39th Drumtochty Highland Games; Scottish Competitions

Having never been to Highland Games, we didn't know what to expect.  Rae and Marty suggested Drumtochty because it was smaller and more of a community event.  They were right!

The setting is in the Glen of Drumtochty Castle, which is usually the home to a herd of red deer, who were relocated for the games.  It has been held here since 1977, when it was started to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee and now it is the 61st Anniversary of her Coronation.

The Scottish competition was already going when we arrived, but it was for the younger group.  This is a way for new comers to get experience in the competition. The heavy weight group included some of the younger competitors as well.  The man who won the younger group, did very well against the older competitors. The winners qualify for entrance in the the Big Highland Games at Braemar, which the Royal Family usually attends.

Some of the games were: 22 lb and 56 lb Hammer, 28 lb shot putt, 178 lb Caber toss.  The items they played with were different than what we had seen before.  One of the hammers look like a large sledge hammer. The other hammer is a paint can size piece of lead, with a handle attached.  It is swung through the legs, backwards over the head, to make it over a board that is 13 feet in the air.  The shot put has a chain on it that is swung around 4 time then let fly, but the competitor's feet are stuck to the ground so they can't turn around.  All of them look a bit complicated and in some cases, dangerous; especially the backward toss over the stick!

Letting the shot putt fly.

Tossing the Caber.

The Caber is level, then will flip end over end, landing at a 12 o'clock position.                                      

Most of the competitors did not make the hammer go over the pole.  It's a very tricky thing to do! 

A successful Caber toss.  This man won both competitions.

All of the men competing wore kilts.  Their shirts had the logo of Glenfiddish Whisky, who are the main sponsor of the several games held around Scotland.  The shoes and socks were obviously left to personal choice.  I especially likes the tall black and white striped.

Settling in with MacGregor

We have been here a week.  Bill is getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road and using his left hand to shift gears.  I've figured out the washer and dryer.  Bill has mowed the lawn, while I swept up the porches and patio.  We've both remembered that we have to turn on the plugs before they work.  (Why isn't this charging?  Oh, we forgot to turn the plug on!)

MacGregor watching his people load into the taxi to go to the airport.

The highlight of the week has been MacGregor, a Ragdoll Cat.  He is four years old; rescued two years ago. He loves to be brushed, rubbed and sleep in your lap. He is also the reason we are housesitting.  Houses can be left empty, but MacGregor can't be left alone or in a cattery for five weeks!

He loves to sit on the back of the sofa.  He even has his own tartan rug to lay about on.

And They're Off!

Our homeowners, Rae and Marty, with Bill's shadow, to show how brightly the sun was shining.

Up early for Rae and Marty to catch the taxi to the airport.  They are flying to Illinois for the start to their five week vacation.  The sun was shining brightly; perfect weather for flying. They laughed that as soon as they were leaving, the sun would start shining.  No worries, it's suppose to rain tomorrow!

Rae is American, but has worked for the past 20 years out of country, first in the Middle East and now in Scotland.  Marty is 100% Scot!  He speaks Doric, the local dialect, as well as Posh, as he calls English.  They are a delightful couple.

One of the big negatives of house sitting?  We meet a couple who we really hit it off with, then they leave on vacation.  When they return, we leave.  Thank goodness for Facebook and email, so we can continue our friendship!

First Walk Around Newtonhill

Our car for the next month, a Vauxhall Astra coupe.

Our first day in Newtonhill, Scotland is quite, except for Bill's soft snoring during his nap.  The homeowners, Rae and Marty, are busy upstairs packing, so I decide to go for a walk to try and get some of the stiffness out from sitting so long yesterday.

The local pub is just around the corner from the house.  I talked to the bar man who saw me taking pictures and invited me to come back for a drink anytime.

Lovely tree with yellow hanging blossoms.

The village is small, with the commuter train tracks running through the middle.  We are on the ocean side of the tracks.  There is a village store, pharmacy, Chinese take-away, two pubs and a hairdresser near us.  On the other side is more village with more shops, a community center and a Tesco.

Orange poppies are everywhere and they are huge.  These are as big as my hand.

The area reminds us of the coast of Northern California; even the plants are similar.  We were greeted by fog coming in off the sea last evening and it has been spitting rain most of the day.  However, as I went for the walk, I was dry until nearly home.

The cliffs are so steep, even the sign leans.

I think this is going to be a beautiful place to spend the next five weeks!  All the people we have talked to are friendly and welcoming.  The next door neighbor is an older gentleman who speaks Doric (the local language) as well as Posh (what they call English).  Oh, the things you learn when you travel!

The view at the end of our street.

Cookie and BunBun

Cookie in her Rin Tin Tin pose.

She is a very pretty dog.

Senor BunBun is a small black and white rabbit.

I'm very fortunate to have found a place to work where I can take care of animals and homes, while still being in Tucson.  The pay is good, it's a non-stress job, and I get lots of love.  Most of the owners are on holiday.  Cookie and BunBun's are in Italy.

