"Little house in the Highlands"...sounds rather nice!

Location, location, location - and lots of it!

We drove by this little place the other day...looks just about perfect for the two of us.

It's located in Cairngorms National Park, here in Scotland, which would be really nice. (We have, of course, great memories of the years we spent in Banff National Park in Alberta.) It is, admittedly, somewhat more isolated from the amenities we became accustomed to in the Bow Corridor, but the hiking and hill-walking is literally right out the front door. Come to think of it, these self-propelled outdoor pursuits that we love are right out the back door...and, um, the side door too! Now, how cool is that?!

We didn't actually see a "For Sale" sign posted, but it doesn't look occupied and it seems that it may well have been a while since anyone has actually lived there. Having said that, the property does look well groomed and cared for and I think the hundreds of sheep that dot the landscape are probably keeping a good eye on things.

The sheep are nice and even pitch in with the grounds maintenance.

We noted the two chimneys, which means a fireplace at either end - that's got to be a vast improvement over "central heating" where there is only one heat source in the middle of the house. Winters are cold and snowy here in northern Scotland so whoever built this place knew what they were doing. We'll certainly have to address windows and doors - they're missing. The roof needs some work as well but there's no real hurry for these upgrades as the current weather is reasonably warm and sunny.

Nice lines, simple design, twin fireplaces.

The house doesn't appear to be on the "grid", however, so we'd probably have to consider either solar or wind power as possible energy sources. Our thought is that we could locate a windmill on the nearby hill. (See top image.) We'd need a really long extension cord (or however that tech stuff works) but the bonus is that we could also hook up a TV antenna to the top of the wind mill. We should at least get some decent BBC programming that way. Cell service? Nope, I don't think so but we've got our ham radio equipment - could just add another antenna on top of the wind mill. Now, this is really starting to come together!

As for internet, we're not quite sure how that's going to work - yet. We have, however, seen some travel trailers in the Park and I know that some of the more sophisticated campers have a satellite connection for internet. We could just flag a tourist down every so often and ask if we could have a few minutes of online time in exchange for, I don't know, something.

Now there is the matter of the neighbours, just down the road.

Well, frankly, I'm not particularly impressed...
it's just not cosy.

They planted some trees and built this..."castle". Who are they trying to impress? I mean, really. Sure, it's  a pretty nice and all that but do they really need all that space. I mean, it's just the two of them. And the thing is, their place is affecting the property taxes of us more modest folk. Oh well, that's OK. I'm thinking that they probably host some great parties...AND, I'll bet they have internet!

This whole thing is sounding better and better.

The strange thing is...living in a little croft house in the hills of Cairngorms, does sound rather appealing. Hmmm...

Now what was the name of that property agent? :)

Duncan.


Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, these cool guys asked me if I wanted to join their band. I said, "You bet I do!".

Rockin', "Highland" style - "shaggy, unkempt, and wild"! Yes!

Rock on!


PS: Happy Canada Day weekend everybody back home!
Another PS: The "neighbouring place" is Braemar Castle. (It is rather impressive!)

On ancient walls and lunatics...

Arbroath Abbey - a "marker" from another time.

Lest anyone thinks that this posting's title is meant to reflect the venue and the visitors (us)...well, I'll leave that to you. :)

It is admitted that sometimes we both get overly caught up chasing after the potential "adventures" that await in the world outdoors, and need to be reminded of the nearby evidence of the incredible depth of history that exists in the heart and soul of Scotland.

Having said that, when hill walking in the lonely landscapes, it's easy to be stirred by images of the rough and ready life, countless generations ago in the glens and hills - and my Scottish blood is quite happy to be associated with those "great stalwart men, shaggy, unkempt and wild with a liking for strong drink".

Donnchadh*, a modern day descendent of the
"shaggy, unkempt, and wild"...
exiting the chamber for declared lunatics.
(A giant of a man, note how he "towers" in the doorway)

In reality though, I'm a relatively short guy with a close-trimmed beard, an unwarrior-like personality (most of the time), and an aversion to whiskey. But - the day will come. The "shaggy, unkempt and wild" will be back!

Arbroath Abbey is just down the road from where we are in Forfar, Scotland. As the sun set, casting its warm rays on these ancient walls, we felt deeply moved at its immensity and grandeur in an earlier time. The abbey was founded by King William the Lion in 1178 and it was dedicated in honour of St Thomas of Canterbury. In 1320, the Scottish Declaration of Independence was signed and addressed to the Pope with these, among other words:

"For, so long as a hundred remain alive, we will never in any degree be subject to the dominion of the English. Since not for glory, riches or honours do we fight, but for freedom alone, which no man loses but with his life."

Yes, indeed, those words have stirred strong feelings over many centuries - and to this day!

Peeking into a cold, stone-walled "cell", once reserved for those thought to be "mad", I shuddered at the thought of being incarcerated there. I'm sure that the rather unfortunate term, "lunatic", was a more subjective than clinical designation! It is impossible to imagine what life must have been like. You'd have to be more than tough to survive.

And next door to the ancient abbey,
21st Century "warriors" ponder
 more relaxed battle strategies.

When you ponder the hopes and the dreams, the plans and the passions, the lives and the "stories" that have accumulated over a thousand years in this place...it is humbling. It also puts into perspective the things that we tend to natter, whine, complain, and "drip" about (the weather, pot holes, partisan politics)...as if such things, over the vast expanse of time, were ever of any real consequence.

Clearly, we have only so much time here on this fragile planet. It could well be that one day, a thousand years from now, someone might reflect on the "markers" and the words that we early 21st Century inhabitants leave behind - would be wonderful, if what they find, reflects our best efforts and our most honourable aspirations.

Breathless, this time, by an ancient abbey.

Donnchadh.

*Gaelic, "brown warrior" - gotta like that. :)