It all started when Mrs. Stewart said “let’s go to the West End Festival”. At this point, I thought that was a good idea. We’ll walk along to Byres Road, have a nice brunch at AdLib, and then head along to Kelvingrove Park for the Mardi Gras parade.

So, we set off at 12:30 and enjoyed said brunch. I had the All-American Breakfast minus the tomato and mushrooms, if you’re interested. I also got baked beans as a substitute for that less-desirable veg. All-in-all though, Ad Lib is a very nice place to brunch. Particularly on a nice day like today.

Once we were done with the brunch, we made our way along to Kelvin Way and Kelvingrove Park. There were plenty of stands, fast food places and ice cream vans, but my favourite stand was at the skate park. They had a BMX stunt display which was very, very impressive. A true testament to the skill of the riders - I want to say artists, but I’m not really sure if BMX stunts can be defined as art - and to the technology employed to build the bikes these guys ride. Death-defying leaps from platforms showed that not even these guys are able to escape the forces of gravity.

The Mardi Gras parade was only OK – it wasn’t great. There were loads of colourful costumes, and the band leading the parade, like last year was outstanding, but overall, it was average. There weren’t as many groups in the parade, and in my opinion, the organisers made a mistake in having the parade proceed down Kelvin Way. If anyone from the organising committee happens to be reading this, please switch back to Byres Road. There was much more of a community spirit in previous years.

We finished off the day sitting in the park before stopping for a drink in The Goat. It was at that point that I realised my foot was sore. However, not being one to remove my shoes and socks in a pub, I elected to keep my feet in my trainers until I got home. Which is now.

My feet are swollen, and I have a H-U-G-E blister on the heel of my left one. I suspect that this may be due to the fact that my trainers are completely done and ready to be thrown out, but I love them so. I’m not one to complain too much though, so let’s just leave it at that.

I’ve had a great day, and I appear to be a bit burnt (in a Close Encounters of the Third Kind) sort of a way, so I think I may be keeping a low profile for the next few days.