Ancient Places in Cornwall

Carn Euny

The Merry Maids

Cornwall has many ancient places, but they can be hard to find.  We used our GPS and co-ordinates from a website that lists them all.  Molly the Collie was our tour guide.  She was really quite an explorer!

Declutter Your House to Unclutter Your Life.

One thing I have learned from house sitting so very many different houses, in different cultures, is the importance of lightness.  We travel with one carryon size suitcase and a small backpack, each.  Most everyone could learn from this.

How much extra baggage do we have in our homes?  Books we will never read again or even for the first time?  Multiples of pans, chairs, things that take up space and require cleaning over or around? Decorative accessories  stored in drawers and closets which we will never display again?  Things we do not use or even need which might go to someone who needs them? Or at least clutter their lives instead of ours!

After we cleaned up the mess from Hurricane Katrina, we still had things left, some of which we had no use for.  Over the past few years, we have sold, given away and thrown away most of it.   There are boxes of papers that have reached there time to shred date, a yearly event.

My goal is simply this:
to get our stored items down to the bare minimum,
to get our saved treasures down to things which really are treasures,
to get our multiples of items, be it dishes, pans, books, linens, clothing, or little doodads passed on to others who need them.  

Declutter your house to unclutter your life.  That's my new motto.

Hebe in Flagstaff

Say hello to Hebe!  She live in a very comfortable home in Flagstaff, Arizona.  We have the fun of staying with her for a week while her Mom goes on holiday.  We plan to use this time to see more of the area around here, including a day trip to the Grand Canyon!

Hebe taking her morning nap.  You can tell how excited she is we are here.

The Perfect Job

While we stay at home in Tucson, I've been working with a company doing dog walking and pet sitting.  I get paid to spoil some wonderful animals; best job in the world for me!

Mishka, a beautiful little girl, with a raspy voice.  She loves to talk and be talked to.

Lucky, the ultimate spoiled puppy;  I love him to bits!

These two, Lucky and Mishka, I spend several days each month with.  Their mom works long hours, so I come in the middle of her shift to walk Lucky and generally spend quality time with the two of them.  Sometimes, I even get to stay overnight when Mom goes out of town.

Warren House Inn

Dartmoor

The most scenic route from Launceston to Buckland Abbey is across Dartmoor.  Driving across the moors brings to mind  "Hound of the Baskervilles" or "Wurthering Heights".  The moors are wild and very isolated feeling.  Almost right in the middle, when you feel it will go on forever, sits Warren House Inn.  It is a welcome respite for weary hikers, bikers, and car drivers, like ourselves.

Warren House Inn

The Inn has provided food, drink and lodging, at a reasonable cost since at least 1786, when the first landlord on record was William Tapper.  I'm not sure it still has lodging, but the food and drink are excellent.

The name comes from the rabbit warren which allows the Inn to serve it's rabbit-pie with scrumpy.  Bill had this for lunch.  It came with a warning to be aware of small bones and buck shot.  The selection of beers on tap were good, too.

Mary with a pint of Otter.

We always try to drink the local brews.

Bill with his Otter.

The fire in the hearth, so they say, has never been allowed to go out.  We can understand why, since it provided a most welcomed warmth while visiting Dartmoor.

St Piran's Cross

Saint Piran is the patron saint of Cornwall.  He was from Ireland, where they really didn't like him, to him to the ocean, threw him in with a millstone tied around his neck.  Since he was a holy man, he simple stood up on the stone and surfed to Cornwall, where he landed between Newquay and Perranporth, on what is now Perran Beach.  He is now the patron saint of surfers, too.

We had heard of St Piran's cross, but like so many other ancient monuments, is wasn't that easy to find.  We made it close then followed out GPS coordinates across the Penhale Dunes, where there were signs warning us of poisonous dune vipers.  Well, we weren't worried, we had Molly to protect us by barking at those silly vipers.  Fortunately, we never saw any of them, as apparently they are shy.

Mollie the Collie with Mary at St Piran's Cross in 2009

The cross was first mentioned in a charter of King Edgar in 960, when it was already an old landmark.  There are the remains of an old church nearby, which is thought to have been built by the Saint. Recently, work has been undertaken to reclaim the church from the sand that engulfed it over the years.

The cross in 1890, shows it hasn't changed all that much, just a bit more lichen on the face.

Saint Piran is also the patron saint of tin miners.  He was the one who rediscovered tin after his arrival in Cornwall.  (The Romans found it first, but they left.)  The story goes that St Piran built a fireplace out of a large chunk of black rock.  As the flames in his fireplace grew hotter, he was amazed to find a trickle of white metal coming out of the stone.  Sharing this information with the locals, the famous Cornish tin trade was born.  One of way he is honored to this day is the white cross of Saint Piran against a black backdrop which is the Cornish Flag