The Scottish Winter Holiday - a quick (and late) snapshot

Apologies to readers for not providing updates regarding the Christmas and New Year holiday in Scotland. I'm even going to cheat and allocate this posting to February. Basically, below are a number of photos which were taking at different times (but in chronological order) throughout our holiday with a brief description.

Friends with treasure hunt prizes

The day after our arrival in Scotland (December 22nd), it was Clara's 13th birthday. My Mum had been very busy planning a treasure hunt for Clara and her friends - a great way to break the ice. In addition, to celebrate Clara's birthday, they also went bowling and had a special birthday meal (with cake) at home. It was an event filled way for Clara to see her Scottish friends again. Big thanks to my parents for such a tremendous effort to celebrate Clara's birthday.

Relaxing on the sofa

Kids in Japan lead very busy lives - completely different compared to the lives of Scottish kids. As a result, Clara really just wanted to relax and chill out a lot during her holiday in Scotland. She certainly managed to do that! She loved playing her Nintendo 3DS, reading, or just dozing on one of my parent's sofas.

Xmas dinner

This Christmas, we decided to make it a special occasion and eat out. I am sure Clara managed to feel some of the Christmas atmosphere which is completely lacking in Japan - hopefully a long lasting and special memory for her. The highlight of the dinner were the balloons which would screech to the far end of the dining room......hilarity for the diners, although the staff seemed to tire of this quite quickly.

A cold Loch Ness

One day, we went for a delicious lunch at the quaint Dores Inn on the banks of Loch Ness. Before and after, we had a short stroll beside Loch Ness and enjoyed the views. It seems such an alien place to me now, as I am sitting typing this in Roppongi Hills. I loved the cold, brisk, and invigorating wind.

Clara and Pauline / Mum / Granny

The above picture was taken in the Dores Inn as we were waiting for lunch to be served. I'm not sure what Clara and Mum were talking about, but they seemed to have fun. As usual, I loved having a couple of mid-afternoon Scottish ales. I would equally love to spend a long summer afternoon at the Dores Inn enjoying a few pints with friends......perhaps this summer.

Skye - windy but nice

Clara and I only managed to visit Skye once during our holiday. I would like to spend more time there, but there is almost nothing left from the old days and I almost feel like a stranger when I visit. Still, we stayed one night and did some memorable things. Short walks, a drive up north, saw a few relatives, and ate some good food. Taking Clara to Skye is pretty important for me - I want her to have some connection with her roots and I want her to know that there is much more to life than just Japan. I think she's old enough now to fully realise that.

The Quiraing on Skye

One of many dramatic places on Skye! Clara seemed doubly impressed when I told her this area featured in a new Hollywood movie starring Keanu Reevses (47 Ronin). When we were driving around, I could really sense Clara soaking up the memories and understanding her connection to Scotland.

Clara and Aunty Annie

Annie, my Grandmother's sister, is a real legend. We always make the time to visit Annie and see how she is. Annie, true to form, drowned us in tea and made sure we filled our stomachs with biscuits. Clara always warms to Annie very quickly, as is apparent in this picture.

So that's it..........a short snapshot of our holiday in Scotland. We both had a great time and are very appreciative of the effort my parents made. For me, another highlight were the regular pints in the Castle Tavern with Neil, and on my final night, also sharing pints with Graham and Malcolm. Good times!