Photo Album - Isle of Iona - May 2014
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| Abbey |
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| From on top of Dun I |
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| Tobermory, Mull |
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
Photo Album - Isle of Iona - May 2014
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.
We also visited many of the dear friends we made while we lived in Uganda.
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.
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| Doreen and her 'original' mum |
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| 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.
Photo album of France is here.
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| View from the top of Crest Prison |
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| Friend Micky who lives in France |
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| Friends Susanna and Mick |
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| 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.
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| Granddaughter Allyson |
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| Granddaughter Haylee |
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| Danny and Jesse play 'real' football |
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| 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.
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| Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland |
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| Kilmartin - Templewood stone circle and pit |
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| Siblings |
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| 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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Another stop was Linlithgow Palace. It was home to the Stewarts and is where Mary Queen of Scots was born.
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.
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
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
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| Donegal Castle |
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| Donegal coast |
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.
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| 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.
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| Kilmartin Church |
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| Larry on Garvellachs |
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| Edinburgh from castle |
Another stop was Linlithgow Palace. It was home to the Stewarts and is where Mary Queen of Scots was born.
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| 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.
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| 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
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Updates
We spent one month in Michigan visiting my family, returning on July 10th. It was very enjoyable seeing all the family and the weather was pleasant for the most part.
Some family photos
There has been a long spell of warm/hot weather in the UK, including where we live. Not at all typical of our summers, we've had many days of temps in the 20'sC/ 70'sF and even up to 80F. It's been drier than normal as well.
Doreen is doing extremely well with her volunteering stint in the Iona Community. She's made many friends and meets people from all over the world. There are different guests every week.
We spent 3 nights/4 days on the island after we came home from the US.
Isle of Iona photos
Doreen will finish her volunteering on August 28th and will visit with us for two weeks before going home to Uganda.
Mid-September my sister will come to visit for a month. Halfway through her visit, one of my brothers will arrive for a visit. Plans include a visit to Donegal and Sligo with my sister who has never been to Ireland. This will be my brother's first visit to Scotland so we have many plans for showing him some of the country, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Kilmartin, Seil Island, the Garvellachs.
Except for local trips we'll be staying home after this until our next trip in January - to Thailand for niece's wedding.
Some family photos
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| Granddaughter Haylee, 8 |
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| Granddaughter Allyson, nearly 3 |
There has been a long spell of warm/hot weather in the UK, including where we live. Not at all typical of our summers, we've had many days of temps in the 20'sC/ 70'sF and even up to 80F. It's been drier than normal as well.
Doreen is doing extremely well with her volunteering stint in the Iona Community. She's made many friends and meets people from all over the world. There are different guests every week.
We spent 3 nights/4 days on the island after we came home from the US.
Isle of Iona photos
Doreen will finish her volunteering on August 28th and will visit with us for two weeks before going home to Uganda.
Mid-September my sister will come to visit for a month. Halfway through her visit, one of my brothers will arrive for a visit. Plans include a visit to Donegal and Sligo with my sister who has never been to Ireland. This will be my brother's first visit to Scotland so we have many plans for showing him some of the country, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Kilmartin, Seil Island, the Garvellachs.
Except for local trips we'll be staying home after this until our next trip in January - to Thailand for niece's wedding.
Sunday, 5 May 2013
Doreen in Scotland
We met Doreen in Uganda in 2008 and helped sponsor her for university which she completed in 2012. We tell everyone she is our daughter, though technically she is not. But she quickly became like a daughter to us and is part of our family. Her mother does not mind at all being a 'co-mother' to her. And Danny, of course, is a dad to her and the only one she's known since hers died when she was a baby.
When she visited us in 2010 she went on a retreat for a week here: Iona Community She loved it and late last year she applied to be a volunteer there. She was accepted and based on the fact that she had already visited the UK and returned to Uganda, was granted a visa to volunteer on Iona. She will be there for 14 weeks. Her visa allows her to be in the UK as a visitor for two weeks prior and two weeks after her stint on Iona.
Her flights on May 1st and 2nd went well and even getting through UK immigration was easy this time.
We went for a walk in Benmore Botanic Gardens Saturday:
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