Tuesday 22 December 2009

Happy Christmas!


The cards are written and sent, the presents are bought and wrapped, the fridge and pantry are stuffed with goodies, the outdoor tree is sparkling with pretty lights, the indoor tree is ready to be decorated. just one more day of work, then we can relax and enjoy ourselves. I hope you all do too! Have a lovely, lovely time!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Ho ho ho!


I wanted to make a Christmas card for our families to show that Reidar is looking and feeling good . This was the result.

Wednesday 25 November 2009

Interesting fact


Today, here in not-so-sunny Løten, we are now getting 12 hours less of daylight than we did at Midsummer. I call that daylight robbery!

Tuesday 24 November 2009

Invasion!






We drove behind these bad boys yesterday - in quiet little Løten! There was a long long line of them too. They've been driving cross-country and churning up the fields and forest like nobody's business. Luckily they're friendly, and won't be here too long; but while they're with us they have right of way (who'd want to argue with one of those anyway?) and we just have to live with delays, mud and mayhem on the road.
We're not at war, but our brave boys in khaki are off to Afghanistan and need to practise warfare in similar (!) surroundings. They were reckoning on frozen ground and possibly a light covering of snow, but due to global warming they go torrential rain and lots of mud...

Thursday 12 November 2009

No more radiation


Reidar has his tenth and last radiation treatment tomorrow. The specialist explained to us that you can't see yet if it's working, but that it will keep on working for at least six weeks after the last radiation day - that means for the rest of the year.
The next step will be the cancer clinic in Hamar. He will be called in to a new course of chemotherapy. It seems that the tumour is difficult to remove surgically, so will be kept under control with chemo when necessary. So Reidar has to learn to live with it. We all do.

Wednesday 4 November 2009

November


NOVEMBER - by Thomas Hood





No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day -
No sky - no earthly view
No distance looking blue -
No road - no street -
No "t'otherside the way"-
No end to any Row -
No indication where the Crescents go -
No top to any steeple -
No recognition of familiar people -
No courtesies for showing 'em -
No knowing 'em!
No mail - no post -
No news from any foreign coast -
No park - no ring - no afternoon gentility -
No company - no nobility -
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds,
November.

Monday 26 October 2009

Remember Sniff?

Five montha ago Sniff ( and Dennis and Bianca) arrived at our house totally out of the blue. Luckily we were able to find them good and happy homes. Sniff is the only one I've seen since, and I see him pretty often, because he lives with our good friends Arild and May Sissel and Snorre their other dachshound.
Sniff is such a happy chappie, full of energy and enthusiasm. He and Snorre are best friends - more like twins. They race around the house chasing one another and pretend-fighting over their toys. They live like little princes, with lots of love and attention, long walks and the best of everthing. Dachshounds have an excellent sense of smell, and these little guys have been trained to track. They have both won prizes, and the local authorities call Arild if an animal has been injured by a car and run off into the woods. The dogs soon track them down so their suffering can be ended. Snorre has been hunting with Arild this autumn, and was responsible for finding several of the moose that the hunting-team were allowed to shoot. Sniff is a specialist when it comes to tracking deer.
I'm not really a dog person, but these two just make my day every time I see them - and isn't Sniff beautiful?

Friday 23 October 2009

Feed the birds


In the first picture you can see all my bird feeders - or most of them. In the distance, by the fence, is a little wooden house that gets filled with mixed seeds. The platform at the front is a good place for crusts. The one with the green roof hangs on the kitchen window, which means I get a good view of my little guests while I'm standing at the kitchen sink. It has sunflower seeds, which attract finches and the tit family. The smooth-looking gentleman in the second picture is a nuthatch. He walks down treetrunks head first. I can't tell you how long it took to get this picture. He's a quick mover! The bright red one and the pretty yellow house we bought in Sweden are full of mixed seeds, so the bluetits and great tits (chickadees?) eat what they want and drop the grains of corn onto the ground below. This is handy for the yellowhammers, who prefer to feed from the ground. Also the robin - favourite of all english people, and featured on countless Christmas cards. I have two peanut holders, which are popular with nearly everyone, but especially the squirrels. That's why they're made of metal. Squirrels are rough little creatures who will drop the feeder from a height in an attempt to smash it open. We used to hang the peanuts up in their green plastic nets, but the little rascals would chew the bottom off the net and collect the nuts when they fell to the ground.
The norwegians have a lovely tradition that at Christmas they buy a sheaf of corn with the seeds still on their stems. This is hung up in the garden on Christmas eve so the birds can have their own Christmas feast.
Buying food for the birds for the whole winter is an extra expense, and there are a lot of sunflower shells to sweep up in the spring. They also show their gratitude all over the car, but these minor irritations are more than made up for by the hours of pleasure I get watching them feed, and the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that I'm saving little lives

