I feel so incredibly blessed to have found such an extraordinarily beautiful place to curl up and write… and such lovely people… This photo is taken literally from my back door…
These women were training for a seniors long-distance open-water swim…
~ Bella
The Braemar Gathering has been on my bucket list for many, many years – and yesterday had the most wonderful day finally checking that item off the list!
The first challenge was finding where David and I were meeting… My GPS first of all sent me to a cul de sac in the middle of a group of houses… The intention, however, was to leave my car at the railway station part-way, and for David to meet me there and him to drive us the rest…
“Not a problem,” thought I- I will just look at the map – only to discover I had no cell coverage! So, I did it the old-fashioned way and followed my nose – figuring I could always ask for directions… but eventually found the railway station car park – only to have David text me a little while later, “Can you send me the postcode again as I’m at the destination but it’s all houses”… LOL!
Eventualy we met up and headed off on our trek to north-east Scotland.
…although a couple of times we did zig when we should have zagged – but as a result found the most lovely places!
This old church was delightful…
David was a gem and braved the brush and stinging nettles to get some shots of the other side of the church for me…
…and interestingly, in among the headstones that were mostly early 1800s, was this one…
…back on our way again…
…and the pretty bridge on the left is where we leave the main road for the road that takes us to the Braemar Gathering…
Our seats were definitely not the most comfortable in the world, but in every other way, they were PERFECT!
This cute little building is the Royal Enclosure…
See that boulder he is holding… This is the Scottish equivalent of shot put!
These drum majors are about to toss their baton over a high obstacle and then catch it again…
…and if you look carefully, you can see the baton in front of the trees…
See the guy in the green net..?
He is throwing this!
…and now the Scottish equivalent of the hammer throw…
Remember that huuuuuuuuge cow-bell-looking weight? Well, in this event, the men need to throw it backward, over their head, and over a high wooden bar…
…and now for the caber toss…
Had the guy not been in the way, these would have been two excellent shots of the fellow going over the high-jump! 🙂
The object is to toss the log into the air in a way that it flips over, with the end onto which you were holding now lying furthest away from you…
Arrival of the royal party consisting of Her Majesty, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne…
The Queen was wearing a stunning colour! These photos do not do it justice…
…and what would be an event without the sack race!
I wasn’t feeling fabulous and so my friend, David, was a gem and managed to find a lovely policeman who snaffled me a buggy…
…and being the girlie-girl I am, I first needed to make sure Louis and the hat were all sorted…
Finally, we met back up in the parking lot and were again on our way…
…stopped for a quick bite to eat on the way…
What a magical day!
I feel so extraordinarily blessed…
~ Bella
Situated in Balloch in Scotland, ‘The Maid’ is the very last paddles steamer to be built in Britain – and is the UK’s only remaining example of an ‘up and doon’ vessel
A what?
A ship that has been built twice! Read on to learn more…
Assembled in Glasgow by A&J Inglis, the Maid was taken apart, transported to her new home in Balloch and reassembled before her launch in March 1953. Licensed to carry 1,000 passengers, she was the largest paddle steamer to sail Loch Lomond and played host to royal guests and celebrities as well as three million day-trippers during her 28 years on the water.
Unfortunately, she was decommissioned in 1981 and suffered neglect and vandalism, until thankfully she was purchased in 1992, by Dumbarton District Council.
Then, in 1996, the Loch Lomond Steamship Company (LLSC) – a charity staffed entirely by volunteers – launched an ambitious rescue mission…
…and I am THRILLED to announce that the money has finally been raised for the full restoration of the Maid of the Loch back to sea-worthy condition, and (apart from a small quiz night) we will be the VERY LAST EVENT held on her before she goes into dry dock for a top to toe refit! Being a history-lover to my very core, that warms my heart no end…
What event? My birthday party that this year comes in the form of a Business Abundance Thnk Tank! Seriously! https://business-abundance-2018-19.eventbrite.com/ If you want to join us, you had best get in quickly and RSVP.
She will be out of the water for repairs for quite some time, but I am looking forward to the day when we can all set sail on this beloved beauty…
You can learn more about The Maid here: http://www.maidoftheloch.org/history
~ Bella
Heading north, I finally make it to Scotland!
I stayed in a hotel in Glasgow for a few days taking care of some errands, getting Prince serviced etc, before heading up to my lovely piece of Heaven on Loch Long … and on the way, called in to Overtoun House, home of the fabled Dog Suicide Bridge.
Built in 1862, Overtoun House is just north of Glasgow.
…and this is the famous ‘dog suicide bridge’, so named because for years, a significant number of dogs walking across the bridge without warning simply jump over the edge!
Even stranger are the reports of dogs surviving their brush with death, only to return to the bridge for a second attempt.
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has sent representatives to investigate, but they were not able to find any plausible reason for the strange behavior.
While I didn’t ‘sense’ anything unusual here, I did find it very odd that my car alarm went off three times – while it was in full view and not a soul near it!
…and being this is the location of the ‘dog suicide bridge’, I thought it was strangely amusing to see this van parked right near the entrance to the bridge…
I was a little early to pick up the keys, so decided to have lunch at the Duck Bay Marina Boathouse…
…and my first glimpse of my piece of Heaven…
~ Bella
