Ferry Nice!

After a nine hour train journey, I boarded the ferry, homeward bound at last! As usual I settled myself in the bar. Over the years I, and hundreds of other islanders, have realised that it's the best place to settle down and stretch out for the seven hour crossing to Orkney. What I hadn't appreciated is that this weekend it is the Orkney folk festival and a lot of the performers were travelling up on the same boat. Almost before we left Aberdeen, the music had started!

Initially there were fiddles, guitars, a banjo and an accordian, then a double bass appeared, and a young guy assembled a drum kit! They played almost non-stop for the whole time; we had folk, country, jazz and blues numbers, it was excellent! I usually sleep for a fair bit of the journey, and read to pass the time, but not on this occasion! The bar was full, the atmosphere was terrific, it was a great evening, and all for the cost of a ferry ticket!

I could bore you describing the wonderful welcome home I got from Mike and Ollie, but it's sufficient to say that we had all missed each other and were all overjoyed to be back under the same roof again!