Reel 'em in

We don't get a lot of visitors, in fact we don't see many people. It's quite easy to go for a week and see only the postie and if only one of us does the weekly shop in Thurso, the other one could easily go a full two weeks seeing no-one. But we have ways......

There's a steady flow of fishermen who park up next to the cottage and walk up to the loch for trout fishing. Maybe three groups per week. I'll often engage them in a little chat - preferably before they head up, and drop some loaded hints about accepting any surplus catch. It's not worked yet.

Yesterday Jussi was cooking three trout that had been given to us by a local ghillie and sent me and Ailsa up to the croft to get some dill from the garden. On the way there were a couple of fishermen packing up and we stopped for wee chat. Half an hour later Jussi still didn't have her dill and saw that the fish was in danger of over-cooking and so she leant over the gate and invited them in for tea. They accepted enthusiastically.

Stefan and Kim are on holiday from Denmark and spoke excetional English. But some nuances passed them by. Having been offered tea they expected a drink, they were amazed to be presented with delicately poached trout, potatoes and green beans followed by freshly baked rye bread and goats cheeses. All washed down with copious quantities of the home brew bitter I was promising myself I wouldn't crack until the end of the month.

They were great company - respectfully keeping silent over the hard boiled trout but lavishing praise on the bread, the cheese and the beer. Kim is a chef - Jussi was particularly pleased with his comments on the cheeses. He also seemed to be a bit of an amateur mycologist and was particularly impressed by these mushrooms which we have in vast abundance in the cottage garden and all around.

After a few more beers and wide ranging discussions on the state of education, the rise of right wing politics, global warming and drink driving laws they staggered off to pitch their tent in the moonlight beside the Naver promising us gifts of freshly caught salmon in the next couple of days and a return visit with wives and daughters in the next couple of years.

Here's hoping! Good luck guys and thanks for a splendid evening.