What do you get when you cross a Kilt with skinny dipping in Loch Ness with a dislocated shoulder?

Our recent trip to Scotland of course!

Well as you can tell from the title of this post we certainly had ourselves a pretty wild time. But as always on these blog things most of you just like to look at the photos so I won’t bore you with details.

Soon after new year's Joanna, her brother Roy, and myself all headed off to Scotland for 6 days during which time we headed off on a 3 day tour up through the Scottish highlands and the Isle of Skye. We did all the usual stuff that goes on in Edinburgh like drinking and checking out museums and climbing big hills, but we also got to go and checkout a few other places around Scotland that we didn’t get a chance to see last time. Inverness, Loch Ness, Fort William, Isle of Skye, Glencoe, Hairy Coo’s, ruined castles and fairy glens plus heaps of other places!

But there is one or two other exciting things that I need to tell you all about...

When we arrived at Loch Ness we were all encouraged to go and have a dip in the balmy waters (approximately 4 degrees Celsius). As we were getting off the bus Roy turns to me and offers the appropriate challenge… “I’ll do it if you do it!” Well what else could I say? So it was on. As we both went to get our swimmers from our packs I was struck by a sudden memory

*Fade to dream-like flashback sequence*

… “Board shorts? Nah I’m not going to need to take them… It’ll just be extra weight”…

*Fade back from dream-like flashback sequence*

Well now I was in a ‘dilly-of-a-pickle’ (not sure if that is a Scottish saying) I didn’t have any swimmers but I did have several minutes of mental preparation and pep-talking to get me in the Loch, what was I to do? Well I did what any crazy person would do when surrounded by 14 strangers in a foreign country and with a blog audience back home to satisfy… I stripped down to my birthday suit, wrapped a towel around my shame and waded out into the very rocky and uncomfortably cold waters. After having trouble standing up, due to toe numbing temperatures, and a brief moment where I almost chickened out, I hung that towel on an overhanging tree branch and dived in!!! Liberating! I apologise in advance for the photographs of my naked arse!

The other story I have to tell is equally embarrassing but far more painful. It involves me climbing up a steep hill on the Isle of Skye to get a good look at a rock formation known as ‘the old man of Storr’. The rock formation is likened in myth and legend to a giant penis that belonged to a really big guy who fell on his back after being turned to stone by God for dancing on a Sunday…don’t ask. Despite the number of jokes I could make about this it was I who really cocked up, pardon the pun, when upon descent of the hill I slipped through some grass and mud and fell on my arse and my elbow. At the bottom of the hill I sat on said arse and tried to evaluate the damage, after being unable to bring my arm around in front of me but not really experiencing a great deal of pain (that I would assume comes with a broken arm) I asked quite coherently “does anybody know how to put a shoulder back in?” Then a red-headed Angel appeared not two metres in front of me and said “I can". This Angel's name was Shauna, she is a physiotherapist from Perth (in Australia not Scotland) and after a quick investigation found that I had indeed dislocated my shoulder and set about putting it back in. After a couple of popping noises everything was good as new (except for the pain of course and my wanting to throw up!). I would just like to issue a public “OMG thank you so much for relocating my shoulder Shauna! You are like the most amazing person in the world!” and I say that with full sincerity because without Shauna I would have had to walk 20mins back to the bus then another 20-30 minutes to the hospital where they would probably have to give me heaps of drugs in order to put the thing back in due to all the subsequent swelling and pain! I was really lucky and don't I know it!

“Kids don’t try this at home!”

Jeremy going for a dip in Loch Ness...

...and the rush to get out of the freezing water before permanent shrinkage takes place.

Eilean Donan Castle, aka the castle from Highlander

The river Sligachan

Jeremy dips his face in the river Sligachan meant to beautify whatever part of the person that is dipped in... we'll see if it works! so far no results...

The hill that Jeremy took a little tumble down...

The Faerie Casltle in Faerie Glen

Hamish the Hairy Coo

Jeremy thought he looked retarded in this photo, so he wanted a disclaimer put in that this photo was taken the day after he dislocated his shoulder and subsequently his arm was in a sling.

And finally Jeremy in his new kilt.. we thought we would spare you the photos that prove he was wearing it the traditional way :)