Of Kilts, Cabers, Bagpipes, and Highlands

As I write this I am reminded of the scene in the Netflix series 'The Crown' where the Queen Mother is walking along the moors of Scotland after the death of her husband King George VI and she discovers a wee manor house (yes, I said wee) that she likes and decides to purchase it as her own retreat. Where am I going with this? Well, on the day we drove through the Cairngorm Highlands, we visited the Highland Games in Ballater. We also 'dropped in' at Balmoral but were 'not received' as Her Majesty was 'in residence'. (Enough quotation marks in that sentence?)  Ballater is a small village near Balmoral Castle that hosts an annual Scottish Games where everyone is in Highland dress (read kilts and knee socks). It is a day steeped in traditional history and has been visited in the past by members of the royal family. It was a real thrill to be there and be witness an event full of medieval rituals performed by the young men and women of today.

Scotland has not disappointed.  The people have been friendly and helpful and we had mostly sunny weather ... except of course when I have wanted to do laundry.  I find it curious that in a country where they are known for their abundance of 'weather', most people do not own clothes dryers, even small ones.  You can appreciate then the day near the Lake District when I needed to dry some clothing and resorted to using an oven.  Well, they do say that necessity is the mother of invention!  
One of the perks of traveling is getting to know new people and we were privileged to stay with Jan and Stewart MacIntosh in Kinghorn, Scotland.  They are wonderful Mennonite Your Way hosts living in Scotland with a connection to Manitoba via Providence College.  Jan was gracious enough to help me get our laundry done (can you sense how important this subject is to me?) and dried ALL IN ONE DAY.  Blessings to her!
Food is another subject up for discussion when one travels but I'll talk about that at another time ... suffice it to say I am becoming an expert on the varieties of grocery stores.  I'll keep you posted.