Booming Banter

Skye is a place of great beauty and we enjoyed our stay so much. We were lucky the sun was shining throughout but as our B&B owner said the rain makes the grass green!

As we journeyed south we dodged some showers down the Great Glen past Ben Nevis and into Glencoe.  We made good time stopping only to get Aaron some medicine for his midge bites.

They had grown even bigger overnight and his arms and legs are covered so he is now on oral antihistamines and a steroid cream.

What stood out was the vast expanse of mountains and of forest along the way. There are fir trees of every possible shape and form and they are submerged in a sea of huge lush ferns.

Maybe it was that trip to Loch Ness but it would be so easy to imagine huge dinosaurs plodding round the corner. There is something very primeval about the area.

We’re back from the top of the mountain now settled in for an evening by the shores of Loch Lomond in the cute village of Dryman where it must have poured before we arrived and that funnily enough seems to have as many pubs as people!

Blessing # 416 – Ferns and Firs

There are some people who don’t have to say a word to make you feel good. One such is the Dalai Lama.

He always seems to have twinkle in his eye that suggests he is genuinely a very happy soul.

A few months ago he came under attack for some remark he made about a potential female successor. He said that was a possibility which is the point we should retain. He then went on to say jokingly that the incumbent would need to be good looking or something to that effect.

If you look into this whole story it seems the remark was made in an interview with Vogue magazine dating to the 1990s but resurfaced in a BBC interview this year.

Here is a link to the official response from his holiness with his apology.

https://www.dalailama.com/news/2019/clarification-and-context-of-remarks-made-by-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama-in-a-recent-bbc-interview

How do you all feel about this?

It makes me feel sad that this good man who from childhood has given his life to kindness and peace and who wants the best for everyone was set up.

He has always been consistent in his message that Compassion is Key.

Just a few days ago he talked once again about this subject underlining the importance of women in leadership because of their innate ability to show compassion. Let’s make sure we take him seriously pink cap and all!

Blessing #443 – Wisdom of our Elders

Last night it was so beautiful we had a long walk on the beach before having our dinner outside.

We were mercilessly attacked by midges though! Poor Aaron has as always reacted and is covered in lumps and bumps.

In spite of his injuries we did some things today that 007 might be proud off.

We ate scrambled eggs and salmon for breakfast before venturing off on single lane roads to cross from Gairloch to the Isle of Skye. Once again the weather was kind to us and we have had a glorious day with remarkable views.

We are staying in the little coastal village where TALISKER Whisky is made so of course we did the tour.

So interesting and so amazing. We learned that the bottles made in 1979 sell for £3000 each.

Someone recently bought a full barrel of this quality spending £500000 in one visit. Seems though it was an investment for a special customer.

We are wondering was it perhaps James Bond himself on Her Majesty Secret Service!

Blessing -#415 – Sun, Sea and Spirit

 

We upped the ante on the Scottish Brekkie and started the day with the finest smoked fish we’d ever tasted. Aaron resisted the porridge but it too was exceptional.

Anyone planning a trip to the Highlands of Scotland should absolutely stop at the Culliss House. Call the owner Joan direct for best rates it is OUTSTANDING!

Our robust meal gave us all the courage warriors need to take on monsters so off to Loch Ness we went.

 

The museum is top class with great lessons in geology, geography, paleontology and marine biology.

We are believers and are convinced a family of plesiosaurs  are living in this real Jurassic Park!

After saluting Nessy we went north once more and west to Gairloch. The scenery is breathtaking.

Our little Guest house for the night is right by the harbor so there will be more brain food for dinner.

Scotland is stunning!

Blessing # 414 – Myth & Mountains

We both woke up very early after a great nights sleep and got on the road from York to Edinburgh before nine.

Just as Thursday saw record heat there is a good chance today will set a record for rain. It was WET and poured all the way from York to the border.

We passed Hadrians Wall but did not walk on it as we’d have been soaked.

As we reached the border though the rain stopped as we came to the holy island of Lindisfarne. We didn’t tour it just put our feet on it as we had to get to Scotland.

We were delayed at a railway crossing and are sure we saw the Queens train or something very special because it had a livery on it!

As we entered Scotland the rain stopped and we even had a peek of sunshine.

Edinburgh proved to be a big hit and it truly is a work out to walk the Royal Mile and climb the steps to the castle.

We saw where Kings were born and others crowned and we even saw the Scottish Crown Jewels along with about ten thousand other visitors.

We crossed the Firth of Forth and made it to our B&B in Perth. By then we were starving and had no energy to go out again to find a restaurant so we went to the local Co-Op and bought Haggis Pies along with an alarming amount of snacks.

No doubt we’ll walk it off tomorrow when we reach the highlands!

Blessing # 412 – Picnics

We had our first BIG British Breakfast this morning at Madingley Hall. It was delicious and it was fun to sit in the dining room with some students who’d come to do a short course on creative writing.

The Hall was built in Tudor times and there are lots of original features that are so well preserved. We were tickled to know that’s Queen Victoria had rented the hall for The Prince of Wales (later Edward Vll) as his place to stay when he was a student at Cambridge. Pretty sure he had no better breakfast than the one we had today.

This set us up for our drive and day in York. It was so easy getting there and getting around and we loved the city very much.

So much history at York Minster from Roman times till now and quite a lot of links to people called William.

There is the Conqueror of course but also a Prince William and a Saint William who are both buried there and William Wilberforce who did some saintly work himself to abolish slavery.

There are many treasures too including the York Gospels and the cross of Czar Nicolas. Definitely well worth a visit.

