EEK! Where did the week go???

Here we are..Monday ...and its been a week since I last posted and I have no meatless Monday for you!!
I should fire myself from this job :P

Anyway my crimes are due to the very enjoyable few days we have spent entertaining my sister and her husband to be.


I hope I can speak for them when I say that although the trip was too short (!!) I think we had a really good time.
Some of this is definitely down to the bikes and general none use of the car.

After flying in to Edinburgh they hired a car to get to us and arrived at lunch time. After lunch and a bit of dithering I thought what the hell and said we should all cycle up to the art gallery.
So 6 off us on various bike set off down the road.
This was also the first time I had really tried out the tag along as well, and as its a nice straight run I really got into a good rhythm and found it easy enough.
An added advantage of the tag along is the incessant prattle of Alfie behind me (although the conversation tends to be one sided, my contributions running along the lines of "Stop pedaling!" and "Stop wiggling!").
As well as a first for the tag a long it was also the first time I had taken 6 year old Owen out on his bike, he having been out with his Dad before that, so when I wasn't yelling at Alfie I was yelling at Owen( "Keep left!!" and "Stay by the verge!" and "Car coming stay straight!" and "SLOW DOWN!!" and often after breaks have been applied "SPEED UP!!")

**sigh** Stressful times!

Reminds me of going for a walk with toddlers...walking so slow you seem to put weight ON rather than burn calories.

Anyway....

It was lovely to get out with our visitors and slowly wind our way up the country lanes to a waiting bit of culture at the end, so much nicer than driving there!

The next day was another really lovely warm autumnal day and while Kim and my soon to be BIL took the kids for a walk, I unhitched the tag along (FREEDOM!!!) and took my sister down to town to pick up the Sunday papers.
Because the weather was so nice we went home the long and scenic way, a way I haven't been home before.
This longer way has a steeeeeeep hill straight out of town, but this temporary inconvenience is well worth it when you reach the top and realise you have @ 2 miles of beautiful countryside lanes, with views all across Bennachie and the Cairngorns AND that it is now 90% DOWNHILL or flat!! **YAYYYYY!!!*
A really lovely ride for the sake of riding, lots of chatting and just admiring the beautiful leaves and patchwork fields that make autumn so special.

Today we went for a walk, 5 1/2 miles in total, up onto Bennachie and a drop down to the Brindy and across fields back to the village.

Before our adventures in car-less-ness, we would have driven down the road a few miles and taken our walk from one of the visitor car parks dotted around the mountain.
Now though we have made the effort to find routes to these walks directly from out house.
Not only does this save us money in fuel (as well as reducing carbon footprints) but also means we get to walk many routes that are either little used or in some cases forgotten.
A hard slog but worth it when up the top of Towlies we had a 360o vista of Aberdeenshire and could see every major landmark for miles.
From Bennachie, across to the Caingorms, tap'o the North over Rynie way, Dunnydeer towards Insch and the village like a toy town in the valley below.
A view like that makes me wish that more people would get out of their cars and explore the treasures of their locality, the views right under their noses.

So often when we have had visitors we have felt the need to "entertain" them, to take them out and about and show off the area, but this time, by doing everything local, even down to having a meal out in the village pub rather than driving out for a take away, I personally think we had a much better time.

In the three days they stayed with us they took their car out once (BIL to be needed some anti-histamines on a Sunday, although we tried to buy some in the little town they had none, so he had to make a trip into the big town).

Viva La Car-less, Viva La Bike, long may this continue!!

Oh and meatless Monday??
I will get one in for you bloggers one day this week :D xx