Was I Scottish In An Earlier Life????

Last week hubby and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in Bonny Scotland - the place I love more than anywhere in the world (apart from my bed which is actually my favourite place, ever, ever, ever).

After a hectic year to date the chance to really 'get away from it all' appealed greatly and so we booked ourselves a lovely studio cottage up in the hills. Fifteen miles from the nearest shop and along a dead end single track road. Bliss.

For me, travelling to Scotland must be an adventure (it's the child in me), so our journey began at 4am on Saturday morning when we set off, in the half light to explore the wilds of the north. We made really good time and arrived at our cottage at around 2.30pm after having stocked up in Inverness with obscene amounts of food and alcohol.

It is fair to say that we managed to apply hubby's magic rule of thumb (usually adopted when dining out) in that we spent more money on necessities such as wine, beer and champagne that we did on incidental extras such as meat, vegetables, milk, fruit etc... Well we were on holiday and it was a celebration. Needless to say our waistlines have expanded to suit our ages even more accurately.

During our week we explored the hills around our accomodation and made the most of the peace and quiet. There were deer grazing in and around the garden every day and we spotted countless hawks, a pair of Red Kite, a Lapwing and amazingly were graced with the dulcet tones of a cuckoo in the tree outside at 4am. All this with the distant sound of the rivers, streams and waterfalls made sweet, sweet music. Apart from these few sounds the silence was beatifully deafening.

Exploring further afield during the rest of the week we drove around Loch Carron and visited Plockton on a less than sunny day. The saving grace of the day for my food centric personality was THE most amazing bowl of Cullen Skink that I had for my lunch. It was like nectar. If anyone can recommend a recipe that is idiot proof, then I'd love to hear from you. After a tour around to the Applecross peninsula we headed back to sample some wine and check on our 'pet' deer.

Midweek saw us venture to Ullapool and The Summer Isles which are a sight to behold. Remarkably we were granted beautiful sunshine and the views of the Summer Isles were quite incredible. Hubby decided to dip his toes in the sea and it was surprisingly warm (or so he said). I think he was trying to get me to go skinny dipping and freezing my bits off!

Driving through these small and remote communities made our life in 'the metropolis that is Gobowen' seem fast paced. To me there was a real sense of a time gone by and, I fear, for many of us lost forever. Don't get me wrong, the sunshine we were enjoying was a rare thing indeed and at 4pm on a November evening I am sure life is a whole lot different but for some reason it still really appeals to me. I wonder if perhaps I was Scottish in a previous life? Certainly feels that way when I am there.

On Wednesday we stayed overnight in Ullapool, a purpose built community on the shores of Loch Broome with ferry links to the Isles of Lewis and Harris. As with any port Ullapool has a sense of transition and in many ways lacks a heart but to me that makes it all the more appealing. I love the anonymity of airports, train stations and, by definition, anywhere that is full of comings and goings. All people there with a different life, a different purpose a different view. I love the mystery of it all...

Prior to my imbibing slightly too much celebratory wine we managed to find a spectacular restaurant called The Arch http://www.thearchinn.co.uk/ for our evening meal. One to recommended for sure.

As you can see, despite the wine I was still able to sit on the sea wall without disappearing into the water...quite a feat, believe me.

After a day at Inverewe Gardens on Thursday we ventured back to our 'bolt hole' to spend Friday soaking up the last rays of sunshine and tranquility before our long drive home.

I am always sad to return from holiday but this time it seemed even harder to pull myself away and step back into the real world. It's important to escape sometimes. Does the solar panels a world of good and reminds us all what life is really about.

Stuck for somewhere to go later in the year? Go to Scotland, you won't be disappointed.

GOLDEN NUGGETS ...

Like many people at the moment, I am on a 'try not to do any' spending spree. Money needs to go further than it used to and inevitably that means no expensive treats or impulse buys. As a woman, that particular burden is very hard to bear.

