Ruthven Barracks

I mentioned a few days ago that I had stopped to have a look at Ruthven Barracks near Kingussie in the Scottish Highlands when I was on my travels.

View over Kingussie and then northwards up the Spey Valley

Stuck: Update

The Specialist took one look at The Nighthawk and said that he'd come across this complaint before and that it was a problem that could only be cured at the Honda Hospital.  So CJ and I lost a day's gallivanting and The Nighthawk will be attending the Honda Hospital in Glasgow next Tuesday.  There is no guarantee of a quick cure.  There is a guarantee of a large hospital bill.  

Don't you just love modern cars with all their electrowizardry?

Stuck

The trusty steed isn't happy.  The Nighthawk's in Casualty/ER/A&E waiting for a diagnosis.  It's like so many things that happen to us as we get a bit older - bits keep getting tired and failing.  Mind you she's still a youngster.  Actually this problem has been partially showing itself for a while but every time a doc looks at her she's pronounced fit or undiagnosable.  The problem?  The tailgate (for the Nighthawk is a tourer/estate/station wagon) opens and closes by using a button on the key.  Yesterday when CJ and I arrived back from our day out I opened the tailgate but when I closed it it failed to lock which in turn prevented her from being secured.

This morning I took her to the Wirral's only Honda Hospital.  Given that the Wirral peninsula has a population somewhere approaching 500,000 people I was surprised there was only one hospital dedicated to Hondas.  I was less surprised to learn that they were unlikely to be able to look at her this week. It seems that car hospitals have the same problem as the ones we humans use.

I managed to find another general hospital who kindly offered to look at her but the latest news is that the problem needs a specialist.  Fortunately one will be visiting the hospital today.  It sounds as if she needs a rear lock motor transplant.  Oh dear.

In the meantime CJ and I are grounded!

Journeying - Day 2

On Friday morning I woke at 0430 as a Blackbird's beautiful and exceptionally penetrating song came in through the open bedroom window.  I love that sound.  But not at that time of the morning, thank you very much.  Fortunately I managed to get another couple of hours of shuteye.  Then David and I went for a walk with Molly along the shore at West Wemyss for an hour or so before breakfast and my journey down to Durham.  There I became a tourist for a while before meeting up with friends for  the evening.

Mornings on the Firth of Forth don't come much calmer than this.

However they do come stormier and the shore was littered with broken trees from a recent very severe gale which left much of Scotland paralysed for several hours

Many remained, however, as did this beautiful bank of lupins

David even managed to tire Molly with all the ball throwing

The pigeons had colonised the cliff face.  I would like to know how all the holes appeared in the sandstone: many where perfectly and unnaturally cylindrical

But don't try and get in because it's always locked

I hit the jackpot with my room at the Radison Blu in Durham: exceptional comfort and service with every facility I could have needed