"You've been up to Nehtybridge, eh?" You say as you sit in your comfy chair with a cup of tea/coffee/juice/water/whisky/etc. "Lovely spot, ain't it?"
"Why, yes, the scenery is absolutely spiffing!" I reply slouching further into the leather armchair I am currently occupying.
"What brought you up to that neck of the woods?" You inquire.
"Pleasure, pleasure; what else brings anyone anywhere?" I take a reviving sip of the Glen Moray 10 year old whisky in my hand. "Care for some?"
You grab a glass from the side table and proffer it to me and I willingly oblige by pouring you a dram. You sniff it with an air of the connoisseur, "A 10 year?"
I nod and you take a small sip. "Hmm, good flavour. Fills the mouth nicely."
"Ay, they know their whisky up there."
"Hmm? Up where, old sport?" You remove your attention from the glass in your hand and raise your eyebrows at me in inquiry.
"North of Scotland, near Nethybridge. That's where I got it. 'S the only place in the UK they sell the Glen Moray 10 year."
"You went distillery touring, then?"
"It was that or the brewery and I don't fancy beer. Well, I suppose I could have gone bowling or on a walk or just sat around the afternoon, but a distillery tour was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. I'll tell you a funny story though, we'd left Nethy at 1:30 and were about ten or fifteen minutes away when I realized in my eagerness to get going I had completely forgotten my ID!"
"How'd you manage then?" You chuckle.
"Well, when we got there and asked about the tour, there was just a general question if everyone was 18 or over and that was the end of it."I pause and take another sip. "Though I will say, I'm quite certain I shan't have that problem again!"
"I should think not. Any other bits of interest? You've several times mentioned a "we", I'm guessing you weren't up there by yourself?"
"No, the whole lot of us from Barcaple were up. Was staff conference, you know."
"Of course, should have guessed. You mentioned that awhile ago. Meet any interesting people?"
"A fair few. The people in my Encounter group where all lovely and we had some good chats."
"Encounter group?"
"Sorry, of course, you wouldn't know! We had groups that we were assigned to and we met in the mornings after the session and discussed it and the previous night's."
"I see. What did the speakers talk about?" You look a bit more alert now. Gone is the whisky relaxed smiling face and it is replaced by steady interested expression.
"Philippians. They were absolutely excellent!" I sit up and lean forward. "The main "theme", if that's what you want to call it, was about how we aren't just supposed to be citizens of heaven sitting around on earth waiting to go to heaven, but in our time before we get there we should bringing heaven to earth. I'm afraid I can't explain it quite as well as they did, but it was extremely interesting and I learned an awful lot."
"And the worship? How was that?"
"Also excellent! The band was fantastic and knew how to lead well, and it was such a pleasure to see everyone around being excited and on fire for God!"
You smile at my excitement, and sink back into your chair. "So, you had excellent speakers, fantastic worship, and a trip to a distillery. Anything else to top that all off?"
I chuckle. "Ay, it was good week. And, yes, I do, in fact, have something to top that all off! On our last night we had ceilidh!"
"A what?"
"Ceilidh. It's traditional Scottish dancing which is an absolute blast and requires far too much energy!"
You laugh. "Bit out of shape?"
"Just a wee bit! It was great fun though! It didn't, however, get properly started till around ten or quarter past ten and didn't end till around twenty to twelve. Was a late night, but it was good. Can't wait till I go to the New Years' Houseparty at Nethy and have another one!"
"A bit jealous, I have to admit!" You grin. "So, many guys ask you to dance?"
I snort and start to laugh. "As much as it pains me to admit it, only one did. I'm afraid I ended up doing the rest of the asking. I actually semi-accosted one of my partners in the hallway when I asked. I noticed that he seemed to know what he was doing so when I saw him on my way to get a drink I said "Hey, you seem to know what your doing dance-wise, and therefore I solicit your hand for the next dance!""
You plant your head in your palm and shake it in despair. "Please tell me, you didn't actually say "solicit"?"
"I'm afraid so...I did end up getting the dance though. Well, not the next one, but the one after that. So it was alright in the end. To be honest though, when I asked him he did look a bit startled in the "deer caught in the headlights" sort of way. It was a good dance though." I smile and shake my head at the memory.
