Loving the Granite City!

We arrived into Aberdeen to be met by Greg's cousin Murdo.  We met Murdo and his wife Mairi nearly 19 years ago when they were in Darwin visiting John and Wendy; we immediately like them and have corresponded mainly with Christmas cards ever since - they probably never imagined they'd be entertaining us all these years later!  It was just lovely to see them both and to meet their two lovely teenagers, Megan and Angus.  (Angus's facial hair impressed Liam greatly, as he is not yet 15!) We were relieved to find that the weather in Aberdeen has been quite mild, by their standards; so the downside of that is that snow at Christmas is not looking too likely....

Murdo has very generously taken some leave and put himself at our disposal, so the next day he took us to see the wonderful ruins of Dunnottar Castle; a quite spectacular setting on the side of the cliff!  We had a good taste of Scottish winter weather too, as it was a bit overcast as we set out, started raining when we were walking into the castle then a bit of a strong wind sprung up; very refreshing!!  Our next stop was Crathes Estate, but unfortunately the house was closed - we  were able to brave the weather and wander through the gardens, which would be just gorgeous in spring and summer.  Bella saw a paddock of black faced sheep and wandered down to them, thinking she'd call them over to her, but they firstly trotted, then galloped away from her... a sheep whisper she is not!
The following morning we decided we should really explore around the city itself, as our hotel is right in the centre of town, near the port.  We discovered that Aberdeen is a really historic city and has really been pivotal in Scottish history.  The granite that a lot of the old buildings were built from is local, hence the city's name, and while it can look grey and a bit dour when it's raining, when the sun comes out they look imposing and beautiful.  Mairi collected us after lunch and took us for a drive down to the coast, where we were excited to see lots of dolphins frolicking around.  So we tried very hard to get some photos of them, but it was a challenge, because they were very, very quick, and it was extremely windy and cold!  It turns out that Mairi is an avid photographer and one who has a much better understanding of her camera than I do (she has inspired me to do less stuff on "auto"!) and has taken some gorgeous photos.  Mairi let Liam loose with her camera which he loved, and he was snapping away - between the two of us we managed to get lots of photos of the sea with the odd splash showing a dolphin had been there!

It was lovely to see the blue sky but man, it was cold.  We tried to stop in at a nearby farm which has animals for the kids to interact with, but they'd closed early because it was so cold!  So much for tough locals! Mairi was not impressed with their slackness!  She also took us down to visit the little fishing village of Footdee, locally known at "Fittie", which has some gorgeous old stone houses and very quaint and eccentric sheds - some are for storage by the house owners but some are clearly lived in, and they are very tiny!  We chatted to one of the home owners who said her house was quite cold in the winter as the stone walls have no insulation, but she loves living there.  Mairi shouted us a warm drink at a nearby beachside cafe - we really needed to warm up!  It was the shortest day of the year, and sure enough, it was quite dark by 3.30pm.  That night Murdo and Mairi cooked haggis for us.  I didn't miss out, there is a veggie version too!  We really enjoyed trying something that is special to Scotland, and we were grateful that they went to the effort to do this for us when it's not even Robbie Burns Day!  Greg got to stab the meat haggis, which impressively split open, and I got to do the veggie one (not as spectacular!).  Apparently they tasted quite different - well as you'd expect I suppose, as one has no meat in it!
Yesterday we had the pleasure of both Murdo and Mairi's company - they kindly took two cars so we could all go out sightseeing. The girls were in Mairi's car, and the boys in Murdo's car, but half way through Liam swapped cars, finding the dad's conversations on the environment heavy going - he knew he'd get some laughs with Mairi!  They took us to Tolquhon Castle.  Yes, I had let on to Murdo how much Liam and I love castles.  Bella and Greg are feeling like they've seen enough, but we adore them. Imagining what life was like when the castles were lived in!  I love it!  Tolquhon was also closed, however the side gate was open ... so feeling a bit naughty we walked in, fully expecting one of the neighbours to come out and give us a yell at which point we'd scoot off, but we made it all the way through with no trouble!  It was a really just a gorgeous home with a castle-like look, but not designed with serious fortifications.   It was a really lovely winter's day and the countryside looked so beautiful! Onto Haddo House, which again is closed for winter, but we were able to walk around the huge gardens and I was thrilled to get a photo of a robin redbreast who hopped around us quite happily for some time. One of the huge pine trees had a plaque saying it had been planted by Queen Victoria in 1857!  Despite the blue sky it was getting brisker by the second and we were all very grateful to grab some home made soup in the cafe on site.  We'd seen a sort of Stonehenge like place in the brochures,"Easter Aquthorthie", which neither Murdo or Mairi had ever visited, and despite it not showing up on the GPS they managed to navigate us to there.  And my goodness it was blowing a gale on those rocks.  Absolutely bloody freezing!  A few quick photos and it was time to move on!

Murdo and Greg thought it was time to head home but Mairi had the idea that we should have chips at Stonehaven - "The Bay" fish and chip shop claims to be the best in the UK.  Well, the chips were absolutely delicious.  They were piping hot too, it was lovely to get their warmth on our cold fingers!  Mairi took the kids into "Aunty Betty's", next door, for some lollies... they sell ice cream and a few tough Scots where eating it, but it was way too cold for us!  Back at the house, cousins Ian, Mairi and Margaret popped into meet us.  It's very exciting to meet more family!
Today is our last full day in Aberdeen.  Greg and I were up at 7am and did the bulk of our Christmas food shopping at the local Morrisons supermarket.  We had way too much to carry home so borrowed one of the trolleys (don't worry, Greg took it back, he is very good like that!) to get it back to the hotel.  I said I felt like long grassers, walking along in the dark with our shopping trolley full of bags!  I had to take a photo! Once the sun had come up (which is after 9am!) I went to do some last minute Christmas shopping to get some little gifts for the kids.  Nothing much, as this trip is their main gift and they appreciate that; I also had to be conscious of size and weight.  I can't quite imagine how we are going to fit everything into the car, it will be a challenge!!  Murdo & Mairi have loaned us some freezer bags and a small esky to keep the cold stuff cold.  No fridge in this room!

We've had the most wonderful time with Murdo and Mairi and really appreciate their amazing generosity in looking after us (especially as it's so close to Christmas).  Our favourite times on this trip have been when we've been with friends or family, who have made us so welcome, and we feel very special and very grateful!  Thank you all!