This is the moment yesterday evening, on the slipway at Ringhaddy, that Erin and Lewis set eyes on Islandmore for the first time. Well, Erin has visited before, but she was 9 months old at the time and is now 7, so her recollection is hazy. Lewis (4) told me that with the aid of these high-powered binoculars, he was able to see Lynn in the kitchen at the Blue Cabin, preparing supper. It's remarkable enough that his binoculars are ultra high-powered and can see through walls; but when you consider that they're made from a pair of ordinary toilet-roll inserts, available in most households, it's miraculous.
I'm sorry that I had to be off-island today, and therefore missed the ritual of the climb to the top of Eagle Hill and the 360-degree view of Strangford Lough it affords: an essential part of every child's introduction to the island. With those binoculars, they will have been able to see every inch of Islandmore's one hundred and twenty acres, and verify that there truly is water on every side, and that the only way on or off is by boat.
I should say, Erin and Lewis did bring parents, but parents are incidental when it comes to island adventures.
