#Kilted Coaches

[bosguy]

Men in kilts

I never tire of posting pictures of the Kilted Coaches, Stephen & Rab. #kilts

The Kilted Coaches are a personal favorite for this weekly post. Previous Men in Kilts Posts

[officalroyalsofpierreland]

Wedding of HRH Prince Oliver, Duke of Rothsey & HIH Madame Hortense of Francesim Part 2

Stéphane: Meanwhile, we are seeing King Alexander and Queen Marie-Christine depart for the cathedral from Holyrood Palace. I’m seeing a trend of red today in ensembles! The King and Queen of the Scots are also a union of nations, with Queen Marie-Christine being the younger sister of Emperor David of Pierreland! Travis: So, the two emperors of Europesim are about to be related? Stéphane: That seems to be the case! It is quite beautiful given the levels of mentorship that are between the emperors.

Stéphane: Speaking of Emperor David, his family is now arriving at the cathedral. Empress Katalina is breath taking as always. This is also the first time we are seeing the green sashes and medals, Travis, what are they? Travis: That is the Order of the Thistle, the Kingdom of Scots’s highest order of chivalry. Emperor Napoleon V, Madame Hortense, and Madame Mere were inducted into the order prior to today with Emperor Napoleon IV being posthumously inducted, reportedly at the urging of Prince Oliver. Which is a first in Scots history and to a very deserving man. Stéphane: And Empress Charlotte? Travis: We have been told she will be inducted at a later date, just as Empress Katalina was when she joined the order on King Alexander and Queen Marie Christine’s 20th wedding anniversary and the imperial children of Pierreland who were inducted when they all turned 15. Stéphane: It is an interesting tradition! What are its roots? Travis: The roots stem to the early 1300s, when King David I of Scots created the Order and said that all members of the royal family are granted status in the Order along with “those who share their blood.” Over time, spouses like Empress Katalina and in the future, Empress Charlotte, were granted status in the Order, out of respect for the hopefully strongly forged union.

Stéphane: Absolutely fascinating! Loyalty to family seems to be a cornerstone to the Scottish Royal mythology. Meanwhile we see that Her Royal Highness Princess Magdalena of Lunaria has arrived with the Pierreland family, she looks beautiful in light blue while the Crown Prince wears the summer uniform of the Pierreland Imperial Military Academy, where he studies. The uniform has a white uniform jacket and dare I say, he is walking the line between acceptable and faux paus on this occasion. Travis: A bold choice that is for sure! But I am sure that the uniform was cleared with his aunt and uncle. He’s still a student learning uniform protocol and I think the couple understand that. I do say it does look excellent. It is rarely seen outside of Pierreland. Stéphane: Absolutely, protocol must be followed.  And I do believe that the public can forgive him for wearing white if the bride can! Meanwhile, his siblings are keeping it safe with our first kilt spotting on Prince Henri!

Travis: He has gone for a very traditional look with the kilt providing the majority of the color and a tweed jacket and waist coat. Meanwhile his twin sister Princess Maria Aisha looks beautiful in a light peach color, and I do believe she does have some hair jewelry that is from the Pierreland territory of Oderia which is a lovely nod to Pierreland’s vastness but also her maternal culture.

Stéphane: And we are seeing the first live look at the Emperor and Madame Hortense preparing to leave Aubigny House in one of the state coaches. And she is looking ethereal today in a dress designed by Lady Evie McPherson, a friend of both Prince Oliver and Madame Hortense. Travis: It is the first time we’re seeing one of Lady Evie’s creations on someone else and it is a big moment to have your design debut! From what we can see, I’m loving the sliver accents and the amazing lace work that came from the Royal School of Needlework. Stéphane:  It is also quite amazing that the place where Madame spent her last night as a single woman was named after Aubigny, the single town that the old kings of Francesim gave to a Scottish soldier as thanks for help in war. The historic nature of this alliance is not lost on anyone today!

Travis: And we are seeing the first images of Prince Oliver and his best man, Captain Callen MacDonald. The two servicemen are passing the Cenotaph, the kingdom’s war memorial. Stéphane: Why would Prince Oliver choose a non-family member to be his witness today? Travis: Excellent question! Captain MacDonald or Lord Callen has been Prince Oliver’s best friend since they were wee tots. Granted, Prince Oliver could’ve picked his cousin Prince Magnus but I have it on good authority that Prince Magnus stepped back saying that the best friends should do this together.

