Holiday – Crovie October 2007

We have just returned from a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday at Crovie.

Crovie is a coastal village on the Moray Firth coast of Aberdeenshire. It was like taking a few steps back in time I have to say. For a start you cannot drive your car to the door of the cottage – you have to carry your belongings along a narrow path which is between the houses and the beach and is at times no more then about 1.5 meters wide. A wheel barrow is provided for each house to assist with this process. Here is a picture of the cottage taken just as we were arriving. We stayed in the terracotta coloured one.

The cottage was very comfortable inside as can be seen in the next photo.

Most nights we were treated to a stunning sunset which we tried to capture with the camera. To be honest the camera simply does not do the scene any real justice – here is one of my attempts.

We had a really enjoyable week and certainly managed to ‘chill’ a lot! A delight to be in a location where mobile phones don’t really work very well. It’s amazing how much we seem to depend on that technology these days! I suspect that we will be back there again sometime in the not too distant future 😉

To see some more photos Click Here

To see oursels as ithers see us!

To day I am on leave. Its a bank holiday in Glasgow I have taken the day’s leave and am spending it at home. Mary is working this morning (unfortunately) so we can’t spend the time together. This has left me with some time chill! So far I have watched an episode of Ironside and The Rockford Files and now watching a episode of Due South, after this I will be able to watch Gagney and Lacey – all great blasts from the past. As I have indulged in this relaxation I have also had the laptop to hand and have done a bit of idle browsing.

The laptop is a key part of my work routine so interesting that I should pick it up when on leave. Truth is that as well as being an important part of my work life it is also part of my leisure life too. So I don’t feel like I am working when I am using it this morning 😉

I had a read of John Connells blog to see what he has been writing about – I do find many of his writings interesting, entertaining and sometimes thought provoking too. The following post attracted my attention – click on the link to read it ( its very short)

Know Thyself

It’s a short post but caused me to pause and reflect. This saying has its roots in an Ancient Greek amporphism you can read about it on WikiPedia. My thinking took me through a series of notions including the fact that to “Know Thyself” requires us individually first to reflect on our own thoughts and views to understand what the influences there are that cause us to hold the views we do. Seems to me that we also need to be honest with ourselves in doing this! I think we can sometimes find that we hold come views that if we saw then in other people would might detest!

This then took my thinking process to the words of Robert Burns from the poem

To a Louse which has the following in the last verse

O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us
An foolish notion:
What airs in dress an gait wad lea’es us,
An ev’n devotion!

I have highlighted the words I want to emphasis in italic font! Seems to me that this is real wisdom and and often overlooked concept. If we aspire to “Know Thyself” without taking consideration of how others see use and interpret our words and actions we may continue to act in ways that do not convey effectively our noble intentions.

I am also drawn to quote another writer – from the New Testament this time

Matthew Chapter 7

Judging Others

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Which seems to emphasis the need to “Know Thyself” but in the context of a wider social context. Seems to me that this advice is to examine our own thoughts and motives first before we turn our critical attention towards others. We are, non of us perfect, we all fall short in one way and another. Of course this is only one aspect of knowing ourselves but I do consider this to be good advice regardless of our religious persuasion – this last quotation does come from the Bible.

Well Cagney and Lacey are now fully engaged in solving their latest crime so I should give that some attention now!

Camping Summer 2007

(photo above, sunset over Keswick)

Summer of 2007 and Mary and I are both ready for well earned break from work etc. We have for many years now camped using our trailer tent and have most often spent the time in Keswick – Northern Lake District. This year we had for various reasons had to delay booking a site so it was all a little ‘last minute’ in the end. However, we did make to Keswick for 6 days and nights.

This summer in the UK has been the summer of floods with many examples serious problems both in the north further south of England. Not the best general weather conditions for camping you may think. We are of course hardened campers so we generally go prepared for all sorts of weather.

We set off with no site booking but did hope that we might get on to the Camping and Caravaning site in Keswick – we were aware that rain has made conditions pretty poor under foot there!

Here is a photo I took look out to the lake form the site beach – really one of the most peaceful locations I know for camping.

