The Last Night.....in the Pub

As readers to this blog will know, a great personal pleasure during time back in Scotland are my visits to the local pubs, especially ones selling good selections of real ale. Neil and I managed to spend quite a few enjoyable evenings in The Castle Tavern, and managed to meet up with an old school friend, Malcolm. Good stories of the old days were exchanged, whilst some memories which had faded were given a new lease of life.

Although I couldn't stay out too late on my final night in Scotland, I was able to stay out long enough to meet up with two of the Whatley brothers, Brian and Ash. Ash, Neil and I then went for the traditional catch up chat whilst applying our pool skills (acquired from many evenings in The Camanachd Bar in Portree).

Unfortunately, my pool skills seemed to have deserted me on my final night, evidenced by Neil clearing the table whilst I stood watching with my pint in my hand. Next time.

Nothing of note has been happening in Tokyo since my return from holiday, apart from the cherry blossoms appearing over the last few days. The power of the blossom to instill a multitude of positive feelings is quite remarkable. Despite the probability of anything noteworthy occurring over the next couple of months, I will try and post a couple of blogs on the minutiae of life in Tokyo.

Better late than never.......the January walk

Apologies again for the lack of updates to the blog. I have simply not had the motivation to blog about much over the last few months and Facebook seems to have taken over as my main means of communication with people. I still do like the idea and permanence of blogging, though, so I will try and write a bit more regularly.

My trip back to Scotland over Christmas and New Year was restrained, with few big events of note, with the exception of the previously blogged 4x4 experience to celebrate Joep's birthday. A nice routine which seems to have become a fixed part of my Scotland visits is the end of holiday walk along Rosemarkie beach, followed by a pint in The Plough Inn.

The mid-winter low sun made for some interesting lighting conditions, captured well in these photos from the walk. Very atmospheric and made me think what a truly beautiful country Scotland can be.

I really do miss the great outdoors. Perhaps during the rest of 2013, I will be able to see a bit more of it!