Behold the duck

The colour of the sky for the last three days has been an amazing clean pale blue, with not a cloud in sight. Today I was at the park with Tina and some pupils who were walking with full rucksacks to prepare for their imminent Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Two ducks approached us on the path, hoping for a feed. The male had bold, bright colours; his head and neck a metallic blue-green, a narrow white stripe like a collar dividing it from his dark purple breast, with grey feathers on his body with flashes of blue green at the tips of his wings. The female had brown and white feathers, each feather had different shades of brown and cream which was just as lovely in a more subtle way than the male. I think that it was the clear quality of the light that made them look so beautiful. We saw some swans down at the water's edge, sleeping with their heads under their wings. The water had small ripples on the surface, and was disturbed only by the trails left by birds as they swam along, or as they landed on the water with a gentle splash. How amazing nature is.
I was talking to Jamie on the phone last night, he has some relationship worries and we had a long chat. I have been missing him so much in the run up to his exams and I hope he comes homes soon for a visit. I know we keep in close touch by text and phone but it's not the same as seeing him. Meanwhile everyone is talking about tomorrow's Royal wedding when Prince William will marry Kate. Hard to believe it's thirty years since Charles and Diana's wedding. I will be watching this one too! 

Ally and I get unexpected treats

Yesterday we took Grandma for a run in the car up the Clyde Valley, with the idea of going for a walk round Lanark Loch and then perhaps lunch in a garden centre; James and I have been going on variations of this time-honoured Lanarkshire outing for thirty years! The only hitch to our plans was that Friday's glorious weather had been replaced by rain, not heavy but a steady drizzle. So we went to New Lanark instead and went to the visitors' centre. This turned out well, it has been updated in recent years so there were new things for us to see including a roof top garden, and Grandma seemed to enjoy the day. It was not an unpleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon, and we also went to a garden centre and got some herbs for my herb barrels to replace the ones which died in the cold winter. We had Davie in tow and he was cheery company, meanwhile Alasdair was at home doing Latin. In the evening James surpassed himself, he wanted go to the cinema and when he looked up the listings he suggested a French film called Les Aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec directed by Luc Besson. I love French cinema, both when it's very good and even when it's very bad, and I always try to get to the French Film Festival. James has watched his fair share of French films over the years (to support me) but isn't usually very impressed by them and says so! So I was amazed and delighted that he actually suggested it. There were only a select dozen in the cinema to see it, even though it was Saturday night, and as soon as it started two people got up and left hurriedly. I wonder if they had come into the wrong cinema by mistake or whether they were put off by the fact that it was in French! Anyway Adèle Blanc-Sec was a lovely film. It was a film adaptation based on a French cartoon by Jacques Tardi and it was really well done; funny, fast-paced and so French. The actress who played the title role was excellent; Louise Bourgoin. I loved it! When I asked James what he thought of it he said it was quite good but gave a quizzical look. It was really nice of him to take me to it. Today James and Davie went walking at Lochgoilhead, while Ally and I stayed at home for him to study and me to write my multi-disciplinary essay. However a pleasant surprise was in store for him when Dougie came to the door to offer Ally his ticket for the Old Firm game. Ally was so excited that he was literally dancing in the hall. I drove him over there and picked him up later, and he had a fine old time, the score was 0-0 but Celtic had missed a penalty near the end which pleased him. James and David arrived home at tea-time tired but happy, and I had made a good start on my essay. So a good day was had by all. 

