Life in Lossie

On Friday, Joe and I will pile our little family into our big American car and head back to reality. I am not looking forward to that. I have enjoyed the last week and half so much and I hate to see it end.

Our time in Lossiemouth has been so peaceful. I'm sure a large part of that is that we are all together. But we're also together in a lovely little beach cottage in a very laid back area of the world. Everyone individually has something to make them happy about this place. Ben has both parents to dote on him. Plus, he seems to enjoy our trips to Tesco. Joe's work is painful, but I know he's happy to be flying again. And he's made some great new friends. So Family + Friends + Flying = Happy Joe. Bastian gets to run amuk on the beach every morning without a leash. As for me, well I have my family all together. But also, Bastian's walks are just as much for me. It's beautiful scenery and so relaxing. (Except, of course, when he's found a dead sea gull to play with.) I hope that when I get to heaven, there is a dog beach.

And of course, Scotland is great. I would love to bring Ben back in a few years because I'm sure he would get such a kick out of it. You can't spit without hitting a castle and what little boy wouldn't love that. To be fair, Joe and I think that's pretty cool and we're obviously much older. Plus, there is a lot to do if you enjoy the great outdoors. They have a law here that most land is available for the public to explore even if it is someone's private property. You just have to respect it. (That would never work in America) But there are lots of great hills to climb and forrests to run around. Perfect for a little boy with energy to expend.

We have enjoyed exploring too. Including the one at Loch Ness, we saw three castles last week. Of course, they are all in ruins, but it's fun to imagine what they looked like. My favorite one was Duffus Castle. It's very close by. It's also surrounded by farming fields so there weren't very many people. It felt like our own little castle to explore. Ben seemed to enjoy it, but I think the one who enjoyed it the most was Bastian. The castle is surrounded by a moat so we didn't have to worry about him running off. We just let him off the leash and let him run. Heaven!