Day 62 Diary of a post-holiday slimmer

Five weeks it took for me to lose half a stone…FIVE POUNDS ON IN EIGHT DAYS!!?!

Who did I annoy in a previous life?

I always ask my friends, ‘But did you enjoy yourself?’ Always they agree, yes they had fun, so that’s ok then. NAW IT’S NO when it’s me!!!🤬

I did have a great holiday, we had great adventures, discoveries, laughs and ticked off many bucket list wishes.✅

Discoveries.

The best Cullen skink is served in the Onich Hotel.

We can beat the Harry Potter express from Fort William to Mallaig.

Genius way to enjoy social distancing.

It is possible to enjoy a night sleeping in my current car.

Expensive doesn’t always mean quality.

Fish and chips from the East are good too.

Guided tours aren’t all boring.

We started in Callander meeting G’s mum for a lovely meal, next day off to Onich via Glencoe.

Traffic jam in said Coe for 2 hours. My first thought. Glad I don’t need a pee. My second thought. If I do, there are plenty of mobile homes stuck too, they’ll help. (ref : Sandra Bullock in the film Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant, great film such a hilarious mobile home moment.) 🚾 🚽

Once everyone realised we weren’t going anywhere we all got out cars and socially distantly enjoyed the sunny day and scenery. Picnics were shared, cans of juice given out and we even had a piper entertaining us. An English guy asked if this happened all the time, I couldn’t resist, ‘Yeah, we always carry our pipes in our cars for times like this!’ It was lovely, great sound reverberating up the valley.

Once on our way again, we got to Onich quite quickly and decided to push on to see Arisaig and Mallaig instead of waiting til the next day. So glad we did because the next morning was really misty and we wouldn’t have seen everything in its full glory.

We overtook the Hogwarts Express 🚂 (ref : Overtook the train) and waved at all the wizards and witches onboard. I got G to stop further up the road and got a great video of it going over a bridge and then we waved it into Mallaig.

On the way back we visited Arisaig. It took two minutes, it’s no that big. Took a photie of the bay then left! Checked into our cabin/shed in Onich and went for dinner at the Onich hotel. (ref : best Cullen skink)

Next day, Monday. 

Destination - Skye.

Weather – pish.

Scenery – stunning.

The Portree Hotel have utilised their space outside beautifully (ref : genius social distancing measures) The Scottish weather can be temperamental and Skye is known as the Misty Isle so no tables outside with brollies for the Portree Hotel, a wee row of greenhouses instead!!?! All with tables and chairs and lit and heated for the Scottish summer, genius.

Tuesday, over to Raasay to see friends who are building their own house on the island. They’re currently living in a static caravan and so we had borrowed camping gear 🏕 intending to pitch next to their van. They are building their house in the shelter of a cliff so it’s basically a quarry just now. Nae grass for tent pitching, ⛺️ plus it’s blawin’ a hoolie and the rain is battering down. (ref : it’s possible to enjoy a night sleeping in my car)

My car’s seats fold flat so we, by we I mean G, blew up the air beds, got out the sleeping bags and had the cosiest night listening to the storm outside. One of the many highlights of my holiday, I’ll dine out on this story for years.

Wednesday over to the East coast via Inversneckie to Aberlour to dine with friends, (ref : expensive doesn’t always mean quality) then headed off the next day to Embra, ‘The Dark Side!’

G was born in Edinburgh and constantly argues it’s better than Glasgow. I don’t agree.

We will however be spending the night here and it’s my birthday, I am now 48 years old. I used to think that was old but it’s really not. 😳 Met a friend for pre dinner drinks, ate in the Chop House, 🥩 stunning, another highlight and spent the night on the Fingal, another highlight and bucket list tick.✅

Further down the east coast on Friday to Cockburnspath pronounced coburnspath. I only found this out after telling everyone I was going to this place and I pronounced it as it was spelt. 😳 (ref : fish and chips tasty on east coast too) We had fish suppers in the car park in Eyemouth and they were tasteeee. 😋

Saturday, our last full day of holiday and a bucket list biggie for me. Staying in the lodges at Dumfries House. It didn’t disappoint. Loved it. ✅✅✅✅✅ (ref : guided tours) 

We’d booked in for a tour on the Sunday much to G’s disgust. We’re not a couple who visit historic things and when we do we poke our noses in, seen it, move on. Seen one church seen ‘em all.

The House are only doing tours for guests just now so we got a private tour with Satinder, a passionate, funny and hugely informative girl. I avoided G’s gaze when Satinder informed us the tour would take an hour and a half, I felt his rage burning into the back of my head. It was the quickest hour and a half ever, I can’t tell you which Earl was which but I loved the stories and the work that has gone into restoring the house is incredible and it’s been done with passion and style. It is absolutely beautiful and if you’ve never been it’s basically 50 minutes from Motherwell and well worth the trip.

Fact. Dumfries House is NOT in Dumfries. It’s in Cumnock Ayrshire. Not conducive to meeting your friends from Dumfries for a coffee as I found out.😳

So, the five pounds on were totally worth it and I’ll lose them quickly I hope.😇

Here’s to a new number at the start of my weight before the end of October. Please? 🙏🏻