Hillbilly Highlander

I'll be off here a few days as we're in transit to the states. I'll miss you.

They decommissioned my old unit, the U. S. Navy Steel Band in 1999. I just learned they decommissioned the command we were attached to, Navy Band New Orleans, in 2014. 😭😭The sunny side is I found out one of our albums was posted to youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=POrx...

British pigs in blankets are wee sausages wrapped with bacon. Now they're putting them in mac and cheese?!?! My god, what if you topped the lot with collard greens and served it with hot, buttered buttermilk cornbread? WHOOOAAAAEEEE!! I think I just had a chow-gasm!!

Tonight's brew is my favourite beer in the world, Happy Chappy real ale. Nothing quite like enjoying your favourite beer in your favourite place in the world, namely, this, our beautiful glen!

Today's Sunday brunch: a poached egg, two rashers of back bacon and two slices of Lorne sausage with extra mature cheddar melted on top, garnished with jalapeños and washed down with a delicious mimosa.

Last night's supper: a perennial southern favourite, chicken and dumplings. My wife makes the perfect, light, fluffy dumplings, not those dense ones that some folks call "slickers," because they're smooth and slick on the outside.

Today's Saturday brunch: penne rigate in my homemade marinara sauce with fresh grated parmigiano reggiano cheese on top. This was washed down with a mimosa.

Dude be glitchin' out! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvfe...

Today's traffic jam, after I'd stopped to take photos. They were so casual about the encounter! youtu.be/jaQLZ_DTCNs

The traffic was brutal whilst I was out and about taking photos in the glen, today! I shot this from the drivers seat of our standard transmission Peugot. I love driving a stick.

Any of y'all ever do this? It's often called a "farmer's coke" or a "working man's strawberries and champagne." My dad did this every time we'd stop at a country store.

Today's post workout brunch: two sunny side up eggs, a grilled cheese made with wastel bread and sun dried tomato and chilli cheddar cheese, a rasher of back bacon, black pudding and a sliced tomato. All was washed down with ice cold milk.

Last night's supper: a ribeye steak, rare, seasoned roasted cauliflower and a buttered jacket potato covered with chipotle salsa and garnished with jalapenos with a big dollop of guacamole on the side.

I stumbled across this image two years ago today. This is some legit hillbilly comfort food! Soup beans, sauerkraut and weenies, a slab of onion and two kinds of cornbread, fried cornbread and corn pone! I'd hit this like it owed me money!

Gaelic meme du jour: "When you see your friends drinking Jack Daniels."

For the non 'Muricans in the room, Manwich is a brand of sloppy Joe sauce. A sloppy Joe is basically a loose mince sandwich with a tangy sauce on a burger bun. It truly earns its name for it is indeed very sloppy.

Today's Thursday brunch: a bacon cheeseburger with a slightly Scottish twist, it's made with back bacon, a Lorne sausage patty and sun dried tomato and chilli cheddar on a well fired roll. Washed down with summer fruit and barley water squash.

So close...

Here's a socially distant hug for anyone who may be needing one.

What? He's reading, you perv!

Nah, I'm good.

I hate when that happens.

Gaelic meme du jour. This one shouldn't even require translation!😜

"Puds" means something completely and totally different here in Scotland than it does in the states is all I'm saying. I giggle-snorted like a school boy when I clapped eyes on these. Whatever they are here, I've now got a sackful of them.

🫢🤭

This wee shrine is just inside our front door. It consists of antler sheds we've collected over the years, a pic of my wife and I kissing, pix of our kids, a pic of my inlaws on the wall and two Bybee Pottery candle sticks, made by the Cornelison family out of clay from Bybee, KY.

Last night we kindled our very first fire of the season! I had a 20 kilo bag of peat and a big bag of kindling out in the garage just begging to be put to good use. Like it says on the bag, "Ye cannae beat a peat heat!" Can confirm.

Today's post workout brunch: two butterflied bangers (sausages), eggs and sun dried tomato and chilli cheddar on a buttered well fired roll with brown sauce, washed down with 1901 Irn Bru. I'm really gonna miss well fired rolls when we go to the states!

Last night's supper: bangers with fried potatoes and onions with a big dollop of Branston's tangy chilli piccalilli. I was correct in my assumption that piccalilli's tangy, spicy mustardy flavour would lend itself to being eaten with sausages, brats or dogs!

Today's Wednesday workout is in the books. I'm no longer coasting or going through the motions, this latest increase is making me put in WORK!

I posted this meme five years ago today. My mate's reply is epic. Remember, mine will be a military funeral at a military cemetery... epic.

As one often does...

These are pix our friend from Kentucky took of me when he came to visit us in the Highlands of Scotland. #1 I'm looking for another good shot in an iron age broch, #2 in Eilean Donan Castle, #3 at the Falls Of Foyer and #4 me shooting a second broch. I don't have many pix of me doing my thing.