Stéphane: Speaking of Prince Magnus, he is now arriving. He is escorting his grandmother Dowager Queen Victoria or the Queen Mum and wearing the uniform of the Blues and Royals which Prince Oliver was seen in at the coronation! Travis: Yes! The cousins share this unit association and it is quite a dashing uniform. With the Queen Mum and Prince Magnus is Prince Dominic who is also sporting a kilt today! Stéphane: So two kilts? Travis [laughing]: Yes! Prince Dominic is the middle child of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll who are now also arriving!

Stéphane: I find it bold that the Duchess has gone for a bare face today. Meanwhile, HRH the Duke of Argyll is looking distinguished sporting quite a lovely beard. Travis: I gotta say, the Stuarts do very well with their beard growth!

Travis: Speaking of Uncles, HIH Imperial Prince Henri of the French and his family have arrived to the cathedral with two of his four daughters, meaning that two are most likely in the bridal party. Stéphane: The two daughters, TIH Princesses Amelie and Armance, were definitely on my short list for the bridal party so it is not a surprise. Unlike Princess Olympia’s interesting choice of dress color.

Stéphane: More key players are making their arrival such as Pope Gregorious XIX who will be the main celebrant today. The Holy Father will be joined by several of the Scots esteemed clergymen such as Cardinal McGregor who is the Archbishop of Edinburgh, Cardinal MacMillian the Archbishop of the Isle of Sky, Bishop McClellan of Rothsey, and Father Andrew Carter who is today’s homilist. Travis: It is quite a swath of clergy doing a once in a life time thing, serving with the Pope. Father Carter especially, quite an honor for this humble paratrooper chaplain.

Travis: And we are seeing that Madame Hortense and her brother, Emperor Napoleon V, have now reached the Royal Mile with their French guard of honor. Stéphane, who are this guard and why is it significant they’re here? Stéphane: Excellent Question! It is the elite cavalry corps known as the Cent-Gardes, re-established by Napoleon IV as his personal protectors.The French guard has it's historical roots in the Scottish-French relationship that goes back to the 13th century with the Auld Alliance. They are Scots cavalry men who are at least 5'11" who are actively serving with the Scots military.

Travis: They are very much like the Pope's Swiss Guard but for the French no? Stéphane [laughing]: That is one way to put it! it is very fitting that they are escorting Madame Hortense on her way to marry into the Scots Royal family, to her own Scottish Cavalryman. Travis: It is very poetic, very romantic and seemingly very on brand for this couple! We are getting a closer look into the carriage at the siblings, an emotional day for them I am sure. But back here at the cathedral, I am hearing the screams of the crowd through the windows. That can only mean one thing.

Stéphane: The arrival of HRH Prince Oliver of the Scots, Duke of Rothsey and his best man, Lord Callen MacDonald. I must say, the screaming is quite intense. Travis: It must be from all the hearts of young women in Scots breaking as Prince Oliver is soon to be officially, religiously, and legally off the market. Stéphane: As long as those are the only hearts he breaks young Travis [Travis laughs] he is looking very regal in his kilt!

Stéphane: Inside the cathedral we see that Empress Charlotte and Madame Mere are greeting the Scottish cardinals. This is very different than the wedding of Emperor Napoleon V, where there was a legal ceremony and then the nuptial mass. Travis: Indeed it is Stéphane. In Scots for those who are religious, the religious component takes precedence over the legal portion where in Francesim there seems to be a preference to the legal portion. I am loving the shades of blue on the Empress and Madame Mere.

Travis: Further up in the nave, we see that Prince Oliver is making his rounds with the royal guests, currently in a deep conversation with his aunt and uncle. Stéphane: perhaps some advice is being shared? Travis: Maybe or a funny story to relax the groom.

Stéphane: And outside, His Majesty King Alexander III and queen Marie Christine have arrived at Saint Andrews to fanfare. His Majesty is looking very sleek in his black uniform of the Royal Aberdeen Regiment while the Queen is looking beautiful in red.Travis: They both look every inch the proud parents.

