An Array of Sunshine on Another Rainy Day

Today another parcel of batik fabrics came from Shara via eQuilter.com. Aren't they lovely? They are so bright and cheery on a very dark and stormy day.

The rain is back and looks set to repeat its last performance. The river is quite swollen and burns are in spate (running high due to run-off coming down the hills). On the Langside, the road between Comrie and Braco which is how we get to the A90 to go to Dunblane, Stirling, Edinburgh, or Glasgow, the road is inundated with water which makes driving treacherous. The hazard is further exacerbated by the potholes which are rapidly developing because of water running swiftly across the road but which can't be seen beneath the standing water. Walking anywhere is a nuisance because the wind is driving the rain so that it slants on a diagonal and wets any part of you that isn't covered (trouser legs are the most vulnerable). Yesterday afternoon we had about a 20-minute hail or sleet storm.

Needless to say, Donald hasn't played golf in too many days! I'm beginning to wish I had managed to get him an indoor putting cup after all. Oh well, he can catch up on his reading.

The new washing machine was delivered yesterday morning. It was installed and I have already washed 3 loads. The higher rpm spin cycle certainly does a good job. It has cut drying time in half which saves energy.

I went out this morning to coffee with the chorus girls. Afterward, we each had to make one stop in the village before we went home. Robbie was driving all of us so we were meet back up at the car in front of the hotel. Here is the typical blether pattern that can make one simple stop take 20 minutes:

I walked into the fruit shop (greengrocer) and picked up a tin of evaporated milk. As I was going to the back to pay the 65 pence for it, I met Trevor Griffiths coming away with his purchases. We said hello and mentioned the weather. "I think I'm going to need water wings if we get more of this" he said. I think I mentioned something about webbed feet. As I was about to pay for the milk, George Ferguson, the roofer was just leaving with his purchase (ham--for his lunch, no doubt). Robbie and I had noticed earlier and remarked to one another that George has a shiny new bright red work van. So I said to him "That's a nice new van you have, George." He acknowledged that and just about that moment, Robbie came to the back of the shop, having picked up a cucumber. "Hello George. I see you have a shiny new van." "Oh aye," says George. "Mebbe I shouldn't have gotten red. Everybody will be able to find me now." George left as we all had a chuckle. While Robbie was paying for the cuke, Neil Aitken came in.

"Hello, Neil. How are you keeping?" I said.

"Oh I'm absolutely sopping!" he said.

"The water seems to be coming up more every hour, doesn't it?"

"Aye" he says.

"I've heard the burn that runs from the top of Cowden Road around to the Heather Centre is in spate."

"Aye, it's well up. And of course, with the two labs, I must walk them regardless of the weather. Their morning walk these days is before first light. The other day I cut through the field going the other way from the top of Cowden Road around to the Langside and, without realizing it, stepped down into standing water up to my thighs. The water ran right down into my wellies and it took me 4 days to dry them out."

"Oh dear."

"But, of course, you can't explain to dogs that it's too miserable to go out."

"Of course not. Neil, I heard you had a big birthday celebration last weekend." (He just turned 70 and his wife, Morag, who is in the So and Sews, had told us all about the planned celebration.)

"It was super. Did you hear that my son Dougal surprised us all and flew in from Singapore?"

"Well of course. All of us So and Sews knew that long before you did, Neil."
Another big laugh.

Anyway, you get the idea of how it can take 20 minutes to spend 65 pence on a tin of milk.