Julie's visit and Mull

It would be grossly unfair of me to blame the lack of a blog on the arrival of my dear friend Julie, but it might be partly the truth, along with an amazing trip to Mull. Julie arrived by overnight bus on Wednesday 16 September. She is a lady that I have the greatest admiration for. She is 77 years young, and physically, mentally and spiritually in great shape. What a life she has led and what a clever lady but it is her courage that amazes me. She climbed Lochnagar without a second thought, and the next day did not even have a stiff bone to show for it. She stayed for almost three weeks, and apart from the odd sad moment when she remembered her recently departed husband Mal, she was on the go...walking, dancing, talking, cooking, doing yoga, playing with Coolie, reading. The whole time she was with us I never once heard her say she was tired, and she hardly sat down apart from meals.
The weekend after she arrived we all went off to Mull for a week's holiday. We, i.e. Michel, Magali, Doug, Julie, Richard and I. The journey went smoothly and we boarded ferries without a wait, arriving at our holiday home in good time on the Saturday night. The house was spacious and comfortable though furnishings were a little dated. We had many good moments on the island despite the awful weather. Some climbed half way up Ben More but aborted the effort for fear of being blown off the top. We took a trip to Iona and had a wander round there...in the rain. On day two we drove to Tobermory and wandered round there...in the rain. We had a lesson from Michel and Magali on the use of a long bow....in the wind. And so the awful weather continued. Nights were fun, though, as we took it in turns to prepare the evening meals, all of which were excellent. Boeuf Bourgignone, Roast leg of lamb, Green Thai Pork, Chicken Curry, Haggis neeps and tatties....such a variety of tastes, consumed in excellent company and washed down with whatever best suited the meal. Sitting round the big farmhouse kitchen table chatting into the night will long be a memory. TV was only switched on to get weather forecasts!