Meeting Miss T...15 8 25 (11) 25 1 23

In most peculiar circumstances because whenever I stayed in Glasgow in those days I used to stay at the World Globe-Trotters Hostel, up until Saturday the 23rd of August that is when I awoke early around 6 am to see these insects climbing up the wall next to my bunk bed, the top bunk of 2 when in the same instant I rose vertically out of my sheets never to set foot in the place again. Just recalling the moment now makes my skin crawl it was such a poignant moment...  

I had intended to rise early that day in any case because I was all set on departing Scotland for home a week earlier than planned and had decided to go to the nearby airport to see if I could get a cheap cancellation or standby ticket..? When I enquired at the airport and learned that it would involve a fresh expenditure of several hundred £ Sterling I decided instead to spend the week sightseeing so returned to Glasgow resigned that this would be my fate where I found a new hostel on Bank Street, ostensibly for under 25 year olds but where I was permitted to stay more than twice that age.

From there I spoke to my friends J and E who live in Argyllshire and they invited me over to stay the Sunday night with them. This fitted well I thought because J was visiting Glasgow Airport to take his daughter H there to catch her flight home to London after spending a few days visiting them. Perhaps it wasn't the soundest idea from J and E’s standpoint exchanging one visitor for another without respite for when we stopped off at a Supermarket during the hour’s drive from the airport I made it my business to pay for the shopping some £30 + in total, only to see the 3 T-bone steaks disappear into their freezer upon my arrival, when instead we had very simple fare for dinner, though it has to be said my red wine was to J’s taste if not meeting 100% with E’s approval..?

Further background to this visit was the fact that I had had one of the best weeks for collecting new peaks, 6 in total plus a few subsidiary tops, camping two nights in reasonable weather apart from the hoards of Midges above Loch Ossian on the day I collected 3 and the rest whilst staying at the Bridge of Orchy Bunkhouse which, altogether, had put me into something of a manic state so pumped up with adrenalin still by that time I came to stay, truly ready to chill and let my hair down a wee bit…

So it was come Monday morning the 25th came round and J drove me to catch the train into Glasgow where once again I put up at the Bank Street hostel... 

Rather than anticipate too much meeting this delightful young Japanese lady the next day while staying at my new abode and then spending the next 2 days in her company sight-seeing some of Glasgow's excellent museums perhaps instead i should leave it there and see whether in the next day or so your response in terms of how many people suggest i write a sequel is the better idea..? Suffice to stay i could not regret further the fact that i didn't succeed in flying out the Saturday before...

pics taken in the week preceding 1) from my campsite above Loch Ossian showing the enormous rucksack I carry on my modified shopping trolley; and 2) a view looking down on Loch Ossian from Beinn Eibhinn pronounced Bein Eevin and meaning "The delightful hill"

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