Day 8: May 11 continued...

Previous post clarification:

Val has asked me to clarify that she "accidentally" hit me in the crotch "with her purse."

We've had rain every day (though not solid, thankfully) and this day was no exception. We went out to the cemetery with Ken and Theresa where many family ancestors are laid to rest. Ken's mother's grave is there, and Ken and Sam were able to spread some of Ken's father's ashes there, which I think was pretty significant for them. The wind was blowing and the rain was blowing and so was the wind. The sand dunes are very close to the cemetery, and we Keystone Kopped it to the dunes and back. I got a little bit grumpy standing in the rain, but the kids ended up having a fantastic time climbing the dunes and sliding back down. Eilidh dug some deep hole in the dune as long as her arm; Will clambered along the top of a 30 or 40 foot dune; and Jonathan was quite pleased digging and messing in the sand with a little low clambering and sliding. After the dunes, I spent an hour or two reading and relaxing (Val perhaps less so while staying with the kids.)

At 7pm we went up to Donald and Margaret's for dinner. A Tennet's went nicely with the suppertime fare. Margaret set the kids up at the island in the kitchen while the adults were in the dining room, which Margaret has continued to mention needs expanding with telling looks at Donald. Donald made a point of telling the kids to make a mess. Not sure if it's reverse psychology or honestly not caring much, but it was a masterstroke. They put the TV on and served them and even our 3 year old did just fine. Margaret served giant bowls of vegetable soup with noodles in--hearty fare for the weather. The second course was the biggest plate of something like Chicken Cacciatore (sans formaggio) with a giant pile of mash. Two full chicken breasts, probably two potatoes each. No one came even close to finishing... well, except me, pretty easily demolishing the whole lot. Margaret gave each of the kids an adult serving--in their Jack Sprat fashion, Eilidh ate all the chicken on her plate (impressive) and Will did the same with his potatoes, so between them they ate an entire serving. Jonathan made a fine mess of his, playing with his food with knife and fork. They certainly didn't go hungry, and finished off with bowls of ice cream in the living room (Donald: "it's hardwood. They can't make a mess we can't clean up with a mop."). We had a nice dessert and sat chatting. Davie, D&M's 18-year old son, is a nice young man, with the distinct ability to do all his talking without moving his mouth. I started to think we should be going as it got darker, but since it was only 8:15, I figured we might as well let the kids watch some TV. By the time it was 8:50, Val said "I think that clock is an hour behind." Suddenly it was 10pm (!) and we made our graceful exit.

Day 9: May 12

Toast and thick cut marmalades began our day. Our sun-dappled cottage (if sun-dappled meant "rain-drenched") kept us warm and dry, and although I was having trouble getting going, we managed to stumble out the door before noon.

Generic holiday schedule:

9:00 get up (Val and Jonathan may be up by now)

9:00-10:00 coffee

10:00 breakfast

10:53-11:48: argue with Jonathan about socks

11:49 Out the door for activity

13:00 Lunch

14:30 Activity

16:30 drinks and snacks

19:00 dinner

21:00 bed for the kids

22:00 the rest of us

At 11:49 we were off to the bronze age prehistoric huts right beside the sand dunes. A small little settlement has been nicely excavated. The center of the houses had been continually occupied for over 900 years, most of that presumably haranguing from the maternal line about redoing the kitchen. The kids were able to play in and about the structures, and Eilidh found a little nest in the wall from a ground bird that had a single egg in it (we left it alone).

Just up the track from the ruins was an astounding stretch of beach on the west coast of the island. For 20 miles the beach stretches on as far as you could see. Unfortunately the wind was howling so fiercely straight off the ocean that it was too chilly to go down to the beach. We ate at a pub (Borrodale Inn) which Sam and Ev had previously found lacking, but had been rejuvenated, and lunch was great. I had fish and chips (with a batter that tasted much like yorkshire pudding!) and the fish was hot and fresh and delicious.

Eilidh asks "can we go to the beach?" every four minutes, so despite the miserable weather, we decided to let Will and Eilidh try the ocean again. In a "grass is always greener on the other island" kind of way, with the rain coming down and the gales blowing, we drove the 20 minutes down to Eriskay to the same beach they'd had fun on previously. It was gray and cold and raining, and I took off my shoes and all my warm layers so I'd have something to get back into after getting wet and cold. Eilidh started out with "maybe I won't go in" but Dad's face flashed so dangerously that she quickly said, "Ok, let's give it a try!" and Will and Eilidh were able to play in the water. I waded into the Atlantic from the other side, and it's just as cold on this side as it is in Newfoundland. How they were able to play in it is beyond me, but I guess enthusiasm goes a long way. They probably only played 12 or 15 minutes, but they had a good time. Jonathan slept in the car while we played there, and when we finally got back up (all of us shivering, including me), changed out of our wet and sandy and dirty and sandy (you cannot get these shells off--it's like they're glued on) clothes and got into the car.... the sun came out. Eff ewe, weather.

We came back for a rest and Jonathan ran riot while I napped and tried to warm up. Around 6:15 we went down to the Lochboisdale hotel for supper, hosted graciously by Ken and Theresa. Ken wouldn't let you go without a drink or a starter or what have you for more than a couple of seconds. I tried some new ale (MacEachern) which was quite good. Jon(athan) and Isabelle, Ken's friends who came along, proved to be wonderful company. Jon has quite a way with children and clearly loves to play with them. He was constantly giving attention to the kids and took quite a shining to Jonathan, who like him was the youngest and shared a name. He's got a pretty quick wit and an impish grin and I quite took a liking to him. I tried cockles in a butter sauce (verdict: gritty, needed some washing) and then had chicken with Stornaway black pudding stuffing in a whisky cream sauce. I've only ever had the Stornaway black pudding, and apparently it's just the best. The rest of the black pudding is "just rot." (Donald). This was quite nice and I destroyed it with aplomb. Finished off with Strawberries Romanoff, which was a hot strawberry dish mixed with caramel/brown sugar and oatmeal served in a glass. I found a pitcher of single cream and they were very good together. At the end we had a nice picture of the cousins (Ken, Sam, and Donald), and then them with their wives. In the pub section, there was a real peat fire which they'd stoked up like it was January 12th and it was nice to see it burn hotly and cheerily.

My sentences appear to be getting a little simple "See protoss 4-gate. 4-gate, protoss, 4-gate!" so perhaps I'll end here. Another day and some on Uist, and then a ferry to Uig on Skye to stay in a B&B for a couple of days before about a week in Stirling. The trip is nearly half over! It seems to me that a good vacation probably should have an element of relaxing enough that you're willing to waste time (reading, which you could do anywhere, or playing an iPhone game, or just sitting and chatting). We could probably pack some more stuff in, but as it is, I'm losing track of days a bit and starting to unwind nicely.

Lots o' sand, lots o' wind

Cromagnons

Sand dune scaling

Sand dune sitting

Sand dune sliding

Scale to the scaling and sliding

Sand a'willin

Return of the beach

Brave child

Foolish father

Will doing crosswords with Grandpa

CANNONS!

:-)

Donald, Sam, and Kenny with Margaret, Evelyn and Theresa