Bathgate and Bluffs

Hamish the Hairy Haggis!

Day 4: Royal Scottish Pipe and Drum Corps Competition
First step: Lord Hickory learns how to steer the rental beast from the opposite side.

Highland Games!

The Minions Highland Games, Caber toss and Stone Throw.

Skoshi loves Caber Tossing, Chubblies wanted to learn to sword dance.


Highland Dancers!  Princess Lumpy would have just stayed at this tent all day.



If you have ever been to a marching band competition...this is similar, only more awesome as it is bagpipes and drums.

Lord Piper, LOOK!  A Bagpipe CAKE!!!!!!!!!!

The best thing about the day as per Chubblies recounting.  "Riding in the Pineapple".

About this time Skosh decided he was ready to go home, he was cold and tired.

Learning all about dying wool naturally and how to do simple weaving.

Grins was particularly interested in all of this.

Meanwhile the others were trying on some armor.

Back to watching everything and Lumpy's turn to take a nap.


The older two got to do the trampoline since the younger ones rode the pineapple.

Once they were harnessed, away they go.




Dash really got into this more than Grins did.

Grins is done, Dash kept going.

"Look Mama, I found food, wait, I'm not sure that this is food.  Mushy peas?  Fried Haggis?"

 (Haggis is actually pretty good...but not fried, that was gross.)

Some playground time before heading home for the night.



"What on earth is Papa doing?"- Skosh.

Papa: "Just chilling in this amazing bowl Skosh, would you like to try?"

Skosh: "WOAH!  Papa, this rocks!  Oh wait, what is that over by Chubbly?"

Time to head back guys, see you in the morning!


Day 5:  The morning started with heading to church and enjoying fellowship there.  On the way back from it, Hickory and the two oldest Minions took off on a separate adventure up to the bluffs while Hummingbyrd took the exhausted younger three Minions back for much needed naps.

Since Hummingbyrd didn't get to come, they took TONS of pictures on their adventure.








Unfortunately Hummingbyrd also doesn't know which photos to keep and which to toss, so you will have to look at a lot of repeats with very little explanation as she really doesn't know what the pictures are f










The three brave explorers.



















Heading back down from the bluffs.



Checking out the flora and fauna.






Thar be ruins in these hills.

And castles.






They may have stormed the castle.





A tour through the ancient cemetery to take pictures for Lady Marine and Hummingbyrd.


How many cemetaries have you been to that had a castle in them?!

Off to the Burns Memorial!




The above center photo is of the nautical tower that drops a ball when the 1pm cannon shoots off and helps boats in the water know the time.

















Douglas Stewart Monument


Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Memorial

This deserves much goofing around.





Third rule of junior cameraman training...teach them how to know if they already took the picture.

Then you wouldn't have to go check after holding a pose too long to see how they did.

One of many Police Boxes, now coffee shacks, we saw.

Second one they found was the right color...but unreachable.

Finally found one the right color and accessible, just a little graffiti'd.

Time to set the TARDIS for home...or at least back to where the rest of the party awaits.