It was one dreary looking female who got up the next morning, and it took a lot of willpower to actually get upright. I had to be in the kitchen for seven to do my prep, but at six I had the dicy job of switching on the geysers, as tony put it off at night to save a bit of money.
To do this was really hazardous, and feeling like I did this morning made it quite dangerous as well. The switches was in the room above the kitchen, so I had to slump up a very steep staircase, and getting to the top, usually quite breathless, I had to take a very deep breathe, as now the dangerous rafters awaited! There was no floor in this room, and the few rafters left was spaced about half a meter apart, and the switches resided on the opposite wall. So one actually needed the balance of a circus acrobat, and the nerves of a lion tamer to attempt this job! I was frantic, as a rule, but this morning, with the poor old head aching like the blazes, and the poor old eyes almost sightless they were so swollen, I took one humongous breathe, and like a bally tightrope walker I sprinted from one rafter to the other, and could not believe that I had actually made it safely to the switches!
 Then it was the return jumps, and I took another gasp, my chest now feeling real tight, and just went for it! Tony promised every time I moaned that he would have a decent walkway put up there, but as he is running around like a beheaded chicken himself, I think my moans went in at the one ear, and out at the other, as no attempt had so far been made.
The bar was in chaos! I had to make the coffee in there, as we use the big coffee machine, but every available space was filled with dirty glasses, and it smelled like one very dirty shabeen, that means an illegal drinking spot in our townships back home. I opened every window, and the front door to get rid of the stale smells, and hoped by the time the guests came down the place would be fresher!
I did see a few noses quiver in disgust as the people started coming down, and I noticed that they all looked like I did, with red eyes and pursed lips, although my lips were stretched in a kind of what I meant to be a smile! They were all very upset at the noise through the night, and I tried to explain that it didn't happen every night, but that we had a beach party! They were not at all interested in my explanations, just ate their food in silince, gazing at nothing in particular!
I was relieved to say the least when I had seen the last one off, then went into a panic as Toni came down, looking terrible, his hair uncombed, his beard long, and his clothes looking as though he had slept in it, which he probably did! I told him that I would see to any one coming in if he wanted to take a shower first, but he explained that the truck would be coming any minute to fetch the sand.
What a bally racket! Only Frazer and Willie came to help, themselves not looking quite alive, and between the lot of them they cleared all the sand from the pub lounge!
I found this card in a shop in Callander, and having experienced the bally midges for myself, I think this is probably not far from the truth!!!