HALLOWEEN, FYVIE CASTLE, AND SQUEAKY SHOES

Halloween was Saturday and it was very fun. We went to Fyvie Castle in the morning and walked the grounds and toured the castle. Our inside tours are always very quick with a seven year old who only wants to find Gnasher, the dog hidden throughout several NTS castles, and a two year old who wants to sit and touch and pull out drawers and you can't do any of that. So we get the whirlwind tour. One of these times I'll get to stop and look at paintings and things. The castle was nice but has been lived in up until 1994, so even though it has all this Victorian furniture and tapestries, the paintings seem to be the main thing calling you to past centuries. The grounds were pretty and extensive but they didn't have the gardens like at Crathes, and it wasn't a ruin like Tolquhon, so it ended up being fun but not our favorite. We did see some swans and ducks on the pond as we drove home, and that was lovely. The pictures of the castle are more impressive when it is half hidden by fall trees. Out in the open it is remarkably similar to Fraser Castle--a mixture of stucco an stone that comes off looking a little worn, mostly because of the bleeding effect all the fixtures have on the stucco.
For Halloween evening we went to Meg and Stuart Waddell's house. Their son Calvin is in the same class at Kittybrewster and they go to High Hilton Church as well. It was a very fun party complete with decorations, great food, and the kids even got to go trick-or-treating. That part was kind of funny. Halloween seems to be a holiday for college age people rather than kids. Only a few kids were dressed up at school on Friday and we had the only group of kids in the area going trick-or-treating. Consequently, the kids got some strange treats like pounds, oranges and banana's, and a can of sardines. Many places people didn't have anything. A different place I guess. But the kids enjoyed it and still got enough to fill their buckets halfway. Sunday I pled a filthy house and we stayed home and cleaned all day. Now the house is feeling a little better although I got a little carried away with Freecycle and had to shove things around. I think I'll have to stop soon. It's a little addicting and I'm getting pretty good at it. It has helped make this house our home. We now have an armchair for Adam to study in, a rug in the playroom, a sewing machine for me, and more.
We got a package from Mema and Baba last week with pajama's for the kids, snacks we miss, and a pair of squeaky shoes for Mercy. They sound like a dog's chew toy every time she takes a step. That doesn't help the dogs we pass when we're out for a walk. Mercy likes to make them squeak extra by jogging in place and dog owners have to get tight holds on their dog's leashes as little dogs everywhere strain to see where the noise is coming from. They are novelty shoes that everyone smiles about. I have met more Scots in the last few days because of them and I have decided I like them as long as Mercy's wearing them outside.