Stéphane: And now the arrival of the bridal party! The group consists of HIH Princess Armance of Francesim and Lady Mackenzie MacDonald as bridesmaids; HRH Prince Andrew of Argyll, HRH Prince Lenerd of the Ionian Union, and Mr. Charles Everett, son of the King’s private secretary, as pages; and HIH Princess Amelie of Francesim, the maid of honor. Travis:  An illustrious crew filled with people who are dear to the couple. Stephane: And the uniforms of the pages? Travis: That is the regency era uniform of the King’s Highlanders uniform. And I believe we are zooming into get a better shot

Stéphane: On Prince Lenerd no less! The cutest model for the uniform. Travis: It has only increased his cute factor! Anyway, the uniform shares some pieces with its modern counterpart, such as the dark green jacket, the tartan pattern, which is known as the Black Watch, an older name for the King’s Highlanders. Their tartan has become the standard tartan for the Scots military due to its history. And Stéphane, I do believe I am hearing more cheers

@empiredesimparte @simsroyallegacy

[percervall]

Ms Mar, my favourite list-maker, would love to know your thoughts about a liverpool Secret Santa exchange, since all we got for a Christmas video on best present was kinda boring lol.

who would get who, and what would they gift each other? 🤭

Okay, after messaging @curiousthyme to brainstorm we quickly discovered that this was accidentally sent on anon. oopsies 🤭 So thank you Ives for this brilliant ask!

In true teacher fashion, I used a name picker wheel to link players and then went from there. Some of them were just too good, honestly this wheel is a Liverpool girly

Putting them all under a read more because it's a long list

Lexi → Virgil - a personalised maté set, similarly to the one he gifted Ibou (whom I have seem to forgotten to include in this 😭 my poor petit)

Virgil → Alisson - a gift card for a spa day (+ a "we're sorry for fucking up so much" card signed by all our defenders)

Alisson → Wataru - a gift card for a local Japanese restaurant, for Endo to enjoy with his partner on a double date with Ali and his wife

Wataru → Pep - a new set of whiteboard markers and magnets shaped like football kit for all his tactical planning sessions

Pep → Cody - (like I said, this wheel was just being so kind to us) Pep would give him a Christmas ornament shaped like a Bossche bol (shout out to the 2 Dutchies who follow me and know what this is) to remind him of home

Cody → Lucho - seeing as Luis' partner is about to give birth to their second child, a mobile to hang over the cot. Maybe even Liverpool themed with tiny felt jerseys 🥰

Lucho → Joe - Joey would get a picture frame key chain so he can take his family with him wherever he goes

Joe → Ryan - A Scouse dictionary and an FC24 game but with Ryan's face photoshopped onto every player on the cover 🤭

Ryan → Joël - New shower curtains with Virg's face all over them to push the bromance agenda, and a friends mug

Joël → Darwin - A DVD set for friends to help him with his English and a little pin that says "chaos demon"

Darwin → Mo - A t-shirt with Darwin's cutie lil face as he says "thank you for support" + that photo in a frame. You know the one, where Darwin became Mo's bodyguard/sleep paralysis demon

Mo → Kostas - Some weights and a DVD on how to get abs + a t-shirt with a photo of Mo's abs printed on it in the meantime

Kostas → Thiago - (I told you the wheel is a Liverpool girly) Maui and Fuerte in cuddly toy form for their the new baby + a donation to Thiago's charity

Thiago → Domi - a beard care set, like one of those high end ones, and the game werewolves (iykyk)

Domi → Trent - (y'all, we were YELLING) a chain necklace "because that's what the girls like" + Hungarian schnapps/pálinka + a temporary tattoo of the CL trophy because his mum said no to the real one 🤭

Trent → Andy - (SCREAM) a BFF necklace, a Dua Lipa album, and his fave biscuits

Andy → Klopp - Andy would give Klopp the Scotsman treatment: full kilt + a set of bagpipes (bonus: Kloppo promising to wear the full get up when they win the league)

Klopp → Diogo - An annotated copy of Cruyff's book about football because Jots wants to go into coaching after his playing career

Diogo → Lexi - a personalised gaming chair with a maté holder, and a personalised game controller

This was so much fun, thanks babe!!

[70s80sandbeyond]

The Kilted Coaches

[renee-writer]

Teachers Chapter 1

AO3

“May I…” All eyes lift at her unexpected accent. His especially, “I am, ah, new here,” a giggle, “obviously.” Her face gets bright red causing the brown curled that frame her face to stand out more. Those and her whisky colored eyes draw him in. Looking to her clasped hands, he sees no ring. “Bloody hell, I am not usually such a mess. Claire Beauchamp, the new history teacher.”

