New Life Old Farmers

We were up bright and early to get to the auction in Dingwall. We were concerned about how we were going to get everything back to our storage unit an hour away. On the early morning 2 hour drive we discussed that we were not buying any clocks, sewing machines and that there was a limit to old wooden boxes. We had big plans for all of the auction ‘wins’, we would soon procure. It would require another trip to Dingwall to collect everything, but we were okay with that.

We need not have worried.

We were out bid.

Often and by a lot! It was quite a learning experience. We did however, get at least one very exciting ‘old box’.

This box was on the list of bids. My Loving Spouse went a wee over budget to snag it for me. I know exactly where it will go. Everything else? Not only did we get out bid by about 3 times our budget, but I can’t even copy the pictures for you from their website.

My Loving Spouse did a ‘rescue bid’ on these fireplace tools at 2 pounds. We’ll keep the one poker we need and take the rest to a charity shop.

We added this small bench/seat to the list at the last minute. It too was a ‘rescue bid’ at 2 pounds. I will recover the top and My Loving Spouse will refurbish the wood.

…and that’s all folks…until next weeks auction..

May you all be blessed.

Our new little house, Park View sits on a rise. When 3 brothers built 3 stone homes on this street there was nothing else around, so it did indeed have many views. We are anxiously and joyfully looking forward to moving in and making it our home.

You’ve asked for more pictures so I’ve snagged these from two listings. Our living room….

We’re now doing some serious shopping. Frying pans, bath towels and what we are hoping is a quality air mattress to use until we find a bed we like.

Entry…very exciting…I’ve never had an entry before.

…we needed a teapot…well, we need a kettle as well, but I’m still pursuing the options as I’m stuck between style and price. The teapot is about as cute as they get, thank you Mary Berry. Yes, the previous host of The Great British Bake Off has her own kitchen ware.

Here is the kitchen as it is set up now as an Arbnb…

Most of the house is a ‘blank canvas’. We’ll be able to make it our own with only a few alterations. “Few” compared to Glory Farm.

We’ve found a church home, for which we are so grateful. One couple even invited us home for lunch prior to our finding Park View.

Soon to be my sewing room. I sure do miss my sewing machine.

Our new friends were so excited for us to find this lovely cottage in such a lovely village. Imagine our surprise when they called a few days later, as they realized that the Park View was the built by her Great Grandfather and her mother had fond memories of getting a turn in the hammock when they would visit.

You can just see her peaking over the hammock’s edge. The other builders, were her Great Great Uncles of course. We know that part of this coincidence is village life, but when you’ve only made one friend so far, well it is just a God thing.

We opted to buy a trailer instead of a second car. The trailer will be put to good use as we continue to hunt and gather all the items one needs to make a home. Speaking of a hunt, there is a furniture auction tomorrow. We’ve got our eye on an assortment of lovely things.

…and we are so very, very blessed.

The first time we drove through Portsoy, we were intrigued. It oozes charm on every street. This is one view from just around the square.

From the square one block up is a sweet dead-end street. Barbank street…

Barbank street hosts about a dozen houses and at the end of the lane sits this bench.

A lovely spot to sit and look over the old harbor. I’m told dolphins swim by in the North Sea below. Scotland is wonderful about inviting everyone to share the beauty of the land. Benches dotted often along walking paths and coast lines. After enjoying a rest on this particular bench take a walk back down Barbank Street, take 78 steps to be exact and you will come to this gate.

A small Scottish garden just right for a sweet yellow lab. Once you continue down the road about 15 more steps…

You will find ‘Parkview’, why it is called that, we have no idea as there is ‘no park in view’. What there is however, is a sweet stone cottage just right for us and just right for our friends and family to come and visit.

We have found our home.

How quickly we procured this deal is another story, but as we left the Solicitor’s office we stopped for tea and scones…held hands and bowed our heads and thanked our Lord for blessing us so.

*I’ve learned that Portsoy is not a town or a village. It is a burgh.

Shopping at an auction, may just be the most fun you can have buying anything. I love finding unique things, getting a bargain and being a tad competitive, I do love when I’m the winning bid. My first auction was with Number One Wife quite a few years ago and this one was almost just as fun.

Although we do not have a house yet, we do have a small storage unit. When we do find our home, we will need almost everything. We went to the auction prepared to buy only what we needed. We need plates.

…probably not chicken ones…which went for £128.

I’m not keen on blue food, so I passed on the blue plates as well. So…no plates for me at this time.

There were plenty of wonderful items of all types.

Something for everyone.