Reading in the garden

Today I found myself sitting on a bench in the garden in the sunshine. This is a rare occurrence because it is not often that good weather coincides with me having some quiet time to sit outside in it. Usually our time outside work is quite busy; we either have useful things that need to be done like housework, cooking or shopping, or we are taking Ally and Davie to various activities and outings, helping them with schoolwork, or we go for a long or short walk at James' suggestion. This is no bad thing, it's nice to have lots to do and I certainly need to take more exercise. On the other hand it was really nice to sit outside and read my current book (Fingersmith), with Jack cat sleeping on a cushion beside me on the bench. I am enjoying Fingersmith, the second Sarah Waters book I have read since I saw her at Aye Write in March, and recommended to me by Heather and Ewan. I am about a third of the way through and the plot has just taken a pleasing twist that I wasn't expecting. I read quite a few books on holiday, the most recent being "The Hand That First Held Mine" by Maggie O'Farrell (quite good I thought), "The Crying Tree" by Naseem Rakha (a good read) and "A Cotswold Killing" by Rebecca Tope (truly awful). I am toying with whether to read "Ulysses" by James Joyce. I was talking to Andrew about it on holiday and it sounds daunting, but it is such a famous book that I think I might have a go at it to see why it is such a highly regarded example of modernist literature. I once read exactly half of "War and Peace" and then stopped which has always annoyed me because I can remember precisely nothing about it now, so if I ever decide to read it I will have to start all over again. Jamie phoned later to say hello, I am so relieved for him that his exams are over. It will be several weeks if he knows if he has been successful, I know that he worked very hard and deserves to get through. He now has a week off and is planning to go away for a few days with friends to relax. I can't wait for his next visit home, it has been weeks since I've seen him because of his exam revision and I miss him a lot. On the subject of revision, Alasdair is working well, hopefully he is getting into his stride. He is also being very pleasant and chatty to me, and doesn't seem so infuriated by me as usual, we have been having some nice chats and have watched a couple of episodes of The Paperchase together which has been a good laugh. Now I'm going to read more Fingersmith. 

Spring has sprung

This week Spring has definitely sprung. When we went to Barra three weeks ago there were buds on the cherry tree in the front garden and when we came back last Saturday there were still only tiny sprigs of pink blossom on it. But this week the blossom has burst forth in profusion, the tulips at the front doorstep have flowered, the grass has needed cut, and there is a warmth in the air. There are lovely smells like newly cut grass (by James) and the smell of raindrops on warm pavement when I came out of the theatre on Tuesday evening. I have always enjoyed this time of year; new life and the promise of summer ahead. However there is a bittersweet feel to this Spring, my first without Mum. Last year was really hard, I can't write about it yet, in fact even thinking about it makes me feel agitated. But now I feel guilty when I am enjoying the Spring because it feels as if I am enjoying not having the worries I had last year, and of course I would gladly have the worries if it meant I could have Mum too. I miss her and she will always be part of my life. In fact "Spring has sprung" was one of her sayings. I find myself saying so many things that she said. Now I have got myself all unsettled so I'm going to go and read to distract myself - another Mum tradition! Some day I will write about her properly. 

Lord of the Isles

Two weeks ago Davie and I arrived on Barra on the M.V. Clansman and I am writing this blog on the M.V. Lord of the Isles as we head home. It has been a wonderful holiday. Because we are leaving on a Saturday there is no ship out of Castlebay so we crossed to Eriskay and then drove to Lochboisdale, in two journeys so we could take all our passengers and luggage. I didn't recognise Lochboisdale at all from our previous visit twelve years ago, and I thought it was rather strung out along the road - not the most attractive village. However when we arrived at the Lochboisdale Hotel I recognised the large white-painted building immediately. We must have stopped there on our last trip, I even remembered the boys climbing around on the rocks beside the flagpole. We had a light lunch there until it was time to go onto the ferry. The journey has passed swiftly in a mixture of reading, sleeping, chatting over our meal and now blogging. Now we are about ten minutes from Oban so I will say yo ho ho and goodbye from the ship. 

Cafe Kisimul Curry

Yesterday was our last day in Barra and it was a good one. Not as sunny as the day before but dry, James, Ewan, Heather and David climbed Beinn Heabhal in the morning. David described it as an "epic" climb and they walked up from Halaman Bay. David thought he heard a pheasant but James told him that it was a digger lifting metal, Davie was then delighted when they saw that it really was a pheasant! David also stepped in a really deep puddle beside a gate but took it in good part. Meanwhile Andrew and Alasdair were studying while Jennifer and I went into Castlebay where we did a small amount of shopping and had coffee and a chat, my lovely god-daughter is very pleasant company. I collected our hill walkers from Castlebay and we all had lunch in our cottage. The highlight of the afternoon for me was a great walk with Heather from the cottages to Northbay, which is five miles. We saw the well known (in Barra!) rock formation which resembles Queen Victoria's nose! It was really good fun and James and Ewan came and collected us by car at five o'clock. This left plenty of time for a luxurious bath before tea. We went to the Cafe Kisimul for an Indian meal. It was a lovely curry, we enjoyed the scallop pakora that we had for starters. A fitting celebration for the end of a great holiday, I have enjoyed the mixture of exercise and relaxation and the company has been excellent.

