Back in the swing of things

Today I had to be at a work meeting in the afternoon and Frank and I had to get ready for the meetings and work on Thursday til Saturday. So after a little bit of pottering around in the kitchen with some Thanksgiving prep, Nana and I joined Scott and Frank in Bridge of Allan to see the office and meet up for lunch.

As we drove into Bridge of Allan, we spotted a now very familiar figure walking down the street in a tartan jacket. Very bizarre to see someone you know in a strange context.














After a quick visit to our office, Scott joined us from his morning exploration of BOA and an unexpected breakfast at Clive Ramsay's (he walked into the cafe rather than deli where he was going to get one of their amazing scones) and we walked down the block to the Old Bridge Inn. What a treat! We had a lovely lunch in this very quaint old pub/restaurant by their roaring fire. With its great service, yummy menu (we recommend the Culloden Haddock - smoked with pineapple, tomatoes and cheese on top or the Haddock and chips) and wholly non-smoking air it was a real gem to discover round the corner from our office. Nana described it as a truly Scottish experience.

After lunch, I did a few things at the office, put Nana to work cutting some flyers and found her some space to read a book for a few hours after, and then Scott and I went off toward Stirling so Scott could explore some more and I could go to a meeting. Scott spent more than an hour in the skateboard shop shopping for Ben and also talking football with a local. I think he astonished the salesman with his unexpected from an American knowledge of the local favorite pasttime.

After my meeting, I picked Nana up and we raced home to start the Thanksgiving prep in earnest. When Frank and Scott came home, they shortly were sent out to get a roasting pan and a few forgotten items. Nana and I made lots of casseroles and pies, and basically had everything ready except for the last pecan pie which would go in after we sat down for lunch the next day. We chopped, mixed and chatted, and Nana intermittently sat down in the hall to watch over the action and keep me company. Around midnight, we fell into bed with plans to get up at 7:30 and put in the turkey.