I'm just trying to walk myself home.
I am sad to say that I did not visit a single place on my list of sights to see in Dublin. I don’t regret for a minute that I spent the bulk of my time in Ireland on a tour of the Wild Atlantic Way, because it was the trip of a lifetime, to …
So we’re enjoying/slodging through (depending on who you talk to) our two week long Tattie Holidays. Some of us might be composing a letter in our heads that goes something like this, Dear Scotland, Your Tattie Holidays are TOO LONG. Sincerely, The Mother of Grumpy Teenagers. Actually there have been some great moments of exploring …
I still have one or two more stories to share from my time in Ireland, but I thought it would be fun to just do a random assortment of pictures today for Instagram Travel Thursday. Linking up with this group of fun travelers has been a highlight of blogging from Europe for me. It is …
I am super excited about beginning a new series at the Chino House today called Expat Stories! I have met loads of expats in the last several weeks, both in person and online. I love hearing the stories of other folks who have moved away from their home country to adopt a new one for …
What comes to your mind when you think of Ireland? If we play that word association game where I say red and you say apple, what would you say if I said Ireland? Green. Castles. Cliffs. What else? Red hair, maybe. Guinness, of course. Pubs. Friendly people. If we played this game for an hour, …
It’s been almost a week since I was in Ireland, and I think I am almost caught up on laundry. I’ve been going through pictures and notes, catching up on email and life here in Aberdeen. But we’ve managed to sneak away for a hike in the woods, walks to the park, a night of …
Let me tell you about a little treasure hunt we went on to find a hidden letter in Edinburgh. Almost as soon as we arrived in Edinburgh a few weeks ago, Cole and Mary Polly were insistent that we find a place called the Jolly Judge. While Taido seemed to understand their need to find …
Photo Challenge Tina from Girl Meets Globe tagged me in the Capture the Colour Photo Blogging Challenge! For the challenge, you have to choose one photo for each color/colour. (I’m feeling schizophrenic about spellings lately.) Here are the ones I chose: White Yellow Blue Green Red Even though I take a LOT of photos, I …
Perhaps you have been told at one time or another that the Irish people are friendly and warm. You might have also heard that Ireland is sometimes called the Land of A Thousand Welcomes (Cead Mile Failte). But before I actually went to Ireland, I didn’t understand that this phrase is not just a slogan. …
Happy Weekend! I’m wrapping up what has been an amazing week in Ireland! Can’t wait to share all about it next week! For now, here are some of the many spots on the Internet I found helpful while I was researching for my time in this beautiful country! Have you been to Ireland!? I would …
Last weekend, we took our first of what I feel will be many weekend trips to Edinburgh. For the last several months, whenever I mentioned to someone that we were moving to Scotland, inevitably, I would hear something else wonderful about Edinburgh. So off we went with a guidebook and suggestions. We took the train …
I realized this week that we have already been here in Scotland for a month.
A year ago Mary Polly and I were about to set sail on our Mediterranean Cruise. We’ve been reliving the memories and marveling at all that has happened in a year. When Mary Polly and I boarded our airplane for home at the end of our trip, we had no idea that less than a …
Pride and Prejudice for Wee Ones! Friends! We’ve discovered the most adorable series of board books based on English classics. Pride and Prejudice will always be one of my very favorite stories! We watched the 1995 BBC version recently and I fell in love all over again. Mother and I found this darling book in …
Castle Fraser, Scotland The September weather seems to be holding out for our weekend castle visits! Castle Fraser is a mere 16 miles from Aberdeen, which is an easy afternoon outing for us. The grounds and surrounding gardens are amazing! Our boys spent as much time playing in them as they did touring the castle.
North Sea Walk Sometimes, on Sunday afternoon, when everyone is feeling lazy or there is homework to be done, or you have already made a long walk to and from church, no one much wants to go for a walk by the sea. In such cases as these, it is best to go along anyway. …
Welcome to the sometimes weekly edition of In The Pipeline, where I list stuff I like on the internet and tell you what’s coming down the pipe at the Chino House. So, most exciting bit of news this week? I DROVE TO THE STORE AND BACK AND NO ONE DIED! Seriously, y’all. Driving on the …
30 Hour Midweek Highland Getaway I can already tell that one of the most wonderful things about living in Scotland is going to be that it takes almost no time at all to get out into the country. Just a few miles outside of the city, the Scottish Highlands are already beckoning to us! While …
I had been dreading spending my 40th alone so I was so happy to have my mama here and it turned out to be a quietly beautiful sort of day. Mother and I started the day by going out for breakfast and then walked to the shops and the Aberdeen Art Gallery, which has a …
Visiting Crathes Castle You could make an entire trip just out of visiting castles in Scotland. There are soooo many! I have already collected more brochures and flyers for castles than we can possibly see this year! We stopped at Crathes Castle on our way home from a quick getaway last week. The castle is …