Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Winter in Thailand

Danny and I are spending a good portion of the winter in Thailand.  Our journey began with a very enjoyable overnight stay at the Dubai Airport Hotel.  During this trip we decided to see Bangkok for a couple of days since we missed it on our trip earlier this year.  Loved the Bangkok Airport Hotel - the room, the service, the pool, the gym, the breakfasts, the easy access to the terminal for shopping and meals and getting our android phones packages sorted for our stay. 

We traveled into Bangkok on Sunday morning with plans to visit the Royal Grand Palace, the three temples which have the emerald, golden, and reclining Buddhas, and the national museum. However, it was very hot and humid (about 36C/96F) and the Grand Palace which is the most visited place in Bangkok was swarming with visitors - literally tens of thousands. All were trying to get photos of the magnificent buildings, get the best views of the emerald Buddha and other places, and the extra body heat made it unbearable.  So we cut our visit short and went back to the hotel.  


The rest of our holiday is being spent in a bungalow on Koh Samui, one of the larger islands in Thailand. Our introduction to Thailand was in January/February this year when we attended a niece's wedding. We loved it!

A few photos from the Bangkok visit - Palace photos are not good because of being jostled by the crowds.

Stay tuned. 

On a beach on Koh Samui

Grand Royal Palace

Grand Royal Palace

Grand Royal Palace






Sunday, 5 October 2014

Catching up!

Very far behind in my blog so I'll do a brief synopsis of what we've been up to.

In early July we met up with my brother & and his family in Bruges, Belgium, for a few days. Love Bruge!



















Photos in Bruge


Mid-August to mid-September we spent in Michigan visiting my family.


















Various photos - Summer 2014 - Michigan


The day after we returned home from Michigan we voted on the Scottish independence referendum. Then visited daughter, Doreen, on the Isle of Iona with our friends Susanna & Mick.





















Friday, 16 May 2014

Isle of Iona

Visited daughter, Doreen, at the Iona Community and had a gorgeous day for shooting photos.  She's visiting us at home for a week.

Photo Album - Isle of Iona - May 2014

Abbey

From on top of Dun I




Tobermory, Mull






Saturday, 19 April 2014

Catching up

Updates:  

Ugandan daughter, Doreen, is on the Isle of Iona as a staff member this year and she loves it! We will spend a couple of nights there with her in May, then she'll have a week off to spend with us. Still deciding where to go.

Took a short trip in March to Edinburgh then to Inverness to see grandson.  



Been very busy booking and planning our trips this year.  Bruges in July, Michigan in Aug/Sept, Thailand Nov-Feb.  Also thinking about a trip to London with Doreen in the autumn before she goes home to Uganda.  













Recently read books that I recommend:





Some of the films we enjoyed recently:

Captain Phillips
The Book Thief
12 Years a Slave
(Hated Gravity!)
Hunger Games (1 and 2)
The Butler


Nice day today.  Went for a 4 mile power walk and stopped to take a few pics with my phone.



Sunday, 9 February 2014

Thailand 2014

Danny and I just returned from nearly 3 weeks in Thailand where we attended his niece's wedding and also had a holiday with other members of the family. I've written a travelogue and created a collection of photo albums.




Saturday, 28 December 2013

A look back at 2013

This was a very busy and enjoyable year for us.

January - we spent a month in Uganda during which time we attended our Ugandan daughter, Doreen's, graduation from Makerere University with a degree in business. Her graduation party was held at the 5 star Serena Hotel in Kampala. She deserved it!

We also visited many of the dear friends we made while we lived in Uganda. 

Uganda photo album is here.

Doreen and her 'original' mum

Murchison Falls safari



































Feb - We spent a week at the home of our friends', Micky and Nicole, who live in the Rhone-Alpes region of France. We took the trip with our friends Mick and Susanna.

Almost every meal was created by either Nicole and/or Micky and all were superb!!

It was unusually cold when we were there but that didn't stop us from wandering around the beautiful medieval villages in the area.  Both Nicole and I celebrated our birthdays during that week.

Photo album of France is here.

View from the top of Crest Prison


Friend Micky who lives in France

Friends Susanna and Mick

Guess who?







































































May - Doreen began volunteering at the Iona Community on the Isle of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. She loved it and we often visited while she was there. Doreen spent a total of 4 weeks visiting us at our home during this time, and was also able to meet both my sister and brother who had come for a visit. She returned home to Uganda in November but will be returning in late January as a staff member for at least 9 months. 




















June/July - visited my family in Michigan for 4 weeks. We visited various places in Michigan and also celebrated the 8th grade graduation of niece, Grace. 

Photos are here.

