Here I'm at Monachyle Mhor ... I'm visiting my very good friend Jean, we met whilst training with our guide dogs last year and have been firm friends since then. Jean lives on a farm in the central highlands of Scotland, she is surrounded by beautiful mountains and lochs. Her home is adjoining the family run hotel. She has met and made friendships with many interesting people who have come to stay here.
Jean: "Margaret... Margaret you've arrived! I must sing our happy song to you! Are you lonesome tonight, tra la la la"
Mags: "Hello darling! (laugh), when are you going to learn another song, when you were asked to sing the I'm... H A P P Y song at the training centre, I nearly died laughing when you began singing Elvis's song, I thought you were joking at first, but i've found out since it's the only song you know and not all the way through at that"
Jean: "I know Margaret, I was never very good at remembering songs or anything else come to that, (laugh), here have a glass of bubbles!"
Mags: "Champagne! at this time of the day?"
Jean: "It's never too early to drink champagne, anyway, it's after 12 noon isn't it?"
Mags: "Not quite Jean, it's quarter past 10"
Jean: "Is it? I'll have to have words with that damned cockeral, I'm up 2 hours early this morning again, the little bastard! (laughs)"
Mags: "Ah! that's a shame Jean, (laughs)"
Jean: "Well it depends how you look at it really"
Mags: "Does it, how?"
Jean: "Well it means we have 2 hours extra drinking time, cheers!"
Mags: "Never thought of it like that, cheers!"
Jean: "So have you heard from any of our friends at the training centre lately?"
Mags: "Well, Dusty sent me a joke by e mail the other day"
Jean: "Did he, he never sends me any jokes"
Mags: "Well they're a bit rude Jean and he thinks you are a lady and I'm not the person to tell him any different, besides he says you wouldn't understand them"
Jean: "Well he's probably right, the cheeky bastard!"
Mags: "We had some fun at the training centre though"
Jean: "Oh yes Margaret, do you remember when you flooded the shower compartment?"
Mags: "How could I ever forget, it went right out in to the toilet block and out in to the hall past the bedrooms"
Jean: "So it did, (smirk)"
Mags: "Yes, you came out of your bedroom that morning and said, has a dog had an accident?"
Jean: "Gosh, yes, I did (laughs)"
Mags: "How you ever thought a dog had piddled on the floor, when you were sailing up the corridor in an inch of water is beyond me! (laughs)"
Jean: "Lots of big dogs at the centre"
Mags: "How's things in the hotel?"
Jean: "Oh Margaret, you'll never guess, the other day somebody spilled a bottle of vodka over the electronic till!"
Mags: "Oh no, what a waste!"
Jean: "(laughs), but wait till I tell you, the till company wante £600 to come and repair it"
Mags: "£600, wow a lot of cash"
Jean: "That's what I said as well, so I told the family that we weren't going to be bloody robbed and to give me the phone book until I phoned round for a more realistic quote"
Mags: "Good for you, don't blame you!"
Jean: "So I rang up this company in Glasgow, I said do you know to the guy on the other end, we had a quote already and the Thieving bastard wanted £600 to fix it!"
Mags: "Were they shocked?"
Jean: "They sure were, there was a long pause and the guy at the other end said, Mrs Lewis, I'm the thieving bastard who quoted you £600!" (laughs)
Mags: "Jean! Jean! you are hilarious! What did you say?"
Jean: You'd be proud of me Margaret, I thought of an answer very quickly"
Mags: "Oh thank goodness"
Jean: "Oh yes, I can think standing on my feet when I have to"
Mags: "that's my girl!"
Jean: "I said, oh hello, how soon can you come up to Monachyle to fix it?"
Mags: "(laughs), bet that threw him!"
Jean: "Oh it did, he's coming to Monachyle tomorrow for lunch"
Mags: "For lunch, what about the till?"
Jean: "Oh, he says he'll take a look at it at the same time"
Mags: "But Jean, £600!"
Jean: "Ah, it's only money Margaret and he seems such a nice fellow"
Mags: ""Jean, men are always nice until they get what they want and he wants your £600!
Jean: "You are so right there Margaret, do you know my rob said to me the other day would I like to come out with him for the day?, I thought to myself ah, how nice of him, so we got ready and jumped in the car. We were driving along and I asked where he was taking me and do you know Margaret, he took me to a sheep sale!
Mags: "typical male! Anyway, how is your computer skills coming along? I don't suppose you have done much since you broke your little finger""
Jean: "Oh, I've managed to send a few e mails and so on"
Mags: "Have you, that's really good"
Jean: "Yes, it is, the only thing I can't do is use the letter P" " "
Mags: "That could be a bit of a handicap"
Jean: "Well it was a little embarrassing the other day, now you come to mention it"
Mags: "Oh, what happened?"
Jean: "Well, I was e mailing Sandy Lyle, he's a good friend and neighbour of ours, to congratulate him on his great play at the open last week"
Mags: "That was nice of you Jean"
Jean: "Hope he thought so"
Mags: "What do you mean?"
Jean>: "Well, I typed... you are really exciting to watch, I was so thrilled and thanks for the great (LAY!)"
Mags: ""Jean, Jean, (laughs), (play) (lay), I don't believe it!"
Jean: "Believe it Margaret, (grin), come on it must be time for lunch and the red wine is ready to be sampled"