At low tide this weekend, a mix of couchsurfers/friends from different countries walked over to an island in the Firth of Forth for a weekend of fun on a deserted island. There is absolutely nothing on the island apart from remains of the barracks from WW2, so it was really back to basics. Bring out the guitar, the campfire, and drinkies.

we had our own entertainment - graham on bagpipes

making sweet music in the bunker

We had such a great time on the island. It’s amazing how much fun you can have with a guitar, good times and good company. It has dawned on me that I am leaving some of these wonderful people in a month or so to move to London. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Rock on Edinburgh.

The scottish hee-lands cannae be more beuuuutiful amongst the hee-land coo’s! (my best Scottish impression, bad I know).

Me and the french boy spent 4 nights in the Scottish Highlands and boy, is it stunning. The weather changed between the sunshine beaming on our faces as we lay in the white sand to an eery post-rain mist stretching across the lochs and mountains, with a glimpse of the far islands amongst the haze.

The village was as I imagined it - small, friendly and humble. Everyone is a local and every person links up somehow (probably less than 6 degrees of separation… maybe more like 2 or 3!). So you go to the town pub and you see the guy who took you whale watching yesterday and the girl who works at the camping grounds chatting away like old friends.

our view across the loch

We stayed in a camping ground in Gairloch. We hired bikes and went riding around the mountain and along the loch before we got caught in the rain, We also went whale watching (on an extremely fast jet boat through the rocky waves) and generally laxed out in a wonderful place. The lack of tourists was also a refreshing change. It was rather romantic.

I walk down the street and around the corner of my neighbourhood and this is what I see. A group of young chavs with attitudes sitting on a staircase waiting for trouble. I can’t help but wonder if they have knives in their pockets. And if they do have knives in their pockets, whether they intend to use them.

Knife is the weapon of choice here in the UK. The worst thing about it is that people here prefer to turn a blind eye. Ignorance is bliss. There is a major knife epidemic here in the UK.

Knife violence. The motive? Race? Gang related? Or just looking at someone “the wrong way”?

I think the media is making it worse and sometimes even glamourises it by making the murderers somewhat heroes by slapping their photos on the front of newspapers. Broadcasting day after day about new stabbings makes people feel more unsafe and which therefore encourages kids to carry knives because they feel they have to.

People defend it by saying they carry weapons such as knives because it makes them feel safe - for protection.

But I would never stab someone, so I wouldn’t even think of carrying a weapon because it is completely pointless to me.

And how is this for irony in its crappest form:

Maybe we should ban kitchen cutlery and certain members of British society can rely on the government to cut their food for them because knives are obviously too dangerous to be left in civilian hands.

Life is good.

This week I am officially a bum again. Last week I picked up a week of temping work typing up mental patients notes with details of their medication and symptoms. Some of the things I read were shocking, too shocking to say here. And some people are on a whole cocktail of drugs each day which is sad.

As we all know, life can change in a second. I have decided I did not want to spend another christmas in miserable Scotland weather. So after the festival in August (cant wait!) I am going to move before winter kicks in again. I am not sure where or what yet. It also depends on the french boy and his job.

In the meantime, I am thinking seriously about doing some meaningful travel. Like teaching english to children in Africa for a month or working with AIDS orphaned children in the community. Volunteering is expensive, so I have to figure out how I could actually fund it. Maybe fundraising of some sort. So many dreams, not enough time.

My good friend/travelling buddy Alley (who has featured alot in my blog in the last 6 months) has left to live in Munich, Germany and am happy for her. We have had such a great time travelling together for the past 6 months or so and it was the best spontaneous decision we ever made travelling together. She is a star. Ciao bella. x