Saturday evening

It wasn't convenient to write any more while I was in Scotland. For one thing Stu wanted to upload photos and we didn't want to sit in a very pleasant pub computing all evening. So here I am back home and already missing those wonderful places and especially the mountains the majesty and grandeur of which can only be experienced. I never expected to be over whelmed by the feeling I got when seeing them for the first, and for me every time, I did see them. In fact to tell the truth they had me crying just thinking about the awesome power by which they were created. Wednesday did bring the rain but it didn't stop us walking in the forest. It was like the clock had been turned back a few hundred years. Again another experience which I shall not forget.
Such magnificent trees with little rivers of water everywhere, we really enjoyed ourselves, even though we were very wet when we eventually got back to the village. Thursday dawned bright and sunny and it was a journey through the Cairngorm mountains and on past Lochs towards firstly the Commando memorial. High in the cairngorms where commandos rehersed and trained for war in the 1940s. Here was a magnificent memorial, which I would like to show you, when I get one of my clever sons to show me how, and also a circle where family members can put reminders of lost loved ones. There were even two lots of cremated remains (Ashes) . Some memorials were from the second world war but many were from recent fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was another very moving experience which will be hard to forget. We then went on to Loch Ness where the heavens opened and it poured. So much so that no one except Stu and I were brave enough to get out of the coach to view and photograph the scene. We didn't see any monsters though ! We then went back to the hotel for a "Highland Banquet" an evening of food and entertainment with dancers and music. The "banquet" was amazing so much food, and later another lot of food. I don't know how some people ate it all, but many did and went back for seconds and thirds. More tomorrow as its late !