Sketchy

“It is easy to make fish soup from an aquarium with living goldfish, but just try to imagine what a challenge it is to make an aquarium with living goldfish out of fish soup”

Five hours of horizontality congeal into a dry-mouthed Seb, packed and ready to depart. At the pier shed we dismantle tents and move vast pots full of leftover curry.

The stalwart organisers are shuffling blearily Jonah, Cathy, Janice, William, Estha, Lawrence G, Paul. Luke ferries is over the loch and Sarah gives Lee a lift to Ullapool before turning around and dropping me and ?? (retired Scoraig headteacher, now in Ardguy) in Inverness.

Lured by 30% off, I spend an hour in Blacks, emerging with a camping gas burner and a pair of Brasher trousers. I munch on an M&S salad bag as I shuffle to the bus station.

Inverness airport is uncharacteristically busy. Many flights are delayed due to bad weather - although mine is still on-time, but four hours distant. In the lounge I snack, catch up on emails, post back-blips. Aggie sends me a copy of Diyanne’s sketch of John.

There’s more bad news about the Kinghorn flat - a previously unknown council enforcement notice.

The Heathrow Express whisks me to Paddington, the H&C to Portland Place. A Falan Gong is sitting contemplating the Chinese embassy. I fling flat windows open, make the bed, eat some beans. The alarm is set for 5. What would John have said about this life?