This is a very presumptive title as despite having had over two years in Scotland I still cannot speak Gaelic. I have a Teach Yourself course which I delve into from time to time. Over the festive season I often stopped for a chat around about day break with a couple of Gaelic speakers. One morning I said to Ally McGruer. “What the hell did you say?” The Highlanders are very soft spoken folk so I assumed he was mumbling as usual. No. He had forgotten I wasn’t a Gaelic speaker or mumbler, jumbler or fumbler. He was apologetic. He switched back to his version of English and wrote the title of this blog……….It is Gaelic for The Small Isles. I hope it is and I’ve not written something rude; I’ll give him a slap if I have. Ally collects my Daily Telegraph for me whilst I’m parked in Foyers. I have started to say thank you in Gaelic. Just in case you are interested I say “TAFFULEEEV”. Seems to work fine but I can’t find it in my book. I’ve just heard Gaelic speakers say it so it could mean anything.
The run from Foyers to Fort Augustus was a bit slip slidey but after that it was a lovely run down the Great Glen to Fort William. After a quick provision and bunker with very expensive diesel I hit the road to the Isles. It’s the A830 but is far from an ‘A’ road as the English would recognise an ‘A’ road. It does the job and just after Arisaig I ventured onto the B8008 or whatever it is and found somewhere to park the van. Spot on this is for a winter stop. Julie the owner lets me stay for £12.00p a night. She isn’t Scottish but is drop dead gorgeous and is from Billingham. The power house of all wealth were places like Billingham, Rotherham…well maybe that is stretching things…..Silkstone Coking Plant…..Thatcher decided bankers were the future. Look at the mess they have got us in. What future have we got with bankers? Banking takes folk with about the same qualifications as teachers, nurses, policemen and yet we have a head of state that is barely literate it is a terrible world.
I’ll have a bit of a rant. Scotland produces most of the UK’s oil but the twats in the south of the UK can buy it at ten percent cheaper than the Scottish can. England produces lots of gas but it isn’t piped up to Scotland. Am I missing something? No doubt I am but I much prefer living up here. Just a gnats eyebrow under £130.00p a litre It cost me for Esso posh diesel. Cheap diesel is 10p cheaper but the truck won’t romp up hills on it nor will it return 27mpg. Most petrol is much the same unless one drives a Ferrari. If I bought a Ferrari in Scotland I would get fuel delivered in drums from France. The French know how to to mix fuel.
I guess by now you are fed up. Here are a couple of snaps from the beach overlooking the Isles.
I’ll try a couple more months but it is hard work perhaps it’s not for me. I made a complete bollocks of working a video camera the Produceress said brilliant……I had learnt that there are push /pull stops on posh cameras. Purely mechanical. I wasn’t happy.