"Good week then?"
"An excellent week. But I shan't bore you with anymore stories, and I'll let you get on with whatever it was you were doing before I interrupted." I get up from my chair, raise my glass in salute, and leave you mulling over your whiskey.
UPDATE: Thank you to Eilidh for kindly correcting my spelling of "whisky." For those of you who didn't know, "whiskey" with an "e" refers to Irish Whiskey, and without the "e" is Scottish. So there's your whisky fact for the day
Friday, 6 December 2013
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
A Touch of Frost
Got up nice and late this morning...cough cough 10:30 cough cough. And lo and behold there was still frost on the ground! So after dressing appropriately, i.e. not in my pyjamas, I took hold of Molly's camera and ventured out into the morning sunshine! Here are a few of the photos I snapped :)
Oh, and I almost forgot...I got into university with a very substantial scholarship! So I am going to go to Brock University. It was a very tough decision especially since I was very seriously looking into going to Queens. However, I was getting a lot of advice that all saying the same thing "Go to Brock for first year at least, if you really don't like it you can transfer to Queens." I mean, I'll still finish my applications for Queens and Guelph, but I have accepted the offer of Brock. So I am for sure in their English program and I'll have to do a skype interview for the Dramatic Arts program, but I am fairly confidant that it will go through. So yeah...that's me I guess....
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| I'm talking frozen puddles on the drive. . . |
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| Frost on the road that I almost slipped on... |
Oh, and I almost forgot...I got into university with a very substantial scholarship! So I am going to go to Brock University. It was a very tough decision especially since I was very seriously looking into going to Queens. However, I was getting a lot of advice that all saying the same thing "Go to Brock for first year at least, if you really don't like it you can transfer to Queens." I mean, I'll still finish my applications for Queens and Guelph, but I have accepted the offer of Brock. So I am for sure in their English program and I'll have to do a skype interview for the Dramatic Arts program, but I am fairly confidant that it will go through. So yeah...that's me I guess....
The Red Hand of Ulster
That being Northern Ireland where I went for five days at the end of October with Claire Vickery. What to say about the Northern part of the Emerald Island. Hmmm...well it is quite green, so ya know, it's got that going for it. Belfast was okay, but really just a city like any other, however the Causeway coast was stunning and I'm probably going to have problems deciding which pictures to put up! I suppose I shall just give you a day by day account and we'll see how it goes...
Day 1:
Get up at stupid o'clock in the morning (4:00...or on my case 3:30. . .stupid brain). Catch the 4:50 am bus in Castle Douglas to the ferry in Stranraer. Doze on said bus. Get off the bus in darkness. Watch a guy get stopped by the security people at the ferry. Board the ferry and sit and listen to music with Claire and drink a latte.
Arrive in Belfast at about 10, take the bus into the center of town. Look for hostel. Find out that the hostel we booked basically doesn't exist any more and go to the hostel that used to run it. Manage to get two beds. Drop off bags and head into town for a wee bit of shopping/exploration. Go to Victoria Square and wander through the shops. Spend a half hour or so in Starbucks. Watch Thor 2. Fangirl over Loki.
Five o'clock or so, look for the Titanic Pub to go for dinner, but fail to find it. Head to the fanciest Tescos ever, to buy a sandwich and some fruit for dinner. Return to hostel. Eat dinner, and find out that the pub was only a couple of blocks away from the hostel. . . (Mom, you can kindly skip to the next paragraph...you don't want to read the next bit....seriously....) Sit on the internet for a wee bit looking at what to do the next day. Get slightly concerned when four policemen show up at the hostel. Look for new hostel. Police leave. Remain confused, and decide to see how the night goes.
Eight o'clock, head to our room to get ready for bed. Shower. Crawl into bed. Fall asleep around nine.
Day 2:
Get up about eight. Read for a bit. Eventually put glasses on and look towards Claire's bed on the other side of the room. Accept Birthday congratulations with an "oh yeah! it's my birthday!"
Go back to fancy Tescos and get breakfast. Walk around town for a wee bit. Head to the Titanic Experience. Experience Titanic. Go to Pizza Hut for lunch. Experience bad service. Head back to the center of town. Go to Costa's for a warm drink. Decide to stay at hostel.
