Saturday 17th August was the big day when Nairn held it’s annual Highland Games for the 147th time! At the risk of sounding like a made-for-tv movie, I couldn’t help feeling proud to be Scottish!

This is one of those posts where it’s better shown in photographs rather than in words but there are a couple of things I’d like to point out:

1. Spot the cloud cover and distinct lack of sunshine – it got pretty chilly by the end of the main events (around 5pm), much colder than I remember it being before
2. Take note of the age range – newborn upwards – this event is for everyone
3. I didn’t photograph it but Dearest Son did notice that a lot of the young ‘ladies’ were dressed in such a manner we expected to see them later in the day on various corners of the town charging by the hour
4. Everyone loves this day – it feels like the whole town comes out and has a big party. I say this even though Dearest Son and I went together and didn’t see anyone we knew while there! I recognised faces of course, but nobody who I knew well enough to chat to. That’s the norm for us here and we are well used to it now. It used to bother me, not anymore because I had such good company with me
5. I don’t go on the big rides at the fairground/shows, or ‘showies’ as they are called here, but I was talked into going on the big wheel which I found scary enough
6. I love a good tombola and managed to win a few prizes! I got a new water bottle, a measuring jug for the kitchen, a daiquiri sherbet thing which apparently goes in the freezer first (never had one so know nothing about them) and a bottle of white wine!

There was a lot of noise: music, crowds cheering people on, screaming on the rides, whistles – it was quite an assault on the ears so we decided to walk along the quieter path for a little while for a break.

I applaud the runners, the dancers, the pipe bands which came together, the ‘heavies’ who throw all manner of, well, heavy things. In fact, all the athletes, the people who put this together every year and the many volunteers who spend the day raising funds to keep this even FREE for all to attend, they keep the place tidy and do everything behind the scenes which is probably taken for granted.

We loved it and look forward to this on our calendar every year.