N and N's New Adventure: Days 29-37. June 23-30

Days 29 through 37.
June 23 ----- June 30

This is the week of the huge conference which Pete has been working with the planning and organization for a year and a half. It is the Iaps (International association of environmental psychologists). I didn't know such a specialty existed, but I am now aware. There are close to 500 participants for the conference, so it is a big deal. Jess is also working at the conference this week. She and Pete will do a presentation, and then Jess will work as a staff person assisting anyone at the conference while Pete troubleshoots all the things that can go wrong that did. The whole thing appears to have been quite demanding.

While Pete and Jess are doing the conference, we were grandparents extraordinaire. Okay, we took care of Joey. We played, made faces, changed the requisite nappies (diapers), made bottles, and did nap times. We took both Joey and the dog, Chase, out for walks. We would take Joey to the grocery down the hill and then push Joey and the groceries up the hill...just like a staircase without the steps. On Thursday night we even did bedtime while Pete and Jess attended the big Iaps Gala Dinner.

Monday and Tuesday were nice days as far as the weather goes. Tuesday evening the weather changed. It started raining....drizzle, mist, sprinkles, and downpours. You don't stop because it is raining. You put on a rain jacket or get an umbrella and go. We managed to get caught in a couple of the downpours. Chase dog was not impressed but she did her thing. Joey stayed dry in her pram which has a plastic covering to keep her nice and dry.

One morning we did laundry at the laundromat down the hill. The next morning we picked up Pete's suit and Neil's pants from the tailor's shop. We discovered more than one way up the hill. They are all still up hill, but some ways are easier than others to get up.

We walked down (and I do mean down) Byers Road to a bead shop. I had a good time looking around. Neil was tolerant. We stopped at one of the many charity shops. I found some beads that can be recycled into other things. We also found books. Neil bought two, and I bought one for a whole pound for all three.

Today is Saturday. After Joey's morning nap, we ( all 5 of us) took yet another way down the hill to a pub / cafe where we had lunch. After that we made our way to the Glasgow Transportation Museum. It opened not too long ago in their new building....a really ugly building. The museum had trains, busses, cars, and ships. There was also a model of a row of shops found in Glasgow in days past. The new museum is really geared to children and families. The have some really nice exhibits, but the explanations are all rather superficial. It was still fun.

On our walk back to the flat we stopped and got an ice cream to share. Since Neil and I had tasted the strawberry on our way to the bead store, we opted for the vanilla in a chocolate dipped cone. The ice cream was rich and delicious. Sharing was probably a very good idea.

After 12,356 steps we are back to the flat. Pete is cleaning the kitchen. Neil is sleeping, Jess and Joey are reading books to Joey. I am, of course, doing this blog entry.

Tomorrow we need to do laundry so back to the laundromat. Jess has a meeting tomorrow with her boss so that she can do some presentation when we get back from our trip. Pete has some work to do as well. We need to get packed for our trip on Monday.

Laundry is done.. The lady that runs the laundry is a bit of a martinet. However, we get along fine. We do what she says, and she is happy and helpful. We had two big suitcases today since we also did Pete, Jess, and Joey's laundry as well.

We are going out for lunch when Joey finishes her bottle. Then Neil and I are going to a Few charity shops and to an office supply store for a notebook for Neil.

The packing for the trip needs to be done as well.

Steps this week:

Day 38. July 1, 2012

Today we did the usual morning things to get ready for the day. Jess had a meeting with her boss. Pete had some things to do for work. We packed up our laundry, and Pete and Jess's laundry into the big suitcases and rolled them down to the Aqua Laundry. Once there we let the commander of the laundry tell us what we wanted to do. Laundry washed, folded and replaced into the suitcases, we trudged back up the hill. We unpacked the laundry and divided it for the appropriate owners.

Jess returned from her successful meeting with her boss. We went out for lunch at a place called The Book Club. The cafe was quaint. The building was quite old with a balcony. Upstairs they were holding a craft fair. We left Neil and Pete with Joey, and Jess and I checked out the crafts. There were several jewelry booths which were fun to see. I really need to learn silver making techniques. I bought a couple of pieces...a necklace and a bracelet. The fellow tried to tell me they were sterling.....not. If they are he was very foolishly selling them much below value. Lunch was great.....burger for Pete and chicken sandwiches for the rest of us.

After lunch Pete and Jess went grocery shopping. Neil and I checked out several charity shops. We were looking for old jewelry and cheap books. We found a few pieces of jewelry, and Neil found a book for himself.

We trudged back up the hill to the flat. We tackled the packing job. Since we have to play for any luggage beyond one carry on, we limited ourselves to one big suitcase per family. We finished our packing and watched Pete and Jess get organized. Joey is the winner for amount of stuff.....the littlest has the biggest need.

As usual bedtime is when it is still light in Glasgow.

Steps:
June 23..... 1018
June 24.... 4225
June25 ..... 82421
June26..... 6899
June 27. 4199
June 28.... 8159
June 29.... 8643
June 30..... 13,762