Go and find the Titanic Pub. Order an appetizer as your main meal.. Order glass of wine since it's your birthday. Complain about tiredness.
Return to Hostel. Check facebook. Check bus times for Ballycastle. Decide it's too much hassle to go to Carrickfergus Castle with heavy bags.
Eight (it was actually probably 7:30...) o'clock, head to our room to get ready for bed. Shower. Crawl into bed. Fall asleep before nine.
Day 3:
Get up about eight. Pack. Head to the bus. Sit on comfy leather seats till bus change in Ballymoney. Buy crisps, and JellyTots at train/bus station store. Catch bus to Ballycastle. Sit on more comfy leather bus seats. Stare out at the lovely scenery.
Arrive in Ballycastle at about 11:30. Walk down road to the waterfront and new hostel. Become excited about how pretty everything is. Have chips and coffee in small cafe while waiting for Hostel owner to come back to open the doors for us. Return to hostel. Call owner and find out she is on her way. Meet owner's husband and chat to him for a few moments before she arrives. Meet nicest hostel owner ever, Anne-Marie. Be shown around the nicest hostel ever, and go to our fantastic room.
Take a long walk on beach. Take a million pictures of the waves. Return to hostel to get money. Walk into town. Go to Drugstore. Go to confectionery. Return to hostel to read for a while. Go to pub for dinner. Order yankee style fried chicken burger with skinny chips. Get much, much more than you bargained for. Eat as much as you can and then give up. Split a cheesecake with Claire. Head back to the hostel. Look at the now ebony waves in the dark for a bit. Take a shower in the lovely warm shower. Read a bit in bed. Go to sleep at nine. Consider it a late night.
Day 4:
Get up about 8:30. Read for a bit. Catch the bus to the Giant's Causeway. Go to The Nook pub at the Giant's Causeway for breakfast. Consume a delicious scone with jam and cream and drink a lovely Bailey's coffee. Text Anne Marie and ask if we can stay another night. Be happy when we are told we can.
Head to the causeway. Marvel at the beauty of creation. Take loads of pictures. Attempt to get a perfect picture of a wave crashing up against the rocks. Get super soggy in the rain. Hang out at The Nook and drink a half pint of Magners. Head out to the bus stop. Stand for awhile. Recheck the bus times and discover that the bus you wanted to catch only runs from May to September. Abuse the Giant Causeway bus timetables. Return to The Nook to wait for three hours for the 6:20 bus. Order a pint of Magners. Drink it slowly over the course of two hours. Order some chips and a piece of bread. Have a chip piece. Eat the rest of the chips normally. Complain about how long it is. Listen to the wind howl. Wish you had a vehicle to drive. Roll eyes at the American who didn't know what Poppies are for. . .finally leave for the bus.
Almost be blown over by the wind. Be picked up by the nicest female bus driver on the face of the planet. Head back to the hostel. Shower. Read in bed.Go to sleep at eight....again...
Day 5:
Wake up around 8. Get up and dressed. Get a cappuccino at Costa's and walk on the beach while Claire gets up. Take a whole bunch more pictures of the waves. Meet Claire by the outdoor exercise equipment (it's pretty epic). Go to breakfast at a nice little cafe. Eat a delicious breakfast of a fried egg, two pieces of bacon, two slices of seedy wholemeal toast, and a small little cup of beans. Drink tasty orange juice.
Head back to the hostel to pay Anne-Marie and to gather our bags. Catch the bus. Stare out the window at the stunning Causeway Coast. Catch the train from Coleraine to Belfast. Wander about waiting for the bus. Stop by Primark. Get chips at MacDonalds. Go to the bus stop. Sit and wait. Wonder which bus is ours. Ask someone, realize we could have almost missed our bus. Laugh nervously.
Board the ferry. Sit on the opposite side of the boat. Read a bit. Wander around a bit. Read some more. Get back to Stranraer. Catch the bus to Castle Douglas. Notice frost on the cars as you arrive in Castle Douglas. Be pickd up by Ben Williams. Arrive back at Barcaple close to midnight. Say goodnight to Claire, and head to bed. Realise that this is the latest you've been up all week.