We got our bidding card, had a cup of tea and grabbed our seats close to the action. This we learned was mistake number 1. Behind us on a small platform, the seats got taken up fast, for a very important reason. They were close to the heater. Let me tell you, that warehouse was full of colorful items and it was cold!

It was about then that I realized that the items weren’t the only colorful things inside. There were colorful characters/bidders/shoppers/bargain hunters everywhere.

A few even had their own special chair.

You just can’t make stuff like this up…

Nobody was there to look around or watch, these were serious buyers.

My Loving Spouse and I looked like the rookies we were.

We had a plan of what we would bid on and how high we would go.

We lost this pretty little painting when it went over £30.

We had a small amount of impulse buying. We’d been out bid on a lovely mantle clock. Then this clock was not getting bid on at all, so at £5 we took her home.

We had gone to the auction to replace the things we’d sold or given away in Ellensburg. I was thinking things like this….

Which was our big winner/spender at £20. Quite a coup. I had no idea we would be bidding on items like this…

…but, my sewing machine repairman is bored, so the £10 was worth it.

We don’t know what size house we’ll end up buying. We’ve learned while staying in traditional old cottages that cozy is a special sort of small. There was a mahogany Tall boy, that caught both of our eyes.

“If we knew what size house we were buying, I’d bid on that Tall boy”, I said to My Loving Spouse.

‘I took a look at that. It’s pretty. It needs a little help, but nothing I couldn’t take care of.’

We were going to bid on a beautiful dresser, as we know we’ll need them. The dresser was not too big and was coming up to bid right before the Tall Boy. The Tall Boy’s bidding went from,

“Who’ll give me £30…30..30..20..20

Who’ll give me 20? Who’ll give me £10…10…who’ll give me 10?

5…?

…2?

At which point I poked My Loving Spouse with my elbow, he bid £2. We won the Tall Boy, sort of in shock and missed bidding on the dresser. Did I tell you the Tall Boy is 7 ft tall and won’t fit in our car? And I didn’t even get a picture of it for you, I’m losing my game. Here’s my best…

Remember Arnold Clark? Well, he rents vans. We got to know each other today.

…and there’s another auction next Friday…we can’t wait!

…and we are blessed.

We are back in the charming village of Beauly. Just below the Black Isle and just above Inverness, where all the signs are in both English and Gaelic.

We went to The Free Church of Scotland in Inverness on Sunday. As we walked down the sidewalk along the River Ness there were church bells ringing all around us. It was lovely.

We went grocery shopping at Aldi after church. Aldi is a bit like Grocery Outlet in Ellensburg. We are in the Whiskey trail of Scotland, everywhere there are Whiskey distilleries. We’re waiting for visitors to try some of them out. In the mean time, I may need to give up my hunt for good red wine in the North of Scotland. However, I did find this one and cracked up at the pairing.

I wonder if it goes with Tater-Tot casserole or only Shepard’s Pie.

I continue to struggle a bit with the food. One day we were out to breakfast and as you can see I ordered Salmon and scrambled egg. Look at that Salmon! Impressive, tasty and inexpensive.

I took one bite of the egg and it was all I could do to not spit it out. I inquired if they had cream cheese. The lovely helper went to look. She came back shaking her head.

“Ach I’m sorry. We only have Philadelphia”

…Philadelphia cream cheese…, “Perfect” I exclaimed. “May I have Philadelphia and a scone, please?”

Here I am learning to adapt.

The house hunt continues…

There is no MLS in Scotland. There are a few different independent websites for house selling. Sellers list their homes with an Estate Agent/Solicitor. The Solicitor does a variety of functions for the Seller. Not all Solicitors do the same functions, none of them show the property, not all of them place the property on the large independent websites and some seem to only place a sign in the window. Looking for a property is a bit exhausting and we (as former Realtors) know what we’re doing!

We have a system. I check the 3 major websites for new listings everyday for the areas we want to live in. My Loving Spouse checks 7 Estate Agent sites to see, if they’ve listed anything new everyday. I did say it was exhausting, right? Mostly because we’re so hopeful everyday and then disappointed, but with the new year we’re more hopeful than ever.

Most of the homes come in two sizes….too big and too small. Being along the coast in old fishing villages lots of homes have no garden, no parking and no garage. We can deal with a lot of that, but a garden for Gunner and I is a must.

My Loving Spouse joined the local Facebook community group. He added a picture of Gunner and let everyone know that he needed a home, after all they do love dogs here.

We continue to do our best to uncover every potential lead.

Looking forward to the day, when we can put our feet up in our very own home.

…and may you be blessed.

While we were in Whitehills, we were invited to a Lifeboat Fundraiser dinner and horse racing. In all fishing villages, manning the Lifeboats is a noble and needed calling.

