The hairy cow quest

July presented an opportunity for me to travel back to London for work, and naturally I wanted to spend some time on Bute. To my absolute delight, my 18 year old daughter, Ruby, expressed a desire to join me on the trip. My teenage son was less enthusiastic, so my work trip morphed into a mother daughter adventure.

There is so much to write about our time in the UK - it deserves a blog post all of its own. Suffice to say that it was a truly magical experience together and one that we will never forget. I hope it is the first of many!

As we arrived into Scotland, I asked Ruby what she would like to do. She was very definitive about seeing the Scottish cows with their magnificent coats - or the "hairy coos" as the Scots like to call them. I had to admit that I had always had a bit of a soft spot for them too, so I was happy to oblige.

As I pondered her wish, I realised that the hairy cow popped up regularly in my Kyles of Bute musings. The home page of my website features one:

The doorstop of the second bedroom is a wee hairy cow:

And even the key ring to the flat (courtesy of Bonnie Bling) featured one:

I had seen them before on the island, so I was confident that it would be an easy wish to fulfill. And according to my Mum, my Gran (Mary Jane, who was born and raised on Bute) used to talk about the Scottish hairy cows. Apparently, she had a beautiful picture of them in her home in Toowoomba - which I vaguely remember. Sadly, that seems to have been lost.

When I introduced Ruby to our friends, David and Lewis, they presented us with two matching key rings. Knowing my preference for avoiding checked bags, they had rightly assumed that a small gift would be best. In what had to be a clear sign, the key rings featured hairy cows! And of course, Ruby and I were delighted.

We explained our desire to see the hairy cows and that it was on Ruby's wish list. David and Lewis were also confident that it would be an easy one to achieve, and we even discussed the hairy cows that lived next door to Lewis' flat.

However, despite exploring extensively, they were no where to be seen. I grew concerned that perhaps we would need to venture further north into the highlands to achieve Ruby's wish. At some point, my common sense prevailed and I began to wonder if their distinctively shaggy coat was a winter feature - not an all round year occurence. And of course, a bit of research on google confirmed that to be the case. They were there in plain sight, simply wearing their summer coats. Hmmmnn!

And as is often the case, curiosity leads to knowledge. I am now aware that the highland cow is the oldest registered breed of cattle in the world, with their presence first recorded in the Outer Hebrides in the 6th century. I have also learnt that Queen Victoria preferred the red coloured cattle, so a selective breeding of that colour has resulted in their proliferation today.

But the bit I liked learning the most is that there are two breeds: the West Highlands or Kyloe, and the Highlander. The Kyloes are found on the western islands of Scotland - which of course, includes the Isle of Bute. I quite like that "Kyloe" is similar to "Kylie", although I don't think I am quite ready to compare myself to a hairy cow!

On a very wet and chilly day during our Scottish adventure, Ruby was decidedly unwell. I cancelled our day trip to Glasgow and instead made sure she was warm and comfy in our flat. It was the perfect day to put on the fire and read.

I ventured out on foot to get supplies and discovered a magnificent painting of hairy cows in Afro Celt, a lovely antique shop on W Princes Street in Rothesay. I thought it would be the perfect reminder of Ruby's quest during this trip, even if it didn't quite eventuate as planned.

Ruby loved it and we decided together that it looked perfect on top of the mantlepiece. Just as the flat has "Sarah's mirror" in the kitchen, it now has "Ruby's painting" in the lounge. A lovely legacy of a beautiful trip with my daughter.