Goodbye, Edinburgh....
Boy, what I wouldn't give for this pagebuilder to have a cut-and-paste function like normal browsers. Then I could cut and paste my emails regarding Ireland into one page and update myself a whole week in about five minutes.
Obviously, when I have no way to update the blog, I make up for it my sending out emails. Unfortunately, I don't always have the emails of people who read the blog (despite soliciting them in the guestbook....) and thus gaps are created and people get fussy. In the words of Olly, I just can't be bothered with fussiness.
Thats a complete lie. But I had to throw that line in there somehow.
Right, so. Ireland. Fun. Green. Irish. That about sums it up, if you want more detail, email me by clicking on any of these words and I'll send you the email updates.
On to Firbush!! Firbush, for those of you still asking, is an Outdoor Education camp located in the highlands of Scotland. More specifically, it is located in Trossachs National Park (as is Loch Lomond), on the western side of the central highlands, along the southernish banks of Loch Tay. Is that better? At Firbush, we have a selection of outdoor activities, aimed at expanding our knowledge while improving/toning/testing our bodies. So we arrived late Friday last (the 19th) and went to bed, because Ireland kicked our collective asses. Saturday, we thought we'd take an "easy" hill walk...easy being Owen the instructor's word not ours. Owen is two things- 1. amazingly, inhumanely fit and 2. not possessing a common working knowledge of the word "easy". I've never done anything as horrible as that hill walk in all my life...the mountain--- and mountain we climbed, it was no hill-- bled water from every possible place, as if trying to wash its back of all living things. Even the sheep were sliding around. But climb it we did, through a pass, to eat lunch huddled in the dubious shelter of the windswept Roy Roy's Putting Stone, then down the other side (where we learned that our waterproofs made excellent sleds...right into the river...but it didnt really matter as we were soaking with water and sweat alike anyway) and to said sir Roy's grave. Single most terrible experience in my life. I'm so proud of myself. I have a more stirring account in my personal journal, but I'll sum it with, I felt I would die before I reached the top-- that one foot would slide once too often and I would plummet down into the river and drown, and that would be the end. When I reached the top, I felt a triumph, a great welling, resounding should of "Follow that, bitches!" and it set the tone for the week, which is good. I "learned" to Orienteer, which is orientating one's self using a map and a compass, and proving it by finding markers on the map hidden in the woods. I learned to sail (yeah baby!) and mostly, I think I earned the respect of my instructors, because even though I was not thrilled with what I was doing, and even though I was never really good at it, I never stopped trying and I always worked to make myself better. I ran my orienteering course a second time on a sprained ankle because I didn't like my time, but I refused to come in until all markers were located. I sailed until my fingers froze to figure out the hand movements in tacking. Mostly...I didn't give up.
Enough self applause, I still suck at sailling, though it was very fun and I'd like to go more and get better....but I'm not half bad at orienteering. Oh!! And driving home!!!! There was a beautiful Loch, named the Bent Loch (actually its in Gaelic, which i can't remember..) but it was so still today, it created a perfect mirror image. For miles, this loch reflected back the trees and mountains and cabins and sky, so perfect and unwavering and completely undistorted I could barely tell which was real and which was the reflection. It took my breath away.
Hokay. So, its off to Spain tomorrow morning...that should be fun. We have to leave a bit earlier than planned....but because the luggage people couldn't get our things today, they are buying us a cab to the station tomorrow...lucky us! :) And it will be nice to go see Bekah. Actually, we won't see her until Monday, the weekend belongs to Barcelona and the beach.
I'm super excited about classes for next fall, they're offering the companion course to the Pacific Wars class I took last fall..this one focuses on WWII! Yahhooo!!! And..um...yeah. That about brings us all up to speed. So...I think I'm going to crawl into my bed now, I'm exhausted and tomorrow is a long day, but I wanted to make sure all was square in the world first. There are pics from Firbush up in the FIRBUSH folder.
With that...I bid you farewell, Scotland. You have been my home for a wee time, and your beauty has left its mark in my mind, and in my heart. Your lakes are cold, deep, and mysterious, your glens and peaks filled with purple heather and sparkly snow, your skies clear and open, your rain mostly prone to calling a truce with the sun in the form of rainbows. Your people delight in simple joys of life, and appreciate their blessings with vigor. Your cows are wooly, and your poets write sonnets to haggis...and your men wear skirts. Yes, Scotland, you are a nation unto yourself, and I'm honored to have been here to live, breath, taste, and smell it. I feel you in my heart, and I hope you will feel a small piece of me in yours. |
