AllanThinks

Loudoun Hill

Click image for a much better view.

 

“I grew up in Europe, where the history comes from.”  -  Eddie Izzard

This is a photograph of Loudoun Hill in East Ayrshire, Scotland. We can see it from where we are staying. We had an even better view of it (as shown in the photograph) the past two days while we stayed at a holiday lodge we rented for the weekend. Click the Loudoun Hill link to see the significance of the above quote.

We rented the Drumboy Lodge for the weekend to give Amber and Len a bit of a break. Not only were they playing host to the four of us, but also a friend of theirs from Belgium and three more children. So we had a total of 5 adults and 9 children hanging out here.

The lodge was a huge place, and a very good deal for the money. It was like we rented an entire Motel 6 for just £90 per night. The place could sleep at least 8 adults comfortably. Alison and I took the 4 oldest kids there the first night, and 5 last night.

It was a great adventure for the kids. I think they are a bit sad that they won't get to stay there again. We are back at Amber and Len's now that the guests from Belgium have returned home.

Today, Ali, C, and I drove to New Lanark to visit this historic mill town. We had a great time and took quite a few photos. I've only managed to get a few of them processed and uploaded to Flickr. You can view the set here.

Tomorrow, we will be visiting Loch Lomond and Mike's old stomping ground.

I'll post more as soon as possible. Stay tuned.

What a Trip!

Hello from Scotland.

We arrived at Amber and Len's late this afternoon. The trip entailed a flight from Paris to Birmingham, England, then another flight from Birmingham to Glasgow with a two and a half hour layover between them.

Both flights were bumpy due to weather. The landing in Glasgow was a roller coaster ride due to very high winds.

Our drive out to the house in a rental car was tame in comparison despite the fact I drove the 50 or so miles on the wrong (at least for me) side of the road. Something I have never done before.

I got us all here without killing a living being. Most especially the four of us.

We've eaten dinner, Alison and Amber have gotten a start on the preparation of future meals, and the kids are all in bed (although I'm pretty sure they all aren't yet asleep).

I think I'm ready for a nightcap.

I'm an idiot.

Either that, or I am just way too anxious to get this trip started.

My sister called the other day and offered to drive us to the airport. She asked me what time our flight was, and I looked at the printout of our itinerary, and told her it left at 4:55 p.m.

We arranged for her to get us to the airport by 3 p.m. I always believe the airlines and the TSA when they say you should check in 2 hours in advance for international trips. I've been bitten in the ass before by not being at the airport that early.

So, Jo Ann picks us up and gets us to the airport a bit after 3. We check in only to discover our flight is at 5:55 p.m. rather than 4:55 p.m. I retrieved the itinerary from my backpack and sure enough it shows a 5:55 departure.

Can I get a super-sized order of Duh?

Luckily, the airport has free wireless so we can amuse ourselves for the next two hours.

Let's hope the rest of the trip goes more smoothly

OK

By now you have all read Alison's latest post, and know that tomorrow we are heading to Scotland by way of Paris.

We will be staying with Amber and Len, who have moved back to Scotland from Belgium, where we visited them last December. We will have a rental car and plan to do some exploring while there. We plan to visit at least one of Alison's ancestral homes.

Ali and her kids have never been to Scotland, but I traveled there as a teen to visit my brother Mike, who was stationed there with the U.S. Navy.I hope we will be able to visit where he lived and worked, too.

We will have our cameras and our computers with us, and will try to post updates and pictures while there.

Stay tuned.

And in other news...

Alison and I removed the carpet in the master bedroom this weekend.

Despite the room being full of furniture, including a very heavy bed, the job went smoothly and was completed in less than a day. I guess the experience of doing the same in the dining room and living room taught us a few things.

And now it is time for us to begin packing. More about that later.

Retail therapy is the best kind of all.

When Alison started working at Curves a few weeks ago, I would drop her off there each day and return home where I would try to amuse myself until it was time to go pick her up at the end of her shift.

One day I got a bug up my butt and decided to rearrange the living room furniture. The weather was turning cold and we had discussed having a fire in the fireplace that night. When I got back to the house, I got the Shop-Vac out and gave the fireplace a good cleaning, then brought in a load of firewood and stacked it in the fireplace.

When I was done with that, I took a look at the new sofa across the room, and decided it was too far away from the fireplace. So I moved it, and the coffee table, into the middle of the room, so that we would sit closer to the fireplace.

This was the result.

It was instantly more intimate. Alison was pleased with the result when I brought her home from work that evening.

Is it necessary that you do that all the time?

Click image for a much better view.

Posted for Cat Blog Friday, the Friday Ark, and the Carnival of the Cats.

Imagined Conversation

Bill: Look at all those people talking about you.

Scarlett: Yeah. I didn't believe my agent when he said issuing a press release about me recording an album of Tom Waits covers would generate a lot of buzz.

Bill: Always trust your agent. He knows of what he speaks.

Scarlett: Yeah. I'll never doubt him again.

Bill: Yeah.

Scarlett: But I guess now I will have to record the album.

Bill: Yeah. I think that would be wise.

Scarlett: Bill?

Bill: Yeah?

Scarlett: Who's Tom Waits?

Did you just take my picture? No, really. Did. You. Take. My. Picture? You know how annoyed I get when you take my picture. When are you going to stop doing it? When?

Click image for a much better view.

Posted for Cat Blog Friday, the Friday Ark, and the Carnival of the Cats.

ghosts in the coffee house

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Alison and I can't get enough of Third Street Stuff & Coffee.

It is an eclectic gift shop and coffee house in downtown Lexington. We visit at least a couple of times a week, and we like to take our cameras with us.

You never know what, or who, you might find there.

I think I'll get up off this comfy sofa and pounce on that fake mouse. Not!

Click image for a much better view.

Maybe I'll just stare it into submission...

Posted for the Friday Ark, Cat Blog Friday, and the Carnival of the Cats.

So...

Does anybody know where we might obtain some dry Stri-Dex pads?

The cat won't settle for anything else when we apply his zit medicine. Cotton balls won't do, nor will Q-Tips.

He is such a skin care diva.

Lucky Shot

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This shot was easier to get than the cat is going to be to catch when it comes time to apply his Kitty Clearasil®.

Kitty Zits

Our cat has acne. I guess feline adolescence isn't any different than the human kind.

A couple of weeks ago, Alison noticed a scaly patch on Mr. Jones's chin. It was dark and scab-like.

We had to take him to the vet's office today for a feline leukemia booster and we asked the nurse to look at the patch when she took him back to give him the shot.

When she returned, in addition to the cat, she was carrying a medicine bottle full of the cat version of Oxy 10. We have to 'apply it to the affected area' twice a day.

Wish us luck on that.