Girl In The Pretty Dress

We hadn't made any firm plans (except for horse riding) for our time in the Smokies so on the second day we headed out to explore with no real destination in mind.  Taking the scenic (and somewhat slippy) route down the mountain. I'd have been a bit less nervous on this road with a driver who spent a bit less time admiring the view... ...but then again it was pretty spectacular so who can blame him? When we reached the valley floor we were greeted by this handsome chap.  Elk don't usually appear during the daytime (we were very lucky!) but they can somtimes be seen on the meadows at sunset/sunrise. After bidding adieu to the Elk we made our way to the Boogerman trail (thanks to the advice of a friendly mountain ranger we met en route).  Walking the Boogerman trail is a pretty magical experience - with all the different coloured butterflies dancing on the breeze you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a Disney movie. O...

Two months ago Cali and I took some time out and spent it with family in the Scottish Borders. We stayed in this house , which is what I would call 'Unusual' and 'Unique'. It's extremely spacious which makes it excellent value for money - but (I'll be honest) not quite to my taste. The house is not too far from Kelso which is a perfect town for a touristy day out shopping for knick-knacks. It's also only an hour and a half from the coast. We visited Eyemouth - which has a small but perfectly formed beach and a great coastal walk (past the smugglers bay!) If you do get chance to visit Eyemouth, I would also recommend this lovely pub . But the main draw of this house is that it's very much off the beaten track and the best of the Scottish Borders is right outside your front door - waiting to be explored. On another note... this post is, as usual, a little late. I've been getting into bad blogging habits over the past year and you may have not...