Glasgow GTG 2014

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The one glorious whole?

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One of the cool things about Arran - at least on the side where Limey lives, is that the bays are also surrounded by hills.
So they feel quite distinctive and set apart.

1) The main road through the village

2) Where there's water, there's moss

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I thought this pair of holiday lets were just beautiful.
They overlook the harbour, obviously.
Let's all go and stay there.

ETA - looking at the second photo again, it might not even be a holiday let.
But I bet with enough money on the table we could have it anyway.

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Swans again.
I did tell you I was obsessed.

[DanaC]

We have a beautiful mated pair of swans in the park. They've taken up residence in the boating lake.

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Two bars, both closed.
I wasn't going to go in them, at least not to drink. Although both had great vantage points for watching the world go by.

I had to take a photo of the opening hours of The Pierhead Tavern because it made me laugh. It's quite a substantial establishment, and you'd expect that even off-season it could support itself just from local trade. But instead it's only open three nights a week. Lazy Scots.

Except Limey told me the real story, which is that the brewery chain which ran it, pulled the plug quite suddenly last year. And in fact it was the locals who stepped up to keep it open at all, because there are very few social gathering places and/ or drinking establishments left there. Bad for those that live there, bad for tourism.

Moar power to their pint-pulling elbows I say. Shows you shouldn't make snap judgements. Or at least I shouldn't.

The Drift Inn had lights on behind the bar, but the chairs were up on the tables, so I didn't embarrass myself by trying the door. Shame, because it looked like a place that would have a Breville out back.

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Back to the cathouse.

That night was Rich Levy night.
We had pasta sauce with clams from the hamper he sent.
I made it with rice rather than the pasta which was also included, because it fit better into bowls that way.
Limey provided a whole bag of prawns and I was going to siphon some off to have in a sarnie the next day (prawns are still considered a luxury in my house) but it ended up as a kind of gumbo and all the prawns were decanted, coated in sauce and thoroughly enjoyed.
So, not kosher Rich, sorry.

We talked about having dessert but that was before we started eating.
Were all too stuffed to even consider it afterwards. I lie, we did consider. Just not for long.

Oh - I forgot to mention.
I got Mr Limey Utopia on DVD for Christmas. Luckily I didn't know he (they) now have a blue-ray or I'd have felt obliged to get it on that and it's much more expensive...
We watched the first episode together one evening, can't remember which.
I had forgotten how sweary and violent it is, but also how very very funny. I'm not sure if that came across to the Limes; I just snorted reasonably quietly to myself.

Now I know Limey has a visceral reaction to blood and gore. So she did really well. She watched in silence and did not make any kind of fuss. But she admitted to me afterwards that when she woke in the night, she found it hard to get back to sleep because of what she'd watched. Which made me feel rotten. I hope Mr Limey enjoys the rest of it. And it did look absolutely gorge on their spanking new big telly.

1) Here tis me with part of the Limeys' music collection in the background

2) Old chap. That hare tugging on his cape better watch out, he's already wearing ermine.

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Yes of course the above shows one of Limey's gorgeous Christmas decorations.
She kindly gave me permission to take photos of anything I wanted.
Her house is a wonderland of pretty, unusual and bang tidy things, another lifetime is the least I'd need to document it properly.

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The tree is one of ?three? I think.
The trumpet is one of many instruments.

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Bookcase, and not the only one.
Just to show they're not just about the music.
Although I expect both of them do much of their reading electronically these days.

And this gorgeous little chap who I would be quite happy to smuggle home. Except that he belonged to a family member of Limey's and is therefore likely to be missed. Oh and because that would actually be stealing.

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Machrie Moor.
Hmmm.
Same as last year, I've been both anticipating writing about it but also dreading it.
Except this time part of the dread came from the fact it was my last day on Arran.
I wanted to share it with you all so much, but I knew that when I did my trip was pretty much over. Okay it was over last Thursday, but I've been reliving it since then

I also felt the post should be in the right place, because what I was doing and how I was feeling does have a bearing on the actual day. Nothing dramatic, just that Arran had a chance to work its magic on me.

One thing I missed on this trip was being able to properly explore.
It was just too wet, and had been too wet for too long.
I'd pictured walking through the woods again, it's part of what I hold in my heart about Arran now. Limey counselled against it but she didn't even need to this time. I knew it would have been folly.

This was completely borne out by our Machrie Moor experience.
It was only mildly boggy, and only in parts, but it made it quite clear to me just what the woods would have been like. Much muddier and much worserer and therefore with no peace at all.

For anyone reading this who doesn't know, we lost a Dwellar last year.
Her name is Claudette and her monikers here were Brianna and Trilby.
Limey and I went to Machrie Moor on the Isle of Arran, Scotland to remember her in the same week her funeral was held in the US.
Many people here loved her and I am one of them.

Just thought I'd make it inclusive.

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Limey drove us there.
Sunshine!
Proper sunshiny sunshine!
We didn't really think it would last, but it did. It didn't have any real warmth to it, but then it wasn't a cold day.
After squelching and jumping puddles and avoiding sheep-leavings and finding work-arounds where the track was saturated I was plenty warm.
I performed a very slow, not very teasy strip-tease in the course of two miles. Gloves, hat, scarf and in the end waterproof jacket all came off.

1) A little circle that I didn't photograph before. Note water.

2) Limey hasn't really just killed someone, there are other reasons to adjust your gloves. Although our trip was accompanied by the crack of gunshot and the yelp of dogs as pheasants were hunted in a far-off field.

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Limey and I.
Seated on different parts of a sacred monument, albeit in the same circle.

Because Bri would love that.
And because we can.
And because why not.

I also wanted to recreate the photo from last year, of Limes eating a picnic up a mountain in the snow.
She gamely offered to eat some choc as a substitute, but we agreed that we're not out to make memes here.
Probably just as well given the annual nature of our photo ops.

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1) Brianna's stones from the circle we were in.
I doubt you could have seen them if I'd taken this photo last Spring, it was that drear and dreich.

2) And me, again.

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There is a story to the photo of me above.
There could have been many more photos, trust me.

I had an odd impulse to sit up on a stone which wasn't immediately accessible from ground level.
It wasn't of a particularly impressive height, but I did need a boost up from Limey.
I dutifully took off a boot, to keep her hands clean, but ended up face down on the top of the stone, spread-eagled, arse in air.

STUCK.

I am not as limber as I once was, and there were a few seconds where I thought I might even have to give up and shuck my top. But I persevered, hindered slightly by Limey's laughter but helped enormously by more boosting from same.

I think she was a bit disappoint that she didn't get to take a photo though.
At least not until I sanctioned it.

She did replace my boot and take two lovely photos, so I am very much in her debt.