 

He raises. “Nice to meet you Claire.” Her own eyes grow big at his own accent, “Irish?”

 

She smiles and it transforms her from lovely to stunning. “Yes. Scottish?”

 

“Aye, Jamie Fraser,” A sweep of an imaginary kilt, “your servant ma’am.” She is charmed. “I teach advanced math.”

 

The others in the teacher’s lounge introduce themselves . She meets Mr. George Harold, who coaches the American football team and teaches gym.  Miss Faith Kelly, the guidance counselor, is a sweet lass, who stands barely five feet. She is introduced to an English teacher, a special education teacher, and a Drama teacher.

 

“They need to learn drama. Don’t they naturally know that?” she asks as she shakes Mrs. Daniel’s hand. The other lass laughs.

 

“Very good, Miss Beauchamp. We are doing Our Town for the school play. Do you know anything about set design?”

 

“I ah…” Thankfully, a ringing bell saves her from having to confess her lack of any artistic talent. It does signal the start of her first American class. Her heart gives a lurch.

 

Mr. Fraser sees. “Come, Miss Beauchamp. I will walk you. Us Brits must stick together.”

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Men in Kilts 2 - a preview of the coming season.

I can't wait to see the haka... in New Zealand, if SH and GMcT can't handle it, they're in the wrong sport 🏉

I wonder if MiK2 continues its immersive adventure travel experience, delving into the history of Scottish influence in New Zealand 🤔

Or if SH and GMcT travelled to the island country, for the extreme sports trip of a lifetime! Maybe New Zealand's adventure sports are too extreme to miss out 💁

@pukehina I agree with you, They’re learning part of the “Ka Mate” haka and SH emphasises a Pūkana. Imitating the pregame ritual of New Zealand’s national rugby union team, the All Blacks. I would like to see these tourists learn the haka in Rotorua, the tourist hotspot in New Zealand’s central North Island, Te Arawa – the local tribe and perhaps the best haka performers in the country – share their art and coach their visitors in certain haka.

It seems in this photo their coaches are not Māori. Could many will feeling 'extremely awkward' about how to respond to their Haka?

[goodluckmochi]

Changing into Robes

Why do the girls always leave the cabin to go to change into their robes? They all do it at the end of the trip. They ALL do it at the end of the trip. How fucking big are these bathrooms, that HALF OF THE STUDENT PASSENGERS can leave their cabins en masse, and all of them return to their cabins in time for the Hogwarts Express' arrival at the station?

When Hogwarts Express bathroom scenes come up, I picture them as something akin to airlines' coach class lavatories: about the size of a coat closet. But they cannot be that small, if the girls are all marching in to the train bathrooms to change into their robes.

Why aren't the girls changing in the cabins? Why aren't the mixed cabin groups just swapping places? What is it about witches that might require them to each get their own individual toilet stall to change in? Or are the girls' bathrooms like 2 toilets, and 50 little changing closets, made possible only through wizarding space?

Sometimes robes in the HP universe seem like fashionable trench coats: they go over your actual clothes. They go to school in Scotland, I assume it's not at all toasty warm up there, so an over-layer would make perfect sense year round. If you live in the south, you just have thinner robes.

I know some fans like to imagine that nothing is worn under the robes - like a traditional kilt (?) I guess. I can wrap my head around that concept, except none of the Muggle raised students bring it up. And they would. The boys would complain about wearing dresses, you cannot convince me other wise, and yet this is never brought up. And then some one would have to point out that traditionally, even pants don't go under there, and then they'd be freaked out about all of their male professors. There's also the cost concern, because I cannot imagine that robes with self regulating comfort magic come cheap - which means the wealthy will feel and look fine whatever the weather, while literally everyone else is going to be in much, much thicker material or using a ton of warming charms. It's going to be expensive to stay comfortable, or you're going to expend a lot of magic at a very young age (magically speaking) to stay warm enough, I imagine.

Pansy can't roll her uniform skirt higher if she's wearing a mumu type of robe, though she can probably unbutton the collar enough to flaunt her cleavage. Ditto Lavender and whoever else.

