Welcome Winter...

January was a month filled with colder temperatures and snow on the ground - a trend which continued into February. The children were so excited when we received our first proper snow of the season - one where they could build a snowman and go sledding. We managed both these milestones on the 10th and 11th of January. :)

Their cute snowman.

Sledding behind Dearborn High School.

We then had an awesome snowball fight. :)

Health and Lifestyle Fair...

The family and I drove to St Clair Shores, a suburb northeast of Detroit on the edge of Lake St Clair, last month. A local VFW centre was hosting a health and lifestyle fair, and Ntaba Taste of Africa - a South African food and coffee shop - were having a stall there. Ntaba used to be based out of Louisville, Kentucky, and we even visited their coffee shop there a couple of years back. It was great to come away with some rooibos tea and other South African treats. :)

The other stalls were quite interesting, with everything from raw honey to organic soaps being sold.

An icy, frozen Lake St Clair.

New Year's Activities...

We had a pretty good New Year's. We spent time at a Secret Santa event at church (pictured here), before heading on to good friends - where we welcomed in 2025. New Year's Day itself was a rather quiet affair. Illness forced us to stay home, but we still had fun and I worked on a puzzle throughout the day. :)

My three puzzle helpers. :)

Final December Days...

We arrived back to beautiful weather in Detroit, necessitating a family walk to a local park on Saturday, 28th December. The lovely warm sunshine was to be short-lived, however, as January was a frigid month with lots of snow. 

We also took the opportunity to clean out our very messy vehicle!

Farewells and Travels...

We were up early on Boxing Day, 26th December, and after breakfast I walked quickly into town to visit the coffee shop one final time before our travels to Michigan. It was then time for some sad farewells for this visit. We were all quite emotional saying goodbye, especially Eliza who loves her UK family so deeply. It was a wonderful time in Glasgow and thanks must go to Shirl and Montassir for hosting us again.   

Shirley drove us off to the airport and saw us safely to the security gate at Glasgow. Our flights back to Detroit, Michigan, were quite smooth and uneventful, and we have been truly impressed by Icelandair's service joining Detroit with Glasgow via Reykjavik. We arrived safely back home at around 20h30 in the evening, and we all collapsed into bed after a full day's travels.

Cousins photo the morning of our departure.

With Shirley at Glasgow Airport.

The Boeing 737-MAX 8 that would take us to Reykjavik.

Air hockey at the boarding gate.

Taxiing past a massive Emirates Airbus A380 in Glasgow.

Flying over a snowy Iceland as we approach Reykjavik.

On the tarmac in Iceland.

Final flight to Detroit as we fly over Ontario, Canada.

A few souvenirs from Glasgow. Fridge magnets...

And coffee mugs. :) What a wonderful Christmas visit to Scotland!

Christmas Day 2024...

Christmas was our last full day in Glasgow. The day started with the cousins opening their stockings, as they did three years ago in Cape Town. We all then went to the mid-morning service at the beautiful Glasgow Cathedral - one of the city's oldest buildings. The service was really well-attended and the message was quite appropriate, about how Jesus is the greatest gift that you can ever receive. 

We then wandered around the Necropolis and saw the memorial to Sir William Wallace. The rest of the afternoon was spent opening presents and enjoying leftovers for lunch and supper. Candace and I also feverishly packed throughout the day, ready for our flights back to Detroit the very next day.

Opening stockings first-thing in the morning.

The Tolbooth Steeple, dating back to 1626.

View inside the cathedral after the service.

The lovely stained-glass windows above the entrance.

Statue of David Livingstone outside the cathedral.

Walking down towards the Necropolis.

William Wallace memorial in Glasgow.

The back view of the monument.

Eliza poses with the sword.

Walking back across the bridge from the Necropolis.

Opening presents in the afternoon.

All the cousins loved their presents!

Anya was delighted with her pink monkey. :)

Riaan also loved his gifts.

Late afternoon activities. Reading books and doing puzzles and games with auntie Shirley.

Family photo on our last full afternoon in Glasgow. :)

Christmas Eve 2024...

After a leisurely morning doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, we spent the afternoon and evening of the 24th December at Shirley and Montassir's place. We prepared our traditional Christmas eve dinner, and Montassir and Shirl both outdid themselves with an amazing spread of food. I was put in charge of the stuffing and Brandy butter, and those also turned out well. :) 

We enjoyed a delicious meal together, complete with Christmas crackers and a whole range of pudding options, too. The children had a late night playing games, reading, and pillow fights with their cousins.

Hanging out with Jesse.

Working on my stuffing.

Some of the delicious meal.

Some delicious drinks, too.

Eliza and Anya enjoying their meal.

Christmas pudding aflame.

Pillow fights with their cousins...

And snuggle time, too. :)

Christmas Eve bingo.

Selfie as we enjoy our meal together. Yay for family time!