Signing Off From Scotland...

  In Scotland, castles and golf are pretty synonymous with this beautiful country.  You cannot drive more than a few miles without passing historical markers for some ancient fortress or golf course decorating the nearby landscape.  I have written before on the auro of the St. Andrew's Golf Course, but this was our first outing to the late Queen Mother's childhood home--Glamis Castle, north of Edinburgh in Angus.  This imposing castle has been around since the 11th century and welcomes visitors with ghostly tales and stories of the royal family's past.   Our visit to Glamis was a rare sunny ocassion, but special nonetheless with lots of special memories to cherish from our short stay in Scotland!  

Nothing beats driving along country roads and the sun beating down!!!

Glamis Castle

We were able to see this beautiful exhibit on rare loan to the castle in honor of the 80th anniversary of King George VI's coronation.  On display were the royal robes worn by the Queen Mother, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret in 1937.

"Mom, I am waiting to take a picture of my prince!"

St. Andrews

And so like that, the sun has set on our summer in Scotland...on to the next Nugent adventure.

Cake and Candles and Costume and Dunnottar Castle

   When your almost three-year-old requests a princess birthday, I guess it cannot hurt to live in a country where castles are only a hop, skip, and jump away.  So, we brought along the cake, candles, and costume for a Sunday afternoon outing to celebrate at a 15th century castle.  It may not have been the Mouse's house, but the fortress ruins and sightly landscapes at Dunnottar were slightly more impressive and dramatic to say the least.  And to top off the day, a Scottish serenade by a handsome piper iced the cake--indeed a birthday fit for a princess!