the noise in my head: Busy Day

The past 5 days or so since I've last written have been consumed with our usual walks, Jillie working feverishly, some awesome meals, and visits with friends. Hunter popped round for a coffee and chat. It might be the last time we see him as we are leaving town for two weeks and he might be in England upon our return. We had a lovely meal with Maureen yesterday and caught up with her about her mini-cruise aboard the Hibridean Princess, a small luxury ship which sails out of Oban in northwest Scotland. Apparently it's very chi-chi and she and her friend Jean, had the "Queen's" Suite.....literally!

Jillian has managed to cut 300 hours of footage down to 2 1/2. Her goal was to get it down to 3 hours before she returns to New York in early October to "screen" what she's accomplished with her producers. So she's quite pleased with her progress. Having a quiet, uninterrupted, venue for work has paid off.

So today we pack up and head to Edinburgh to have dinner with an old friend of Gordon's ...."Big Mike"! I hope I don't have to call him big Mike! We are eating at a restaurant I've wanted to go to for some time called The Witchery at the Castle. I'll let you know! It's, obviously, just at the entry to the Edinburgh Castle on the Royal Mile. We will be meeting Mike and his girlfriend at Deacon Brodies. Deacon Brodies is a beautiful old tavern on the Royal Mile with a fabulous tin ceiling.

Tomorrow we board a plane for Stockholm to finally begin our cruise of the Baltic. Here's the itinerary if you are interested:

Nordic Explorer

I hope to be able to write of our adventures and post some pictures from the ship.

Anyway, a few more pictures from our walks about Moffat.

Met this VERY friendly pooch on our walk along the Alton Way.

Same mom?

I love these old stone structures....Jillie tries to peek in!

Gordon getting nosy.

Frenchlands Tower dating back to the 1600's.

The east side of the Tower.

How tomatoes are grown here in Scotland!

Nobody drives 30 in town!

The rear garden of a local art gallery.

Pirate Jill!

The formal gardens at Auchen Castle.

Auchen Castle pics here and below.

And the lily pond below the terraced gardens.

Hail Scotland!

So after "Sunday Roast" at the Buccleuch the three of us proceeded to a couple of bars in search of a billiards table for Jill and Gordon. They practiced at the Coachman Bar and then we headed to The Stag and got involved in a couple of games for a few pounds each. They lost but the guys at the Pub were VERY impressed that Jillian played. It's not a "womanly" sport here in Scotland so by the end of the evening she was pretty well respected. Never tell Jillian NO, she will surely put her head down and proceed and succeed!