Scotland! This is a Holiday?
Image Courtesy of Todhunter England
We're headed to Scotland soon, one of my absolute favourite places in the world, to spend time on Ardnamurchan. My mother-in-law bought a holiday house on a loch some decades ago and we visit every year for Easter. But it is now August, and that means 2 things: midges + picnics.
This family loves a picnic and while we’re in Scotland, there are few days without one. On the beach. On the side of a hill. In the fog, or the rain, doesn't matter. It once hailed as we ate. If its outdoors, we'll do it. But I do wish our picnics were as stylish as that photo. It's so romantic, isn't it? This is the very image of a British picnic I had in childhood. And when we were dating, my husband took me on such picnics. They were sun-drenched, lazy afternoons reading books, sipping wine, and nibbling cheese I couldn’t spell or pronounce. Our first wedding anniversary, we had a picnic in Bishop’s Park in London, sunny given it was November, and as we popped the champagne and nibbled the same un-spellable cheese, people murmured admiration as they strolled by. Several dogs said hello and one very tired runner mentioned sitting down with us. Over the years, our picnics have ranged in style, going from memorable to roadside-just-grab-something-to-eat-before-I-start-shouting. But in Scotland, picnics do not vary. It is a family ritual, and obviously, the family will fall into ruin and obscurity if the menu changes. Good think I like scotch eggs.
Picnics aside, what we all love most about heading to the family house (sounds grand, doesn’t it?) is the lack of connectivity. There is no mobile signal, no wi-fi, not even a TV signal. There is absolutely no way to be in contact 24/7. It’s a glorious way to be forced to relax and connect with the family. We play games, the other family obsession, and climb things, and walk on beaches with the occassional unexploded device from WWII.
This trip, however, we’ll be relaxing by doing DIY. The house needs some work and we’ll be earning our keep by cleaning out gutters, stripping mouldy wallpaper, cleaning moss off the driveway. (How grand is it sounding now?) It’s an interior designers dream, I tell you. And because we’ll be outside so much, in August, I expect to be eaten alive by midges. So, I’m taking advice:
What is your best strategy for midges?
Other than not going to Scotland in the summer, wearing a bee-keepers suit, or carrying a bug zapper with me. Citronella candles will be of little use on top of a hill. Help a girl out…