Postcard from our 'olidays

Well, we've had our summer holiday I think and both got a bit of Scottish sunburn!  That must be rare.

First stop (and an overnight stay) was Samye Ling Buddhist monastry to drop Laura off.  We got there just after lunch and carted all her 'stuff' up to her room and then went for a wander around.  I have already been, but we did a tour for Bob.  One of the monks kindly gave us a special tour of the building site.  They are building a huge new bit which will house accomodation, offices, multi-faith library and a college (they will be running degree courses in affiliation with Aberdeen uni I think).  It is a massive project and most impressive because so much of the work had been done by themselves and their volunteers.  It is most definitely a 'can-do' place and they take on some amazing things.  We went and chatted to the Tibetan monk who does all the statues - he was working on some very intricate statues for the new bit which he said take a long time to make . . . . . how long? . . . . a week!!!!  We were also taken to see the three yaks that live there and were able to stroke one of them (he likes a scratch behind the ears where he can't reach because of his massive horns).  We really enjoyed our short stay and it was nice to see how many people Laura knows there and how supportive they are - a new family for her for the next year. 

We then left Laura to it and went on to our B & B, stopping briefly at Dumfries on the way to buy a couple of maps.  Whenever we go away, we always seem to choose somewhere right on the edge of the map so we have to buy more than one!  We arrived at the farm just in time to see the cows ambling up the lane back to their field after milking - what a lovely peaceful sight.  This was the view from our bedroom window - you can just see a cow on the lane in the trees.  We had a lovely room with a massive bathroom which brought two questions to mind which I have never really found the answers to . . . . . . how do you actually use a bidet and why would you, really?  Anyway, the shower was amazing - it'd rinse the shampoo off in about 10 seconds and really gave you a pummelling. 

The village pub (complete with bar made out of an old boat hull) was an easy walk away - Bob had haggis.  I didn't!  On Tuesday we went for a walk along the clifftops - that's when the sun got us.  It was quite misty, so we really didn't notice it until later.  The waves were a bit disappointing - as in, there weren't any - the sea was like a millpond, so I'll have to wait for my crashing waves fix for another time.  At one point the path went down to the shore line and we were appalled by the rubbish on the beach.  Not rubbish that had been dumped on the beach, but from every other beach or boat around which had then been washed up here.  You can't begin to imagine how much there is in the sea as a whole - why do people do it?!!!  Aaarghh - one of my bugbears - sorry.  Anyway, on the whole we had a good day doing not very much at all. 

On the way home we made a bit of a detour to Hadrians Wall which neither of us have seen before.  In my view, more impressive than the wall itself, which has obviously been repaired once or twice since Hadrian was there, are the huge ditches and earth banks they'd made along the sides of the wall - what a lot of work!  Then the long slog back down the M6 in sweltering heat - what a way for Bob to spend his birthday! 

When we got back the chickens were so pleased to be let out for a leg stretch and a good long bath.  Some time ago Mum and Dad gave us this wooden frame with the intention that we should put copper tape round it to keep the slugs off seedlings, but the chickens immediately adopted it as their bath and so it has remained ever since!  We lit some wood in the brazier and sat outside with a glass of wine or two.  We dicovered that poppadums (left over from our takeaway) burn very well and give off a good light and you can make catherine wheels out of them if you spike them on a branch in the fire!  Bill and Maggie popped round with some delicious brownies for Bob's birthday and so we stayed outside until about 11pm - it was very dark by then, I wonder if they found their way home?  Back to work today though - skimming (of course) this morning and then we went round to Roy's to collect some pieces of Ash from a tree he'd had felled (plenty of chair legs in them) and then to another neighbour who'd promised Bob some of the walnut from a branch they'd had removed.  So the timber store is growing.