Land of Low Sky and High Spirit

Scotland can be such a wondrously beautiful country - but conditions have to be right. The sun needs to be shining, the sky clear and bright, Scotland's vibrant colour everywhere from "the bonnie purple heather" to tartan's scarlet and greens, the cultural banter flowing and the pipes whirling in the background. Unfortunately these conditions rarely come together in the "perfect storm." More often, as it was on our recent trip, it was bloody freezing and it seemed that the ever present murky sky was permanently fixed like a false ceiling 30 foot off the ground. But then we always have Edinburgh - "Auld Reekie" is really a special place no matter the weather. It is a city with a unique cultural feel steeped in history and traditional architecture everywhere you turn. Plus it is a very walkable city with plenty of individual shops, museums and tours that surround the castle which sits on a center promontory that dominates as a reminder of how impregnable the city once was.

We stayed with Mark's brother Pete and wife, Di, who as always were perfect hosts. Family normally are, but Pete and Di invariably go the extra mile. They opened their home to us, even gave us their car and generally ensured that we all had a great time together. Pete also keeps the spirits flowing particularly the malt barley kind. Here's to high spirits and low skies - thanks guys.

What A Week

Lisa here - I was talking to sister Michelle on Friday (as I do most every day) and mentioned that I would be joining Crazy Johnny that night to sing some back-ups for his new band at the club when our friend Tricia called to remind us of the cocktail party that the 3 musketeers (that's me, Mark and Emily ) would be attending that evening downtown. Michelle said something to the tune of, "my, my what a social life we have" and I thought back on the week and realized that we hadn't stopped. We are recovering now and haven't left the house since Saturday morning.

Our best and greatly missed friends Grant and Miranda ran away for a few days (leaving the kids in the capable hands of Grant's Dad George and his wife Alison) and joined us for some mid-week revelry. We had an awesome time. Mostly lots of good food and better conversation. We took them for lunch at Compass Point on the water out West, had a yummy dinner at the Poop Deck, wandered around Atlantis, went out for a night on the town with Tricia, John and their friend Trevor (a delicious dinner at Lucianos and then drinks at Johnny's), a couple of British Breakfasts at The Cricket Club and mostly just hung at the house reading and chatting. Grant even managed to get in a night of playing footie with Mark's outdoor bunch down at the Sand Trap. I was having such a nice time I forgot to take any photos and had to swipe some from Miranda's Facebook account.

Friday turned out to be very busy. We did have a lovely early evening at Tricia and John's cocktail party. It was outside in their office garden downtown. There is really nothing quite like standing amongst lush tropical plants around tall tables laden with crisp, white tablecloths sprinkled with confetti, martini in hand, watching the kids run around barefoot playing hide and seek amongst the palm trees. Well OK I didn't have a martini in hand since I was singing that night but everyone else did so you get the picture. We were invited down the road to their friend Harry's house. Harry has spent two years renovating a tiny two bedroom Colonial cottage in to a gorgeous, peaceful hideaway worthy of starring in a "Better Homes..." magazine. I tried to get photos but they just didn't do justice to the feeling of this place. Let's just say you could imagine walking in with a suitcase and never leaving. It was a beauty.

Emily successfully begged for a sleep-over at Tricia's with her friends so Mark decided to head over to Crazy Johnny's to keep me company. We were out until 3:00am when the band stopped playing so no wonder we haven't left the house since Saturday morning (except to pick up Emmy of course).

All I can think about now is how much work I have to catch up on. It's likely I won't leave the house (or probably sleep much) until next weekend. But it was worth it!

The secret hideaway house.

Ali (John and Tricia's daughter) at the secret Hideaway House.

Miranda and Mark at The Cricket Club.

Grant and us at The Atlantis.

Lunch on the ocean at Compass Pointe.

Nothing like a good day out

Following the “Fish” adventure, the day arrived that the whole Scottish visit was building up to. The crescendo of any Dundee experience; match day on a freezing December Saturday to watch Dundee play in the First Division….with a hangover to boot. It seemed the “Fish” was a bit much for Mark and so, nursing an aching head, our intrepid travelers made their way to Dens Park, stopping off at the pub on the way for some libation and invigoration. If the hair of the dog failed to do it then the meat pie certainly did – one bite into the creamy grease and stale pastry and Mark’s memory of the night before was all but gone. We arrived just before kick-off (they wouldn’t start the match until we’d arrived) to meet up with Mark’s other long suffering footie mates then sat back to watch the expected feast of fleet-footed football. Unfortunately it didn’t turn out quite that way but at least Dundee did win (for a change).

