Sob!

Wee Andy from Dunblane lost but what a great match and what a significant contribution; the first British/Scottish lad to make the semi-final in 37 years. We are of course gutted but enough of sports...I can hear you all quietly snoring already.

I will be back on the food track this week and have looked out the cook books to inspire me for this week's shopping list and delightful dinners. The kids are, of course on their school holiday so it will no doubt be an expensive 6 weeks. I'm going to try and keep to the budget though but won't hold my breath whilst trying.

The holiday was great; we spent the last 6 days at Crieff Hydro, a huge hotel resort with kids clubs, great meals, swimming pools and every possible sport you can think off. I can't believe I'm about to mutter these very words but it was too hot to sleep! Seriously hot. Britain has been in a heatwave and we got the full extent of it. Never before have I had that many cold showers in a day, or prayed for rain. The kids walked around pink cheeked the entire time and only really noticed the heat at bedtime. They had such a ball.

The buffet breakfast was good; the usual bacon, sausage, every type of conceivable egg combination, beans, potato scones (Anne MCW will be happy-my tattie scones or any mention of them make her laugh), hash browns, black pudding and I liked the fact they had haggis although it was pointless without the spice. They also had lots of fruit, croissants, jam, Nutella (happy kids), cereal...well, you get the picture.

Lunch was a strange affair, the restaurant staff being very nice but completely dozy with the kids having a dinner buffet which was pretty amazing ,in my opinion; help yourself at just the right size for kids of tomato soup, pasta, fresh fish, chicken nuggets, chips, wedges, veg and a huge cold buffet as well as fruit and desserts and lots of different drinks. My one wee complaint, if I had to think of one was no potato option, bar the fried kind. It didn't matter at all really but hey, I'm just sharin'...

Dinner for Brian and I every night was whilst the kids were at the holiday club; three courses of very well executed and tasty food served brilliantly by staff from all over the world. Crieff seems to be THE holiday job destination of the world. Everyone was polite and courteous and on the ball. We ate, amongst other meals, marinaded duck with filo pastry flan, lamb casserole, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, lemon posset, stuffed chicken and fresh tuna with salad nicoise. I felt immediately transported back to Pauline's first house in Canada...my friend who married a lovely Canadian and then left us for the fair land...and her amazing version of salad nicoise which to be frank, I've been unable to order or make since as none ever came close. Crieff's still didn't but it was still good and Brian rolled his eyes as I told him again about sneaking into the fridge at Pauline's and stealing yet more salad of the gods.

A good place for adults, great for the kids but no air con in the rooms so prepare to slowly roast in the summer....stop laughing Scots, it can and does happen....from time to time....

I leave you with an email sent to me from a lovely Maths freak...sorry, friend....who, holed up in Minsk or some such place, in a high tower writing theory, though the following little tale was funny. I have to admit I laughed too. There is a little freak in all of us.

An Native American chief had three wives. One always sat on a bear hide, the second on a horse hide, but the third sat on a hippopotamus hide. The first squaw had a male child, the second had a male child too, but the third had twins. Which goes to prove: the squaw on the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws on the other two hides.