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

I’ll be rejoining my parents soon; it will be a quiet night, with jigsaws and rearranging of bags. I have my British helmet stuffed with socks and things in my rucksack; I hope it makes it okay.

We went out for a drive towards Gairloch, a beautiful place on the coast. The weather was very wild, with rain and strong winds; at one point two magnificent red deer stags were in the road, bounding out of the way, one in each direction; later, we startled a third, noting how gracefully and effortlessly it leapt over the fence: they are powerful creatures in more ways than one. I felt rather blessed and peaceful.

When we parked up the top of the hill, the wind was so strong that it moved the car from side to side (not on its wheels, but it buffeted!) I refrained from going out there, but I took a picture or two nonetheless.

We turned around at a little place called Little Gruinard and went home in the twilight and the dark. Here, headlamps seem to be placed on mega-bright and it’s incredibly blinding when they come right at you. The polite people dim the lights, but they’re still way sharp. It was full black by five, and felt much later. The night is really night here. ;-)

So, that’s it. This time tomorrow I’ll be down in Hitchin, where I used to live, and with a bit of luck will be catching up with the two friends who saw me off to America over seven years ago. I got a bit teary and they told me to stop it and bog off and have a grand adventure. I certainly did - and I still am. I realise that I have the best of two worlds, and am looking forward to taking advantage of that to its fullest extent over the next few years.

Wish me luck. :-)

I will be back in my California land on Tuesday, around 7 pm local time - that is about 3 am Weds, UK time. I’ll drop a line in LJ to say “I’m safe”, but I’ll probably need time to catch up and won’t be around in any real form until after the weekend. :-)

G’nite, all. Over and out. :-)

11th November

In the morning we went Christmas shopping. I met an Irish-sounding Canadian who was now running a card shop in Inverness.

They had a nice street fair, European with several different languages wafting around.

I don’t like shopping, and I ran out of steam - luckily, everyone is now supplied with at least one present.

Saw several extra plaques on the way to the theatre - a whole new area of Inverness to play with when I return. ;-)

We had lunch at the food court at the mall. I noticed that there was a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop upstairs. Bliss!

Afterwards we headed off to Culloden, site of the final and fateful battle of the Jacobites (Bonnie Prince Charlie supporters) and the British army. The Jacobites got creamed. Their mass graves remain, sorted by clan with some simply stating “mixed clan”. On my previous two visits I never noticed the mounds; I thought that the stones for each clan were just markers. But they were graves, and some of them had flowers still laid there; a poignant reminder that these men are not forgotten.

It was a cold and blustery day, and the sky was dark - a perfect day to reflect on Veteran’s Day stuff and contemplate the nature of the universe, which still has war in it: we should know better by now.

The moorland is bleak and covered in gorse and heather - not good stuff for charging. My parents went inside and I took a solo walk around the perimeter. The National Trust has done a good job of putting up signs - both to explain the features and to show which clan was where, based on contemporary accounts. I passed a field of fluffy black sheep with curly horns, and they passed before me like…a field of fluffy black sheep with curly horns. ;-)

When I got back I was about to check out the little preserved cottage where the Brits did their surgery type stuff (most soldiers so medicked died of gangrene later) but the film came on and we rushed in to see it. The theme tune was a lament in Gaelic - a wild-sounding language and haunting.

I had hunted stuff online at Historic Scotland, and found Clava Cairns near Culloden. I found that while I was in the Culloden battlefield, Mam and Dad had asked for directions and knew exactly where they were going. ;-)

Clava Cairns is a set of three well-preserved burial cairns in a walled-off, woody enclosure. There is a fourth, miniature cairn. You can walk into two of the three - the other has no obvious passageway. They would have been covered with a domed roof, but are now open on top. Each of the three major cairns is surrounded by an impressive stone circle.

The stone circles felt unfriendly - like guardians. Given the nature of the site this is not surprising. I felt a shiver as I explored, especially when I stayed still for a little while. My Dad fell and skinned his elbow. :-(

I was intrigued that the stone circle formed part of the fence, one stone was on the opposite side of the narrow lane, and then curved inwards. In other words, they built around the circle instead of pulling up stones.

We got there just in time because a minibus load of hikers showed up next (yes, I know, a contradiction in terms ;-) and people swarmed over the site. I like to visit my stone circles alone to get a feel for them.

