Heart's land

I think I have landed in the most beautiful place on earth (as Nick says, it is just down the road from Paradise).
I am in Aberdeenshire, staying with Peter's parents (Nick and Mandy). I visited the Glenfidich distillery today and got the grand tour (including the tasting of the whisky). It was amazing how many of the stages of the process (and there are many) smell exactly like miso!! Afterwards I took a lovely walk up Millstone hill and down again, which is behind the house. Amazing views (I could even see the skyscrapers in Aberdeen). I ate wild blueberries all along the way (which totally makes up for missing the blueberry season back home completely). We collected mushrooms the during our walk as well. I saw a red squirrel (they are very red and very small) and a vole decided to race us home for a short while on the path (but then decided that it was too much effort and dropped out of the race).
The entire area behind the house is forest, which is very magical. I plan to spend more time in the forest tomorrow (my last day in Scotland). It feels very peaceful and relaxing here, a fabulous end to my trip. I will be back here soon...