On My Way To Budapest

Gill and I planned to go to Budapest for a mutual birthday celebration.  Since I've had a couple of issues meeting up with Gill, I planned to fly down the night before we leave, just in case.  Unfortunately, I forgot to block out my calendar for Tuesday afternoon to take into account the drive to Inverness, a more reliable airport versus Wick.  So I had this meeting with the regulators from 1 to 1430.  My flight was at 1745 and Inverness is a 2 - 2.5 hour drive depending on traffic.  I tried to move it, but they couldn't so we shortened the meeting by 30 minutes. Since I was at the Site, I would have to drive back to town and then head on.  Town was the wrong direction, I'd heard there was an alternate route.  I tried to look it up on mapquest but I wasn't really clear.  So I decided I would just see what the SatNav proposed - I have been borrowing Jason's Garmen for a very long time.   Well sure enough, it said turn right from the Site instead of left toward town.  Considering I was leaving at 1415, I decided to go for it.  It said 7 miles west - that seemed like a lot.  I want to go South, but 7 miles later, it says turn south onto the A897. Surprise, it was a single track road - like room for one car.  I had to travel 28 miles on it.  I really weighed my options, feeling quite anxious about it, but then I said heck I'm kind of committed - time was ticking away.  So I channelled my inner Cumbrian and I went for it.  I watched the miles go by and drove as fast as I could.  I am driving a late model Mitsubishi shogun - its like a little jeep. I passed a couple of cars, going my direction.  They were pretty good about getting out of my way.  I passed a couple others coming toward me, but they all pulled off the road and gave me the right of way - lucky. What's on this road you are thinking.  The answer, not much really.  I got to a place that said there was a school with a flashing 20 mph sign, but I could not identify this school.  I also got to a train crossing that had a hotel at it - a bit like the Bates motel. I did see lots of fishermen.  There was this group of 3 with these enormous poles - like twice their height.  One of the fishermen had a shit eating grin on his face - I returned his grin in kind. Well, finally I've eaten up the 28 miles and the SatNav says take Craggie.  And I think huh? But I do it, like what are you going to do at this point? Well, there is a sign on Craggie that says its limited to 17 ton, and I think the A897 didn't have a weight limit.  Then about 1/4 mile later the weight limit went to 7 ton - hmm... Jason's SatNav said I had to travel 28 MILES on Craggie.  I screamed 28 [expletive] miles!  I am FREAKED! I have no idea where I am or where I am going and turning back means I miss the flight for certain.  So I keep going.   At some point in it's history, Craggie was paved.  Now it has paving in places with a fairly consistent hump of grass in the middle, and it's quite and consistent crumbly in places; there a many places with little no discernible pavement. To say the width of Craggie is narrow is a bit of an understatement - there were NO passing places.  I did pass a few cars coming my way. One lady backed up the hill onto my side of the road - stupid American.   I passed another lady in a big van.  Although I had the right of way going up hill, I pulled onto the 'grass' in area that didn't have an immediate ditch on both side of the road.  She kept coming, and as our mirror touch, she looked me in the eye and winked and mouth - go. So I went. I finally crested a hill and could see the north sea gleaming ahead of me.  A few more miles and I was dropped onto the A9 at Brora.  2 hours and 26 minutes after leaving the Site, I arrived at the Inverness Airport.  It was my fastest trip to Inverness.   My flight departure was delayed 4 hours.

Thurso - A Walking Tour

This is roundabout where I walk Maggie and Thatcher in the evening.  First, we head out and cross the football fields and across the pedestrian bridge.  The River Thurso is variable and heavily affected by the sea.  This photo was taken during the highest tide I've witnessed - you couldn't even get onto the beach because the water was all the way up to wall.  

During low tide, the River is just a tiny 8-10 feet wide 'normal' river.  One morning while walking the dogs, I was at least a mile up river and I heard this whooshing noise.  I turned around and saw 2 (1-2 foot waves) coming up the river.  The ducks were unhappy.  There was another that followed a few minutes later.  It was cool.

