Bonding on Bute (& beyond)

Imagine my delight when my beautiful daughter, Ruby, expressed a desire to join me on a recent trip to the UK. Although I was a little sad that my son exhibited less enthusiasm and elected to stay put, I was truly excited at the prospect of a mother daughter adventure.

I had a genuine reason to travel so far, in addition to the lure of beautiful Bute. I was invited to an important conference in London, and I had been toying with the idea of attending. Ruby also had a genuine reason to travel, in addition to spending time with me. She had spied a Stray Kids concert at Hyde Park on roughly the same dates (of course!). And so, we set off on what I hope will be the first of many adventures together.

For those who are not from Australia, I must explain that the trip from here to there is not for the faint hearted. Even with meticulous planning, I knew that our voyage from Brisbane to London would involve two flights and a total of over 22 hours in the air. With the help of several books, an aptitude for binge watching, some Korean face masks, sleeping aids and a good attitude - it was all completely doable. Where there is a will, there is always a way.

Once in London, we quickly settled and had two days of solid exploring. We covered a lot in two days, including my work conference. By the time we left for Scotland, we had managed to explore the West End, Covent Garden, Victoria and Albert Museum and take in "Wicked" courtesy of the 2nd row. It was a whirlwind!

A quick flight to Glasgow on the Saturday and we then landed in bonnie Scotland. I was excited to show Ruby the finished flat and introduce her to my friends. I fear that my extroverted tendencies may have overwhelmed her slightly, as she soon appeared exhausted from the travel and whirlwind itinerary.

I had scheduled a social catch up with Gianna and her daughter Zara at the Bute Yard markets, dinner with David and Lewis at Scotts in Greenock and a trip to Mount Stuart and Inverary. In hindsight, maybe a little much for the first two days... Eventually, Ruby fell ill and just needed some rest. Sadly, we missed out on a catch up with Walker in Glasgow, but he very graciously understood.

Here we are at Mount Stuart, loving the beautiful weather:

And this is us en route to Inverary. Note the "mewing" photo to the right (the things I learnt on this trip...):

Upon Ruby's recovery, we did manage another adventure with David and Lewis (I am saving that for a later post) prior to leaving Scotland once more. And although Ruby was a little unwell for a portion of our time on Bute, I think we would both agree that we had a blast together.

Back in London, we caught up with Josh, Vittoria and Sam and managed a few more adventures and tourist stops. London never disappoints and I never seem to have enough time to see all of the people I want to see. Surely one day in the not too distant future I will be able to take more time.

For Ruby, the highlight was the Stray Kids concert in Hyde Park the night before we left for home. Her tenacity was admirable - we rode at dawn (literally) on bicycles to ensure that she had a prime spot with the other die hards. She waited with like minded fans for 16 hours before she finally enjoyed the concert. When I rode back to get her at 10 pm, she was ecstatic. I kept on reminding her how lucky we were to be enjoying such a moment. We both knew it!

Although I didn't go to that concert with Rubes, I did manage to fulfill a childhood dream when we saw ABBA in concert at ABBA Voyage at the ABBA Arena in London. It is a virtual concert with digital versions of ABBA in their prime, singing their most popular hits, with a live band. It sounds crazy, but it felt so real - and I absolutely loved every single minute.

Here we are post show - even though it is blurry, it is one of my favourite photos from the entire trip. That is pure joy on my face! Ruby, ABBA and London - no wonder I look so happy.

So, what a wonderful experience to share with my beautiful Ruby. We have often laughed about many of the moments we had together. And despite the distance, I am excited for us to do it all over again soon.