12th November

In the morning we picked up Anne and went to a series of gift shops. It wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I saw some fun (and expensive) stuff. First stop was Brodie’s which is the National Trust tourist trap associated with Brodie Castle. We did go look at Brodie Castle but it was closed and freezing cold out - literally only one degree over freezing, with a sting to the air that made me think of snow.

Then we went to a kitchen/food shop where I nibbled the cheese samples (exquisitely rich) and declined to actually purchase anything.

Then we went to the San Francisco Music Box company, which I like a bit better because I met the owners just as they were setting up last time, and it was nice to see them thriving and still as friendly and willing to chat as before. I admired the pretty jewellery - I seldom am in a situation where I like to wear it, but I did enjoy this stuff - my favourite was a silver necklace with little opals of various colours. I opened a lot of music boxes and let them play little tinkling tunes. ;-)

While we were there, it snowed…and the mountains got a thick dusting in the distance.

We dropped Anne off home a bit later and I got to hang out for a short while, chatting to my brother. He’s very busy and time with him is precious, but he does seem to be doing well and looks well. Bethany showed me the Sims and Anne played the keyboard; it was a nice evening.

13th November

Went shopping to Dingwall in the morning. Took a look in at the farmer’s market. Got finished up with some data acquiring and did a few tweaks online.

Anne, Ian, Bethany and Lauren came over for tea. We had fun, but this is family stuff and private. It was also the first of the sad farewells, though I hope to come back a lot sooner than everyone expects - and not in two and a half years, which is how long it was since my last visit.

It’s possible that this is my last update, since I’ll be heading down to Hitchin tomorrow and the day after back to California. The time started to run really quickly. It always happens that way.

11th November

In the morning we went Christmas shopping. I met an Irish-sounding Canadian who was now running a card shop in Inverness.

They had a nice street fair, European with several different languages wafting around.

I don’t like shopping, and I ran out of steam - luckily, everyone is now supplied with at least one present.

Saw several extra plaques on the way to the theatre - a whole new area of Inverness to play with when I return. ;-)

We had lunch at the food court at the mall. I noticed that there was a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop upstairs. Bliss!

Afterwards we headed off to Culloden, site of the final and fateful battle of the Jacobites (Bonnie Prince Charlie supporters) and the British army. The Jacobites got creamed. Their mass graves remain, sorted by clan with some simply stating “mixed clan”. On my previous two visits I never noticed the mounds; I thought that the stones for each clan were just markers. But they were graves, and some of them had flowers still laid there; a poignant reminder that these men are not forgotten.

It was a cold and blustery day, and the sky was dark - a perfect day to reflect on Veteran’s Day stuff and contemplate the nature of the universe, which still has war in it: we should know better by now.

The moorland is bleak and covered in gorse and heather - not good stuff for charging. My parents went inside and I took a solo walk around the perimeter. The National Trust has done a good job of putting up signs - both to explain the features and to show which clan was where, based on contemporary accounts. I passed a field of fluffy black sheep with curly horns, and they passed before me like…a field of fluffy black sheep with curly horns.

When I got back I was about to check out the little preserved cottage where the Brits did their surgery type stuff (most soldiers so medicked died of gangrene later) but the film came on and we rushed in to see it. The theme was a lament in Gaelic - a wild-sounding language and haunting.

I had hunted stuff online at Historic Scotland, and found Clava Cairns near Culloden. I found that while I was in the Culloden battlefield, Mam and Dad had asked for directions and knew exactly where they were going. ;-)

Clava Cairns is a set of three well-preserved burial cairns in a walled-off, woody enclosure. There is a fourth, miniature cairn. You can walk into two of the three - the other has no obvious passageway. They would have been covered with a domed roof, but are now open on top. Each of the three major cairns is surrounded by an impressive stone circle.

From the inside, the stone circles felt unfriendly - like guardians. Given the nature of the site this is not surprising. I felt a shiver in my legs and gut as I explored, especially when I stayed still for a little while. My Dad fell and skinned his elbow. :-(

I was intrigued that the stone circle formed part of the fence, one stone was on the opposite side of the narrow lane, and then curved inwards. In other words, they built around the circle instead of pulling up stones. :-)

We got there just in time because a minibus load of hikers showed up next (yes, I know, a contradiction in terms ;-) and people swarmed over the site. I like to visit my stone circles alone to get a feel for them.

