The Royal Highland Show

The Royal Highland Show (RHS) is a 4-day annual event for all things farming and countryside.  The show takes place in Ingliston, just outside Edinburgh.  Though I prefer smaller agricultural shows, friends said you should at least attend once so you can experience it.

The first show was in 1822 and until 1960, the show moved around to different towns and cities in Scotland before landing permanently in Ingliston.  There has only been one year with no show, the year of the devastating Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in 2001.  Livestock exhibits include sheep, cattle, goats, horses, ponies, and poultry.  There is also an incredibly large exhibit of incredibly large and incredibly expense farm equipment.  There are competitions for handcrafts, forestry (I missed the deadline for the pole climbing competition), shopping for anything from tools to wellies, falconry and gun dog displays, and a duck herding Border Collie show.  The price for the show was pretty hefty, at £25 ($38), plus £8 for parking or to take the bus in from the park & ride.  And, that's per day, not for multiple days.  I was glad I picked the first day of the show to attend - not as many people and the weather was fantastic (the same could not be said for the weekend days.)

My favourite part of the show, other than the sheep (of course), was the Food Hall.  There were exhibitors from all over Britain giving out lots of samples.  Everything from olive oils, to candy, artisan breads, cheese, whisky, as well as top chefs preparing their dishes in the Cookery Theatre section.  I was pleased with myself, only purchasing some amazing cheese and a few loaves of bread.  My favourite was the Amber Mist cheddar cheese laced with whisky from Snowdonia Cheese Company!!

For livestock, there were rows and rows of sheep and cows on display, as well as other livestock.  I was a little surprised there wasn't a larger variety of breeds, but it is a Scottish show, so the breeds were all from this area (versus some of the breeds that might be found in southern England.)  For instance, if you really wanted to get to know the Texel breed (the middle picture in the right column of the collage below), there were enough there to form an army!   All told, there were 5,000 animals present.

Just as with the sheep show I went to in the Highlands, all the show sheep were painted and beautified for the show.

These farmers were literally painting this poor sheep's head with some type of cake paint.
Others just used a bit of baby powder, which seemed nicer to me.

This fella was a beauty!

One of my favourite breeds, the Zwartble, in her polka dot coat.

I loved the white coats of all the showman/woman.

The RHS is a very big show for the "horsey set".  All their events were going on in the main arena.
I didn't spend too much time watching, but I enjoyed this class for the woman in their wonderful skirts.

This not-so-traditional coloured black Highland Coo (cow) won best in her class.

This picture is meant to show how huge the cattle are.  Bigger definitely is better!
Both men holding these cows (the bull is in the back, the cow in the front) were tall men.

The lighting in the barn wasn't terrific, but this was a lovely Belted Galloway cow/calf pair.

Love the blond Highland Coo calf and it's Mama.

This cow was obviously not bothered by all the fuss.  

This particular cow seemed like it might be difficult to milk.

By the time the day was over, my feet were not very happy with me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

It's all just....stuff.

A friend asked me the other day what I brought with me from the States.  He meant in terms of luggage, but it had me thinking about not only what I brought, but what I left behind.

When I first decided to move overseas, I had to decide what would stay and what would go.  Should I put some of my things in storage or downsize to only what could travel on the plane with me?  I checked into shipping some items overseas, but it seemed pricey at the time, about $600-700.  In retrospect, when I consider all that I bought to get my things over on the plane, it probably would have cost less to ship it.  I thought about keeping a few treasured items in a storage unit, but did not want to be burdened with a monthly storage fee and was not certain when and if I would be returning to the Portland area.  I thought of asking friends or family to be pseudo-storage units for me, but everyone already had a full house.  I also had this idea of wanting to live a much simpler life, having less "stuff" to weigh me down.  Less American, really.  In the end, I decided to gift, sell, recycle, donate, or toss 98% of everything I owned.