Looking down the River Thurso heading out to sea, Old St. Peter's Kirk is about dead center on the far bank

The next day: looking down the River Thurso out to sea - low tide aka: normal river

This church sits in the middle of town.  I think it is in pretty good shape, which is probably attributed to it being used until the late 1800s.  It used to be open for you to walk around in, but some kids painted graffiti on some gravestones and now it is always locked.

St. Peter's Kirk - founded 1220. Surrounded by a wall and cemetery

Thurso has a big surfing population.  Everyone told me this, and I thought it was a bit crazy, but in the evening while walking the dogs, I often see a couple of guys walking to or from the beach with their boards and their 6ml wetsuits.  Dedication.  

The houses along the sea and in the older part of town tend to be all constructed together with little alleys and alcoves that you can take to get to the next street; some of them dead end and some of them don't.

The esplanade 'boardwalk' on the sea wall

There are several baker's, butchers, and shopping places.  Most of the really good ones are multi-purpose, like a hardware, home store, wedding registry place or the whisky shop that sells ducks eggs, bacon and the cheese that I like.

Thurso's High Street

I love this little building.  It makes me think of hobbits.  Some interesting Thurso factoids - the Thurso post office does not sell postage.  If you want postage, you have to go to the co-op, which is a grocery store.

Meadow Well used by the town of Thurso for water for 100s of years - also used by fishwives for gossip hub

The square has created a really tricky intersection and causes much frustration during 'rush hour.'  It is the best possible place to make some sort of traffic infraction.  I have never seen anyone use the square or the church, but it's pretty.  When I stayed here the first time I was in a hotel just next to the church - it was winter, the window didn't close all the way, and the clock tower chimes all night...

Sir Johns Square with St. Peters/Andrews Church

Now we head back across the river on the vehicle bridge.  Maggie and Thatcher know they are close to home.  Depending on their mood, this can make them slow down or speed up.  On this particular day, my dogs were so miserable they'd just settle into a little march.  You see when we left the weather was nice, but then it wasn't.  We hid out in a doorway for about 10 minutes, but only me and Maggie fit and Thatcher got pelted with sleet.  Let me tell you, there is no amount of freeze dried liver to make up for that sort of grievance.

Looking Up the River Thurso at Maggie and Thatcher's Park

Home Sweet Home

After 2 false starts and a number of frustrations and disappoints, I have finally moved into a house.  This place is perfect and exactly what I asked for 5 months ago. 


It is in the Town of Thurso, it has a fenced garden for the dogs, it's very nice, but not too nice for two Labradors to live in and it's walking distance to everything.  It used to be the headmaster's house and the adjacent big stone building was the school.  It has a tremendous stone wall on one side and you can see the break, which has been filled in that must have been the gate the headmaster used to go to the school.

It has 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, an office, a open kitchen and a sitting room.  The bathroom upstairs has recently been redone and it's very nice with a giant shower and separate tub.  The beach is two blocks away and our park is about 4 blocks away.  


It's on the Dounreay side of town, which means I won't have to go through the center of town, which can be busy during rush hour. I know this made me laugh too, but everyone here says that.


The guys helped me move.  They packed and hauled everything - above and beyond the call of duty - and were rewarded Indian for dinner.  


It is good to be settled. And it's nice to have a place where I can have my shipment delivered; I am so sick of these clothes!

THE DOME OF DISCOVERY

This is about as good as you can look in this outfit

I have FINALLY started my job!


It was a wonderful week that challenged even my optimistic nature with a near death (bit of dramatic license) experience in the middle of the week that I am still recovering from...but there is no denying the two years of doing two jobs, traveling 180,000 air miles and 3 months standing on the sidelines has all culminated into it finally happening.


Somewhere between Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1, in a scintilla of time, the shares were transferred from one entity to another and I become the Deputy MD at the Site.  


My boss from Denver flew in, we had a big dinner at Ackergill Tower on Sunday and then Monday politicians, clients, and stakeholders from all over the UK came to Site for a tour on a bus (I was the guide), in the dome (Jason was the guide) followed by speeches and an evening reception with some dodgy salmon that seems (thankfully) to have only take down me and Jason.


There are some very important men standing next to me in this picture that I have cropped out - only seemed right.  I am standing in the center of the Dounreay Fast Reactor. This structure is impressive and unique - it was the first of a kind.  After 22 years in this industry, I am still filled with wonder, awe and appreciation that I get to taken part in the history of these facilities, even if my part is to take it apart.


