Eating Greek Food

Another hot day on Limnos and I have spent most of it in the water, both the pool and the sea. Of course I went to yoga and aqua aerobics as usual, I really enjoy them. One of the ladies at yoga, who was on the sunset cruise last night, was telling me that they (and a lot of people from our hotel) went to a restaurant in Myrina called "Romeo" after the cruise, which as its name suggests is an Italian restaurant. She said that this is because their children will more readily eat Italian food like pizza and pasta so it makes for an easier evening out. This made me reflect on the eating habits of our own children. While they like to eat pasta and pizza they have also always been very adventurous in what they eat. They have all eaten oysters for example, something I would never have tried at their age, and they eat squid including the tentacles! And like us they feel "when in Greece, enjoy the Greek food". Of course at the end of our fortnight I'm sure that we will be fed up with Greek food, but it's nice to eat it while here. I'm loving not having to plan meals and cook! Breakfast at the hotel is usually pancakes for me, and the boys can eat what they like, because there is a huge choice - cereals, bacon, eggs, omelettes, yoghurt, cheese, ham, bread, toast and lots of fruit, all laid out as a buffet so that you can help yourself. Lunch and dinner are laid out in a similar way and have all sorts of mostly Greek food, cold and hot, with the selection changing daily. It's everything that you would expect; lots of grilled meat and fish, tomatoes, cucumber, green salad, tsatsiki, flat breads, fried aubergines and courgettes. Three nights a week dinner is not included at the hotel, which is why we go into Myrina, which is a nice change of scene. So we are all eating like kings, and the boys love being able to choose what they want. And I am pleased to see that they eat a huge variety of different foods and that they include healthy options like the great salads that are on offer. It suits Grandma too, who has a very small appetite these days, because she can choose a little of this and that as she pleases. Anyway I will now get ready for an evening in Myrina - and more Greek food! 

Sunset and Dolphins

I decided to go for a swim in the sea today and was very glad that I did. The sea is so warm here - even warmer than the pool! And I love swimming in the sea; I love the swell of the sea sweeping me gently towards the shore. I swam and I floated and I bobbed about looking at the views of the hills and the sea and the beach - it was wonderful. There was no wind today so the sea was very calm. It was also very, very hot all day, the hottest day yet. We were back to the sea later on a "Sunset Cruise" which was excellent. We had to take a motor launch out to the boat, which meant that Grandma had to climb ladders into boats twice; we all helped her and she did really well, she was very brave. Then we cruised up the coast a bit and saw the slightly famous (in Limnos) "crocodile rock" which, seen from a certain angle, looks a bit like a crocodile with jagged teeth. This reminded me a bit of "Queen Victoria's nose" on Barra, which is actually better because it really looks like the late Queen's nose whereas the "crocodile rock" requires a bit of imagination! Anyway we headed out to sea a bit and saw five dolphins swimming along and leaping out of the water, to the delight of the cruise-goers, who were being generously plied with local wine throughout the cruise, and became more and more enthusiastic and convivial as time went on. We were rewarded with a spectacular sunset; the sun was like a burning red coal as it descended and illuminated the shadowy shape of Mount Athos in the distance. When we arrived at Myrina we moored at the pretty little harbour, which meant that it was easy for Grandma to disembark. The harbour was beautiful in the twilight and we had dinner in the same restaurant that we went to a week ago, at the end of the row. This time Jamie and Ally chose two big fish for themselves, Grandma and Davie decided to share; they chose a red snapper and a scorpion fish. These were brought to the table with a plate of chips and a plate of the thinly sliced fried courgettes that we all enjoy. I'm told that the two fish had very different tastes and textures, and the boys enjoyed filleting them and comparing them. The scorpion fish had quite a scary face! James had lamb cooked on the bone with lots of herbs and garlic which he said was very succulent, and I had a dish of mince and pasta which tasted much nicer than it sounds. It was such a lovely relaxed evening and we all enjoyed it. By the way, Jamie removed David's stitches before we went on the cruise, using the scissors in James' penknife and tweezers! He was very good at it and David said he didn't feel a thing. The scar looks very neat so let's hope it stays that way; it's in line with Davie's eyebrow so hopefully it will not show too much. 

