A Weekend Of Two Halves

09/12/2005

I enjoy my weekend helped by fair weather, as it stays mainly dry and warm with the odd burst of sunshine. All our guests arrive on Friday night as darkness falls rather than the more traditional Friday teatime thus throwing dinner into confusion and setting me on edge. I was also somewhat taken aback by the hundreds of thousands of pounds our guests seem to spend on their motors that look fabulous, but require a chap in a white coat armed with a laptop to keep functioning. I had to stifle a laugh as a Mercedes agent rushed 100 miles to help his client close a jammed electronic convertible after the car was flooded by dearest Dottie’s lawn sprinkler. On Saturday I persuaded Lachie and a couple of hired hands to organise stalking for the reasonably fit, while I took the infirm to the river where we had a little success and more importantly no casualties. We did meet up with five “fishermen” armed with everything but a fly rod, who when challenged did leave the banks, but made it quiet clear with tossing beards and ponytails that the days of old riparian landlords are numbered under the Land Reform Act. They became quite peeved when I managed to stuff a bin bag full of all their empty cans, bottles and sandwich wrappers through the back window of their car as they sped off, the irony of their “rights” under the L.R.A. was unfortunately totally lost on such ignoramuses. As the light started to fail, I organised a tour of some of the older parts of The Tower of Glen Trollaigh. I am pleased to report that our guests seemed genuinely interested as I warmed to my favourite topic and only the polite coughing of Lachie let me wind up the tour, leaving time to shower and change for dinner. Nature notes for the day, confirm the counting of twenty house martins and swallows left wheeling around the tour, I do hope they have not left their migration too late. Midge numbers are well down and judging by the signs some of Dottie’s wild wood animals may be moving back to the outbuildings. Now a massive Hendrick’s and tonic before I face Saturday’s dinner. Yours Aye, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.