In the process of preparing for the move, I took care of the most important things - I updated my Advance Directives, including a Living Will and Power of Attorney for finances and health care, and a will for my estate.  I had all of those documents made up prior to having my spine surgeries, but my marital and financial situation had changed since then, so it was time to put my affairs in order once again.  I have always been a fan of Advance Directives, even for young people, as you never know when your time will come.  Having worked for many years in nursing facilities, end-of-life preparations were not at all foreign to me.  I think it is important, no matter your age, how big your estate is, or whether or not you have children, to tell your family your wishes rather than burden them with guessing what you would have wanted.  My brother Marty agreed to be the Executor of my (very, very tiny) estate and Power of Attorney for financial decisions.  My good friend Jeanne, a former ICU nurse and one who knows all that is required to keep a person alive, became my Power of Attorney for health care, should I not be able to make decisions for myself.  And, my niece Megan, also a nurse, became my back-up decision maker for health care and the one who will make decisions regarding my pets, should something happen to me.  I certainly appreciate their willingness to help.

Rather than adding a bunch of "treasures" or keepsakes to my will and finding a place to store them, I decided to send them on their way sooner rather than later.  I am not too certain how happy my nieces, nephews, and good friends were to have inherited my keepsakes, but I felt good about gifting them as reminders of how much I care about them (the family and friends, not the keepsakes).

My niece Megan received my maternal grandmother's china and crystal I have been lugging around from house to house for years.  I loved the china especially, a very simple white Noritake pattern with a silver ring around the center.  However, I didn't see myself being much of an entertainer in the future, even if I returned to the US, so off it went.  Now she will have the opportunity to use it for her future family's holiday dinners.  Judy, my best friend for over 30 years, received an antique window frame with floral drawings in each pane that she had admired for many years.  Thanks to UPS' terrific job of packing and shipping it, it arrived in San Francisco undamaged.  One of my great-nephews received the plastic orange and black spotted dog pull toy I had played with as a toddler at my great-grandparents' house in Montana.  It was at least 45 years old, likely much older.  My other great-nephew received my beloved Zippo the Chimp from the Howdy Doody Show, sans 1 ear and with his overalls carefully safety pinned together many years ago.  My great niece received my "dollies" from childhood with clothes handmade by my grandmother and all of my costume jewelry.  The strangest gift went to a friend I met through Instagram, Lisa in West Virginia.  She seemed quite chuffed (a term commonly used here in the UK) to receive the quills from the African Crested Porcupines I studied at university.

In the last month or two before leaving, I sold as much furniture and other household items as I could via the websites Craigslist and ebay.  I can barely remember what or who I sold them all to.  Many sales required meeting people all over the Portland area, as I tried not to have too many strangers out to the house.  Of the people who did come out, there were many who were lovely and quite a few who were just plain strange.  If you have ever sold anything on Craigslist, you will be familiar with the joy of dealing with people who change their minds and don't have the courtesy to call or email.  How hard can it be, in this day and age, to send a quick text or leave a voice mail?  One gal came out to buy a chest of drawers and couldn't fit it in her car.  She said she would run to her father's house and borrow his SUV and be back in an hour.  She never came back.  Ever.  Another guy couldn't fit a vintage chest in his car, so he helped me put it in the Prius, as I offered to deliver it to him.  The day I was supposed to deliver it, he was nowhere to be found.  Finally, after leaving several messages, he emailed to say he didn't want it anymore.  I ended up practically killing myself, trying to get it back out of my car by myself.  Though it was a great deal of work to place ads, answer emails, and set up times to meet (or in many cases, not meet), I did meet some terrific people who I know are now enjoying my things.

I would have loved to ship my Prius to Ireland and the cost of shipping it wasn't as high as I thought it would be.  The estimate I received was for $1,000-$2,000, depending on the amount of insurance included.  However, insuring a left hand drive automobile in a right hand drive country would be difficult (few insurance companies will do it) and expensive.  And, driving a car with the steering wheel on the opposite side could be hazardous, especially when trying to pass on the small roads of Ireland.  In the end, I decided it would be better to sell it as well.

Several items ended up at Goodwill that could have sold for a bit of cash, but I couldn't find a buyer in time.  Every time I drove into the Safeway parking lot where the Goodwill truck was located, the worker was already climbing out of his truck with receipts in hand.  I must have delivered 10 car fulls of items to Goodwill by the time I left.  The only item I have slight regret in not keeping was a wicker desk and chair my Mom and I found at an antique store in Colorado.  It was in no way in perfect condition, but it had a rounded design to fit in a corner and had been painted a lovely blue colour to match a rug it sat on.  None of my family wanted it, so in the end, I likely made someone's day when they found a beautiful blue wicker desk at Goodwill.

