Back to front...

Geez. So much is happening I can't keep up. In fact it's making me lose time. For the record I've realised I've forgotten some weekends and should put down for posterity a few key events in the Rooke Family which happened BEFORE the last blog post....All gone back to front I tell you.

So flash back in time to our ceilidh in February, which was followed very swiftly by Tanya's birthday. Slightly toned down this year but it did include a tasty inpromptu trip for high tea to the Broadcroft, courtesy of friends Katy and Nico.

Then a few days later my niece arrived with her boyfriend Alex. They brought with them sunshine both in spirit and in weather. It was a real tonic having them to stay, the girls loved it and so did we - particularly as Tanya and I got a day out to climb Ben Lomond AND then go out for dinner. Alex is a really, really lovely guy from the Netherlands and we had a lot of fun together. He's great company and it was a real pleasure meeting him. But sadly when they both left they took a little bit of that sunshine with them. Thank you for visiting us, looking after the kids, and please, please come back and bring more sunshine soon!

And then next up was the Hillwalkers weekend away to Pitlochry, which was equally blessed with sunshine. Our trip up turned into a 4 hour nightmare due to road closures but after a pitstop with a fellow hillwalker, Andy in Dunblane, we made it. Walks up Ben Vrackie and around Dunkeld were really amazing, and Niomi did herself proud on Ben Vrackie - climbing all the way up aided by a massive bag of Haribo. I particularly loved hugging the Birnam Oak. At 600 years old it felt deeply mystical and wise.

And all that was before my weekend in Milan. Phew...no wonder I can't keep up.

Birthday Girl - still crazy after all these years 😁

Maximum cake effort - I did well

Chloe and Alex

Ben Lomond - nothing wrong with our half century legs

The bench of sociability

Hillwalkers Assembled

The Birnam Oak

Atop Ben Vrackie

Marvellous Milano…

Part of my 50th plans was a trip to Madrid Milan with some great friends. (We were originally going to Madrid but EasyJet cancelled on us). I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I have to say it absolutely blew me away. I was seriously impressed:

Some things not to do in Milan:

1. Don’t spend all your time going from place to place on their wonderful Metro. Whilst it is wonderful – super quick and efficient, you will miss seeing a new sight round every corner, some stunning architecture and just absorbing the amazing atmosphere in the city. Take a bike tour or walk instead.
2. Don’t try to find good restaurants on trip advisor before you go. Every restaurant seemed to be pretty tasty if you ask me. Wander around and look till something tickles your fancy.
3. Don’t just stick to the old parts of the centre, some of the modernist architecture was really imaginative and just as amazing. The centre is huge and encompasses so much, but don’t just see the sights, there really are many, many sights slightly off the beaten track that are just as worth it. We didn’t make it inside the Duomo nor did we visit the Last Supper. Both I thought were must-dos but I didn’t feel like we missed out.
4. Don’t think Milan is just style and shopping. Whilst there is plenty of that (there are an endless number of exceptionally stylish places to shop, eat and drink), there is also a whole lot more to Milan than that.

But we didn’t just while away the hours in Milan, we also did a day trip to Lake Como and a half day to Bergamo. The whole area was just fantastic…

Key take-aways:

1. It all felt very ‘civilised’ – a wonderful culture, aperitivos are great, sunshine helps, everything worked, and it just felt – well – very nice. I could get used to that.
2. Ambition in town planning makes for truly stunning places to visit. The Milanese seemed to have protected their history and embraced the future really well.
3. Cycle tours, particularly those a little off the beaten track, are a really effective and cool way to see a city.
4. Tenants Super is a delicacy in Milan. And a small bottle, strolling through a park with some roasted chestnuts is actually not too bad.
5. Milan is twice the population of Glasgow but its city centre must be 4 or 5 times the size. And all of it packed with sights, tastes, style and atmosphere.
6. Its fine to leave somewhere unfinished. Particularly if you like somewhere. Gives you plenty of reasons to return.
7. And finally, wandering around having great conversation with some great friends in a great place is a really great thing to do.

So a big thumbs up for Milano. And a massive thank you to Colin, Andrew and John for a truly amazing trip and making my 50th even more memorable. And also a thank you to our respective partners and kids for letting us go off and enjoy ourselves for a few days. You know we're worth it.

(Oh and also thanks to John for taking most of the photos below!)

Arrival in civilisation

The local mall

The local park

Classy and stylish

Pootling around Chinatown

The modern was very cool

Living living

The canals with plenty of life

Pick a spot for dinner

Duomo

The side of Lake Como

The view for lunch

Bergamo

I miei amici

Try everything...

