Hell Freezes Over

Today - Thursday - was forecast to be foggy and cold.  Instead, it turned out to be sunny and very cold.  Earlier in the week we had set out to drive to Loch Fyne and then had changed our minds and stopped at Balloch on Loch Lomond.  This time, we were going to keep going!  Even inside the car, we had to wear hat, gloves, and scarf to keep warm.

The roads were quiet so we could go at 60 mph most of the way.  The road takes you up a long slow hill called the 'Rest And Be Thankful' which is often closed by landslides.  At the top, a tiny road veers off and takes you back down into Hell's Glen.  The temperature never rose much above zero so anywhere that didn't get the sun was all white and frosty.

As an experiment, I've put some of the photos into a web album which you should be able to see by clicking on this link.   If it doesn't work, let me know.

It was a very magical place.  A it further on, at the top of Loch Fyne, there is a Garden Centre with a good little cafe.  That's where I saw the black crow sitting on the graveyard sign.  We were starving: we ordered one cheese toastie to share, gobbled it up and then ordered a second one!

Balmaha

This was last Friday.  OK ... it's nothing like the flooding in England but it was astonishing to see anyway.  The top two photos are of heavy iron drains in the road at Balmaha Bay.  There is so much water running off the hills that it is forcing its way UP out of the drains!

The water in the Loch is very high for this time of year too.  We took some bread for the ducks and not one showed up.
   

Loch Tay and The Sma' Glen

There's a hotel on Loch Tay that is famous for its food.  It used to be run by South Africans and they built five circular cottages with pointy thatched roofs in the African style, called 'rondavels'.  These ones are very luxurious and warm inside.  It was cold, with snow on the hills.  We got there not long before sunset.  The first photo is taken from the pier at the hotel.  I have tried to add captions but it is very tricky because the photos keep jumping around!

The next day wasn't so nice so we drove to Aberfeldy and found a newly restored water-mill which had been made into a bookshop, art gallery, gift shop and a cafe.  From there, the route home took us through the Sma' Glen (Sma' = Small because it is a perfect miniature glen) to Crieff then Stirling and Glasgow ... about two hours' drive.  As we got near Stirling, there was an amazing view of clear skies and setting sun with long clouds of white mist clinging to all the trees.  There are few places where you can safely stop so we did not get the best pictures if it.

Most of the sheep were very muddy.  This is the only clean one we saw.

     

Coming home, Sunday.  Mist rolling up the valley.

Streaker Fail

Here's a funny video which proves that you should always look where you are going, especially when stark naked.

WARDROBE

That's it finally finished, at long last. Five doors, 20 hinges, 80 hinge-screws, 5 handles with 10 holes to drill and hours and hours of painting.

Two Sold!

Tuesday - another dull wet day.  Fed up painting wardrobe doors so we drove out past the airport to the Macmillan Art Fair.  This is one of the biggest Art shows which raises a lot of money for a cancer charity.  It opened a week ago.  Even on a rainy afternoon, there were people in buying stuff.  

Marion had entered three paintings and did not expect to sell any.  The first one we found hadn't been sold.  Then we found the second one and it had a red dot on it.  Sold!  We looked everywhere for the third one and couldn't find it.  Eventually, we asked the organisers where it was and they said it had been sold and taken away already.

Brown Toothpaste - YUK!!

South Koreans are crazy ...   toothpaste in poop-shaped tubes for kids

Glencoe

 

Thursday started out sunny and dry so we decided to drive up to Bridge of Orchy  - which is well beyond the top of Loch Lomond - to take some photographs.   By the time we got there it was getting cloudy but there was still some sunshine so we carried on up towards the Glencoe ski lift.  This photo is on the Rannoch Moor which is unique watery wilderness you have to cross to get to Glencoe and Glen Etive.

Not Very PC Joke

I saw my mate Charlie this morning; he's only got one arm, bless him. 

I shouted: “Where are you off to Charlie?”

He said “I'm off to change a light bulb.”

Well I just cracked up ... couldn't stop laughing. … then said:

“That's gonna be a bit awkward, init?”

“Not really,” he said,  “I still have the receipt, you insensitive *****.”

Deer Miss

After Rachel and Alfie left to catch the train back to Manchester, we took Robin for a drive down to Balmaha.  It was pretty cold by four o'clock and there was a fierce wind from the north.  However, the sun found a gap in the clouds and all the fresh new snow on the hills was brilliantly white.  This is Ben Lomond.

We went for a snack in the pub and it was dark by the time we began the drive home.  As we getting near the Drymen village, a deer walked across the road right in front of me.  I couldn't believe it!  It is only three weeks since I got the damage to the bumper etc all repaired.  I had to brake quite hard to avoid hitting it.