My weekend in Alva…

Monday, May 9th, 2005 at 4:10 pm

Last Friday my father-in-law came to pick me up to his house in Alva. I had an appointment with my mother-in-law’s hairdresser. She always has her hairdresser comes to do her hair every week on Friday afternoon. This time I found out that Lesley, the hairdresser, likes to watch the same television programs like me such as ‘Murder, she wrote’, ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ and ‘CSI: Miami’. We had a little chat about these programs while she was cutting my hair. She said she was not sure much about ‘CSI: NY’. She likes Gil Grissom like I do.

I told my lovely and sweet husband that I would like to take more photo of the scene of Scotland for my inspiration for the next painting. I would like to try painting water and valleys. So, on Saturday morning after we went to get the newspapers, HG and dad took me to Alloa to take some photos of Alva.

On the way back home I saw some Highland calfs. They were so cute. Dad told me that I could lean to the fence to take photos of them but their parents’ horns scared me off.

We went to Dobbies garden center in Stirling after that. I bought some Lobelias for my front garden. After lunch my lovely and sweet HG took me out for a ride again and this time he had to sacrifice himself not to drink any wine at lunch. We went to take some photos at Witches Craig. I took the photo of the William Wallace Monument from there.

After that we went to Sheriffmuir. It was the battlefield of Stirling in 1715 but it is one of my potential next paintings.

HG decided to take me to see wild Rhododendrons and Blue bells like we did last May. It seemed that we were too early this year because the flowers were not out yet, so we have to come back again later. When we were on the way to Loch Earn, we passed Gleneagles hotel and golf course. HG told me that in July 2005 the G8 Summit will be held here. Finally we were at Loch Earn. Loch is the Scottish word for lake. The “Lake of Menteith” is the only natural or large body of water in Scotland that is referred to as lake. All others are known as lochs. This photo is also one of my potential next paintings.

When we were on the road from Crianlarich to Callendar, I asked HG to stop to take these photos. I had such a good time that day. We went back home just before dinner. Dad made fish risotto. It was nice but I preferred his mushroom risotto he made for us last time we were there.