The restaurant was festively decorated.

Sitting right along the harbor.

We honestly didn’t know what we were going to, but when invited we said, “Yes.” We need to get to know people in this little village as many homes never come on the market and are sold through word of mouth. We need to be known.

I reminded My Loving Spouse,

‘Remember to be on our best behavior. We don’t know who’s related to who. No houses we’ve seen are ‘bad’, just not ‘right for us’. We don’t want what happened in Ellensburg to happen again. Where I told my Someday To Be Best Friend, that My Girl’s teacher was maybe not a good fit. She then told me that the teacher was her Sister-in-law!’

We bought our raffle tickets. Hopping we didn’t win anything ‘big’ as nothing else will fit in the car.

It was a bit of a hoot, that all the men were drinking Mexican beer, but when in Scotland….

We had no idea what to expect, but we’d brought our money and were ready to give to a good cause. All I can say is that the Scots know how to have fun. There were 9 horse races. Each race had been sponsored and the sponsor named the horses.

Everyone picked the name they liked best for their horse and bet. All races were £ 2.00 each. All money was split between the winners and the Lifeboats. Then we watch a race taped, hollering for our horses of course.

We all love a winner. My Loving Spouse and I winning once each, giving our betting/contribution funds a bit of a boost.

Lots of upbeat music, jokes and food. It was good fun and new friends were made.

My Girl had asked if we’d made any friends and the reality is that when you move all the time, you cannot make connections.

We really like Whitehills, so before we left for the next 5 weeks we decided we needed to make ourselves known again at the pub.

A bit of dinner and pint of cider.

We take the one everyone likes best. We’re totally okay with ‘using’ our dog to find us a home. The waitress always reminds us she’ll dogsit, while some of the boys at the bar sneak him dog treats.

…and so we are blessed. Excited to find our home in 2024 and welcome you to it.

Happy New Year (Hogmanay) from Scotland.

The amazement that we are actually living in Scotland has finally arrived. I’m not sure why it took so long, perhaps the emotions and the work that went into leaving everything and everyone behind has something to do with my delay.

My wonder and amazement, however, is here. It especially hits me as I walk Gunner along the North Sea. The North Sea!!! Seriously! Just walking my dog, throwing his ball and strolling…here by the North Sea.

We are currently staying in a lovely little cottage in Whitehills, Banff, Scotland. We will be here for a month, and are very happy to stay in one place so we can celebrate the Christmas season. Hanging a wreath and having a sparkling tree in the window is an element of our joy.

Our ‘things’ have landed in the UK and are currently in storage in Aberdeen, waiting for us to have a home to send them too. Our Christmas decorations are therefore in Aberdeen. We’re keenly aware that when we leave here in three weeks, everything has to fit back into the car. I’m happily decorating with what we have at hand.

Stocking toppers we bought at a fundraiser. Currently we have no ‘stockings’, but we do have wine glasses…and egg cups..

Remember, we’re in Scotland and creativity is everywhere. The following decoration was certainly a first for me.

We’ve been checking out every little harbor along the coast line and dreaming of a boat. Wait…let me back that boat train up. My Loving Spouse is dreaming of a boat. I’m dreaming of a boat because I love him. I’m just hoping I end up liking his boat, that it doesn’t make me sick and that he doesn’t need me to be able to run it (drive it, steer it, sail it whatever) every time he wants to go out in it.

Every little historical harbor is charming, but I favor the ones with a cafe or pub nearby.

Weeks ago My Loving Spouse said to me, “Whose Arnold Clark?”

‘What?‘

Then I saw the bumper stickers. Clearly we assumed, a politician.

‘I wonder what he’s running for?’

“Perhaps that group that wants Scotland to breakaway from England”

‘Is there an election coming up?’

Please remember at this point we still weren’t sure which bathroom (loo, toilet) to use. We certainly didn’t know anything about politics.

Then we found someone, who was in favor of Arnold Clark….and so I asked him what Arnold Clark was running for. He laughed and laughed. (See how good I am for the Scottish people.)

Arnold Clark?

He’s a car salesman.

Okay, well that makes sense.

Here’s my favorite sign of the week outside the Loo in the shopping center of Inverness.

There’s even a website for the awards.

I wonder where they held the banquet. Do you think they invited Arnold Clark?

May all of you my friends… be blessed.

