When Love Comes to Town

My husband came to visit me!
On October 13, he arrived just in time to celebrate our 12th anniversary of wedded bliss.  Aw.
We did a little of all things we love to do, but mostly and especially, we spent time together.  Holding hands is seriously sexy stuff.
Here is a bit of the run-down of our time together.
We left "Oldenshire" for parts west on Sunday, our anniversary.  Oldenshire is what Andy jokingly called Oldmeldrum, and it stuck!
En route, we visited Strathisla Distillery.  (pronounced Strath-EYE-lah).  The tour was through a beautiful old building.  The whisky was quiet tasty.

The still house...happily the warmest and cheeriest place

I can just picture him as a master distiller, can't you?
Perhaps his calling in another life!

Lovely cupolas stretching into a sky that looks warmer than it was.

N and A at Strathisla

Note the lovely sun...it snowed the next day

Then we drove on to the town of Elgin. (pronounced like el GUN, but with an IN sound in place of the u).  This was a place of monastic study and learning.  The cathedral was elaborate and extensive.  I have since learned that there was also a Bishopric less than 10 miles away.  There was a bit of political discomfort created due to their proximity.  

We are in what would be the music loft on one end of
the cathedral.  We are looking down
at the interior of the main church and across to the alter piece (note
the circle-space for the stained glass).  The burial stones would have been
inset into the floor.  The pillar ruins, I can seen nine (four about three
feet high on the right side and five almost flush with the floor on the left
side) aligning what would be the main portion of the cathedral--or the area where
pews would be in most church-spaces.

I just love this "haunting" image!  Scottish ghosts are hot!

A different view, higher up from the viewing platform, atop the tower.

Side wall of the cathedral separating the building from the bone yard

Many of the graves had the skull and cross bones

This one has a groovy skeleton. I am not sure what the squares

     and rectangles represent.

Then we drove to Lossiemouth a sea-side town along the North Sea.  It was a sunny afternoon and we marveled about the following: 1.  People were swimming (yes they were young but come on now).  You might be relieved to know they wore wet suits, but only 1/2 wet suits.  These people have tougher skin than we.

2.  Almost everyone we saw was eating ice cream. I was wearing my woolen gloves!   

Along the stony beach at Lossiemouth--looking out at the North Sea

Happy Anniversary, my love!
Love, aged a perfectly tasty twelve years...

This was pretty cool--a cart being powered by high winds and a parachute.

The quality of light is stunning in this country

I am not sure if the light makes my man look better or the other way around.

Note the wind in my hair...and my bundled-up-ed-ness
No ice cream for me!

 We drove into Dufftown that evening to stay at a cosy and welcoming Tannochbrae bed and breakfast.  Then dinner at La Faisanderie for delicious French food and wine.  The next day, we visited a cooperage to see how casks are made.  We call them barrels, but that is the name of a specific size of cask.  Other common cask sizes for whisky production include butt and hogshead.  We enjoyed a lucky timing, as our trip coincided with the 150 anniversary of a steam train line between Dufftown and Keith.  We got to ride on a train pulled by an ancient steam engine!

All aboard!

Can't you image the chug a chug sound just looking at this wheel?

I was one of two lucky gals who got to climb in and see
the inner workings of the coal-driven engine.

As a heat-whore, I was content to linger here by the fire.

I loved the steam.  It was hard to see at times due to
the chilly, steam-filled air--a scene from out of a
steam punk novel!

I don't know if the video will work...but give it a try.

The rest of the day was spent in whisky soaked bliss (and in trying to warm up).  We had a special tour at Balvenie (pronounced bal-VEN-ie) at 2:00 p.m.  It lasted for over three hours.  We got a very personal tour of the distillery; Andy bottled his own cask strength whisky; and we tasted and tasted and tasted.  So much fun.
Later, we were treated to a superb meal at Tannochbrae and gifted a dram each for toasting our 12 years together.  Thanks owners Alan and Susie!  Our dram was called A'Bunadh (means the original) from the Abelour distillers.  It was some potent stuff, but we learned that you add water until the nosing no longer stings your nose.  The amount of water is different for every drinker!  It was one of the best things I have ever tasted--and paired with sticky toffee pudding?  TO DIE FOR!

A satisfied man with his dram!

My hairy coos--and evidence of snow

Our final days took up to Inverness and down to Loch Ness and (for the obligatory, not-surprisingly cheesy) Loch Ness Monster visitor center tour.  The best part of this day was the beauty of the Loch and of Urquhart Castle.

Urquhart Castle on the Loch Ness

The Urquhart Castle was one of the largest strong holds in Scotland
during its time.

EVERYONE loves Andy, even little birdies!  In the Gardens at Brodie Castle.

This was a magical week for me--full of all the things I love to do with the man that I love.  We toured castles, tasted new delights, explored and enjoyed new surroundings.  But, the best part of the week, was how much fun we had.  I have not laughed as much in all the ten weeks I have been here than in this one week with Andy.

I thought I would be sad when he left.  That the house would feel empty without him.  That I would be desperately missing him.   What I feel instead is a deep and meaningful joy for the love he gives to me.  Instead of feeling lonely, I fill full up.  Unexpected lesson of the Fulbright?  I have the best husband in the world.