I spent a lot of today getting the cottage ready for some friends who are staying en route to the Highlands. I haven't seen Ute and Thomas since Sam was a toddler. A lifetime ago really. They live in Essen and met my sister whilst travelling in Australia, who then introduced them to me. We had a very memorable adventure to East Berlin before the wall came down. It was lovely to see them, share a meal and find that they had not changed at all.