Let's set the record straight. The Queen of Faffing is not a beautiful country pub just down the road, nor is she a quaint thatched roof cottage. No, this Queen of Faffing is me! That's right. Hard to believe, but true.
"What have you been up to today", my beloved innocently asked on our way home after he'd slaved away all day on his hot little computer.
I wanted to answer honestly but felt that my response was not really sufficient to account for the 10 hours since I'd last seen him. So I paused for a moment before giving him my response.
"I think I have perfected the art of faffing".
He looked at me......
It's true. I can easily while away a day doing not very much at all. In fact on that particular day I'd washed the sheets, dried them, ironed them (yes, I DO iron my sheets, a much nicer finish on the bed I think), and remade the bed. Currently we wanderers only have one pair of sheets so this all needs to be completed on great weather days, requiring coordination skills. I even did a second load of laundry, washed, dried, ironed, folded and stored. I checked up on my FB friends around the world, relationship building is important. I looked for a job, really, I did but nothing took my fancy. In between I may have pulled a few weeds, though not enough to get my hands dirty or to make a large pile of weeds. I talked to the chooks who have decided my garden is a lovely scratching place, and tidied the cushions on my couch and well, that's about it. All that in 10 hours.
Seriously, I need to get a job but I am wondering, now that I have perfected the art of faffing, how will I fit in any work?
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Monday, 20 July 2015
Fort William to Inverness
We had a few days with not much to do so decided to drive. We ordered a hire car from Easirent. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT ever hire a car from Easirent. To be fair, we did warn Easirent that we would tell all our friends that we would NOT recommend them or use their services again. Not sure why we had selected them anyway, they looked the cheapest but once we got to their desk the costs started to add up. We had no choice but to take this car but really........ Anyway, the least said the better about Easirent.
We headed for Tyngrum taking a break at The Green Welly Stop. This place can't be recommended for it's food but it has clean rest rooms, petrol, a fabulous shop that has Scottish goodies (shortbread, whiskey and lollies) and a great range of outdoor clothing and accessories plus good phone reception. This was important as I had timed our stop to coincide with a job interview, only interrupted once by a fighter jet flying directly overhead, so loud that I couldn't be heard!! Interview complete we headed off again and on to Fort William where we stayed at a fabulous B & B, Buccleuch Guesthouse. This was 5 star but at a reduced rate online so we feel like we got a great bargain. It was sumptuous to say the least and that influenced our decision to stay for a second night. The service, food and the bed were fantastic - think Grandma's feather bed covered in luxury linen.
Fort William is a small town but a hub for loads of activities. It is where the West Highland Way ends (we will walk that before we leave) and the road out of town leads to castles, bens, lochs. Eateries are few and far between but we managed to find a pub with reasonable meals and a deck to sit on to watch the sun go down.
Our first stop next day was the Caledonian Canal where we laced up our walking boots and hit the track up beside the canal. We were really fortunate to see a boat just starting to go into the lock at Neptune's Staircase. We stayed around and watched it move up a couple of locks. Patience required. We missed a turn off but as you can just keep walking alongside the canal we still had an enjoyable walk before heading back to the car.
Next we were off to Mallaigh. On the way we stopped at Glenfinnan and climbed the hill to view the viaduct on one side (aka Harry Potter's viaduct) and the monument at the top of Loch Shiel where Bonnie Prince Charlie rallied his troops. The monument was closed and it was bitterly cold on the top of the hill so we headed off again, not before smiling for the Google Maps photographer, and enjoyed the spectacular scenery on our way to Mallaigh. It is a tiny port town, filled with tiny coloured fishing boats and the large ferries that provide transportation to the Isle of Skye. We had left our run a bit late that day and the weather didn't look so good for staying the next day on Skye so we had some lunch and a quick look through the shops and headed back to Fort William.
On the way we diverted to look at Loch Morar, Scotland's deepest loch. It was magnificent in its isolation. A few houses on the shores but no one to be seen. It's so hard to capture the colours (various shades of brown mainly), the light and the sky but it was all really intense and would be a fantastic place to just get away from everything.
Day Two we headed north out of Fort William with our first stop at Fort Augustus. This is another beautiful little town on the Caledonian canal. We watched more boats going through the locks there. Not too far on from Fort Augustus was our favourite castle so far, Urquhart Castle.