Thankfully, my niece Megan came the weekend before I left to help me finish cleaning my rental house and pack.  She was a lifesaver.  Especially considering I fell 2 days before I left and broke a bone in my right wrist, making it nearly impossible to move it.  (Note to self: Do not place a clear plastic chair mat, meant to be placed on a rug to allow an office chair to roll easier, onto a linoleum floor and then walk across it quickly.  It is a disaster waiting to happen.)

A picture of me taking a picture of me,
attempting to get all of my luggage onto the elevator.

Back to the original question, what did I bring with me?  A total of 3 giant size suitcases, a super large duffel bag with wheels (best $14.99 ever spent at Walmart), a smaller carry on and a briefcase on wheels.  I flew 1st class, a treat to myself, as I knew I would be exhausted.  It also allowed me to bring extra luggage at no cost and heavier.  I was allowed 3 suitcases, each up to 70 lbs versus the 50 lbs allowed in economy class.  I did pay $200 on the United website to take the 4th bag, but I would have been smarter to pay for it at the airport.  Depending on who was at the check-in desk, it might have slipped through at no charge.  In all of those bags were clothes for all seasons, the majority being waterproof since I was arriving in winter and in Ireland, my beloved farm boots, all the pet paraphernalia, various household items, and a small number of keepsakes to remind me of my previous life.

Everything I now own, all on 2 luggage trolleys.

I was completely exhausted before I even walked onto the airplane on the 13th of February.  I had loaded all the bags into the rental car the night before.  All I had to load in the very early morning were the pets in their travel crates.  I never did go to bed the night before the trip, as I still had business affairs to attend to.  I left for the airport at 4:30 am and dropped the pets off at United Cargo at 5:30 a.m.  I then headed to the rental car return, as I had been driving a rental car since selling my Prius.  At the rental car return, I found the nicest fellow at Enterprise who helped me load everything onto luggage trollies and get it to the airport ticket counter.  Once I arrived in Dublin, I had to load all the luggage onto trolleys again, find my way to the rental car counter (not a short distance, I might add) to pick up a mini-van (or people mover, as they are known in Ireland) to get us to our cottage in southern Ireland.  It was 23 hours, from my door in Canby, Oregon, to our new door in Castletownroche, County Cork, Ireland.  I knew, with all that was involved in moving my life overseas, my health would be completely wrecked and it was.  It took almost 3 weeks for me to recover.  Thankfully, the pets recovered much quicker.  Here they are below, after arriving at our new home, looking no worse for wear.

Riley on the doorstep of our cottage in Ireland

Liv and Bell looking just fine by the evening after we arrived in Ireland.

The Scottish Highlands!

Took my first trip to the Scottish Highlands week before last and it was amazing.  I had always heard how beautiful the Highlands were, but hadn't done much research ahead of time on what I would be seeing.  The landscapes were so unusual.  I drove through areas that looked as if you were on the moon, then on top of the world, through lush forests, by ski hills (sans snow), next to pastures and fields, next to the sea, and through lovely villages.  Oh, and one can't forget, there were hundreds of sheep!

This is a map of my (and Riley, of course) journey.  I started out in Ladybank, at the bottom of the map, and took the highway to the left up north towards the large city of Inverness.  I was headed for the village of Muir of Ord to drop Riley off at his dog B&B, then to Strathpeffer, where I stayed 2 nights.  On the 2nd day, I took the circle journey to the left over to the northwest coast of Scotland.  Then I returned, on the 3rd day, on the highway to the right, so I could visit Balmoral Castle.

They never seem very impressed when I stop to take a photo.

As I drove along, I saw a few men down a hillside, working on some sheep.  I pulled over to take pictures and eventually they asked if I wanted to join them.  Yes!

Couldn't help but stop when I saw this group right next to the road.

This is a Texel ewe (I think the Texel breed resemble pigs, in an odd sort of way) with her twin lambs.

