End of Summer & Trip to Huntly Castle, etc

I figured it was time for another update here now that summer is drawing to an end. Well, still some weeks yet of the *season* of summer, but we're back to homeschooling next week - so end of summer holidays! Not to mention the weather turning more autumnal now too! We've been blessed with a very good summer this year and have enjoyed so much sunshine and warmth over the past few months. Nothing like Texas heat, of course - but for the Scottish Highlands, it's been great! One of the best summers for a while. So despite the fact that we've been at home all summer, I think the kids have had a lot of fun. Many hours spent outdoors nearly every day, riding bikes, eating ice creams, and just generally relaxing and enjoying the summer! So I think we're all ready now for a new school year to start and back into the routine of "normal life". :-)

We did make a point of having a "proper" day out last week (before the summer was gone) and took the kids to Huntly Castle. I think young children enjoy a slightly ruined castle more than a palace where you can't touch anything. It gives them a chance to explore a bit. So here are some photos from our adventures last week.

The biggest 4 in Huntly Castle

Having fun outside the castle - Elijah wanted to jump off the tree stump, of course!

Huntly Castle - this version of the castle is only from 1550 or so. The cellars inside are from the 1460 castle. And the hill next to it had a castle first there in 1180, but nothing remains of that castle but the hill (motte).

Medieval road

Exploring :-)

Elijah "reading" one of the notices! ;-) He's *always* looking out for "E for Elijah" - rather obsessed with that letter of the alphabet!

Dungeon!

Fire place that's over 400 years old

Notice about the fire place in photo above

Beautiful views

Elijah was complaining that he was too short to see out the window ....

So helpful big brother Benjamin to the rescue - lifting him up to see out! :-)

Small boy and very big trees!

After being at Huntly Castle we took a drive towards the coast, and stopped off at Duff House. We only looked at the outside though.

Then back to Elgin for dinner at McDonald's - special request of Benjamin! ;-)

Elijah said it was very yummy! ;-)

Back to normal days, Deborah learned to ride a bike without stabilisers (training wheels) this summer! She got this bike and within about 30 minutes, she was riding all over on her own! Her older siblings were most impressed, as they were more like 5 before they did this! And she's still only 3 - not 4 until October.

Deborah is very pleased with her new ability and has spent many hours outside on her bike!

This wee guy still likes to hang out with his mama a lot...

and being in the kitchen means getting to have yummy things to eat - like raw orange peppers! [yum] Notice the homemade chocolate chip cookie that has been left behind - peppers are much better!

These two play together a LOT - it's so fun to see all the adventures they have together! This was a hospital Deborah made outside the front door of the house. :-P He looks very ill indeed, doesn't he?! ;-)

Abigail was giving sewing lessons to Clement here. Well, at least showing him how the sewing machine works.

Yep, best friends they are! Found them tucked into Deborah's bed pretending to be asleep. Notice the doll in the middle - looks like they do "co-sleeping"! ;-)

And with school starting back next week, I've been busy printing and getting everything organised for lessons! :-) Clement turned 5 in April, so that means he's officially school age this year and I'll now have 3 "full time" students to be teaching. It means I'll be even more busy with a bigger age gap between my "students". Abigail & Benjamin are only a year apart as far as schooling goes (only 16 months different age wise anyway), but Clement is 2 years younger, so trying to make sure Clement will have plenty that is fun and age appropriate to him. But I think I'll have it rather easy with him already knowing how to read - he learned about a year ago, when he was only 4 - so that makes things so much easier when they start school already being a very able reader! :-) The A-Z lapbook pages in the photo above is for Deborah to do. She'll be school age next year, so figured it was a good time to start her on some of the basics - especially as she's always begging for her own school work to do.

I guess that's all for now! I'm feeling relieved to have reached the end of the busiest part of our season at the holiday house in Edderton! I've made it through the summer of nonstop/back to back bookings! I'm very thankful for health and strength and no illness in the family all summer, so everything went smoothly! The house is occupied at the moment, and then only 2 more bookings left to do before the end of September. And each of those have a week of it empty between them, so at least means I won't have a changeover on the same day - as in, cleaning it up from one lot of guests and getting it ready for the next all in the space of a very few hours! So that will make it a lot easier as I get closer to baby being due! So I feel a big sense of relief and that the end is in sight. It's been wonderful to have a busy summer there, but I'm also looking forward to the end of the summer season and then getting ready for baby to arrive in October, God willing! Not *too* many weeks yet!