Sunday 6 November 2011

Fast lane weekend - Autumn fix in 48 hrs and 800 miles

We've gone form slow lane island living to fast lane......it happens now and again, just for a fix of 'fast lane life'.  We do this from time to time, to keep our toes in, keep our sanity before winter approaches and catch up with 'normal' mainland life.

We've been a bit manic over the weekend got on a plane to Glasgow (its a mere......346.4 miles from my home in Orkney (!) to Glasgow, so we flew down), met Mr Flowers, we did a few mainland things....and then drove home, through really gorgeous autumn colour, what a perfect weekend. I've really been needing this!

We all got into the fast lane for a bit (noisy gigs, fast food, rampaged around botanical gardens, gawped at tree ferns, slumped in cinemas, met family, watched fireworks, ate gorgeous food, did a fair bit of walking, hugs a pile of very tall trees), and also got a bit of autumn colour, gorgeous wasn't it? Fill you in on the rest later!

The things a girl will do to hug a tree, and believe me, tree hugging and running around like a loony was definitly involved! And alot of grinning!!! Can you find me.....?
A few pretty big trees! (I'm 1.5m tall, how big is that tree below??????????????)
 A beautful garden indeed tramped and rampaged around, on the way home, half way, at Dunkeld in the Hermitage..... full of Douglas fir trees which are just a bit tall. Interspersed with gorgeous birch and beech.
 No paddling though, far too cold! Enjoyed the colour........very much.
 Back to the island tonight after 48 hours on the mainland, a couple of peedie detours....iin total an 800 mile round trip, very necessary and boy was alot of it bonny. More later! xx

24 comments:

  1. Beautiful Autumn colour!

    I'm glad you enjoyed your mini-break.

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  2. Did you warn Glasgow that you were coming? Glad you got your Autumn fix, Fay. It helps to get through the Orkney winter. I used to need another fix about February/March time.

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  3. Hi just found your lovely blog thought i would join up and enjoy. Love your photos.

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  4. What beautiful Autumn colours and amazing trees - Glad you enjoyed your fix of "fast lane life"
    K

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  5. Great stuff. Stunning photographs. Of course we have Lews Castle grounds to get our fix. I must get over again. xx

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  6. Ooh, glad you got your autumn colour fix! Fabulous trees :) xxxx

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  7. These are beautiful photographs. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. Fab trees, pleased you got to run about before the weather gets too bad.

    Is transport on and off the island expensive?

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  9. Wow you must be exhausted after all that. Lovely photos. I agree with the tree hugging - can't beat it, especially if you're deprived of it normally.

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  10. Phew, talk about walk on the wild side. That is quite a journey just to get back and forth to Glesga, Aiberdeins jist as bonny on the right days that is. Gorgeous pictures of the tall trees. alistair

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  11. Beautiful BEAUTIFUL pics Fay - the one with you "hiding" in it ought to be hung on a wall somewhere - absolutely stunning. xx

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  12. Robyn thank you, you're very kind!

    Alistair, yer deed richt. D'ye ken the hermitage? It's geuy bonnie. At this time of year getting tae aiberdein is a bit shoogly on the boat!

    Wellywoman, fellow tree hugger I totally agree.

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  13. Hey shaz, each trip south is about £200-400 pounds depending on the route and the time of year, and which combo of transport modes we use, which makes life a bit youch sometimes. When we go we try and stock up on basics as even they are more expensive here. This trip was special birthday treat for man-child, cellist and MrF.

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  14. Shaz ps, we get a discount on ferry and air travel on certain routes. Ferry fare for a person isn't too bad, but taking vehicles etc can soon add up.

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  15. Frugal wife thank you.

    Cheery I so needed to see some vibrant trees!

    Barefoot, how lucky to get autumn colour where you are, it just slumps passed here.

    Karen a blast of fast lane is always fun! Glad you liked the colours.

    Green thumb, welcome and lovely to see you.

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  16. Janet it was a guerilla attack, we took Glasgow by surprise! We are hoping to get skiing over Xmas/new year so I'll get another fix then and february is snowdrops at Cambo, so I'll get away then too. You may well wonder if I'm ever at home. But I also now realise why I'm broke, all these adventures!

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  17. Anne we enjoyed it very much. We all did a few favourite things each, enjoying everyone's choices.

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  18. Finally got chance to catch up and the first blog I headed for was yours. And how pleased I am to see that you had a lovely Autumn colour,
    fastlane, guerilla attacking Glasgow weekend. Sounds like a great Orkneyflowerfour weekend a la famous five style. All you needed was the ginger beer!

    Hmm...... why do I always relate your adventures to my favourite child hood books, Famous Five, Pippilongstocking, Mrs Pepperpot and Mr Pinkwhistle? Probably because you conjour up such wonderous images in my mind. You are an artist with words.

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  19. Cheri you're always so complimentary!

    Maybe it's because of my stripey socks, pig tails and incredible strength you think of me in book characters?

    Love that you do, these days it's lashings of tap water we drink (free and the best thirst quencher!)
    Cheers for popping in! X

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  20. Wow, that last/ first photo is absolutely stunning. We live in Big Tree Country (as Perthshire markets itself) but I haven't been to the Hermitage this season. Quite a change from Orkney!

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  21. Catching up today-- I'll make all my notes right here though. First I love the picture about 2 posts back, of Peedie on that lovely chair! It's a beauty, and he looks so at home. (Max looks just like that beside me as I type..) Then, pancakes called 'drop scones' was it? Any maple syrup? So remarkable that we understand one another at all! I must say I've internalized 'neep' though and will be watching for cake. Great pictures on this post of your travels. I can't tell you how much these images look like my region, esp. the river one. Maybe it's all those fir trees.

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  22. This really is the best time to walk amongst trees...so peaceful and calming.

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  23. So glad you had a super weekend getting your "fix" of trees, Stunning photos of the autumn colours, we all need to "hug" a tree now and again.

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  24. Dancing beastie, a gorgeous part of the land. We love popping in to big tree country! The trees in Orkney are distinctly smaller.....ta for popping by.

    Linniew we appropriated several of those trees from your region, many years ago, shhh, I don't think anyone noticed. Douglas firs are one of my favourites. The dialect thing between englandand scotalnd is often quite crazy. They (those nice english folk) call our pancakes (with or without syrup, although jam and butter is more normal topping here) English folk call pancakes dropped scone, crepes they call pancakes, it's very confusing.

    Peedie has a spare sofa here for max, whenever he's free.

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