If it's traditional not to wear trousers, wearing a Quidditch uniform must be most uncomfortable to kids new to the sport before Hogwarts. I feel like the broom riding class would require specialty wear, because side-saddle seems even less safe than astride, but ... IT NEVER COMES UP. Kids new to riding brooms, other than Muggleborns or Halves raised Muggle style, should all be super uncomfortable in broom riding equipment. Also Witches SHOULD NOT BE RIDING BROOMS IN SKIRTS, regardless of which style the robes would be. Imagine the accident that leads to skin ripped away there. It cannot be rare, the magical world is full of easily remedied accidents - they're easily remedied, so why be smarter about anything?

So, here we are. A couple hundred young Witches are all racing to the Hogwarts Express bathrooms to pull trench coat robes on over their casual clothes, OR Muggleborn Wizards see no problem wearing dresses to their new, weirdo school up in the cold north.

(also, this is the universe JKR wrote - you think she's putting Wizards in dresses? I will accept that fandom is shifting it just to spit in her eye on the matter, but that's about the closest I can make any sense of it)

... why yes, I did just read another scene where the Witches all left the train cabin to change at the end of the trip, how did you guess?

[alpha-tough]

The kilted coaches

[quoteablebooks]

Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary,

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Content Warning: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Abandonment, Bullying, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Homophobia

Summary: A pretend relationship gives two friends more than they bargained for in a Renaissance Faire rom-com filled with flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights. Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart.

On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell. Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire—a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship. As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again...and it doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans—and open her heart—for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

*Opinions*

I was excited to return to Willow Creek Maryland and the lovable group of characters that make up the companion series Jen DeLuca has created. April and Mitch had some pretty good banter when they interacted in the other two novels and I was interested to see how their relationship would pan out. Unfortunately, this novel did not capture the magic of the first novel or even the warm fuzzy feelings I got from the second novel even though I saw the third act break up coming. I still love Willow Creek and the Ren Faire that we are taken to, but being in April’s head was slightly insufferable.

Well-Matched follows April Parker who is at a crossroads in her life, along with her daughter Caitlin, who is getting ready to graduate and head off to college. April moved to the small town of Willow Creek because it made sense to raise her daughter in a smaller community than the large cities that she had preferred before she was a single mother. Now, all April wants to do is get her house ready to put up for sale and start on all the plans she put on hold to raise Cait. However, Cait is not happy about the move and April needs help getting all the work done on the house that the realtor told her she needed to do to put it on the market. Enter Mitch Malone, the local gym teacher and all-around confidence personified, who is willing to help April for a price. She needs to pretend to be his girlfriend for a family reunion. April is not really a people person and she has reservations about posing as Mitch’s girlfriend due to being older than him, but she goes along with it to help him out. When a dinner turns into a weekend, April realizes that maybe getting out of her shell isn’t the worst thing, especially if it means more time with Mitch. However, April is set on leaving Willow Creek, which means not putting down roots, or getting emotionally entangled with Mitch when they are only pretending. However, when small-town gossip starts and the pretending starts to feel too real, April is torn privacy and wants to leave and lean into her feelings for Mitch that don’t feel so pretend anymore.

There isn’t much of a plot to this novel and while usually I am okay with character-driven novels, I did not like being in April’s head all that much. The plot of this novel is scenarios in which April and Mitch have to be in a fake relationship, April pining for Mitch, and family drama. I am not saying this like it’s a bad thing, this is supposed to be a light-hearted romance novel. However, when April is so willfully obtuse, about halfway through the novel I stopped being charmed and started being annoyed. Luckily, they spent time in my favorite areas of Willow Creek, such as Read It & Weep and the Faire itself. It also had cameos from the couples that I liked from the first two novels, which helped. However, if you need a plot in your romance, you might be annoyed.

April…I understand why she is so private and so reluctant to open up to Mitch in the beginning, but as the story progresses it turns from understandable to annoying. April has been on her own for the eighteen years that Caitlin has been alive and after her husband left her, it is understandable that she isn’t going to open up right away to another romance. However, Mitch never gives her any reason to believe that he is not serious in his affections. Now, I get that he is considered a playboy, but as soon as the names in his phone were cleared up, which was pretty easy to figure out if you asked me, when April continued to deny that there was any way he could be interested in her was just frustrating. Then, when he actually did make a declaration, she was made that he wanted her to be clear about her intentions and broke up with him. They had been dancing around each other for MONTHS at this point and it just made me want to scream. Also, she was so worried that everyone was going to judge her for being so much older than him when everyone who found out or heard the gossip was nothing but complimentary. What April was thinking and what we were reading on the page did not line up and her wallowing did not make her seem like an independent woman tearing down her walls. It was someone who could not read the simplest social cue and was too self-centered to think of anyone but herself.