Water Skiing

Despite being the strongest swimmer in our family (a very, very long time ago I used to train and compete with the City of Glasgow Swimming Club), I have not taken part in water sports such as sailing and windsurfing this holiday, preferring to swim and do some fitness classes. However James persuaded me that I should try water skiing, for the very good reason that this location provides an ideal opportunity, with free tuition at the beach every day. So today I signed up for a lesson and the boys came along too because they have done it before. Oh dear oh dear! I got all kitted up, the instructors took me out in the boat, but I could not hold onto the pole long enough to get going (beginners hold onto a horizontal pole attached to the boat before they graduate to a rope). My wrists were absolute agony; I could barely hold onto the pole at all and when the boat moved I fell back into the water. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed; I didn't expect my wrists to be the problem. If I ever try it again I will need to strengthen them. So I then watched Jamie, Ally and Davie water skiing and I was so proud of them. They are so fearless, and were all water skiing using the proper rope, skiing from side to side across the wake of the boat. James and I took some photos from the shore. David is back in the water today only five days after his accident because he was absolutely pining to get back to sailing and Jamie thinks that his stitches are healing up ok. In fact Jamie wants to take them out himself tomorrow or the next day; he was not impressed with the way the doctor did the stitches and thinks that they should come out soon to minimise scarring. So later in the morning David was back sailing and he was very happy. I love the way that the boys all compare sailing stories at lunch time. Grandma and I spent the morning at the pool and I went to Zumba and aqua aerobics. A lovely day. 

Let Me Entertain You

In addition to the many sporting and fitness activities, our hotel has an entertainment programme in the evenings. This is a concept of which I have a horror, dating back to the first time I encountered such a thing on a holiday in Mallorca with James in the 1980s where I found myself at a barbecue evening singing along with "Viva Espana." However the entertainment programme here is not unpleasant and easy to opt out of. So far there has been a film night on the big screen at the pool bar, which was quite good fun, and where the Olympics Opening Ceremony was screened last night. There has been a quiz night which was good fun - especially because we were in the winning team! This consisted of several rounds of questions interspersed with challenges and tasks. One of the other teams shouted "Get in!" every time that they got a question right, and then when they got one wrong they shouted "Get out!", which I thought was very funny! Our team were a friendly bunch and we had a good laugh. Then there was an Open Mic night some of which was inevitably a bit cringeworthy, but some of which was amazingly good, especially the boys' friend Zoe who sang Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" absolutely brilliantly. Last night was the weekly awards ceremony for all the different activities and it was a good laugh. The "beach team" all carried one of their number in to the bar area on a sail board! Jamie got an award in his sailing class, not for good sailing but for bantering with another guy in the group! James said that the pair of them were so competitive that they turned everything into a race! I mustn't forget Greek night with the traditional music and dancing! So the entertainment is quite good, and, because it is centred at the pool bar, if you've had enough of it all you need to do is wander away to one of the many other sitting areas around the hotel such as the olive grove or the lounge bar. Quite often we all play chess or draughts together before the boys head into town later with their friends. Tonight we are planning a quiet evening at the pool bar after our dinner, and I think the boys are intending to stay in the hotel too - they are exhausted because they didn't get in from Myrina until 6 a.m. this morning which did not impress James and me! 

Watching the Olympics in Greece

We have been watching the Olympics Opening Ceremony on a big screen at the pool bar. There is a great atmosphere among the happy holidaymakers and although the ceremony is taking place in London, it somehow seems appropriate to be watching it in Greece, the home of the Olympics. I'm not quite sure what to make of it - all in all I liked it. I like that Danny Boyle has tried to make it about all aspects of British culture and what Britain has given to the world but I don't know if all that stuff about the industrial revolution would want to make anyone come to Britain. Kenneth Branagh did a fine job of striding about pretending to be Isambard Kingdom Brunel but I felt a bit embarrassed for him. Then there were a lot of other people walking and dancing about, including Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts club band who seemed a bit incongruous at that point. I enjoyed the James Bond sequence featuring Daniel Craig collecting the Queen from Buckingham Palace and then seeming to parachute out of a helicopter with her! And then she walked along to her seat! It was very well done. After a lot more people capering about in a sequence about children's literature which included Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Voldemort and a reading by J.K. Rowling there was a weird bit with Rowan Atkinson parodying Chariots of Fire. Then we were onto a selection of British music from the 70s, 80s and 90s and Emeli Sandé sang "Abide with me" which didn't seem very celebratory to me, although I realise that it is played at FA Cup finals. Now the teams are coming out and walking round the stadium, I quite like this bit. However we are two hours ahead of British time here in Greece so I am off to bed!
Update on Saturday morning - well apparently the world's media have loved the opening ceremony, and I'm pleased about that. 

Feeling hot, hot, hot!