Eriskay Heights

The weather was absolutely beautiful again today and we all set off by ferry at 11.10 across the Sound of Barra to Eriskay. Lovely views of many islands on the 40 minute crossing, it was warm enough to stand on deck and look at all the different blues of the sea, with violet patches where there are seaweed covered rocks beneath. The ferryman was so friendly that when I asked him if there was a coffee machine for Ally he went and made him a coffee! On our arrival we went for a drink to Am Politician Pub and Ewan and James were allowed to see and hold two bottles of the original whisky from the wreck in 1941 that inspired Compton Mackenzie to write Whisky Galore. Then we crossed the causeway to South Uist where we had a delicious lunch at the Polochar Inn. I had Barra hand dived scallops for my main course - yummy. Back to Eriskay and all eight of us climbed Beinn Sciathan. My tummy was very full and I burped scallopy burps all the way up! At 600 feet I found it challenging but feasible, I was delighted to get to the summit at about the same time as everyone else. I wonder if my fitness has improved a little after this active holiday - if so I want to keep it up. I have been having some chats about fitness with Heather and she has given me some good advice. The "jungens" - Ewan told us that is the German for young people, because I feel that at 17 and 15 it doesn't seem quite right to call them children - were great, all of them so fit and very happy to be out walking. It's really nice that they get on so well. After our descent and a quick visit to St Michael's Church with its lovely ship's prow altar, it was back to Am Politician for another drink before heading back to Barra on the 6.30 ferry. I think we were all tired from the walk and all the sunshine and fresh air. We popped round to the Isle of Barra hotel for a very nice meal then back to Heather and Ewan's cottage for a pleasant chat, we were listening to Heather's iphone music on James' speaker. When we went to bed we were virtuously exhausted after our great day. 

Barra Lamb

The weather today lived up to the forecast of being grey and damp. However the rain stayed off so we could get out and about. In the morning James and I went for a walk with Heather and Ewan north from the cottage to a wee graveyard on the headland, then onwards to a sandy beach before heading back to the cottage via the road. The sea was amazing. Big waves were crashing in on the rocks all along the west coast of Barra. Because of the grey skies the sea was a dark blue-grey colour, but still with the lighter greener blue at the top of each wave as it curled over and crashed down. Where the waves hit rocks there were large plumes of spray shooting up, and where they came down on the sand of the beach they rushed forward in large curves, trailing foam like the lace on a bridal train as they retreated. We also saw lots of lovely little lambs in the field with their mummies. They were so sweet, peering at us from the safety of their mum's side while the mummy sheep bravely and protectively took a step towards us as if to try to face us down. We were careful not to head straight for them but if we got too close they would all scarper, not so brave after all! As it is spring we have seen lots of little lambs on our travels round the island and they are gorgeous. Heather has a particular fondness for baby lambs I have noticed. However according the menu in the Cafe Kisimul, their curries can be made either with chicken or with local speciality - Barra lamb! Oh dear. Now I don't want to be hypocritical because I do eat lamb and in fact we had lamb shanks for tea tonight, but I just don't think I can eat any of the local lamb, not when I have seen their cuteness all week. So on Friday night it will be chicken for me! 

