1300 GMT - Now we are frustrated. We need to get groceries, half the day is gone and Amy had wanted to go to Stirling Castle today...that isn't happening now. We go to the grocery store in Kinlochard to settle our pre-arrival bill and buy a second round of groceries. We intend to head back to Aberfoyle to do some more shopping, but with Connor nursing and Eamon eating lunch, somehow that never happens. We set up for a short hike around the resort instead. Much to our surprise, this short hike is apparently fraught with peril.
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There is quite a bit of warning signage around the resort, and one of the docks is clearly in great disrepair. Actually it is a nice, albeit short hike. This must be quite an active location in the summer time. The loch is very majestic in this season, but I can imagine its warm weather appeal as well.
The "garden walk" in front of the hotel includes a pond with a spouting fountain, a giant chess board, and an eroding stone stage of some sort.
1630 GMT - We decide to hit the pool again, or at least Eamon and I do in order to try and give Amy some kind of break. She has to nurse Connor, and perhaps this will give her a chance to have some peace and quiet...she has seemed tense and frustrated today. Eamon has a blast, as I agree to play "let's pretend" the ENTIRE time we are in the pool. We play Leap and Dr. Quigley from the LeapPad Learning system. He just was playing with his nice new dinosaur leap book, and so we are photographing and taking samples from dinosaurs in the past to bring back to the present for further study. I try to get him into the steam room (it doesn't get too hot) to "decontaminate" but the sensory experience of the heat, the steam and the menthol is too much for him. We decide to head back.
1830 GMT - Amy has two different types of pre-packaged quiches ready for us when we return. They are really quite tasty. Even Eamon, our resident "selective" diner, gives them two thumbs up. Connor of course gums his fair share, while ignoring his baby food. He doesn't have a single tooth yet, but that doesn't stop him from demanding a taste of every piece of food anyone else eats. I take Connor up for a diaper change and a bath. We use the big tile tub, and I get in with him, which he thinks is the funniest thing ever. We splash each other for a little while and he giggles insanely. I give him a good wash while he tries to climb over me and unplug the drain.
2000 GMT - We put the kids to bed. Amy reads a book that she bought for him today, "Greyfriars Bobby." It is a cute story about a little Skye Terrier who is a police dog in Edinburgh. His owner dies, and rather than live with the widow and son, he ends up refusing to leave the grave of his dead owner. He ends up licensed by the head of Edinburgh who is charmed by the story, and allowed to live out his life in the graveyard of the Grayfriars church. There is a statue of him at a joint people/dog fountain in the city today.
2100 GMT - Wow, we don't crash with the kids for the first night. We watch a show on BBC called MI-5 which involves two agents getting captured by Iraqi terrorists who are trying to get a woman into a British/American/Iraqi summit dinner. She has a small explosive surgically implanted in her abdomen with chemical/biological agents. The intent is to kill the Prime Minister, the Americans and the Iraqi traitors. The twist is the MI-5 agent that has to get her in is the husband of one of the hostages and the best friend of the other. Of course the MI-5 agents save the day, but the best friend gets executed as he heroically saves the other agent's wife. We play a round of backgammon on the cool game table in the living room.
We open a bottle of wine that came with the "starter kit," which is an adventure in and of itself. From the bottle: "At Blossom Hill we are dedicated to selecting the finest grapes," none of which are included in this bottle, "and using our expertise and experience to make a range of award winning wines," of which this bottle is not one, "perfect for drinking anytime" within the paper bag or without. In fact this wine may be the finest "Soft Fruity Californian Red Wine" I have ever had, having never actually come across this particular blend before. We can't actually remember how to set up the board, so we improvise. Amy whips me in the first game. It looks like she is going to take me out in the second, but right when my big comeback gets going in full force, the baby conveniently awakens and she bails out of the rest of the game. It is time to sleep once more.
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