It is very hot here on Limnos. When I was younger this would have presented a real problem to me but as the years have gone by I have become acclimatised to heat more quickly, and I have also developed strategies to deal with it, like cooling down in the pool. This morning Davie and I went into Myrina to a Pharmacy to get some large waterproof bandages. This means that we can cover up his stitches and he can swim in the pool and sea. We then wended our way along the cobbled shopping street, pausing to buy some cheap but fun jewellery for me in one of the shops. The prices here seem remarkably cheap; I don't know if that has anything to do with the Greek financial crisis. We saw a t-shirt that had printed on it:
"Greek crisis - no jobs - no money - no worries!"
Anyway when we arrived at the harbour we decided to have a cool drink and then jump in a taxi back to the hotel. By this time I was aware that I was overheating. Unfortunately none of the cafés near the harbour had air-conditioning. We sat down in one, choosing a seat beside an electric fan, but it just seemed to be blowing the hot air about! By the time we got back to the hotel my interior heat regulating system was seriously failing, and no amount of quaffing cool water at lunch had any effect apart from making me need to go to the toilet all the time. However, prolonged immersion in the pool finally did the trick! I was impressed that Grandma went into the pool today; she seems to be really enjoying herself and I'm so glad that she had both of her cataract operations before the holiday so that she can see the beauty of this place clearly. I am rather proud of James and myself for arranging all the appointments for her and going with her. I know that sounds a bit boastful but it's one of the things I managed to do for my own Mum too and I know it makes such a huge difference to quality of life. Tonight was barbecue night at the pool bar and it was delicious, with a beautiful view of the setting sun. By this time the heat had died down a bit and I didn't need to lurk in the shade, but it was still amazingly warm! It is now half past eleven at night, but when I step out of our air-conditioned room onto the balcony it is like stepping into a warm bath! 

Dining out in Myrina

A fifteen minute stroll from our hotel is the island's tiny capital of Myrina. It has a castle on a rock overlooking the harbour, a little church on a hill and a picturesque fishing harbour. It is so pretty and seems almost too Greek to be true! I expected the cast of "Mamma Mia" to come dancing down the hill! The harbour is lined with white-painted restaurants; their tables are all outside overlooking the sea. Myrina also has a rather attractive and bustling shopping street, and, as we already knew, a small hospital! We have been there to dine a couple if times already and had typical Greek fare such as souvlaki, tsatsiki, fried aubergines, very finely sliced fried courgettes and lots of fish, which we struggled to identify but is very fresh. I love Greek food for its simplicity and although after a fortnight of it I will be ready for a good old Scottish curry! The boys seemed genuinely impressed with my knowledge of the Greek alphabet in working out the words on the menu - not that it was necessary because there were English translations! The restaurant staff noticed my attempts to order in Greek and helped me with my pronunciation! By the time we had finished our meal the sun had set behind the castle, it was inky dark and the lights from the boats and the harbour were reflected in the sea. 

A trip to the hospital

We have been settling into a pleasant pattern of water sports for James and the boys, a few fitness classes and swimming for me, and sunbathing by the pool for Grandma, who seems extremely happy to relax, people watch and drink fruit punch. Grandma and I set up "base camp" at the pool every morning and the others come and go, relaxing with us between activities.
However late this morning just as Grandma and I were enjoying a poolside drink, the girl from the information desk approached me with some urgency and asked if I was David's Mum. It transpired that David had been hit by the boom in his boat while he was out sailing in the bay and was now bleeding copiously from a wound in his forehead. Grandma and I hurried round to the end of the pool where the first aiders were attending to him by putting steri-strips on his cut and making him drink a glass of Coke, because he was feeling very faint. Soon David, Jamie and I were on the way to the hospital in Myrina by taxi, which had helpfully driven on a path right down to the poolside. The hospital knew we were coming and we were armed with a map of the hospital and phone numbers of the first aiders. I have to say that the young staff were very efficient at arranging this and I was impressed. On the way, Davie told us more about the accident. The boom had knocked him back into the boat, and as he lay there one of the safety boats had come straight over to him - reassuringly observant - and when they saw his injury they took him straight into the safety boat, abandoning his sail boat. David said he felt guilty because the safety boat was splattered with his blood! Jamie and Alasdair didn't know what had happened and came ashore as soon as they found out. Jamie and a helpful dentist assisted the first aiders. Anyway when we got to hospital we were rather nonplussed by the signs all being (understandably!) in the Greek alphabet - it was a bit bewildering. But they were expecting us and took David straight through into a treatment room. Jamie was looking round the hospital with a very critical eye and was not impressed that the young doctor didn't wash her hands before examining David - she did put on latex gloves but Jamie said that she should have washed her hands too. Jamie took such an active part in David's examination that the young doctor eventually told him to leave the cubicle until she had finished! I got ejected too for crying! David was given four stitches just above his eyebrow, and a tetanus jab. He has to take antibiotics for four days and can't do water sports until his stitches come out in a week to ten days. That's a bit unfortunate on a water sports holiday! We also have to wake him three times tonight to check that he is not confused and disorientated, which of course caused huge hilarity from his brothers ... "How will we know?" Ha ha. We got back to the hotel in time for a late lunch and David was the centre of attention at the poolside during the afternoon; lots of people had seen him being brought in from the beach and they were all asking after him very kindly. David has been very brave about the whole thing; he made himself very popular with the nurse at the hospital by telling her that the injection was the least painful he has ever had! The local anaesthetic helped him for a few hours but the would is now starting to ache so we will give him some painkillers and encourage him to have an early night. 