12th November

In the morning we picked up Anne and went to a series of gift shops. It wasn’t really my cup of tea, but I saw some fun (and expensive) stuff. First stop was Brodie’s which is the National Trust tourist trap associated with Brodie Castle. We did go look at Brodie Castle but it was closed and freezing cold out - literally only one degree over freezing, with a sting to the air that made me think of snow.

Then we went to a kitchen/food shop where I nibbled the cheese samples (exquisitely rich) and declined to actually purchase anything.

Then we went to the San Francisco Music Box company, which I like a bit better because I met the owners just as they were setting up last time, and it was nice to see them thriving and still as friendly and willing to chat as before. I admired the pretty jewellery - I seldom am in a situation where I like to wear it, but I did enjoy this stuff - my favourite was a silver necklace with little opals of various colours. I opened a lot of music boxes and let them play little tinkling tunes. ;-)

While we were there, it snowed…and the mountains got a thick dusting in the distance.

We dropped Anne off home a bit later and I got to hang out for a short while, chatting to my brother. He’s very busy and time with him is precious, but he does seem to be doing well and looks well. Bethany showed me the Sims and Anne played the keyboard; it was a nice evening.

13th November

Went shopping to Dingwall in the morning. Took a look in at the farmer’s market. Got finished up with some data acquiring and did a few tweaks online.

Anne, Ian, Bethany and Lauren came over for tea. We had fun, but this is family stuff and private. It was also the first of the sad farewells, though I hope to come back a lot sooner than everyone expects - and not in two and a half years, which is how long it was since my last visit.

It’s possible that this is my last update, since I’ll be heading down to Hitchin tomorrow and the day after back to California. The time started to run really quickly. It always happens that way. :-(

9th November

We went to Ullapool today, via Blackwater Falls. Again, it was forecast as sunshine and showers, and verily did we get both. In Ullapool itself we had a true downpour, but we were safe and cosy inside and by the time we got out, it had gone away.

Ullapool is up the coast, more into the mountains. Blackwater Falls is the place I was thinking I was going to yesterday, but didn’t. Looking at my photos again I note with some embarrassment that *this* is where we hung around and waited for the sunshine to light everything up, and where we also found the loo of the year. I need to figure out the discipline to write things down a bit sooner.

We went past a dam where my ex and I once took a walk which didn’t quite work out as planned; I hurt my foot and descending was difficult and caused my parents a lot of worry. That was before mobile phones were ubiquitous, but it worked out in the end. We were forgiven - and I’m not sure if that didn’t mark the end of my real hill-walking days. It’s frustrating when one’s feet are not up to the job, when the rest of you - legs, hips, stamina etc. - are doing just fine.

We stopped at a couple of lochs along the way for moody photographs and wind-blown hair. You go through fine moorland - some people don’t like the moors, but I am a Moore, and I love them. Yes, they’re bleak and monotonous, but it’s that very wildness and emptiness which attracts me to them. Most of our lives are too full to begin with, so the space is really cleansing.

In time we made it to Ullapool, one of the ports which will get you to the Orkney Isles. We did some browsing in tourist shops, and wandered around the harbour, where we saw a seal up close and personal, swimming through the water. There were fishing boats and piles of fishing gear; this is a working type place, though also a tourist centre (I actually don’t like the tourist part of it; I find the fishing part of it more interesting).

We nipped into a café for lunch. Had fish and chips and verily were they tasty - and copious. I don’t even want to think about how much good Weight Watchers TM work I have undone these last weeks. ;-)

After lunch, Dad drove us up the road a bit further so I could get a glimpse of Stac Pollaidh - pronounced Stack Polly - an old favourite. I think it’s a volcanic upshoot, and it rises right up from the valley floor and has a narrow ridge and a crinkly top. I have climbed it and worked the mobile ham radio from up there. It’s a wonderful view. But what I got a huge smile from was when I got up there, every single sheep turned around to look at me. I was the most exciting thing that had happened to them all day.

We tried to take the Gairloch coastal road on the way home, but the weather changed and it began to rain, so it seemed pointless - it’s a twisty road and lots of effort if you can’t see the marvellous scenery. But I wasn’t at all disappointed, and came home well-fed and happy with life.

