the way familiar

today i took the way, i drove from north to south, one hour and twenty minutes. i filled my tank in saltcoats, exceedingly grateful that my lady rav required only pounds twenty five to slate her thirst. i was accompanied by a big bowl of potato salad, the makings for a green salad, a bottle of south african peppadews and a nice little californian chardonnay. one thing about the hart and oellermann clans, when we meet up to celebrate or even to chat ... we eat, drink (mostly coke, sprite and fanta!) and love to be merry.

it was a grey old day ...who is surprised....
past irvine, love that town ... so many shops, motorway all the way to ayr, good road, seventy miles an hour, loads of traffic ...not a problem. red light held me up at the big traffic circle on the outskirts of ayr, once more noted the restaurant proudly proclaiming "ben and frankie's new york style restaurant" hmmm, must remember to try that one, maybe it will be like a diner, with stacks of pancakes and canadian bacon and maple syrup. maybe the burgers are really big like back in the states. perhaps even gherkins and yummy coleslaw. man, i love american food!

leave ayr behind, the country starts to change, more rolling green hills, more cows, more sheep. there are three villages between ayr and girvan ... minishant, where they have turned a beautiful old church into an indian restaurant, decorated in red and gold, not really to my taste. however i am reliably informed that they do a great meal. if we are brutally honest we will admit that the inhabitants of this green isle are a lot more interested in feeding their stomachs than feeding their souls. so perhaps turning abandoned churches into restaurants is merely a sign of the new generation...
easier to have faith in a finely spiced chicken korma than in the god of abraham...

maybole next, ah maybole... driving through that place requires nerves of steel. the roads are so narrow and there are cars and trucks parked everywhere. one can actually see drivers holding there breath as they weave their beloved motor through this mayhem! there is a large sign attached to the wall of the big old barn, on the left side of the road as you enter maybole. "support the by pass" ... no need to ask me twice maybole... you really need that by pass! my dentist, joe...works out of maybole. i was lucky to find him, nhs dentists are a dying species in our neck of the woods. joe is great, reckon he is the fastest dentist in the uk...if not the world. plus he smiles, jokes and is mega cute...what more could a girl wish for in a dentist.

leaving maybole, my rav and i weave our way past the ruins of crossraguel abbey. the old abbey always brings my muse to mind. we spent sometime exploring there during her last visit. if my memory serves me i was being my old obnoxious self that day ...very the hell in and probably exceedingly grumpy! my new self is obnoxious less often ...well that's my story and i'm sticking to it. i wind my way up and over the hill until i reach the "otters take care" sign, if there are any otters, they are a lot more road wise than the sign makers give them credit for. i have never come across an otter on that road...living or dead. i always look out for them, beautiful winding, downhill road, woods on both sides, leafy branches reaching across to form a shady canopy in the summer time. under the narrow bridge which has a sign saying " vehicles approaching in centre of road"...this never made sense until i actually met a large vehicle approaching in the centre of road! seems the bridge is not quite high enough and the heavies have to use the centre of the road in order to fit under the bridge.

kirkoswold next, what can i say about kirkoswold...hmmm. there is a garage which is no longer a garage, it now sells and services lawnmowers. i personally would not chose to live there, i daresay at least a dozen people would disagree with me. there are quite a few houses built of wood, they have pretty gardens with lots of rose bushes.not that i actively dislike the place, it just does not grab me no "wow" factor for me.

ok ok out of kirkoswold, along the road, up the hill, reach the crest above turnberry...there she is. ailsa craig...the sweetest volcanic plug in the world! she moves you know, the whole island moves...depending on the day she will look close enough to touch or far distant, sometimes she even disappears.she is beautiful, she is magical, she is the sentinal who guards the ayrshire coast. our family feel sure that she sits on the back of a giant turtle, which would account for how she manages to get around!

take the turn to the left and travel the coastal road, through the village, past the cannery...real farming country now, beautiful coastline. up the really scary hill of twists and turns and down the other side. point of pride never to touch my brakes! big, big rock to the right with a sign painted on it "jesus died to save us". really scary hill that,pretty easy to plunge off the cliff and into the sea, best not to lose concentration... just as well to have a few words about salvation...

coming up to girvan now, i love girvan...know it like the back of my hand. omg! there is a new robot (traffic light) and the new asda is up and running... i could be working there. thank mickey mouse i am not! through girvan, funny, familiar...turn right at the traffic circle...
the coast is so beautiful, hard to concentrate on driving. new crops growing.... sunflowers and maize... what the heck is going on! maybe this climate change story is not just a rumour. down to 40mph, slow through lendalfoot, respect for the home parish...up the hill, caravan park and spa to my right, hope they are making money ...i would never have built a spa there, in the middle of nowhere.
ah... the farm road "balsalloch" and "north ballaird", almost there. the road is shocking, must have had a lot of rain, the potholes have all become small lakes. the boys aka beef cattle have churned parts of the road into deep mud. slip sliding, glad of my 4x4 rav. good to see the boys again, even though they try my patience by blocking the road and impeding my journey. good to see the bunnies, even good to see the suicidal pheasants. why are those poor birds born with such an inbred deathwish.
there are the fields and the wild flowers,the hills and the ocean, the owl and the island. i am here, i have reached my little piece of heaven.