Southwest Scotland

Hi Folks. Here's the promised entry on our road trip to southwest Scotland. But first a couple of updates.


You might wonder how the coalition government I've written about is getting on. So far so good. They're planning to balance the budget within four years and create a surplus by year five. We'll be having cuts that will make Margaret Thatcher's government look generous, like Santa Claus even. There's no need to do this on such a tight timeframe, so it would have to be something political, like the fact that there will be another election in five years. Hmmm. I suspect that combining once opposing forces is causing some fuzzy thinking. The normally clear and concise Nick Clegg, leader of the GlibDems, wrote a recent Op-Ed piece in the Guardian. He trumps any of my bad sentences and wins the award for Best Incomplete Sentence Using Both a Colon And a Semicolon:


A new government but, more important, a new kind of government: plural, diverse; a Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition that defies the rules of old politics.


Wow, Nick. Congratulations!


In other news, the little laptop I've been using for the last 18 months (kindly updated and supplied by my wonderful partner) has had a nervous breakdown. Too much writing. As we have much to do to prepare for our upcoming move to Scotland, and as I can access the internet by hiking up to the University library, we are not in a hurry to replace it. So if you are not getting replies immediately to your fan letters, that's why. Just thought I'd let you all know... all four of you.


Our trip to Scotland was very good. We drove (and when I say that I mean my partner drove while I assisted with the map) up to Dumfries and Galloway to visit the flat we'll be moving to in a couple of months and to check out the area. If you have not been to southwest Scotland, it's lovely. After being in busy Kent for the last ten months, the first thing I noticed was how much less crowded that part of Scotland is. There is a lot less traffic, though they still drive like bats out of hell. At least they have more space in which to do it.


The landscape is generally rolling green hills sectioned by stone fences and dotted with sheep. Lots of sheep. There is a wonderful big hill in the area called Criffel, which is (brace yourselves) 1,868 feet high. It stands alone near the sea, so it actually is a very dramatic sight. Dare I say it? It's the Mt. Rainier of Galloway! Truth be told, it's a ways north, and even something as modest as 1,800 feet can humble you at that latitude if inclement weather strikes. So I won't poke too much more fun at Scottish mountains.


We visited the lovely shell beaches near Kippford. We spent time in New Abbey, where the world famous Sweetheart Abbey is, and where we visited a beautiful backyard garden that made us feel as if we were miles out in the country rather than on the main road of a busy little village. We drove inland to the Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre, the first such place in the western world, established along the River Esk in 1967. It is lovely and I look forward to going back there. It's in a sparsely populated area and you do have to work hard to find it. It's both desolate and lush at once, and you really feel as if you are up in the high country somewhere. They have big hearty gardens there and they are working very hard on new construction of their buddhist college. They are also building a mandala shaped herb garden around a statue of Tara where they will grow Tibetan medicinal herbs. Apparently the climate in this part of Scotland is compatible for a number of Tibetan plants. The statue of Tara is very powerful. I think you'd have to be spiritually numb not to notice her and want to gaze at her.


The little town of Dalbeattie we will eventually call home is charming. It has a fairly bustling high street for a town its size and it is located in a beautiful area. I'll report more on our adventures there in future installments. For now, enjoy some photos from our trip.

This is generally what the countryside looks like

Sweetheart Abbey, founded 1275

A backyard garden in New Abbey with Criffel in the background



The same garden as above, looking toward Sweetheart Abbey

Detail of the shell beach at Kippford

Yes, the entire beach is like this.

The beach at Kippford

Entry gate at Samye Ling (complete with traffic cones)

A garden at Samye Ling

Prayer wheels at Samye Ling

Oddly, they are electric and spin on their own, so those among us who are very tactile were a little disappointed. But we're glad to know the prayers go out non-stop.

Tara keeping watch above her herb garden which is still under construction

June Smorgasbord

We have several little nuggets for you this month. Thoughts on BP and the curious reaction of a select few Brits. A trip to the seaside town of Deal. And a foodie update.

