Following on from my last post about my new foray into the dating world... And that leaves H... H is from Wales, with a lovely accent. His dating profile describes a rugged, outdoor lifestyle, with pictures showing a happy, laid back guy with a great smile. Not used to the 'rough and ready' type, there was something about him that caught my attention. Over the last month we have texted every day and he has made me laugh a lot with dad jokes, puns and funny observations. He's

Last weekend I had a very water themed couple of days - a garden round a lake, a hotel by the Firth of Forth, and a walk with a dip in a waterfall! Oh, and I've rejoined the dating pond.... So, for those who are curious, I've been chatting to few guys - all very different. Let's call them R, M, D and H. There have been a few messages with others, but these four seemed to be the ones who have a bit a spark and were able to sustain an interesting conversation in their own style

Before my house was built in 1980 there was a small cottage, known as a but and ben, on the site called Clacheranmor Cottage. The phrase but and ben is steeped in Scottish history and culture, traditionally crofting but also rural life generally. It can evoke a poverty-stricken hardscrabble life that has at times been romanticised, as in this song by Sir Harry Lauder: Just a wee deoch an’ doris, afore ye gang awa’; There’s a wee wifie waitin’ in a wee but an’ ben. (Deoch a do

This last couple of weeks have been a bit of a slog. I've been trying to fight off a bug that is insisting on hanging around. I don't get ill very often so it's really annoying, but not bad enough to take any time off work. Despite this I had a packed weekend this week. Saturday morning was rowing as usual, but in the reduced visibility of light drizzle giving the landscape a wonderfully subdued and atmospheric look and feel. It did nothing to dampen our spirits, the conversa

As someone who is grieving I have noticed that there is a huge range of ways that people react to me and my grief. It will depend on so many factors, like their relationship to John, their relatioship to me, whether they have experienced their own grief or witnessed someone else's in the past. There are some people who have always known just the right thing to say at the right time, those who don't shy away from talking about John, or asking me how I'm doing in just the right

Dun Na Cuaiche Watchtower sits above Inveraray castle on a hill overlooking Loch Fyne. I had driven past it so many times and, over New Year, I finally decided to do the walk up there. It was a cold but clear day as I set off with my packed lunch in a rucksack and plenty of layers on. It begins with a walk skirting beautiful Inveraray Castle, across Frew's bridge and into the woods. The view of the watchtower from Frew's bridge was the last time I could see the tower until I

As the days begin to get longer, thousands gather across Scotland and Ireland to celebrate the return of the light after a long, dark winter. The Gaelic festival of Imbolc is one of the earliest festivals celebrating the start of spring.  The word Imbolc translates as  “in the belly” in Old Irish, as Imbolc is a celebration of fertility and purification, both in humans and in nature, as spring begins to make itself known. Held on February 1st, between the winter  solstice  (Y

I’m taking this month to recharge after the holidays by doing very little to write about, so I thought I'd share my reflections on a question I saw on social media today: "If you lost your memory and had to choose one person to tell you who you were, who would you choose?" The realization hit me instantly, followed by my weekly "little cry." The only person who truly knew me is gone. John was my constant companion, my confidant, the one who understood my quirks, fears, and dr

There has been so much going on around me in preparation for Christmas and I've been able to get involved in quite a bit too. The Scottish country dance class had a christmas party, with dancing, a buffet and secret Santa too. Everyone took some food and one gift and we all enjoyed a chat over delicious nibbles and received a lucky dip gift too. Lovely. The rowers also took the skiff out on the Saturday before Christmas, as usual. We all wore Santa hats and enjoyed a very cho

Ali Aslam was born on 1st April 1945 in a small village near Lahore , Punjab , British India (now Punjab, Pakistan ). In either 1958 or...

I was unsure whether to write this post as this trip did not turn out the way it was supposed to, but I might as well be honest. I booked it back in July when my sister agreed to come with me. The main thing I wanted to do was see the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Garden Christmas light trail, and Jess wanted to see the Christmas market and the other highlights of this lovely city. We made it a long weekend to give us time to see everything and I booked an AirBnB that wasn't ridicu

Now we are into December and everyone is gearing up for Christmas. I did most of my Christmas shopping when I visited the kids at the end of November. Being in Leamington with shops on hand was a great opportunity to be able to browse and buy. Everything was wrapped and posted out to family in all corners of the UK at the beginning of December. While visiting Mum and Dad we took a little drive out to Doddington Hall to see their Fairytale inspired Christmas decorations. They

In October Kathryn said she had seen a job as a lifeguard advertised at Portavadie - a posh marina, sports club and spa about 30 minutes drive from my house. She had loved the area on each of her visits and decided now was the time to change her life and see what a new venture would bring. She passed the interview and her training and moved up here three weeks later. This opens up new things for me as she is up for anything and on her days off she will be looking for things

Scotland has three main languages - English, Scottish Gaelic (a Celtic language), which has official status as the national language of Scotland, and Scots (a west Germanic language). There are some fabulous Scottish words especially associated with Winter. Scotland has its own word meaning "cosy, nested and warm", a bit like the Danish Hygge: seasgair, pronounced 'shiss-kihr', means feeling warm, dry, cosy and snug. It’s a Gaelic version of the Scots word, coorie. Everyone l

Halloween began as the ancient Celtic pagan festival of Samhain. This festival marked the end of the summer weather and the beginning of winter. The Celts believed that Samhain was when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest allowing ghosts and ghouls to pass back through. So on Samhain, when restless spirits would wander, children would disguise themselves by dressing up as ghouls and ghosts to blend in and protect themselves. It's also sa

Having realized that holidays alone are fairly miserable affairs, with too much time inside my own head and no one to share the amazing experiences with, I decided to co-opt Amber and Mat into joining me for an adventure in Madeira. None of us had been before but it seemed the majority of people I mentioned it to had, and had plenty of nice things to say about it.   It was a holiday of many firsts - the first time I’d booked a flight, the first car hire, the first time drivin

There are many ways to deal with grief, process the emotional onslaught and eventually, hopefully, find healing and peace. Everyone will...

I had a bit of a close call in the car this week - an error of judgment. I was driving down the Glen road and came up against a truck...

There are a million cutesy little sayings that probably make you want to gag but a few of them are actually little gems that I wish...

August was Artmap Argyll, which was a great excuse to go and see Adam and Emma and their new(-ish) studio over in Minard. They have...