I was surprised when I realized we had only been in the UK for six weeks now. I feel like we have seen so much and met so many people that it had to have been longer. We are back in the London area again and getting comfortable in our sixth house since landing here. Looking after three lovable dogs.

These three girls are keeping us smiling and laughing all day.

I get ahead of myself though. We had an incredible time enjoying Edinburgh and the lively urban lifestyle it provides. However we were able to balance that out with a week in a region called the Scottish Borders. Such a different perspective on Scotland. Absolutely tranquil and peaceful with not a streetlamp to be seen and the quiet at night allowed for deep wonderful sleeps.

We went from hiking up the viewpoint over Edinburgh, Arthur’s Seat, with dozens of locals and tourists.
To being lucky to see one other person on our twice daily walks along the river and over the rolling hills.
From looking out over the old Edinburgh Town Centre.
To having the locals watching over us to see what we were up to.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the hospitality we encountered in The Borders. The homeowners we were housesitting for went far above and beyond what we expected. We were introduced to some of the local residents and taken for introductory walks to help orientate ourselves to the region.

They even baked me a birthday cake to help celebrate my big day.
We had many wonderful walks around the area with Grace showing us the way.
We even had to endure some rain occasionally. However bearing in mind it was October in Scotland, we enjoyed some beautiful days.
Before we left I was sure to experience one of the things Scotland is famous for. I was treated to some lovely drams of single malt by friends we met. I also took in the Johnny Walker Experience. My purest friends will grumble about single malts vs blends, however the company do put on an excellent show in an effort to bring scotch to a wider audience. I enjoyed it.
As we packed up to depart Scotland we knew we had connected well with Grace, whom we had been looking after. It did appear she was not ready to see the last of us.

Scotland has been a total win for us. We appreciate we have been incredibly fortunate with the weather, but the people and the the country itself were the best part. We look forward to returning to connect with old friends and explore further and make new ones.

Welcome to our travel blog. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to say, "I'm out of here?" Well we did, and in 2013 we made it a reality. We sold or gave away all of our possessions other than what fit in our luggage and we set off on an endless adventure. Part of our goal is to share our experiences with others and hopefully provide some information, motivation, or just a moments escape. The general idea was to look for a place that would be ideal to settle down in. However in the meantime it is about experiencing life in different countries amongst different cultures and learning how to understand and appreciate each other. A large part of our time is spent housesitting which provides an excellent opportunity to experience more of the "normal" neighbourhoods as opposed to the tourist locales. Though we make sure to enjoy those as well. So through plenty of photographs and a running commentary come and share with us our life on the road.

2 comments on “Keeping Busy

  1. Thank you for sharing your Scotland experience! Sam and I love it and hope to be getting in some house sits there soon. On our last couple of trips to the homeland we spent time researching family history and visiting places connected to our roots. We absolutely love Edinburgh and all it offers but I am also quite partial to the north where my genealogy rests. Sam has connection to the isle of Aaron which is a lovely place to spend some time as well. Take care you two. Dan&Sam

  2. Grace sure didn’t want you to leave. Beautiful scenery there . I love the picture of the guy fishing. So serene .

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