The Scottish Saltire

The Scottish Saltire

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Happy For This Day

One of these days you all are going to get tired of hearing me go on and on about how incredibly happy I am. But, in the meantime....

The weather has been beautiful ever since I got here. Not to say that it has been warm and sunny every day but there have only been a couple of days so far that were continually rainy. Some days no rain at all, some with a bit of rain for a while then clear skies the rest of the day. Temps have been very mild. There have been maybe 2 or 3 days when I actually had to break out the big fluffy coat but for the most part a jacket has been sufficient, even at night.

I know winter is on its way but the autumn has been wonderful. Last Friday was sunny and balmy and, though we all had schoolwork we should have been doing, Tobi, Chris and I decided that the day was just too beautiful to waste indoors so we piled into Chris' car and drove across to the Black Isle. The changing of the colors is always amazing to see and the drive through the countryside to the town of Cromerty was a visual feast. Vibrantly colored leaves, grazing sheep and cattle, gorgeous coastline...all accompanied by sunshine and warm temps. We decided that it was very close to an Indian Summer day.

When we arrived in Cromerty we walked over to the small harbor and spent a good deal of time watching one of the fishing boats come in and unload its catch from a day out on the waters of the North Sea. Several of the local residents were there to buy their fish fresh off the boat. After hanging around the harbor for a while we decided to take a walk along the water's edge. I really enjoy Tobi and Chris' company and at one point we all just made ourselves comfy on a bench near the water to talk and watch the sea birds. We strolled back through town and stopped for something to drink at outdoor tables before heading home to Inverness. It was just a lovely afternoon out.
The boys have gone over to Skye for a few days and Iain and I miss them! We'll be happy to see them come home.

Today is not rainy or particularly cold but it is overcast. I'm working on an essay about the 13th century in the Highlands and Islands and looking forward to the next few days. I'm going to a 3 day conference here in Inverness called Scotland's Global Impact. The speakers are all eminent historians and academics from around Scotland and UHI has canceled all history classes for this week to allow us to attend the conference. They even sprung for the cost of the tickets. I'm very excited!

So, even though the sun is hiding from us and there is not much going on today, it's a wonderful day in my world!



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7 comments:

Nikki said...

What makes you think we'd ever get tired of hearing about how happy you are?? We want every detail! But also realize that relaying every detail would take time away from your wallowing in Scottishness, so we are willing to be patient for those scraps of information when you find some breathing room to sit down and type.

Hooray!!

Anonymous said...

Are you above water!!! I have heard that you are flooded
D

Connie said...

Flooded?

Anonymous said...

Police today warned people to stay away from a Scottish city after "freak" flash floods struck overnight.

Northern Constabulary urged the public to steer clear of Inverness after heavy rains caused local flooding up to 4.5ft deep.

Main routes into the city from Fort William (A82) and Aberdeen (A96) were closed, as were rail links to the south and east, while the A9 from Perth and the south was described by police as "just passable".

Coastguards and lifeboat crews rescued 13 staff and guests from the city centre's Thistle Hotel.

Connie said...

Hahaha! I don't know when that article is from but it's sure not a recent one! We've actually had very little rain so far this autumn/winter. No "freak" flash floods and no Coastguard with lifeboats cruising up Bridge Street to the Thistle Hotel! Where exactly did you read this?

Anonymous said...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-137286/Inverness-hit-freak-flash-flood.html

Connie said...

I found it! That article was published on Sept. 8th, 2002. I knew there had to be some kind of a logical explanation. I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if the Council had started passing out sandbags!