The Mind

I woke to the strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

I could tell from the type of light peeping around the bedroom curtains that it was early and that it was obviously not sunny. The bedroom is on the opposite side of the house to the sunrise but one of the things about big skies is that there is nothing to interfere with the light. David obviously was up early. I closed my eyes and tried to decide whether to get up or return to the Land of Nod. (A post from that hamlet in the East Riding would be welcome YP).

Before I arrived I woke fully and further sleep was lost for the day. The mind is a strange thing. I had smelt coffee. I had. I know that I had. But I hadn't. David, whose first task of the day was always to make a cafetière of strong coffee, was a ferry journey across the Minch and 330 miles away. I lay wondering how often we are absolutely certain about events that we 'know' took place but which didn't or vice versa. 

It did occur to me that few, if any, of you have ever seen the township of Eagleton in its setting on the Island. Well here it is. The picture is facing roughly South.

 

Gone

Saturday 0519. My bedroom door opened. I woke to a voice saying "I'm on my way." Still in bed and barely awake I hugged my dear friend and tried in the few seconds available to convey the depth of my gratitude for his care, help and support over the last three weeks. Then he was gone: the house silent. I was alone. David and Molly The Dog are on their way back to their life in the diagonally opposite corner of Scotland. Thank you Deborah for the loan of your husband.

I lay contemplating life, the universe and everything and why the answer was, or is, 42.  I realised that, to all intents and purposes, I was likely to be on my own for the first time since January.

I rose and made a cup of hot water and lemon and marvelled at the sunrise:
 

 

I will miss the banter, the daily coffee and crossword at The Woodlands and the help: I haven't lifted a finger or even cooked a meal since I left the hospital nine sleeps ago. I will miss the fact that I've had a chauffeur on call. I will not be allowed to drive for over four weeks at the earliest.

Many equate being on one's own with being alone. That's not always the case and I'm always conscious of how fortunate I am that it isn't for me. I love company and my house is always open home to friends and visitors. However I don't think that I was actually designed (without meaning to start any deep philosophical discussion) to live with anyone. After all I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want to live with me so why should I think that someone else might? In any case having lived on my own for 16 years I've grown far too set in my ways.

So as David, Molly and The Beast make their way out of Stornoway Harbour and sail into a beautiful morning and a Calmac breakfast I shall break out the yoghurt, eat some strawberries, make toast with Marmite and peanut butter, take my tablets with Red Bush Tea and count my blessings.

David and The Beast overlooking Bayble Bay

The Plan Changed

It's Monday evening. I'm supposed to be recovering in hospital after having a new knee today. Unfortunately the infection which caused me to spend a night in the Emergency Ward at Hastings Hospital in New Zealand had not gone away when I had a test last week so I've been back on antibiotics and had a further test today. The operation has been postponed for one week and hopefully the infection will have gone and at this time next week I'll be in post-op.

David and Molly have come to look after me when I get out of hospital but, instead of preparing for that, today, which has been a sunny but cold day, has been a day of garden maintenance after a trip to the doc, breakfast and a crossword at The Woodlands and a trip out to see how things were getting on at the house at Grimshader. This evening it's the first two episodes of Who Pays The Ferryman....again.

David and Molly relax

David gave the hedges a short back and sides

A Rather Unpleasant Journey

David and Molly the Collie left last Tuesday after a visit which I enjoyed very much.  David came up when I knew that I was going to have The Thing removed from my neck.  It was good having the company and David is a very good cook!  The weather was pretty atrocious for most of the time they were here and given the gale force winds combined with an unfavourable tide I was surprised that the ferry left Stornoway for the morning sail.  As it was it was rough.  You always know that it's going to be bad when the ferry, MV Isle of Lewis, comes past my house going North up The Minch.

Travelling North

Turning South to run with the wind and tide to Ullapool

Home and Dry

I arrived home on Lewis yesterday (Sunday) afternoon.  So home, yes but dry? Who am I kidding?  

