Out and about

Things have been rather too busy since we got back from Norfolk, though with various pleasant activities including gardening. Remind me not to go away in May again: one week, and the forget-me-nots had become even more rampant, and the weeds that didn't exist when we left had somehow sprung up and were several inches tall. 

And I need to clear spaces for the summer bedding. 

Mr L had a birthday. So did Son-in-Law 1, and Big Grandson, the bus/train/tram enthusiast, made him a lovely card.  

Mr L is mainly a train enthusiast and some of his presents definitely took this into account. He got rather a good card too!

We went on a great walk (the one we did the recce for, a few weeks ago) with our walking buddies on Saturday, along the (Scottish) Avon, near Linlithgow. The weather was perfect: not too hot, not windy. 

Look: a train on a viaduct. 

Having walked in one direction along the river, we went back along the canal. Then, of course, we finished with coffee in a cafe, as we always do. 

Yesterday was a public holiday, so we took the Edinburgh Two to the Kelpies, two huge horses' heads (actually kelpies' heads, but they're much the same - kelpies are mythical water horses), which are public sculptures a bit north of here. You can see the children at the foot of a kelpie, for scale. The statues represent the heavy horses that pulled boats along the canal and celebrate the role of horses in the industry and agriculture of the area. 

Then we walked along the (a different) canal. Grandson was interested in the swing bridge. Isn't he getting tall? Mr L is over 6 feet.

You can see how the Kelpies loom over the landscape.

And after that we took them to the Japanese garden where Mr Life and I went for the first time only a few weeks ago. 

They enjoyed the paths and bridges. And the cafe.

And so did we. I also enjoyed the flowers, and pleasingly Middle Granddaughter has decided that she likes gardening. It's in the genes. I hope.