Menootanabootery - Surprise Return

At the start of last week, Aitch wondered when the graduation show for Mac1 was happening and where and when. I was able to furnish her with a photo of the pamphlet.

Having perused it, Aitch got back to me and mooted the possibility that she was going to make a trip to Balfron and include this - but mainly because her paternal great-grandparents were connected with the town and surrounding settlements, so a wee bit of family search would make her trip worth the making. However, she was having trouble obtaining any accommodation close by... which begged the obvious question...

The next thing I knew, it was Saturday already, and Aitch was back at the Hutch! By her taking the time to come here again and spend two nights instead of the one she had planned, it meant that we could make a day trip to Balfron, with stops along the way, and - here was the clincher from my point of view - I would get to attend my younger sister's very special show marking the end of three years of effort. Until that point, I had resigned myself to probably only getting to see the photos provided (maybe) by Mac2, who was up from London to spend some time with Mac1. (Mac3 will be joining them this week, and he will be running the Edinburgh Marathon this coming Sunday - his 54th birthday!)

Thus, early last Sunday morning, we got ourselves going with a porridge oats breakfast, and I packed a picnic lunch, then we were on the road by a little after nine. Driving via the land road on the outward journey was not as scenic as it might have been. The weather was doing what the weather generally does around here. You will see what I mean next Tuesday - the 'views' post will be a tad different - again!

Our first spontaneous stop was at the Rest And Be Thankful; this is a famous viewpoint along the A83, a road infamous for endless hill collapses and closures, resulting in traffic travelling on the Old Military Road. It is a big bone of contention among all who live on the Cowal and west of it... as this clip shows ... 

(Sourced from bbc.com/news - full report here... and sorry about the gapping - something about their embedding prevents me sorting this out.)

When the original road was built, even that had required repair. This stone commemorates the 93rd Regiment's completion of repairs in 1763, as well as the handing over of responsibility for its upkeep to the Commissioners of Highland Roads & Bridges in 1814... and that OMR has had to be maintained during the whole fiasco with the the 'new road' so that one wonders why on earth there hasn't been a complete re-think about this route... but I digress. After a brief, damp and windy look around here, Aitch and I were back in the car and heading for Tarbet, by Loch Lomond, but made another sudden stop at Arrochar as we passed through, for we spotted fuel at the best price Aitch had seen in weeks - so she topped up there and on we went for the scheduled morning tea stop by the mighty Loch Lomond. 

Again, the weather prevented much more than a walk down to the wee refreshments stall and a study of some of the boat tours that could be enjoyed - had one been able to see beyond the Scotch Mist! I must say, the hot chocolate with marshmallows was delicious. Back on the road, we focused on getting to Balfron as the day was disappearing from under us.

We found parking quite quickly, and it was right beside the hall where the quilt show was presented. This was my first foray among a crowd of folk since BC (before COVID), and I have to admit I found it a tad daunting. I did wear my mask, though most did not... and there was no possibility of keeping any kind of distance from anyone. However, it was a joy to meet some of the ladies that I had been hearing about from Mac1 all this time and see their work. A talented bunch but, naturally, I found my sister's to be among the best! She themed all her pieces around telling the story of pylons and lines using some of Dad's old photos and diaries as well as many, many, many photos and drawings of her own. Well done that woman!!!

Aitch and I took a couple of hours between the first visit and a farewell drop by later in the afternoon to go and have our picnic lunch, search a few geocaches and visit the Church of Scotland Balfron Kirk and cemetery. That proved to be very exciting - especially so for my dear friend... and I am going to leave that part of the story for her to tell (though I shall share a few photos in a later Tuesday post). If you haven't visited her blog, then here's the link! This week, Aitch has been recalling her visit back in April.

After saying farewells to my sisters (and cousin, as it turned out - yes the place was heaving with people!), Aitch and I set off on our return to the Hutch feeling quite content with how our day had gone. This time we drove via the Erskine Bridge and to the ferry. The brief summer we had experienced in our blessed two hours was well behind us and we were back to situation normal. 

Then along came Monday...