Actually it's not a complete castle because it was totally ransacked in the 1500's (and apparently since then by locals for their use!). It's now in the care of Historic Scotland and it is has a great display in the visitor centre but also what is left of the castle gives you a great idea of its proportions. There are plenty parts that you can climb up, and the views of Loch Ness, which it overlooks, are just stunning. The only siting we had was of a lone motorboat, dwarfed by the size of the loch.
From there we drove up the side of the loch to Inverness where we stayed in a B&B on the banks of the river. After a long walk around the town centre we found a fabulous Italian restaurant, Riva. They had a selected early evening menu which we thoroughly enjoyed. We finished it all off with the best cup of coffee we had had to that point in Scotland. The barista was new to the job that night but he nailed it - real coffee made well - a satisfying end to the day.
Day Two we headed north out of Fort William with our first stop at Fort Augustus. This is another beautiful little town on the Caledonian canal. We watched more boats going through the locks there. Not too far on from Fort Augustus was our favourite castle so far, Urquhart Castle.
From there we drove up the side of the loch to Inverness where we stayed in a B&B on the banks of the river. After a long walk around the town centre we found a fabulous Italian restaurant, Riva. They had a selected early evening menu which we thoroughly enjoyed. We finished it all off with the best cup of coffee we had had to that point in Scotland. The barista was new to the job that night but he nailed it - real coffee made well - a satisfying end to the day.
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Some Stamford Treasures
NOW I've found my new favourite place, Stamford. This is the prettiest town we have come across yet, though there is plenty of competition! Stamford is picturesque with a river, bridges, old old old houses, cricket in the green, water lilies (think Monet) cobbled roads, Wisteria strewn walls, stunning gardens, vibrant shopping and of course it's own beautiful churches. However to be fair, most towns whether large or small have a beautiful church or at least ruins from a church.
Walking up a street we passed ASK Italian and spied through the huge windows someone tucking into a lunch that looked too good to pass up. It was a little chilly outside so it was nice to step inside to a sunny and warm interior. We were whisked to a table up by the kitchen and before long our Butterfly King Prawns were sizzling away in front of us. We also ordered a rocket salad, with parmesan and balsamic, and olives. These were some of the best prawns we have had in a long time and that's saying something when we have come from the land of King Prawns (Australia). They came in a small sizzling hot cast iron pan which had been drizzled with olive oil and then had rounds of baguette placed in the bottom that had turned crispy by the time they were ready to eat. I succumbed to the bread, it was too much for my will power. We finished our lunch with a well made macchiato each, just the right way to end our meal.
We have since returned to ASK Italian and had the prawns again pre a dinner of pasta for Number One and a beautiful chicken salad for me. We were not disappointed the second time or the third time we went back. I think this restaurant is definitely a favourite for nice clean tastes, great atmosphere and excellent service.
We have since returned to ASK Italian and had the prawns again pre a dinner of pasta for Number One and a beautiful chicken salad for me. We were not disappointed the second time or the third time we went back. I think this restaurant is definitely a favourite for nice clean tastes, great atmosphere and excellent service.
Finding the Wildwood
There are so many beautiful villages within a one hour drive of us that I am not sure we will ever get to see them all. However we recently repeated a great experience by heading to Oakham for lunch. The first time we had been was a Saturday and the town was alive with markets, people and loads of great little shops to explore. However, that is not the case on a Sunday! Only a couple of shops open, no markets, no people but we did find the Wildwood Kitchen which we had spied on our previous visit. This looked like a great place to stop for lunch and we were right. After striking up conversation with the people on the next table we were reassured that this was a good decision, their meals looked good and they gave them the thumbs up.
There was pasta, pizza, burgers and more on the menu. We were both after something tasty so both ended up having burgers; a lamb and chorizo one for my man and a deconstructed portobello mushroom and haloumi one for me. There was no fuss when I asked for the burger less the bun and I think I got some extra salad as well. I am amused that in the UK we have only found Haloumi deep fried. In Australia we eat it grilled (on the Barbie) or pan fried (with no fat). Here's an opportunity to reduce some fat on the plate!
