Fort Augustus a weekend break

A romantic weekend away. Kim found a really good deal for two nights at the Inch Hotel through Groupon. For some unknown reason we both though that this would be at Loch Inch, but it actually was a bit further a field in Fort Augustus on the southern shore of Loch Ness. We packed quickly and left by 5 pm. There was a fair bit of traffic but the drive up was pleasant. However Kim was a wee bit distraught when I ran over for what I mistook to be only a leaf, but it was actually a frog (x 2 oops)! We went out for dinner at a pub on the Caledonian Canal. I had a steak pie and Kim Fish and Chips. A nice sleep in a very comfy bed was very much enjoyed on Saturday morning. We feasted a top notch breakfast, I had the omelete and Kim waffles with berries. We headed into the ‘metropolis’ that is fort Augustus and went to information centre for Ideas. First we went to an animal farm. It was a bit rundown but we had heaps of fun taking photo’s of the Highland Cows, Goats, Donkeys and Sheep. Next we decided on a picturesque walk around the area which killed a couple of hours. Afterwards we roamed around Fort Augustus, popping in to some of the local shops. I bought a woollen jersey and treated Kim to a Scottish shawl. After picking up some snacks from the Co-op we went back to the Hotel and chilled for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was booked for 7.30pm so we relaxed in the lounge over a few drinks and played Mexican trains. We even got talking to a Kiwi process engineer from New Plymouth working for Shell in Aberdeen. Dinner was really nice, I had the haddock and Kim went for the Lamb. Sunday we had another scrummy breakfast and checked out early. We were on the local golf course by 9 a.m. Interesting course, it was very tight and if you strayed off the sheep strewn fairways into the bracken you were punished with a lost ball. We had lots of fun and we played a few good shots amongst a lot of bad ones! After 9 holes I was busting for the toilet and we had to dash back to Fort Augustus for an emergency stop. We left around Midday to Fort William, where we stopped for Lunch and stopped at the information centre to pick up information for my lads weekend in May. It was turning into a brilliantly sunny day so after Lunch we went for a 45 minute walk, through forest and past some impressive waterfalls. The drive back was uneventful at least this time I didn’t kill any frogs!

Paris - Maddies 21st

Paris. This holiday was planned last year for Kim’s cousin’s 21st , Maddie. The holiday or at least my participation in it was under serious jeopardy, due to the on-going saga of my Visa. Believe me, it was very touch and go as to whether I would receive my passport back in time. As it turns out it arrived, a couple of days to spare, phew! I took a ½ day off work (my first week!) for a 17:30 flight out of Edinburgh. We arrived in Paris CDG just after 20:30pm. We negotiated the train ticket machine and arrived in Paris around 10:00pm. Our metro stop was Boissoire. We met up with everyone (Nick, Maddie, Heidi, Alan, Jane, Roger, Jill and family friends of the Mobbs) We went out for a cheeky meet and greet over a beer. Everyone was impressed with my sample of artificial grass from my new job. The next morning we went for breakfast at a cafe, coffee, bread, croissants and omelette were on the menu and also the best freshly squeezed orange juice I have every tasted! Now we had time on our hands... Alan, Jane, Kim and myself walked up all 700 stairs to the second level of the Eiffel tower (unfortunately the top level was closed for maintenance). Some facts about the tower; built as a radio tower in 1896, contains 2,500,000 rivets, gets painted every 7 years by 25 painters, weighs 7000 tonnes, took 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to build. Has even had an elephant up to the first level! As expected we took a fair number of photos, the day was a bit misty unfortunately. Next Kim and I ventured off on our own in the city of romance. We visited Notre Dame, Kim lit a candle and we admired the amazing stained glass windows. By this stage our stomachs were starting to rumble so we headed down a back alley and tried to find a secluded restaurant. Our secluded restaurant that we found was linked to the main drag, whoops. I wolfed down a quiche Lorraine. After lunch we just wandered, past the ice rink, pompidou centre and various stores. Back on the tube we returned to the hotel to chill out and meet up with a rather sickly looking Kirsty. We flashed ourselves up a bit met the others and headed to the Moulin Rouge. The weather was a bit rubbish and we had to queue outside. We sat down at a table near the front of the stage, and then we were straight onto the champagne. We had a group photo and before we knew it our food had arrived. I really enjoyed my meal of Fois Gras, seared Salmon and Berries. Kim had chocolate for dessert even though she was on Lent! “Apparently it was God’s Will”! The show absolutely blew me away and far exceeded my expectations. A dazzling display of colour, costumes, dance, song and acts. There was a phenomenal juggler, a lady swimming in tank full of snakes, gymnasts showing amazing balance and strength and a clown who even pulled Maddie on to the stage as part of his act, there was side splitting laughter from our group. And how could I forget the fine display of breasts on show as well! Sunday we had to search for a restaurant open early morning as Paris is still asleep at this time! After breakfast we went for a walk down the Champ De Elysee, we popped into the car stores and I even bought some reasonably priced clothes from a French chain. Next adventure was a Segway tour of Paris. After having some trouble finding the place we were taken through a training session by Rick from New York. There were a few people in the group who were a bit apprehensive at first, but people seemed to pick it up quite quick. It was simply a matter of controlling your body weight to control the speed of the Segway. There was only one minor mishap when Kirsty narrowly missed a parked car. We Segwayed to many interesting sites including, The Military School (with bullet holes in the building from the war), the damaged peace wall, Musee De L’Armee, The Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. We stopped for Lunch, near the Egyptian monument for hot dogs and crepes. It was very cold on the Segway’s so I think the group as a whole was glad to finish the tour around 5 pm. We picked up our bags, said our goodbyes to everyone and caught a ride to CDG airport with Alan, Jane and Kirsty. A fantastic weekend which felt more like a week in length than only two days!

Quinn's 30th/Wedding/Baby Shower

Took a quick fire trip with Kim down to Brighton for Quinn’s 30th / Wedding / Baby shower. We flew into Gatwick and caught a train down to Brighton, we had really good connections. Arrived late into Brighton and walked in the freezing cold, past the Friday night revellers to the Holiday Inn. Quinn picked us up the next morning and we all went out for breakfast. We were tasked with finding mini chocolate éclairs by Laura, which we successfully completed. Checked out Quinn’s apartment and helped him pack before driving to Little Hampton / Arundel. We firstly called into Laura’s parents house (the venue), to drop off some gear and meet and greet some of the family. Then we went 1 mile down the road to drop of our luggage at the comfort Inn before carrying on to Arundel. In Arundel there was an impressive castle, church and a bookshop named after Kim. I picked up a copy of Great Expectations there. We went for a wee stroll to a lake with lots of ducks before returning to the village pub (Red Lion) for a pint and some hot chips. The party started at 4pm so we headed back to change at the hotel and then taxi’d to the venue. A good party, I met up with some old friends, Paul, Jock and Manny. And after short speeches, and nibbles we drank and danced the night away! The following morning Kim and I went for a morning run, before returning to Arundel for a fry-up breakfast. Spent a relaxed day playing scrabble in the cafe and browsing some of the local stores before catching the 3:35pm train back to Gatwick. A nice little weekend jaunt.