A Walk on Vatersay

The main event today was our visit to Vatersay, that is for the adults in the party; the children chose to stay and relax at the cottages. The weather was beautiful. We parked near the shipwreck memorial and walked along the beach on the west there, then up onto the headland. Fantastic views of the most southerly islands in the Hebrides, right down to Mingulay. It was breezy but warm, and the sea was many shades of blue. Further out where the sea was darker and less sheltered we could see huge breakers against the rocks. We made our way round the the south beach which was pleasantly sheltered and James brewed us up a cup of coffee using his wee stove while Heather and I bravely went paddling - the inviting clear water was absolutely freezing! Heather was collecting shells and found some nice white shells larger and flatter than the cockleshells she was collecting yesterday. We continued on past another headland where we could see an abandoned village, and circled round across grassy slopes towards the beach on the east side of the isthmus, which looked absolutely stunning with its aquamarine water and white sand. A leisurely stroll along there brought us back to the car. I was absolutely delighted with our walk, which was about four and a half miles. It was long and varied enough to be both interesting and a slight challenge, but not so strenuous that it spoiled my pleasure in it. As ever Heather and Ewan were relaxed and pleasant company, who were as enthusiastic about the beauty of the place as we were. We then headed to the Castlebay Hotel where we had a nice pub lunch and spotted our children cycling past! We walked down to the Cafe Kisimul and there they were, having a late lunch and chatting away. We had a quick coffee there then we all jumped into the boat to Kisimul Castle. It didn't take long to look round it but the short boat trip was fun and on the way back the boatman circled the castle so we got good views from all sides of it. Back to the cottages and we went for a drink to the Isle of Barra Hotel which is where I am writing my blog right now! The large windows in the lounge look onto the white sand beach, the shining sea and the blue cloudless sky - this is the life! 

Fresh Fish for Dinner

A lovely walk along Halaman Beach with Heather and Ewan in the morning looking at the waves - today they were a dark blue with white tops and aquamarine just where they rose up. Caught in a shower on the way back; there are such frequent and sudden changes of weather here! By the time we set off to the airport after lunch to collect James and Ally off the plane from Glasgow it was sunny again and the afternoon was glorious. On our way to the airport we stopped at Barratlantic, the fish processing plant and called in at their warehouse where Ewan purchased some haddock for us to have for dinner. The man who sold them to us looked a bit like the actor Robert Carlyle I thought. There were huge piles of scallop shells and boxes full of fish guts and skin, and cockles were being packed into large net bags. Our next stop was to walk up to the Great Rock of the Glens, a large stone which legend has it was hurled there from Eriskay by a giant whose wife was running away from him. It was a pleasant walk up the hill to the stone, which was indeed impressive, but not as impressive as the views over the airport beach (Traigh Mor) and beyond it to the islands of Eriskay and South Uist. It was absolutely beautiful. Onwards to the airport where we watched the plane land right on the beach - amazing! James and Ally had enjoyed the flight and had great views from their windows at the back of the plane. After a coffee in the airport terminal all eight of us set off to Eoligarry jetty for a walk. Andrew and Ally went to the beach and the rest of us walked up to Cille Bharra which is an old graveyard and paid our respects at Compton Mackenzie's grave. I have in fact only seen the film of his book "Whisky Galore" which was filmed here on Barra. We also saw the replica of the Rune stone inside the wee chapel, which was found in the graveyard although the original is in the Museum Of Scotland in Edinburgh. We then walked down towards the sea and David and Jennifer headed off to join the others on the sandy beach while us four adults went towards Dun Scurrival. James, Heather and Ewan climbed up it and I decided to head up Beinn Scurrival at a slower pace, and I was pleased to get to the top easily. Then I saw the others walking along the road and I realized that they were going straight to the beach rather than up my hill, so I scuttled down the hill to meet them. Under a barbed wire fence we all went and onto Scurrival Beach. The beach and its views were beautiful and we walked along chatting and enjoying the fine weather, joined by the children who also seemed to be enjoying the day. What a great afternoon! Back to the cottages and Ewan then cooked us a wonderful meal of haddock, new potatoes and roasted vegetables. He had cooked the fish very simply in the oven in a little butter with lemon juice and water and it tasted marvellous, it was cooked to perfection, and melted in the mouth. What a treat to eat fresh fish from the island's fishing boats and cooked so very well. I know I wax lyrical but as I have said before on this blog I love good food. That's why I need to take more exercise to work it off! More culinary treats were to come - Jennifer had made us raspberry crumble muffins for dessert and they looked and tasted delicious. A relaxing evening in Heather and Ewan's cottage then ensued. 