In a moment of melancholic madness I started thinking about things I could do to cheer myself up a bit. Things that wouldn't cost the earth and would make me feel good. Slowly it dawned on me that I already do lots of things that, if I allowed them too, could cheer me up. Incredibly, in my quest for pleasure I have simply stopped appreciating them. Unforgiveable!

This was such a revelation to me that I started to wonder whether others might be in the same situation. Might have lost touch with the simple things in life. The some might say, dull things in life. So, being the generous soul that I am I thought I would share with you some of the items I identified in the hope that you might begin to seek out the little gems in your own life and start to savour them for yourself.

1. Chip Butties


2. Sitting on the sofa with your hubby watching a good film and sharing a bag of Maltesers.


3. Snuggling under the duvet on a dark and cold morning and hearing your neighbour scraping ice off their car windscreen.


4. A smile from a stranger whilst walking down the street.


5. Listening to poetry being recited by a 'dark brown' voice.


6. Admiring a well kept garden (not mine for sure).


7. Spending the afternoon with family and enjoying a good old natter.


8. Hearing children from the local school playing in the playground at lunchtime.


9. Watching an elderly couple walking hand in hand.


10. Birdsong.


11. Getting a card or a letter in the post from a friend.


12. Sharing a joke with friends.


13. A walk in the countryside.


14. Playing a good old fashioned boardgame like scrabble and not needing to win.


15. A mug of hot tea and some thick sliced toast with just a little too much butter.


16. Looking at old photographs and taking a walk down memory lane.


17. Buying a favourite bar of chocolate for someone you love.


18. Taking a trip to the seaside and eating fish and chips in the rain.


19. A long soak in the bath and getting into bed with newly laundered bed linen.


20. Watching a craftsman at work.

Let me know of any I've missed.

ONE WAY TICKET...

In the recent years of the super competitive world we all came to expect more from life. We had higher expectations from everyone and from everything. The need to have recognition, reward and the ‘next best thing’ became the norm. Fortunately, I believe (hope) this is all about to change.

For many, the demand from life still exists and will, I am afraid, ultimately lead to emptiness and sadness. However, I am hopeful that for many of us there is a gradual return to the simple things in life. We are beginning to long for those days when, kindness, personality, manners and ‘a good job well done’ were enough to make us feel a sense of achievement which was reward enough for ourselves. The days of ‘my word is my bond’ are enjoying resurgence and I personally am delighted.

This doesn’t mean that we, as individuals, are no longer ambitious or competitive. Simply that we are slowly beginning to rediscover the simpler things in life. Those core values that once were the mainstay of our society are, thankfully, re emerging as the foundations of our lives both socially and commercially.

Having discovered the extent and complexities of the world beyond our shores the time now seems to have come for us to recognise and accept what is out there. Do what we can to improve the global society but not to the detriment of our own land, and to appreciate the benefit and true value of those near and dear to us.

At the risk of sounding like a ‘hippie’ (and hey man, what if I do?) I sincerely hope that I am correctly interpreting the vibes I get from the people I meet and speak with.

Don’t the vast majority of us just want to get along? Be good neighbours to one another. Enjoy what we have around us and do what we can to protect it?

Don’t we all want to recognise the best of life and try not to dwell on the worst of life?

But most of all,

Don’t we all need to remind ourselves, almost daily, that life is like a one way train ticket; it is ok to nod off along the way, ok to sample the goods from the buffet car but the most important thing is to admire, savour and enjoy the view even when going through a tunnel…

From a Railway Carriage

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,

Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;

And charging along like troops in a battle

All through the meadows the horses and cattle:

All of the sights of the hill and the plain

Fly as thick as driving rain;

And ever again, in the wink of an eye,

Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,

All by himself and gathering brambles;

Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;

And here is the green for stringing the daisies!

Here is a cart runaway in the road

Lumping along with man and load;

And here is a mill, and there is a river:

Each a glimpse and gone forever!

Robert Louis Stevenson