With all that’s been happening here, I’m very behind with the latest from our patch of Scotland! One of the biggest events of the Otter Ferry calendar for the last 15 years has been the Bastille Day weekend (14th and 15th of this month). This year was our first and also our last…first for obvious reasons (being new residents) and last because Alain and Dorothy, of the Oystercatcher Pub and Restaurant, are moving back to France at the end of the year. They are going to be hugely missed…but that is a whole other story; in the meantime, these people sure know how to throw a party!
A terrific storm the night before dumped plenty of rain on the scene but Saturday dawned partly totally cloudy, wet and windy and then it just got better and better. By noon, the sun was winning and shone down on the yachts bobbing on the sparkling water, and on the cars that overflowed the parking lot and lined the roadside in every direction.
Despite the sunshine, the breeze remained cool until the afternoon and the start of the festivities was heralded by the sound of the Scottish smallpipes, (shown in the photo) beautifully played by Jim, who together with his lovely wife Ann, lives just up the road.
Community involvement meant that many of the neighbours were out and about. Jumble and second-hand books, model steam trains, a bouncy castle, raffles, baked goods, flowers and plants, crepes, hand made greeting cards and hamburgers on the grill gave visitors lots to do. The bustle down on the waters edge saw many motorboats docking at the pontoon and plenty of people enjoyed the ambience (and a cold drink) from the tables set out on the grass. All in all, some 500+ people joined in to mark the weekend. Proceeds from sales and raffles benefited the British Heart Foundation and the Cowal Hospice to a total of £426.36.
Canopies protected some of the stalls and others were out in the open but the rain stayed away for the whole weekend. This must have been appreciated by those who found themselves in one of the many tents that had sprung up like mushrooms on the grass in the back garden of the OC and others that spilled out onto the edges of the roadside...
Note: I'm posting in sections 'cause for some strange reason I can only upload a few pictures at a time
And then I uploaded this one twice! Sigh...sorry.
