It’s never a happy day, leaving Staffin for the seven hour journey down the road. We always leave with a heavy heart. Me, to lose the silence and Scamp to lose the space. Today was nearly worse. I nearly lost my rugby top. Thankfully Jackie texted Scamp to say I’d left it on the bed, so, since we were only a few miles on our way, we headed back to retrieve it. Drove down to the biscuit tin to have a coffee and a scone. Scones are becoming important to me. Eilean Donan has a photography gallery just now featuring the castle. Some are great, some are just good and some are honestly abysmal. Each has a small description of the photog, written by the photog. Like the photos, some are good, some are … well, you get the idea. Most have ‘a passion’ somewhere in their description. I hate ‘passions’. It’s everywhere just now. Cooks on the thousands of cookery programmes, dancers, everyone has to have a passion. One of the photogs used the ‘passion’ word five times in his self promoting prophesy. That’s too much passion for anyone to have, even about themselves.
Anyway, next stop was set for Spean Bridge. To the wee roadhouse place that used to be a Little Chef and was so much better than that was. Got there to find it was closed. End of season just, I hope. Ok, next stop Fort Billy or Fort William to give it its Sunday name – it was Sunday, so I suppose I should give it the William name. Lunch at Morrisons was a fish and chips and a good F&C it was too at a very reasonable price. Nothing fancy, just hot, fresh F&C. The rest of the road was just the boring run home. Stopped just after Crianlarich for a cup of tea and a chance to stretch our legs and a walk along a bit of a river. Beautiful evening light. Didn’t take my camera, but had my iPhone. On this occasion, the phone didn’t shine as a camera. Disappointing shots.
It was a good holiday. The quiet and the space. You can’t beat it for refreshing you.
Sitting in a metal tube waiting to be lifted thousands of feet in the air above the UK. What was it somebody said about flying through the air in an armchair? So it’s goodbye to London for another wee while. Hazy and ND’A were great hosts as usual and the party was a blast. Everything running with the usual D’A combination of humour and efficiency. Back to “Auld claes and purrich” as a wise man once said.
We went to Angel to meet JIC and Sim. All organised and planned by Hazy and ND’A (thanks again folks). After a bum steer with a dodgy looking Indian/Mexican dive and finding a tank in the process(!), finally settled on Jamie’s Italian restaurant and had an enjoyable lunch (Italian sausage and pappardelle for me). Then went for a walk around a small market we’d visited before with Hazy. Some strange things for sale there. Numerous stalls selling spoons and fish-knives(‘?’ again) and other things that will not be mentioned for fear of nightmares – just don’t ask! Some beautiful opportunities for photos in the low afternoon light, especially with the 9mm and 20mm lenses. After that JIC and Sim went for their train and we did the same. Scamp was in a bit of a rush to get back to Hazy’s, to make sure we’d be ready for the party. I’d rather have had a wander around Kings Cross, or even better Vauxhall. I really want to have a go at photographing those riverside buildings. They are quite a favourite of mine, but obviously not as good as the one on Ingram Street in Glasgow. We agreed to disagree on timings and I left Vauxhall for another day. I need more practise anyway, to do them justice. Got some more photos of grapes in Hazy and ND’A’s garden. Then it was time for the party.
So here we are in Engerland again. Good flight down with great views of the sunset as we jockeyed for position in the line for landing. ND’A was waiting for us. I still can’t get used to the new car!
