Looking Out To Sea

Last weekend we holidayed in Galloway. (Actually, it’s now two weekends ago because it’s taken ages to get the photos online.)

We left on Friday night, eight of us altogether, and got to the area in complete darkness. We were staying in an old schoolhouse about eight miles from Moniaive, and it was the longest eight miles you could ever hope to drive. Along a narrow, winding road looking out for a house that we weren’t even sure we could identify if we saw it. The only distinguishing features we knew were the distance from Moniaive (and the odometer really came in handy for that) and the US-style post box at the front gate.

We got there late, with the following two cars arriving within the hour. We sat down for tea and cake. Kate and Ben were the first to use the Rayburn cooker to make pancakes and then we moved onto the beer and a French board game at 11pm. It was nearly three in the morning before we got to bed, because the game became more vicious and protracted than anyone imagined.

The next day we had a long lazy breakfast, of brioche (made by me!), scrambled eggs and fried mushrooms on sourdough toast (made by Lawrence) and lots of tea. We then set off across the hills wearing borrowed boots and wellies. We made the summit of a small hillock and got home about four o’clock I think.

Naturally, Helen wouldn’t be seen dead eating a chocolate biscuit that didn’t co-ordinate with her scarf. And gloves. And hat and badge.

We’d meant to do more outdoors stuff but the constraints of the short stay were against us. No matter — there will be other opportunities. The “Striding Arches” were signposted at Moniaive but we never got there.

We had onion soup for “lunch”, about 5pm or thereabouts, with more beer obviously. Then we moved onto Trivial Pursuit in the living room in front of the fire. I can’t even remember who won that game. At 9 o’clock Helen and I left the others to their own devices so we could set to making the evening meal.

It turned out that cooking on an Aga or similar beast is quite a tricky game indeed. When it’s working the heat produced is quite phenomenal. Standing at the hob stirring a pot is like holding your face in front of an open oven door. Getting both the oven and cooker top at the right temperature, and then maintaining that heat, is similarly tricky. The result of all this trickery was that we sat down to eat our evening meal at quarter to midnight… with crumble and custard at about half past one in the morning. We were living New York time. :-)

The next morning we had another lazy breakfast, with Keri and other Helen at the helm. Fried breakfast with everything in it!

We got the place tidied up, had a small lunch at about four o’clock and then left. We got back to Edinburgh at 7pm. Rory, who dropped out of joining us at the last minute because of academic commitments, made us a light tea while we watched Wallace and Gromit on telly.