Ullapool Tall Ships Festival

The Ullapool Tall Ships festival was great fun. Nice to take a few 'proper' days off and, judging by how busy the village got, driving lessons would not have been too productive. The weather forecast was not good, but, although not exactly 'July' weather, it wasn't too bad. Around Friday lunchtime it was actually quite hot and, even when it did drizzle, it did nothing to dampen the festival atmosphere.
There was talk of trying to beat the world record for the most people taking part in a 'Strip the Willow' dance. About 500 people took part (pictured), some way short of the record, but, even if they had have taken the record, it would have beaten by 2000 people in Oban, just an hour later.
Perhaps it was because Loch Broom is so sheltered, but it was a little disappointing that the Tall Ships did not come into Ullapool under sail. I have to admit, I was expecting a few more ships, but the ones that did dock were very impressive. Jane and I enjoyed the hospitality of Sarah and Sandy Mackenzie, in their B&B overlooking the harbour. The first evening Sandy took us out in his boat to take a closer look at the ships. After that he got his fishing rod out and, in complete contrast to my most recent fishing experiences, caught two pollack and a mackerel within just a few minutes. Now that kind of fishing I can understand.
There was live music on the pier each night. We went the first night, where The Vatersay Boys kept the whole crowd dancing. Afterwards, it was refreshing that, when you heard the thump-thump-thump of an approaching car's sound system, it was Ceilidh music that was being belted out. There was plenty of choice for live music in the pubs and bars on Saturday night, so we passed on The Saw Doctors, but it didn't really matter who had been playing because everyone was just out to have a good time.

Parking was very much at a premium, in fact, a park & ride system was in operation, and sadistic fun was had watching people trying to squeeze into impossible gaps before giving up and driving off. Campervans are not the easiest vehicles to manoeuvre, but I hope that almost all my pupils could have done a better job of parking  than the driver of this vehicle... Why use one bay when you can take up four?!

Whistling with a shoe full of slush*

March 1st already. The year has really got a gallop on.
Yesterday, I was in Ullapool with an half hour gap between lessons. It was such a beautiful day I fancied sitting outside The Ceilidh Place and enjoying a coffee while I read a book for twenty minutes. As I pulled up opposite, Robbie and Murdo, who live a couple of doors down, were sat outside their house with coffee and invited me to join them. We sat there, in short-sleeves, chatting and exchanging pleasantries with passers-by while the sun beat down on us, bouncing off the whitewashed houses and turning Loch Broom a pearlescent blue. If I had not been driving, a jug of Margarita or Singapore Sling would have made it perfect, but the coffee was fine. It was hard to believe that it was still only February.
Later that afternoon, I drove home over the Diridh and through Inverness. I had Saint Etienne on the CD player, but The Byrds or Teenage Fanclub would have been just as suitable. Something was different. Everyone seemed to be driving at a constant speed, keeping generous gaps and not overtaking, even on the A9. In Inverness I witnessed the strange phenomenon of cars indicating correctly and being courteous to each other. No-one seemed to be in a rush and it made the drive a real pleasure. What was happening? Either everyone was on happy pills, or they were all listening to Saint Etienne, or the hint of Spring had mellowed everyone.

Heston Blumenthal gives his diners an MP3 player with headphones with certain dishes. For example, while eating a seafood dish, they may hear sounds of the seashore, or the sound of a distant lawnmower with a summer salad. He also has waiting staff who may squirt a complementary (and complimentary, I would hope) scent (freshly-cut grass with the salad, for example) to further enhance the whole sensory experience. Could this multi-sensory experience be applied to driving?
With the warmth of the sun on my face, Foxbase Alpha on the CD and the pure air of the Highlands coming through the open window, I could not help but feel blissed-out as I drove home yesterday. With my first lesson this morning, his driving was making me feel slightly less relaxed. He was putting too much priority on changing down the gears and not enough on using the brakes to bring the speed down. It is a common fault and I explained how coming off the accelerator earlier and braking progessively would give a smoother, more controlled approach to the junctions/hazards. It took a while, but he finally cracked it and we enjoyed a much more relaxed second hour of the lesson.
It crossed my mind to 'do a Blumenthal' and play soothing background music and light some joss-sticks as an experiment to enhance and encourage my pupil's more chilled approach to driving. But I was out of joss-sticks.

(* - "Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." - Doug Larson)