Midge Country

I was in Laid on the north coast today with the Reverand Dave, the apprentice pie-man.
It's difficult to imagine a more remote part of the country than the top north-west bit of Scotlandica, from Kinlochbervie around to Tongue, but it does have its attractions. The view from up on the hill behind Laid looking out over Loch Erribol is stunning.
As for draw backs, well apart from the lack of, well everything really, there are the midges. It was perfect midge weather today and only some hastily applied "Skin so Soft" saved us from a midge mauling, but they can still get in your mouth, nose and eyes. Fortunately the wind got up and saved us. After Laid it was round to Melness, with a quick stop off at the Talmine Store in search of a chicken pie to rival the ones to be had in Tongue, but no luck.
Still, these wee general stores in the middle of nowhere are always interesting places, usually having an eclectic collection of wares to be found. Talmine has all the basics you'd expect for such an off the beaten track kind of place with plenty of tinned stuff, home baking ingredients, treats and some nice pictures and postcards for the tourists, but why on earth do the good folks of Talmine require the local store to be stocked with four different types of olives?
Maybe a lot of martinis are drunk to anaesthetise against midge bites.