Hello blog readers! How are you? Hope you are all well. Sorry I’ve not written for a couple of weeks. I have no excuses other than me, the kids and the dogs went off for an adventure for a week recently. Luckily the weather wasn’t too bad, in fact there were a couple of stunning days, and the midges didn’t bite too hard (a major issue when holidaying in Scotland) and we had a lovely time.
So where were we I hear you cry? We stayed in a cottage near Skipness which is near Tarbert and directly opposite the isles of Arran and Bute. The cottage itself was…well…it doesn’t have great curb appeal as you can see (we were on the lefthandside without the front porch or plastic chairs)…
…but it was nice enough inside apart from the 1970s avocado green bathroom which was a bit grotty and there was no shower. It didn’t help that they have a private water supply which is peaty (which I don’t mind but the kids did and refused to bathe in the bath). Worse still the tv and dvd player didn’t work and…GASP…there was no Wi-Fi! Well, the girl went on and on and on about that because apparently she can’t live without it…funnily enough despite experiencing days on end without Wi-Fi she is actually still alive! Anyway, we were only there for a week so she just had to deal with it!
So instead of my kids sitting in front of screens all day they…
Paddled and swam in the sea in the lovely little cove at the cottage.
Climbed rocks and collected shells.
Ran about a beach with the dogs near Cambeltown when we drove down there.
Ran about in his onesy!
We also shopped in Tarbert and picked up some books and the kids bought rock (a prerequisite for a UK holiday). We ate ice cream in Cambeltown and had lunch on a nearby beach. The dogs ran around and loved every minute of it.
My friend Jane and her daughter visited bringing lunch and we took them to Skipness Castle.
We visited the castle again two days later when my parents were up with their dog. It’s a fab 13th century castle that is free to visit and has the most spectacular views of Arran. There’s a smokehouse beside it which sells the most fantastic Cullen Skink. Also nearby is the Skipness Seafood Cabin. This was where I first tried oysters around ten years ago and loved them. Ian didn’t so much. We had drinks there and me and the kids patted their tame doe called Coco and cuddled their Jack Russell called Jim.
Even though the kids maintain the holiday was rubbish, they actually had a great time. The cottage was right on the beach. It was quiet and relaxing and it was nice to spend some time together as a family without electronics getting in the way. The dogs had a brilliant time too.
Okay, so that was the holiday. We did come home a day early due to extreme Wi-Fi moaning by the girl and my desire to get a shower…it was bliss when I finally had one!
What else has been happening? Well, I’ve told you the nice bits first. Now on to the not so nice bits. While we were away the daughter of one of my closest friends was very ill. This girl is like a niece to me and we were all very worried when we found out. Thankfully she’s on the mend. Get well soon E!
This week also saw the anniversary of the death of my lovely husband, Ian. I cannot believe a year has gone by already. It was extremely quick. Just want to thank everyone for their messages and gifts. You really didn’t have to but it was lovely. I think that’s the last of the ‘firsts’ (first birthday without him, first Christmas without him, first wedding anniversary without him etc) so hopefully the various events of the coming year won’t be quite so painful for us. Anyway, moving on…
Books I read on holiday…just managed the one: Dave Eggers’ The Circle which was great. It’s about a woman who joins a major IT company which introduces a variety of IT projects to the world. The only problem is, while these are packaged as essential and desirable inventions (eg the kid tracker), the flip side is that one commercial company is slowing working its way into controlling the world. It’s beautifully written and had me gripped.
Right, that’s enough for now. I’ve just caught Casper once again eating my lovely new hall rug. There’s a full corner out of it. Time to take the wee nuisance and Millie out for a walk. Bonya, the pug, is currently at the vet’s getting spayed. I left there this morning, feeling a crumb as I kissed her goodbye. You should have seen her ‘where are you going?’ face. We should get her back this afternoon. We’re all missing her already.
Til next time!
Dawn xxx
