We had Popmaster this morning at Knockan Crags and then headed to Ullapool. We needed drinking water, I wanted to wash my hair (cold water only at the loos at Knockan) and we had a shopping list of food supplies. This is our last week of the month so we’re on limited funds with the expensive holiday of two weeks ago and Davies’ birthday out of this months cash flow, so we broke out the Tesco clubcard vouchers that we have had in reserve for food. They were mostly from when Ady used to use Tesco for his work fuel and we had about £40 worth.
So we did that, scarily spent £50 but did need to restock on things like shampoo, cotton wool buds, tea bags aswell as actual food and while we got lots of value stuff and tins we also got a fair bit of fresh fruit and veg as I feel really odd not having that now (I know, how things have changed!). We’re trying to balance cheap with healthy, processed with able to bake in the van and not entirely compromise all our ideals about stuff like organic / free range etc. Not easy! Today we went for chicken burgers and chips because they were on offer so very cheap dinner, but did have loads of stuff like fresh fruit, cheese and oakcakes for lunch. The rest of the week will be stuff like pasta bake, steak pie, fish cakes and so on. We’ll manage til next Wednesday but will have to curtail our travelling a bit as petrol will not be a feasible expense for this week like it was last week.
Shopping done we went for a wander round Ullapool – funny place with several shops selling touristy things but no real shops as such. There was a charity shop where I tried on a couple of pairs of jeans as all of mine are falling down. The size 18s were on the big side and the size 16s almost fitted. I’ve not been a size 16 since I was about 21! Didn’t buy any but am hoping by the time I have some money in a couple of weeks I might just be able to buy the 16s :).
I called in to the public loos while Ady and the kids went back to the van and I told Ady to come back to collect me with Willow so I could fill the water containers up. Imagine my surprise (is it just me or does everyone think of the Viz letters page when they see that phrase?!) when I discovered two shower rooms in the toilet block 🙂 🙂 So in we all trouped with towels and shampoo 🙂 Scarlett and I went in the disabled one and Ady and Davies in the other. I can only assume they are there for fishermen or something but we very much appreciated them :). So lovely hot showers and hairwashes all round, water bottles all filled, we got back in the van and headed north again. We suddenly realised it was 3pm and we were all ravenous so we stopped in a beachside layby for lunch. We spent ages watching four eagles circling in the distance and speculated for a while as to whether they were sea eagles, after closer looking with binoculars we decided they were not and given there were four together we thought they must be parents and their young. Later we saw four together again a few miles further north which we assumed must be the same group. This time one of them got close enough for a positive golden eagle ID – so exciting 🙂
We headed back north with the intention of finding somewhere to stay overnight before doing a couple of things near the Summer Isles tomorrow – they had been planned for today but the need for food and water drove us out to Ullapool! We ended up driving way further and for longer than we’d hoped, including passing both the places we’re going tomorrow and driving in a big circle. We were all getting slightly fed up when we turned a corner and spotted a deer, then two, then three and then realised there was a big stag there too – all so well camouflaged. We were so close and able to pull over, wind the window down and take photos while they stared at us before finally getting spooked and all running off. Magical :).
” alt=”” />
” alt=”” />
That cheered us all up and then we found a parking space too :). We all got very excited when the northern lights notifier on Ady’s phone went to HIGH and thought we were going to tick off yet another thing today but it has since dipped back to MODERATE and although I am sitting with the curtain open facing north I can’t see anything. Not sure how long to sit up on watch really, everyone wants me to wake them if I see anything…
We had dinner, I read several chapters of Matilda and the kids had pre-bed hot chocolate. I have no Mifi signal (and infact am not sure how much longer I’ll have the Mifi for, I got a message on it the other day to say it is an internal SIM card and will be disconnected, so have emailed my contact there to ask if it can be kept going but am not sure what will happen -eek!) but Ady’s phone can also work as a wireless hotspot, although it is slow so not able to upload pictures still 🙁 Fingers crossed for tomorrow on that one.
Realised one of these days you’ll be going past Stromeferry (no ferry) . That’s what it says on the sign, and it has passed into our family folklore. I think it crops up in an Iain Banks book too. Complicity iirc.
Comment by Jan — 27 September 2011 @ 6:32 pm
I want to suggest that the eagles are in fact pigeons given your identification of that family watching for dolphins on the opposite shore at Rosemarkie! But its not fun unless you’re next to me to give me a thump ;-).
Comment by michelle — 28 September 2011 @ 12:43 pm
rofl Michelle! V. jealous about the eagles. Well, actually about everything. Hmph! 😉
Comment by Kirsty — 28 September 2011 @ 6:49 pm