Last week I drove up to Millport in some of the worst weather I’ve ever experienced as a driver. The Jazz isn’t the most planted of cars when it gets windy, so if you throw in lashing rain and gale force winds it can be downright scarey at motorway speeds.
By the time I arrived at Largs and waited for the ferry across to Millport I’d had just about enough of it. Fortunately the ferry trip was reasonably swift and uneventful, given the conditions, although the last leg round the coast of the island to Ted’s new flat had me feeling a bit exposed to the elements.
Speaking of Ted’s new joint; it’s very nice indeed – if I was him I’d stick it out in the cozy new flat until spring time, rather than making his annual trek to Malta for only marginally better weather.
The next day the stormy weather had blown itself out, leaving it clear and dry with a crisp chill in the air. Perfect weather for a fresh walk, actually, so we made our way along the esplanade before meeting up with Ted when he’d finished work, then walked back to the flat for lunch. The weather was beginning to turn again by the time we got indoors, and it was back to wind and rain by the time we were on the road to Aunty Mary’s place later on that afternoon.
The short stop in Uplawmoor was time well spent. Elisha had good fun climbing the stairs, and Auntie Mary hade made us some tasty merengue’s, before treating us to dinner in the Uplawmoor Hotel across the road. The food there was great – I had some bream, while Fliss and Aunty Mary had chicken and seafood salad respectively. Elisha had her first taste of prawns, courtesy of her great aunty Mary, and even enjoyed a slice of lemon that she gave her.
We had to head off after the meal, as it was getting on and we were staying with Ian, Hazel and baby Abigail for the weekend, so we didn’t want to be back too late.
On Saturday all the boys got to go up to Glasgow for a meal at the Khublai Khan Mongolian restaurant for one of the best feeds I’ve had in a very long time. The funny thing is, that a few days later Crazy Uncle John commented that he didn’t think the food was all that tasty when he’d been previously. But the whole point is that you’re responsible for how it tastes!
You go up, choose your meat and whatever else you want, then you go to the sauce and spice bar and either follow their suggestions or conjure up something of your own. You give the cooks your dish and then you go and sit down, with the food turning up after it’s cooked to perfection. It’s brilliant, and the way you get a wee break in between servings gives you a chance to chat and then try out something completely different.
I really enjoyed myself on the night – I’ve never eaten kangaroo before, and I did feel a bit guilty for that, but you don’t really have to go for the exotic stuff. Probably my finest dish of the night was prawns with rice, spiced with a mixture of ingredients that I cant quite remember now. The end result was delicious, though – maybe I’m just naturally gifted at this kind of thing and Crazy Uncle John is a bit rubbish at it!
Ian and I had intended to go out after we got back to Helensburgh, but with his dad driving at Ludicrous Speed while we watched Spaceballs on my PSP in the back, we ended up feeling a bit sick by the time we were home. That and it was a bit cold and wet to be wandering out into town anyway, so we stayed in and chatted to the assembled family and felt better in the morning for it.
On Sunday myself, Ian, and his friend Alan headed down to the pub to get some lunch before watching the football. It was a pleasant afternoon – we met some australian bloke who was really nice, and we ended up talking about sport with him for a good while.
We headed home a little too late and got into trouble for that, as we’d missed dinner at my mum’s. What was left over was good enough for me, so I got stuck into some of that before playing TimeSplitters 2 with Andrew.
Monday brought the long slog back down to Liverpool, which turned out to go much more smoothly than the journey up, in comparison. It’s only three weeks until we make the trip back again for the xmas holidays – hopefully the weather will be a bit better then, and it’ll be good to have a bit more time on our hands.
