Basically, the concert, well...it didnt exactly suck, but what is one step above that? Suffice it to say that we left early and went back to our hotel.
The next day was Saturday. Tiva and I were up early and went for a long walk. et Sean for breakfast and then we hit the road. It took us all day to get home! We stopped and took pictures, stopped at scenic overlooks, stopped at ceramic works, we stopped at art shows, we stopped...well, everywhere that looked interesting. One place we stopped was Culledon Battlefield. Unfortunately, they weren't doing tours of the battlefield (pesky Easter holidays). So, I bought a soft Hee'lan Coo for Lisa's new baby and away we went again!
It took us hours to get home, but eventually, we did. We were all knackered and went straight to our beds.
Sunday morning we slept in and had an easy day. I went up and rode Remy in the afternoon and then stayed on to watch Wee sean while Jane attended a wedding reception. She was home early and we had a glass of wine and then we all went to our beds.
Monday morning we all got up early. Jane to feed the horses and me to get Sean ready for his horseshow. He was taking his new pony, Bailey, to jump at the Easter show at Rowallan. He was a bit nervous (as was the pony) but in the end, did really well.
And that, my friends, in three parts, was our Easter Weekend!
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Thursday, 23 April 2009
So to pick up where I left off...we saw the wonderful seals. We drove the rest of the way up to Dunnet head and walked around a bit. There is a lighthouse up there, out on the windy, rocky cliff. We came back down and decided to head up to John O'Groats. So, on the road there we saw signs for Castle of Mey. That was the place the Queen Mother bought after her husband died. All the guide books told us it would be closed until the 1st of May, but, low and behold, they decided to open for Easter weekend!
So we went in and bought tickets for a tour and had a scone in the cafe while we waited. The tour through was really nice and the whole place is interesting. She decorated it herself, collected seashells, and played Cludo with the family! Very down to Earth. By the time we finished there it had started to rain and we decided to forego JOG and head back to Watton.
We had our dinner and headed back out to go to the Northern Nashville Caithness County Country Music Festival! What a mouthful. The venue was an indoor riding school. They had put down a floor and put in tables and chairs and there was a bar and some vendor booths where you could buy a sparkly cowboy hat (ich)
So we went in and bought tickets for a tour and had a scone in the cafe while we waited. The tour through was really nice and the whole place is interesting. She decorated it herself, collected seashells, and played Cludo with the family! Very down to Earth. By the time we finished there it had started to rain and we decided to forego JOG and head back to Watton.
We had our dinner and headed back out to go to the Northern Nashville Caithness County Country Music Festival! What a mouthful. The venue was an indoor riding school. They had put down a floor and put in tables and chairs and there was a bar and some vendor booths where you could buy a sparkly cowboy hat (ich)
Monday, 20 April 2009
EASTER WEEKEND
Easter weekend has been lovely! Sean and I went up and house sat at Janes on Wednesday night. We were up and on the road by 10 a.m. ~ on our way NORTH. we headed up the coast, over the Erskine Bridge, and up the west side of Loch Lomond. We stopped for lunch at The Drovers Inn and headed on up towards Ft. William.
On the way we stopped and took pictures, walked the dog a bit, and even picked up a hitchhiker! He was a French lad and we dropped him at the train station at Ft. Williams. It took us forever and we fially got to our B & B in Watton at about 7. The road up was a plethora of fantastic views, wild, windswept, spectacular veiws.
Watton is a very small town about 7 miles from Thurso. The folks with the B & B had only had it about 7 months and there were a few glitches, but the hospitality was 2nd to none and my steak was cooked correctly (rare) the first time! On the other hand, on the loo in the middle of the night I went to do a piddle and when I lifted me bum to do the paper work...the seat slid off to the side and crashed into the wall!
On Friday we were up and had our breakfast about 9.30. We had gone up north for a country music festival, which didn't start until 7 that evening, so we had the day to kill. We decided to head up to John O'Groats. However, we then found out Druness Head is actually the furthest north on the mainland ~ not JOG!
And so, we headed there. Once again, the drive was stunning, much like going up Pikes Peak, though not 1/2 as high! There was an old flagstone quarry near there and we did the walking tour around that as well. Very intrersting. Sean took lots of pics, but they aren't developed yet.
