Inveraray 28 August

soop That song has been in my brain ever since I found it. I think I must have sung it at school, or heard it then, it was certainly a long time ago. It came into my head while I was in the garage getting Jacob fleece for thatbags but I couldn't remember all the words.

Now the song I keep singing is "We're off to Inverary in the m-o-o-o-orning"

Well that was just the most terrific fun.

We had a lovely, chatty, lunch with soop after which we were joined by a camera wielding mcsporran who, it seems, has the role of official photographer to the Argyll grans and pals.

bags Elegran and I then (after more coffee and cake in Lochgilphead) managed to get ourselves a more than little lost in our search for the Knapdale Forest. I suppose we could have paid a little more attention to the directions but that would have necessitated a lulli in the chat.

After much to-ing and fro-ing we at last managed to locate the site but sadly our beaver hunt proved to be fruitless. We did have a lovely, soggy, walk in the woods though and who knew there existed a fern with a sweary name? Fruckoff Fern? Was that it?

Back we then drove to Inverary where the lovely staff in the George Hotel rustled up food for us even though the kitchen had closed.

Finally at 10.30 pm Elegran and I left bags to set off on her drive home and wandered round the corner to our hotel.

What larks! [rainyemoticon]

We're gonna do the Lunch With soop and Knapdale Thing again, now we know the way! Those of you who meant to come but couldn't make it this time, get it down on your list for next year.

Sounds like you had a great time !

Sounds like a riotous day!

What sweary fern? I told you about Broad Buckler Fern, Scaly Male Fern (also Lady Fern which we didn't see), Hard Fern, Lemon-scented Fern.

Did you mishear Buckler?

Elegran & I must be equally hard of hearing, we both had a snigger.

Oh do grow up baubles

That fern has probably been renamed for ever in certain circles now.

It sounds as if you all had a wonderful time. It's a shame the beavers weren't more obliging but a good reason for going again. I'm really

I enjoyed our lunch very, very much. The time sped by all too quickly. I felt a little sad when saying farewell to three super Granspals. We motored on to Lochgilphead and spent time with our pal in the hospital. He has a blood clot on his lung, having had knee surgery not so long ago. He is responding well to treatment and was in fine fettle, which pleased us no end. Then we did a mighty big shop and returned fairly late in the afternoon, to wait hand and foot on a grumpy-looking big, black cat. In the evening we raised a glass of cheer to bags, Elegran and Baubles.

I am home at last after a very interesting day and a half. We had a chatty lunch and saw Soop and McSporran off, followed by a drive to Lochgilphead, coffee and an excellent apple pie and cream, then a tour of the back roads between Lochgilphead and Kintraw and back again to the turn-off we missed and along a differently wrong route to Knapdale, where the 6pm guided tour was nowhere to be seen (well it was nearer 7)

No probs, we were our own guides round the trail, and saw dams and debris, plus a lot of flora, mostly ferns and fungi, but the only fauna were a cormorant and a bunch of long-tailed tits.

Back to drip in the car and return for a late meal and so to bed.

Enjoyed it all so much we must do it again, in better weather and with a bit more knowledge of where to go for the wildlife.

Before anyone else says it - yes, wildlife and long-tailed tits are apt.

Elegran very droll.

Baubles - I told you 14ft but I was wrong - it was 10ft.
Mirroe dinghy

Should have previewed - Mirror

I think that oak we were looking at is Turkey Oak.

I thought of turkey oak, but the only one I know of is much bigger and stronger than that, with correspondingly bigger leaves. Pity there were no acorns.

(On the Lanark Road, beside a bus shelter just across the bridge from the Water of Leith Centre. Lovely acorn cups like mini birds nests)