Someone has stolen the lighthouse!!! Set off this morning to the Cape(notice local jargon already-impressive heh) in the sun and went around the last bend and went into the commentary "and here is the lighthouse first operated on Christmas Day in 1828" and there was no bloody lighthouse!!! Fog Fog and more Fog. I thought I had got my bends in the road mixed up cos there was no lighthouse there. When we got within 50 yards it rose out of the gloom. I still told everyone where the best viewing places are, just in case they ever come back, but adapted it to say standing next to it was currently the best place. The commentary was a bit bland on the way back somewhere along the lines of " if you look out to the left you would normally see Kervaig Bay with its golden sands, Cathedral Stack and the highest cliffs on the UK mainland but its foggy so you can't" Not sure it went down well but I still stopped for the photo opportunity!
Checked that there were no Argentinians on board before I mentioned that the Cape range was used by the Army to prepare for the Falklands War fortunately there weren't any and I have to say it looked really bleak today which added to the atmosphere. If there had been any I might have dropped them off so that there could get a practice in just in case they try again. (Only joking but then if it had been Maradona I might have been tempted)
Met more interesting people again from all around Europe and was informed by a girl from the Czech Republic that the English are hated by the people in Dundee so that will be a Yes vote there then!! Funny how people get these strange impressions cos everyone we have met has been fab! Stuart and I have alot of banter which is brilliant and I have to say that he is a great guy who is a top notch guide.
Bad news for the day is that Benteke wants a transfer-PRAT
Jo started her job today and here is her blog:
I started work today! Elspeth is part of the NHS Community Care Team and she works as a physiotherapist. She is unable to drive due to a bad accident so I am to form part of the team who ferry her around when she is not working from home. We went up to the surgery to collect the car , an Astra so a nice easy drive. It is a turbo diesel but I suspect we may not get too many opportunities to try that function. We set out for Tongue – about thirty miles away to the east of Durness. The first part of the road is single track with designated passing places. Apparently it becomes a nightmare in August as camper vans move like white snails along the only route between Cape Wrath and John O'Groats.Today was not so bad however we did get stuck behind a slow moving caravan. I was given permission to act like a local, tooting and flashing to make them pull over and let me pass. Elspeth spotted James on his fishing boat collecting his lobster pots out on Loch EribolI but I had to keep my eyes on the road. We passed the yellow mobile library van as it was pulled in beside the dwellings of Eriboll. It made me think of our mobile library van at home and wondered if we could get a postcard to Derek. Just as we reached the wider road Elspeth pointed out the Community bus collecting the older folks for luncheon club. How strange that Luncheon Club in North West Highlands is on a Tuesday the same as at home. Apparently they mutter and grumble just as much with some of the older but more active residents not using the service because they consider themselves too young. Human beings are the same everywhere! Elspeth does quite a lot of work with the older generation developing routines that are designed to keep them mobile and safe in their own homes for longer. As she pointed out it is mostly about educating people how to adapt their lives thus enabling continued independance. She also has an interest in rehabilitaion of stroke patients. With the wider road I was able to appreciate the scenery on our drive with some spectacular views over mountains and sea. We drove through a suprisingly well wooded area before crossing a bleak heather clad moor. We seemed to be up in the clouds with a fine mist on the windscreen. In the winter this is not the place to be for long and is often snow covered. Apparently the winters up here seem to be getting milder with less and less snow but when it comes it stays for days. Trips to clinics are cancelled and diaries re-organised. We crossed the Kyle of Tongue on a type of causeway bridge and climbed up to the village and the clinic. I spotted a ruined castle perched on the hillside, an intersting excursion for next week perhaps. A colleague takes Elspeth on to another clinic at Armadale for the afternoon so I might be able to find some sightseeing to do for a whole day out. Armadale is about another 15 miles further along the coast. I helped Elspeth unload some interesting bits of torture equipment for her clinic and then set off for the drive back. It took just under the hour and already the road felt more familiar.
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