There is a good Old Scots* word, dreich.  There is no finer word for describing a particular Scottish weather: the type of Scottish weather that we have been having since I returned to Scotland last Tuesday.  The type of weather seen from my kitchen window at 0630 this morning:

It's cold.  It's wet.  It's miserable.  It's misty.  It's dreary.  It's dreich!   It's my Scottish HOME!

It is one week ago New Zealand time that I left my New Zealand home for my Scottish one.  Where did that week go?  Well apart from spending about 30 hours in the air and what seemed like the same amount in airports I spent a lovely few days with a friend in Glasgow catching up and having a rest.  I'm fortunate in not suffering from the ill effects of jet lag and, on this occasion, despite sitting next to a couple snorting and spluttering with cold (there would appear to be cultures where the handkerchief is considered bad manners but spreading germs isn't)  on the leg from Auckland to Brisbane I haven't got a cold either.

A bonus is that David and Molly arrived last night.  I'm sure there will be photos for Molly's adoring public.  David is good company because there are lots of jobs to be done and David loves doing jobs! It must be something about the name because Pat's Dave has been keeping my grass cut.  Thanks Dave!  Gaz arrived back on the Island the day before me for a short break.  So that'll be more catching up.

Anyway I thought that I'd let you know that I have arrived and that this is going to be a busy and wonderful week.

* There seems to be considerable debate as to its origin and a trawl of the different dictionaries this morning would seem to indicate anything from Greek through Scandinavian and Norse to Middle English.

Thankful Thursday

It's been a Good Day.  In fact it's been a Good Week in a Good Month in a Good Year.  What more can any man ask for?  How could I not be thankful this Thursday as I work in my garden with a friend to help with the weeding and a Molly-dog to supervise.  (Yes, I know that the top wire on the fence needs tightening).

David's Quiche

Me "I must get a blog done."

David "How about a photo of my quiche?"

Here it is.   Now it's was.   Delicious.

Missing You Already

On one of the occasions I was in Canada visiting my almost-lifelong friend, Mo, I had a circular badge which said "Don't tell me what kind of a day to have". I found the then habit, for habit it usually was, of telling me to 'have a nice day' very irritating. It's been replaced for the most part in the UK and New Zealand by the question "How are you today" when you arrive at the checkout. I invariably answer "Very well thank you and how are you?" I reckon that I get an answer about once for every ten times I give the reply and ask my question. The checkout operator's question was so automatic she or he completely switched off as soon as it was asked. Frankly I'd rather be offered a simple 'Hi'

All that arose from the saying "Missing you already" that was popular for a while.  I thought of it when I saw the photos of David and Molly boarding MV Isle of Lewis for their journey home.

That's David in the red fleece.

Just before they departed we went for a walk in the Lews Castle Grounds and watched the ferry coming across a millpond-like Minch.

Whilst Molly found a stick.

One Man and His Dog

Yesterday I was lured into a walk down the croft to the shore with David and Molly.  I am ashamed to say that it's the first time I've done that since I returned to Eagleton about 5 weeks ago.   I was not, at first, for going yesterday either.  With a wind registering Force 6 (around 40 kph) from the North East and therefore very very cold I was definitely in wuss mode.  However sanity prevailed (reminding me of a Laura Brannigan song) and I decided to be kind to my body and get the exercise.  The fact that I might get some photos didn't even cross my mind (and if you believe that.....).  After an hour or more we returned cold and tired but invigorated ready for nut, olive and wine time.  It's a hard life.

The Thrower in his subtle garb

Keeping one's eye on the ball 

Handbrake turn

Before it stops

The wet way back

Come and get it!

Heading it off at the pass.   If you are wondering Molly got to it first.

All four paws in the air

No.  It went that away 

Jumping for joy

"It's behind you!"

