Tag: photos
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A walk at the Finzean watermills
We went for an amazing walk and picnic today at the Finzean watermills. They’re quite tricky to find because the road doesn’t appear to have a name (it’s referred to as an access road for the Forest of Birse) and there’s no obvious postcode for the mills, so print and follow the directions on this…
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Glasgow in autumn
We’ve come to Glasgow for the weekend to submit biometric data (fingerprints) for our permanent residency application. We’ve been waiting to do this since March when everything closed down. The centres began opening again in June and we’ve been waiting patiently for Aberdeen to reopen but as of this writing it still hasn’t. Every month…
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I broke my phone and photos of the autumn colours
My last blog post I wrote and published from my new phone when I was out and about in town. As I walked back home, tragedy struck when I dropped my phone, smashing the screen. I had bought a spigen phone case for it because these had always protected my iPhone very well but they…
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Potarch Bridge
We visited a lovely bridge over the River Dee today called Potarch Bridge which is about 40 miles west of Aberdeen. It was built by the engineer Thomas Telford in 1811-1813. This is the same Thomas Telford who built the Caledonian Canal and many other bridges all over the UK. I do love an old…
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Loch an Eilein and Landmark Forest Adventure Park
We’re back from our holiday in Aviemore and although we were sad to leave it’s nice to have decent wifi again at the very least so I can see all the photos we took. It’s also nicer to view them on a big screen. My new Samsung phone has a brilliant camera and so we…
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Half my life
I’m 45 today. If I’m lucky enough to live to 90 then I have lived half my life. I hope I’m still riding my bike at 90. You’re only as old as you feel or, as Groucho Marx once said, “You’re only as old as the woman you feel”. I heard another quote recently that…
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Samsung S10+ phone
Last month the home button on my iPhone SE stopped working. It’s just over 4 years old now. If you have an iPhone you’ll know it’s impossible to use without a functioning home button. Fortunately I discovered you can install an assisstive touch app which will let you access the home screen without using the…
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Colours of spring
Everyone should have a trampoline. They’re wonderful things for every age. I like that I can get cardiovascular exercise similar to running but without the same impact on my joints. Ben took these great photos today. The colours in the background are so nice. In spring when the leaves first open they’re a light almost…
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A night to remember at the Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar
This is going to be a long post with lots of photos so apologies in advance. We’ve just had a magnificent weekend in Braemar staying at the luxurious Fife Arms hotel. It’s quite a contrast to our recent glamping adventures and definitely opulent but worth every penny. I’ve been longing to spend a night at…
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Lunch at the Queen’s house
Last time we visited Loch Muick it was so windy we had to shout at one another to talk. We haven’t been back until today. We checked the weather forecast first to be sure we wouldn’t face another gale but I’m beginning to suspect Loch Muick and wind are two words that always go together…
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Scottish reindeer, Cairngorms
We visited the Cairngorm reindeer herd near Aviemore today. Reindeer are native to Scotland but were hunted to extinction by humans a long time ago. They were reintroduced in the 1950s to the Cairngorms and there’s now a managed herd of 150 of them. They cap the population at 150 because that is all the…
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Loch Morlich
We went for a walk around Loch Morlich today. Loch Morlich is an inland fresh-water loch near Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland. It’s a reasonably flat walk on a good path that goes through forest and along the beach. Yes, Loch Morlich, which is miles away from the sea, has a beach with sand.…
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Back to Craigendarroch
We went for a glorious walk up Craigendarroch today. The landscapes are beautiful at this time of year with a palette of yellows, oranges, golds, reds, browns, pinks, and greens. Craigendarroch is a steep and craggy hill overlooking the village of Ballater in Aberdeenshire. It’s covered in oak trees, hence the name Craigendarroch – craig…
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Newspaper pics
Elizabeth and I were in the paper last Saturday in a story about a council consultation for more walking and cycling links between the Bridge of Don and Aberdeen city centre. The photographer took lots of photos and I went onto their website this week to see the others (is it a bit vain to…
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A walk up Scolty Hill
We went for a walk up Scolty Hill today which is a small hill just south of Banchory. It’s about a 40 minute drive south west of Aberdeen to get to Banchory. The last time we walked up Scolty Hill it was snowing so it was quite different today. Everything was very lush and green…
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Pitmedden Gardens
Last Monday was a bank holiday here and we took the opportunity to visit Pitmedden Gardens. Despite being only 14 miles north of Aberdeen, we’ve never seen them before. We visited the café once on a trip to Tolquhon Castle but have never stopped to look at the gardens. Pitmedden Gardens is a recreation of…
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The Highland Club, Fort Augustus
We have spent a wonderful few days staying at The Highland Club in Fort Augustus. The Highland Club is a complex of holiday apartments in what was once a Benedictine monastery on the shores of Loch Ness. It was constructed in 1880 and home to monks and a private school for boys right up until…
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Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus
Started in 1803 and completed 12 years late in 1822, the Caledonian Canal connects the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of 29 locks (not to be confused with lochs), 35km of man-made channel, and four natural lochs. It’s a feat of Scottish engineering, designed and built by Thomas Telford from Dumfries. Over…
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Aberlour
After the hottest Easter weekend ever a little bit of winter has returned and we saw patches of snow on the ground as we drove to Aberlour yesterday. It made me happy. I love the feeling of cold air against my cheeks and we didn’t get a lot of that this past winter. We drove…
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Pap of Glencoe
We walked part of the Pap of Glencoe walk which is a hill walk starting from Old Glencoe Road, just a little bit east of Strath Lodge Glencoe. It’s a rocky, boggy walk with bits that require scrambling on all fours. There are also streams that you need to cross over although with a bit…
