The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
FEELING VISITED ENOUGH, AND THANK YOU ALL
Apparently, there is a German phrase meaning “I am feeling visited enough” that you can say when you want company to go. Germany has always led the way with superb exports. Beer. Lidl and Aldi. VW Beetles and campervans. My gorgeous mate Nicola, and now this phrase. Eclipsing them all (sorry Nic), it is simply brilliant. I need to add it to my vocabulary. Immediately. I am exhausted.
Content but exhausted and right on time for a (hopefully) busy run at the café before the frenzy of Christmas.
A few months ago, we were lucky enough to be given a stay in a picturesque cottage by a fabulous charity called Something To Look Forward
To. It is a charity website for people with cancer and their families to access a variety of gifts generously donated by people and companies. Having not had a break since May, you can imagine
I was thrilled. It was only an hour away from us and we would be able to take the pups. The easy decision was made to gleefully accept, and we threw the parenting book out the door. Stealing the kids out of school for two days. Packing the wellies and some board games and heading on up.
How does the phrase go? All the best-laid plans? Biggest kid had shifts at her work so remained in Edinburgh. The mister had shifts at his work, although they kindly gave him time off. The dates for middle kid’s AB test (prelims, to me and you) came through for that exact week. We WOULD make it work somehow – this was supposed to be a relaxing retreat for me to help cope with my ongoing treatment after all.
Having not seen them in over two years (thank you, Covid), we extended the invitation to the mister’s parents and ploughed on with our indulgent plans.
Enter Arwen in all her bluster. Trees came down. Cars got squished. Slates flew off the roof. Travelling became sketchy and electricity deserted us. The wonderful owner of the cottage assured us all would be well for our arrival, and we forged ahead, deciding it would be an adventure.
If someone could please remind me, next time I’m offered a chance to relax and recuperate, to RELAX and RECUPERATE – that would be appreciated.
Rowan Cottage, situated within Capo Woods at Edzell, is a hidden gem. Comfortable, clean, spacious, and kitted out for the correct number of people. There was wood for the fire and nothing but field after field after field for the pups to run and run and run. I’ve never been more grateful for neoprene wellies walking those two and I wasn’t sure they’d want to leave when it was time to come home.
The owner was a lovely lady, and I couldn’t help but admire her trouncing round in snow-covered fields in a pair of tiny trainers.
Early to bed – let’s be clear, I want to run wild and live my life to the fullest, but I also want to be in bed by 9pm and early to rise to get middle “home” for the bus to school.
I love alone time with the kids in the car as they’re a captive audience and I hear all their chat. NOT, however, at 7am on an icy cold Tuesday morning in December heading along the A90. The dogs were given an exhaustive jaunt and by the time our visitors arrived, I was trundling back to collect middle kid again.
“Lovely to see you for three minutes after over two years but I’m off out – there’s the kettle, help yourselves!” Not exactly daughter-in-law of the year material but at least I’d made the dinner.
The next few days were equally hectic, and I didn’t quite achieve the Zen status that a cancer retreat implies.
I did, however, get to play board games with the family. Take long crisp walks with the pups. Fall sound asleep in the most comfortable bed surrounded by the sound of nothing. The quiet after the storm accompanied by the softness of snowfall. All warm in the knowledge it was all because of the kindness of a lovely lady called Caroline. Thank you, Caroline and Red for your generosity allowing me to be visited enough.