Damn Squid

I was at home today because my union voted for strike action against cuts in Education spending. I know that I can go to my union if I need help, for example if I am assaulted at work, so I felt obliged to support them in my turn. This was not an easy decision for me; I love my job and I didn't go into teaching children with Additional Support Needs in order to go on strike and not teach them. On the evening news David Cameron called the strike a damp squib, which Davie misheard as damn squid, which I thought was very funny! The whole thing makes my brain hurt and I have lost sleep over the last week worrying about it, so I found Cameron's remark to be very patronising, and showed a worrying lack of understanding of the worries of people he is supposed to govern. 
Talking of making my brain hurt, James and I watched a film lent to us by Chris G this evening, called Memento. I found it very hard to follow at first because its chronology jumps back and forward, it's about a man who has a brain injury that affects his short term memory. I kind of got into it and understood it but it was not relaxing to watch! Back to work tomorrow thank goodness. And I have just finished Cloud Atlas and I thought it was tremendous! To quote its last lines, somehow apt for today's worries,
"...your life amounted to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean! Yet what is any ocean but a multitude of drops?" 

Bursting Banks of Clyde

It has been very, very rainy over the last twenty-four hours and there has been a lot of flooding in central and south Scotland. I didn't know how extensive this was when Caroline and I set off happily to a meeting in Biggar High School, and we drove down the M74 in the pouring rain, chatting away merrily. The first sign of trouble was at the Abington Services exit; we noticed that the other side of the carriageway was flooded so badly that it was completely blocked. There were men in yellow jackets who were waist deep in the water, they were trying to clear the drains I think. It was on the A702 towards Biggar that things got really exciting - too exciting! The River Clyde winds along near the road and in many places it had totally burst its banks and flooded the fields around. And in some places the flooding was right across the road; I bravely drove through each torrent with Caroline encouraging me onwards - some were very deep, nearly up to the car door handles, and the car sent up huge wings of spray as we pushed through. Despite the danger it was quite good fun and the flooded fields with trees sticking out of the water looked amazing, as did the swollen, rushing river. We made it safely to our meeting and Caroline gave an excellent talk and did a question and answer session, I was so proud of her knowledge and skills. We took a different route back which was still very wet but less flooded, and joined the motorway further north. It wasn't until I got home that I saw on the news just how copious the rain has been - there has been 42 mm (1.65 inches) over the last 24 hours, and while I was making my way to Biggar firefighters had to rescue 27 pupils from Abington Primary after a burn burst its banks and flooded the school! Luckily no one was hurt. 

The Morning After

I think the party wound down about 3 a.m. because James said that he woke at about 3.30 and the music had stopped, and he could hear people moving about as if they were getting ready for bed. We had had to barricade our bedroom door earlier because confused teenagers kept wandering into our bedroom! One boy in particular had come in twice and stared at us bemusedly the first time, and then suspiciously the second time, as if he was thinking "Why are they still here?" before drifting back out again. I have no idea how many people slept over, maybe about twenty. James had brought a kettle, coffee, milk and pains au chocolat upstairs so we had breakfast in bed and didn't go downstairs until about ten, when Alasdair was making breakfast of bacon rolls, toast, orange juice, coffee and tea for his friends. The bedroom invading boy gave me a long look as if trying to remember where he had seen me before! I found out from that his name is Iain. Everyone was gone by twelve and we started the clearing up. Alasdair very sensibly played a major part in this clearing up which stopped James from being too annoyed with him. There was no major damage apart from one cracked floor tile where a glass must have been dropped. There was some broken glass and the wooden and tiled floors downstairs were very, very sticky. I spent some time washing them properly because I hate a sticky floor!

The wild weather last night did not seem to have left much of a mark, although sadly a cargo vessel in the Irish Sea had been hit by a giant wave and sank with the loss of five crew. The sea is such a powerful and untameable beast, it must be terrifying to be at its mercy in a storm.