We are spending the night in a lovely B&B in the heart of the East Riding of Yorkshire to get a feel for the country as well as the city.

A good dinner at the local pub and a of course a little BITTER!

Blessing # 411 – Saints and Scholars and Some Sheep!

We had a good flight and I got to watch Bohemian Rhapsody which was a treat. We had a few hours sleep and landed on time.

The day was not without frustrations though.

First when we got to Eurocar we found that collision insurance was not covered in the booking we had made though RentalCar.Com.

Result is that we ended up paying as much for insurance as we had already paid to Rentalcar.com for the car and third party coverage

Anyway a costly lesson learned and no more Rentalcar.com or Eurocar again for us! Maddening!

It is a momentous day here in the UK. A new prime minister and the hottest July day ever recorded at 38C / 100F in London! Don’t think the two are related but Boris may be the cause of a few raised temperatures in the weeks ahead!

We decided to keep the Queen theme going and visited Windsor before heading to Cambridge. That worked out well. Her Majesty was in residence as the standard was flying but she didn’t ask us to stop for tea which was disappointing!

The journey from Windsor to Cambridge was less than stellar. I’d forgotten how many traffic jams there are around London and we hit a lot of them. Our ancient satellite navigation system failed to work so we were on a wing and a prayer getting to Cambridge. One jam took one hour to move one mile! The stuff of nightmares!

A piece of luck was that we accidentally ran into Runnymede so got to see the place the Magna Carter was signed which impressed Aaron.

It took forever to get to Cambridge and then we got lost in the town. There are so many road works we ended up going round in circles and eventually down a bus and pedestrian only street! With all the cameras they have we will no doubt get a fine too! By now we were frying!

From here on in things rebounded to be good with a beautiful place to stay called Madingley Hall. It is great because it is a real University dorm and full of character but outside the main town so lovely gardens and most importantly PARKING!

We visited the colleges and backs after a few set backs and paid hommage to Sidney Sussex Dads alma mater.

Now we are sitting eating and drinking and looking forward to a horizontal position shortly.

Blessing #410 – Ups, Downs, Fronts and Backs

 

After a good rest we said goodbye to Dad and Dibs and started our drive to Chicago.

All went well until our pit stop half way across Indiana when we discovered the melon Dad had lovingly cut for us was still on the table at home.

Aaron drive more than half the way which was a good chance to sit back and watch the fields fly by.

 

We found the parking garage in no time and got dropped right outside our check in point.

 

So now with a lot of time to kill what else to do but eat Chinese and play cards!

Blessing # 409 – Feeling Relaxed

PS we got a little unexpected upgrade at the gate!

Aaron was working nights yesterday so he went with his Dad for a haircut. This is usual for them before leaving on vacation even though Krishna is staying home to take care of Dibley.

Usually while we travel Dibley stays at his Pet Hotel and Spa where he is pampered and also has his hair done.

Dibleys hair has got quite long even though it is now very thin because of his Cushings.

Krishna was worried that in this heat he would be suffering but his groomer at the Spa was booked out solid till September.

So Aaron and I decided we’d take on the challenge ourselves. Out came the clippers and the scissors and we got to work.

Don’t know if you’ve ever tried to cut a dogs hair but it takes a lot of skill that I don’t have. The furball was very amenable though so he must have felt the need.

He looks dreadful. He has lots of these lumpy bumpy things all down his back that are part of his ailment.

He is almost completely grey and the hair on his tail has fallen out so much it looks like a rats. Now add to this the slips and trips made by me with the shears and he is a right royal mess.

His torture and bath was no sooner over that we see a post from his spa saying that they have an unexpected opening at 7:30 am today for the groomer!

We didn’t tell him!

No doubt though he will take revenge by peeing on all my pot plants that have been moved to the patio so Krishna can easily water them. Let’s hope he’ll stay cool!

Blessing # 408 – Hair Grows Back!

There is only one possibility for OoO and that’s Out of Office!

As Aaron and I are taking off for the UK on Wednesday the timing of OoO could not be better.

One lesson learned from years of travel and missed connections is get by with hand luggage only.

This has become an obsession and fortunately it is one that Aaron is happy to adopt.

I have a great dislike for suitcases. They are cumbersome and encourage you to take much more than you need. In particular, if you are moving around from one place to another as we will be, they are a pain to haul in and out of cars.

So what to use instead? It’s got to be a little black bag. My love affair with this treasure has been ongoing for many many years. It is light as a feather, can be stuffed to the gills and fits under even the smallest airline seat. It can serve as a pillow an even a foot rest.

The little black bag is all we’ll have for three weeks apart from my handbag (purse) and Aaron’s back pack!

It’s a fun challenge to get by with just this. Anything superfluous has to be removed! Downsize everything to the smallest denomination. Why take a big bottle if a small one will do!

All essentials like contact lenses, specs, tickets and travel documents must be taken though. So a check list is vital. Last year we were half an hour from home when we realized Aarons’ contact lenses had been forgotten!

Only essential clothes are possible but for a tour of all of the UK this means being prepared for all weathers. We’ll have four changes of clothes from inside to out including T-shirts and sweaters, trousers and shorts, swim wear and rain wear and a few dressy items for a fancy outing or two!

Of course this means we’ll need to wash our clothes as we go along and some people might think this is madness but honestly it is liberating and better than  trailing laundry around with us for weeks.

With just one or two nights in each of the places we plan to stop we may well have to transform the car into a mobile clothes dryer.

Trust us though while there may be a few odd outfits there will not be any offensive odors 

Blessing # 407 – Travelling Light