Sunday 4 October 2009

Auntie Solveig




This is Reidar's aunt Solveig, his father's eldest sister, and one of two survivors of a flock of six children. She was born in 1915, and has her 94th birthday in November. We went to visit her the other day, in an immaculate flat in Oslo, neat and smart and full of flowers. She lives alone and does all her own cleaning and cooking. She walks to the local shop to get what she needs, and jumps onto a tram when she wants to go downtown.

She served us an elegant lunch ( the butter was done in little curls on a cut-glass dish) with no end of dainty things to eat on bread, and we sat at the table for two hours. Later Reidar showed her some old photo albums and she was able to identify people that were dead before Reidar was born. So more coffee and home-baked cake. We were there over six hours and she never seemed to get tired. What a remarkable woman!

Monday 28 September 2009

Skype - wow!

I was lucky enough to borrow a laptop while I was away at rehabilitation (does that make me sound like a dried-out alcoholic in America? In Europe it's all about exercise and getting looked after in peaceful surroundings ). Anyway, I digress. The laptop was great, I could keep in touch with family and friends all over the place, and keep my brain active with plenty of solitaire. When I got home I was encouraged to keep it for a while, and eventually allowed to buy it. When I mailed Tamsin to tell her the good news, she wrote back, " Good, now you can have Skype". Yesterday evening, with telephone guidance from the ever-patient Nick, we installed it. Next thing I knew, I could see Tam and Nick, still in their sunday best - and they could see me - or us, because my excitement soon attracted Jeremy, and Reidar is magnetically attracted to any form of camera. How I wished I wasn't wearing my purple track-suit, how I wished I'd done my hair. But I'll be prepared next time. there will be silly hats, there may be fancy dress - who knows?
But how amazing is that? We can see each other while we talk. I will see my grandbaby as soon as it's born. I'm going to be at the baby-shower and can see all Tam's friends, and all the cute stuff she gets. what a difference this will make! Wow!

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Sophie - pioneer for a new generation

Sophie is my mother's first great-grandchild, my late sister's granddaughter, and the idol of the whole family.
She's just been to stay at Roseveth again - her dad Rob loves surfing, so a trip to Cornwall kills two birds with one stone. Until recently Sophie's been unsure of her great-grandmother, and has cried when too close. This visit however, was different. Rob, Claire and Sophie stay next door in my brother's house, and Sophie told my sister-in-law Annette:-
"I'm going to see my date danny".
She climbed up into the armchair next to my mother and announced:-
"I'm going to sit next to you".
She then proceded to tell about her visit to Paradise Park, a sort of petting zoo with lots of birds.
"I gave food to the sheep and goats, but not to the donkeys"
"I saw big pink birds"- Great-granny asked:- "Did they have long legs?"
"Yes, I think their legs were tired".
"I slid down a slide and the balls flew up in the air".
"I'm two". Her mother said:- "You'll be two-and a half next month". This information was gravely passed on to GG.
To my brother Richard:- "Move those papers off the sofa, I'm going to lie down".
I know kids say the darndest things all the time, but it warms my heart to hear how a simple thing like learning to speak has bridged four generations and a age-gap of 93 (and a half) years.
Gwenyth Zillah Wallis will be 96 in October. Sophie will be two and a half, but they can sit and chew the fat like old friends.