After lunch James and I went for a swim down to Cambuslang Swimming pool; we had a pleasant chat in the sauna and the steam room. And now the weekend is drawing peacefully to its close (to quote Lord Dawson about George V's imminent demise). Our normal Sunday evening routine is Grandma coming round for tea, and watching the Strictly Come Dancing results show with her - although we don't tend to watch the main show on a Saturday! Maybe I will record the Saturday show from now on because by this stage in the competition the standard is very high, and it is always a pleasure to watch. Today we have an extra person for dinner - our Jamie who is home to bring Ally one of his kilts for the Christmas dance season. Grandma will be arriving any minute so I had better finish getting the tea ready. 

Wild Night

It sure is wild around here tonight! Firstly because of the weather. The gale force wind is spinning and blowing the heavy rain along the lamp lit road in waves. It is quite spectacular and the roof tiles are rattling. Secondly our home contains about thirty-five teenagers who are playing music and generally shrieking and shouting. Ally has been planning this party for weeks. He tried very hard to persuade us to spend the night elsewhere but we refused, and in the end we compromised that we would go out for the evening and then go straight to our bedroom on our return so as not to embarrass him. We were going to go to the cinema but were delighted to receive an invitation to Heather and Ewan's where we were promised Spanish food, inspired by their recent trip to Madrid. What a lovely evening of chatting, great music and delicious food! Our starter was artichoke on toasted bread, very unusual, I love artichokes. Then gorgeous chicken, chorizo and bean stew served with patatas bravas and salad. Very tasty and just right to bring us a little Spanish warmth on a rainy Scottish November evening. We set off home with some trepidation because we knew that the party would be well under way. We kept our promise to Ally and headed straight upstairs, hardly noticed by the crowds of partying youths. David, who had intended to spend the evening lurking in his room, came through to join us for a while, and then was persuaded by the other youngsters to join the party. Jack cat was handed into our bedroom and was very pleased to see us. So now, at half past one, James, Jack and I are all in bed while the party continues in full swing. I wonder when they will all go to sleep? 

Big Sea

It has been a busy few days at work; I have been on a residential trip which is always tiring and this one was no exception, I didn't get much sleep last night. Good fun though and the pupils loved it which is the important thing (I suppose!). I had to leave the trip early because I had a meeting that I needed to go to; as I drove down to the front at Largs I was struck by the amazing sight in front of me. It was a big, grey-green, choppy, heaving sea! It was spell-binding in its power; it looked as if it was too big to be contained and could almost rise up to engulf the land! I stopped the car to have a proper look at it - fantastic. I love looking at the sea in all its different incarnations; one day I would like to live beside it. As I continued on my journey I was also treated to rainbows and sunlight shining through spray thrown up by cars and lorries on the road. All this was because of the heavy rain and winds last night, they resulted in a very striking morning. So now I am in the bath about to get ready for Victoria and Tom's engagement party. I am enjoying my current, rather strange, book - Cloud Atlas. I downloaded it because Heather was reading it when we were in Barra. I found it difficult to get into at first but I have warmed up to it now and I think it's very well written. 

Dinner with Hardeep

Just over a year ago Ewan and Heather very kindly invited us to a Pharmacists' Dinner to raise funds for the new Pharmacy Department at Strathclyde University. It was a fantastic evening at Kama Sutra in Sauchiehall Street; the food was delicious and the entertainment consisted of a quiz, comedy and an auction, hosted by tv presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli. Our table happened to be right at the front and we had a great time, Hardeep was very funny and singled us (and me in particular) out for attention, something that would normally make my blood run cold but it was such a jolly evening that in fact I found it to be great fun. This was in part because I had consumed a great deal of wine! When it came to the auction James bid for and won "Dinner with Hardeep"! At last we organised the dinner with Hardeep's agent and it took place last night at the Ashoka in Ashton Lane.
I really like Ashton Lane, it feels to me like a little bit of Paris in the west end of Glasgow! The staff at the restaurant made us very welcome and when Hardeep arrived he was pleasant and very intelligent. I had wondered if he might feel a bit awkward with four near strangers who had bid for his company, but he was very relaxed. I think it helped that Heather, Ewan, James and I are all rather charming and pleasant ourselves, (well, we are!) which hopefully put him at his ease! He was a bit huffy when another customer at the restaurant took a photo of him without permission. The meal was delicious and we talked about all sorts of things, from Indian Cookery to Literature (he is a Booker prize judge and is very well read). His cousin Sanjay, who owns the Apple group of pharmacies and the Harlequin group of restaurants, joined us for part of the meal and was also very good company, he was talking to Heather and Ewan about current developments in Pharmacy. It was an excellent evening.

