Monday 13 August 2012

Getting Ready for Caledonia - Part IV

I focus on useful preparations instead such as pimping my gear:
My first gore-tex gear ever. I had to become 40 years old and plan a trip to the Outer Hebrides to pimp my gear. Colour was not an issue. The jacket was on sale and the boots fit perfectly. And were on sale.
Niece FF joined us last weekend on a walk in the rain in the Viennese Woods. I wanted to wear my hiking boots at least for a few hours before taking them with me to Scotland.
The sky was black when we left the house and the moment we arrived at the hiking-trail, it started to rain. Heavily. So we started our walk with a rest and some sandwiches.
 
We thought Niece Paula was so brave to join us on this boring walk. She acutally enjoyed the "silly walk". I mean who want to walk around in the woods on a windy, rainy cold day? She does. Without a single word of complaint. She happily cought frogs with her tiny hands, watched dung beetles pushing around dog-poo and attentively noticed so many details we adults would have missed. As her older brother stated not long ago: "Her genes are different from ours (by ours he was referring to his parents and sisiters)". Mr Paula and I have no idea how my genes managed to get inside her cells. Anyone deniying the fact that there is a lot of aunt Paula in that girl would be a fool.
Lets hope she grows up without that constant fear of getting wet! :)
In the end the afternoon was a win-win-win: I returned without a single blister, loving my new boots, Niece Paula was energised after the walk in nature and my sister thanked us for taking her on a walk.

So far this has been one of the best parts of "Getting Ready for Caledonia" so far.

I must not forget to admit I fell for the Scotish accent. We did a few phone-calles, booking rooms on the Isle of Skye and all those people sounded so lovely. Not just very friendly and welcoming but also very positive. Even those who won't have a free room for us. ;-) 

8 comments:

  1. I only needed one movie: Local Hero

    and all I wanted was to travel to this tiny little fishing village and listen to Mark Knopfler's music while sitting there at the harbour...

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  2. Hello Rebekka! Thank you for your comment.
    Local Hero was when/where/how it all started around here.
    I remember the summer in the 1980's when I would ask my summer-crush at the pool where he would go on vacation with me: Greece or Scotland.
    Today I consider myself being lucky, having a partner who absolutely looks forward to travel far only to visit those remote villges such as Uig (Skye) and Fivepenny (Lewis).

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  3. Yes, skip those lessons ... BUT you should read "Beyond the Highland Mist" by Karen M. Moning. THAT's a really good Highland story ;-)

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  4. Die Cover der Romane machen mir Angst.

    ;)

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  5. Quite fashionable gear Paula! The colors are neon/fluorescent and jewel toned.

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  6. nakura, you scare me!

    nono, mich schrecken sich auch jedes mal aufs Neue wenn ich zu diesem Posting zurückkomme.

    Tracy, I do what I can. Chances are that I won't get lost in the moor or anywhere else. Because this colour SCREAMS. I like it! Especially in 2012, where everyone seems to have gone "muted green".

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  7. I bought a cream colored raincoat with red flowers (looked like the bottle Flower by Kenzo perfume ) and I justified the purchase because it will "help the cars see me at night when I cross the street". The lies I tell myself.

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  8. Hi Tracy! I am good at that, too! Take my blonde hair: it does not get as hot in the sun as dark hair. What totally justifies my appointments at the hairsalon every four weeks. :-) Aren't we practical?

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