The next morning, we went downstairs and had a really nice breakfast. A while later, as we were leaving, Ann and her husband said that he would drive us up to the village. I told her we really appreciated that, but we were feeling better and I knew that the walk wasn't as long as it had seemed the day before. It really wasn't far. They reminded us that it was already hot and the walk was uphill most of the way. I told them we're used to walking, but the heat did us in. Don't do well in the heat. We thanked them again and set off. We'd just gotten around that curve when a guy called out from his garden, which was not at street level, but elevated. He came rushing down and said, 'I was wondering if I could offer you a lift somewhere. You looked awful rough when I saw you yesterday.' We repeated what we'd said a few minutes before and chatted for a minute with him. As we started off again, Bill commented once again how friendly everyone was.
It really was not a long walk--about 20 minutes--and we were soon sitting on a bench near the bus stop with about half an hour to spare. We'd made sure to give ourselves plenty of time because if we missed that bus, the only way home would be by taxi or by taking a couple different buses in a roundabout way that would have taken hours. The bus we were waiting for would take 15-20 minutes, which was preferable in the miserable heat.
At 10:45, we went to stand where the bus would stop. It was due at 10:50, which came and went. Then 10:55 became a memory. 11. 11:05. By now we were getting nervous as we continued to roast in the sun. Finally, at about 11:10, I saw the little Local Link 966 coming. Just to be sure he'd stop, I flagged him down. He opened the door and said he wasn't doing the run that day, but there was another bus behind him and that guy would pick us up. He said he'd call him to let him know we were waiting. And he did. He pulled off the road and got out with his phone. Then he came to us and said the other guy would be there in 8 minutes. So he was. When we reached Dungloe, and we were the only ones disembarking, the driver said, 'I'm going 'round to the shops, you know, if you don't want to get off here.' I thanked him and said we lived just across the street. 'Going back at 2, if you want to go back,' he said.
And so we were home. It wasn't as hot as it might have been--we'd left windows open, but curtains and shades closed against the sun. It's still uncomfortable and I eagerly await the cooling that is supposed to come next week. And the clouds and rain that will block out the sun. I am usually a single digit (Celsius) kind of gal, but at this point, even 13 and 15 seem exceedingly appealing. Just a few more days!
4 comments:
Wonderful you have such nice people there! But, oh, what a trip!
I once hopped on a bus in Madeley / Perth by myself and it took another route - boy, I sure panicked! All went well, certainly.
I hope you do get to Ireland soon, Vicki! And maybe you can visit Bunbeg! It'd be fun to see you there!
All's well that ends well, Iris, right? :-) You got to see some unexpected sights from the bus window!
I read over the whole set of posts re this story and I wonder if it might have been better to go ahead and accept the ride to the B & B? I know it's not widely considered very wise in the US to take a random ride from someone but I more expect that in that small town at least, it would probably have been safe. I know there's a kind of desire not to put people-out but maybe in future if you find yourselves similarly knackered, maybe it would be ok? I kept wondering if you were going to wind up saying that you wound up in A & E over the exhaustion of the heat and sun. I have sun and heat allergy myself and there's no way I could have safely wangled it on my own. I would had had to enquire from the outset in town precisely the full measure of the endeavor. (Then I likely would have determined to find a taxi or similar.) It's been so so hot lately it seems like we sometimes have to take that extra step just to be sure we're not caught-out in a situation difficult to manage.
Are you thinking of going to this town? Do they have the shopping and things you'd need?
It's so sweet that the B & B was able to accommodate you early and set you up with a nice sit-down pizza situation. People do seem very thoughtful and I remember that sort of surprised feeling from when I was in various towns in Scandinavia. I really miss it. I think when you live in a smaller town like that (esp with NHS), people are more aware of things because it may be more difficult to get help so they just take care to look out for one another as a way of being. Half the people you talked to may have been on some kind of volunteer EMS or similar by nature of where their homes are located so that kind of puts a context to it.
I hope your appt went well, I seemed to miss whether or not you got back for it.
It's a great wee village and we're so excited! We were tired, but not dangerously so, so we kept on and in the end, we were glad we did--and we kept hydrating ourselves, too! :-)
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