Chilling out at Corrour

After a convivial evening in Loch Ossian Hostel I decided to move a mattress from the girls' dorm into the living room so that I wouldn't disturb people with my coughing. This worked very well. Miriam warned me that there was a possibility of mice so I put the mattress on one of the benches propped up by three chairs and it was perfectly secure and cosy for the night. I coughed from time to time without nearly choking myself by trying to stifle it and I got a great night's sleep. Cornell very kindly made me a mug of coffee when he got up in the morning. I went outside with my coffee to look at the loch in the light grey morning, it is truly beautiful. After breakfast Miriam and I walked towards Loch Traig; when we were having a coffee near the railway line a white land rover type vehicle went past - on the railway tracks! It must be a maintenance vehicle, they waved to us and tooted their horn. We walked until we could see Loch Traig but didn't go right down to it, we had lovely views of rolling hills with the loch between them. Our walk there and back was about 7 km in total. Back to the hostel; most people were still out walking and I had a lovely sleep for about two hours, then read my book. I have finished "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks", recommended by Lesley, which I thought was really excellent. A lot of the science in it was way beyond my understanding but that didn't spoil it for me, it was still very interesting and very sad in parts. Everybody congregated back at the hostel and soon it was time to put on our head torches for the walk back to the station. It has been a great weekend, despite my cold, with a really nice crowd of people. We took the train back to Bridge of Orchy, said our goodbyes, and we are now heading home in the car. I can't wait to get into a warm bath! 

Loch Ossian Sat 19th November

I am sitting on the jetty at the north east end of Loch Ossian about to eat my sandwich. I am blissfully alone because everyone else is walking on nearby hills, but I decided to walk round the loch (about 10 km round trip). I am now half way and I'm going to read my book (The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks) and relax for a while before I walk back to the hostel. The view down the loch from where I am sitting is really beautiful; there are ripples on the surface of the water and a light breeze but it is very mild weather for 19th November and I'm just wearing walking trousers and a t shirt. And boots of course! The loch is surrounded by bands of pine trees and behind them are the hills; Meall na Leitire Duibhe and Coire Creagach to my left (south) and Beinn na Lap to my right (north). And lots of other hills in the distance. The sky is pale blue with greyish white clouds whose edges are lit by sunlight. It is so peaceful.
The last time I was here was in November 1999 when the whole family climbed Beinn na Lap with the hill-walking club. This was because it was James' last Munro. It was a wonderful occasion and we all made it to the top even though the boys were tiny - Davie had just turned four, Ally was five and Jamie was nine. We had champagne and shortbread on the top to celebrate. We stayed in Loch Ossian Youth Hostel that time too and when we got home we were all very sick except Davie! Tummy bug or food-poisoning.  Let's hope history does not repeat itself!

Loch Ossian Youth Hostel was only the second hostel opened in Scotland, and the building was donated by Sir John Stirling-Maxwell of Pollok, who was a well known worthy gentleman and the Laird of Corrour Estate. The building was originally a boat house, not for boats but for guests on their way to Corrour Hunting Lodge who would wait for the steamer that would ferry them across the loch. The hostel opened on 24th May 1931 and although it has been renovated in 2003 it looks much the same today as in the old photo on the wall of the official opening. It is painted a pleasing dark green with white door and window sills and its setting is truly magnificent, nestling in a grove of pine trees on the edge of Loch Ossian with its own wee wind turbine for electricity. The hostel is comfy and cosy with a large wood-panelled living room containing a wood burning stove and a range cooker. It has two dormitories each for ten people, but in some ways it is quite simple - no fridge and very basic outdoor toilets. The toilets are in a hut outside and are compostable and non-flush; not great but they're still an improvement over the buckets they had in 1999! Yes, just buckets with disinfectant  in them and a plastic toilet seat on top. Dreadful.
Twelve years later we are back again with the hill-walking club. We drove up last night after work and caught the 8.40 p.m. train from Bridge of Orchy to Corrour. Then we put on our head torches and walked the mile to the hostel through the pitch dark and teeming rain. The nearest road ending is ten miles away at Rannoch so the walk from Corrour Station is the only way to get there. Us city folk are not used to such a complete lack of light and we were glad to see the welcoming lights of the hostel ahead. Some of the group were already there; there are fifteen of us this weekend and they are a really nice crowd some of whom we have known for a long time now. James is a stalwart of the club and the boys go on a lot of walks too, so they have grown up with the other children whose parents are members. Hill-walking with James and his friends has been a great experience for the boys and they all have a love of the hills. When I go along for a day trip or a weekend I am always made to feel very welcome. We had a pleasant evening, however I didn't sleep well because I have a cold and I know I must have disturbed some of the other girls by coughing although they were all very nice about it. After a hearty breakfast we all went on our different walks and will meet up later back at the hostel. 