I believe we will look back on this time and think of it as the ‘in between’ of leaving the US and finding our new home. We’re here, but we have as they say ‘no fixed abode’. Having no real address makes things more difficult. Items you cannot get without an address:

• Bank account
• New phone
• Membership cards at stores, especially the Tesco club card (major grocery store)
• Mail…(duh)

We spend a lot of time looking at towns and villages to find our right ‘fit’. One constant to them all are the people. The Scots are the friendliest, nicest bunch ever. If you have a dog, they like you even better. I went into the hardware store. They were a bit offended that Gunner and My Loving Spouse waited outside.

‘Och, is that your dog? He can come in. Let me give him a treat.’

Gunner is walked daily. We never go anywhere without poo bags in our pockets. Should I forget to bring his ball, he will find a stick. He has impressive confidence in my throwing ability.

Because of my walks with Gunner, I needed a warm hat. I don’t really look good in hats. It has something to do with the size of my head. (Grateful for the lack of my brothers being able to comment at this point). I needed My Loving Spouse’s help to find a nice hat. Here a few of his loving comments from the past hat trials.

• Why are you wearing a tea cozy?
• There’s a dead squirrel on your head.
• Is it suppose to look like that?
• It’s a bit pointy.

I went with the hat I found in the children’s section. There was one that had a tractor on it, but I resisted the temptation to purchase that, buying the one that drew the best praise from My Loving Spouse.

• That one’s not too bad

We are quite aware we’re trying to buy a home at the wrong time of the year, but that doesn’t keep us from looking…every single day. It can get one down, but we know in the new year that there will be a better inventory. We decided to go look at something else for a change.

Cheering one of us up.

Now he has something else to search for.

I’m a tad embarrassed to say how long it took us to figure this next bit out. In our defense, we usually saw these shops as we were zipping by in the car. Our brains saw

“Hairy Cow”

Scotland’s equivalent to ‘Dunkin’ Doughnuts’.

Yep, okay, we’ve got it now. It’s someone’s name.

We’re currently in Nairn. We can hear the seagulls in the morning and occasionally the waves. The huge green is used daily by dogs and people and it is beautiful.

We can see the sunset over the Black Isle of Scotland, if we’re out walking.

…and we are blessed.

…and this sign cracks me up.

I haven’t done much driving so far. Visibility with the car packed to the roof was an issue, that and the whole driving on the other side of the road from the other side of the car on occasionally flooded country roads reality.

We’ve been leaving our own little trail throughout the UK. We left two suitcases at the Shepherd’s hut making the remaining three so heavy we hardly ever haul them into our rental cottages. We’ve a carry-on with a few days of clothes and just keep wearing and washing those over and over. We left the ginormous dog crate at 5 Distillery Cottage. We’ve replaced Gunner’s traveling accommodations with a lovely new bed, because we might have accidentally left his bed back at Auntie’s in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

We try not to argue when we pack up the car and leave, but we do say things like, “Okay, then next time you can do it.”

(Random lovely picture. MacDuff. Part of the loveliness was that I was also just served a very lovely latte.)

My first driving experience was about 2 miles. There were two loud screams, one from each of us, so that was one scream per mile. Our drive to Ellon went much better. 17 miles through the country on a sunny day, no flooding and almost never anyone behind me. All I had to do was not run into anything. There were zero screams, greatly reducing my screams per mile ratio. There were a few “You’re getting a bit close to the curb and one gasp.”

I got us into the town and parked without incident, immediately rewarding myself with this.

It was called a Stout cake. I don’t know why it was called that, but I was assured that it would not actually taste like stout ie. Guinness.

We’ve been staying in this steading, old barn building. Five miles outside Turriff or 3 miles outside of MacDuff or in other words in the middle of nowhere. Isn’t it charming?

It was all downhill once we went inside. Cold, not cool. Sort of dirty, not clean and dark. A wet room bathroom that made me feel as if i were using a toilet in a garage and the water was tepid. The bed…well, sunken in the middle, so the only way to try to sleep without falling into the abyss was to try and hang onto the outside edge. We did our best. We really did. We had booked a week. After 4 nights our backs were a wreck and we were so depressed, we called it quits. Booked a cottage for 3 nights in Inverness leaving behind our new French press and an electrical adapter in our hurry to leave.

The Day Of Remembrance

In the USA we call it Veterans Day. This last Sunday was Remembrance Sunday.

We were in Portsoy. Our favorite village so far, with a population of approximately 2000.

The parade began at 10:45 and any shops that had been opened shuttered their doors.

The parade was 2 blocks long, one block up and one block back.

With scout troops and the pipes and drums of Portsoy.

Reverent and moving.

Respectful and important…remembering.

Not just this village, but in all the villages we drive through are memorials with their poppy wreaths.

There was church and hymns and tears…and we are blessed.