New Arrivals

Yesterday evening at 8.30 David and I went down to Castlebay to meet Heather, Ewan, Andrew and Jennifer off the ferry. It was great to see them and we came back to our cottage for a celebratory drink before we surprised Ewan with his early birthday present of a cottage to themselves! This morning we all went down to the bicycle hire shop where the Blacks hired bikes and so did Davie, whose bike is far too small for him. Heather and Ewan were keen to cycle round the island and Andrew and I went too, while Davie and Jennifer stayed at the cottage to make some delicious muffins. I enjoyed the cycle but found it hard going when we were cycling into the wind. The Blacks were much faster than me but they waited for me very good-naturedly as I toiled up the hilly bits. As a result of their encouragement I kept going and I felt very pleased that I made it round the island for a second time. Back to the cottage for lunch then in the afternoon we went to the hotel for a coffee and for a walk on the beach. It's so nice to see the Blacks, they are so enthusiastic about getting to know the island and are such good company. Tomorrow James and Alasdair will be arriving, I spoke to Ally on the phone and he said that he has had a brilliant time in Canada. 

A fine day at Halaman Bay

A fine sunny and breezy day. Since the cottage next door is now empty - it will be occupied by Ewan, Heather, Andrew and Jennifer from later today - I decided to nip in with our washing, because Hector never did get our washing machine working. His superglue repair only lasted for one wash and then it stopped working, and despite phone calls from me and the owners he hasn't been back! When the washing machine next door worked perfectly I was overcome with joy and did several washings. We didn't venture far today, just down to the rocks in front of the cottage and of course for a walk along the beach. The sea is much calmer today which I hope bodes well for Heather and Ewan's crossing. We popped into Castlebay to the Top Shop to get a universal remote control so that David can use his PS3 with the television, but he had difficulty getting it to work and after looking on the Internet I suggested resetting the PS3 by holding in the on / off switch. To both our surprise this worked! Davie was very pleased with me. I finished my fourth book of the holiday "Eight Months on Ghazzah Street" which I found very irritating. Yes life in Jeddah is no doubt very difficult for ex-pats but this writer had gone there in full knowledge of what it would be like, with the express intention of her husband earning a high salary in order to save up a nest egg, so I found her moaning to be very hypocritical. I was telling Jennifer about it on the phone and she agreed with me and said the writer was "complicit" by going there to earn money in the Saudi system. Which is not to say that Jennifer and I agree with Saudi values and laws etc, I just thought Hilary Mantel - I'm assuming that the book is largely autobiographical - could have made the best of her situation and not been so judgy about everyone she met. The other books I have read are Tipping the Velvet (ooh er! - by Sarah Waters who we went to see at Aye Write) The Prophetess by Barbara Wood (Da Vinci Code "tribute" methinks) Moab is my Washpot (Stephen Fry autobiography - very well written and amusing). Heather, Ewan, Andrew and Jennifer will be arriving by ferry at 8.30 p.m., we have rented the cottage next door for a week as an early birthday present for Ewan, more spacious that eight of us in a cottage for six and hopefully a nice surprise for him. Then Ally and James will arrive in Monday by plane. Only Jamie will not be joining us because of his exams which are the week after next, I phoned him today and he sounded very tired and not too confident about how the the exams will go. I hope he gets on well, he works so hard. I'm going to start my next book - The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell. 

A Cycle round Barra

A soft grey day on Barra, the clouds low on the hills but no rain. David and I decided to cycle round the island, our first cycle since we have been here. We set off clockwise towards the north of the island and made good speed until disaster struck and my chain came off as I cycled up a small hill in a low gear. I footered around with it unsuccessfully and then asked two workmen from Scottish and Southern Electricity to help me, they happened to be working nearby. They were really kind and fixed my bike, although they said to avoid very high or low gears until I get it adjusted. I thanked them very much. By this time I had lost sight of Davie, who didn't realise what had happened. Luckily he waited for me further on and we arrived in Castlebay together where we had drinks sitting outside the Kisimul Cafe, today is the first day it has been open. There were gorgeous smells of curry, how excellent that Barra has an Indian Restaurant. We decided to come back for a takeaway later and in my excitement I booked a table for eight for next Friday evening! Castlebay was unusually bustling because the inhabitants were waiting for the papers to arrive and were milling about in anticipation, asking each other about the papers in a mixture of English and Gaelic. There was also a bit of excitement about the flag at Kisimul Castle flying at half mast, as the old gentleman sitting beside us said, "Someone on Barra must have conked out!" but nobody knew who. As David and I cycled out of Castlebay on our way back to the cottage a stream of cars went past us, which I presume meant that the papers had at last arrived - Davie said that he was surprised that they weren't waving the papers out of the windows of their cars! Back to the cottage for cakes and coffee. 