Why I shouldn't eat curries

Unlike me, my Dad never ate curries or any spicy food. In fact he called anything that wasn't good old Scottish mince "your foreign muck", and once claimed that even mince and potatoes was too exotic for him; he preferred mince with bread! The reason for this is that Dad had a delicate tummy and suffered terribly from indigestion.
I love curries, and as a teenager used to eat Chinese ones. The first time I tasted an Indian one was at the Shish Mahal in Gibson Street when I was a student and I fell in love with it straight away. I love the smell of an Indian takeaway or restaurant. My favourite dish is chicken pasanda with rice and naan bread, usually preceded by pakora with chilli sauce. I also like South Indisn curries served in big Dhosas. Unfortunately I have the same sort of digestive system as my Dad, and I suffer dreadfully afterwards! Some curries affect me less than others; James thinks it depends on the quality of the food and has come to distrust and in fact abhor our local takeaway, but I usually get indigestion to a greater or lesser extent no matter where we buy it. By saying indigestion I am deliberately understating the turmoil that I go through! Last night we got a curry from a small shop near David's school after a meeting there about his ski trip. We hadn't been there before, however David recommended it and it all tasted reasonably ok when we got home. However it turned out to be the curry from hell. I won't go into the horrible details but even now, more than twenty-four hours later, my stomach lining feels as if it is burning and I have awful heartburn. I am indeed my father's daughter! But what can I do - I still love curries! 

A year on the wagon

I am just digesting a large curry which we got to celebrate my anniversary of one year without alcohol. A year ago, on the 16th November 2010, I decided quite suddenly to stop drinking. This was partly because I was concerned about becoming a bit too dependent on having a drink to relax, and partly because of a rather dodgy family heritage regarding alcohol - on both sides of my family - which I did not want to follow! Although it felt strange at first, I can honestly say that I don't miss it at all. The fact that I drink huge quantities of soft drinks even makes me wonder if, rather than becoming too dependent on alcohol, I am in fact just a very thirsty person! I am however disappointed that I haven't lost weight, which I thought would be a pleasant side effect of not drinking. I realise that this is because of eating too much and not taking enough exercise, so my next target is to adopt a healthier lifestyle. I now have something of a dilemma. Having achieved my ambition of no alcohol for a year, what should I do now? I read recently that it is good for your health to have a glass of red wine every night, better in fact than not drinking at all. So is a year enough or should I continue not drinking alcohol? Until I decide, I will remain on the wagon.
Tonight is actually my second curry in two days because last night I met up with Lindy for a delicious meal at Dhakin. We had a really good and interesting chat, she is a lovely girl. I said to her "Why haven't we met up for meals like this for the last twenty years?" to which Lindy pointed out that if I had given birth to Jamie a year or two earlier we probably would have got to know each other years earlier! Oh well, better late than never! 

A love of language

It was an In Service day at school today and I wore my new "Yes" t shirt, which was much admired. I don't usually enjoy In Service days because I actually miss the pupils, and today was no exception. Too many meetings and too quiet! However we had a nice chat at lunch time and I got some useful work done. I'm worried about what is going to happen on 30th November which is probably going to be a day of Industrial Action. I hope I don't have to make any difficult decisions, I have never needed to go on strike. After tea James, Davie and I watched another episode of Stephen Fry's "Planet Word", this one was about accents and dialects and was very interesting, maybe I should have studied Linguistics! At University I studied English Language (which is different from English Literature, which I also studied) for a year and I loved it - all about the history of language and how it works. I remember writing an essay about different words for "smell" such as "stench", "stink", "odour", "scent", "perfume" - I think there were twelve words - and how their origins and development were linked to their different meanings; I found it fascinating and ended up getting a Merit! I have finished reading "Tiger Hills" by Sarita Mandanna which was a good read, and I'm planning to download some more books that I have been recommended to my ereader. Ally went to Disabled Scouts; he has good predictions from school for his A Levels and I think he is working very well this session. Jamie phoned for a chat and so did Jennifer, it was nice to talk to both of them. A pleasant evening. 