In the event despite the fact that some people had cancelled there booking we were not able to get a place and headed of to Braithwaite ( 2 mile from Keswick) to the Scotgate campsite which we have used in the past too. This was probably a good thing as the drainage is much better there.

Here is our tent setup at the Braithwaite site – also a lovely setting which is surrounded by hills – this is an ideal site to use as a base if you want to do some hill walking.

We had offered to keep Abbie – Linda’s dog for a few weeks during the summer as she fulfilled various commitments so we were camping with a dog – this was a first for us – but very enjoyable none the less. She adapted very well to the camping routine and slept very well here are a couple of photos of her ! She is real star – when we went for a walk up Keswick high street we had to stop every few minutes with by passers bye saying “O she is so cute!” or “can I stroke her?” or “can I give her a cuddle?”

Here she is tucked up in her bed!

We had a very relaxing time and really enjoyed the weather – which in the end consisted of both rain and sun. Roll on next years camping extravaganza 😉

Click here to see more photos

How did the mystery weekend go?

Well it was a really fine weekend. First surprise was that we were traveling in a Grand Voyager. Comfort for all six passengers. The above pic was taken at the summit of Glenshee not far from the Ski Centre. The weather to pretty awful at the time this was taken – very cold and very windy. But this was not our final destination!

We eventually arrived at a cottage in GlenIsla which was to be our home for the next three nights. Its the white on then photo below

There was no mobile phone coverage at this location and the telephone in the telephone box in the picture was not actually working. So this was a real chance to get away from it all!!!! No phone’s no emails, no text message – real bliss.

We were able walk a bit!

The following photos provide the proof of this!!!!

Some of the scenery was very picturesque. On our second walk we saw a lake which was completely isolated from the public paths and roads etc…. This is one of my favorite photos taken at this spot.

The girls had organised a special treat for the boys – the picture below says it all I think. It was really great fun. There must be a caption for this picture somewhere 😉

On the Saturday we went over the hill to Pitlochery where we met with some old friends. It was really nice to meet them again and renew acquaintances.

This sky was captured on our return journey to the cottage for another evening meal and peaceful night.

Our last excursion was to travel to Loch Tay where we enjoyed some beautiful scenery as shown in the photos below!

Here are the boys,

and here are the girls who managed to do a fantastic job by planning this special weekend right down to the last detail.

This was an outstanding weekend with only one exception. On our last night at the cottage one of our party took ill and had to be taken by ambulance to Accident and Emergency at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee. After suffering severe abdominal pains it was necessary to contact NHS 24 – that was not very easy because the nearby telephone box phone was not working and it was necessary to travel by car about 2.5 miles to get to a point where the mobile signal was reliable. He is now recovering in hospital. This ending took the edge off what was otherwise a perfect weekend. Here is a photo of the ambulance.

I will be publishing more photos from the weekend once I get a chance to sort through the many photos taken.

So what will the boys be arranging for next year??? We will have to be doing some serious planning to equal this years trip.

Well done girls.

You can see more photos by clicking here

Mystery holiday

Well,

Here I am sitting at home on the Thursday morning having a light breakfast! This is unusual for me as I would usually be some where in the central belt – but this is a special weekend. Its the weekend when Mary and I go off with another two couples for a short holiday. In the past the boys have taken responsibility for making the arrangements etc… We have usually gone to either Glasgow or Edinburgh and gone to a show or concert 😉 But this weekend is different! The girls decided to take the initiative and have made all the arrangements.

So we ( the boys ) do not know where we are going – its a mystery!!!!

We have been told to pack casual cloths and walking boots? So I am thinking that we are not going to the city? But where are we going ?? I wonder???

Well we depart at 10 am and I am told that we will simply have to follow instructions from the Sat Nav system? So this is going to be a weekend with a difference! So I intend to have a relaxed time with no email or work to think about!

Could it be an activity weekend – or a visit to a Spa as suggested by on of my work colleagues???? Well all will be revealed soon. I need to go and finish packing etc….

Watch this space for an update 😉

Happy valentines weekend.

If you want to see – here is a link to last years photos when we went to Edinburgh for the weekend when we when to see Shakespear’s “A midsummers night dream” at the Festival Theatre.

Click here to see last years photos