Where has all the tartan gone?

I arrived safely in Aberdeen to warm (for Scotland) weather and a very warm welcome from Chris and Sally and family. When I say the weather has been warm I should make it clear that I have still been wearing several layers including a scarf and hat but the people here have been in t-shirts and even shorts. I decided not to bring a coat as this should be the only cold part of my holiday and apart from one day I think this was the right decision.

It has been lovely catching up with dear friends and enjoying the beautiful Scottish scenery. Everywhere you go there is an abundance of daffodils which is a wonderful contrast with all the stone. I am not sure how long the daffodils will last so the timing of my visit has been perfect. On one of the warmer days we made the trip to Balmoral Castle. It feels strange to visit a place that is so obviously part of the royal family's life. The castle and gardens were very pleasant and the exhibition inside was interesting so it was worth the visit. As a result of the trip I have decided that I would quite like to be a member of the royal family. I realise that this is not the easiest thing to achieve but I am happy to include it on my 'To Do' list.

I did a little more exploring of Aberdeen itself today and I enjoyed simply walking around and getting a feel for the city. The side streets were the nicest and and thanks to a GPS I could be relaxed about getting lost (I usually get lost when I wander around a new city even if I have a map on hand) and enjoy the adventure. One of the things I have noticed about Aberdeen is that I haven't seen much tartan. When I visited Edinburgh a number of years ago I felt that tartan was everywhere. I have to say that this was a little disappointing but how can I be too disappointed in a place where I can hear the scottish accent everywhere I go?

It is my last night in Aberdeen as I head down to Oxford tomorrow. I will hopefully have some photos in a day or two so you can see some of the sights that I am seeing!