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Published: July 23rd 2009
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Monday 20th July
A day of relaxation
We were late to bed last night after the Benvie family reunion and this morning we slept in big time.At least for us that is!!It was nearly 8am before we awoke which we guess shows how comfortable we were in the best bed we have had to date.Thanks John and Aileen!!It probably also confirms that we were ready for a longer sleep than we were getting on the west coast and in the Highlands with all those late sunsets at nearly 11pm.
We had a casual breakfast and Aileen and John are such great hosts that we didn’t notice the time go by as we chatted away.
Their home is just outside the town of Montrose and overlooks the Montrose inlet with a view that is ever changing as the tide comes and goes.The view into the distance stretches as far as the low hills that become the Highlands.
We had a bit of admin to do downtown at the Post Office and Aileen had some banking to do so we all climbed into Johns’ luxurious Lexus and headed first for downtown.
After that John drove us out to the harbour entrance to take
a look at how the ships that use the port for both trade and oil rig servicing manage to negotiate the river entry to the port.Glaxo have a large manufacturing plant which is the biggest employer in the town of about 12000 people.
We then drove out to an old lime kiln on the coast just outside of town that is danger of falling into the sea.We guess it shows just how global warming is affecting the coastline with tidal surges etc.
Aileen,Gretchen and I walked along the coastal cliff trail taking in the old fishing cottages now abandoned as well as the seabirds nesting in the cliffs.
Before we rejoined John,who had driven the car to the other end of the trail,we looked over a cemetery on the cliff edge where several local important families have plots.Some were being looked after but others had been neglected for years and we guess that there is no one left in the immediate family to care for the graves and headstones any more
We drove past the farm John sold when he retired and other farms that he has owned either with his boys or other people in partnership.
All the walking
had worked up a thirst and hunger so John drove onto nearby Arbroath(my Dad’s old town)to the Brewhouse,a pub that has been on the waterfront since 1748!!
We enjoyed a relaxing lunch and a pint taking in the atmosphere of the old pub.
Aileen knew of a sweet and ice cream shop near the pub so for ‘afters’we had an ice cream while Gretchen topped her supply of chocolate éclairs and other boiled sweets.She reckons there is an opening for the sale of boiled sweets at home if only we could import them from Buchanans the sweet maker in Scotland.
When we travelled to Arbroath last week I missed getting some pictures of Gayfield Park,the home of Arbroath FC,the team my father supported.So we called by and found the gate open enabling me to get in and take some photos of the small stadium and immaculate looking pitch ready for the new season only a few weeks away.
Aileen’s very good friend Trish came around for a G&T before dinner and then stayed on and joined us for dinner.Aileen prepared a seafood dinner for us of locally caught scallops followed by a type of fish we hadn’t come across before
called monkfish which was a tasty fleshy fish.
It was another late night with plenty of conversation and with our need to be on the road heading south in the morning we won’t be able to lie in quite like we did this morning.
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