*Waves hello*

It has been a bit quiet around here, eh?!  I hope you enjoyed some of the lovely guest posts I had scheduled over the last couple of weeks though. We’re now just getting back into our normal routine after some nice time away

We headed up to Harris first to visit some of my family, and had a great time.

Within 24 hours of us arriving, DorkySon had a scratched back from scrambling down some rocks, a cut lip from falling over in the hotel garden, his first nettle stings & a face covered in midge bites. He took it all in his stride though, and I think all the excitement of aeroplane rides, car journeys and lots of time building traffic jams with his Grandpa more than compensated. I also think that his worst memory of the holiday will not be any of those minor injuries, but will instead be his first taste of black pudding one breakfast time. He was not impressed…

Holidays always seem to include lots and lots of new experiences for DorkySon, and our four days on the islands were no exception. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to the beach, as there just wasn’t time, but we did manage a ferry trip across to Uist to see my brother. Between the cupcakes that my sister-in-law had made, the boxes of toy cars that my nephew was so good about sharing, and the bouncy castle and trampoline in the garden, it was pretty much a perfect day for a little boy.

(My own highlight was spotting this bus at Leverburgh Pier!)

We also spent one day zipping around Harris seeing numerous cousins, second cousins, aunties and uncles. I remember lots of parties as a child where I had great fun being surrounded by family, and it was lovely to see DorkySon playing with a few of his relatives who are of similar age.

There is something about stepping off the plane in Stornoway, and walking across the tarmac, that makes me relax immediately. The pace of life is generally slower, my mobile phone reception is poor enough that I can use it as an excuse for not returning calls, and although I haven’t lived there for over twenty years I’m always delighted to be asked by people when I ‘got home’. I’m always bowled over by the generosity of people too – like the family friend who met DorkySon for the first time and pressed a crumpled tenner into his palm to go and buy some holiday toys with.

DorkyDad feels as much at home by the sea as I do. He would have happily spent the entire holiday sat in the hotel lounge, reading a book, admiring the view and sampling the extensive collection of single malts behind the bar… but I think his highlight was dinner at a restaurant on the south end of the island where he ordered lobster, and they went outside onto the pier to fish one out of the water. You don’t get much fresher than that!

I wish we could have stayed longer. But it was a lovely wee break, and the perfect preparation for the more hectic second phase of the holiday that was to follow…