Boats, BBQ's, & Goodbyes

   This week on the crazy train of life, I missed my boat, had a sleep over, continued to guarantee my singleness (aka played Magic the Gathering), & finally did some crafting…

   Tuesday, my normal Tuesday tea was not happening due to the restaurant owners being gone. This was the reason for me booking a day cruise on the Waverly, the last sea bound paddle steamer. Alas, due to a moment of little brain on my part & bus delays, I did not make it. This allowed me to at least take a beautiful bus ride along the west coast of Scotland & spend some time in Largs. There I got some lunch at a pub which included the first mozzarella sticks I’ve had which were needed. The town was very pretty for a coastal town. I think I prefer it over Ayr because it has less beach and more rocks along with views of nearby islands.

   The next notable event was a BBQ on Friday I was invited to. Now you might be thinking, “What does a Scottish BBQ look like? Is it haggis & potatoes on a grill?” & the answer to that is no. They have sausages (similar but not the same as bratwurst), burgers, and chien brest. I was actually quite impressed with the food and ended up eating 2 sausages with bun, a burger with bun, and a chicken breast. The rest of the time consisted of talking, bowling (not 10 pin but a yard game), & stories/jokes. This was a very enjoyable time and was some of the most fun I’ve had so far.

   Because I had plans on Saturday with the couple who invited me to the BBQ, they offered to let me spend the night at their house for the night. I appreciate how chill the time was with them. We watched some tv and talked a bit before bed and then had a small breakfast in the morning. We then went to a small farmers market in Kilmarnock, had tea, and made our way to Fenwick. Here we walked around & looked at the various signs that told the history of the town. I had wanted to go here since it was a primary location for the Covenanters in the 17th century, which I had read about in a book before coming to Scotland. This expedition included seeing multiple graves of covenanters.

   Once we made our rounds, we went to the Lairds Table on Craufurdland Estate. This restaurant was built by the laird (lord) of the land who is the 29th laird in the nearly 800 years his family has owned the land. The view from our table was of the 200 year old man made lake and the forest surrounding it. We actually got served our food by the leddy (lady) of the estate and talked with her a little bit. Once our food was gone, we walked over to see the castle that I would guess the laird & leddy stay in. This concluded our grand ooting so I was driven back home.

   Once home I was able to play Magic the Gathering with my brother and friend via high tech internet things & much struggle with said things. Besides the mentioned events, I also spent time everyday throughout the week building a book. I hand wrote my top 20 poems & bound them in a mix of Nature Valley branded cardboard & a paper bag I acquired when purchasing a book from Waterstones. Part of this process was sewing the pages into the spine. This caused much anguish for my fingers, including a time where I was using a pin to pre-make the holes for the needle & I applied so much pressure the plastic ball end shattered making the needle either hit the bone or go next to the bone of the finger applying pressure (my right pointer finger). The reason I made this book was because I have talked to the pastors wife at the church I am attending. She wanted to read some of my poetry & this was their last week here so I made it as a farewell gift for them.

   This concludes this week's update since my fingers are still recovering.

   Note: I have had haggis and do like it if I don't think about it. I kept forgetting to mention it in previous updates.