Duff house ...Portsoy ...and Cullen ...oh yes and a flat tire

We were planning on a trip to Aberdeen ...but Ann Marie had something else on so off we went to Duff House at Banff...so enjoyed the tour of a wonderful old building...only picture outside none inside. Then down the road to the Port of Portsoy very pretty place walked had tea and shopped ...next stop Cullen walked a bit on the old railway bridge it was snowing and raining at the same time so decided to head back to Delgatie....almost there 5 minutes away a opps! Happened Rod got a little sidetracked by someone passing us on a double solid line no passing zone...and hit the curb hard...blew the tire we pulled in to a farm road...no spare, no can of foam crap!! Sent Rod up the road to a farm, he came back with two nice farm workers...first we tried to call the car rental no bloody luck...then we decided to park the car in the field and I asked the younger man Bill if he would take us to Delgatie he did I gave him 30£ was so glad to get back here to warmth...did I say it was snowing, well it was! Tomorrow is a new day ...Joan will help Rod get the tyre change ...well here it is the next day 12:30 still waiting on the company to arrive and fix that blasted tire...oh well all we can do is wait.

Sunday Snow day

We awake this morning to the country covered in snow....once Joan got here we started the phone calls to the car rental to arrange fixing or replacing the flat tire...should be hearing from them soon ...I decided to head out for a walk and take more pictures and feed the ponies carrots...oooo! They were waiting right at the gate for me today pushy pushy except the youngest Rascal he just waits...and of course the Old Girl stays back in the trees. Finally they called back and needed more info from the car so Joan took Rod over there to the car ...I stayed with the young lady name of Heather who works part time for Joan...we prepared pancakes and washed dishes and pots from the day before also folded laundry...rod and Joan arrived back and now we are just a short time away (I hope) to getting the tire fixed.

Sunday evening

Bit of a chill in the air but still a wonderful place here at Delgatie. We are just out for a evening walk ...beautiful!

Haddo House with Ann Marie

Today we drove to Aberdeen to pick up Ann Marie and take a tour of Haddo House. We hit every kind of weather condition snow, freezing rain, and the most beautiful breaks of Sunshine! We arrived early enough to have a very nice lunch in the cafeteria ...then we checked out the gift shop as our tour time was still a hour away...walked around the grounds ...very nice would be even nicer in the summer. There are gravestones for all the dogs from the Haddo house kennels lining the Road to the South Scots mile they called it that because a Scots mile is longer then the English mile :) which runs to the North ...I thought it very touching that the cared for the dogs so much as to have gravestones....took a couple of pictures with two huge trees one planted by Prince Edward The other by Queen Victoria 1857 ...Ann Marie and I took our pictures with the trees....they really were very beautiful. The tour was really fantastic our guide Elaine she was so very informative....Haddo House is beautifully furnished with original pieces and paintings belonging to Gordon's ...a very enjoyable tour. then back to Aberdeen to deposit Ann Marie and here we are back at Delgatie for one more night next stop Inverary and the Brambles....just heading up to our Internet access and gues what snow great big flakes of snow coming down ...glad we are not on the highway

Turriff to Inveraray....long trip

We left Delgatie Castle at 10:10 and did not arrive at Inveraray until 5:00 .....the roads we took were not very wide in places up up not driving the posted speed limit of 60 ...finally we managed to find our way to the main highway/road through the Craingorms National Park ...making some good time ....the scenery was so beautiful I wanted to stop everywhere ....but....we didn't ...I forgot how pretty it was around Fort William next time we would stay there ....when we arrived at our destination Brambles Bakery Cafe and Rooms ...they were closed she kept trying to wave me away ha! I waved and knocked and the girl came to the door I think she finally read my lips...we have a room booked...success! Checked in lovely room...we went for supper to the George Hotel across the street ...our waiter was very friendly he played in a pipes band and told us he had made friends with some of the band members of the Regina pipes that had come here to play with the Scot Bands...he said he hoped to go to Regina one day ....Our free Internet is not really accessible from our room I have to go down the stairs sit on the bottom step next to room 2 then it works perfect....today we are driving to Oban then the ferry to Mull and Hopefully Inveraray Castle on the way back..... A few pictures from Delgatie Joan , Donna and myself...some outside ...Rascal was following me like a dog ...waiting for more carrot while I was taking pictures ...I love that picture of him peeking through the wheel of the canon

Dunstaffnage Castle ....Dunbeg near Oban

Drive was great Rod is getting more use to the twisty roads...stopped along the way for some photo opps! Had to get a shot of the Coo...almost at Oban we saw the sign for Dunstaffnage Castle and decided to stop....had a great visit with the lady running the shop ...then off to the ferry for Mull and of course after buying our tickets we went to the chip shop for takeaway ....la! La! La!