Hassells in the Highlands

Spring is on it's way!  I see signs of it.  Yeessss!   picture taken last June We had snow a week ago, but the sun has shone in all its glory because the sky has been blue and clear of those pesky grey clouds since then. The grasses are looking a little greener and the water a little bluer. The snowdrops are blooming - small, delicate flowers, but apparently hardy because the air is still cold and frosty in the mornings. The daffodils are coming up in bunches along the river. And this morning on my walk, I saw the gorse starting to bloom.  Now, I happen to know this bush will have flowers through June because it was blooming when we arrived last year, so we will have lots of time to enjoy its color. This was taken last June Gorse is not a friendly bush. It is full of thorns and you would be very sorry if you fell into one. They tend to grow in bunches and I remember how pretty they looked all over the countryside when we arrived her...

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. ...