I like Mitch a lot, but he really didn’t have a lot of personality in this novel, which is weird given that it was ‘his’ book. I came in with a lot of love for him from the previous two novels, but in this book, he was kind of an object that April lusted after rather than a real character. True, we see that he is less confident around his family because they think he is ‘only a gym teacher’ but other than the sex scenes it is a lot of April thinking of Mitch while he isn’t there or while he is fixing something in the home. It was disappointing because they had just great tension and banter in the other novels. While Mitch is nothing but a good guy in this book, and truly deserves better, I didn’t get any real personality from him than a good-natured guy.

I still love Willow Creek and will go on to the fourth installment, but this one really did not hit me. A 2.5 rounded up to a 3 because while I did not like being in April’s head, the rest of the supporting characters and setting kept the story going for me. The sex scenes were also well-written.

[bosguy]

Men in kilts

I've been long overdue for posting a photo of the #KiltedCoaches. These guys have some great workout videos you should check out if you're looking for some #gymspiration.

Previous Men in Kilts Posts

[anitabyars]

The #1 Amazon bestseller Blindsided is F*R*E*E for the first time ever!

What happens when an almost thirty-year-old virgin agrees to let her Scottish footballer best friend give her some lessons in seduction?

Lots of banter, awkwardness, jealousy, and heat.

Midfielder Maclay “Mac” Logan is a loud-mouthed, tattooed ginger content with focusing on football. But when an adorable, freckled seamstress comes barreling into his life, he finds Netflix-And-Bickering with her to be his new favorite pastime.

Freya Cook is used to being the invisible woman with a needle and thread, offering cheeky punchlines as she helps dress London’s finest. She’s plus-sized in body and spirit, and other than her friendship with Mac, talking to the opposite sex is one skill she never mastered.

However, after one innocent game of Never Have I Ever, Mac offers to play Love Coach for Freya. What neither of them see coming are the feelings that develop when the clothes come off.

Now they’re both about to learn the biggest lesson of all: Don't fall in love with your best friend.

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Check out the discounted audio add on narrated in brilliant duet narration: https://bit.ly/BlindsidedAudio

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[bensbooks]

Underrated 2018: Mercy Rule

Danny's parents yanked him from the art school that let him wear a kilt and listen to bands that no one's heard of. Now he's starting sophomore year at the public high school--the one with the gymnasium at the heart of the building and the glorified athletes who rule it all. The smart thing would be to blend in, but Danny has always been about making statements. Brady just wants to get out. Go to college, play football, maybe reach the NFL. He definitely wants to stop waiting for his deadbeat mother to come home, sleeping on park benches, and going to bed hungry. But first he has to lead the team to the championships. It all adds up to a lot of stress. So who can really blame him when he and the football team turn their aggressions on the new freak? Even the quarterback needs to blow off steam sometimes. Coach turns a blind eye to his players' crimes--because this year, they're going to States. But maybe if Coach had paid more attention they could've caught it before it all happened. Maybe it could've been avoided. Maybe.

[bike42]

Thursday September 21, 2023

Yesterday after lunch, our leaders told us about the forecast for last night and today - rain and heavy wind. They gave us two options: skip the wet/windy hike and do a castle tour on the drive back to Inverness, or do a hike anyway. Jeff and I initially were the only ones to opt for the hike, but eventually all of the Wisconsin gang were in for the hike. After being out in the storm last night, our position weakened. I hate to change my plans because of the weather, but after 4 days of hiking in the rain already, we caved in (I was secretly hoping the leaders would have cancelled the hike for us so it wasn’t me wimping out).

We went down to breakfast and found the “Wisconsin Four” there, they’d already communicated to Jenn that they wanted to join “Team Castle” and I had the feeling that Jenn and Keith were glad when we opted out of the hike too.

Into the vans, we drove south - about an hour to castle Eilean Donan. I sat in the middle of the first seat and enjoyed the view of the drive, through little charming villages on Skye and then over the bridge (scary high on my scale, I hadn’t noticed on our drive over as the windows were so fogged)!

Back on the mainland, we soon arrived at the castle - and the scene was a little maddening to me with coaches and large crowds of tourists, I’d much rather be hiking through the highlands away from the crowds!

