Lorna and I recently had our first visit to The Inn on the Tay, a restaurant with rooms in Grandtully, near Aberfeldy. We enjoyed it so much that we thought it would be a good place for a family meal in early August, when my son Donald and his family would be in Perthshire on holiday.

On Friday 8 August, Lorna and I drove to Grandtully and met Donald and his partner Gail, my two grandsons, James and Sam, and my other daughter, Flora, for lunch.

Three of us had fish and chips, with Flora and myself having small portions and Sam having a large one. Lorna and James had pizzas, Donald had a pork dish, and Gail had cod. I think we all enjoyed our meals, I certainly enjoyed my small fish and chips, although it didn’t seem very small to me.

Neither Lorna nor I had room for pudding, but some of the party opted for white chocolate and raspberry parfait with chocolate ganache. It was attractively presented and seemed to go down well.

After we’d said our goodbyes, Lorna and I decided to take a circuitous route home, driving a bit further north to Pitlochry and then home via the village of Kirkmichael. We stopped in Kirkmichael at the village shop, which also houses a small cafe.

I had a large cup of coffee and Lorna had an Earl Grey tea. We felt as if we were on our holidays.

After our drinks, I was very ready for a snooze, while Lorna fancied a leg stretch. She left me in the car and walked along the nearby Cateran Trail. The sky was threatening, but it stayed dry, warm and breezy, and each of us felt content with our chosen pursuit.