Well we are a few days into our first house sit in a small village called Cambus, in the Clackmananshire area of Scotland, near Stirling. It’s suburban but on the edge of a rural area so the best of both worlds with sheep farms and countryside a step away. We’ve settled into a routine and living life like the local Scots which really isn’t much different from life at home, only the accents are different.
Have to say we are really impressed by the Scottish hospitality. Everyone we’ve met has been extra friendly and goes out of their way to help if they see us confused foreigners trying to find our way around or looking for something. Without us asking some one will stop and give us directions, suggestions on places to go, thinks to do… whatever it is we need before we even get a chance to ask for help.
Our first House Sit owner picked us up at the train station when we arrived, took us on a short tour through Sterling to help us get our bearings and brought us home to a meal of Venison Stew with mashed potatoes and a few bottles of wine to wash it down. They gave us many suggestions for outings, things they thought we should do and we chatted away through the evening as we got to know each other. The next morning, they headed for a three-hour drive to Manchester to see their mother and on Saturday caught a flight to Spain for their holiday. They handed over the keys to their house, their car and left us with the responsibility of looking after their two beloved Husky’s, Phoenix and Kai.
The next day we took a short trip to pick up groceries, our first attempt at driving on the left in this foreign land. I have to say it was a bit nerve racking at first but I quickly mastered driving on the left and shifting gears on the left but the hardest part are the damn roundabouts and ultra narrow roads. The roundabouts are literally every 10 feet through these towns, with multiple exits and often multiple lanes. Round and round you go, were to get off no body knows……………………! The GPS says take the 3rd exit, but one, two, three…shit it was that one, not this one! After a few more trips I’m starting to get it mastered but it is a bit scary, I’m still uncertain of which lane I need to be in depending on which exit I need to take.
Following a day of sight seeing we return to our Scottish home to make dinner, walk the dogs and relax with a Netflix movie and a glass of wine each evening.
For some more pics click here
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