Day 390 a day by the sea 🌊 ☀️🌊☀️🌊

There is not a single wave here today (typing this on the West Coast of Scotland!) except the waves in my head and boy am I good at making them. 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

As usual on a day off I seem put myself under huge pressure to try to make the best of the day. First of all I want to get lots of things done but the sun is shining so I also want to get loads of photos for the blog.

This results in a grumpy and stressed out Rambling Sloth which poor Craigie found to his detriment when he asked me a question…. about milk in my coffee 😬😘😘

He escaped to work and I took the pups down to Kilbirnie Loch for a big run around with a new tennis ball!

Back up the road and saw a sign that life is getting back to normal…. the Tennents lorry is delivering to the village pub.

I wanted to do something different today and had big plans to go somewhere….. just not sure where……. so I’ve spent the rest of the day down at Portencross. I took the van obviously…. and the kettle and it’s been beautiful.

Should say here that a varifocal lens doesn’t make for the best rock scrambling companion. Ended up having to take them off to get a secure footing. 🤦🏻‍♀️🙄😂

I did try to book the ferry to Arran today but it was full. Have to be content with watching it from the beach instead!

Now I need there to be a career in sea and island photography. I love love love love love taking these photos and could have been there all day. It’s so peaceful. I actually love the solitude too.

Now this is where the silence ended but I had a very interesting day people watching and chatting to random people.

There was a guy working on one of the benches, playing music. I was a bit annoyed at first that he was ruining the peace but it was actually lovely Gaelic music. It was actually quite a good mood setting for the environment.

It turns out the singer was Julie Fowlis who sang on the soundtrack to the film Brave.

I’ve put in a link to one of the songs he was playing this afternoon.

Julie Fowlis

He was speaking to everyone that walked past. He had a bowl for water for dogs…. but no dog. He had wee dog biscuits. He said to me that he hoped the music wasn’t too loud and I should let him know if it bothered me.

He got chatting to one couple for ages and when he turned back to his car to get something they said, bloody typical, always happens to us……I’d been thinking the same thing as I sat crocheting.

I couldn’t help but hear everything that he said to everyone…. he was super chatty, super positive but didn’t really know when to step away…. eventually a couple of ladies with a puppy dragged me into their chat as they asked about my crochet. They were trying to get away but they also kept instigating chat with him too. One of them had just retired and one was profoundly deaf. The deaf lady had a 13 week old Shitzu pup….. cue chat about puppy stuff.

For the rest of the afternoon I watched him from behind my crochet…… he ran over to some folk with an Australian Shepherd because it looks like the dog that he walks for his friend. He wanted to show them a photo. I watched them be uncomfortable at first and then he dropped to the ground and got a very reactive rescue dog to give a paw, a cuddle and the owners thanked him so profusely for allowing them to socialise their new dog. (The dog behaviourist-wife in me was a wee bit horrified but it all came good).

He talked to a man in a wheelchair about his disability. He told him about his own metal leg after an accident climbing. He offered the dog water in his dog bowl.

He talked to a couple about their wee Westie/Jack Russell cross. They ended up talking about cancer and how many close family they’d lost this last year as a result. Sad to hear.

He played his guitar from the back of his car. He asked everyone if it was ok first.

The whole afternoon has been strangely fascinating. This guy who could be perceived as a pain by some is just so interested in other people. He said that everyone has their own life and struggles and he just wants to listen. (He did an awful lot of talking too!) if he can learn from other people then he thinks that’s a blessing.

He got most of that car park of folk talking today and despite initial discomfort at his forwardness….. they all seemed to leave a bit brighter after his chat.

My suggestion to him this afternoon was that he try some meditation to bring him some peace after he said his head was buzzing with so many things. I kinda meant he should try it now. There and then. It would help….. 🤔🤦🏻‍♀️🙄🤣 me…. it would help me.

Anyway I’m rambling now 🙄😬😂 which I guess is how I roll. I just do it all in my head. Silently.

Then this appears in the sky. I took this photo!

Wow. I saw an actual sun halo.

A lovely day but I may need complete silence for the rest of the weekend. 😬

Stay safe everyone ☀️☀️☀️