Yesterday started bright and early, and with much anticipation.  We set off from home just before 7.00am, with our neighbour's trailer in tow.  It was an absolutely stunning morning, and while I did have my camera with me, we knew there was a long way to go, so we simply had to push on past all kinds of photo opportunities.  However, we simply had to stop when we came upon this scene:



Just after 8.30 we reached Dundonnell Timber, to find the workshop neatly piled up and ready for putting on to the trailer.  There was much discussion about the logistics of this, a discussion which included details of trailer load allowances (1.5 tonnes), braking facilities in the trailer, width allowances for overhang, and other such technicalities.  I showed willing to help move the panels by donning seriously heavy duty gloves, but after being helplessly pathetic with the first panel, I decided to leave it to the experts.  Soon Mungo and his trailer were fully loaded:



and Richard (the skilled workshop builder) and Simon (manager at the yard) bid the workshop a fond farewell



and we set off at a snail's pace back to Clachtoll.  The weight of the workshop was enormous.  Bear in mind, this is not any old DIY shed you would buy from somewhere like Argos or B&Q, this is a muckle thick, custom built workshop.  And it was heavy!

Once back in Clachtoll, Steve and I began the hard work of unloading the trailer.  We managed, although Stevan had to manage a couple of pieces on his own, as my hands simply gave up.

It was a beautiful day weatherwise yesterday, and hard to believe that so much of the south of the UK was suffering with flash floods and heavy rain.  By early evening it was time to head out again into Lochinver, as we had tickets to a Blas 2008 concert, featuring Shooglenifty.  I managed to snap a couple of shots of Lochinver Bay as the sun was beginning to go down.  Just beautiful.



The concert started with a group of youngsters who have been attending a series of feis, and are talented instrumentalists and singers who have come together for a series of concerts over a couple of weeks.  They were seriously impressive.  And so confident, given their ages and relative lack of experience.



They played a few dance tunes too, and it was delightful to see just how inclusive the whole event was.  The tiniest of children were dressed up in their party frocks and kilts, and were helped through some of the very complex dances (so complex, in fact, that Stevan and I chickened out of taking part!  Next time ....).



After a brief interval, the stars of the show appeared.  Shooglenifty.  In the introduction to the band they were described as "irrepressible", and what an apt description!   What fun.  If you've ever seen the band live you'll know what I mean.  And if you've not seen them, if you get the opportunity you should.  We're a little hard of hearing today, as it was very loud, but what fun.  The musicality of the fiddle player, Angus Grant, was simply stunning, if a little unorthodox at times.



It was only today, when I was reading their biographies, that I realised that he was the son of the very famous Aonghas Grant.  You can always tell a student of Aonghas Grant, as they have the coveted red tassel on the end of their fiddle.  In the above picture it is only just visible.

And so, a few hours later, we made our way back home and crawled into bed, exhausted.  Today was another exceedingly tiring day, but more of that tomorrow.