This week in the Mills (no one actually calls it that), I finally started getting into a daily routine. I start my morning with coffee, Bible study, and prayer. This transitions into a time of music and cooking breakfast of shipwrecked eggs (bread with a whole cut in the middle for an egg to be fried in). Once I finish gobbling up breakfast, I chill for a little to allow my stomach to settle before going on my morning 1-3 mile walk. Upon returning I have lunch marking the start of unscheduled time. This can consist of reading, writing, work, grocery shopping, contemplating life decisions, or a mix of the above. By 4pm I start work and make dinner in between tasks. I finish out my day with an evening walk followed by a shower, stretching, & tea while reading in bed.
Though a large majority of my week followed that schedule, there were some notable events throughout the week. Tuesday included tea & coffee at Reggaelicious, which is owned by members of the church I am attending & they host this weekly get together as a connection point for church members along with outreach to the community. Wednesday had my first real spotting of highlands cows along with doing some film photography throughout the nearby walking trails. Thursday I found a little guy on the ground while walking (picture below), who after getting a couple name suggestions has been named Felix.
Friday was a full day trip to Ayr, pronounced close to air. I’m not sure what I was expecting, considering I’m rather neutral to beaches and coastal towns, but it was not my cup of tea. Its primary attractions were the beach & shopping; if I had gone with people who enjoy those kinds of things, I may have enjoyed it more. I did still enjoy the trip and glad I went since I got to walk to a cool crumbling tower of some kind & got to go bowling. The ride to and from Ayr was also very nice, including lots of fields, an airport, & a miniature horse farm.
My Saturday was a good old hiking day. I left the house around 8 AM & headed to the tallest hill in the area, Loudoun Hill. The top of the hill sits at a little more than 1 thousand feet above sea level, and is a volcanic plug so its cliff faces make it stand out amongst the hills in the area. Though the hike up the hill is merely 1.5 miles, the bus does not go there so I made an additional 5.5 miles there and another 5.5 miles back. Within these additional miles, I got a closer look at the highlands cows (that I now visit daily), walked in farm land, saw sheep, and got ran at by a herd of cows (cows shown below). There was also an honesty box at the base of the hill where you could grab baked goods & drinks in exchange for money you leave in a locked money box.
Today (Sunday) was quite similar to my first Sunday here. I went to church in Killmarnock with the Hills (the couple I met at church) then was invited over for tea & dinner. Part of this was a walk where I learned about different trails throughout the area. This included taking stares, that I had missed on my 3 walks on that trail before, to view the old bridge that the current bridge was built on top of. I finished out my day by going to the evening service at a church in Newmilns where I met many people I had not gotten to the previous time.