This is John, Robert and Stephen, working on lambs and ewes that John farms at Borenich Farm near Pitlochry, Perthshire, about an hour north of Ladybank.  They were castrating and docking tails on the last of the lambs that had been born in the past few weeks, shearing the wool caked with mud and manure from the ewes backsides, and drenching them to prevent parasite (worms) buildup.  They were also separating out any ewes that did not lamb this year, as they will be off to the abattoir (processing plant.)  They were so nice, answering all my questions, then asking me in for tea and sandwiches.  I was in heaven!

 Beautiful landscapes.  The iPhone doesn't do the scenery much justice here.

I was headed to Dingwall to attend the NSA (National Sheep Association) Highland Sheep Show.  It was new this year and well attended.  With the dreadful winter and devastating effects on lambing season in the northern areas, it was nice to see the farmers out socialising and enjoying the day.  There were several breeds of sheep that we don't have in the US and I was excited to see the differences.  Quite interesting is that the some of the sheep farmers who show their sheep actually shampoo them in a coloured liquid, so they come out a tan colour rather than white.  I spoke to a young gal working at one of the breed society's booth and she said it is common in the Highland area, but not throughout England.

These are actually white sheep, coloured for the show.

This boy had an amazing set of horns.  He didn't seem interested in getting up for a photography session.

Finally, I saw my first Zwartbles!  This is a breed originally from Holland and I think they are so striking.  No Zwartbles in the US.  Livestock can't be imported into the US, only semen.  Some breeders are crossing breeds and eventually they will have sheep that are 98% pure breeds.  I believe it takes 7 generations of cross breeding.  In Oregon, this is happening with the Gotland and the Wensleydale breeds.  However, as far as I know, this isn't happening with the Zwartble.

If I remember correctly, I think these are Leicesters.

The highlight of the show for me was watching sheep dog trials for the first time.  I'd seen them on television, but never in person.  This was a competition, but not for points toward the National or International events coming in August and September.  It was more for a fun day and practice for the dogs and handlers.  It was a beautiful day, about 62 degrees, but out in the sun it felt like it was in the high 70's.  Next time I will remember to bring a camp chair, as standing for hours wasn't very kind to my neck and back.  I was a magnetic for the geriatric crowd and found fine friends in 3 sheep farmers, aged 72, 74 and 80!  They all farm on the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland.  It was nice to find some friends who explained some of the specifics for me.

This is the last part of the run, as the handler and his pup are penning the sheep.  If you look to the top of the photo, to the right, you'll see a black truck.  That belongs to the fellow who lets the sheep out for each run.  To the left, you can just barely see a small patch of white - those are the sheep for the next run.  Between the sheep and the truck is a black spot - that's the dog who keeps the sheep corralled until they are ready for the next run.  For this competition, they didn't do the "shed", which is where the dog separates out 2 of the 4 sheep.

I was staying 2 nights at a B&B in the Victorian spa village of Strathpeffer, so I went back to rest for a few hours before taking off on another adventure.  Rona Mackenzie, who owns Linnmhor House with her husband Michael, recommended a trip out to the west coast.  Since it doesn't get dark until almost 11 pm or even later, there was plenty of time for another trip.  

By the way, the Linnmhor House was a lovely place to stay - highly recommended! I mistakenly did not take any pictures, so I "borrowed" this one of the bedroom where I stayed off of Tripadvisor.  This is the lovely room where I stayed and the breakfast room.  Rona did all of the decorating herself and she also does the baking for their coffee shop in the village.  

Scenery on the way to the northwest coast:

I was headed for Gairloch on the shores of Loch Gairloch.  (For my US friends, a loch is the Scottish Gaelic and Irish word for a lake or a sea inlet.  In this case, Loch Gairloch is a sea inlet.)   Just before reaching Gairloch, I took a side road and ended up at a little hotel in the middle of nowhere.  I stepped out to find the lovely little scene below.

From the harbor in Gairloch, they run pleasure trips for fishing and to view marine wildlife.  There was once a strong history of creel shellfish fishing and small scale trawl fishing here, but the shellfish processing businesses are mostly gone now.