What could cap off such a magnificent afternoon than a tasty comestible of typical Dundee culinary fare. Yes, a fish supper (fried fish and chips in a bag) – enough to block your arteries just salivating at the thought. However there was an added twist in this fine dining establishment. Not only did they offer pizza on the menu but they also added “crispy pizza” for your delectation. “What’s crispy pizza?” Lisa enquired in her innocence. The reply, “same as pizza, only deep fried in batter” – yum!

Yes, there’s nothing like a good day out – and this certainly was nothing like it.

Never a Good Time for a Bozy (get your Scottish dictionary out for this one)

Whilst in Scotland we got to visit with an old buddy (in the figurative sense of course), Colin, and ended up at the “Fish”, or Fishermans Tavern to give it its Sunday name. Mark has known Colin from his Aberdeen days and he also has become a close friend of Lisa’s and especially Emily’s as he presented her some years ago with an American Girl Doll – an occasion she will never forget. A night out with Colin is always an occasion to be wary of as you are never quite sure what’s in store. The only thing assured is double digit pints of 80/- “heavy” (ale/beer). Well, this night he fancied that he’d give us some insight into his past and introduced us to his best man (whom he has known since he was 5). Colin’s best man must be quite something and we were not disappointed. His name is Willie and he is the most engaging, gentle man you’ll come across. However he’s one of those guys that can’t keep himself to himself. His quintessential greeting is to give you a “bozy” or cuddle and then proceed to deliver further “bozies” (accompanied with declarations of love) every 15 minutes thereafter – in fact the frequency increases the longer the night goes on. For some this would be a nightmare but actually it was not that bad. To prove it here are some photos.



Colin is the amorous man "bozying" Mark in the next photo.



The evening ended strangely enough at “chucking out time” and we weaved our way back to Mark’s Mum’s house. There Colin, a Hagrid type of stature, had to negotiate a steep loft ladder and clamber into the spare attic bedroom for the night. He looked like he had been transposed to Emily’s American Girl Doll world as he shuffled around knocking furniture over and collapsing banisters. A sight to behold. But then he had the Dundee match at Dens to look forward to the next day.

What A Difference 10 Days Make...

We have promised blogs from Scotland which are definitely forthcoming. But in the mean time we would just like to say what a difference 10 days make. Here is Emmy skiing for the first time in Lake Placid with her Daddy, and then only 10 days later lounging in the Cable Beach pools with her friend Ali - and yes, those are their "fruit punches" on the table behind them. What a life.



and at the pool...



We had a wonderful weekend breakfast at The Cricket Club, walking around the end of the Island, visiting the Cable Beach Pools and hanging out with our good friends John and Tricia. There was a fabulous full moon last night and I was trying to get a photo of it but ended up getting a photo of my two favourite people instead...

We're Back!

It probably seems like we fell off of the face of the Earth since our last post - but in fact we are still alive. To our faithful readers we are sorry we left you without news and pictures for so long. Nan - you probably saw a lot of our Christmas on Dad's Blog so you had plenty of photos to download.

The last 6-7 weeks crept by while we were living them but now we are a little surprised that they are over already. A quick synopsis...

On Thanksgiving day Lisa jetted off to the US to take care of business, leaving Mark and Emily to fend for themselves (or should I say PARTY) until Emily's Christmas break. They spent the time going to Ceilidh dances, partying on Paradise Island and watching "It's A Wonderful Life". Lisa spent the time with Michelle packing literally thousands of orders from dawn until dusk - but she's not bitter. Actually Lisa really enjoyed hanging with Mum and Dad, Michelle and Ryan, Alan and Diane - and let's not forget all her wonderful nieces and nephews, including the new twins - who are lovely.

Emily and Mark arrived for a "fake" Christmas with the family (see Dad's Blog) before Emily was off with her Dad for Christmas with her Grandparents, her Uncle's wedding and a Ski Trip to Lake Placid in the Adirondacks (her Dad's Christmas present to her). If Tom posts photos of her first skiing trip on his blog we will let you know. Lisa and Mark were off to Scotland for Christmas and New Years with his family, lots of visits with old friends - and of course a Dundee game in below freezing temperatures. More stories and photos from that trip to come (watch out Colin!)

A marvelous time was had by all. We were all looking forward to getting back to the warmth and being back together as the "three musketeers". How could you not love where we live when you wake to a morning view like this (photo courtesy of Mark and Lisa's new camera - a gift from Lisa's Mum and Dad. Mum wisely recognized that Mark would not be buying Lisa a new one after her 2nd lost camera.)