Snapshots of Life

Over the last few days I have had the strangest feeling of seeing events around me as a series of snapshots, like moments in time. For example seeing a colleague fixing another colleague's tie. Seeing a crowd of pupils listening raptly to a funny story. Suddenly having my car surrounded by a group of young men fighting in the street, one of them pulling his shirt off. A large pink moon viewed from Cathkin, hanging low over Glasgow. Waves breaking on a beach. Deer grazing in a field. A flock of seagulls taking off from the pond in Queen's Park. A man feeding squirrels in the park who were eating from his hand. Ally and Davie meeting me in the hall to tell me something, and noticing how tall they are. Waking to find James with a cup of coffee and a bowl of porridge for me. A robin on the bird table. A cat sleeping in a shaft of sunlight. All of these in the last three days; it reminds me of the Edwin Morgan poem "Glasgow 5 March 1971". My life is in freeze frame this weekend! And one day these moments will be long in the past.

Yes to Walk but No to Yes

A great weekend so far! Last night I had the Duke of Edinburgh team round for dinner with their spouses / partners to say thank you for all their hard work especially during the recent very wet expedition weekend. The meal went well and I think a good night was had by all, there were twelve of us in total and we had a good laugh; I am lucky to have such a brilliant team.
Today James persuaded me to walk a bit more of the Ayrshire Coastal Path, it was a good idea because it was a beautiful day; blue skies and unseasonably warm. We set off from Barassie and walked along the beach to Irvine, a very pleasant beach walk, sandy all the way with blue foamy waves lapping at our boots. We thought that this was where a previous walk at Christmas 2009 had started (because we are doing the Ayrshire coastal path bit by bit so James is marking off in his book what we still have to do). However we realised that it had started at Stevenston, further along the coast. Rather than leave this section to another day we decided to press on. The route left the coast and went up though the harbour area of Irvine, which was very pretty in the sunshine with nicely renovated houses. We passed a statue of a carter and Clydesdale horse which was very pleasing, there used to be many carters in the area who hauled coal down to the docks. From there we continued inland to Kilwinning, passing through woodland and the Garnock Floods, which is moorland. We then turned towards Stevenston, going along country roads. On the outskirts of Stevenston we saw nine deer grazing in fields, they were beautiful. We finally arrived at Stevenston station after walking 17 km, and I was flagging by this time after my late night last night! However I was really glad that we had done the walk, we had a lovely chat on the way and I decided that today is the official start of my quest for fitness! We got a taxi back to our car at Barassie and picked up fish suppers on the way home.
James and Ally went to the Yes concert this evening; I really don't enjoy their music and after the last gruelling concert I went to I told James that I wouldn't be back and he would have to take one of the boys instead. So Ally bravely went and claims that he enjoyed it, but he is maybe just being nice to his old Dad! David and I had a relaxing evening; I watched a film called "A little bit of Heaven" starring Kate Hudson, I enjoyed it although it was quite sad. When James arrived home he brought me a really gorgeous tie dyed Yes t shirt; I was delighted. 

