Snow capped mountains

Collected bright and early by Jade and Sam. A cold day and were driven north for two and a half hours to Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Quite amazing to be driven along through a great -- to Sassenach eyes -- empty landscape forested with bleak snow capped mountains. Loved it and I had never seen this part of Scotland before. We reached Aviemore where Jade had booked us all on a steam train ride. We clambered aboard and it was a Santa Special, so had Santa and a host of naughty elves cavorting through the coaches. There were lots of kids on the ride, for obvious reasons.  Our first elf was called Crackers, a male elf, a bit extra and ebullient, who took a shine to Sam. Then there were women elves hiding and leaping about running up and down the aisle while shouting, and exciting the children no end. Then there was a magician style elf, and finally a rather quiet Santa whispering to children about Christmas. Meanwhile the steam from the train hung low among the trees, and the whole thing was rather magical, when you used the blue paper towels to clean the condensation from the windows to glimpse the big country beyond. We also ate pies and snacks while at the table. 

Then as the long northern gloaming began, Jade drove us off to a gorgeous lake which we looked at in the twilight. Then Jade, armed only with contemporary R&B drove us all the way back to St Andrews. Here we went for a rather excellent curry at a restaurant called Maisha,  which made a very cheery end to our day. Sam telling us about the incredible amounts he can now lift at the gym. He is looking very fit and well -- it was an opportunity for Lorraine and I to tell him how proud we are of him, for bouncing back from such a protractedly difficult time.

Lorraine and I were dropped off, and spent the rest of the evening quietly, but me gloating about Chelsea winning gloriously again. They are now second in the table, and the natural order of things is re-establishing itself.

 More photos to come, but here's Lorraine with a Santa, a lively elf.