Monday 14 September 2009

Barnebarn er livets dessert

I saw this expression in a magazine and liked it straight away. Grandchildren are Life's dessert. Imagine ploughing your way through the main course of life - Brussels sprouts and gristly bits and all, and just when you think there isn't any more, someone places a delicious serving of something sweet in front of you. I think there is fruit involved, because my forthcoming grandbaby has been compared to fruit since he/she was the size of a blueberry, when we first heard of his/her existence. We have gone though olives, plums, avocados, and last I heard, the great American onion. I wonder when the arms and legs grow out, so it's less round? It's very exciting though, knowing that there's a new little person in there, getting bigger and stronger day by day, with a mummy and daddy that are following every new development with bated breath.
Of course, I couldn't wait to start knitting soft white little things, and even bought a couple of pastel-coloured garments. Tamsin and Nick made their first purchases in Stockholm, and I was surprised by their choice of colours. Their whole house is almond-oil, for goodness sake! I imagined they'd go for delicate pastels and white. But no, this is going to be one psychodelic baby! They love bright colours and off-beat designs.
So if you're out walking in Spanish Fork in the Spring and you see a pram with a rainbow in it, that'll be my grandbaby!

Sunday 13 September 2009

Long time no write


Wow! a lot has happened since I last wrote. Tamsin and Nick have come and gone ( and it was so nice to have them here when we needed them most ) and Reidar and I have both had major surgery - on the same day in two different hospitals! Reidar is home again, with his very favourite sister plumping up his pillows and peeling his grapes. I'm recovering from my second total knee replacement in a lovely rehabilitation centre in the mountains. It's called Landaasen - Google it! My window has a view over the lake, and it's very peaceful. I'm here for a couple of weeks to get plenty of physio and training, and be pampered a bit, to build myself up for whatever may lay ahead as far as Reidar is concerned. He should be getting his last two chemo treatments to complete the first course. After that he waits a couple of weeks before taking new pictures to assess the effects of the treatment and decide what happens next. He seems to be in fairly good spirits, and coping with major changes in his life - like someone other than me making his breakfast.

Time to stop this and do some knee-bends...

Saturday 8 August 2009

Home again from horrible Hamar hospital

Reidar was doing so well with his chemotherapy, then he got an infection. Chemotherapy works by destroying all fast-growing cells, bad and good alike, so bone marrow cells get killed, white blood cells don't get reproduced, so the immune system isn't able to cope with simple infections. We had just got back from a lovely trip to Trøndelag, where Reidar and a group of others from Nordbygdarevyen took part in a revue festival. We stayed in a rented cabin, and were looked after like royalty, with friends acting as porters, chauffeurs and chefs, and Reidar was made to rest as often as possible. Some might think that the trip was too much of a strain for him, so the infection was a direct result, but it would have happened if he'd just stayed home.
One evening he got a very high temperature, so I rang the hospital. They told me to bring him in at once, so I did, and he was admitted. He was sent home after a few days, but a new fever sent him back for a further two weeks. He was given penicillin intravenously, and on two occasions was put in quarantine (isolat). After two weeks they took a CT and discovered an abscess on the tumour, which was causing the infection. He was immediately moved to a surgical ward, but after one night there it was decided that he was well enough to come home. His immune system was getting stronger and his temperature was back to normal.
It hasn't been easy having such a sick man to look after, his mouth was very sore so eating was painful, and he had a poor appetite. He got a high temperature one evening, so we got another night-time trip to casualty (legevakt - the emergency room) but he was allowed home this time. He's slowly gaining strength and energy, so we hope he can soon resume chemotherapy.
We are also looking forward to a visit from my brother-in-law David, and his lovely lady-friend Pat. At the end of the month we'll have a visit from Tamsin and Nick. We're counting the days. So cross your fingers for Reidar, that he'll soon be done with chemo and able to get on with the next step - whatever that may be...

Monday 6 July 2009

A midsummer night's dream

Midsummer in Norway is all about being outside and enjoying the sunshine.
Traditionally, a bonfire is built, usually at the edge of a lake, river, fjord or the sea. In England they build them on top of the highest hills to send signals, but every self-respecting hill should have a beacon on the evening of the longest day.

The wildflowers are at their best, and not many can resist the temptation of picking large bouquets. Small children traditionally plait coronets of flowers to wear on their heads that day.
In modern Norway it means a good barbeque, and this year our favourite supermarket was just about sold out of barbecue meat. A lot of wine and beer gets consumed too.
We went to Arild and May Sissel and sat on their lovely big veranda. We had grilled seafood kebabs, which were delicious. We sat eating and drinking and chatting until quite late. We watched the sun finally go down at 22.46, four minutes to eleven for those who haven't mastered the 24 hour clock. It would have been possible to see well enough to read a paper at midnight, and the sun was on its way up again before 3 am. The birds seem to sing all night, especially the large gang of magpies that greet each other merrily at any time of the day or night - the little rascals!
Now the nights are getting longer already, but we still have plenty of lovely summer to enjoy.





