A birthday, soap sellers and a fair

Saturday, 28th

Yawn. Waking up at 4 am is really what I don't look forward to. But today was an exciting day. It was Davids birthday and also we were all going to the Blair castle grounds for the fair.

After a quick shower and a quick toast and a quick tea later we all piled on to the car. Ann and David in front and G, me and skip the dog in between us at the back. No sooner did the car start and the scenery started rolling by, your truly fell asleep. I woke with a certain wetness on my neck and a strong smell under my nose. Well yes it was skip licking me and his breath under my nose. Thankfully the car stopped and I jumped out of the car for fresh air, before I got sick. It was still a while to the fair grounds. The sun was up and the rays bounced of the river Tay. The looming mountain and the greenery was delightfully inviting, I wished that I remained there while the others carried on their journey.

The castle has its history from the 13th century. I believe the castle is set in the finest surroundings in Scotland in Highland Perthshire.

The grounds were already filling in with visitors and artistes. We went inside the stalls and set up our merchandise on display and then stepped out in the warm sun to experience the horse fair. And such a fine experience it was.

There were these decked up horses and ponies which did a funny dance with their hooves going klop klop. Gymnasts in their finery, displayed such fine acts while riding the horses. Chariots of fire, literally (horses jumping from rings of fire). There was a man who displayed an amazing talent with a falcon, an owl and an american eagle. And all this was compered by a woman with a horsey voice.

Taking a break from the performances we went in search for food. G discovered the amazing beavers tail, not literally. It is a cracked wheat bread topped with onion and gralic cheese and a simple yet lip smacking beef steak pasty. It was so good that in greed we had two.

When we returned to the show, a lady in Victorian dress and a young girl in a similar dress were riding horses, delicately but with a powerful rhythm. The noise of the compere was drowned with a sound from the sky. Air acrobatics were being performed by a jet plane. Ann participated with Skip in the dog show and came second. In between all this David found a van selling "Haggis pakodas". Though we did not try that, but we managed to buy some honeycomb and coconut sweets (reminded us of a forgotten flavour from our childhood)

G decided to give Ann and David a break and offered to take care of the stall. Alvira, the lady selling jewellery also entrusted her stall to G to manage. Well it certainly was fun. While I cut and wrapped the soaps of desired quantitites from the bar, G managed the cash. The visitors definitely looked startled to see two brown skinned youngsters selling soap and jewellery and that helped us pull in the crowds and sell quickly

Inbetween people from Bowmore came with trays carrying sample of their whisky, the oldest distillery in Islay. The whiky was of the smoked variety, the process in which water is run over peats of coal. This distinct taste definitely excited my taste buds.

Though the crowds were still flocking the stall, it was around 6 that we decided to call it a day, as a dinner table was booked at the Loghouse at 730pm to celebrate David's birthday.

We reached home and changed our attire. Ann looked pretty in her trouser and cardigan, while David with his hair combed and shaved, looked someone different. We left the house, called the restaurant to inform we are getting late. We drove through winding roads along the farms, where bales of straw lay carelessly. A few people to be seen, some fireflies against the dusk, and moths clammering around the street lamps.

The restaurant glittered with people, music and happiness. We ordered a locale ale and decided to have the famous Angus beef steak. The steak was nice, juicy and was accompanied with a thick dark sticky sweet sour sauce. I finished mine and switched plates with G. While G lingered on the empty plate I polished off half of the steak from G's plate too. G carried a nice watch from India for David's birthday and presented it to him, to his surprise in the restaurant. We finished our dinner with a cup of nice strong coffee.

We drove back home, happy and in silence under the stars and moonlit sky.

The next day was kind of relaxed for us. We were to be home learning the nuances of soap making, with David as our teacher. We helped Ann pack more soaps for the fair, considering the success today and yesterdays.

As we went to bed, the moon was smiling at us from the window.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

awww niceyy posty except for SKIP and his weird gestures eeewwww