Have been spending a weekend on children duty, (don’t tell them, they think they are on grandparent duty) - whilst the parents have been away on a celebratory weekend in London. There have been lots of laughs and hardly any lows, except for the exhaution quotient. Yesterday we had a trip to Edinburgh Zoo in a thunderstorm. I came away wondering who was in the zoo, us or the animals. Despite obvious improvements I still feel ambiguous about zoos per se. I know there is an argument about conservation and study…..but I keep thinking of Happy Feet, though the highlight for me was the keeper feeding some baby rock-hopper penguins.
Spotted on the raised beach at the river - an oyster-catcher’s nest with three beautiful speckled eggs. The parent was engaged in diversionary tactics, but in any case the only sensible thing with such a find is to be thankful not to have stumbled directly onto it, as the nest is so well camouflaged. Even the dog did not see it.
Yes - today was the first hearing of the cuckoo this year. Spent most of the day out in the garden. No, not weeding, nor indeed work of any kind……just sheer enjoyment. Ah to be retired!
Continuing with the holiday theme (can you tell we have a visitor staying?) - yesterday’s visit was to Achnacloich Gardens near Connel. A real find. We have passed it going back and forth to Oban and always wondered where the sign led to. It is a real West Coast gem of a garden with rhododenrons, camelias, azaleas, hostas, gunera and magnificent woodland. After that it was sheer desperation to find a tea shop - everything homemade, including a meringue for the wheat intolerant coeliac. And we still found energy to visit the new garden centre which has opened on the outskirts of Taynuilt. It is the retail offshoot of a well-established commercial grower a few miles away. Three pieris plants found their way into the boot (via the cash point) along with a bag of farmyard manure and some compost.
Yesterday was like a holiday; we had a trip out to Inveraray Castle. The dog was walked round the town and then the outer grounds of the castle first; then we did a leisurely look round. Last of all was freshly baked scone and tea. Delicious. Is it because I am a minister (and therefore by definition interested in other people’s lives) that I was keen to find out as much as possible about the current Duke and his family? Truth to tell I find the very idea of the lives of the very wealthy and titled most strange. Cannot work out whether it would be worth it. After all, they have hoardes of people traipsing through what is basically their country home. At least it is only in the summer. The grounds are very well kept and of course the whole aspect of the castle on Loch Fyne is absolutely stunning.
Gordon Brown has said he made a mistake over the 10p tax rate being removed. Apologies do not help. Not when it appears to have cost me an extra £15 every month. Bah!!
