Wow what a wonderful few days

Well where do I start.....

Firstly it is Cowal Fest at the moment a wonderful event here in Cowal. Lots and Lots of locals volunteer to run walks and other events to do with arts and walking/leisure in the area. So the first event I was involved in was the Health Fayre. I am a member of Well Therapies a wee group of various holistic therapists from the area and we put on an open afternoon on Saturday. We had two reflexologists, one craniosacral, one kinesiologist, one breathing worker, one shiatsu therapist, one hypnotherapist and a wonderful friend who ran a meditation work shop. The event was held in the lovely hall at Strachur and well all I can only describe it as a wonderful afternoon to be involved in. I am also very tempted to go along to see the hypnotherapist that was there. More about that later.

While I was doing this Lindsay ran a ladies only mountain bike ride. This was a first for Cowal Fest and all I can say is wow what a brilliant woman Lindsay has grown into. There was an unfortunate equipment malfunction on one of the ladies bikes which resulted in a very fast crash over a river at the bottom of a hill............... After a couple of minutes of unconsciousness she came too and as the ambulance couldn't get to them the others managed to get her to the ambulance about 1/2 a mile away...Cutting a long story short she went to the hospital, was discharged taken home by Lindsay and Ann-Marie and when they eventually got home to get out of their very wet clothes Lindsay was quite blue and not feeling great. What a star and am I one proud mum. I have spoken to the poor casualty today and she is well a bit headachey still but well.

Also Rob was running a mammoth ride starting at Argarten and going over the top to Lochgoilhead (pub lunch and dry out) then back over the top another route past The Rest and Be Thankful and down to Argarten again. (oh how pleased I am that I was indoors did it rain....).

So Sunday dawns to all of us going off for another ride this time starting in Dunoon and going up past Bishops Glen around and up and up (lots of bog snorkeling) and then a couple of brilliant down hills and up again (do I dislike the wee whipper snapper that did this with no hardship at all.) He just kept going on and on and on.. sadly we missed seeing the QE2 coming up the Clyde to say goodbye for the last time.

Then down a lovely track known locally as the bomb hole track...yes it has a big dip in it..and a fast down hill to the car park and cake from the boot of our car. 14 riders did this and we all seemed to have a really good day even the poor woman who when trudging up the ploughed field (not really but churned up by the forestry) lost not one but both of her shoes in knee deep sludge. She completed the climb to the track in socks and then had to put on her shoes when it was bike able again. If anyone has any clout with the forestry can they put a wee word in for us to make this a wee link that is surfaced so the two downhills can be linked with out the bog snorkeling lol.

So as we missed the lovely QE2 on her way up. Rob myself Janet and Jenny went out in the dark to watch the fireworks and her departure. She was majestic, huge and stately and wow when she sounded her horn well the ground shook (Ann-Marie reported that her windows shook at her flat in Sandbank). We ended up following her down the length of the front thro Dunoon, Innellan and down to Toward point. All along the way various people set of fireworks and well it really made us proud. We have only been in the area for 6 years but we felt the love all around from the locals to her and we wish her well in her new job. She will finish her farewell trip around British waters, one more Atlantic crossing and then she is off to Dubai to become a floating hotel there.

So now it is Monday and yes I should have had a wee resting day as my M.E. is a bit troublesome at the moment. Tonight I went on a dusk walk setting of from Benmore Gardens and although the weather was once again abysmal I learnt loads and we even saw a few soprano pipestrelles

We know that it was this type of pipestrelle not one of the other two types because we had a lovely wee gadget which was tuned in to 55 kHz(think that was what range it was) which is the frequency they omit. Well lets just say that having six of these gadgets pinpointing when one was flying towards you did help allow everyone to look in the correct place and we were able to see the wonderfully erratic flightpath of this lovely little bat.

The weather intervened with the Moth trapping and a wee cat found the dog food before the hedgehogs but it was still a wonderful walk with two amazingly knowledgeable park rangers and I now know what and where to look for an otter. I learnt that what I have always thought as a very noisy bird squawking screech in fact is a Red Squirrel..I know a lot more about Lichens and well they managed to leave me wanting more...

So I have had a wonderfully busy but exciting few days and the week has more to come... a launch of a club, Macbeth and also a real food forage. So lots to tell you all in the future.

from little acorns lots of seeds can grow.

Well how amazing it is when you mention around about that you would like access to a knitting group nearer than over the water to go too. Months later you decide to start one of your own and as this is about to happen another source is starting one in response to you. Well now I am about to launch a Stitch and Bitch at The gallery at Blairmore, our local Womens Rural met for the first time last night this season and yes you've guessed it they want to start one too although it will be called Knit and natter. The average age is 70+ at our W.R. so it is only to be expected. So suddenly I am about to be involved in three different knitting social groups how lucky am I?

I was lucky last night to find that the speaker was Isobel from Millcroft Lavender, we were treated to a lovely talk about the way her wee business had started as a way to occupy her hands while she was having to rest while pregnant. The business now employs both her and Alistair full time and various other crafts people along the way. She outlined that the company tries to use local and tradional means to source their products. So we heard about the lovely lady whose family have been weaving Harris tweed for lifetimes who wove a whole bundle of tweed just for Millcroft. So it is a testement to Isobel's hard work and flair for business as well as a unequalled talented crafts person that this small independant business is now being hearalded as a wonder and I can recommend a visit. There is always a welcome, a good amount of home baking and a wonderful array of crafted goods.

On a more personal note Nancy arrived. Nancy is our new tandem frame and here are a couple of picks of my darling Rob unpacking her last night.

Doesn't he look proud....

wow what a stunner she is don't you all agree?

I am now not going to see much of Rob because he wants her built by the weekend so tonight is the bottom brackets...