Hassells in the Highlands

Our trip to Venice was only the beginning. We then drove to Edinburgh to see the Military Tattoo and the Festival - both run through the month of August. And we took the longer route by driving along the coast through Aberdeen (which also has a Costco - but we didn't stop there) and then on to St. Andrews, which some of you may know is the Birthplace of Golf. That was on Mike's bucket list. So, just as he indulges me at quilt shops - to just look at fabric and projects, and sometimes actually make a wee purchase - I gave him this small gift of time and dollars. Or rather, pounds. He gawked at the course. He gawked at the players. He walked on the path through the middle of a fairway and he breathed it in. He gawked some more. Then he went into a shop to buy a souvenir (or two). And then as we were leaving, he saw another man, whose dream it must also have been to play this course, standing on the bridge while HIS wife took a picture of him. ...

The honeymoon may be over. Sigh. I know. I know. Already, you say? I thought, too, that I was made of sterner stuff.  Yes, it is beautifully green. Yes, I love that it is obvious that I am in Scotland by the way the streets are made and the stone bridges and buildings. And yes, I even love the gentle rain and intermittent sunshine. But Mike went to work today (well, at least for part of the day), and I was here at home to do life. That meant, learn how to use the vacuum cleaner. And migrate between bathrooms with a shower that was not draining and a toilet seat that would not stay put, and going grocery shopping with a list and not being able to find Italian sausage.(I confirmed this today with another ex-Pat and it is true. There is no Italian sausage in the highlands. Though there is a rumor that there is some in Edinburgh).  And standing in the middle of the aisle and wondering what was I going to make for supper if I couldn't find t...