the weight of happiness

i'm back, with much reluctance. i was tempted to throw a fit at security in order to stay in Europe. maybe say i had hand lotion in my carry-on bag and get tossed into some room to be interrogated as to why i would even think about bringing such a dangerous substance on board.

i will have to write a more in depth post about my travels when i'm not at work, minimizing the screen any time i hear footsteps. i just wanted to post a little something to say i was alive & well, not in some cider coma in a pub somewhere. also, it's a way to not stop thinking about what a fabulous time i had. i can't get back into the groove of reality, all i want to do is go back. i felt lighter in spirit than i normally do (hard to explain, not sure if it was the altitude or the weight of happiness).

i could keep writing, my whirling head is dying to spit everything out in grandiose detail. alas, it's almost time to go home, well, to dinner with my in-laws. i'll have to attempt impression with my Italian father-in-law with some of my newly acquired vocabulary. i also need to upload some photos, of which there are many (i went mad with that shutter release). the photo above was taken by my sister on the top of a hill on Skye. we hiked up it and it was like another world at the top. you can't tell from the angle but there was a huge drop below me, just where the brown grass line in the foreground meets the green. a cliff, straight down to the sea. sigh, i will try to describe the feeling of it in my next post but there's nothing like being there in the flesh.

ok, off i float. a glass of wine awaits me.

perthshire

there is no photo above except for that which is in my mind (and the one which i would love to post if only i had a more "free" connection).

i'm adoring Scotland and am, in fact, tipsy (if not drunk) while typing this. i love pubs, real pubs, not the Disney World pubs we have at home but the actual pubs they're based on. pubs that harbour drunken little old men in their 70's whose legs dangle from stools set above red carpeting. red carpeting that matches the stain of years of drink in their noses and cheeks. the scent of long ago smoke fills the air and a million fingerprints dot the brass rail around the bar. local dogs are allowed in and curl up behind rickety stools and lick nearby patrons. i covet the history here, the feel of jovial ghosts hic-upping bubbles of ale.

tomorrow we are headed to the Isle of Skye. i hope for some time to climb a hill with my pocket paint set to idealise the scenery in my view.

the laughter coming from my temporay bedroom beckons me. my husband and brother are watching tv on my computer and i have to join them. i dare not say this trip is almost over. goodnight for now, perhaps the next post will be from reality. *i fear the thiought*.

i don't want to think of coming home, though i miss my kitties (crazy cat lady if i must be honest). i don't want "real" life to take over from this. i've grown quite accustomed to waking at my own pace and starting the day with a hike. a bottle of wine and fresh pasta or a wee pub meal have become my idea of lunch before another wander through history.

~ apologies for any spelling mistakes. spellcheck isn't working and i like wine ~

il dolce far niente

i've been missing for a while but i have a good excuse.  i'm in Italy!  i've been here for a week now and actually, leaving today.  just arrived in Lucca yesterday and it's the first place with internet.

i came here with Damian, my sister Kate, and her hubby Kevin to surprise my dad for his 60th birthday.  our brother also came all the way from Australia. i couldn't say anything here about our plans or my major excitement in case he read it.  we've had this planned with our step-mum since last year.

for the past week we've all been in Santa Margherita lapping up sunshine, the most amazing food, and copious amounts of wine.  the above photo is of Vernazza, one of the towns in the Cinque Terre.  i conquered all five in one day but that's a story for another post.

today we fly off to Scotland for a week!  two places i have always wanted to visit and i'm doing them both in one trip.  i wish i had longer in each place but north american vacation policies at work are poo compared to Europe.  see, i've already gotten used to the way of life here, the passion for living, not sure how i will adapt back to rush rush rush back home.  for now i will drink this up and continue exploring, photographing, and loving.  perhaps another post from Scotland, if i'm not hiking a lush green hillside or in the pub that is.

ciao bellas.