Hi Folks,

Home again, and very pleased to be here.

Its been a frantic week since leaving Erbil.  The flights home were mostly easy.  Erbil to Doha and Doha to Manchester went without a hitch.  I commented as such to wifey when I spoke to her from Manchester. This of course was the kiss of death. Next flight up to Aberdeen, didn’t quite go according to plan.

The Flight that Failed

We boarded on time. The plane got as far as taxi’ing to the runway, then the pilot came on with an announcement. It seemed they had lost all screen displays. Not good in anything, let alone a plane. We had to return to the stand, where an engineer met us.  A fruitless 20 minutes later and we had to get off and go back to the gate. I wasn’t going to get home again quite when I thought.

In fairness, it was only a few hours before a replacement aircraft was found, then we are were on our way.  It’s a short flight from Manchester to Aberdeen, so just an hour or so later I was finally home again.

Home Again

Wifey and I had planned a relaxing morning followed by a spot of lunch, then a leisurely drive to collect Small daughter from school. Thanks to the delay, that didn’t happen. Instead, it was a frantic dash to shower and change then get to school in time to meet Small. We made it, just. It was all a bit frenetic, but at least I was home again. This was to set the tone for the week. It’s been hectic.

Shooting

Next day, I drove off to Sterling to go shooting. Well almost. I picked up my chum Steve and we drove to Dunblane where we overnighted at the Dunblane Hydro hotel.  The drive down was hard going as it absolutely poured down with rain the whole journey.  This was good and bad.  The rain itself was horrible, which was bad.  But at least it made sure I didn’t fall victim to the many ‘average speed cameras’ on the road. They really are unsporting.

The Hydro was ok. It was comfortable. Clean. The restaurant was good. A little expensive, but for one night it was fine.

Next morning, it seemed to be raining even harder than it had the night before. Unperturbed, we headed off after a very pleasant breakfast, to find the shooting ground.  The directions we had received left a little bit to be desired,  but eventually we found the place.

Hunting Scotland

It looked quite busy. There were literally dozens of people there, which is unusual for a shoot. I should explain, this was a simulated game shoot. No birdies were to be hurt, we would be shooting clay pigeons only.  I will tell you all about it next time. For now, all you need to know is it was organized by Hunting Scotland , it was really wet, very well organized and really, really good fun.

Hunting Scotland

By lunchtime it was all over and we headed back up the road. The drive home was far more pleasant as it had finally stopped raining. We broke the journey at a little village called  Guildtown, where we had lunch at The Anglers Inn. It was a carvery and very nice it was too. Inexpensive and tasty. I was pleasantly surprised and quite full when we left.

The Anglers Inn

Edinburgh in a Monsoon

Next morning, I had to drive off to Edinburgh to get a new taillight for the Aston.  Guess what? It poured down the whole way. It really was miserable.  It’s not often I don’t enjoy driving the Aston, but with zero visibility, pouring rain and yet more ‘average speed cameras’, I was delighted to finally arrive at the dealers.   It didn’t take long to get the new light fitted and then home again.   It was a long way to go for what was essentially a broken bulb. But needs must.

Once again the weather was better, driving back up the road, so I made good time. Which meant I was able to help Wifey prepare for our Canadian visitors due to arrive the next day.

The Visitors

Thats right, we had a couple of friends arriving to stay for a few nights.  They were visiting Scotland on a Whisky and golf tour. I bet the golf must have been fun, given the horrible amount of rain we had suffered over the week.  Still, the whisky made up for it.

Again, I shall delve into the details another time. Suffice to say we managed to visit the Macallan and Glenfiddich distilleries and enjoyed a pleasant night in the Highlander Inn sampling various drams. You might be surprised to hear a favorite was in fact  Japanese offering. An Hibiki 17 year old. I know, surprised me too.

The chaps left early on Thursday morning. Very early, like 5.o0am early.  We had a quiet day and an early night.

To Ireland

Today has been a ‘getting ready’ day. Getting ready to drive off to Ireland. We leave early tomorrow, drive to Llangollen to overnight. Then Sunday it’s a ferry to Dublin and a 4 hour drive to Connemara.  I am really looking forward to it.

We are all packed and ready for the off. The animals have gone for their jollies. House is clean and tidied. Passports and tickets readied. So it’s all good.  I will be telling you all about it in the future. Hope it doesn’t rain too much.

Lough Inagh, Connemara, Co. Galway.

 

Graham Wannabe, 11th October 2019