Low Parks Museum

Owing to the May Day holiday yesterday we decided to all go out somewhere for a drive. My oldest daughter though had been at her friend's at the weekend and they had gone with her friend's mum to the Low Parks Museum in Hamilton. She suggested we go there. I had no idea what lay in store but I'd never been before and so decided it might be worth a look.

Or had I been before? Not ever to my knowledge but I had a weird feeling of deja vu at one point. The man inside (no idea what you would call him) kidded the kids that if they were noisy they would be dropped down the well and pointed to a glass cover on the floor. That rang a bell with me. Still not sure though if I had been there before or have been somewhere with the same thing. 

So what is this museum? I'm no expert but it appeared to me to be a museum dedicated to all things Hamilton and very interesting it was too. There was a lot of old police uniforms and accessories upstairs, a loom downstairs and an old fire engine. There was a floor dedicated to the Cameronian regiment with stories on display and medals and interactive computers to learn more as well as videos playing. Lots of interesting things about the Mausoleum and Hamilton Palace. In fact far too many things to mention. What was really amazing was that it was all free. A really good place to go if you are ever in the area.

We ended the tour with a cuppa in the upstairs cafe. That was good but a little strange too because I felt more anxiety there than anywhere else in the museum. Logically it doesn't make sense. Elsewhere I was walking so active and obviously therefore becoming fatigued and breathless. I was up higher and down lower. I was further from the exit. But it was sitting there with a cuppa I felt most anxious. Sitting down I have time to reflect. That is never a good thing. I rushed the cuppa and cursed the fact it was a pot and so had just over 2 cuppas worth to use up. If I am honest I would say every time I have a cuppa I never enjoy it. Its also why I never eat out- or rarely.

That was that or that was the plan. I had though become very relaxed by the time we left and the family were up for a walk. There are plenty of paths from the museum to go walking along. You can in fact walk straight into Strathclyde park from there. So we walked and we walked. We walked past the mausoleum and we walked past Strathclyde park and we walked along a busy but beautiful woodland path. We walked and walked but it never ended. If we had kept going we would have ended up at Chatelherault. We didn't though. As much as I have improved there comes the time when I find my new limit. My wife and the kids could have gone on and I think they wanted to go on but I had already gone beyond my comfort zone. Such is the way that so much good ends tinged in disappointment.

I will not beat myself up though. That was forgotten about quickly and we all had a good day out. But it did end with some disappointment anyway unfortunately. The youngest two had a good time rolling down a hill but it all came to an abrupt end when we realised the boy had rolled in something not so good which  left my wife cursing dog walkers not picking up after their dog. Strangely this led to me and and a half dressed boy in a toilet in a Sport Centre as  I washed down the trousers I had taken off him. The wife and girls meanwhile had gone back for the car. It was a bizarre twist in a way because I was at he mausoleum and decided to take a walk through the woodlands around it and stumbled upon an outside toilet. Long abandoned but strange to see one all the same as its years since I have seen an outside toilet. Had it been close it had I could have taken the boy in there instead.  Another bizarre coincidence is I was just thinking about outside toilets a couple of weeks back after learning there used to be one a few streets from where I stay.

All in all though a good day. A different day. We do the drives and we do the walks but yesterday was a bit of a mix of both as well as something new. More days like that please.