for the love of scotland
“Christ the Lord is risen today,”
Sons of men and angels say.
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply.
-Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Wishing you a blessed and joyful Easter!
*Photo of The Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, England
West Register House, Edinburgh, Scotland
“Endurance is patience concentrated.”
∼Thomas Carlyle (Scottish essaying, satirist, and historian)
Hi friends! Today’s post is a departure from my usual focus on Scotland. Instead, I want to write about my trip to Florida with my sister this past week. So with that said…
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. For me and my dear, long-distance sister S, this past week was a bit of a loss.
S and I started going on “adventures” several years ago. They are not really adventures in the truest sense of the word, they’re really just sister get-a-ways. But that’s what we call them. Our adventures have taken us to the coast of South Carolina, the mountains of Tennessee, to destinations in the Great Appalachian Valley, and this past week, to the Gulf Coast of Florida.
For months we had anticipated our beautiful Emerald Coast vacation. The area is a favorite spot for me and Mr. C and I was so excited to share it with my sister who had never been to Florida. I had arranged our flights, our rental car, and for our stay in a cute townhome that Mr. C and I had rented in the past. Everything was all set. We were excited and anxious for our week of sisterly seaside bliss.
I forgot all about Wordless Wednesday this week so here’s a Friday Photo instead. Have a blessed weekend, all!
In the beautiful gardens at Lauriston Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland
“What sweet delight a quiet life affords.”
∼ Scottish poet William Drummond (1585-1649)
Have a happy Sunday, Friends!
View of Bass Rock which lies in the Firth of Forth off of the coast of Scotland
Hi friends. What’s new with you?
The countdown to our next Scottish adventure is officially ON! The light at the end of a very long tunnel is finally shining through and the long wait is almost over. I am more excited than I can say. Oh, what wonderful new things I will have to share with you soon!
Today we are going to make a quick stop in the small coastal village of Aberlady, Scotland to visit Aberlady Parish Church. Aberlady is located about 17 miles to the northeast of Edinburgh in the council area of East Lothian – a very fine part of the country indeed.
In my last blog post, I wrote about Lindisfarne Castle which sits on the religiously significant Holy Island. What a coincidence that today I learned that the community of Aberlady was once on the pilgrim route between the monasteries on Holy Island and the Isle of Iona! In fact, in 1863 a fragment of an ancient Celtic or Anglo-Saxon cross was discovered in a garden area next to the church. The carvings on the cross were found to be similar to artwork in the Lindisfarne Gospels, which now reside in the British Library in London. How magnificent!
Photo taken during a drive through the Scottish Borders.
Hey guys! Happy Wednesday to you. And happy first day of spring!
Today’s trip is going to take us through beautiful southeast Scotland and across the border into neighboring England. We won’t be going too far away from Scotland mind you, only about seventeen miles. We will be leaving the mainland, however. Don’t worry, you won’t need a lifejacket. A long causeway will lead us to our destination.
Intrigued? Grab your things because today we are headed to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne (or simply Holy Island) to see Lindisfarne Castle.
The Firth of Forth as viewed from the gardens at Lauriston Castle; Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Hi guys! I hope you have had a great weekend. I have been nursing a crappy ear infection myself. But alas, it’s been a good excuse to catch some extra z’s, lay around the house in my bathrobe, binge some television, and sip a little whisk(e)y. Always look on the sunny side of life, my friends!
In keeping with said whisk(e)y, today we are going to make a Rob Roy. Mr. C and I happen to LOVE a Manhattan cocktail, as we have been on quite the bourbon kick lately (thus the reason I included the ‘e’ in the spelling of whiskey). Our newfound appreciation for bourbon began last fall when we visited Lexington, Kentucky and toured three different distilleries.
Named after the 17th century Scottish outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor, a Rob Roy cocktail is essentially a Manhattan. But instead of bourbon – or if you’re a purist, rye whiskey – it is made with a blended Scotch (whisky without the ‘e’). We initially wanted to make today’s recipe with Dimple Pinch, a smooth, non-peaty blend that is suited perfectly for mixed drinks. Unfortunately, Mr. C couldn’t find any and the liquor store he went to was thin on blends. So instead, he decided to try one we have never had. It’s called Monkey Shoulder. Great name, right? It describes itself as “blended in small batches of three fine Speyside single malts, then married to achieve a smoother, richer taste”.
Robert Roy MacGregor (1671-1734) was a marauder in the Highlands of Scotland. After falling out with the Duke of Montrose, Roy ran a racket, whereby he earned a living stealing cattle and then extorting money from farmers to ‘protect’ them from thieves. His name was made even more famous by writer Walter Scott when he published his novel Rob Roy in 1817.
Based on its description, I think Monkey Shoulder sounds promising. Let’s see if the taste is as inventive as that fun name!
The ruins of St. Anthony’s Chapel in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh, Scotland
Hi friends,
I have a case of the glooomies. I can think of no other reason except that it’s the end of February, which here in Virginia feels like the purgatory of months. It may be the shortest month but somehow it feels like the longest! We’re too far removed from the holidays now to bask in the nostalgia and still a few weeks away from the the warmth and beauty of a new season. We’re caught in that yucky in-between time where winter feels unrelenting. Hurry up spring!
Friends, today I want to take a look at an iconic feature of Edinburgh’s skyline. When you visit the city, you notice right away that the landscape is dotted with spires. Perhaps the most recognizable among them is the awesome, gothic tower that looks as if it could have come straight out of J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagination.
Leith (Edinburgh), Scotland