We sat at a table in the front window of the restaurant which gave me sun on my back, a view of the cooking in the wood fired oven plus a chance to people watch on the pavement outside. Service was great, attentive and quick. We just had sparkling water with lunch but if we'd chosen a wine, beer or spirit then it was all on offer. There were a good range of people in Wildwood Kitchen that afternoon, including couples and families and the place seemed to cater well for everyone. Our meals were tasty, affordable and we would definitely stop here again. This would be a great place to take friends.
We sat at a table in the front window of the restaurant which gave me sun on my back, a view of the cooking in the wood fired oven plus a chance to people watch on the pavement outside. Service was great, attentive and quick. We just had sparkling water with lunch but if we'd chosen a wine, beer or spirit then it was all on offer. There were a good range of people in Wildwood Kitchen that afternoon, including couples and families and the place seemed to cater well for everyone. Our meals were tasty, affordable and we would definitely stop here again. This would be a great place to take friends.
Roastit Bubbly Jocks
Sometimes if feels like we know nothing about anything in this new land that we have come to. That is especially true when it comes to cafes and restaurants. To start with they are often hidden behind unassuming doors and shop fronts, tucked away where you have to pop your head around the door to take a look. It's too cold to sit outdoors in Glasgow and there's not much space so very few places have outdoor seating to identify them.
Anyway.... we happened to walk past Roastit Bubbly Jocks around 3pm on Sunday after walking around car yards for hours and having nothing to eat. Something caught our eye, this little place had an inviting look about it. Best decision we made all day!
We just needed a tasty morsel to get us through to dinner (we were going out with friends and family) so we ordered a starter each. I had a twice baked goat's cheese souffle which was divine. Light and fluffy with enough substance to satisfy me. The big man had a plate of smoked salmon with bread and was very happy with his choice. But, the thing that caught my attention, apart from the fabulous roasts served up at the next table, was the gin menu on the wall. I'm partial to a gin, especially on a hot summer's day and apparently the weather we had been experiencing in Glasgow is equivalent to a hot day in Glaswegian terms; there have been women walking around in strappy tops while I wear my down jacket zipped up to my chin! Anyway, back to the gin. We decided it was Gin Oclock somewhere in the world and that we would have a wee drop with our starters. I had a Millers with strawberries and he had Caorrans with apple slices. Oh yes! We had made great choices. That little gin added some rays of sunshine to our day and we happily celebrated our afternoon nibbles.
Roastit Bubbly Jocks will see us again. Next time I shall reserve space for the Roast Beef. The atmosphere is congenial, the furniture is well used, the service was excellent and the staff had a great sense of humour. We loved it, we'll be back.
Anyway.... we happened to walk past Roastit Bubbly Jocks around 3pm on Sunday after walking around car yards for hours and having nothing to eat. Something caught our eye, this little place had an inviting look about it. Best decision we made all day!
We just needed a tasty morsel to get us through to dinner (we were going out with friends and family) so we ordered a starter each. I had a twice baked goat's cheese souffle which was divine. Light and fluffy with enough substance to satisfy me. The big man had a plate of smoked salmon with bread and was very happy with his choice. But, the thing that caught my attention, apart from the fabulous roasts served up at the next table, was the gin menu on the wall. I'm partial to a gin, especially on a hot summer's day and apparently the weather we had been experiencing in Glasgow is equivalent to a hot day in Glaswegian terms; there have been women walking around in strappy tops while I wear my down jacket zipped up to my chin! Anyway, back to the gin. We decided it was Gin Oclock somewhere in the world and that we would have a wee drop with our starters. I had a Millers with strawberries and he had Caorrans with apple slices. Oh yes! We had made great choices. That little gin added some rays of sunshine to our day and we happily celebrated our afternoon nibbles.
Roastit Bubbly Jocks will see us again. Next time I shall reserve space for the Roast Beef. The atmosphere is congenial, the furniture is well used, the service was excellent and the staff had a great sense of humour. We loved it, we'll be back.
Rooky Travel Mistakes
When you pack up your life in 3 suitcases you are bound to make some mistakes. I think I can safely say I could have brought one suitcase of the things I have actually ended up using regularly and then I could have brought 2 more suitcases of things I needed and didn't bring.
Lesson 1. Check that your airpoint status doesn't drop down the week before you fly leaving you with less free luggage allowance than you had planned on.
