Up The Yangtze River
06/26/2005
Every now and then we enjoy a magical evening in Glen Trollaigh. These evenings are never forecast and never anticipated, Saturday was just such, the sun shone from a cloudless sky and a steady westerly breeze kept the midges at bay. Dearest Dottie and I laboured in the garden and it was a delight to rest a foot on the old spade for a momment or two, sip a chilled semillion from a plastic cup to draw in the air and beauty of our wonderful Tower of Glen Trollaigh, looking its best while we watch and count the swallows and house martins swooping from nests in the eves, turrets and dormers. Only sunset sent us indoors for a light supper and to watch a superb TV film “A girl in a café”, I think it was called. Such a pleasant end to a hectic couple of days in London at the T.S. group AGM. The Sanderson side of things has been running the group most successfully for years and have gone from strength to strength in everything from banks to drinks and car making. Nevertheless, we Trollaighs still own a good chunk of it and the shipping side has performed very well this year. Because of expansion in China, a delegation from Shanghai was present; imagine my delight to find old Lee Wong amongst them. At the end of a long day Lee, our girls, Dottie and I shot off for a spectacular meal at the King’s Cross Formosa, still as special as ever with full service til 2.00 am, even if you need to pay someone to guard the motor. Lee and I retold many old yarns of our time together when I was Naval Attaché in Shanghai and Lee was in the Chinese Secret Police, for once we were more or less on the same side as we all tried to persuade the bloody French to abandon their out dated colonial aspirations in Vietnam. Of course, it all went pretty pear shaped for yours truly, when my grasp of technology failed and my telephone call whispering pornograhic endearments to Susie the luscious hotel receptionist turned out to be on an open line to the British Ambassador’s horse faced daughter. It was full ahead down the Yangtze and a six-month posting on St Kilda for me! Ah memories. Yours Aye, Archie, The Baron Trollaigh.