Happening Hot Spot

Now, you may not believe me but this

is one of the most happening hot spots 

in Armadale, Isle of Skye. It's a restaurant 

called The Shed and it serves foods fresh

from the island: Mallaig haddock caught right

near the pier that The Shed resides on, locally

grown veg, including clover and edible flowers, 

scallops, smoked trout, and lovely prawns.

And then there are the desserts.

There's nothing like warm sticky toffee pudding 

topped with the best ice cream in the world.

The proprietor of The Shed is one of my

godmother's best friends, Ann MacPhail, 

and her three gorgeous daughters, Emily, Becky,
and Victoria, take turns helping her out.

A decade ago when Victoria was just a wee girl,

perhaps ten years old, she took me horseback 

riding and grilled me on all things American,

particularly her obsession with WWF.

The Shed only seats 10 people at a time and 

when I'm on the island, my godparents assemble

a cast of characters, use their pull with the

owners, and we take over The Shed.

It's a BYOB, so everyone brings a

bottle of wine or a few cans of beer and we feast.
Once Ann and the girls finish preparing our
delicious meals in the smallest kitchen known
to man, and are done serving them in an
equally tight dining room, they come out from behind
the counters and join in on the conversation.

Sometimes, in the early morning (well, not

too early since the altitude of Skye is

VERY conducive to sleeping in) I'll get up

and walk the three miles down to the pier

along the sea road for a gorgeous caramel latte,

 lower Skye's answer to Starbucks and an excellent one at that.

In a few short weeks, I'll be back on Skye, ready
to cram into the dining room and walk the sea road once again.
Summers on Skye are the epitome of perfection.
If you ever want to join me, let me know;
Ann can usually manage to slide in another chair or two
because on Skye, there's always room for a few more.