Scurrival Beach

A beautiful day on Barra so we decided to go to a beach. First though Hector came round to fix the washing machine, which has been broken since we arrived, and which we need to use urgently since our clothes are all salty from sea spray. Hector was very helpful and we had a good chat although, despite both being Scottish, we had trouble understanding each other's accents. He told me the correct way to pronounce Eoligarry (Elligarry) and that is where we then headed. It's up in the north, past the airport. We parked the car at Eoligarry jetty and then walked the length of Scurrival Beach and back. The views across the water of smaller islands were gorgeous, and the sea was blue-green striped with long dark blue bands which I presume were rocks under the water. Davie collected lots of shells of all different shapes and sizes on the sandy beach and we left our shoes on a rock and walked along barefoot, it was great. On the way back to Castlebay we called in at Barratlantic's headquarters, where you can get fish and shellfish straight off the boats. The staff told me that the boats have gone out today for the first time for a few days because the sea has been so stormy. If the weather stays good they will stay out for a couple of days. We stopped in Castlebay to visit the Hebridean Toffee Shop and sampled their toffee, which is like a caramelized tablet, very nice. We purchased some for later. Back to the cottage where we are about to head down to the rocks to watch the waves. 

Colours of the sea

My fascination with the different shades of blue and green in the sea continues. I just don't have the vocabulary to describe them. Today David and I went for a walk along the beach on the east side of the narrow part of Vatersay. It was still very windy but fairly dry when we set off, however on our way back along the beach the rain came on heavily and by the time we got back to the car our trousers were soaking. It was worth it for the beautiful sea though - the best I can describe it is a sort of pale translucent jade green, with the golden sand shining through in the shallows. It's no use, I can't properly describe it, I'll just have to try to remember it. Later on the sun came out in this amazing changeable island climate and we had a glorious evening. David and I went down to our beach to watch the sunset, and the dog from the hotel followed us and took us for a walk along the beach, bringing us sticks so we could throw them for him! We had a great time running in and out of the surf. Back to the cottage for coffee and hot chocolate. Feeling very relaxed.

Wild times on Barra

The weather was so wild last night that the bins blew over outside the cottage and the windows were rattling. In the morning it was still very windy and rainy and the hills were hidden by low cloud lying thickly over the island. We had a cosy morning in the cottage reading and chatting, it's really nice to spend time together in such a relaxed way. Davie introduced me to another of his current favourite programmes, a spy comedy called Chuck which is quite amusing. After a lunch of soup and bread we decided to venture out for a walk on the beach but it was so wet and windy that instead we went for a drive round the island. We set off westwards and spotted some stunning beaches which we hope to visit in better weather. Then we turned north to the airport, where we noticed that the windsock was flying which means a flight is imminent. So we stopped at the tiny airport and watched the plane from Benbecula land and take off again. The plane lands right on the beach so it can only land when the tide is out! It was a wee plane, it taxied off along the sand then turned and took off over our heads - quite a sight! We went round the east of the island through Castlebay and back to our cottage where we watched the sea boiling over the rocks and had tea. I finished my book (The Prophetess) and Davie and I watched another episode of Chuck. It's dark now but the weather still sounds wild out there! But it's warm in the cottage and we're making cocoa to my Dad's recipe, to be eaten with bread and butter in the traditional manner! What a nice way to end the day.

Cut off from the world!