It's almost impossible to get Niomi to sing or do any performance when you want her to. She's not too sure about any sort of audience at all. But despite this she's a girl who spends a lot of her time singing and clearly loves it. And, if you're lucky, you can sneak a little recording (unless she spots you). She's got a really lovely voice and I'd love her to fully find it one day...

Videoclip: Try Everything

Or you can watch the videoclip here

Home...

“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends always belong, and laughter never ends.”

- Unknown

We came to Kirkintilloch on 18th February 2015, and since that time we have set about creating our Home. We obviously love our house, its been the setting for much memory making and wonderful times. We're lucky in that we have a wonderful place to live, with an equally wonderful garden to enjoy. It's been the heart of everything we've done in Kirkintilloch - a place of safety and refuge as well as a place of much adventure and joy.

But our Home is not just the bricks and mortar that we surround ourselves with. It's the community we live in, the people we interact with, and the collective memories we all make and share together. Whilst our house is a special place for us, equally special is all our friends that we have made on our journey here over the last 8 years. We came here knowing hardly anyone but we now have more than enough friends to keep us going for a lifetime. So thank you to all our very special friends in and around Kirky. You've made the last 8 years a complete joy. May we make more shared experiences together and have laughter that never ends.😍

And so to celebrate our home and many of the friends we've made on the way, we held a joint 50th family ceilidh for everyone. And it most definitely added to our wonderful memories - so thank you all for making it such a special night. We had a complete blast!

Our house, in the middle of our street

The 50th Ceilidh

Videoclip: 50th ceilidh fun

Or you can watch the videoclip here

 

Don't Stop Us Now

The Swimblers

Last Train from Broadcroft Central

Dancing Queens

The Hardcore

First contact...

For my 50th Emily and Niomi got me a birdbox complete with camera. I managed to put it up a few weeks ago so its been a waiting game since. But on 9th February 9:32am we had FIRST CONTACT! 

First contact

Videoclip: First Contact

Or you can watch the videoclip here

And then on Valentines Day they reappeared about 11:10am....This time making a full inspection on a potential new home. Lets hope they decide to move in properly soon! 😀

Birthday treats…

Wow, its been another whirlwind few weeks. I feel like my feet barely touched the ground in January and into February. First up was skiing in Chamonix with friends Colin, Gordon and Richard. And in a word - AWESOME! I’d forgotten how good it is to move through the mountains on skis, and just how good it is for you to be out in the fresh air and experience so much light in the darkest time of year. I left home feeling a bit meh from early January and returned home feeling truly on top of the world. A week of light, exercise, fresh air and the odd bit of partying and I was back in the game. Thanks to all the guys for making it a brilliant trip!

And then back down to earth and right into training for the Loch Ness Etape – a 100k cycle race around Loch Ness in April. And to get me in the groove I managed the Crow Road/Tak Ma Doon loop from Kirkintilloch. I’ve been meaning to do it ever since I moved here 8 years ago but always been slightly daunted. 50k and 700m of ascent later it was conquered on a beautiful January morning. Relieved and tired I slept well that night.

Next day was Niomi’s 8th birthday party – a crafting extravaganza making hobby horses. I think everyone really enjoyed it and it felt a really special affair for her. Her actual birthday was not till the 1st Feb and unfortunately I missed that so I’m really glad that the party was so grand. But bless her she postponed her birthday meal out till I returned! And as for her cake, well in true Niomi style she had a ‘Dirt Cake’ with worms and everything….Love it.

So where was I? Well unfortunately my Dad got rushed into hospital for an operation. Hopefully recovering now but a tornado end to a whirlwind few weeks. I did however get to go for a Balti back in Brum with my old friend Keith, although I could barely walk afterwards I was so full.

On top of the world

Me!

Skiing towards the Chamonix valley

A touch of apres ski

The skiing crew

The Birthday Girl

The Birthday Crew

Videoclip: Happy 8th Birthday Niomi

Or you can watch the videoclip here

Post-op, aged 93 and not looking too bad!!

Clambering around...

She does like to make an impact does our Niomi. A dining table and chairs becomes her new climbing frame, and everyone becomes her audience. She loves the applause but not always the limelight!

Bless her. I do wonder where her adventures will take her! Hurtling down a mountain on a bike? Scrambing up a cliff? Or then there's the other side - kind, caring and concerned. Maybe a job in mountain rescue? Who knows! But for now, its the dining room table.

Videoclip: Clambering around

Or you can watch the video here