Today Emily and I took our canoe out on Loch Tarsan, having packed the stove, the kettle and some marshmallows to toast over a fire.
It was a lovely day, and the head of the loch was shallow and warm (ish) so we also had a swim. Not a soul for miles, just the two of us, and wild creatures- an eagle overhead, and fish jumping at flies.
Store it up in the memory.
An ordinary day, me and my girl, loaded up with blessings.
So, Dunoon is famous. Infectious even.
As of today, there are 18 suspected cases of swine flu in our little town. Emily’s year have been sent home from school and told not to associate with people for a week. Two of my workers are off because one of their families is suspected of having the virus too.
The hospital is just about at meltdown, testing and chasing down folk who have had sustained contact with those infected. The good news is that those who are suffering seem to be OK, and the Tamiflu vaccine is said to be effective.
Of course, Emily is very pleased to be off school however!
There is some footage from the news here.
We had a great night at our friends Juergen and Michaela’s party. Juergen is hitting the big 40. They had a Ceilidh, with the wonderful local band Canned Haggis, and we danced all night. Emily played some fiddle in the interval too…
Juergen has a love affair going with all things Scottish. Germans seem to be able to wear the Kilt much more easily than the English ever can, and he knows more about whiskey than anyone else I know.
So happy birthday Juergen.
Achtung the noo…
Emily and Will dancing
Emily is 13!
We had a lovely day- a lazy morning of presents and coffee then a trip to a cafe, and finally she had a house full of friends for a party- a kind of Goth fairy party as far as I could see.
For the first time ever, her parents were not required to actually run the party- she did it all herself- meeting, greeting, party gaming and all.
I am very proud of her.
If a little redundant.
Our role in the affair was to clean up afterwards.
Some more pics-
Will (right) and cousin Nat
My kids unkindly keep reminding me that I am losing hair. They love to look down at the places where my hair used to be thick and bushy like a badgers back, and poke at it with their fingers.
It is a regular theme for my boy Will.
I try to suggest that we have enough common genetics to suggest that he will follow in my follicles.
But today, he had an answer.
“I will never go bald like you because I am always going to have hair long”
We laughed- but he did not get the joke. Ah the innocence of hirsute youth…
Will, Emily and Baldy
this fragile tent 