Oil & Politics (or Aw, Tony Wants His Life Back...)

President Obama should stop being mean to BP. After all, how was BP to know that there would not be nearly enough shore birds, shrimp, oysters, turtles, and dolphins to soak up all that oil? BP could not have predicted the serious lack of wildlife necessary for absorption, could they? For goodness sake, the Americans should have regulated things a bit better so that there were more fluffy feathers around. And now Obama’s anti-British rhetoric (the part where Obama says that Tony’s attitude would get him shit-canned in an Obama company) is costing British investors a little of their money. Outrageous! Share value could not possbly have dropped due to the fact that BP slightly underestimated the amount of oil leaking from its well, or that BP’s efforts to cap the leak have not been made often or successfully. Couldn’t possibly be the millions of pounds worth of lost oil that weaken share price or the BP CEO’s perfectly understandable bout of throwing teddy from the pram and saying he wants his mommy or his life back or something. Or his finger pointing. That couldn’t possibly have made the markets doubt BP. It must be that anti-British Obama’s fault.

And the American public! What about that pack of whiners? I mean, here they are getting all this free oil washing up on their shores and they do nothing but complain. It’s just like them. First they started throwing all that perfectly good tea in the harbor a few years back and now they don’t even want BP’s gift of free oil. Well that just takes the biscuit doesn’t it? Clearly Obama is trying to take the focus away from the more important business of the World Cup games (um, soccer for those of you who don't immediately know what I mean. England is planning to win it).

Ah, well, what can be done? Today’s sarcasm moment was brought to you by BP. It seems there are growing cries from a few doddering old fools in the House of Lords, and some rich British CEO’s that President Obama’s rhetoric against BP equates to anti-British sentiment. They say he’s being unstatesman-like and that he is damaging our ‘special relationship.’ And he’s just being a big old meanie to poor Tony. At the same time, these people remind us that BP is a multi-national company, not specifically a British company.

Without wanting to wear out my welcome here in the UK, I have just the teensiest complaint. Listen, poppets, you can’t have your crumpets and eat them too. Either BP is a British company or it’s a multi-national. If it is a British company, then take your lumps without being crybabies. If it is a multi-national, then stop being so hyper-sensitive. And, to quote the venerable Mrs. Slocombe, I am unanimous in that!

Mollie Sugden as Mrs. Slocombe in Are You Being Served?
1970's Brit sitcom.

Deal

We took a day trip to the seaside town of Deal the other day. Somewhat near the little towns of Ham and Sandwich. Yes, really. There was a cold wind from the north or possibly the east whipping along the shore, but the rocks of the beach had been heated by the sun, so from the knees down, it was actually a warm wind. I found several holey stones. Always a good thing. We had a beer in a pub called the Ship Inn. Lovely, warm and inviting. Then a stroll along the high street which had a combination of boutique touristy shops and everyday chains. The high street seems to meet the needs of tourists and the locals, which I thought was charming. There was something about Deal in the paper recently which said that the high street was 'v glum.' I don't agree with that. Note: Brits will sometimes abbreviate very to v. I find that v endearing.

Deal shoreline

They're everywhere. I think the five second rule had long expired.

Yeah, buddy. Ciggies. 30p for a pack.

When in Deal, consider yourself politely warned against bad parking practices.

A garden path in Deal

Foodie Section

And now for a food update. I do enjoy bringing a bit of Tex-Mex sunshine to the table, as mexican-inspired food is not quite as prevalent here as in the States. Here's me showing off. Steak Burrito dinner with all the trimmings: pico, rice, beans, guacamole, rocket salad.

Before

After

Mmmmmmm.

That's it for now, folks. Stay tuned for a report from Southwest Scotland in a couple of weeks. We're headed up to a little town called Dalbeattie. Road trip!