I was headed to have dinner at a restaurant recommended by Rona called The Shieling.  Rona grew up in the village of Poolewe and worked for Donald who now runs the restaurant. She had told me to look for the palm trees - I wouldn't miss it.  And there I was, having dinner in northwest Scotland, with a view that looked like I was in Hawaii (that's actually the Isle of Skye in the distance.)  This area has a microclimate and unusual vegetation grows here.  I was reading up on the area and read on Wikipedia that in the memoir Pigeonholes of Memory, John Mackenzie wrote that his father was able to grow fruiting peaches outdoors.  I had a glass of wine and some very good portobello mushrooms smothered in cheese!

I thought this white farmhouse was located in one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Just as I was approaching Poolewe, a little farther north, the fog came drifting in.  The A832 road heads steeply up Achtercair Brae and it felt like I was on top of the world.  

I was reading about this area and was interested to learn that the lands around Gairloch have mostly been in the ownership of the Mackenzie clan since the 15th century.  From Wikipedia...The Mackenzies were known for their attachment to their tenants.  During the 19th century, some of the Mackenzies refused to evict a single tenant during the Highland Clearances (forced displacement of a significant number of people during the 18th and 19th centuries carried out by hereditary aristocratic landowners as a result of an agricultural revolution), despite the estate running at a loss.  As a result, evicted Highlanders from other communities came to live in the area and caused Gairloch to maintain a thriving community even today.  

Before returning to Strathpeffer, I turned off at the Corrieshalloch Gorge.  The gorge is 1.5 km (1640 yards) long and 60 m (65 yards) deep and was formed at the end of the last ice age by erosion caused by meltwater.  You take a gravel path down to the suspension bridge to walk across the gorge.  Note: I am petrified of heights!  Many, many years ago, I walked across a very long suspension bridge in British Columbia with my good friends Robert Larsen and Marti Cosentino.  I was so petrified, Robert had to pry my hands off the handrails so I could make it across.  2nd note: There was not another person within miles and miles of this gorge, so had I not been able to make it back across this bridge, I would likely still be there today. 

Good thing I read about the bridge after I returned from the trip.  Seems in 2010, 2011 and 2012, structural engineers found "unacceptable wear and tear" and "cracks in the support hangers" and the bridge required major repairs.  The warning sign says no more than 6 people on the bridge at a time.  No mention of how much each of those 6 people should weigh.

On the 3rd day, I headed south again, through Inverness, and beyond.  This was the type of scenery I was looking at most of the day.

I mentioned in an earlier post, about my wee little obsession of anything "royal."  That meant a trip to Balmoral Castle, the Scottish estate belonging to the Royal Family, was required.  Balmoral Castle is located in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire.  I remember when Diana, Princess of Wales, was first identified as dating Prince Charles and there was a photo on the banks of the River Dee where the paparazzi first discovered her, hiding in the trees while Charles fished.  

The Castle has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852 when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her consort (husband), Prince Albert.  It is the private property of the monarch and not part of the Crown Estate and now covers about 49,000 acres and is a working estate.  There are grouse moors, forestry and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland Cattle, and rare breeds of ponies.  Each year, the Castle closes for the months of August and September when the Royal Family is in residence.  

The ballroom is the only room inside the Castle that is open to the public.  Understandable, since this is a private residence.  In the ballroom, there was a special exhibition of portraits of H.M. The Queen, in celebration of her 60 years on the throne.  There were also several of her dresses, worn when she was younger.  Unfortunately, no photographs were allowed.  I was surprised how small the ballroom was, considering they have Scottish dances there every year.  There was an enjoyable video, from years ago, that gave a short glimpse of Diana dancing during the annual Ghillies Ball.  There was also a video showing The Queen going out for a walk with her grandchildren.  Prince William looked to be about 9 or 10 and he was leading a pony with one of his cousins aboard.  Prince Harry, Zara Phillips, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugene (just a toddler) also went along.

The public is free to walk all around the grounds.  There is an extensive flower and vegetable garden, all being prepared  for when the Royal Family arrives in August.

His Royal Highness, Riley

All and all, it was a terrific trip.  The Scottish National Sheep Dog Trials are in September in Aberdeen, so I hope to visit the eastern side of the Highlands then.  I would also like to visit my sheep farmer friends on the Isle of Skye sometime soon.