The eleventh day of the eleventh month

Today is armistice day, and it's a special one because not only is it the eleventh day of the eleventh month, but it is also the eleventh year of the century. So we had our two minutes silence at school at eleven minutes past eleven - 11.11 on the 11.11.11! During the two minutes silence I reflected on all the people who have died and are still dying during wars. I was very moved two years ago when we visited war graves in France and Belgium, including that of James' Great Uncle Hugh, who died at the age of 23 just before the 1st World War ended. We took flowers to his grave but the next time we visit the boys want to take a heather to plant as a reminder of Scotland. Hugh's graveyard was a relatively small one but it still had two thousand graves; some of the larger ones have many thousands of graves, many unnamed. The war cemeteries were very beautiful in the autumn sunshine, but also very sad. Nearly everyone in those graves were way younger than James and I are now. We also visited battlefields and trenches, it was hard to imagine the violence even though the countryside is still scarred with the marks of war, and even the fields are still full of shells and bullets. I was very impressed with Alasdair and David's interest in the area and its history, and respect for the people who died there. As well as Great Uncle Hugh, we have had other relatives who fought in wars. My Grandpa Russell fought in the Battle of the Somme and in Greece in the 1st World War, and my Dad was in the occupying army in Italy during the 2nd World War. So I had a lot to think about during those two minutes. I just hope that none of my sons has to fight in a war. 

Return of the Lost Kitten

Jackie's kitten Alfie has been missing for more than a week and it has been preying on my mind, being a cat lover myself. Alfie is a very cute, black kitten with bright green eyes, and I have had the pleasure of meeting him several times at Jackie's house since she got him during the summer; he is very sweet. She did everything she could to find him, searching and putting flyers round her neighbours' houses, but to no avail - until today! It turns out that a nearby family had taken him in when they realised he was wandering, and then took him to the vet where it was discovered that he is "chipped" and so could be returned home to Jackie and the boys. They are absolutely delighted to have him back, and I was so pleased when Jackie phoned to tell me the good news. This was a very happy end to a good day; I got lots done, went to an interesting seminar, and then James brought me home a Hello magazine that he got free at the British Airways lounge at Heathrow. How thoughtful of him, I was very pleased. I have finished the book I was reading (The Lantern) - it is very much a tribute to "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier, and makes a decent job of it, to the extent that the rather passive heroine annoys me in much the same way as in the original version! All very enjoyable; I read it until 2 o'clock this morning because I wanted to finish it, which was very silly of me. I am now about to start "Tiger Hills" by Sarita Mandanna, also lent to me by Heather. I am so pleased that Alfie is safe home with his family. 

Change of season

Yesterday was the first morning this autumn that I had to scrape ice off my car. The weather was very cold, and when I drove home after a school open evening at 9 o'clock it was misty and icy. It was a taster of cold weather to come, although it was much milder again today so it's not quite winter yet. A good week so far; I'm very pleased with what I'm getting done at school. Today I completed my food hygiene course, it was good fun and we got to make smoothies and fruit kebabs as well as looking through a special machine to see how well we cleaned our hands! Sad news that another Red Arrows pilot has died less than three months after one of them was killed in a crash at an air show. This time an ejector seat went off when the plane was on the ground. I'm heading for my bed now because I have another long day at work tomorrow. I have finished a good book lent to me by Catherine "A Special Relationship" which was fascinating, a real page turner. I have now started "The Lantern" by Deborah Lawrenson which Heather has lent to me, I'm loving it so far, it's set in the south of France and is full of vivid descriptions and a pleasantly sinister atmosphere. 

Movie Memories

This evening we were watching the Strictly Come Dancing results show with Grandma, who was round for tea. The guest judge was Jennifer Grey of "Dirty Dancing" fame, who is almost unrecognisable now because of her nose job. This made me think about how much I enjoyed watching that film when I was very pregnant with Jamie. So I decided to make a list of some of my favourite scenes in films; this is not the same as a list of my favourite films, it is scenes or moments that made a big impression on me. Here goes.
Some of my favourite movie moments (in no particular order):-
* Dirty Dancing - when Patrick Swayze dances up the hall to Jennifer Grey and she falls forward from the stage into his arms. I want to be her.
* Bridget Jones - the fight between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Stirring.
* Evita - the bit where Antonio Banderas is walking through the fountain with his shirt all wet. Amazing.
* George of the Jungle - when George is dancing round the camp fire. Strangely moving.
* Mr Bean's Holiday - the end when Mr Bean sees the beach and walks towards it across all the vehicles and the cast all sing - this made me feel so happy that I cried.
* Cabaret - when the young boy sings "Tomorrow belongs to me" and the crowd joins in. Scary.
* La nuit americaine - when one of the crew tells a newspaper reporter something along the lines of "I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it". Very funny.
* Elvira Madigan - the ending. I didn't see that coming.
* It's a Wonderful Life - when his brother says, "A toast to my big brother George. The richest man in town." Floods of tears even though I have watched this film dozens of times at the GFT.
* Slumdog Millionaire - the dance at the end of course!
I may well add to this list as I think of more! 

