Pigs flew

[kato]

... and the hot place froze over, so we decided it was time to take a holiday for the first time since 2003.

You don't really know just how stressed and overworked you are until you take a break. We took a good one. All the way to Scotland to find the family roots. And we found them too.

Here's some of what we saw,

This one's for Randy.

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I'll see how it posts, and then post some more.

[kato]

Not bad, but I think I resized it a little small.

[kato]

This will probably be too big. It's an air seeder, and I actually had to ask someone to make sure that's what it was. We were at the Royal Highland Show, in Edinburgh

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[kato]

That worked.. OK here's some more.

Some sheeps... more that you can count.
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[kato]

And this is where the family started farming .... 600 years ago.

<a href="http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b67/Kato1/?action=view&current=037Farm.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

[per]

Nice Kato.

[grassfarmer]

Interesting Kato - so where is the last picture? looks awfully like some of the west coast just south of Oban.

[kato]

Good eye! You got it exactly right.

It's a beautiful place, no doubt about that. It's like walking back in time to see all the old stone fences and buildings still there. It was an amazing experience to see it.

[rkaiser]

Geez GF how big is that country of yers.

Awesome photos kato and thanks for the highland pic.

[grassfarmer]

I'm quite familiar with that part of the country kato - it's where my cattle breed was developed. Poor soil, rough terrain, 90 inch rainfall - where better to develop a breed of tough forage efficient cattle?
It looks like you spent your time among the rare breeds at the Highland - the post legged BB monstrosity, the wooly headed lambs of a breed I'm not sure I could identify accurately, the hairy Highlander.
I hope you saw the supreme sheep champion - the Blackface ram - shown by good friends of mine who are stockman of world class calibre. I hope too you had time for a few cool ones at the "Herdsmans". Wow,that ages me - it's 20 years since I was misspending my youth there - now it's my friends kids carrying on the tradition!

[kato]

Not sure if this one is him, but he was a looker. He was in the main tent of the sheep associations.

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We didn't have a cool one at the Herdsman's. It was jam packed. But we had them all over the country instead. A byproduct of lunch at the pub. LOL

[grassfarmer]

Thanks for posting that kato. Crazy place the herdsmans - they had to empty the 3 garbage skips about 4pm every day and then again before the bar opened in the morning - sole contents being beer cans and bottles. Thats a lot of pop!

[smcgrath76]

Nice holiday. I bet you have never taken
a vacation where you have not gone out of
your way to look at at least 1 bovine
critter.

[SADIE]

Good for you "Kato & Hubby" to enjoy a holiday like you are showing us.

Looking back on previous posts. WIth your "hubbies's Sharp eye" at the cattle market you must have captured in on more than one "Mildred" buys at the sales ring.

Thanks for sharing some pics with us.

[kato]

I don't think we've ever ever gone anywhere that didn't have cows, now that I think about it. My brother keeps pestering me about tax writeoffs. LOL. Now that I think of it, I did have a Shetland sheep breeder give me a business card.... mmmmmm....... Just kidding, Revenue Canada.;-)

SADIE, it wasn't cows that paid for it, but who cares? It was the one and only place I've ever really really wanted to go, and when the opportunity came up, I wasn't about to let it pass.

What I have learned through all the family history that came with the trip is that as far back as records go, farming has been a tough way to make a living. At least in this country, we get to own our land. In Scotland in the past, owning your own land was something most only dreamed of, and was the driving force behind a lot of the movement to Canada. It puts it into perspective, that's for sure.