Home again!

[shewhomust]

This is the last photo I took before we reached home: Scotland in summary, light and dark... Taken at Cairn Lodge Services, which used to be an excellent, independent. family-run motorway service station (yes, I know) on the M74 - and if that reminds you of anywhere, they are now part of the Tebay empire, slightly slicker but with a handy farm shop. Particularly handy on this occasion, as while we were at Tobermory we had received a WhatsApp voicemail (we hasn't known you could do that) from the Younger Neice, to say she and her hudband were visiting friends in Tynemouth, and could they drop in? Not for nothing does GirlBear refer to her as 'Miss Lastminute.com'. But we agreed they should come to Monday lunch, and I bought lots of smoky fishy things to feed them.

We made it home without the car falling apart, which was a relief. When we agreed the purchase of an electric car, at the end of last year, we assumed we would nit only have it in time for the trip, but have had it long enough to be familiar with it and its requirements. Delivery was scheduled for March, then for June, then for September, and is currently for four months off, and not getting any closer. Our present car is over ten years old and showing its age. Northbound through the highlands it began to make a noise, and has carried on making it ever since. The one consolation for the approaching end of the trip, as we left the ferry in Oban, was that if necessary the RAC would get us home from here. And, hooray, it wasn't necessary.

And the consolation for the holiday being over was that we had guests ad a sociable lunch to ease us into real home life. Tonight there are leftovers for dinner, and tomorrow it's back to work,