History on Eilean Donan Castle:

It’s an iconic image, situated on an island at a point where three sea lochs (Long, Duich and Alsh) meet. It was first inhabited in the 6th century, and the first fortified castle was built in the mid 13th century. Since then, at least 4 reiterations have been built and rebuilt as the feudal history of Scotland unfolded over the centuries. It was mostly destroyed in a Jacobite uprising in 1719, when the British gained access and used the stored gunpowder to blow it up. The castle laid in ruins until Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap bought it in 1911 and restored it. The castle reopened in 1932, and is still in the MacRae family.

In the early 13th century, the castle was a defensive position during the time of feuding clan chiefs and Viking invasions. In this “Sea Kingdom,” the sea was the main highway and the power of the chief was determined by the number of men and ships (birlinns) at their disposal.

Over the centuries, the castle expanded and contracted in size. The medieval castle was probably the largest, encompassing most of the island. At the end of the 14th century, the castle was reduced to about a fifth of the size, probably to make it easier to defend. By the 16th century, hornwork was added to the east wall to offer a firing platform for newly introduced cannons.

We did the audio tour of the castle. While it was interesting, it was hampered by the crowds! Inside the castle, there were fantastic paintings and memorabilia - guns, swords, kilts, old correspondence, dishes and other household items. There was also a lock of hair from Bonnie Prince Charlie!

We had some time in the gift shop (of course) and we bought a small silver flask with a Hairy Cow etched on it … just in case we want to keep up the tradition of having whisky while we’re hiking!

Back in the vans, we traveled to the “Dundreggan Rewilding Center,” which was a new term to me. Rewilding is a progressive approach to conservation. It’s about letting nature take care of itself, enabling natural processes to shape land, repair damaged ecosystems and restore degraded landscapes. Through Rewilding, wildlife’s natural rhythms create wilder, more bio diverse habitats. We had a fantastic lunch there, then Jenn led us on a walk on one of their trails. Once again, she impressed us with her knowledge of plants and tress, and how we interface (and interfere) with nature!

The center is built in a beautiful 10,000 acre Highland glen, started with a project called “Trees For Life.” While the project is not without controversy, climate changes are helping the initiative gain momentum. The thought is that once the forests are restored, birds and animals will also return.

From the center, it was about an hour back to Inverness and our 10th hotel of this trip - The Ness Walk hotel. We had a couple hours of down time and met at 6:30pm for a final wine reception. We did a round robin of trip highlights - most said yesterday’s magical hike on the Quiraing, our awesome leaders, the Torridon hotel, and the people on this group! It is a rarity to not have ONE person that was even slightly annoying, and some deep connections have been forged - very different for a group, and certainly different than the lack of connective felt with most of our M&M tour! I think it’s mainly that like minded people sign up for a trip like this where you expect to be hiking in the rain?!

Our reception was followed by another great, but slow, meal. Jeff and I had one more Talisker 10 year Scotch, already missing Skye. Nearly 11pm when we crawled into bed.

[kiltparty-a]

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ 𝑲𝒊𝒍𝒕𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 !

( more appropriately titled, a list of interactions that could work for our muses in case you can't think of anything )

𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠 —

The Spider-Man meme where someone from Hawkins High looks across the gay club and sees Scottie behind the bar, they have a brief moment of 'oh shit' before spending a while hashing out that the other person is cool enough and they hang out once Scott finishes his shift. Someone from the Post or the Weakly Streak comes to talk anonymously to someone from the infamously gay club just outside of Hawkins and gets sent Scott, who — when he's at work — goes by Marc to keep his identity a little quieter. A plot where the Hideout and the gay bar are either right next door or the same place and so whenever anyone goes to see live music that isn't just pop, they end up seeing Scott working serving drinks. Side job for Scott in the summer where he helps coach the middle school hockey team and ends up interacting with the party. More party plots! The only time we see Scott in canon is at Tina's Halloween Party. Scott who turns up and breaks up fights and mixes fucked up drinks and wears the kilt his dad passed down to him and nothing else if he's trying to impress someone. Friends with benefits plots, coked-out plots, letting anyone with a tattoo gun ink him up when he's in his self-destructive era.

𝐻𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑦 —

Interactions with other hockey players or withing your muse's hockey verse ( rivals, friends, teammates, secret partners ). Scott brings your muse onto the ice after hours, takes them to parties, helps them meet their favourite players.

