Afternoon in Abriachan

Hello, friends!  Isn't it nice to be in September?  We've spent this week transitioning from that summer feeling to one of fall and routine.  Even our weather seemed to transition. Saturday was sunny and warm here, but on the first day of school it poured down rain for several hours straight, and by the time I picked the kids up there was a cool breeze blowing and a few leaves falling down from the trees in our neighborhood.  But I don't want to talk about autumn yet, I want to talk about SCOTLAND.

Taking our family vacation at the end of the summer as far north as we've ever traveled on the globe, I expected it to feel like autumn a little early.  In my head I made it a fall vacation, picturing mucky boots and rain jackets and a cozy fire at night.  But no.  We had sun almost every day, and it was absolutely gorgeous.  We were amazed and thankful.

The owner of our guest cottage where we were staying recommended the Abriachan Forest as a great place to take kids.  There was a wonderful playground and planked paths, and as the kids happily discovered, really cool tree houses.  There were not many people around, as I think Scotland's schools had already re-opened, and I was able to ride my bike through the trails, saving my injured foot a lot of steps.  The quiet of the forest, and the beautiful light coming through the trees made it such a quiet place of rest.

There was a trail that led to this loch where there was a bird-watching station, and the heather!  It was so gorgeous.  I also loved the little mushrooms all over the forest floor.

 

The days were so pleasant we spent several nights eating dinner outside.  This particular evening the herd of cows came pounding through the pasture around bedtime.

Look at that baby run.

Good-night, Skye.  She was the best dog, sitting still and patient beside the table while we ate, not scavenging until we were finished.