It's raining outside and I can't go out to play...

At the beginning of summer, the Met Office declared that it would be a wonderful summer, warm and dry. Except, August didn't really live up to that. August was rain. And chilly temps. Almost every day. And so the Met Office went and took back their statement, changing it to one stating that this will be one of the wettest and unseasonably coolest summers in recent history.

It has rained. Every day. While there have been a few breaks here and there (Wednesday, it was dry in the morning, before raining all afternoon), it has essentially rained every day for a month. Not drizzle, not even anything light. But rain. Serious downpour, sometimes sideways, gets you soaked, fills your shoes with water RAIN.

I like rainy days usually. They're cozy and perfect for snuggling up with a good book and a cup of tea. But not every day. Even for here in Glasgow, it's gotten excessive. Even the Scots are complaining about how wet it's been, and the Scots never complain about their weather, because for them, it's normal. But lately, they've been moaning and groaning about it. That's how bad it's been.

One day without rain. It's all I'm asking.

You take the high road and I'll take the low road...

Tomorrow is the day where I see if Virgin came through on their "seven days" promise, and see if there is indeed broadband at the new apartment. If not, I might have to break up with them.

Gabriella comes on Monday for six whole weeks of sisterly bonding! I am very, very excited. While it won't be the Restaurant Extravaganza that it was during her visit in March, it's still going to be a good time.

I'm really hoping that we can do a serious hike while she's here, before the weather turns. The two biggies in Scotland are the West Highland Way, which goes from Milngavie (just outside of Glasgow) up 95 miles to Fort William (in the Highlands). It generally takes a week to walk (depending on how fast you walk and how frequently you stop at pubs), and is supposed to be amazing. And then there's the Great Glen Way, which is slightly shorter (at 73 miles), and goes from Fort William up to Inverness, along Lochs Linnhe, Oich, and Ness.

Both would be amazing, and it's the perfect time of year for it too. Tourist season is done, the kids are back in school, but the weather hasn't quite turned (though this would imply that the weather ever properly moved into summer). The midges will be bad, but we'll deal. I'm feel quite remorseful that in my year in Scotland, I haven't really done much traveling in Scotland. I've done Paris (four times!), Belgium, London, Yorkshire, Spain... but not so much the country where I live, save for random days in Edinburgh, which doesn't really count. So getting to hike almost 100 miles of Scottish countryside would be awesome. And quell some of my guilt.

...though knowing us, we'd hike for five miles, find a pub, and that would be the end of our adventure. We'd be back in Glasgow the same evening.