We're home!

We got back last night from a wonderful week at a holiday cottage on the Black Isle, just north of Inverness. I'm not sure I want to tell you where it is cos you'll all want to go there and we want to book for next year, but I probably will.

Our week away had everything we wanted:  family, particularly seeing my Auntie Anne and Uncle Dons for the first time since Anna was a baby, and having lots of quality time with my sister, brother in law, nieces and nephew; fun, frolics and mermaids on beaches; poignant moments in graveyards; excellent food and all that amidst the finest scenery on the planet.

I was especially proud of myself for only having one brief foray, bar a few tweets, onto the internet all week - and that was only because my sister hadn't got herself together enough to be ready for us going on a day trip on Monday. In particular, I am pleased that I managed to show sufficient restraint, when I heard about David Cameron's comments on social housing, to just leave be for the moment. I want to read what he actually said before I make comment, and I have no intention of doing so when the sun is shining outside and my sunlounger and book beckon.

I was thoroughly delighted, though, to hear of the demise of the awful Proposition 8, meaning that Californians will once again be able to marry the person they are in love with. All as it should be.

I didn't, however, completely avoid Liberal Democrats - in fact I actively sought them out at the Black Isle Show on Thursday. The field was big enough so that I could have done, especially as their were hidden away in a tiny corner next to the Free Presbyterian Church and some people selling double glazing. It was great to catch up with my friend Gavin and also George Lyon MEP (photographic evidence above) Cllrs Angela McLean and Biz Campbell and Alan MacRae, the PSPC for the new Ross-shire and Lochaber seat whose name escapes me. It was especially great to have a seat for a couple of hours given that I was a bit shattered from all the walking around.  Bob and Anna went off to the fairground and returned green around the gills after Bob stupidly decided to take them on the Waltzers to give them a thrill. Bob does not do fairground thrills. I made him go on the big wheel at the Goose Fair in Nottingham about 20 years ago and have felt pangs of guilt ever since because his suffering was very great, so he too was grateful for the seat and time to recover.

This week, blogging will continue to be light and what will be there won't always be entirely serious. I can't believe we're at the last full week of the Summer holidays already. We have trips planned to Blair Drummond Safari Park, East Links Farm Park near Dunbar and Edinburgh Castle (with my sister who is visiting at the end of the week) where we'll take advantage of our new Historic Scotland memberships which we took out at Fort George.

Now, where's that sunlounger?