Desperate Hoosewives

The photo above was taken during Comrie's annual float parade on the last day of Comrie Fortnight back in August. A group of joiners got together to create this float, a parody on the popular television program, "Desperate Housewives." Here the joiners themselves are playing the role of the "hoosewives" hanging around their bedroom, waiting for men to show up. But the banner on the back of the float tells the story: "Desperate for Tradesmen."

If you haven't guessed by now, no one has shown up today. It's after 11 and not a soul has come or phoned. At 10:30 I phoned the contractor to let him know and got his voicemail (of course!). Even though Bill phoned yesterday to say the tiler would definitely be here this morning to start work on the roof, he is a no-show. Our brickies did return briefly yesterday afternoon, but couldn't have stayed more than 30 minutes.

I'm starting to feel the way I did when I was a teenager, waiting for a boy to phone who never did. Only in this case, there are several of them, not just one. It seems this process is dragging on interminably. This is nothing new, of course. Everyone in Comrie goes through this because there is so much demand for builders and only a finite number of tradesmen to go around. As it is, several of our tradesmen are from Crieff but they are all stretched too thin.

Last night's outing with Eric and Jackie was lots of fun. We enjoyed a variety of delicious tapas and a bottle of good red wine but mostly just being together and enjoying one another. We will meet up again next Wednesday and continue to see each other once a week until the end of March, when they go down south ("down south" means into England and usually, down to the London area, although not always). We will leave for the States in April the day before they come back to Scotland and they will leave permanently for New Zealand before we get back from the States. It will be sad to say goodbye but nice to know someone to visit in NZ!

We are having another beautiful but cold day. Lots of blue sky and puffy white clouds with brilliant sunshine. Don and Iain are out on the golf course. I'm staying home from Keep Fit to nurse my cold. I'm having another low-energy day, perhaps just the right kind of day for sewing beads on the last quilt and playing with the arrangement of the new one while it's still on the design wall.

Now, however, I must answer the many e-mails that came in yesterday in response to the monthly Highland Line. It is such a blessing to have the Internet and e-mail to help us keep close with all of you no matter where we--or you--are. Thank you for writing.