zzOMBIE...

Ok so just reread that last paragraph of the last post and realised it really does not make much sense - I have to admit at this point I was actually falling asleep at the keyboard.  And this is exactly why I can no longer do all-nighters writing essays - imagine the marks I'd get for that!!  Edited one of the sentences, but decided to leave the other one there for your amusement...

So just to revise, I am indeed determined to get a tartan skirt, but I'm uncertain how that relates to being king... Basically it's because I figure I'm in Scotland, so when else is going to be a better time to get one?  I saw some in Edinburgh yesterday on my way to dinner, so I definitely have them in my sights.  Just gotta save up so I can actually afford to get to Edinburgh again (seriously!).

Also it was requested that I do go back to the last part a little more, cos I kept it pretty short last night.  No worries, this won't be a long addition as I don't have heaps more to say (on a quick side note though, I get laughed at whenever I say heaps, because everyone says loads not heaps over here) but just a few more quick comments...

Balmaha as I said was quite cute - a very small village surrounded by beautiful scenery and next to Loch Lomond of course.  As you can see in one of my photos, there were lots of boats there, and I did see people heading out in a canoe while I was standing there.  I also came across some campers when I when for a short exploratory walk near the loch.  Looked like a pretty nice spot, though I reckon it'd be pretty cold!!

Aberfoyle was also quite cute though a little bigger than Balmaha. Had a steak pie for lunch - probably my favourite dish so far over here.  I just love that they call it a pie when its not.  Actually will have to take a photo the next time I have one so you guys can see what I mean.  But yeah, didn't do much here cos we only stopped for lunch.

Duke's Pass was indeed very pretty, though it was hard to take many photos through the window of a bus.  Loch Katrine was also really beautiful, though it was definitely a bit chilly standing outside in the wind!  But worth it for the views I think.  This reminds me that I still definitely need to get a winter jacket - probably sooner rather than later - and also some good boots for walking.  Actually in all the writing I did yesterday, I forgot to say - I'M SO GLAD I CAN WALK NORMALLY AGAIN! :D Slopes are still not the best, as I can definitely still feel it pulling a bit, but I'm practically back to normal which is great.  Though I have to admit I was not too adventurous with climbing around on the yacht while it was moving, just because I didn't want to either step wrong and wreck it all over again, and also I had less faith in my ability to catch myself if I did trip, and didn't really fancy going for a dip in the water.

Not much else to say about Hamish, but hairy coo is definitely a thing - we passed another bus that had hairy coo tours written all over it. And Stirling Castle was pretty cool. I found that the inside felt a little fake - you can see in my photos how colourful it is, because it was all recently repainted and renovated.  Apparently they tried to replicate how it would have been, but you could still tell it was all new, which sort of took away from the authentic feeling.  But the castle is still very impressive, and from the outside I guess it's pretty much the same as it would have been when it was occupied (though maybe a little more weathered).  The views are definitely the most stunning feature of the castle - you just can't beat that location.  I also didn't figure out how the food was served when the kitchens seemed to be detached from the other buildings... obviously wasn't looking closely enough!  The old graveyard just down from the castle was quite picturesque too - as one of the girls I was with said, even the dead get a view!  Found the grave of a William Drummond, but I'm unsure why that name is familiar.  Figured he was someone important though, as his grave was set apart from most of the others.

The town of Stirling also seemed really cool as we were driving through - think I might have to go back there if I can find the time before I leave. Lots of cool old monuments and statues, and nice parks etc.  Anyway, that turned out slightly longer than expected, and now I need to get back to the real world and do some reading for my next tute!