Jenny, Freddy, Vivi , Virve and Robert

This is a photo taken last year of us in the garden of our house in Uppsala, Sweden. Since then Vivi has grown to be as tall as her mother, Freddy has put on weight (OK Freddy, pecs), Jenny is still the same, and Virve and I have not changed one iota, mm........

Vivi and Freddy

Aprapos of nothing in particular, Vivi visited Freddy and Jennifer last November in Oxford and this is a nice photo of V and F with Magdalen College in the background

Sailing

Midday heat on the lake. No wind though so no sailing.
Idyllic morning It's too hot

V and V midday
Vivi bowing to my feet. Don't ask.
View North

Becalmed

V and V in our inflatable dinghy
Virve and Vivi paddling back from a trip to land


The intrepid backwoods women return

Vivi fishing. (Note the rolled genua, a new addition this year)

Nice evening in the bay where we were anchored.

Sailing in early August on Lake Ekoln

We had a great time on the boat this Summer just before Freddy and Jenny arrived and here are some photos. The weather was really hot and for 2 days we were becalmed, so we just enjoyed the heat, swam a lot and read. In fact it was so hot (> + 30 C) we had to put up a beach parasol in the back of the boat. The water was nice and warm, + 24 C. We stayed out for 4 days in total and had some good sailing the last day when the wind picked up. When F and J were here we did a lot more sailing, sometimes in very windy weather, which was great. We'll post those photos when we get them from F.

Scotland

The beach at Ayr
Waiting to go into the theatre Liz, Virve and Vivi

Festival Fringe happenings on the Royal Mile

Vivi on guard at Edinburgh Castle

The Falkirk wheel (replaces 34 canal locks)

The beach at Ayr, with the Isle of Arran in the background

Monster what monster? Vivi and Virve
Loch Ness. Vivi
It's cold in Loch Ness says Vivi
Loch Ness
Beautiful atmospheric Glen Coe.

Vivi touching the monument

The William Wallace Monument. It's a long way to the top!
Loch Ness at the North end
Loch Ness looking East. Robert and Virve

A proud Scot at the Wallace Monument

A great view from the Wallace Monument. Vivi Liz and Virve

Looking towards Stirling, where the Bridge of Stirling battle took place. English routed. Ha!

East View
West view from the Wallace monument
View of the Loch Lomand Castle
Loch Lomond
You take the high road and I'll take the low road and Vivi at Loch Lomond


Stirling Castle

View from the Wallace Monument. Liz, Vivi and Virve

Yes a town named after us

Outside the distillery with Liz for a VIP visit
Dad enjoying the local cultural history. Virve took this


Ashleigh guiding us around the whisky barrels. Sorry it's so dark Ashleigh, flash didn't work.



With Liz at Loch Lomond

Virve and Vivi at Edinburgh Castle. Tattoo stands at sides.

Virve and Vivi at the Sir Walter Scott Monument on Princes Street, Edinburgh. Looks rainy but actually not as bad as it looks.

Dad and Vivi in Edinburgh, Princes Street park.

Dad and Vivi in Edinburgh.

What a famous family we are!!

After Freddy and Jenny were here, we went to Scotland for 6 days, the week before school started. It was FANTASTIC! I'd love to go back! We stayed in Falkirk which is between Glasgow and Edinburgh, the first 3 nights at a hotel and then 3 nights with Liz Grant, an old friend of my parents. She has a lovely big new house with ensuite bathrooms for all of us. Every morning we would start the day watching the previous nights Olympics and see the gold medals from the rowing (Freddy!!) and cycling (Scotland!!).

We went to Edinburgh on Tuesday (it rained that day, but still beautiful though, and the rest of the week was sunny and warm) and later in the week went with Liz to see a play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Robert Maxwell - 'Lies have been told'). We also went with Liz to a distillery (cultural part of the trip for Dad) where Ashleigh, Liz's daughter, is working as a guide during her University summer vacation, and then onto Loch Lomond for lunch. Then to Stirling to see the Wallace Monument. The weather was superb and we could see for miles from the top.

Then the next day we had a great trip North to Inverness via Pitlochry, and travelled across Scotland, East to West, along Loch Ness and the Great Glen to Fort William. Then along the side of Ben Nevis to Glen Coe, amazing, and back to Falkirk via Doune and Stirling.

On our last day we went to the East Coast and saw the beautiful beaches around Ayr.

All in all a fantastic trip. A must do again.

Freddy and Jenny's Visit

F + J were here for 2 ½ weeks and here are some fotos in the house of the first day they arrived.

(Unfortunately the rest of the photos are on Freddy's camera so we are waiting for them to be sent to us... As soon as we've go them we'll post them.)