"If you build it, they will come"

I could hear the noise, a horrible, irritating "bleep, bleep, bleep" but surely it was a mistake? I mean I was sure yesterday was Saturday, which meant today should be, eh, Sunday?. So I checked my phone and it confirmed that it was Sunday, "So why was my alarm going off at 07:00 . . . on a Sunday?"

And then like a bad dream it dawned on me, it was Carey's fault and I remembered when Carey asked "how'd you fancy coming along to help man the stall next Sunday as we're doing a KiltWalk Roadshow at Loch Lomond Shores" and I said "sure, what time?". So he told me and I did have to ask him twice, and both times he said "is nine 'o'clock OK?" "followed by oh by the way, can you pick up Jenny too?" and I can remember this squeaking noise come that came from my throat which said "yeah, I can do that, no problem".

What then followed was a different story as Jenny and I spent a few days swapping disbelieving emails which went something like "does he really want to be there at nine, on a Sunday morning? Is he mad? Are we mad?"

Now fast forward back to the present as I "grudgingly" got out of bed while everyone else in the house enjoyed their Sunday morning lye in and my grumpy mood started. I did however, feel more than a little bit better when I picked up Jenny as her face was like thunder, and all of a sudden she was making me look like a "morning person". Suffice to say we spent the journey out to Loch Lomond moaning about our early start and agreeing that is Carey was late he was "getting it" and furthermore if he didn't furnish us with coffee, pdq, he was "double getting it".

So as we arrived in the car park and as we headed down towards our pitch at Loch Lomond Shores, Mr McEvoy came bounding towards us full of early morning cheer and enthusiasm along with offers of coffee and breakfast, so he was instantly forgiven.

However there was work to be done before hot coffee could be consumed and we set about assembling the Gazebo, or Wendy House as Jenny called it, pulling up KiltWalk banners and erecting the folding table to put KiltWalk registration forms, brochures and badges on and before we knew it, it was all done and I think you'll agree from the picture above, it looked the business, even with Carey and Jenny in the picture.

Now the picture may portray beaming sunshine, but don't be deceived as let me tell you it was bitterly cold, so Café Zest had never been so welcoming as we sat down to plot the day in between mouthfuls of breakfast. "How do we approach people?" Jenny asked, "Can we give the Kids badges" Carey worried, "I mean what if the pin on the badge jags into them?" and at that moment I had my Shoeless Joe moment, (think Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner), as I said "If you build it, they will come" and come they did.

They came with their friends, they came with their children and they came with their prams. They came with their dogs, they came with their sunglasses and warm winter jackets and they came with their cameras and tripods. They came to our stall and they took our leaflets, they took our badges and they took our Car Air Fresheners, but most of all they all wanted to learn all about The KiltWalk and more than learn, they wanted to sign up there and then, so they did.

We had NHS Workers, we had Scotland Supporters Club members, we had CHAS Volunteers, we had students who had heard all about us on Twitter, we had Americans who wanted to register and then wanted to know where they could get Kilts and we had holiday makers who "can't make the April 8th event, but will travel up to Speyside for the May KiltWalk" and what's more "They'll tell their walking group all about it".

It was exhilarating, however perhaps the favourite part of the day was when we met the Speirs family, who some of you who have been following our Blipfoto page will remember from our story back on the 9th February? Well today they had just picked up their daughter, Cora, from Robin House and had decided to head down to Loch Lomond Shores and quite by accident we all had one of those "it's you" moments. Gary introduced us to his family and it was great to meet them, particularly Cora who has just celebrated her tenth birthday. Gary explained this was a day they never expected her to see, so they savour every day they have with their lovely girl. Gary is talking part in The Kiltwalk and their will be more pictures of Gary to come, as he's planning to do a little 22 mile "warm up walk" from the family home to Robin House to publicise The KiltWalk.

It was also great to be part of the Loch Lomond Shore community and we were taken aback by the help and friendliness of all of the stall holders along with the Café Zest staff who were more than happy to hand out some of our KiltWalk freebies to their customers.

So as the day drew to a close, a day that had started with a "Carey blinking McEvoy, I'll choke him" feeling, then it ended with Jenny and I both thinking, "what a great day this has been and it was more than worth it. So roll on the 4th March when we'll be setting the alarm for 07:00 and we'll be back again for the next Loch Lomond Shore Roadshow.