Monday 22 June 2009

Doggone dogs gone


On Thursday, after several phonecalls from eager dog people, the man that bred Dennis came down from Trondheim to fetch him home on the train. We met on a rainy station platform, and it was a bit sad to say goodbye to Dennis, who was such an aristocratic little gentleman. So I only had Bianca left - the neurotic little bundle of fur. Reidar's sister had changed her mind, and Bianca needs plenty of the great outdoors to run around in. This is not a picture of her, but a close resemblance. I took a couple of pictures with my phone, and can't figure out how to transfer them here. When I told her to sit, she lifted her front right paw to shake hands. Friday evening was a sad time too, she was so affectionate and trusting. On Saturday morning a man came from Valdres to fetch her. He's a hunter, and used to dachs, so she'll get to do what she's bred for, as well as being a loved member of the family. So we're happy for her. I washed the dog smell off my floors and returned the cat dishes to their corner. All three cats have come home, and after sniffing suspiciously around, have settled back in a safe dog-free home.

Saturday 20 June 2009

Chemotherapy

On Wednesday 17/06 Reidar started his chemotherapy treatment at our local hospital in Hamar. There is a special department for cancer patients that's fairly new. We talked to the oncologist, Knut Fjæstad, and he was very pleasant and down-to-earth. He let us take all the time we needed, and answered even the stupid questions with patience and understanding. Next we went to the room where the treatment took place. Reidar was hooked up to a drip with a whole bunch of bags of liquids. He lay comfortably on a bed, with a large TV to watch, and was served lunch while he was there. Including the blood-tests and consultation with the doctor he was at the hospital for six and a half hours! The following day the infusion only took two hours. Now he has twelve days to get over it before he starts the same process again. This will be repeated all together four times, so the course will take 8 weeks. After that he takes a new CT to see what effect the treatment has had.
When we left the hospital I was very nervous to see if he felt any ill effects, but he felt absolutely fine, and enjoyed his dinner that evening.(The most common side-effect is nausea). The next day was just the same, so we are feeling optimistic about getting through the next 8 weeks. We get so many messages of goodwill from so many people that we are surrounded by positivity, and that's what we need right now. Thank you Project Cheer supporters!

Sunday 14 June 2009

Going to the dogs

It's a long story, but this weekend we suddenly accquired three dogs. On Friday evening an old friend, Alf rang us to ask if we would like three pedigree dachshounds, absolutely free. A friend was going to be travelling between the Netherlands, Bergen and Thailand, and now had no girlfriend to look after his three dogs. I would have said no at once, but our friend Arild, who already has one dachs was already thinking about getting another. I also though that the local dachs club would help to find good homes for them. We gave Arild the dog owner's number, and he arranged to go up to Valdres to look at the dogs on Tuesday. So far so good... Imagine our surprise yesterday evening, while enjoying dinner with friends, to get a phonecall from Jeremy, saying that Alf had arrived out of the blue ( as always) with a dutchman and three dogs. We hurried home, and found them all in our back-garden. Alf, anxious to show the dogs off at their best, let them all of their leads. Mistake. Sniff disappeared into the forest, and reappeared nearly 8 hours later. The owner and Alf sat and waited until he returned, so finally left at 3 am.! There was alcohol involved. (Not Alf, who was driving.)
Today has been doggy from start to finish, beginning with three dachsturer before breakfast, a walk all the way round Mosjøen before lunch, a return visit from the owner and Alf ( a two and a half hour drive each way, incidentally),
a visit from Arild. May Sissel and their dachs Snorre - Arild fell instantly for Sniff and they took him home with them - and finished with taking the remaining two away in the car so the owner wouldn't be sad saying goodbye, and ending up visiting the leader of the dachs club. Dennis, the pretty long-haired one, has a wonderful pedigree, and should be snapped up at once when he appears on the club's web-page.
Reidar's sister Sigrid wants the female, Bianca, so she'll be moving to Tønsberg later in the week. I'll take a picture of her before she goes.
Our three cats, and cat supporter Jeremy are less than thrilled with the whole affair. The fact that Reidar's other sister Mia arrives tomorrow, most likely with a big black labrador, doesn't make for peace and harmony in our home.
The flowers were to Reidar from his amateur theatre group. The card tells him to "hang in there", which he has every intention of doing.


