My First Trip to the Highlands - By Luther

This past weekend, Mum & Dad took me on a trip with them.  I LOVE trips!  It means that I get to do a lot of exploring and smell lots of new things.  And I'm a lucky pup because Mum & Dad rarely leave me behind.  I get a little anxious when I see Mum get out the suitcases but I always know that I get to go when Mum starts packing my things with hers.

On most of our trips we take a car, but we don't have one over here so we took a train.  Mum is always a bit anxious whenever we try something new because it's a bit of an unknown, but I wasn't worried.  We walked right onto the train, found Mum & Dad's seats and I crawled under the table to settle in.  (You can see pictures of what the inside of the train looks like here if you're interested.)  The people on the train loved me - but who doesn't.  I mean, really?

We took the train all the way to Dingwall - a small town just outside of Inverness in the highlands - and walked about a mile to our hotel.

And guess what - we stayed in a CASTLE!  Tulloch Castle to be exact.

I made myself right at home and got ready for bed, knowing that Mum had a big day planned for us on Saturday.

Saturday morning, Dad took the bus back to Inverness to pick up a car so that we could do some exploring around the area.  He came back with a pink Ford Fiesta - haha!

Then we headed to Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness.  Even though the castle is a ruin, I'm not allowed to go in because of the high volume of visitors.  So I had to stay in the car.  Which means Mum will have to tell you about the castle later.

From there we headed north up the shores of Loch Ness so that we could go for a hike.  Mum found a trail in a book called The Old Coffin Road.  We didn't see any coffins but we had a lot of fun anyway.  I got to run around, get my paws muddy and drink from the freshest streams on earth.  It was AWESOME!

We came across this really interesting structure on our walk.  Not sure what it was, why it was there or how long it had been there, but it was cool.  

And check out the nails holding this thing together.  OUCH!!!!

That night I got to experience another first.  My first PUB!  We went to a small place called Benleva.  It was totally a local hangout, including local dog hangout, but the food was good (I can attest - Mum shared her Aberdeen Angus burger with me) and the atmosphere was cool.

Then on Sunday we went on a BIG hike.  After checking out of the castle (I mean hotel), we drove down to a car park (translation: parking lot) in Dingwall to find the start of the Knockfarrel from Dingwall trail and headed out.  It was so much fun.  I got to meet cows, sheep and even saw a miniature pony.

In Scotland, there are "right of way" laws which means that much of the trail we took went through private land.  Because of that there are kissing gates and stiles to help you get through/over the fences without letting out the livestock.  The kissing gates are much easier for me to get through.  If the stiles are small Mum & Dad have to lift me over.  Good thing I'm not a fatty.

Kissing gate - you push the gate to one side, enter and swing it back behind you so that you can get through.

Stile - just steps over the gate.  

The hike overall was great.  We saw some beautiful views and trekked through lots of mud - my favorite.

Dingwall.  You can see the Tulloch Castle in the middle on the hill.

This is just a little bit of the mud.  The end of the path was AWESOME! 

Loch Ussie

Cromarty Firth in the distance

Overall it was an awesome weekend.  I'm so glad Mum & Dad took me with them.  But now I think it's time for my afternoon nap.  I'm still worn out.

Cheers!
Luther

P.S. I almost forgot.  Thanks Aunt B for giving Mum & Dad a GPS a couple of years ago.  It came in very handy to help Dad as he was driving us around.  And the British lady makes sense now!

Highland Whisky

A couple of weekends ago, Luke and I went with the university's Water of Life Society (WOLS) to the highlands.  It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun.  Unfortunately we didn't get to explore the highlands - but we're going back up there this weekend to do that.  But what we were able to see from the car was breathtaking.  We saw a ton of sheep, got snowed on for a bit and were able to try quite a few new (to us) whiskies.

We left Edinburgh on Friday morning and headed north to Glenmorangie. The Glenmorangie Orignal was actually the first single malt whisky that Luke and I tried while still in Raleigh.  It's a good place to start if you're not yet a whisky drinker.  Relatively smooth and nice simple flavours.  At each distillery we were given a tour and after piecing together different sections from each tour, I think we managed to figure out the general idea of how whisky is made.

The stills here are the same height as an adult giraffe. 

After Glenmorangie, we stopped by Black Isle Brewery on our way back to our hostel.  Notice I did say "brewery" so no whisky here.  But we did end up picking up an 8 pack of their Scotch Ale which is quite tasty.  It's actually funny that we went to this brewery because there is a Black Isle Brewery lory (translation: large van/truck) parked in the lot where we take Luther out before bed.

On Saturday we headed south to Tomatin.  Tomatin actually is a town centered around the distillery where everyone who is employed there also is provided housing.  This was also where there was snow on the ground.  There wasn't much and it was all powder so you couldn't do much with it, but it was pretty.  Tomatin wasn't new to us either.  We had gotten to share a dram with George while staying at his house when we first arrived.

Melding of seasons - autumn and winter. 

For Lucas - unfortunately they didn't have an 1981 cask.