Thankful Thursday

In an hour or so this evening a friend of many years and his dog Molly will be arriving.  They are crossing The Minch in brilliant sunshine and a force 6 wind from the NNE making the ambient temperature of 10℃ feel like freezing point.  Tonight the clear skies will mean that the sky is light all night as the sun just dips below the horizon giving way to a twilight of about four or five hours.  If it was just a bit warmer this would be paradise but, playing the Glad Game, if it were warm and windless this evening the dreaded Scottish Midge would be having a field day.

I had the cardiac clinic at 0840 this morning - the equivalent of the cardiac MoT or WoF or Safety Inspection or whatever the equivalent is for the car in your country.   My 120/74 BP reading wasn't   too bad for an oldie and I am now certified alive and officially fit and well for another 12 months.

That stood me in good stead for this afternoon when I spent 4 hours trying to sort a friend's broadband connection.  BT eventually agreed with my assessment that it was their line which was causing the problem.  I kept my cool for the whole of the several hours of conversations with someone in India.  I was quite pleased with myself.

So today I am thankful for the the fact that I'm in such a good mood as I set off to meet the ferry.

The Last Visitors

David (and Molly), the last visitors I have staying this summer before I return to New Zealand next week left this afternoon on a ferry delayed by bad weather last evening.  After a long weekend of rain and gales today turned out to be sunny and dry (though windy) and we were able to get a short walk in the Lews Castle Grounds after lunch (at The Woodlands) before the ferry sailed.  The last of my visitors this summer has left.  I have seven sleeps before I set off for my New Zealand life again.  

A dog running at some considerable speed with a complete lack of any spacial awareness and a large stick in its mouth can deliver a hefty whack to the back of one's legs.  The problem is that she travels fairly quietly so that she's delivered the blow before you have time to get out of the way.  On one occasion Molly actually hit me so hard that the stick snapped out of her mouth and I thought that she'd broken her neck.  No.  She picked up the stick.  Looked accusingly at me as though it had been my fault and continued her journey - at speed!

I shall miss them.

A Walk Before Breakfast

I have a friend of long standing and his dog staying (I used to use the phrase 'old friend' but somehow people seem to take exception to that nowadays).  David and Molly have a routine first thing in the morning.  Coffee (just David!).  A walk.  Breakfast.  Whatever the weather.  This morning it's blowing a gale and raining.  The intrepid duo have, nevertheless, gone for their very healthy exercise:

 

Me?  I'm off to have a nice hot shower!

Journeying - Day 2

On Friday morning I woke at 0430 as a Blackbird's beautiful and exceptionally penetrating song came in through the open bedroom window.  I love that sound.  But not at that time of the morning, thank you very much.  Fortunately I managed to get another couple of hours of shuteye.  Then David and I went for a walk with Molly along the shore at West Wemyss for an hour or so before breakfast and my journey down to Durham.  There I became a tourist for a while before meeting up with friends for  the evening.

Mornings on the Firth of Forth don't come much calmer than this.

However they do come stormier and the shore was littered with broken trees from a recent very severe gale which left much of Scotland paralysed for several hours

Many remained, however, as did this beautiful bank of lupins

David even managed to tire Molly with all the ball throwing

The pigeons had colonised the cliff face.  I would like to know how all the holes appeared in the sandstone: many where perfectly and unnaturally cylindrical

But don't try and get in because it's always locked

I hit the jackpot with my room at the Radison Blu in Durham: exceptional comfort and service with every facility I could have needed

Molly Goes Walkies

Last evening we took Molly for a walk along the front at West Wemyss on Scotland's East coast.  It had been a sunny afternoon on this side of the country despite the fact that in Glasgow in the morning it had been very indifferent with some rain and during the drive over I'd encountered torential rain.  However by the time we were into our walk  (we were out for about and hour and a half) the sun had disappeared behind the hill and I felt as though I was taking photos in the dark - hence no fast moving pictures of Molly were usable.