Thursday 11 June 2009

Reidar

This is Reidar, my husband for 32 years, and my best friend for even longer. He is Tamsin and Jeremy's father. He is the brain and muscle behind the Book Loft's success. A keen amateur local historian, and an even keener amateur actor. He's never happier than when he's on the stage, making people laugh. He's very friendly, and loves long chats with total strangers. He's generous, and always willing to lend a helping hand.
Now he's the one who needs help. He was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the beginning of May. He was going to get that operated on on May 18th, but it was decided that the tumour needed to be shrunk with radiation first - a set-back for us. We went to the cancer hospital on June 3rd, and were set to start radiation treatment a week later. Yesterday. In the mean time pictures were taken to make sure that the cancer hadn't spread to Reidar's liver or lungs. It had. To both.
So now we're in a state of shock, trying to take it all in, to think clearly, to make new plans. My mind swings between dark thoughts, desperate hopes and the safety of trivial everyday things.
Telling family and friends the bad news hurts as much getting the news ourselves.
We have no need to be completely pessimistic - he's in the best of hands, and there's lots of methods of treatment that can help, but it's going to be a long hard road to go...

Sunday 7 June 2009

A daytrip to Paradise

On Saturday we drove to Trysil to spend the day with Arild and May Sissel at their cabin in Trysil. It's situated idyllically by thr river, in a forest ( with carpets of blueberries and other yummy berries) right by a mountain with little patches of snow on it. That's why they call it Paradise. When we arrived Arild and his son-in-law Tor were in the middle of building a veranda. Reidar joined in, and we were able to eat our barbecue sitting on it. Arild's daughter Mari stayed indoors with little Ada Elise is exactly four weeks old, and obviously the centre of attention.












Thursday 21 May 2009

En dachstur







En dagstur is a day's march, so a dachstur is a walk taken with a dachshund. We were invited to join the Hedmark Dachshundklubb on a walk to Mosjøkøien in Løten. We walked for about an hour until we reached the lake, where we sat down to rest and eat our picnic. Eva Moen asked me to mind her two miniatures while she took a picture, and little Bitten climbed onto my lap and settled down. It was an enjoyable walk, but I was glad I had my stick. Reidar thoroughly enjoyed himself.

Wednesday 20 May 2009

A tourist'sguide to Oslo

Today Jeremy and I took the bus to Oslo to meet my cousin Mollie and her husband Roy, who are on a Baltic cruise, and were in Oslo for the afternoon. Unfortunately we arrived late because of the bus being detoured due to roadworks, and even more unfortunately it was pouring with rain. they had another couple with them, and after introductions were made we headed for the shelter of the nearest shopping centre at Aker Brygge. After a few minutes the rain stopped and we took the tram up to Frogner Park where all the Vigeland statues are. This group of little girls is my absolute favourite. No boys are allowed as the smallest girl's facial expression clearly shows. I love the way my picture has a tiny tourist fairy busy taking pictures!
Mollie brought us gifts from Cornwall, some from Roseveth. We got a large saffron cake, a pound (!) of Rodda's clotted cream, Cornish Fairing biscuits and fudge. That should do Reidar's tummy some good...

Sunday 17 May 2009

Hurra!

Today is national day, and this picture was taken after the celebrations were over. Being on the committee who arranged the celebrations for Løten, we've had plenty to do. Yesterday we got things ready, today we first went to church (Reidar had traffic duty outside) walked in the parade from the church, down a long hill, and through the centre of Løten. It was about a mile. Next we served ice-cream to all the children in Løten - sounds quite sweet and charming, but in reality meant trying to control a pack of impatient teachers and parents. Next to the sports hall to serve stew to the marching bands and choirs; also three visiting choirs from Estonia. It was beautiful sunny weather, so a thick, heavy
woollen national costume was plenty warm enough, and oh! my poor feet. Generally speaking a great day for everyone.
And yes, you may congratulate Norway on winning the Eurovision Song Contest hands down.

