Mud, Mud ,Glorious mud

Waved off another happy band of holiday makers this am...actually I sort of raised a muddy hand in their direction as they watched me floundering across the mud to feed Mrs Pig and the three little pigs. I could tell which was mud and which was pig because the pig shaped bits of mud were rushing towards me and my bucket oinking their opinion on the 12hrly feeding regime. So, the first Connectors arrive tonight and more tomorrow. The supermarkets in Inveraray seem to have become exclusive alcohol emporiums, mainly beer and vodka so some good deals to be had next week then, alas that they are the two kinds of demon drink that I cannot take to. Quick impromptu run this afternoon after my cycle training came to an abrupt end with an inappropriate gear change whilst on the trainer. I can put the kids chains back on but after 10 minutes of achieving nothing more that an oil hand pack I decided to leave it for those more skilled in the area of bike maintenance than myself.
Running total creeping up 13miles

Exercises of many kinds (well, at least three...).

What a whirlwind of guests and beds and children etc this week. We have had some lovely guests, very chatty and friendly which makes life very pleasant. Have managed to fit a couple of runs in round all the duties, the first with Lizzie in Inveraray round the golf course whilst her youngest went to golf club. We did four miles which was pretty good considering that my legs were achy from climbing up The Bell Tower in Inveraray with Freya an hour or so before. The other run was last night at Ardcastle with Liz and two other desperate women willing to run in the rain, there are so many twists and turns that I am at a loss to map it but it was 5 miles so the total (11.8m)is creeping up. I finally managed to persuade Garret that, as he is undertaking his first open water swim as part of a sprint tri on Saturday (that is this Saturday!) he really should try his wet suit in the water. I was somewhat worried about the getting out of the suit before the cycle as a trial run, literally a dry run had me in fits as he tried to get wrists and ankles out from the vice like grip. However, after a wee dip in Loch Fyne during which he collected 2 stalkers (large seals who, apparently had large teeth and were showing altogether too much interest in him)it was apparent that a wet wet suit is easier to get off than a dry wet suit. Big relief, now getting in..that is a different story. Another quietish day with far too much time spent talking to friendly guests, can't resist and that after all is what it is all about! No hassle, then Toby did his Woolen Mill stint and then he and Freya had a lesson on Barra, the friendly but a bit lazy horse and Bubbles, the more lazy horse. My magnificent children then cleared out and hoovered the car despite a dreadful head injury for Toby (not a mark on him and soon recovered!). Apart from missing Rosie (we have a SKYE date at 8.30pm) a good day all round.

Beware guests leaving very generous tips...no connection with the following of course

My morning's tasks after clearing the table and saying good bye to guests etc always start with feeding the pigs, goats and poultry. the guinea pig and rabbit are left to the children or Garret due to uncontrollable and inconvenient allergies on my part. This morning I found that not only had Mrs Pig and the Three (not so) Little Pigs let themselves out of their field, they had somehow manipulated their trotters to shut the gate behind them..amazing. They had not gone far and were stuffing themselves like...well, pigs, with about a weeks worth of food. Despite such gluttony they were easily lured back home with a shake of the yellow (pig nut) bucket. Mr Pig was in the next field smug in his goodness and virtue. A walk around the fence deepens the mystery. Apologies for casting aspersions on anyone's integrity and honesty will be printed forthwith if more information comes to light.....I shall be interrogating the pigs later once I get a strong enough light bulb.

Pigs, goats and automobiles.....

Since I last wrote we have sold all the children and bought a new car...cool eh! Regretfully we have not achieved the height of car sophistication (in Toby's eyes), this belongs to a very cool guest (we only have that kind) who departed this morning towards Hadrian's Wall. He was very obliging and allowed a photo shoot before he left. The animal images were captured by Freya in a creative moment. We see Poppy and Tabitha having a wee chat with Mr Pig,having a good gossip, filling him in on all the scandal and no doubt "dissing" Mrs Pig. Then a little demonstration of the daily stretching exercises "Up and down and up and down and grab a branch and puuuulllll". Finally Tabitha clearly having a good chuckle and shamelessly posing for the camera.