Granddaughter Allyson


Granddaughter Haylee




Danny and Jesse play 'real' football









































Brother's family - Christie, Grace, Ben





















Sept/Oct - My sister, Cathy, came to visit for 4 weeks.  Soon after her arrival we travelled to Donegal in Ireland and stayed for a week.  

Our brother, Larry, came during her second two weeks here and we toured Scotland. 

Photos for these trips are here.


Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

Kilmartin - Templewood stone circle and pit

Siblings

Danny's Brewery




















































































Other:

We also visited adorable grandson, Mason, who lives in Inverness with Danny's daughter, Kathleen and her husband Riaan. 





















As usual we took lots of local trips and several overnight and day trips to Glasgow.  

Upcoming trip in Jan 2014 is to Thailand for the wedding of Danny's niece, Laura, who lives in Australia. We'll be staying for two weeks after the wedding as well with some of the family, including Danny's two brothers and their wives. 

In July we will meet my youngest brother and his wife and daughter in Bruges, Belgium for a few days. In spring or autumn we will take Doreen back to London for a visit as well as a visit to Enfield to visit our friends. 

Aug/Sept we will go the US for a long visit. Possible out of state trips are still being decided.

Other trips possible but haven't decided.  2015 is expected to be very busy travel-wise!

Friday, 6 December 2013

Doreen got her visa!

We are thrilled that Doreen got her work visa to return to the Isle of Iona for a staff job. She'll be there for 9+ months next year.

She will, of course, have some holidays to take off and we plan to take her on a return trip to London as she enjoyed it so much in 2010.

Her arrival here will coincide with our holiday in Thailand, but we'll see her a couple of weeks after she begins her new job.


Sunday, 10 November 2013

Thursday, 10 October 2013

Family visit to Ireland and Scotland

During Sept/Oct my sister, Cathy, came to visit for four weeks and our brother joined us during the second two weeks.

I have uploaded all my photos and some of my sisters. You will find them here:

Photos Photos Photos

Ireland

My sister, Danny and I went to Ireland for one week and stayed in Fintra Bay, Killybegs. We did not have a view of Fintra Beach from the holiday house we rented but were just a very short walk from this lovely beach. This was Cathy's first trip to Ireland and my first trip to this area of Ireland.

The first two days of our visit there were very high winds and pounding rain, but fortunately it cleared up later in the week.

Some of the places we visited in County Donegal.
Slieve League - highest sea cliffs in Europe

Donegal Castle

Donegal coast
Also did daytrips to:
Letterkenny
Ardara
Glenveagh National Park
Glencolmcille Folk Village
...and a few small town/villages

Co Sligo tourism
Visits in Sligo included Sligo Abbey and the guided tour was very interesting and surprising.  On the way into Sligo we stopped to see the grave of poet William Butler Yeats, and also did few detours to see some of the beautiful beaches.

On the way to catch our ferry at Larne in Northern Ireland we took a detour to see the Giants Causeway.  The weather was pleasant that day and we enjoyed our walk on the stones. I have wanted to see the causeway for a long time but it didn't seem to be a convenient detour on any previous trips I'd taken to Ireland.

Two weeks after my sister arrived, our brother, Larry, came to stay for two weeks and tour Scotland. He enjoyed his first trip to Scotland and like me, took many photos.

Scotland

Our first destinations were in our county - Argyll. First stop was Kilmartin Glen, an area with over 800 monuments, cairns, standing stones, stone circles and rock art over 5,000 years old.


Kilmartin standing stone

After Kilmartin we spent the night on Seil Island so that we could do this boat trip.  We were impressed by the Garvellachs.  As a bonus we had a dry, mild day for scampering along the rocks and up hills.





Kilmartin Church


Larry on Garvellachs
The following week we spent two nights in Edinburgh which included a trip to the castle and the National Museum of Scotland. On the way back home we stopped at Rosslyn Chapel.

Edinburgh from castle




Another stop was Linlithgow Palace. It was home to the Stewarts and is where Mary Queen of Scots was born.

Linlithgow Palace

On a trip to Glasgow we visited the Burrell Collection, and the Glasgow Riverside Transport Museum. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit the Glasgow University Anatomy Museum which disappointed Cathy greatly.

We spent a day visiting Stirling Castle and the National Wallace Monument (Braveheart). Our final day was spent in Inveraray. The siblings enjoyed a tour of the castle while Danny walked the grounds.  We finished the day with a stop at Fyne Ales followed by a delicious dinner at the Whistlefield.


Stirling Castle











I have done a few reviews on Tripadvisor for this trip:

Mhor Bread Tearoom - Callander, Stirling

Garragh Mhor B & B - Ellenabeich, Isle of Seil

Wetherspoons pub & restaurant - Playfair, Edinburgh