Thursday 14 May 2009

Going home

It's always sad to leave a place when you've had a good time there, and Edinburgh was no exception, so imagine my delight when we discovered, hidden away in the most remote corner of the airport, a surfers van dispensing the most cornish of everything that ever came out of Cornwall - pasties! For the uninitiated, a pasty is a circle of pastry (butterdeig) filled with beef pieces, chopped onion, potato and turnip (kålrot) - the american name for this root vegetable is something like Budweiser - this is then seasoned with salt and pepper, folded together and sealed, then baked in the oven. The result is a crust filled with a tasty stew (lapskaus). The pasty was a portable meal that the cornish tin-miner could take down the mine in his pocket. Most people who have ever eaten a pasty are delighted to have a chance of another one, but to a cornish girl, visiting the absolute opposite end of the British Isles, it was nothing short of a miracle.


Wednesday 13 May 2009

Day 3 Saturday

On Saturday morning Reidar and I decided ( I backed down from wanting to go shopping) to go to Holyrood Palace, buy tickets and do the thing properly. We were loaned audio-guides. They're small gadgets, the size of a mobile phone, that you hang round your neck. If you press the right button at the right time, the gadget tells you about the room you're in, and what to look for. You can get optional extra information. I've forgotten which king built it for his wife, but he never lived there. Mary, Queen of Scots however, did. Also Queen Elizabeth stays there when she has official business in Edinburgh. If she's on holiday she goes to Balmoral. It was exciting to be walking round the rooms she uses, although the less formal ones were out of bounds. Visiting Mary's rooms was special too; the spiral staircase to her bedroom was narrow and steep, and it was chilling to think that her italian secretary was stabbed 56 times right there by her jealous husband and his men. There was a portrait gallery, all painted by the same dutch artist who was encouraged to use his imagination about how some of the earlier scottish kings looked. He must have had a strange sense of beauty, or humour, because thet're all plug-ugly!
Beside the castle there's a ruined abbey, which looks quite picturesque, and has been a popular motif for numerous paintings. We also wandered through the pretty gardens.

After that we headed back towards the hotel, along the Royal Mile, stopping just once at the museum of childhood, where we got quite nostalgic about our old toys. The weather was showery, so I got to use my pretty new yellow umbrella with angels on. It was a long walk, so we were glad to get back to our room to enjoy a picnic before getting ready to go to the theatre. The Festival theatre is the oldest in Scotland, and has just been restored after being used for some years as a bingo-hall. We saw West Side Story, and it was a wonderful production, with very good singers and dancers, great costumes and sets, ans a real feeling of energy.

After that, all 40 of us went to the Pink Olive, where we'd booked tables, and had our farewell dinner of Aberdeen Angus sirloin steaks and chips. It was a pretty noisy, very jolly affair, and a good ending to a very enjoyable trip.






Tuesday 12 May 2009

Day 2





























All Onto a bus for a whole day's trip. We had a Danish guide who's lived so long in Scotland that she speaks a language that could loosely be called Scandinavian.Our first stop was the Forth Bridge, which was pretty exciting for me because all my life I've heard it said of a job that's never finished:- "It's like painting the Forth Bridge", and apparently it's true - as soon as they get to the end it's time to go back to the beginning and start all over again.






Next to the Falkirk Wheel, which was a millenium project. Instead of opening and closing 11 locks to go from one of the Scottish canals to the Union canal, you sail your boat into one of the gondolas on the wheel, and it lifts it up to the next level. We did this in a tourist boat, sailed 100 metres, turned, went back and got lifted down again. We saw all this lovely yellow gorse from the boat.




On to Stirling Castle through lovely green countryside, with lambs, bunnies and cottage gardens.




Susanne guided us around the castle, up steeply sloping wet cobbles, spiral staircases and all over the place. I was so glad I'd taken my walking-stick, because my wonky knee was playing up by then. Hobbled back down the very steep hill to Hermann's Restaurant, where we had our lunch, which was delicious salmon - probably the nicest food we had the whole trip.


On again to Crieff, where we were guided around the Famous Grouse Whiskey Experience.
Although we spent most of the day sitting on a bus, it was good to be able to relax at the hotel before marching forth once more in search of supper. Friday evening is not the easiest time for 10 people to get a table, but we managed it, and reidar and i enjoyed our fish and chips at the Beehive Tavern, another very old pub.