Today was also the skipper's birthday - 37(!!!) - Eeek! So, like a good wife, I got up at the crack of dawn (well, 8am) and started on baking a birthday cake. First job was to soften the butter, but with no microwave, I had to be inventive. Over the vent of the dehumidifier seemed to do the trick & after some serious arm action, I had soft creamy butter, which got mixed with the eggs, flour & sugar and baked in a 1lb loaf tin. After we cut off the burnt bits (it's a gas oven on the boat - well that's my excuse anyway), the girls helped me ice, decorate & apply candles. See pic.
It was a beautiful morning on Islay, quite a contrast to what we had been waking up to the past few days. There were blue skies & sun, which gave me the motivation to head out for a quick run. My first in about 6 weeks & to be honest, I really noticed how much my fitness has suffered from my lack of activity (#lazybones) I really need to get back to training!
Back to Whisper, a quick shower, a rendition of "Happy Birthday" and a slice (or two) of cake & we were all set for a walk to Laphroaig, to stock up on Triple Wood - taking advantage of Chris' 10% birthday discount of course.
I took the Garmin, so for anyone who might care about such things, it's 1.89 miles from the marina to the Laphroaig shop.
Hannah again cycled like a pro, even making it all the way up the hill out of Port Ellen by herself. I suggested she deserved a green jersey...she didn't understand. (That's a Tour de France reference for those who also don't understand).
Successful purchases at Laphroaig & a nearly lost pair of sunglasses later and we were back at Whisper. I made sandwiches, Chris & the kids gathered up the buckets & spades and we headed for the beach. The weather was typically Scottish. Beautifully warm when the sun came out *takes off fleece* then the sun disappears behind a cloud & it's like outer Siberia *puts fleece back on*. Nothing quite like yo-yo clothing to put in an afternoon.
Picnic eaten & with a reasonably flat and hard grassy surface in front of us, we thought we'd take the stabilisers off Hannah's bike & see how she got on. She was great! After initial wobbles, she was storming up & down the grass and perfecting her stopping technique. I'll put the video on YouTube & post a link later (for the doting grandparents). She still needs practice, but she made great progress in an afternoon.
After our cycling exploits, the kids & Chris spent the rest of the afternoon fishing off the pontoons, they even caught a (very small) fish. Alas, not big enough to do us for dinner, so pasta with tomato sauce was the dish du jour.
We're now relaxing & enjoying a few episodes of Cabin Pressure - check it out, it's a highly amusing radio 4 comedy. We're VERY rock 'n' roll y'know...
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