A week in the life of… the Ellis Cameron column

When I came back to Oban at the beginning of June I did wonder how eventful life was going to be for me, as it is obviously quite different to life in Glasgow.

Thankfully, I’ve been quite pleasantly surprised with life back home, as although there aren’t quite as many things to do, it’s still been easy to have fun.

Work

This week started with two days off from work, which I was pretty excited about. I’m currently working part-time at Piazza, an Italian restaurant in Oban.

I’m finding it pretty fun, especially as we have a lot of tourists in at the moment – and the tips are really good, which helps! It’s always quite busy but I’d rather that, because you do feel a bit useless if you’re just standing around waiting for customers and you’d rather not look like a crazy waitressing army to all the people who are just coming in.

Everyone’s been really friendly, and the food is fantastic. My personal favourite is the Linguine al Salmone, which is a pasta dish  with mushrooms, salmon – and prawns, if you ask for them. It smells as good as it tastes and you wouldn’t be disappointed ordering it.

I’d also recommend booking a table if you were heading here for a meal, as it ensures you’ll have a  good view by the window, as well as ensuring you have a table to eat off too!

Play

In my two days of relaxation, I managed to achieve a surprising amount. First I had a driving lesson with Linda Thomson, a local instructor from Appin. Linda’s a really lovely person, who genuinely cares about how you feel when you’re driving, making sure you’re happy with how you’re doing and chatting away to you so you relax. I get on really well with Linda because she’s so chatty and funny. She’s very good at putting you at ease, as well as building up your confidence to help you become a really good driver.

I then had to spend a slightly less pleasant hour at the dentist, as I was having a crown fitted to one of my front teeth. I’d accidently chipped it at Glastonbury, sadly not in some very cool rock ‘n’ roll  incident while crowd surfacing or trying to open a bottle with my teeth. I’d actually knocked off the bottom of my right tooth while putting my sunglasses in my mouth – a lot less exciting than you’d hope for a Glastonbury story.

However, it needed to be fixed so I’d popped along to see Hamish Isaac at Shore Street Dental Practice for a bit of tooth TLC. Hamish and I go far back, mainly because despite severe amounts of brushing, well, my teeth just aren’t very lucky. He sorted me out and I now have my first crown, which thankfully looks no different to a real tooth.

Not A Dull Boy

I also made sure to visit my mum’s friend Elspeth to see her baby, Ally. Ally turned 1 in May and he’s at that very cute baby stage where he’s not screaming or crying, much to his mum and dad’s delight. He’s an amicable wee baby who has a very cheeky smile and knows how to use it to get that extra spoon of custard pudding or a big hug. His favourite pastimes include switching on and off lights and playing with pots and pans – not my idea of a great time but he certainly seems to enjoy it!

He’s a real little charmer who I’m really looking forward to watching grow up. He’s changed so much already in the past year, going from a shy little baby to a brash and bouncy boy, so I can’t wait to come back and visit him at Christmas to see what he’s like then.

I was back at work on Wednesday, looking forward to a bit of work after having been out the loop for a day or so. We weren’t excessively busy, but as usual it was nice to have a lot of tourists and locals in for lunch and dinner, as you really do get a wide variety of different people in at Piazza. We’re situated on the North Pier in Oban, so the view is great and the sunsets can be stunning in the evening. It’s the sort of place a lot of people are just passing by but stop to eat at because it’s so picturesque.

Near Misses and Nights To Remember

I did have a small disaster on Thursday however. I was running through a card payment when I thought some of my hair had fallen down from my bun. I went to flick it back up but instead made contact with the wasp that had just landed in my hair (not the phantom hair I had believed to have fallen. It didn’t sting me, but it did give me a pretty large fright. I’m going with tragedy plus time equals comedy though, so in the end I do have to laugh because it was a pretty funny situation.

Thursday night I had my friend Rachel round, so we could have a bit of a girlie night. She also moved away to Glasgow last year and is back for Summer, just as I am. I think it’s really nice that i’m still friends with all the girls I was friends with in high school, as well as some others who I’ve met in Glasgow.

Although being home is a lot different to be being in Glasgow, a night in with a friend is something which doesn’t really change, regardless of location. Even although I love a night out in town, a little night in can be pretty fun too, especially if you’re catching up with someone. I haven’t seen Rachel a lot over Summer as we’ve both been working, so it’s been nice to have a catch up.

Friday night centred on Markie Dan’s, one of my local pubs. Everyone was in a great mood, as it was the final night of West Highland Yachting Week. I took in some local music, and enjoyed a few Mixed Fruit Kopperbergs. In a word – perfection.

Sweet Home

Oban may not be perceived as being the liveliest of places but I’m enjoying being home for Summer. It’s just a different way of living, that I don’t think you can really compare, as it’s such a change from being in Glasgow. All I know is that when I move back to Glasgow at the beginning of September, there are certain aspects that I will really miss, and I’ll look forward to coming back at Christmas time.

Ellis Cameron, Young in Argyll Editor

The photograph accompanying this feature is by copyright holder Ellis Cameron. The lead image is the commercial property of Piazza and is reproduced with permission.