I’ve been thinking about sudden and unexpected deaths. You know, the kind where someone apparently healthy gets a heart attack and dies.
Tired…
… is how I feel.
Loss is what I sense.
Empty is it what I am?
Here’s a sad song about feeling abandoned that I recorded in a key too low for me: Paul Simon’s The Only Living Boy in New York released in 1970.
A new camera…
… and an old lens.
Yes, after many years with my trusty D70 that most have discarded, I finally made an upgrade to the D600. I passed on the D80, was seriously tempted by the D90, but I held out and I’m glad. The D600 is really a big change and yes, the price was a big upgrade too.
Scotland #18 – A wrong turn – Rogie Falls – Lochcarron – Eilean Donan – Isle of Skye
Note: The day described here really happened on the 23rd of August 2012.
I had a very restful night, thanks to ear plugs that I now bring on trips with fellow travellers who snore loudly. It’s their problem if I’m the one snoring and they don’t have ear plugs right? So other than the tea coloured water at Aultguish Inn, I thought nothing of the stay until it was time to load the car.
When I got to the car, I found the front passenger’s window wound down completely. That was curious. It was raining when we arrived and it was cold and the heater in the car was on. I loaded up the car anyway. Then I walked to the driver’s side and discovered that window too, wound completely down.
I started thinking – could the windows have dropped into the door? Because that was what happened to one of our Nissan’s? But it’d be a huge coincidence if BOTH windows did that at the same time.
And then I noticed something else. The locks were also up… And I was sure I double checked locking the doors the night before.
I wondered if there were some people in the middle of nowhere who had taken the car out for a joyride.
What I haven’t mentioned is this: The room had three double beds. And my parents ended up in the same bed in the morning. This again is odd, as they can sleep on their own quite happily when necessary.
But it turned out my mother felt a bony man enter her bed in the middle of the night, and so clambered into my father’s bed after the bony man had left.
And so… that is how an ordinary stay at an inn along the highway made it’s impression on us.
Aultguish Inn. I may never forget the name.
Scotland #17 – Smoo Caves – Durness – North West Highlands Geopark – Elphin – Aultguish Inn
Note: This happened on the 22nd of August 2012.
Just before the town of Durness, if you are coming from the direction of Tongue, is Smoo Caves. I had read about Smoo Caves and was looking forward to the visit.
Scotland #16 – Lairg – Brora – John O’ Groats – Castle of Mey – Dunnet Head – Thurso – Tongue
Note: This all happened 21st of August 2012.
From the little town of Lairg, we headed back out to the coast. From here on, it was an easy drive.
Our first stop is an unplanned one at Brora just for the toilet at the public car park.
There was a sign board there on the history of the town, and a path you could walk. It was not very long, so we decided to walk it. They used to harvest salt here and this town was the first in North Scotland to get electricity.
Scotland #15 – Whitebridge – Inverness Dolphins – Bonar Bridge – Falls of Shin – Lairg
Note: Events described here occurred on the 20th August 2012.
I am only on Day 15 of a 25-day holiday. This is truly taking forever as I try to recall the details of my holiday.
So we leave Whitebridge early to get to Inverness where we planned to take a boat trip out to see if we could catch some Dolphins.
Scotland #14 – Grantown-on-Spey – Dufftown – Findhorn – Loch Ness – Fort Agustus – Whitebridge
Note: 19th August 2012.
After breakfast, we headed down to Dufftown, considered to be the Whiskey Capital of Scotland. We felt obliged that in Scotland, we would at least do one whiskey tour.
Scotland #13 – Banchory – Ballater – Braemar – Grantown-on-Spey
Note: 18th August 2012.
We docked in Aberdeen at around 7:30am and were picked up by the car rental company to get our car at their office at 8:30am. By 9:30am, we were heading out of Aberdeen, possibly the grey-est town, due to the almost exclusive use of granite in buildings, I have ever seen.
Continue reading “Scotland #13 – Banchory – Ballater – Braemar – Grantown-on-Spey”
Scotland #12 – Westray
Note: Really, this was the 17th of August 2012
Westray is the largest north isle of the Orkney islands. And really, I didn’t want to take the 1.5 hour ferry there, and the same back.
But some people didn’t want to stay on the Orkney mainland instead. Which would have been a little more relaxing.