomi to feed the penguins.
And as summer holidays ended, a new cycle began. Niomi to P5 and Emily making the step up to S1. Emily left nervous but totally rocked it as I knew she would. Equally Niomi jumped right in to P5. Good luck with this year girls….you’re both growing into fine young ladies and I’m very proud of you both...
After Italy I worried we’d land with a large bump. But fortunately there was no time to mope about as next came the great changing of rooms in the Rooke house. Emily was always promised her own room for when she started secondary and time was running out. So firstly I moved out of my man cave and Ly moved in downstairs. Then I dusted off my paint brushes and with a quick lick of paint/trip to Ikea later and Emily moved in to Ly’s old room. And finally we took off the upper bunk and Niomi had the place to herself. All change and the ending of the Emily/Niomi sharing era.
And then it was on to the end of summer holidays with a couple of lovely trips to Banchory and North Berwick. Banchory highlights included a dip in the Dee, getting lost at Tilquhillie, a curry at Echt, the Johnshaven Fish Festival and the obligatory trip up Scoltie and to Crathes. We had a really lovely time. Quick change, and then the girls were off to North Berwick with me joining later in the week for Fringe by the Sea. Normally I don’t get to see much but I managed some cracking bands this year – Dean Owens and the Sinners, Tom Maguire and the Brassholes and the Jit Jive Duo – plus John drumming it out in an awesome masseoke. It was great having a few days to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy North Berwick's finest. Thanks to all the Gediks and Gurneys for their generous hosting!
And so ended the summer holidays. We had a blast but boy did it fly by.
Summer holiday season and we’d plumped for Italy this year. Having been a committed Francophile for many a year I had been resistant to Italy, but upon Emily’s insistence that we 'go somewhere different', I reluctantly agreed. And I have to say I was in no way disappointed! Last year I visited Milan which blew me away; this year it was Lake Garda and Venice which equally blew me away. I am in danger of becoming an Italophile. Whatever next!
On Lake Garda we had chalet type accommodation at Bella Italia which is a Eurocamp kinda place. It was great - 50m from the multiple pools, and 200m from the supermarket, restaurants and Lake Garda itself. There was loads to do, but equally we spent only limited time there, amusing ourselves with ferry hopping to the beautiful towns of Sirmione, Garda and Lazise; a trip to a water park at CanevaWorld; high octane sofa riding or more serene parasailing; and exploring the market at Peschiera del Garda. We ate great food – whether locally sourced and cooked at home or cooked for us at lakeside fine dining – Italian cuisine certainly didn’t disappoint. And then there was the endless varieties of gelato – an almost daily experience of ice cold heaven to bring relief to the 35 degree heat. And the Aperols and the nibbles. All very civilised. Morning swims in the cool waters of the lake followed by pistachio croissant and coffee. I was in the land of the gods. Honestly – watch the video you’ll see how much we loved it!
And then it was 2 nights in Venice! Seeing the sights by day and by night, with brief respite in our lovely apartment in the Cannaregio area. And all topped off by more fine dining and a dusk gondola ride. Magical. Final departure was by water bus to the airport – definitely the way to exit our Italian adventure.
Oh my god. Italy you rocked for us. Grazie millie! We’ll be back for sure!!
We’ve been dog sitting again. This time for a beautiful black labrador called Blue. He belongs to our neighbours and so is well used to coming round for a play as Niomi loves to have him round for a quick ball throw after school. The difference in doing a little dog afterschool care and being a fulltime dog carer is quite marked though. First off he’s quite a big dog. And big dogs need big walks, eat big food, do big poos, have big slobber and take up big space. They also leave big hair all over the place. But then they also have big soppy eyes and give you big love. So he’ll be leaving a big space in our hearts when he goes. He is however full of energy and a great climber, so was happy to assist us with getting the kids up their first munro, Ben Lomond. They were shattered after, and also so was Blue (well at least for half and hour).
Emily has also started the holidays by detailing her thoughts about the rest of us – describing us as an animal, colour, season, Disney princess and flower with the aid of some nifty tech. This was based on something that she did with her friends and an app that just allows you to bash these things out. I guess my prides not too bruised black and blue with my answers and hey, if you have to be a Disney princess then there’s worse options than Jasmine 😂
Its been a massive month for Emily....Graduation Disco, Taylor Swift, Wizard of Oz and moving on from Lairdsland Primary School to start at Lenzie Academy in August. Wow. And she's simply rocked it.
She looked stunning for the Graduation Disco. So grown up and quite the young lady. And then her first gig at one of the biggest there's ever been in Scotland... Taylor rocked too. She's also been rehearsing for the last 3 months for the Wizard of Oz production with the Kirky Players. That really blew me away just how good it was and just how much she flourished on stage.
But what really struck me about Emily is just how much she has changed and yet remained the same over the last 7 years. Her Leavers Assembly was truly amazing and she just shone with pure joy up there in front of everyone. Gone are her traces of shyness, she's full of confidence and zest for life. A real joy to behold and be around. She's confident, knows her mind, intelligent and talented. But most of all what I love about Emily is her heart. She really does have a genuinely good heart and is a complete delight and inspiration to be around. I am so very proud of her right now. June 2024 has left me speechless about how awesome she is, and I just know she is ready to thrive in the next chapter of her life.
You may be moving on Emily, but you're not moving on from centre stage in my heart. Go girl, you rock! You're going to rock Lenzie Academy as well.
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