In the evening we looked out for an aurora. It’s a new moon and the sky was so bright, sans moon, that I am pretty sure there was an event going on - but I still haven’t seen the Northern Lights.

10th November

In the morning Dad took me down to Fortrose so that I could visit its ruined cathedral. It’s made of red sandstone and must once have been very grand, but I found it disappointing that it’s fenced off and you can’t walk inside, like you could at Beauly Abbey. I find that when you’re inside you get a better feel for a place, but this was like viewing an art gallery - you can only view it passively.

A funeral started at the church next door; a piper in a kilt moved outside and started to play. It’s a sad, plaintive sound, one I’ve always found stirring. When you get a bunch of pipes together and do the harmonies, it’s absolutely bone-tingling. We were intruding, though, and got out of the way to leave them in peace. (I overheard the foreman of a group of workmen telling his team that there was a funeral on so they wouldn’t be doing any loud hammering or other such until it was open - there was a real air of respect.)

We headed next to Dingwall; I needed a bit more cash since I was soon to be embarking on Christmas shopping. In the bank, we bumped into Annie who was doing her weekly shop. I’m not sure who was more pleased, her or me. :: grin ::

Later, Anne showed up with Lauren. We spent a pleasant hour or so together, chatting and playing. Lauren has some Playpeople (Playmobil now) which I used to play with when I was a kid. We pushed them around together. She has a rich imaginary life and we had fun. When it came to putting the nurse and doctor Playmobils on the cowboy horses, I let her win the race. ;-)

At the end we walked out to buy eggs from the local freerange chicken place.

Things I have seen: red kites, soaring effortlessly above the field. They live up to their name with tawny foliage and a compact, efficient build. Snow on the Ben (not THE Ben, but the local Munro, which is a mountain over 3000’ and with certain other criteria - 277 in Scotland. I have climbed several, including at least half of the eight 4000-plus-footers. I have climbed the highest mountain in the British Isles on one of its rare fine days. The view is something I’ll never forget.) The snow only lasted overnight, like speckles of icing sugar. Rainbows, bright and colourful or pale and ghost-like.

I was just able to pick up a broken laptop of my flavour laptop, the only good part being…the screen!

Poor Little Broken Laptop will live again - and I have a few more years to get rich enough to afford the tiny kind! ;-)

And there was much rejoicing. :-)

8th November

The forecast today was “sunshine and showers” so we set out to see what happened. First we went to Strathpeffer, which is a Victorian resort complete with hotels and an old railway station, now converted to little shops. Of interest to me was the Eagle Stone, an ancient marker stone carved with the image of an eagle which one reaches by a leafy footpath. Mam and I both like to kick the leaves to make a swishing sound, so we had fun.

The stone had a certain charm to it and must once have been lonely and magnificent. Now, it’s in an urban place, but they did make an effort to give it some space, not like the stone circles that are on the village green in places like Aberystwyth.

Once we’d had a look around the town, we went home for lunch, but first we stopped by the Neil Gunn memorial. You go waaay high up above the glen, and it’s a memorial to a writer who loved to go hill walking, and no wonder. From up there you can see just how lush and green the area is, farmland and loch and grass and woods. It’s a fitting tribute and he must have been well-loved.

In the afternoon, we went to Shin Falls. This is a beautiful set of falls not too far away, but I’d have to get up and look at a map to tell you exactly where. Here I discovered the amusing Loo of the Year Awards, which I’m sure will provide me much entertainment for years to come. The loo in question, if you’re interested, is a small wooden hut with grass growing on the roof. No, I’m not kidding. They planted a lawn there.

Back to Shin Falls - the salmon come this way when they are returning to their breeding grounds. No salmon at this time of year though. The water is brown because of all the peat. At first we thought it would be dull, but the sun came out and what a difference it made to all the photographs!

You can view it from an old bridge nearby and also from a couple of fenced off platforms. I felt relaxed and happy there. The trees are covered in long lichen; that is, it grows and kind of dangles off the branches. It’s light green and sort of eerie, but is simply a function of the damp.

There’s also a touristy gift shop there which is fine if you want touristy things. ;-) It’s owned by Harrods, from way down in London. As such, most everything was overpriced.

Later, we went past Carbisdale Castle, aka Castle Spite. The signs are in English and Gaelic, which is cool in and of itself, but the actual story is a real hoot and an exercise in historical pettiness. I loved it and will reproduce it later.