Lesson 2. Don't ditch the walking shoes at the airport due to overweight bags Should have ditched the swimming togs! Walking shoes should rank higher on the "to take" list than good shoes, especially when you wont have a car.
Lesson 3. Pack a capsule wardrobe rather than all those things that you love and can't bear to part with. There ARE shops here - lots of them! I brought lots of things I love but nothing goes with anything else or it simply isn't warm enough.
Lesson 4. Make sure you change/ delete your old telephone number at your bank. It's hard to receive notification texts from your bank when you have thrown away your old SIM card. (There goes the rubbish truck....)
Lesson 5. Don't expect banks or insurance companies to believe that you could possibly be a respectable, responsible citizen. You are starting again with no credit rating, no credit card. Make sure you bring your country of origin credit card with you because sometimes you just need a credit card to make bookings etc.
Lesson 6. Find the nearest laundrette, motels don't exist in the UK. Hotels don't have laundry, fridge, or cooking facilities. Bring patience and a good book.
Lesson 7. Don't bother with chargers etc for all your techy stuff if you haven't bothered to pack an adapter. It's much easier to buy a charger wherever you end up OR an adapter before you leave
Lesson 8. They sell handbags worldwide. I admit, 5 handbags was excessive especially since I have already brought another one that is becoming a new favourite.
Lesson 9. Make sure that you really don't want an excuse to buy another set of knives. The ONLY household item I packed was my Global kitchen knives. I have had far too many years using substandard knives so wanted to keep my good ones. However, I have found the most beautiful hand crafted knives and if I hadn't brought my Global ones I could have had a set of these.......
Lesson 10. Pack a couple of tiny things from home. You will miss home, your people, your things, so little reminders help. I packed some photos to put straight up on the wall, a farewell drawing from one of my granddaughters and a little ceramic NZ fern in it's flax kit. Being able to whip these things out easily wherever I was was great and gave me a little reminder of the people and things I love.
And lastly, ALWAYS take a computer with you if you are moving. Managing life on an ipad has been difficult especially as it was nearly full to the max and didn't have some functionality that I was expecting it to have. As we speak my ipad is in its last death throes. I am so thankful for my brand new MacBook Pro!
Lesson 1. Check that your airpoint status doesn't drop down the week before you fly leaving you with less free luggage allowance than you had planned on.
Lesson 2. Don't ditch the walking shoes at the airport due to overweight bags Should have ditched the swimming togs! Walking shoes should rank higher on the "to take" list than good shoes, especially when you wont have a car.
Lesson 3. Pack a capsule wardrobe rather than all those things that you love and can't bear to part with. There ARE shops here - lots of them! I brought lots of things I love but nothing goes with anything else or it simply isn't warm enough.
Lesson 4. Make sure you change/ delete your old telephone number at your bank. It's hard to receive notification texts from your bank when you have thrown away your old SIM card. (There goes the rubbish truck....)
Lesson 5. Don't expect banks or insurance companies to believe that you could possibly be a respectable, responsible citizen. You are starting again with no credit rating, no credit card. Make sure you bring your country of origin credit card with you because sometimes you just need a credit card to make bookings etc.
Lesson 6. Find the nearest laundrette, motels don't exist in the UK. Hotels don't have laundry, fridge, or cooking facilities. Bring patience and a good book.
Lesson 7. Don't bother with chargers etc for all your techy stuff if you haven't bothered to pack an adapter. It's much easier to buy a charger wherever you end up OR an adapter before you leave
Lesson 8. They sell handbags worldwide. I admit, 5 handbags was excessive especially since I have already brought another one that is becoming a new favourite.
Lesson 9. Make sure that you really don't want an excuse to buy another set of knives. The ONLY household item I packed was my Global kitchen knives. I have had far too many years using substandard knives so wanted to keep my good ones. However, I have found the most beautiful hand crafted knives and if I hadn't brought my Global ones I could have had a set of these.......
Lesson 10. Pack a couple of tiny things from home. You will miss home, your people, your things, so little reminders help. I packed some photos to put straight up on the wall, a farewell drawing from one of my granddaughters and a little ceramic NZ fern in it's flax kit. Being able to whip these things out easily wherever I was was great and gave me a little reminder of the people and things I love.
