The Dog Days Are Over

There is nowhere more beautiful than home.

I am obviously a little biased in my thinking, but as I run along the back road over the rolling hills behind our house, I am always struck with how beautiful the view is. Or when I turn the corner just by the shops and the loch opens up in front of me, I think, why was it do hard to get out the door this morning in my trainers, look at this!

The mornings and the nights are generally the best time of day for clear skies and little rain. At night the sky is ever changing in colour, purples to pink, delighting those shepherds.
We don't often see clouds in Kuwait. The sky is just awash of yellowed grey. Grainy and hazy. It's hard to describe in words, I doubt many poets have tried.

I've had a quiet couple of days at home, doing those jobs that need doing; the dentist, the hygienist, the hairdresser (you would think I was off to the DRC rather than the sandpit), the last minute round of phone calls and final visits to my grandparents. I'm not a fan of this bit of the holidays. Knowing it is over so very soon. The bit where you start to actually think about the upcoming school year and think about all the things you could have/should have (nahhhhh, it's my holidays) done, the reading on mentoring NQTs or new BUILD initiatives (!!!). Oh well, too late anyway, try not to think about it. The bit when you realise that soon my time is not my own again.

I had a wee mini-break to Wales, nicely timed to get the most out of these last days. I stayed with lovely friends (my Lewa running buddy and her family)that I worked with in Nairobi. We didn't stop talking for two days as we connected all the parts of our lives together, making us, hopeless wanderers full in our hearts.

Then mum and I went on a shellfish cookery course at Nick Nairn's cook school, which was a fantastic end to the summer. I learnt a lot, but drank too much wine to remember what it was that I learnt. I'll have to just YouTube the next time I dispatch a lobster!

But now it really is time to start packing (I fly tonight!). It is easier returning back to work after 10 days rather than 8 weeks (HOW MANY!!??). I'm not sure I'm going to cope with it!

Enough of that, I'll be fine after a day back in the sandpit. I just need to take a big breathe and hope my bags are under the limit!

3BT

Three beautiful things from my Sunday:

• A 14km run in the morning sunshine by the sparkling Gareloch. (The Dublin half is still going to be a challenge, but I'm just enjoying running at the moment and not thinking much about times or targets).
• Reading (and finishing) this beautiful love story in the garden.
• Watching and celebrating a Scot win Wimbledon! Get in Andy!!!

I'm now in full holiday mode...a bit of sunshine makes all the difference!

Piecing it together -a visit from Team Canada!

One of the best things about living abroad and travelling, is meeting up with amazing friends in different places and connecting the different parts of your life together.

It is even better when reconnections take place in the sunshine in Scotland! It gives me a chance to be tour guide again, a job I love!

I love it around  Inverary, a trip home wouldn't be complete without a visit there!

So great to spend time with Team Canada before the Olympics! (You may have seen Heather on TV by the torch! :)

A Scottish Summer's Day

I spoke too soon. It has rained for two days straight. Non-stop.

So, I've done a bit of baking. Oreo cookies, rhubarb and strawberry crumble, banana and chocolate chip loaf and the Best Blueberry Muffins You'll Ever Have. (We have had visitors...an excuse I am sticking to!)

These really are the best blueberry muffins. Maybe a little bit fussier than other muffins, but they turned out perfectly. I followed this blueberry crumb muffin recipe exactly.

I am quite happy curling up on the sofa, still reading the supplements from the weekend papers...but I would really like it to stop raining tomorrow, as I am being a tour guide for a couple of days and would quite like to see more than 3 metres in front of my face.

Quick, quick, slow

I've been back in the shiny west for a week now. It has been a whirlwind, full of visits to family, meals with friends and also a trip to Ireland. The sun has been out everywhere I have been (honest!), I even went to the fair and had a cone. I have a couple of quiet days ahead of me to recover (and get in a few runs!), before it all starts again. I love the holidays.

Tips and Tricks

After stopping off in Dubai to see my dad and getting a free facial (at this time of year, you walk out of the airport and the humidity has you soaking in a flash!), I'm home.

Not just that, but my suitcase is home too. This is small miracle. The lady at check-in tried to charge me for the bag being over weight, but wanted the cash (What can you afford? Nothing. I tired to explain.) handed over in my passport....hmm, a charge or is that a bribe? Her supervisor came back just in time and my case started down the conveyor belt. Oh Kenya, what a send off. Only once I was in Dubai did I realise that I had no ticket for my bag and had convinced myself that I would never be seeing it again. But there it was, on the carousel in bonnie Scotland. I think it has some kind of homing device.

