Hi, Good to see you back.
Fall in Cullen. Today the temperature was very brisk. It is cold! There is a fierce wind blowing that cuts through and through. It is pouring down rain. Dampness permeates the house. And there are lovely colored leaves.
It’s sort of like summer in Cullen except, of course, for the lovely colored leaves.
We’ve been here for a week and are slowly getting around and finding places. On Sunday we went to the service at the Cullen Methodist Church, which is just outside our back window. Of course, we have to go out the front door to get there, so it is about 25 steps. 
It is a very small congregation. Counting the pastor, Rev. Chris Johnson, and the two of us, there were 18 people there. The Rev. Chris had a very good sermon, a lovely manner and a great reading about the story of Genesis. He wrote it and, if he gives me permission, I will post it.
Not knowing what we might do to entertain ourselves in the evening, I planned a surprise for Anne. At home, we sometimes play Scrabble in the evenings if nothing else is going on. (Yes, I know that is pretty pitiful, but it is what it is.) Not wanting to carry a heavy game box with all those heavy letter tiles, I did the next best thing. I got a photocopy made of the board and preserved it with contact paper. Then I printed out a set of tiles the exact size to fit on my board. I then cut the paper “tiles” apart and set up the game. Great! 
I even brought the red tile holders.
However, I forgot just one little thing. I forgot to verify exactly which letters I had printed out. It appears that my set of letters had exactly 9 vowels, including 2 E’s. On the plus side, it does have 6 Z’s, 4 X’s, 11 Y’s and 5 Q’s. 5 Q’s with 2 U’s ?? That does not work well in English. Anne says that instead of an English set, it must be Welsh or Polish or some other language that doesn’t use many vowels. I can fix this. She wants to look for a game at one of the ‘Bits and Bobs’ stores in town. But I know I can fix it.
We are just two rows of houses off the beach. It is the Moray Firth that leads out to the North Sea.
Swim? Maybe next time. See you then.
It all sounds great – even the cold wind. If you can’t find something to warm you up in Scotland, you’re not trying hard enough!
I check our weather forecast and then the forecast for Cullen every day, and most days it’s about the same, except it’s breezier there. This week it’s mostly colder here than there. And our pond isn’t as big as yours.
Have you cooked any local dishes yet?
I am in the process of getting the ingredients to make something. It will be after the 26th, however, as Lee is coming to visit for a week.
Yes, our pond is bigger and, the good news is, we don’t have to clean it.