Caffeinated again!

I got back from working in Inverness, where I've been from Tuesday this week, and it's now well on it's way to midnight and I'm wide awake.

It wasn't an easy time, which started when I left home just after 9 am on Tuesday and arrived in Inverness well over 4 hours later feeling very stressed. My journey didn't start well with encountering a couple of combine harvesters on the A68 on a non-overtaking part and that was followed by a 2 mile tailback on the A9 after Perth during which a fire-engine needed to get somewhere to add to the confusion. Almost 4.5 hours later I arrived in Inverness for a belated birthday lunch with a friend and desperate for a pee. We went to Rocpool, an old haunt of ours (not that there's a huge choice in Inverness - I'm obviously becoming too used to what Edinburgh has to offer), and thank goodness it lived up to our expectations.

I had an hour or two to do some work before I went off to where I was staying. I was in Inverness to run the last 2 days of a 4 day course (the first 2 were a couple of weeks ago), but this time the venue wasn't where we usually run it in the Centre for Health Sciences at Raigmore Hospital, but at the offices of Scottish National Heritage Headquarters.

What was fascinating for me was that I actually used to work in what had been the old nurses home which was knocked down to create this building, so it was quite a poignant experience and brought back many memories, some good and some not so good. But also the person I and my then husband (yes, I've been and done it more than once) bought our house from, that I lived in for 23 years, and I remained friendly with (that's the person we bought the house off not the husband - though he and I still get on ok) but haven't seen since I moved south, works there. It was a lovely opportunity to reconnect.

The course went ok I think, but had it's difficulties and frankly I was pleased when it was over. I decided on a cup of coffee before I left to help me on my journey home, which was a lot easier than my journey up and I made it home in 3 hours 20 mins. And so now I sit writing this as it almost becomes September 6th wide awake and wondering if I'll get to sleep tonight.

And what am I doing with this 'spare' time I have? I'm too caffeine wired to write (though I have 2 writing assignments for a course I've signed up for that need doing), too wired to read (though have a pile sitting waiting), so what I've opted for are the cookery programmes that Mountain Man has taped for me. All I can say is hooray for Great British Bake Off and Celebrity Masterchef.

Mountain Man is away doing mountain things for 4 days. I think he's probably very glad he's not here!