Tips & Tricks for Flying on a Budget

Kate Sorenson contributed this piece on budget travel. Kate is an expert couponer who shares her knowledge and excellent finds on her site, CouponCravings.com. She knows how to find all the best deals and shares several of her favorites each day with the rest of her readers. To check CouponCravings out, click here!

Flying is never cheap. The most expensive part of any vacation is usually the cost of flights, but many of us have learned to simply accept the outrageous prices airlines demand. However, savvy flyers know that there are clever ways to reduce the money spent on flights. Read on to learn some of the best tricks for flying on a budget.

Be Flexible

You will find the absolute best deals if you can move your schedule around a bit and leave at a moment’s notice. When a flight has seats remaining right before takeoff, prices are significantly reduced. If you can snatch up a last minute flight, you’ll save an abundance of cash. Some articles suggest signing up with an airline’s email alerts to stay on top of deals. Or, if your vacation dates aren’t set, search for the days when the tickets are cheapest – avoiding holiday traffic is always a plus. Finally, if you’re willing to go on a bit of an adventure, look for flights with connecting cities that are cheaper. It may take a bit longer, but when it can shave so much off your bill, is that really important?

Use the Airline Websites

Airplane travel sites, such as Travelocity.com, may be easier and more convenient to use, but often the best deals are found on the airline websites themselves. If you’re on an email alert list, you’ll hear about any sales the airline offers. Usually, the prices are cut on Monday night, so look for deals Tuesday mornings.

Avoid Hidden Fees

Airplane tickets are expensive enough as it is, but the airlines nickel-and-dime you at every possible moment. Hidden Fees Have Airline Passengers in a Frenzy explains some of the fees you can expect; in-flight meals or entertainment, checking bags, and renting a pillow and blanket all add to the cost of a flight. Not all of these fees are avoidable, but the more careful you are when planning and packing, the more money you can save. Pack snacks in your carry-on luggage to avoid paying a small fortune for dinner and be smart with your bag space to reduce the money you spend on checking luggage.

You may expect a flight to run your wallet dry, but frugal shoppers can save money on their tickets and smart flyers can avoid additional fees. Take advantage of all the deals available to you and you’ll find you can travel without breaking the bank.

Little pieces of happiness

My little cottage, is very little..and was planned by a twat badly!  But, it is filled with things that make me smile.

Having a small dinner party this week inspired me (after-but nonethelss-inspired me) to hang up some photos and paintings. Now that I have figured out my sofa folds into a bed (!) I'm not planning on moving at the moment.

Country Bumpkin

Trying to find checkouts where there is a breathing person at it and I don't need to fiddle with scanners or press buttons myself. Filling up the car with fuel...myself ...(something I may not have done in about 5 years!), having to remember what pump I was on, who to pay and to do all this quickly (as everyone is rushing). Oh-and did you know, now the BofS card just needs to be waved at a scanner to pay for things...this is a shiny first world nation...!  It was all rather exhausting today. Nice to hide away on the peninsula.

(Oh-although I do like the shiny car that tells me when it's time to change gear...eh...like I need that!)

The sky at night

Long lunches with friends, runs in the countryside, listening to the radio and hot power-showers. And... long summer nights.

The weekend so far

I'm feeling a bit home sick...and I haven't even left yet.

Such a beautiful weekend...and it is not over. Hope you're having a nice one.

PS -Ramadan Kareem my Muslim friends.

Sky, land and loch

Which is which?

A grey night over the water.

We are sailing.

Morning coffee before we set sail.

A bit more from my wee sail with the Nesbitt family up the Gareloch, the Clyde and Loch Long.

Cove

When I wasn't busy at the winch, I did quite a good job at not letting out yelps of fear. I always forget that, really, I just like being on the water when there is no wind and possibly even more when the boat is roped to the buoy! Consdering I have been sailing quite a few times, I still have no idea what to do, I just always make sure I am in a 'ready position' to jump into the water if the boat capsizes..! I do know that the boat in the photo above is goose-winging though..!(not ready for any sort of sailing badge-so don't test me!)We did a bit of that too.

We waved at the Waverly- you have to look REALLY closely!

Mum and Dad were also invited for a sail, Mum was quite enthusiastic at first and looked out her stripy nauticail T-shirt, then remembered that she found the crossing on a ferry a bit stressful! She decided to enjoy the sunshine with Dad on dry land instead.

Mum got a photo of us sailing down the loch!

We really were so lucky, the wind gave us some good sails, we enjoyed some beer as we sat in the sun, ate great food, sang a bit of Rod and took lots of photos! What more could you ask for?

Images from the weekend

 

A sunny weekend in Scotland. Walking, a short run, a long run (16km), ice lollies, time with Kerry, wine, a wee bit of sailing and sunburn. Good times! (ohh...and more baking!)