We went home on the other side of Dornoch Firth, and passed Skibo Castle where Madonna had her latest wedding. There’s another ruined castle down that way as well, but we couldn’t find out its name.

This - Scotland - is a gorgeous, magical place. But I’ve known that for most of my life. ;-)

While out today we remarked on how cold it was suddenly. There was a bitter twist to the air that wasn’t there before. I thought that maybe there would be snow.

We saw that snow had fallen on the mountains later, and lo and behold, as we reached the San Francisco Music Box company, white stuff fell from the sky. Right now it’s blowing a hooly out there but we’re safe and toasty. The snow won’t settle, but it’s fun to have seen a little anyway. :-)

Only two more full days in Scotland, then a day in Hitchin, then a day to travel back to the USA.

6th November

Went to the post office and bought stamps. The international stuff took a long time because the lady had to look everything up in the Book Of All Things Royal Mail. Not many people send postcards to the USA from Culbokie, but it’s worth asking because it’s a cheaper rate.

It was kind of funny because first she had run out of 1p stamps and needed to dig more out of the drawers, and them she ran out of airmail stickers and had to dig more of those out of the drawers.

One must not be in a hurry on the Black Isle, and indeed in most of the Highlands.

We then proceeded to visit a craft fair in the middle of nowhere. Lots of single lane roads with passing places. They are replacing the traditional diamond passing place signs with square ones. The square ones suck. They’re just not right - what *are* they thinking???

Mam made zlikrofi today. They’re a Slovene speciality and a real treat. Pictures and description some other time. They don’t last long. Dee-LICIOUS! :: smile ::

Craft fair - nice enough but I wasn’t shopping, so I left and wandered up and down the country lanes and took pictures of trees and mossy dry stone walls and other such pretties.

In the evening, pretending we hadn’t heard the weather forecast, we head down to Cromarty for the bonfire party. Again, I wrote a travel article about this, but it was awesome. To say it was an organised do, it was almost completely hands-on. We were only feet from the show, they burnt a boat (very pagan!) and as the rain started to pour they stoically carried on anyway, adding fireworks only a few at a time. The entire crowd endured the rain and cheered at all the right points. :: giggle :: One guy had to light a catherine wheel with a blowtorch. They have a different attitude to things over here in Scotland :: smile ::

All these fireworks and things made me feel very happy. I had missed this time of year, lots of celebrations of light of various kinds. In Germany there was a saint’s day and that involved lights and candles too. I love it.

7th November

This was a family day. My nieces were dropped off first and, armed with booty, er, presents, I was able to break the ice. Bethany immediately started fixing up her Native American house and making plans for it, and told me about her Viking project and her Indians project. Lauren plonked herself on my knee and we coloured teddy bears in purple and orange, and did dot-to-dot puzzles. She gets most of them right. ;-)

When Anne and Ian came back, we all chatted and had a huge traditional Sunday lunch and afterwards “Gran and Dandad” remained home so the rest of us could go to a garden centre. It was nice. Just a bit of time to be together.

Bethany had been nattering for sparklers and was feeling deprived because she was missing out on a fireworks party this year. I eventually let drop that I bought a box of fireworks and got an enthusiastic hug. I am now Super Cool Wicked Auntie Linda. :: bow :: ;-)

So when it got dark we let off rockets and fireworks. I ignited a few of my own. The little one didn’t like the loud ones that much and Anne and she ended up watching from the car. The neighbours let off a few of their own, and there were flashes of light elsewhere. I should have made jack-o-lanterns from turnips, but forgot. Aside from that it was great. (We forgot the Catherine wheel though.)

Finished up with sparklers galore. They were so welcome that next time I’ll buy lots more. I really got my money’s worth from the fireworks; they last a lot longer these days. And it was a beautiful clear night from which one could see the Milky Way, right out there from the back garden. Magnificent.

3rd November

Today was our trip down Loch Ness to see Urquhart Castle. I’ve been coming this way since I was six years old, but have never actually been to the castle. It was awesome.

