Settling In ... and Heading Out
July 26, 2026
Settling In… and Heading Out
I’m not waiting for my settling‑in period to be done before I go have some fun.
This week I headed a bit north (I think!) to visit Balmoral Castle. The makeup of our tour group was surprisingly international: three ladies from Scotland, and one each from Australia, Ukraine, Poland, Sweden — plus me from the USA. Eight people, six nations. It felt like a tiny United Nations wandering around Royal Deeside.
While exploring Balmoral and the lovely village of Ballater, I had several good conversations with the woman from Sweden. She works with Swedish farmers, helping them navigate the ever‑changing EU paperwork. She laughed about how the rules shift constantly. I suppose governments are the same everywhere.
We had lunch together in Ballater. She chose a traditional sandwich, while I tried Coronation Chicken — a chicken salad flavored with curry. It was delicious. If you ever get the chance to try it, do. India has had a strong influence on cuisine in the UK and Ireland; nearly every restaurant offers some kind of curry, and the grocery stores are filled with Indian foods.
I also stopped at a tearoom on the Balmoral grounds. They were serving Victoria Sponge, a dessert I’ve heard about for years on British TV shows but had never tasted. It’s a sponge cake split in two with cream and jam between the layers. The cream and jam were lovely, but the sponge itself was dry. I’m afraid I was unimpressed with Victoria Sponge.
The visit to Balmoral was somewhat limited. We could walk around the outside and enjoy the gardens, but inside we were only allowed to see the ballroom. It’s a beautiful room, with a display of photographs of the late Queen Elizabeth II. They also had the robes worn for the Order of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest order of chivalry — robes King Charles wore just a few weeks ago. The gardens were
gorgeous. The estate covers 50,000 acres; I can’t imagine owning that much land, especially land so beautiful.
Back in Aberdeen, I’m beginning to learn the bus system. I bought some tickets and boarded a bus near (well, sort of near) my apartment. I rode downtown and found a place to get my nails done. Then I had to figure out which bus would take me back toward my apartment. I stayed on the bus for most of its route, and it passed my Tesco. I even found a stop closer to home. On Saturday, I took the bus to Tesco for groceries and back again. It’s not ideal — there’s still a 15‑ to 20‑minute walk at the end of the route — and heavy items are not easily managed. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to order groceries from Tesco.
Tesco also helped me find a church. Last year in Ireland, I discovered my church there while walking to Tesco. This week, while entering Tesco here, I noticed a road sign pointing toward Sheddocksley Baptist Church. I wandered around until I found it. I can take a shortcut through Tesco and its car park.
Today I went to the church, which is affectionately called “the Shedd.” It was very friendly, and the service was good. Unfortunately, they are without a pastor at the moment. They do have a women’s Bible study, but it’s on hiatus until September. The women’s Bible study at the church in Ireland was so special; I’m hoping the same will be true here, but I’ll have to wait at least five weeks to find out. I did enjoy today and plan to go back next week.
Getting to church is a bit of a trek: a 15‑minute walk to the bus stop, a 10‑minute bus ride, and a 10‑minute walk through the Tesco property to the church. My main concern is that buses only run every 30 minutes on Sundays. I can’t afford to miss one — especially the one going to church.
Several of my recent concerns are finally getting sorted. In my quest to get a UK phone number — which requires a UK bank account — I now have a UK bank debit card attached to an account with no money in it. I’ve arranged to wire funds, so soon I should be able to use the card. Then I can get an eSIM for my phone. Just waiting for the wire to clear.
My bank is called Monzo, an online UK bank. It sounds like it’s run by Muppets. My debit card is electric orange; I won’t be leaving it lying around. I don’t think their marketing is aimed at someone like me.
My suitcase has finally arrived home. In true Send My Bag and DHL fashion, it was delivered to the wrong address — the independent living apartment I used to live in. My son Chris picked it up for me. I have no idea where they got that address. They picked the bag up at Chris’s house, and almost every email I sent instructed them to return it to Chris’s house.
Now begins the effort to get some of my money back. Send My Bag and DHL did not fulfill their agreement to deliver my suitcase to the hotel in Budapest, and then they delivered it to the wrong address in Dallas. Any hints on how to get my money back would be appreciated.
I suppose one way to sum up life is this: there is always something you must take care of.
Aberdeen weather: Rainy
High 60 F (16 C), Low 47 F (8 C)
Sunrise: 4:54 Sunset: 9:33 (21:33)
Hours of Daylight: 16 hours and 39 minutes
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