Sleep till nine the next morning and be greeted by lots of people who missed you! :) Be told by people that they're glad your back, not only because you're you, but also because you were missed in the kitchen. Feel loved and happy, even though you are still slightly missing Ballycastle.
Picture time! :)
Day 1:
Get up at stupid o'clock in the morning (4:00...or on my case 3:30. . .stupid brain). Catch the 4:50 am bus in Castle Douglas to the ferry in Stranraer. Doze on said bus. Get off the bus in darkness. Watch a guy get stopped by the security people at the ferry. Board the ferry and sit and listen to music with Claire and drink a latte.
Arrive in Belfast at about 10, take the bus into the center of town. Look for hostel. Find out that the hostel we booked basically doesn't exist any more and go to the hostel that used to run it. Manage to get two beds. Drop off bags and head into town for a wee bit of shopping/exploration. Go to Victoria Square and wander through the shops. Spend a half hour or so in Starbucks. Watch Thor 2. Fangirl over Loki.
Five o'clock or so, look for the Titanic Pub to go for dinner, but fail to find it. Head to the fanciest Tescos ever, to buy a sandwich and some fruit for dinner. Return to hostel. Eat dinner, and find out that the pub was only a couple of blocks away from the hostel. . . (Mom, you can kindly skip to the next paragraph...you don't want to read the next bit....seriously....) Sit on the internet for a wee bit looking at what to do the next day. Get slightly concerned when four policemen show up at the hostel. Look for new hostel. Police leave. Remain confused, and decide to see how the night goes.
Eight o'clock, head to our room to get ready for bed. Shower. Crawl into bed. Fall asleep around nine.
Day 2:
Get up about eight. Read for a bit. Eventually put glasses on and look towards Claire's bed on the other side of the room. Accept Birthday congratulations with an "oh yeah! it's my birthday!"
Go back to fancy Tescos and get breakfast. Walk around town for a wee bit. Head to the Titanic Experience. Experience Titanic. Go to Pizza Hut for lunch. Experience bad service. Head back to the center of town. Go to Costa's for a warm drink. Decide to stay at hostel.
Go and find the Titanic Pub. Order an appetizer as your main meal.. Order glass of wine since it's your birthday. Complain about tiredness.
Return to Hostel. Check facebook. Check bus times for Ballycastle. Decide it's too much hassle to go to Carrickfergus Castle with heavy bags.
Eight (it was actually probably 7:30...) o'clock, head to our room to get ready for bed. Shower. Crawl into bed. Fall asleep before nine.
Day 3:
Get up about eight. Pack. Head to the bus. Sit on comfy leather seats till bus change in Ballymoney. Buy crisps, and JellyTots at train/bus station store. Catch bus to Ballycastle. Sit on more comfy leather bus seats. Stare out at the lovely scenery.
Arrive in Ballycastle at about 11:30. Walk down road to the waterfront and new hostel. Become excited about how pretty everything is. Have chips and coffee in small cafe while waiting for Hostel owner to come back to open the doors for us. Return to hostel. Call owner and find out she is on her way. Meet owner's husband and chat to him for a few moments before she arrives. Meet nicest hostel owner ever, Anne-Marie. Be shown around the nicest hostel ever, and go to our fantastic room.
Take a long walk on beach. Take a million pictures of the waves. Return to hostel to get money. Walk into town. Go to Drugstore. Go to confectionery. Return to hostel to read for a while. Go to pub for dinner. Order yankee style fried chicken burger with skinny chips. Get much, much more than you bargained for. Eat as much as you can and then give up. Split a cheesecake with Claire. Head back to the hostel. Look at the now ebony waves in the dark for a bit. Take a shower in the lovely warm shower. Read a bit in bed. Go to sleep at nine. Consider it a late night.
Day 4:
Get up about 8:30. Read for a bit. Catch the bus to the Giant's Causeway. Go to The Nook pub at the Giant's Causeway for breakfast. Consume a delicious scone with jam and cream and drink a lovely Bailey's coffee. Text Anne Marie and ask if we can stay another night. Be happy when we are told we can.