Your muse interviews Scott and his teammates for a newspaper/video/feature and they hit it off.

Assistant coach at a summer camp for selected kids and your muse being a kid who he helps, a parent/sibling/guardian who he meets, or is also a coach and coordinator for the camp.

𝑀𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑦 —

Scott meets Dionysius and tells the God about his sister and how often he leaves offerings for him in the hopes that it means Cameryn is safe and happy in the underworld. Your muse and Scott in a bitter rivalry because Scott keeps accidentally making his team win at capture the flag when people forget to make him a referee instead. An AU where Scott is the deciding factor, almost in the place of Pandora's box in the fifth book, and helps sway his Godly parent to the side that makes the most sense to him — him meeting your muse before either of them realise that this is the case. Powerful but dark Scott who goes crazy with the loss of Cameryn and sets out on a mission to bring down the Gods for not protecting her when she was so good.

𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑙 —

Give Scott the opportunity to befriend your muse — he has golden retriever energy and truly feels bad for accidentally making people tell him their secrets all the time so woos them with NHL tickets and baked goods. Vigilante Scott getting in trouble and needing help because you can't use the power of truth to get out of a chokehold.

𝑆𝑢𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑙 —

Werewolf Scott being trapped by a hunter and begging for his life Scott who's gay bar slowly also turns into a safespace for the truly good creatures like him. All alone in Indiana, Scott being super excited to meet other werewolves or vampires or any other creature like him.

[donnavanriet-tomorrowmind]

Tijdens deze geleide meditatie heel je je innerlijk kind en bevrijd je jezelf van oud zeer. Iedereen was ooit kind. Alle indrukken van dat kind vormen het innerlijk kind dat zich in je onderbewustzijn blijft manifesteren. Vooral het diep gekwetste innerlijk kind laat zich vaak zien, want dat probeert nog steeds te krijgen wat het niet kreeg en te vermijden wat pijn deed. Je innerlijk kind is dat deel in jou dat - hoewel je volwassen bent - heel emotioneel, kwetsbaar, angstig en afhankelijk blijft. Op die manier reageer je in feite nog steeds vanuit het gemis en de pijn van toen. Je emotionele gezondheid hangt nauw samen met je innerlijk kind. Hoe je je kindertijd ook hebt beleefd, je ware emoties vinden daar zijn oorsprong. Als je kindertijd werd getekend door emotionele kilte, eenzaamheid en angst, dan kan je je onmogelijk geborgen en veilig voelen. Het leven zelf doet dan pijn. Zo ervaar een baby dat. Omdat het brein van een baby nog geen verschil kent tussen het zelf en de omgeving. Het betrekt dus alles op zichzelf. Op die manier is een baby compleet overgeleverd aan zijn verzorger(s). Wanneer deze verzorger(s) niet voldoen aan jouw noden, veroorzaakt dat blijvend verdriet, onzekerheid, schaamte en eenzaamheid. Het beïnvloedt de belangrijkste relatie in je leven: die met jezelf. Want de relatie met jezelf is nooit op een gezonde manier tot stand gekomen. Deze meditatie stimuleert een liefdevolle, beschermende relatie met jezelf. Tijdens deze ontspannen innerlijk reis leer jij je innerlijk kind begrijpen, diens emoties erkennen en mee-voelen. Hierdoor zal je bewuster en krachtiger gaan leven. Tip: gun je innerlijk kind datgene wat het allemaal heeft moeten missen. Vervul zijn/haar dromen alsnog. Beantwoord volgende zin: Als ik "ja" zou zeggen tegen mijn dromen/wensen, wat zou ik dan doen? Noem er een paar op en maak er minstens één van waar. Wanneer jij kiest voor deze meditatie, is de kans groot dat jouw innerlijk kind erg gekwetst is. Ik wil dat je weet dat het ontzettend moedig van je is om dit aan te pakken. Voel je dat het je leven overheerst? Aarzel dan niet om professionele hulp te zoeken. Een goede coach kan heel wat verlichting bieden. Investeren is jezelf is altijd een goede keuze! Veel succes. Meer zoals dit? Op het YouTube kanaal van Tomorrow Mind vind je meer dan 50 gratis video's terug!

[ani4detal]

Stephen and Rab. The kilted coaches. They have a great youtube channel. Full of mindfulness and inspiration. Helps that they look like this!d