From there we headed to Speyside to the Glen Grant distillery with a stop at Culloden Battlefield (the final confrontation of the Jacobite Rising) for a bit of history.  Glen Grant was my favorite stop of the trip.  The whisky was nice, the tour guide was enthusiastic and the attached gardens were beautiful.  After we finished our tour and tasting, we were able to walk through the gardens and just enjoy the wonders of Scotland.  I guess I should note here that most distilleries are situated on or near streams because these are the source of the water used for making whisky.  The garden runs along this stream with a wooden bridge that criss crosses the stream.  It's hard to tell you how pretty it was - but luckily I have pictures.

From there we headed back to the hostel where we had dinner and then the President's tasting.  Three whiskies selected by the WOLS President - which essentially means you know they're going to be good.

Then on Sunday we headed south again to Dewars World of Whisky where they make Aberfeldy.  Here we got to watch a video about the Dewars and then walk through a museum before our tour.  It really was a "World of Whisky".

Our last distillery on the trip was Blair Athol.  Of the 5 tour guides we had, this one was the craziest.  Can I just say that I love funny old men?  They don't care who they offend and therefore do so often.  We weren't able to take any pictures inside the buildings here but I have some of the outside and the leaves were really pretty so it's just as well.

And that was our trip.  Even though we're going to the highlands this weekend, I don't foresee us stopping at any distilleries.  We'll be too busy exploring the countryside and looking for Nessie.  I'm convinced that she and Luther will be BFFs.

Love you & miss you,
Aubs, Luke & Luther

Job......Check!!!!

That's right.....I got a job!  I won't start working for another 3-4 weeks due to the background and reference checks that have to be done, but I have a job.

Everyone we've talked to has told us that you will either find a job really fast (if you're one of the lucky few) or it will take a long time to find a job.  I seem to be grouped in with the "lucky few" category and I couldn't be more thrilled.  If you read my last job related post you know that I was actually offered a job in early October but turned it down.  Right now I am SOOOOOOO glad that I did.

Last Wednesday I received a call from one of my recruitment agency contacts.  Jill, the person who had originally connected me with the agency, actually called the agency to see if I was available.  From what I can tell, a lot of positions in the UK are temporary contracts - 6 months or so.  Jill's team had decided not to renew the contract of a team member that will be up at the end of November and were looking for someone to fill the vacancy.

Because they hadn't officially gotten the new position approved or determine the exact details of the role with HR, Jill wanted to see if I could come in for a informal meeting with her and a colleague just to find out whether or not I would be interested in the position.  Luckily, because it was informal, I was able to wear jeans and boots to the meeting because it was one of those typical Scottish days and I was pretty wet by the time I made it to the building.

We met for 20-25 minutes and just chatted about what the role looks like today, what they want the role to look like going forward and whether or not I would be interested.  I told them I was.  They said they'd get back to me soon to let me know what was next.

They met with the department head the next day to give her their opinion and on Friday I received the offer.  I didn't even have to go in for a formal interview!  How awesome is that since it is on the top of my "Things I Hate to Do" list?

I'll be working for Standard Life Insurance Company so I believe the company will be similar to Principal in some ways.  I'm not sure exactly what my team does but I'm sure I'll pick it up quickly.  Oh - and I'll be in an admin/PA role.

Since it's November and the month of giving thanks, here are the things I am thankful for about the job:

1. My position is a 6 month fixed term contract which means that I will be working directly for the company (rather than as a contractor) and will have access to benefits.  I'm not sure what benefits I'll need as a US citizen so I've got some research to do.  
2. Work weeks are 35 hours here so I'll probably never want to have to go back to work in the States.  And I can use flex time to adjust my hours if needed.  
3. Luke and I will be able to walk together in the mornings and evenings.  I'll just "drop him off" on my way since the building is about a 10 minute walk past where he turns off to school.  
4. I'll start earning Pounds.  From everything we've been told, getting onto the Pound system is great because when you go back to the States - you're rich!  Too bad it doesn't work the other way around.  (crappy dollar)

So for the next 3-4 weeks, Luther and I will be spending a lot of time together enjoying the last of our "holiday".  Although this week I will be doing a lot of audiobook proofing - my other job - which will be the topic of a separate blog.

Love you & miss you,

Aubs, Luke & Luther

Hair Donation #3

If you've known me for very long, you know that I have twice before chopped my hair to donate - once to Locks of Love and once to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  The first time was in 2005 and was super successful in that it helped me snag my husband.  I did it again in 2009 and again today.  I've been letting it grow for 3 years, with a few cuts here and there, but it is definitely the longest it has ever been.  I'll be donating my hair to the Little Princess Trust who will use it to make wigs for kids who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.  Here are a few before and after pictures from today.  

Little Princess Trust requires 7 inches of hair.  My ponytail is on a sheet of A4 paper that is just under 12 inches long.  I cut off a foot of hair!

Hopefully I'll be able to replicate Jose's finished product when I have to do this on my own tomorrow.

And as of today, I'll start growing it out again to donate a few years from now.  If you have long hair you should definitely jump on this bandwagon.  It's easy, doesn't cost anything (other than postage) and it grows back.

And I'd love to hear what you think.

Love you & miss you,
Aubs

P.S.  Sorry for the poor quality pics.  Self photos in the mirror are not my forte.

P.P.S.  Is it weird that I prefer pictures of myself when taken in a mirror?  Other pictures always look backwards to me, but this is how I see myself everyday!