Head to the causeway. Marvel at the beauty of creation. Take loads of pictures. Attempt to get a perfect picture of a wave crashing up against the rocks. Get super soggy in the rain. Hang out at The Nook and drink a half pint of Magners. Head out to the bus stop. Stand for awhile. Recheck the bus times and discover that the bus you wanted to catch only runs from May to September. Abuse the Giant Causeway bus timetables. Return to The Nook to wait for three hours for the 6:20 bus. Order a pint of Magners. Drink it slowly over the course of two hours. Order some chips and a piece of bread. Have a chip piece. Eat the rest of the chips normally. Complain about how long it is. Listen to the wind howl. Wish you had a vehicle to drive. Roll eyes at the American who didn't know what Poppies are for. . .finally leave for the bus.
Almost be blown over by the wind. Be picked up by the nicest female bus driver on the face of the planet. Head back to the hostel. Shower. Read in bed.Go to sleep at eight....again...
Day 5:
Wake up around 8. Get up and dressed. Get a cappuccino at Costa's and walk on the beach while Claire gets up. Take a whole bunch more pictures of the waves. Meet Claire by the outdoor exercise equipment (it's pretty epic). Go to breakfast at a nice little cafe. Eat a delicious breakfast of a fried egg, two pieces of bacon, two slices of seedy wholemeal toast, and a small little cup of beans. Drink tasty orange juice.
Head back to the hostel to pay Anne-Marie and to gather our bags. Catch the bus. Stare out the window at the stunning Causeway Coast. Catch the train from Coleraine to Belfast. Wander about waiting for the bus. Stop by Primark. Get chips at MacDonalds. Go to the bus stop. Sit and wait. Wonder which bus is ours. Ask someone, realize we could have almost missed our bus. Laugh nervously.
Board the ferry. Sit on the opposite side of the boat. Read a bit. Wander around a bit. Read some more. Get back to Stranraer. Catch the bus to Castle Douglas. Notice frost on the cars as you arrive in Castle Douglas. Be pickd up by Ben Williams. Arrive back at Barcaple close to midnight. Say goodnight to Claire, and head to bed. Realise that this is the latest you've been up all week.
Sleep till nine the next morning and be greeted by lots of people who missed you! :) Be told by people that they're glad your back, not only because you're you, but also because you were missed in the kitchen. Feel loved and happy, even though you are still slightly missing Ballycastle.
Picture time! :)
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| On the boat! |
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| Last glimpse of Scotland |
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| Mmmm latte |
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| And the first glimpse of Northern Ireland |
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| Happy to be there! |
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| Equally excited |
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| The fanciest Tescos ever....it even had blue vaulted ceilings with little gold cherubs....talk about fancy shamcy |
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| Seriously.... |
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| On the bus to Ballycastle |
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| Leaving Belfast |
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| Well, it's not called the Emerald Island for nothing! |
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| From our room in the Ballycastle hostel looking out on the bay |
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| So many waves! It was fantastic! |
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| The outdoor exercise unit...neat idea to be fair |
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| The lovely seaside town of Ballycastle |
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| Selfie on the beach...blinking....yeah...sad eh? |
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| So there was a sort of "whole" in the rocks and when the waves came over it would you would hardly know it was there! It was like a fairy pool |
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| And the wave drains out |
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| Oooo a white rock! Not the edible kind I'm afraid (Thought of you, Heather!) |
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| My tasty morning cup of Bailey's and coffee :) |
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| Omnomnomnomnom scone with jam and cream |
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| Down the road towards the Causeway |
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| Unintentional grass picture... |
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| Spot the camel! |
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| The first stones on the Causeway! They're so similar and yet so different! |
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| It totally looks like the Misty Mountain! |
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| So many strangers kept getting in my shots...but at least this one had the decency to look like he belonged! |
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| Going up the walk to the cliffs |
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| More columns! There were some students drawing them...in the rain....I felt so happy I wasn't one of them |
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| Sunday morning walk! |
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| Costa selfie :) |
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| I feel like it needs the Little Mermaid... |
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| Stairs going down into a rock...the temptation to go down and find the, obviously, hidden smugglers and things...and drink lashings of ginger beer... |
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| There was another entrance as well! The smugglers obviously need two entrances...one for going in and one for escaping.... |
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| The frost on the Barcaple lawn the morning I got back |
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