Today's news begins with last night's dinner. Everything is just a wee different when cooking in Scotland. For instance, when I made the chili there was no tomato sauce in the grocery store. What they call tomato sauce is actually ketchup. Tomato sauce is tomato puree (what we call tomato paste). Well you see what I mean. So last night I was going to make my sausage and bell pepper dish that I do at home with Italian Spicy Sausage (usually Ray's Own Brand). Last night I did the recipe using the BUFFALO SPICY SAUSAGE which I purchased at the Farmer's Market last Saturday. Did the onions, bell pepper, added in a zucchini from the farmer's market and then the buffalo sausages which I had precooked in the oven at 190 for 20 minutes. Didn't have canned tomatoes so just used a premade pasta sauce out of a bottle and penne pasta. YUM!!! So good.

After dinner I mentioned to Dick that the thing I miss most about not being on The Links Road, is that we could watch the golfers coming in on the 18th hole. I said, let's take our wine and go out the backway (the secret alley) and watch them come in. It was fun. We laughed at some of the truly horrendous golf shots and applauded the really great golf.



This morning promised more rain to come. As we walked and carried our bags from our flat, through the alleyway, and then across the Road on the 18th/1st tees of the Old Course, I said; "Look Dick, there is a man playing golf in a wheelchair." I cut across the Himalayas and watched him come onto the first putting green. As he went by me, I said to him; "You are incredible and an inspiration." There were cameras rolling and one of them zoomed onto me as I was telling this man how great he was. Never did learn who they were shotting for; movie, tv, promotional feature. I asked one of the men in the entourage if he was playing all 18 holes. He said yes and that the man had played the Jubilee Course yesterday and shot a 77!! TRULY INCREDIBLE. Never whine about not being up to playing golf because of an ache or pain.




We teed off The New Course at 8:20 just behind another twosome from the USA. The New Course is the favorite among the local players and while it is very difficult, I felt confident that I would play well. Well, at least I began well with a par on the 4-par 1st Hole.
Then we began to find bunkers, the rough, the gorse...
Dick on the 3rd hole up against the gorse with an old course marker in the background.

Well it couldn't be all that bad, could it. Because the heather is in bloom along the fairways...

But then it began to rain and rain hard and rain cold

We caught up with the twosome in front of us and the marshal had suggested that we group up to make the pace of play better. So I asked them if we could join them.

From the 9th on in, we joined Ed and Frank Reinhardt to finish the game. Turns out that Ed's wife gave him the trip to Scotland to celebate his 70th birthday. They were trying to get onto the Old Course before they had to go home on Sunday but no luck with the lottery. When we got to the New Course Clubhouse, Dick had the reception call the Porter at the R&A and put in our name for the members lottery to play the Old Course on Friday. We called them back after the lottery closed, and we got it! We play the Old Course on Friday at 3pm. The Reinhardts called Dick a little later and he told them the news that we got them onto the course with us.

Back to the flat to dry off and take a long hot shower. Dick looked at our itinerary and realized that tomorrow is the Highland Games at Ballater. I said that tomorrow is when I signed up for the class with Maggie Moffat at Pittenweem Festival. He said it was my call to make and he was fine with whatever I decided. Isn't my husband the sweetest guy in the world.

Well, it was a no-brainer. We have always wanted to see the Highland Games and so that is what we are doing tomorrow. Off to Monaltrie Park in Ballater.

Cheerio for now..