We did have a very special moment. At one point we came around a bend on a country road and a most spectacular view of the North Sea opened up in front of us. I stopped and Sean got out to take pics and I drove on up a bit and off of the bad bend. The view from where I was was super and I got out to look. As I look back there was a little sheltered cove with big boulders on the beach and fairly gentle waves washing up against them. Then...one of the boulders moved! It was a seal! As it turned out, not just A seal, but about 25 of them... Incredible!!! Sean came back and we walked down on the rocky shore, not too close though. It was really (sorry, but no other word will do) awesome. We stood and watched them for about 15 minutes. A few of them got up and went for a swim, some just moved around...but the whole thing was a really big WOW. Eventually....we left and drove on, just stunned and humbled by what we had seen.
I think that is about enough for today...more soon...
On the way we stopped and took pictures, walked the dog a bit, and even picked up a hitchhiker! He was a French lad and we dropped him at the train station at Ft. Williams. It took us forever and we fially got to our B & B in Watton at about 7. The road up was a plethora of fantastic views, wild, windswept, spectacular veiws.
Watton is a very small town about 7 miles from Thurso. The folks with the B & B had only had it about 7 months and there were a few glitches, but the hospitality was 2nd to none and my steak was cooked correctly (rare) the first time! On the other hand, on the loo in the middle of the night I went to do a piddle and when I lifted me bum to do the paper work...the seat slid off to the side and crashed into the wall!
On Friday we were up and had our breakfast about 9.30. We had gone up north for a country music festival, which didn't start until 7 that evening, so we had the day to kill. We decided to head up to John O'Groats. However, we then found out Druness Head is actually the furthest north on the mainland ~ not JOG!
And so, we headed there. Once again, the drive was stunning, much like going up Pikes Peak, though not 1/2 as high! There was an old flagstone quarry near there and we did the walking tour around that as well. Very intrersting. Sean took lots of pics, but they aren't developed yet.
We did have a very special moment. At one point we came around a bend on a country road and a most spectacular view of the North Sea opened up in front of us. I stopped and Sean got out to take pics and I drove on up a bit and off of the bad bend. The view from where I was was super and I got out to look. As I look back there was a little sheltered cove with big boulders on the beach and fairly gentle waves washing up against them. Then...one of the boulders moved! It was a seal! As it turned out, not just A seal, but about 25 of them... Incredible!!! Sean came back and we walked down on the rocky shore, not too close though. It was really (sorry, but no other word will do) awesome. We stood and watched them for about 15 minutes. A few of them got up and went for a swim, some just moved around...but the whole thing was a really big WOW. Eventually....we left and drove on, just stunned and humbled by what we had seen.
I think that is about enough for today...more soon...
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Hi everyone,
Well, it hasn't been quite as long between posts this time, but I don't have much news either! We have had a few nice, spring-like days, but it is back to cold and windy today. Grey and gloomy. Scotland!
I have been enjoying myself on Facebook recently. Have reconnected with folks I knew years ago and even with relatives. One of my cousins is doing a semester abroad and sending us posts from far-flung corners of the world. Her latest stop is The Great Wall of China! She is on her way to Bejing where she is going to meet her mother...wow.
I have been doing a bit of riding and had a good jumping lesson the last couple of weeks. Tiva is wonderful as ever. Work is ticking over nicely.
Sean did not pass his chiropractic exam the first time, but is ready to study and take it again. The problem is that the powers that be don't even know when the next test will be administered! The school that administers it, the contract is up. And the GCC hasn't even bothered to tender it out yet. Who ever thought that was a good way to run a business?
Well, it hasn't been quite as long between posts this time, but I don't have much news either! We have had a few nice, spring-like days, but it is back to cold and windy today. Grey and gloomy. Scotland!
I have been enjoying myself on Facebook recently. Have reconnected with folks I knew years ago and even with relatives. One of my cousins is doing a semester abroad and sending us posts from far-flung corners of the world. Her latest stop is The Great Wall of China! She is on her way to Bejing where she is going to meet her mother...wow.
I have been doing a bit of riding and had a good jumping lesson the last couple of weeks. Tiva is wonderful as ever. Work is ticking over nicely.
Sean did not pass his chiropractic exam the first time, but is ready to study and take it again. The problem is that the powers that be don't even know when the next test will be administered! The school that administers it, the contract is up. And the GCC hasn't even bothered to tender it out yet. Who ever thought that was a good way to run a business?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
