03 May 2010 - Duthie Park

A trip to Aberdeen isn't complete without a wander round Duthie Park. It is also home to a very special bench/seat that's inside the glasshouses, in commemoration of Andrew's dad. This is the entrance to the glasshouse areas.



Amber has a facination for cactus so we headed to that glasshouse first of all. Makes for a great game of hide and seek.



And I so hate this big ugly plastic frog but every time we have to go take a look at it and throw pennies in his pond. There's a mechanical movement in the frog which makes it rise and fall out of the water at set intervals. Great for kids to see for the first time but totally so predictable and boring for us adults!



It's a bit early in the season but in the summer you can hire a rowing boat in the small lake in the park. We did that last year with Andrew and Amber getting soaked.

27 August 2009 - Duthie Park

So, here we have Amber and me kayaking in Duthie Park, August 2009.



And here we have my dad, sister and me canoeing in Duthie Park, summer 1975.

Note how my dad had far more sense than me in making sure he was the only one in the boat with an oar.

02 August 2009 - Aberdeen

Woke up sharp on Sunday with a full day planned before we made the trip back south and home. This is the view from our room, across the rooftops of Aberdeen.

When Andrew was a young lad he often went to Albury Outdoor Sports Centre for a game of putting with his dad. He wanted to see if he still had that winning Tiger Woods touch! Here he is lining up for another terrific shot as Amber casually poses watching his technique.

I have to mention in the blog that Andrew won the game of putting. He's only mentioned it about a dozen times since we've been back home. (Won? I absolutely smooshed them. I am the King of Putting).

Then on to Duthie Park where there is a commemorative chair for Andrew's dad in the winter gardens. As we parked up there was a surprise ... kayaking in the park!! Andrew remembered years ago they had rowing boats but they stopped it, no doubt due to health and safety concerns. It didn't take much to persuade Andrew and Amber that a quick jaunt in a kayak would be a good idea. That's them in the red boat.

Andrew became the first casualty of the day. No he didn't fall out the boat! He got stung by a wasp on his finger. It was only a wasp sting but Andrew would have you believe it was the largest bee he'd ever seen in Scotland! Have a look at the sting and judge for yourself.....

Amber's favourite pond inside the greenhouses is the pool where the big plastic frog surfaces at regular intervals.

And I see they have added a new Loch Ness monster lookalike in another pond. oooooooo feel scared.............!!!!!!!

Time was marching on and we had a long drive back home. But we had time to take a few photos of Stonehaven. Ahhh..... memories of our first family caravan holiday there!!

St Cyrus is always worth stopping for. Again, miles and miles of sandy beach to stroll along.

Absolutely stunning eh? The only negative is to get to the beach you have to walk through the Nature Reserve area. Now that sounds pleasant enough...... but wow the smell of dog poo is horrendous. Obviously a popular area for dog walkers. Once you hit the beach the sea air takes over though, thankfully.

Amber is a keen collector of branches. She excelled this time though after spotting half a tree on the beach.

Back to the car to complete our journey home but not before we say hello to the highland cows!