Reflections on a Loch

loch lomond sunset
Originally uploaded by ardub.

Today is a drizzly horrible day in Scotland, and I am left to muse about the last few days, when the sun was actually shining. Ahh memories.

As you know, last weekend Andrea and I went to her relative's caravan at Dalbeattie, near Dumfries in south-western Scotland. It's about 2 hours from where we are living, and the van butts right up onto a field occupied by cows, donkies, and even an amorous horse of two. There is something rather rural at waking up to a cow moo-ing right outside of your caravan window, that's for sure.

The walk up to the toilet/shower block each morning was quite nostalgic, recalling previous Christmas holiday trips with my family and Melbourne relatives.

We were taken to dinner the first night with Willy and Hazel, family friends of Andrea's relatives, who own an on-site van at the park. Watching the wild winds thrash the golf course out the window, while enjoying a glass of red wine, was fun.

The next day we went to Gretna Green, the quickie wedding capital of olde time Scotland. Think Lidia Bennett eloping there in Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and you know what I mean. Or at least pretend you do. Anyway we saw 2 weddings, one of which was preceded by genuine bagpipers, and I do believe Andrea and I may have ended up in the background of a few wedding snaps. Gold.

On the way home we stopped at Ayr, a coastal town that was celebrating the Robbie Burns festival. We couldn't stay though, having already packed up the van and nowhere to stay that night. And the weather had actually turned quite nice on the coast, so that was a bit of a shame. Still, we pledged a return visit to Ayr sometime, so that would be nice.

Then on the public holiday Monday, we were visited by Nat and Susie, the 2 Adelaide girls we met in Turkey. They drove down from Edinburgh to spend the day with us, and we went to Loch Lomond and walked around the loch-side shopping complex.

Then in the late afternoon we went to Dumbarton Castle, the childhood refuge of Mary, Queen of Scots. Ancient and uphill, are the two words I would use to describe the fort castle. But it was beautiful to be visiting something so old - bit of history and culture, and all that.

The weather was perfect on Monday and gave us a great day out in the sunshine.

So all in all, an action-packed few days. But for the rest of this week, with drizzle projected to continue, I think I'll curl up with a library book and a hot cuppa.

Cheers!!