Last night I got a phone call from Canada - it was Ally who is on his ski holiday with the school! I was worried that something was wrong but he was just phoning to ask if he could get permission to have an extra day skiing rather than wait until tomorrow. He is seven hours behind us in time. He said it is so snowy there that the runway at Calgary Airport had to be cleared of snow to let his plane land. Then Jamie phoned from Dundee to tell me that Ally was trying to get in touch, which of course by that time I already knew. Jamie is still working hard for his exams on 18th April. James texted this morning to say that the ferries are cancelled between Oban and Barra because of bad weather so we are cut off! I like this idea! It was very windy here but Davie and I were not deterred and went for a walk on Halaman Beach. It was amazing, huge waves rising up and curling over and crashing down starting at one end and running along to the other. We had coffee in the Isle of Barra hotel which was very nice with lovely views over the beach. We also visited Castlebay where the few shops were open today, and got David a waterproof in the Post Office. The ladies in the Tourist Office told us that it was their first day open this year - we are very early in the season! Back at the cottage we read and relaxed, and David introduced me to an American tv series which he likes called R. J. Berger. I enjoyed it. It is Ben's 10th birthday today so I phoned Jennifer to pass on birthday greetings and check that our present had arrived, which it had. Had a good chat, Jennifer was advising me to use Yakult to combat reflux. When I phoned James he was telling me that his mother's day meal withGrandma went well yesterday. This evening Davie and I are cosy in the cottage as the rain batters on the windows!

Beinn Heabhal

Today David decided that we were going to climb Beinn Heabhal which is the highest point on Barra at 383 metres. This is because Davie is an Anderson boy, and like his father and brothers he feels the need to climb everything he sees! So we set off on a sunny but windy morning and parked the car at the road called the Glen at the back of Castlebay. Davie planned a route that circled north-west round the slopes of Heabhal. We were climbing over a fence when an ancient man who I think was the farmer shouted at us to get off it, but when we went over to speak to him he was quite friendly and showed us where the gate was. The ground was marshy in places and quite tussocky. David is such an interesting and pleasant companion on a walk, today he told me that if the lichen is bushy, as it is here, it shows that the air is clean. I am quite unfit so I had frequent rests, David was very encouraging the whole way up, even when I stepped backwards onto him at one point when he was sitting down! When we got to the top it was well worth it - beautiful views all around us of Barra, Vatersay and other smaller islands. After taking photos of each other at the trig point we set off back down - I wanted to visit the Lady Star of the Sea statue which is about 100 metres lower down facing Castlebay, it's lovely, the baby Jesus has a star held in his hand. However this led to us descending by a steep and muddy part of the mountain - we both kept slipping! We soon got safely back to the car and made our way back to the cottage via Tesco. I have had a relaxing luxurious Mother's day bath with my Molton Brown Blissful Templetree bubble bath, one of two Molton Brown products which David surprised me with this morning as a gift from my three boys! Now I'm sitting in the living room of the cottage blogging but I can hardly concentrate because my eyes keep being drawn to the amazing view from the window, the sea is quite rough and big waves are lashing against the rocks below. I love watching the sea, today it is a dark steely blue but as the waves rise up there is a much lighter, almost turquoise behind the white of the crest of the wave. There are huge plumes of spray shooting up into the air when the waves hit the rocks. It's spectacular.

Over the sea and far away

Davie and I have arrived in Barra after rather a long journey. It took two hours and twenty minutes to drive from Cambuslang to Oban with a quick stop at the Real Food restaurant in Tyndrum to pick up some chips which were very nice. The scenery was lovely and of course very familiar as we went up Loch Lomond side, but after Tyndrum we turned off towards Oban. This was much less familiar territory, it must be years since we've been to Oban. It was a pleasant drive. David didn't remember it at all and was amazed at what a good sized town it is, considering that it is so remote. We didn't have long to wait before we boarded the ferry and soon we were pulling out of Oban for our five hour journey to Barra. It is an incredibly long way along the Sound of Mull before reaching more open water. When we did pass Coll there was quite a swell on the sea, which made walking about feel very strange. Davie said it felt as if gravity was increasing and decreasing! We amused ourselves by going out on deck a couple of times and visiting the shop and restaurant. I finished my current book (Tipping the Velvet) and had a nap. I was woken by the sound of a young child vomiting very loudly! We arrived in Castlebay and drove straight to the cottage, it was only a couple of miles. The cottage is very nice, however the layout inside was very different from the way I remembered it from our previous visit in 1999 - the mezzanine floor is at right angles to what I remembered, I think I'm mixing it up with an apartment we stayed in years ago in Belle Plagne which also had a mezzanine! Funny how the memory can play tricks. Anyway it's spacious and nice & clean. So here we are feeling a bit tired, about to watch The Tudors as the wind howls round our little cottage far far away.