Our run of great weather has continued through the weekend, a phenomenon that has become increasingly rare. I know it just sounds like Murphy's Law that it always rains on the weekend, but it has felt like a truism the last few months. But this weekend was different. Warm temperatures in the mid teens, with blue sky and lots of sunshine. If you stay at home with weather like this, than you should probably consider moving away - Scotland's not for you.
Saturday we piled the car full of golf clubs and caddies and struck out for Inchmarlo, one of the local courses with both an 18 hole and 9 hole layout. We just walked on to the 9 hole course, which was in decent condition, having been dried out by the windy conditions. We did have to hit off of temporary tee boxes, but I'm not sure that it didn't help my game, so I'm not complaining. Actually, there shouldn't have been a lot of complaining as we all played quite well - definitely more good shots than bad, which is the type of things that keeps you playing. If my putter had been as good as my 5 wood, I think I would have set a new standard for myself. Fiona was in pretty good shape as well, but it was hard to tell if she was more pleased with her solid play or the new pink, argyll sweater she had found (and purchased) in the pro shop.
We had lunch in the clubhouse, which turned out quite nicely. We are starting to rank all our food related outings. I think that Ciao Napoli still holds first position. They would all have taken a backseat to our Saturday dinner, Fiona's world-famous bourbon BBQ ribs, which went over like they always do, people tripping over each other for seconds and all the rib bones licked clean.
We were out of the house in a timely fashion this morning because we had planned a fairly lengthy hike around Loch Muick - pronounced "Mick" for those having as much difficulty as I am with the Scottish tradition of random silent letters. This particular hike had been recommended by my driving instructor and, just like his advice to lay off the clutch and check my mirrors, he turned out to be right on the money again. The parking lot was busy as there are several hikes that leave from the same place, including the one to Lochnagar, which we'll be attempting soon in our efforts to train up for the assault on Ben Nevis. The trail around the glen ran close to the loch and was sufficiently difficult to not be a Sunday stroll but not so hard that we were unable to continue. We saw quite a bit of wildlife - a great herd of red deer, a wonderful but somewhat lonely lapwing (look him up in your bird book, he's quite a looker), a red squirrel and strange Labrador Retriever belonging to the ladies in front of us at our chosen lunch stop. It would dash into the loch, stick its head completely under water and come up with a large stone in its mouth, which it would promptly return to the shore.
We had a nice picnic lunch on perhaps the coldest part of the loch shore and quickly moved on to the return leg. We passed by Glen alt-Shiel, a house built by Queen Victoria after the death of Prince Albert. It was the only sign of civilisation on the loch, you can tell that his death must have hit her hard, to cause such a desire for isolation. There was a wonderful Pinetum attached to the house, which is like a pine tree garden, where all the shrubs and deciduous trees have been removed and the pine trees allowed to grow (or in some of the fancier cases, were introduced. The pinetum at Glamis had Douglas Firs and Sequoias and Redwoods). We eventually made it back to the car, led by our faithful scout and pack leader - Casey.
We're back at home now. Our bellies are full of take-away curry, which is a nice feeling. One of the great things about having visitors is their effect on your perceptions and routines. Since we arrived in Aberdeen, whenever we had curry take-away, we always ordered the same items. I guess we convinced ourselves that they were enough. We ordered some new items today including a lamb curry and chicken pasanda, which will join in future orders.
Roger and Cathy are printing airline tickets and will soon be packing bags to prepare for their return journey. It has been great having them here and we're looking forward to having them back soon.
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