Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

Oct 11, 2005

03 October

Filed in Britain 2005 (2), Travel

2nd October was another family day, with the addition of my sister in law’s mother, whom I hadn’t seen in well over ten years. It was nice. We all ate too much. I got Christmas pudding because I won’t be around at Christmas pudding time. If I’m any better fed, I’ll start to resemble one. ;-)

3rd October, Monday - my last day in Scotland. We drove out around some of the west coast wiggles. Gorgeous scenery, and we had fish and chips along the way. Mmm. They offered deep fried Mars Bars in the shop, but I refrained. I suspect they would be just as nasty as deep fried Twinkies, and I haven’t tried those, either.

We spent some time walking around Inverewe Gardens. As I recall, there was someone who had the land, planted a bunch of wind-shielding trees, then proceeded to create a garden with plants that nobody else in the British Isles could grow. We didn’t find “America”, but we did find “Japan”. It was a cold day and somewhat windy, but I really enjoyed the walk around. I came across a place we visited last November.

I have done three international flights in the last twelve months and I’m feeling a bit conflicted and strange about it. On the one had I really know what I am doing with travel now, on the other, I feel very unsettled and ungrounded, but it is my choice and it is the right one. I feel a touch, if not guilty, then strange to admit that it is in fact possible to spend too much time travelling, and that I overdid it last year with five major trips over a period of 12 months - the three internationals, the two bike rides. It is the most incredible privilege, and somewhat necessary for me to visit Britain as often as I can…but it’s absolutely knackering, and can be very disorienting too.

I am not complaining; just observing.

Anyhow, I digress.

We were in the Gairloch area and this time we weren’t blowing away, and the sun was out a little, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I’ll post some pictures in a wee while. It is just that stumbling across that place, I realised that I was settling in here as well, becoming familiar with the terrain, and it caused me a pang or two, because I cannot be in two places at once.

It took me longer to tie up my loose ends back home, so I didn’t rejoin my parents until nine at night, and our last evening together was somewhat truncated. :: sigh ::