Global Warming

So what's with this weather?  Every day has been warm, partly sunny and gorgeous!  We've had one shower in the evening mid-week and other than that, weather that I've never experienced in Scotland!!!  Global warming?

I've not written this first week in Scotland because, well, there's nothing new to report!  Read first week arrival blogs from 2011, 2012, 2013 if interested but basically we arrived, tired and we've been tired all week!  This trip has definitely been the hardest for us converting our time by 8 hours and sleep has been a real drag unfortunately.  But over the last few nights we are seeing a change and feeling better!

We've done the usual things setting up house.  Worked in the garden, cleaning, home chores which for Gordon has included a LOT of time under the house trying to find the source of a dank, mold-like smell in our home.  Could be that it's just closed up for a year but we thought it was something more.  So off Gordon went under the house armed with a plastic bag and a squirt bottle full of bleach just in case.  What he found?  dead bird, folded flat and moldy cardboard boxes and a vent that goes from under the house directly into the living room!  Hmmmmmmm  So that problem is hopefully solved.  We also pulled all the stored linen, sorted through it and got rid of some and washed all the rest.  Baking soda on the carpets and vacuumed up and lots of Febreze later, I think we've turned the corner!

We have taken some local walks, been to Lockerbie to have the car MOT'd and browsed a little in Cobwebs antique and junk store and Gordon invested in a set of golf clubs and a golf bag....a bargain at 20pds!  We have driven through Lochmaben where Gordon spent a good part of his childhood summers and through to Dumfries for a little organic grocery shopping.  We have eaten in every good restaurant in downtown Moffat and visited virtually every pub too!

The most fun we've had is with our friends Maureen and Hunter.  Early in the week I met Maureen for a coffee and catch-up and the next evening went round to her house for cocktails.  Yesterday Hunter had us over for Prosecco on his back patio to watch a flyover of a 1945ish Hurricane airplane used in the battle of Britain.  It's a Veteran's celebration in town and Hunter is situated looking out on a beautiful valley that enters the Beef Tub.  The plane flies down that valley into Moffat.

We had that pair over on Saturday evening beginning at 6:00pm where we sat out on our back patio for cocktails - a first!  Then dinner and a good long political discussion.  The evening lasted until 1:00am!

So dinner conversation, like all the conversation in Scotland right now, centers on the Scottish Referendum.  For those of you who do not know, THIS IS BIG!  Scotland is voting to secede from the U.K. and form it's own country.  Most Scots already think of themselves as having their own country and don't always enjoy being called British, but technically they are run by Westminster and the conservatives in England.  Scots people tend to be independents and more liberal.  So the YES campaign (SNP, Scottish Natl. Party) seems based on the emotional aspect of the Scots and the NO "Better Together" campaign (the Tories) is stressing the economies of staying together.  The Labor party which did side with the NO campaign originally is beginning to switch their thinking and leaning toward YES.  Naturally there are all sorts of good and bad points with gaining independence and I can tell you the arguments are heated.....even round our dinner table as Maureen and Hunter are NO voters and Gordon is a YES.  I remain sitting quietly in my own camp, secretly hoping for a yes vote but patiently listening to both sides.  Gordon doesn't have a leg to stand on since he doesn't live here AND has no vote even though he's a property owner and pays taxes! Go figure!  It's 10 days until the vote and these next days will be interesting!  More to follow.

So while we've been out we haven't taken many pictures as they would basically be the same pics I've posted before but here are a few:

Went out walking looking for YES/NO campaign signs.

Couldn't find any NO signs!  Interesting considering this is a mostly retirement village.

So I took some before pictures of the garden.  That's Gordon washing windows.

After!  This border is becoming an herb border for me with  mint, rosemary and thyme.

The back garden before......

.....and after...

Much better!

My Scottish honey preparing to go walking.

The flat portion of the Jenny's View walk.  Moffat in the background.

I'm headed toward Craigieburn Forest and Jenny's View!

And the "View"

Heading up to Merlin's Cave and into the crag.

The view into the valley where we parked our little car.

We made it!  Looking tired.

The best news we've received since arriving is that Gordon and I have become Great Uncle and Aunt again to beautiful Sawyer Ainsley.  Sawyer was born to Natalie and Brian (sister Sandy's son) on Thursday morning last week.   We are so happy for them and wish we could meet her!

Here she is!

Gordon is off playing golf with his "new" clubs and I am preparing for our trip to Ireland first thing in the morning driving to the southwest coast of Scotland and taking a two hour car ferry over to just north of Belfast, Ireland to begin an exciting 10 day adventure.  So more pictures will be forthcoming over the next week and a half.  We return the night of the Referendum!

So everything here is good.  Hope everything is good in your part of the world!