The weather was decent for the most part; had a couple of showers but it was primarily bright, if cold. (One would not expect anything other in Scotland at this time of year.) We took a couple of stops along the way, and I found historical markers all over the place. I guess there is no shortage in the region. ;-)

Loch Ness was glassy and clear. I remember standing by the waterside being encouraged to shout “Ness-ie!” in case the monster came up for a photo call. Wouldn’t we have been surprised if she had ;-)

Urquhart Castle itself is fantastic. It’s one of the few properties that Historic Scotland charges for, which in and of itself gives you a few clues. They look after ancient sites and ruins, as well as designating less impressive properties listed buildings or scheduled ancient monuments, but the ones with a price tag attached are the crème de la crème.

You go in through the visitor centre, and there’s a surprise, which I won’t spoil here because some of you might eventually go. Then you come out and are looking down on the castle with green lawns and a magnificent view over Loch Ness. The castle was voluntarily blown up in the 17th century to prevent the Jacobites from using it - typical - so it’s more ruinous than it might have been. But a lot is left, along with good paths and you can go up the main tower on a dizzying, worn spiral staircase. Like all good castles it has its nooks and crannies, but it also has some magnificent views and a fantastic atmosphere. I was transported back to childhood as I explored - my parents went at a more sedate pace and let me get on with it - I was glad of all the gym time as I wasn’t as breathless as I might otherwise have been, climbing steps and all sorts.

Eventually I considered myself done, so we went back and I bought multiple souvenirs and came out with a wad of brochures and information, like a good little travel writer.

Then we went down the road to Fort Augustus, whereupon it began to rain proper. Fort Augustus has locks in the Caledonia Canal, but I didn’t pay enough attention to it and will explore that aspect sometime when it isn’t soggy and cold. It’s a bit of a tourist trap, and I was tired, so we were there mainly so that Mam could poke around the tourist and craft shops, as she enjoys. Sharing is good.

4th November

My brother came round briefly in the morning with a flat screen monitor for my laptop. At least I can use it to write now! It was lovely to see him, he looked well.

We went to Inverness in the morning, so that I could wander around looking at old Victorian buildings, of which there were plenty. We went up to the castle - now used as a court - with its Flora McDonald statue, complete with seagull on her head. There were quite a lot of plaques set out and I found a nice round one that neither parents had ever seen. They apparently can’t wander around without seeing plaques and thinking about me. One day they might even join - but not before the Highlands gets Broadband (July next year - whee!)

I like Inverness. It’s a bit like a small Glasgow but it has its own charm. It’s of a manageable size while still feeling like a city.

Afterwards, we went to Beauly where I treated my parents to a pub lunch. I had a rather tasty but intriguing ploughman’s. Ploughman’s lunches are usually cheese, salad, pickle and a slab of bread. This one had all that, but also rice, coleslaw, grated cheese, and a lot of other stuff. We think they decided they would put a bit of everything in the kitchen on the plate. ;-)

When we got out we were going to Beauly Priory, but the skies opened and it poured, so we didn’t. Instead we took the long drive home via Cromarty, which is a lovely old fishing village. There, it poured gratuitously for a few minutes as we hung out by a marker commemorating the immigrants who went to America, forced out during the time of the Clearances. Then it stopped raining and we went for a little look around. It was a nice old place and I enjoyed it very much. The streets weren’t quite cobbled, but you can imagine they were once - that time isn’t so far in the past. Here, Hugh Miller was born - we looked at his cottage - I should think this was a good place to write in. At this time of year nothing much is open, and we weren’t in that kind of mood anyway.

5th November

Remember remember the 5th of November! Today was Bonfire Night, the first one I’ve been in the right country for in years and years. I suspect my last one must have been in 1996, though I don’t actually remember it - because in 1997 I was in the USA.

Mam made bonfire food for lunch - hard treacle toffee, pork pie and mushy peas. I was impressed. (Never mind if you’re not British - it’s something you probably have to grow up with - like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ;-)

In the morning though we went to visit her friend from the craft classes, Annie. Annie’s special. She’s 92, but you can’t tell - she’s awfully sprightly. A native born Scot who speaks Gaelic, she has a wealth of stories. Apparently she was in food service to one of the English lords, and would travel round as part of his itinerary (I’m not sure if that’s the right word - it means the staff who travel round with the moneyed guy to wait on him). Only the tales she was telling made us all laugh out loud - the lord used to play with dolls and grapes, and that’s as much as I‘m saying right now because there is surely a story in this ;-). She has a great sense of humour which is very dead-pan and matter-of-fact and I wish I had a lot more time to listen and chat and maybe take notes. She took a shine to me too, not sure why. ;-)

We went to the supermarket too and had a good look around. I was thinking of buying mushy peas and so forth and Dad headed me off at the pass, very skilfully I might add. See the above paragraph. ;-)

Checked in; I made a fateful decision to put my laptop in checked baggage. You already know what that led to.

