Ceilidh in Ullapool

I am blogging from the living room in our cottage in Ullapool. James and I have just watched the 18.30 ferry pass by on its way to Stornaway, all lit up in the darkness.
It has been an exciting couple of days. We set off northwards on Friday morning and got a call from our lawyer at 10 a.m. to say that the house sale was completed. We arrived in Ullapool early afternoon and met up with the people who sold us the house; they gave us a final tour with useful tips and hints about how to operate the heating and various appliances. The removal van had only just left and they weren’t quite finished packing their car so we went for a walk into the town centre to give them a bit of time to finish up and to say goodbye to their neighbours.
So now we have a holiday house. It feels great but strange. We quickly set to unpacking and sorting everything out, and the afternoon flew by. We lost track of time and had to hurry to get changed and make our way to the Ceilidh Place for a Valentine’s Day dinner and ceilidh, called the Valentina Cantina. The weather was getting wild; the next storm is upon us - Storm Dennis. We didn’t know anyone else at the ceilidh but we were made very welcome by the staff when we arrived and found ourselves sitting with two very friendly couples, from Strathpeffer and Ellon. We all chatted during the 1970s themed dinner (because the Ceilidh Place first opened in 1970 so this year is its 50th anniversary.) Then the entertainment began. First the poet George Gunn read a poem that he had written in honour of the Ceilidh Place at 50 years old, and then the excellent ceilidh band consisting of Duncan, Dagger and Iain got started. We were soon all up on the dance floor dancing the Gay Gordons and the Dashing White Sergeant. My favourite was the Orcadian Strip the Willow, which involves multiple couples dancing and whirling down one long set while everyone else constantly moves upwards. What a laugh we had - there was a honeymoon couple who were extremely confused and a helpful lady was grabbing them and shoving them in the right direction. The bride felt dizzy and had to sit down; however her new husband remained on the dance floor which caused even more confusion! As we all sang Auld Lang Syne in a circle I felt that it was a really lovely way to celebrate our first night in our new life in Ullapool.