Branches/Office Blocks

Pentax K1000, Ilford HP5+, Double exposure at ISO 400

Today I lacked any sort of motivation at all… Rubbish. When the end of the day finally rolled around, I headed home to find A and S had beat me there by about 10 minutes! We had dinner booked for 6, so M and I had a very quick shower-and-change; just as we were about to head out of the door, M’s lifeboat pager went off. Agh! We had to head to Pizza Express without him, where A’s brother and sister-in-law were waiting for us. M called to say the shout was for flares spotted by 8 different people along the coast, and he’d be gone a while. It seems to happen a lot at this time of year – generally it’s people on boats thinking they’ll have their own private firework display: they don’t realise it means that the lifeboat get called out in case it’s a vessel in trouble.

The 5 of us has a really nice meal despite M’s absence, and as we headed off to the ceilidh at the music hall, M phoned to say he was picking himself up a fish supper and would see us soon. The band at the ceilidh started just as we arrived and we had three dances before M got there. He nearly wasn’t allowed in because it was sold out – A and I went to the door to plead with the staff but they weren’t having any of it… Luckily a girl walked past and had a spare ticket, which M bought from her for less than we’d all paid for ours (she was a student).

By the time everyone had arrived, there were 13 of us – a really good number for rotating partners and always having someone to dance with (often Scottish dances call for 5s or 3s). M and I must have danced 8 or 10 times – and the band played all our favourites. I danced with a big grin on my face all night… I love ceilidhs! A and I misbehaved a bit towards the end, spinning strange men as hard as we could to make them lose their balance; too much fun! It’ll be the same band that plays for the ceilidh on the night of my birthday, which myself, M, Mum and Dad and A and S are going to. They weren’t quite as good as Clachan Yell last time, but the music is only part of the fun of a ceilidh.

M and I stayed out with the crowd for a drink or two at Malones, but by the time everyone else was ready to go into the Tippling House, we were ready for bed! A and S don’t get many nights together without Baby F, so we gave them a spare key to our house and let them stay out and drink cocktails – I’m sure they won’t be thanking us for that in the morning!