But it sure was nice to be unburdened for a short time. Next time I will be buying hand luggage with wheels. ;-)

The departure lounge was much nicer than arrivals, and it would have been nice to get through the previous night. I called my parents to say I really was on my way, and then screen-watched until the gate was announced, and headed up. I was one of the first on the plane and got a groovy seat - second row in, window. This allowed me to enjoy the view as we flew over pretty English rolling countryside, above the clouds, and then down above the awesome Highlands with steep, grey drops and lochs nestled in the glens. It wasn’t a long flight, only an hour or so - the plane arrived some twenty minutes early, and my parents were there waiting for me. Happy reunions. :-)

Got my luggage, complete with trashed laptop screen - luckily the laptop does still work, and is now hooked up to a flat screen care of my big brother. We will have to hook it into the Borg, whoops, network when I get back, as it’s now useless as a portable and would probably cost as much to fix as to replace. I know I said I wanted a lighter one eventually, with USB but this is a kind of ridiculous way of getting my wish. ;-)

We stopped at Borders for coffee in Starbucks. It made me laugh. I come five thousand miles, and I’m snacking in Borders and Starbucks. :-) I showed off a bit by ordering the appropriate sizes and combinations. Coffee-buying used to be simple in my youth. ;-)

We took a slightly long way round so that I could remember some of the local scenery, which I did. It’s full-blown Fall here, and the trees are glorious: all copper and red and yellow, their leaves spiralling slowly to the ground as you drive along. I have never been to Scotland at this time of year before, so it’s novel and beautiful and there is a lot of it.

After that we came home and I settled in. I eventually sorted out which doors went to actual rooms and which go to closets. There are lots of doors here, and a pretty view out of the back window, and a bird table out front from which I’ve seen a great many familiar faces: great, blue and coal tits, robins, blackbirds, thrushes, dunnocks and sparrows, collared doves, greenfinches and chaffinches. It’s great to be in a place where I recognise the wild birds.

The house is on the edge of farmland, and in the background is a woodland where you can wander around if you want. There are “sausage” hay bales in the field, and every morning so far there has been a different scene for me to enjoy. Sunrise tends to be pale here, at least in my limited experience, and the first morning when I woke up around seven or so, there was frost on the ground and a bit of ghostly mist. I went out into the garden and left footprints gratuitously in the frosty grass. ;-)

2nd November

In the morning we headed to Dingwall, local shopping centre and source of plaques and war memorials for Markeroni. Dad and I went wandering about while Mam did what she had to. It was cold and crisp, but dry. The buildings there are old and functional, made of grey stone; there‘s Victorian influence, but nothing too ornate. It still amuses me that *everything* there is in some wise older than California’s statehood.

We nipped into a newsagent’s where I bought postcards and, on a whim, a box of fireworks and some sparklers. These are the first fireworks I’ve ever bought, so I guess I am all grown-up now. Allegedly. ;-)

They were stored in an ice-cream freezer. Growing up, all you could get were Standard fireworks, but these are called Cosmic, and I got the Mars boxed set. For ten pounds I got nearly two dozen fireworks and two packets of sparklers, and they turned out to be a bargain. More about that later.

We had to go over to Rosemarkie to babysit Lauren, my nearly-four-year-old niece. My sister in law, Anne, was heading off to work and Ian, my brother, was doing work-related stuff away from home. It was nice to see Anne, however briefly. The afternoon was spent in entertaining a very happy little girl who accepted me immediately and without question, meeting my older niece briefly between school and Brownies (Bethany is nine now) and writing postcards. Then we had tea, and went home.

I’m missing out all the conversations and catchings up. They’re personal, and not really interesting to anyone else. There is still no broadband in the Highlands, so uploading photographs takes an awfully long time. But I do download my piccies, and write a bit, and have already written two travel articles with many more ideas coming to mind. This place gives me enough space to just be, and the creativity comes flooding back. It’s great. :-)