Hi everyone,
We went to the “Shepherd and Stalker’s Ball” last Friday night at the Cannich community hall. What fun!!!! Everyone got up and danced the night away, from teenagers to great grandparents. Kilts were flying and twirling (they were jocks under them in Cannich – thank goodness!) and the old hall was shaking. No-one even looked like leaving before mid-night, the energy level just seemed to build. One couple well into their eighties were still dancing happily into the wee hours of the morning. In between the dancing (handy to catch your breath!) there was an auction, mostly fishing or deer hunting permits and whiskey in various quantities – there are a lot of distilleries in this area. There was also a very moving moment when a young local girl got up sang two Scottish ballads. No music, just her beautiful voice. The people just sat, drinking it all in. Not a movement from anyone.
There was a few door prizes given out during the night. Reg’s name was drawn first and he won a warm fleecy jumper – handy up here! My name was drawn next and I won a bottle of 10 year old single malt whiskey – again Reg was happy. Not so bad for a couple of Aussie ring ins!
On Saturday afternoon we went back to Cannich to watch a game of Shinty. It’s like hockey, and while I know hockey can have its causalities, Shinty is on a whole other level. Kate’s son – our house cleaner – plays. We saw all the same people we had seen the night before – even the elderly couple who were dancing into the wee hours. Everyone was there to cheer on the team. Dances in the local hall, sport on a Saturday – reminded me of life in Parndana, an area on Kangaroo Island where I grew up. Typical country life.
We had another visit to Glen Affric today. No snow this time – it looks so different! We walked further up-steam and saw a very different River Affric – amazing wild rushing water. Really enjoyed seeing the glen in a new light. Still very beautiful.
We got some good news today. We have a house sit in France for 5-6 weeks from the 7th July. It’s in a rural area near the town of Saulieu, on the edge of Morvan Natural Park in the Burgundy region. Looking forward to visiting some of the wineries in the area! To those of you who are not into wine we apologize if it monopolizes our emails!!
Well cheers for now. The heat wave continues here but snow is being predicted again.
Love Di and Reg
This entry was posted in House Sits, Scotland, Tomich (1), Tomich, Scotland, United Kingdom