In the lead up to the event, they sent out biographies of everyone that was attending so we can study them.  There were 32 people in handout including politicians, management (both the incoming and outgoing team), and the client.  I was the only woman in the pack.  Interestingly, I didn't even notice this fact; Gill had to point it out to me.  

Blog Note: iworepink (I Wore Pink) is not meant literally as some have indicated in comments.  It is a metonym where it is a simple idea used to represent a larger concept: like being 1 (only) in 32 for the last 22 years.

My reception here has been incredible.  The women on-site greet me with a big smile every day.  After Monday, I have had several come in and say, "can you believe it - does it feel like a dream - it feels like a dream to me."


The last time I worked in the UK.  Several individuals on-site learned to say 'American Woman' like it was a curse word and giggled like hens at calling my group the witches coven.  Fortunately, they were completely oblivious that we were giggling along with them.


I am not certain how my path has lead me here.  I know I have worked hard and made sacrifices, but I also know there are many many people in the world that have done much more than I and have not been given the same opportunities.  


I am humbled and extremely grateful.  


I will and do not take any of it for granted.  It does feel like a dream.

WE WOULD LIKE BEEF ON A STRETCHER FOR 40

We had the most amazing celebration on Sunday.  


It was a dual celebration thanking the out going team and celebrating the contract signing.  A great deal of preparation had gone into the dinner.  There is this castle north of Wick that is generally not open to public.  Everyone says that it is primarily used by famous people that feel like taking a break from being seen.  There is a dock for their yachts and a helicopter pad so they can whisk in and out without anyone ever knowing they have been there.  We rented this place for the weekend.

Everyone dressed up, and we started the evening with champagne, oysters, and smoked eel.  All of it was stunning.  

Tiny blog time out: my family will be thinking Dyan doesn't eat oysters - she says no filter feeders - and in this they are generally correct.  However, my boss at Hanford was really into food and oysters were one of his favorite.  He got me to try all different kinds, prepared all different ways.  I've learned I do like them, and I prefer the little one that are generally from this part of the world.  These oysters were from Tongue, which is just west of the Site.  Now the lovely lady that explained all this to me saw my microscopic hesitation in grabbing the oysters, but then I thought oh well, I am sure it's fine.  And were they fine!!!!

We moved into the dining room that was set up like a big U with assigned seats.  I had the best seat between two very funny gentlemen from the previous team - lucky!!  We started dinner with Haggis - seriously did you think I was going to say anything else?  It was piped - like with a piper - into the hall, a bard recounted the merits of haggis through prose before stabbing it with this fancy knife.  It was gorgeous - like couldn't stop eating it gorgeous.  It was served with a wee dram of whisky that I was forced to taste out of etiquette, but I did make a little face and I know that is rude, but I don't like it, and thankfully Jason finished it for me.


Then we had smoked salmon with potato pancakes and caviar - can the food get any better here?


Then it was time for our main course - I know what you are thinking - main course after all of that, but in it came accompanied by two drummers - on drums.  It was two great joints of beef on a wooden stretcher.  It was paraded into the hall, down the little corridor in the U table, then back, then onto this big table where the haggis got stabbed.  


That's where it all went wrong.  


You see the gal in the back of the stretcher was at least 4 inches shorter than the guy in the front.  Her face throughout the parade was panic and stress.  She held that stretcher, she prayed to the beef presentation god - seriously how busy could he have been that night...well as the guy in front was pushing the stretcher up over his head to set it down, one of the great joints of beef rolled right off the back of the stretcher.  Like a pro footballer, she held the stretcher and tried to knee the beef onto the table, missed it, she tried with her foot, but alas it splatted on the floor while we roared and clapped.


Interestingly, this has never happened before...in the hall.  It has happened in the hallway on the way to the hall, a point that was made to her repeatedly before she came in with the beef.  We thought it was great and still had plenty to eat.  I felt bad for her as she must have been mortified, but it was entertaining.


We finished the meal with a lemon tart and the lightest, creamiest - almost frothy lime ice cream.  Then I made a hasty retreat to home so I could get some sleep before the big day tomorrow.