I'm so fired up with how well I got on that I'm thinking about where else I can go. The other good thing about it related to the cat. I figured out how to leave enough food for him for four days, by offsetting the time on the cat feeders by 12 hours, and doubling up some meals. He knew I was packing for something on Friday and was discombobulated. He obviously expected to be scooped up and transported to the cattery (two miles away, run by a lovely lady who just loves all her guests to bits, but he's been there three times this summer already). So he made himself scarce as soon as I'd given him breakfast. Good. That left the coast clear for me to dish up his lunch in his usual dish and leave it for him, and then set up the cat feeders with full rations through to lunch on Monday. I was away before he came back in. When I got home there was a sort of chirrup of "oh, back at last then?" and he wasn't even slightly fazed. It was much later than I had intended (see the "don't tell The MacMaster" thread for what happened after we parted) but I gave him his delayed tea, then an hour or so later when I was ready to go to bed he got supper, and we were quits. How long do you usually stay away at a time?
As far as getting undressed is concerned, I just did it out in the open. I had a secluded parking site the first two nights, although when I was getting dressed the first morning a guy did cycle in while I was putting on my bra. If I'd expected that I could have been using the open car door as a modesty screen. Well, you know what they say, if he's a gentleman he won't see, and if he's not a gentleman it won't matter. At Kilchoan, you know the pitch I was on. Car nose in to the hedge/trees, tailgate to the other pitches. Although the pitch to my left was occupied, the lower one to the right was empty. I simply opened the rear passenger door on the right side of the car and got undressed/dressed behind the door, with my flight bag on the load bed inside the door. Might not have been so easy if the lower pitch had been occupied.
It's the ventilation/heating that really sells me on staying inside the car. So extremely comfortable to have a constant, gentle stream of fresh air at exactly the temperature you want it. A' mheanbh-chuileagan were the major drawback, and I don't find repellants really do the business. The loss of the bite-away wand was a real blow. I've got it back now, and even given it a fresh battery, so I'll have another go at the lesions tonight. Rain would be another serious bummer. The German couple at Kilchoan, who were sleeping in a van, had a sort of lean-to tent to address this.
Back to food. I just threw some staples in a bag. A fresh loaf, a tub of butter, about three sorts of cheese, packets of sliced ox tongue and corned beef, a few tomatoes, a couple of apples and bananas, and some cup-a-soups. Also tea bags, coffee, sugar and salt. Basic cutlery, paper plates, a mug. The only disaster was the pint of milk, that didn't survive Saturday's temperatures. I hadn't intended to rely on these provisions as much as I did, the idea was mainly to have something for breakfast and possibly a before-bed snack. However there is absolutly bugger-all to buy along Loch Arkaig, and all the (numerous) campers had brought their own. I absolutely loved the place and wasn't driving 14 miles back to An Gearasdan just to find fast food. Another time I might look for some pot noodles or boil in the bag things.
I only took four litres of water, which probably wasn't enough when it had to do for washing as well, but there's a limit to how much I wanted to carry. Of course there's plenty water about, I just need to make the effort to walk down to the loch-side with the empties.
And all this is in the wrong thread.
I had crumpets with melted cheese on top this evening. I am missing a pre-molar, and eating very gingerly.
