Brace Yourself...

... I'm home! A fairly easy (in relative terms) four hour plus journey got us back to the middle of the country today. Himself was happy to see us again. The car is unpacked, the girls are settled into doing whatever, and the first load of laundry is in. I think that is the best indication that we are home.

We had a brilliant time 'up north' despite the weather giving up on its two weeks of summer that led up to the Easter school break. We've seen it all. Rain, sun, snow, high winds, and everything in between. Glad we packed our winter woollies!

There was a visit to the cinema, a morning in the local swimming/wave pool. And the big day out. A day trip to Edinburgh. The original plan was to go to the zoo and see the pandas. The train was booked and paid for before we found out that visiting the pandas had to be pre-booked. And every slot for the entire two week break was already booked. Besides which the pandas had been unwell and no one had been seeing them (though this might have changed since) at all.

So what do you do when you have paid for the day out, the weather is blowing a very cold hoolie and you have two children to entertain? This is what I recommend.

A dry,  boring museum.

Only this museum is anything but dry or boring.
Even the main hall from which most of the galleries led was magnificent.

You had your usual exhibits,
though brilliantly laid out...

... with a cheeky twist!

I loved these prayer wheels...

... but must be turning into a 'proper' quilter,
because I kept seeing design possibilities in the embellishments
around the actual prayer wheels.

An added bonus to our visit was that it coincided
with the Science Festival.

This means we got to sign the girls up for a work shop,
where they programmed robot arms.

And I realised that their education is soooo different to the one I got,
because they took to the task like fish to water!

They also got to play Connect Four...

... against a robot.

No, neither of them won.
Though no one else did either according to the man running it.

We had a brief interlude on the Royal Mile,
but it was bloody cold.

So it was inside for hot chocolates -
one wearing her new souvenir Tam o' Shanter.

And a new bear for Helen,
appropriately named Scott.

I forgot to take photos in the brilliantly good Chinese restaurant we had our dinner at before heading back to Newcastle on the train. My mum maintains that I could sniff out a Chinese restaurant anywhere, any time, with unerring accuracy. I pride myself on this fact.

More on our wee holiday tomorrow. Though less photo heavy. Seems taking a blogging break made me forget to take photos too. Though (obviously) not on our day out in Edinburgh!

Susan