Aberfeldy

(with a bit of Haddington)

June 2013

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We parked up again and wandered through the woodland.  Daisy had stolen my shades, but wore them well.

We marched onwards, through the long grass, in search of... something.

A gravity-defying tree was one of our first stops.  Tempting as it might have been to give it a gentle shove from the left hand side, we resisted.

It all got too much for young Miss Daisy, who had a mini-strop, expressing the view via the media of silence and sulk that she could walk no more.

The combination of soft ground and strong winds had led to his amazing sight - a fallen tree which had wrenched out its roots with it, leaving a pool of opportunity for insects and other wildlife.

We headed back to the jeep and drove to this vantage point.

And this is what we were here for.  Setting up a long-range viewfinder to spot deer on the hill.  Lynne manages to look not that impressed with things.  I think we could vaguely see some but it was a bit tricky and perhaps not what we exactly had in mind when we thought of a wildlife safari.  For my part, I was enjoying the excursion and scenery, regardless of not seeing any living, breathing mammals up close.

I think this may have been a hunt for ants.

"Look under here, Daisy."

A flower, praise be a flower!  Actually, this may have been one which devours unsuspecting insects in its trappy-looking leaves.

Back at the ranch, er, farm, Daisy had a go in one of the boys' canoes.  You need water, dear.  We had popped over for another lovely homemade tea.

Friday, our last full day in Aberfeldy, was swiftly upon us.  The morning meant the usual run around the lodge.  Always a great start to the day.

We headed down the A9 to the Active Kids Adventure Park near Perth.  It featured two areas, one for smaller children which we went in, and one for older children, which I wandered around but didn't use or pay for (there were some things that adults could do, I think).

First up, Daisy fancied a drive of the TED 1 tractor.  Get out of my way!

She soon switched to a more manageable mode of transport.

Over on one side of the complex were some small, caged mammals, which cowered in the corner as Daisy looked menacingly on.

Daisy and slides go together like, er, bacon and eggs.  I judged this one to be sufficiently tame that I didn't need to be the safety net at the bottom and...

...I was right, although it's not always obvious, depending on the steepness and smoothness of the slide.

Daisy was soon back in the large tractor, beeping to get people out of the way.

Daisy correctly identifies a cow.  Whilst it was not a real one, it did feature milkable teats, which is a bit strange.

We headed over to the big jelly bean, a large inflated dome which children could bounce on.  Daisy struggled to get much further than the bottom for a while.

But suddenly she managed to run up to the op and could barely conceal her joy as she jumped up and down while others tumbled around her.  Almost as quickly as she ran up, though, she slid down, and slightly unnecessary tears ensued (she hadn't hurt herself).

Solace was sought in the feeding of these baby goats...

...and hanging around in a empty, primary colour-themed playroom.

Relieve your daily stresses by running round a man-made circuit as if you're a racing car.

Morning begot afternoon and, as ever, we required lunch to traverse this.  Post-lunch, Daisy was again full of beans (not literally; she had a sandwich), and taking to the indoor play area like a duck to water.  Just in case the duck was a bit clumsy or couldn't swim properly, Lynne hung around nearby.

Daisy was pretty assured, though.

For our tea, we headed with the McDiarmids to the Logierait Inn, featured in a previous visit to Aberfeldy (see the end of that page).

Daisy seemed a little intense in her high chair accompanied by a favourite Fruit Shoot.

I ordered a goat's cheese starter which I lovingly photographed for the food magazine I pretended I was putting together.

And here's everyone in one shot (except me, of course).  Everyone's happy because the main course has just arrived.  Tuck in!

Daisy and Nicky pose for a photo.  Technically, they are first cousins once removed, don't you know.  It's not so catch, though, eh.

And finally, Matt, Daisy (on a raised cushion; she's not that big really) and Eddie pose for the camera.

And that was that.  We'd had a thoroughly enjoyable time in Aberfeldy, helped by the weather being very much on our side (we understood that the weather back home had been not so great).  We would definitely recommend the lodges to a friend.

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