Europe 2024

 28 April - Stockbridge, Waters of Leith, Bruntsfield Links and The Meadows Started Saturday morning with a short walk to our local Saturday Farmers Market. Would be good to be living with another 2 people so could buy more.  There is only just so much we can eat.  Ended up purchasing a very nice rye loaf and a snail for  afternoon tea.  There was also an intriguing looking Polish brioche sweet loaf - maybe next time. Stephen took a photo of a pig being sliced up for pulled pork.  Can see us trying that at a return visit.  Also bought some smoked butter that had come down from Caithness in the far north.  Looking forward to cooking with that.   As the sun was shining and we knew we would be indulging with a snail in the afternoon; set off to walk to Stockbridge.  It was about a 1 hour walk - extended perhaps by our slowing down regularly to peer at the interesting houses, tenements and views of the Castle and Arthurs Seat along the ...

 26 April - Sunshine on Leith Been back in Edinburgh for a few days now and enjoying pottering around.  The Spring flowers are out so bunches of daffodils, tulips and flowering trees everywhere.  Very pretty. Reaching for the antihistamines ..... It's still cool.  I like how I have quickly come to the view that 3 degrees (feels like 2) is cool instead of ***** freezing.  But we have had sunshine most of the time.  Made the most of it and been into town a few times.  Checked out the new St James Quarter which is a lovely new shopping precinct.  Also visited Caidenheads (again) and picked up some whisky Stephen had on order.  Continued on down the Royal Mile and down Victoria Street which heads to the Grassmarket and fast wished we hadn't.  Wall to wall tourists. Lots of Americans and European school students.  Victoria Street was quite bizarre (to us anyway).  They have re-branded, based on the tenuous proposition that JK Rowlin...

 22 April - Back in Edinburgh After a long day fishing on the Saturday, Stephen cooked up some of the caught trout for dinner and 2 huge duck breasts for the younger participants who eat a substantial amount.  The trout tasted lovely and fresh as you'd expect. Finished off some more wine and cheese, another 2 episodes of Physical100 and earliesh night, ready for a long drive home. Completed tidying up of cottage with a military precision the next morning and on the road by 8.30am.  Only a couple of incidents of driving rain on the way home.  Drive includes going through the Cairngorms which is a lovely stretch of mountain ranges and of course a stop at the House of Bruar - The "Harrods of the Highlands".  Only added another jumper, handbag, some food and a scarf to the haul from there. I only contributed a handbag so the 2 young ones replaced the wine in their bags with clothing going back, oh and some Hydrolite which we were asked to pick up for them in Sydney,...

 20 April River Halladale Last day at the River.  Gale force winds have actually stopped today.  About 5 degrees when they headed out but should be a bit pleasanter.  Yesterday was fine but extremely windy.  Stephen managed to catch a couple of trout so they are down for dinner tonight.  Much instruction on the gutting of fish last night. They ventured up into the hill lochs yesterday and Will and Em got taken out onto the lochs in a boat.  Em said had never been so cold although very scenic. The sun doesn't set until about 8.30pm so after dinner we headed out onto the estuary and some more fishing was done from the bank.  Still no nibbles although Em and I managed to catch some seaweed.  Quite surreal standing on the sand fishing into an ink black fast flowing water with the moon in the sky and sun still slowly setting.  Gave up after half an hour though.  So windy and cold.  Will and Em have got us watching a South Korean rea...

 19 April  - River Halladale or Why I will never live in far North Scotland 🙂 Sent the fishing people off again this morning -ever hopeful to catch a fish.  Stephen did snare a trout yesterday but no luck elsewhere as yet. Was not a large trout so didn't attempt to cook it for a meal. I declined to sit in the sun and watch them fish today as still very windy and very cold (about 5-7 degrees); opting to stay at home.  Had a lovely sunny day 2 days ago.  I went for a long walk along the beach which fronts Melvich Bay and then spent some time relaxing on a bench near our cottage, enjoying the sun and watching the bird life.  Eventually ended up in our front garden listening to some music, with the others resting on a picnic rug enjoying their beers when they returned. Yesterday was declared a rest day and we drove into Thurso, the most northern town in mainland UK.  Had a delicious lunch in a local cafe.  Em tried a haggis sandwich which she said wa...

  17 April 2024 - River Halladale 2 and a half weeks into holiday.  Sitting in a little stone cottage in far North Scotland (about a 6 hour drive from Edinburgh) on a Wednesday morning while rest of the family are out trying to catch some salmon on the River Halladale. It is blustery and cold up here although we have sighted some sun.  Oh yes and there is rain of course on and off. Scenery is quite beautiful in that Scottish Highlands fashion. Purplish hills with lots of yellow gorse bushes and daffodils interspersed in little clumps.  The cottage is part of a small complex- a large stone house (the "Big House"), a Gatekeepers stone lodge and 3 other cottages of varying sizes for the fishermen.  Ours is the smallest - 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, full kitchen and separate sitting area.  It is very warm and cozy. Outside it's gate is an estuary and a beach.  Apparently people do surf here.  Some serious wet suits required.  Been for a couple of...