Jack does not enjoy Fireworks Night

This has been a lovely weekend so far. Last night we went out for dinner with Kathryn and Alan to Piccolo Mondo which is one of their favourite restaurants. James and I really liked it; we had an absolutely delicious meal for an excellent price including aperitifs and liqueurs! It was a fun evening; we ended up going to the Central Hotel champagne bar which I have never been to before, it was very opulent like something from the 1930s, which huge chandeliers. This evening I was persuaded by James to go to the fireworks display at Glasgow Green. I haven't been there for several years because I'm not too keen on organised fireworks displays - I have heard of too many things going wrong at them resulting in injuries or death. I prefer to have a fireworks party at home because then I can make sure that everything is safely done. However I have to say that I really enjoyed tonight's show. The display was spectacular and accompanied by good music, it went on for at least twenty minutes. There was a better police presence than I have seen on previous occasions which appealed to my love of safety! We took the train from Cambuslang to Argyle Street, it didn't take very long to walk from there to Glasgow Green. Jamie is home for the weekend and he and Alasdair came with us. David was also there, with a group of schoolfriends. After the display Alasdair went off to go to a party by train, and James, Jamie and I got fish suppers on the way home. When we got back Jack was still in his place in the hall cupboard, which is where he prefers to spend fireworks night. Jack hates fireworks so much that when he hears even a single firework he gets very agitated. So this is not his favourite night of the year! He has very cleverly worked out that the very centre of the house is the hall cupboard and we put his rug in there earlier so that he would be comfy. When it seemed a bit quieter later on we brought him out to the living room but some fireworks started up again nearby and Jack ran out of the room, keeping himself very low to the ground, to get back into his cupboard. Never mind Jack, fireworks night comes but once a year! 

Ally goes to a concert

James is home from Madrid, he got home about 4 but I didn't get home until 7 because I had the first of my Food Hygiene twilights today. I thought it might be boring but in fact it was fascinating and also a bit horrifying - pathogens, spores, botulism, salmonella were but a few of the unpleasant dangers we learned about! When I got home I was delighted to find that James had made my tea (hygienically I'm sure!) and we had a pleasant evening with Davie. Davie and I also watched the last ever episode of Medium, a programme that the two of us have enjoyed watching together over the years. At the end the actors waved farewell and clips were shown of them during the series - the adults looked so young at the start and the children were tiny! I felt quite nostalgic. Ally was helping at a music taster evening at his school today, and I expected him home at about nine. However by eleven there was no sign of him and he wasnt answering his phone. I was very worried, however he phoned eventually to tell me that he and a friend had spontaneously decided to go to see Katy Perry at the SECC. He is just home now and had a great time, they bought tickets from a ticket tout, haggled the price down, and ran into the hall just as Katy Perry came on stage. He said she was very good and the whole place smelled of candy floss! 

James in Madrid

I missed Hallowe'en this year, because when I arrived home from work on Monday I was so tired that I went straight to bed. This is very unusual; I must have been really tired or perhaps as Mum would have said, "coming down with something"! James, Ally and Davie all left me in peace and apart from a cup of tea with James at 9.30 I slept for fourteen hours and woke up feeling fine, so if there was something wrong I had fought it off! So now it's a new month although the weather doesn't feel all that cold yet. Today I was at a great conference in Alloa and I feel quite inspired with new ideas. Then I went back to school and Jackie and I worked until seven then rewarded ourselves by going out for tea. Home to find the house trashed by the boys, I warned them that Dad will be home from Madrid tomorrow so they had better tidy up! Meanwhile over in Madrid, James was out sampling the nightlife with Heather and Ewan in the old part of the city. He phoned later in a very jolly mood to say that he had a great time and I think it has cheered him up because the rest of the trip has been quite boring, stuck in the office. Jamie also phoned to say that he has found out that someone has already done the research project that he was planning, so now he will have to start from scratch. He is coming home this weekend, I'm looking forward to seeing him very much.