Happy New Year!

Hogmanay was damp and I was working too hard to even step over to the windows and watch the fireworks, tsk. I went to see the Loony Dookers, but this year for some reason they dooked at ten to 12 instead of noon, so I just saw the tail end.



BUT, I did have Christmas off, and spent it in a lovely cottage tucked away in the Highlands.



It wasn't the whole house - just the little original farm cottage on the right of the building. The farmer said it dates from the 16th century. It's near Tomintoul, the highest village in the Highlands and it was cold. Very cold.



I had four days at the cottage. The second day was windy - brrrrrrrrrr. Old cottages are leaky! Poor Bertie suffered - he loved the peat fire, and learned to sleep under a blanket.






There were many temptations for him at the farm - a lamb in the garden and an 18-year-old cat strolling around like it owned the place. He actually managed to get loose one night, eeling out the door when Louise came calling, and there were a panicky few moments when the cat came bursting into the cottage to get away from him. Louise had to run and get Gavin because she was carrying her wee boy and anyway she doesn't like cats. But I managed to catch Bertie and shut in one of the bedrooms and lure the cat out from behind the sofa before there was a tragedy.



I had some great walks - there are loads of paths in the area. One I especially enjoyed was to Scalan, which once upon a time was a Catholic seminary. If it hadn't been so insanely cold I might have walked further - I will have to go back in the summer. The other thing about highland winters is that it starts getting dark at 3pm!



Apart from bracing walks I mostly lay around reading and watching TV. The cottage has Sky! I hadn't expected that. I watched Terry Pratchett's Hogfather, but apart from that it seemed to be the same rubbish as regular TV, just a lot more of it.

It was a wonderful break.