11th April 2023 Hi, 24th March 2023 Continuing on our tour we left Halong Bay after a breakfast which included a green drink called Pennywort, which is from a plant of the same name. The hotel staff assured me it was good for my health and I can't say that I suffered any ill effects. On returning home I have since found that it does indeed claim a number of benefits for...

8th April 2023 Hi, Time to visit another new country! I believe this will be number thirty six. A number of people asked me prior to going…why Vietnam? My honest answer is that I had never heard of anyone going who did not think it was a great experience for a variety of reasons and in fact had never heard any negative remarks made. Combine this with the stunning landscapes I had seen in various brochures and it wasn't difficult to sell to me. As mention...

September 22nd, 2022 Hi On Wednesday 7th September I flew from Glasgow to Split. It's a three hour flight and Split is an hour ahead of the UK. It was exciting to be visiting my first new country since 2016. The beauty of Croatia strikes you as soon as you exit the airport in Split. Blue skies, mountains and a deep blue stretch of water greet your gaze. I wanted to get the camera out right away! I was travelling with a company called The Travel Department for...

16th August 2022 Hi, Hopefully this will be the start of a few journeys exploring parts of Scotland I have made a list of, with the intention of visiting in retirement. The prompt for this particular trip was the wedding of Iona Gillies to Martin Youngson in Cullen, more of which later. Tuesday August 2nd I left Glasgow on and visited in the Inverness area, staying over at Balloan Farm for a catch up with family there. Wednesday August 3rd Heading east on I...

21st June 2022 Hi, On 18th June 1982 my cousin Iain MacQueen of Balloan Farm was married to Janette MacKenzie from Gairloch in the FP Church at Chapel Street, Inverness. My late father Rev Donald MacLean officiated. The reception was in Drumossie Hotel, south of Inverness. Forty years on we gathered again at Drumossie to celebrate their Ruby Wedding with Iain and Janette. A lovely dinner was served up in a private dining room and we had a video presentation of...