And lastly, ALWAYS take a computer with you if you are moving. Managing life on an ipad has been difficult especially as it was nearly full to the max and didn't have some functionality that I was expecting it to have. As we speak my ipad is in its last death throes. I am so thankful for my brand new MacBook Pro!
Winter Wonderland in Connecticut
Christmas 2014 we were in Connecticut with my youngest son and his family for Christmas. The four of them live in an historic 3 story, 5 bedroom house in a street of beautiful old homes in an old part of the state. The house is made to keep you warm with central heating, a log fire, double insulated windows and good insulation. Inside you are toasty warm. Outside it's a different matter.....
On Christmas Eve and we found ourselves sitting in front of the fire, having just got home from an evening of extended family hospitality that involved a house FULL of children and adults, some serious present exchanges and a big shared meal. The snow had fallen (and melted again), the rain had come and the cold was... well, very cold!
I loved my first cold Christmas. Because I'm a Kiwi of course I've had cold Christmases before but they are not "on purpose" cold Christmases, they are "surprise!" cold Christmases in the middle of what should be summer. Thankfully we brought great jackets for our journey that we would never ever wear in Brisbane. We have rugged up with hat, scarf and gloves as well. It's cold out there! But the snow is amazing, it turns the world outside into something really beautiful, until the cars drive through it!
Holidays are time to do different things and while it is not a long holiday period for the kids, they did get nearly 2 weeks at home with us. We were mostly confined to indoors so we played games, read stories, rolled play dough, completed puzzles, wrote, read, french knitting (not so successful), stitching (one stuffed felt owl pillow complete!), and baked so much food.
It's great to find that my son has become a house husband and is also a good organiser and cook. He has taught himself to make new, interesting dishes incorporating Spanish and Mexican flavours and to use local ingredients. What a thrill when he pulled out and refer to the little cookbook that I made for him before he left home. I was requested to make some Scottish shortbread just like his grandma used to make (yes family, I did put Grandma's special markings on them) and a Kiwi pavlova (sorry Aussies, we made it first). Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without those.
There has been wood chopping, carol singing at church, a new closet made, interior house painting, walks around the park, a visit to the New Britain Gallery of American Arts, the Aquarium, the State Capitol, a castle, a train museum, a plane museum and to the movies.
In the yard we watched the chickens (9
of them) with interest. They were still laying despite the cold and
apparently are bred for winter conditions. They really didn't like
walking in the snow though. An update on the chickens is that mid Feb with the temp at -11C and snow so high you cant see over it around the streets, the chickens are laying more eggs than ever!!
We loved our wintery Christmas, it was great to be with the family and we look forward to our next Christmas together.
On Christmas Eve and we found ourselves sitting in front of the fire, having just got home from an evening of extended family hospitality that involved a house FULL of children and adults, some serious present exchanges and a big shared meal. The snow had fallen (and melted again), the rain had come and the cold was... well, very cold!
I loved my first cold Christmas. Because I'm a Kiwi of course I've had cold Christmases before but they are not "on purpose" cold Christmases, they are "surprise!" cold Christmases in the middle of what should be summer. Thankfully we brought great jackets for our journey that we would never ever wear in Brisbane. We have rugged up with hat, scarf and gloves as well. It's cold out there! But the snow is amazing, it turns the world outside into something really beautiful, until the cars drive through it!
Holidays are time to do different things and while it is not a long holiday period for the kids, they did get nearly 2 weeks at home with us. We were mostly confined to indoors so we played games, read stories, rolled play dough, completed puzzles, wrote, read, french knitting (not so successful), stitching (one stuffed felt owl pillow complete!), and baked so much food.
It's great to find that my son has become a house husband and is also a good organiser and cook. He has taught himself to make new, interesting dishes incorporating Spanish and Mexican flavours and to use local ingredients. What a thrill when he pulled out and refer to the little cookbook that I made for him before he left home. I was requested to make some Scottish shortbread just like his grandma used to make (yes family, I did put Grandma's special markings on them) and a Kiwi pavlova (sorry Aussies, we made it first). Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without those.
There has been wood chopping, carol singing at church, a new closet made, interior house painting, walks around the park, a visit to the New Britain Gallery of American Arts, the Aquarium, the State Capitol, a castle, a train museum, a plane museum and to the movies.
We loved our wintery Christmas, it was great to be with the family and we look forward to our next Christmas together.
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