Holiday fitness

I have had a lovely active day so far. Yoga, Zumba AND aqua aerobics! I feel pleased about this. There is a "fitness platform" beside the sea where the exercise classes take place; it is a raised wooden floor with a canvas roof on poles to provide some shade, and therefore no walls. This suited me extremely well. One of my problems with Zumba (apart from my lack of fitness) is that I overheat during it, as I do during most forms of exercise. The classes I have attempted have been in halls where I have quickly found it far too warm. However here on the fitness platform a cool breeze blows through and kept me from overheating; I got through the whole class. The beautiful setting was also helpful! There are several reasons for my holiday attempts at fitness. One of them is my ongoing concern about my deteriorating fitness. In fact when we arrived at the hotel on Saturday I thought that I was the fattest person here. This turned out not to be quite true, but I'm certainly among the top 5% chubbiest guests and I don't like that! True, this is a self selecting crowd who have chosen an active holiday, but it has still shocked me. I always planned to swim a lot and do some classes here anyway because the others would be sailing. Strangely I have not enjoyed sailing during our Turkey and Greece sailing holidays, despite being the first in the family to know how to do it - Jennifer and I learned how to sail a dinghy on Lake Menteith when we were youngsters, and we became competent sailors. I also love the sea and I'm a good swimmer. However when I re tried sailing a few years ago in Turkey I just didn't find it as much fun as James and the boys. There was so much clambering about inside the boat - I'm a lot less agile than I used to be I suppose - my legs were soon covered with bruises! And I hated having to right the boat every time I got propelled into the sea, which was often. I would still be very happy to go for a ride on a boat but this holiday it will be swimming, a few fitness classes and lots of reading for me! 

The physio will be busy tomorrow

... as James said sardonically when he observed holidaymakers enthusiastically joining in the Greek dancing at our hotel this evening! Yes, our hotel has its own physiotherapist who invited us at the Welcome meeting to come and see him in the event of any sports injuries during the holiday. He seems like a pleasant young chap - maybe I should show him my knees! That would be a professional challenge for him! Today I got my traditional (and transitory) dose of what I call "holiday fatigue". This occurs when I have newly arrived on an eagerly anticipated holiday to some far flung place, and I am suddenly filled with doubts and wonder to myself "Why have we come here? Why did we spend the money? I wish I was at home!" I don't know why I often get these feelings; probably I am tired from packing and travelling. It's strange because as anyone who knows me will know, I LOVE holidays and am quite adventurous. So I was sitting at the gorgeous pool today looking suspiciously at the cloudless sky and scrubby Greek hills and thinking to myself, "Why did I bother coming here?" Wisely I kept these feelings to myself, because James doesn't really understand these feelings. The day went well; the boys did lots of sports especially sailing, which all four of them went to together. Jamie and Ally started tennis lessons and cycling; Davie went to his first wind-surfing lesson and the teenage "TAG" group. Grandma enjoyed sitting by the pool in the heat and the two of us went to the pool bar for a pre-lunch drink. We ate our meals in the restaurant in the olive grove, which is really pretty. I went to aqua aerobics and did a wee bit of swimming; the pool is huge. Suddenly, in the afternoon, for no apparent reason, I could feel a shifting and lightening of my being. My holiday fatigue has gone! Maybe it's because I'm beginning to relax. 

Welcome to Limnos

It has been rather a long day - we had to get up early to check in at the airport, then there was the usual hanging about until we boarded our flight. Then a further delay because the baggage system had broken so there were seventy eight cases missing from the plane. At some point while we waited to take off I fell fast asleep and slept for a good two hours. I learned to sleep on planes during our long haul flights last summer and now I struggle to stay awake even on a short flight! When I awoke, feeling quite refreshed, we were only an hour away from Limnos. After a bit more standing about - luckily all of our luggage turned up - we had a short transfer by bus and were soon checking into our hotel. I'm so glad that it is nice; something that despite research it's hard to be sure of until you actually arrive at the place. Freshly decorated rooms, everything nice and clean, beautiful big pool just a few steps from the sandy beach and the sea. We unpacked, had a walk around and then went for a swim. At the welcome meeting the boys all signed up for lots of water activities. Grandma is very happy with her room and liked the views from the pool of the sea with Mount Athos (which is on the Greek Mainland) beyond. Dinner was good; self service but a tasty choice! Grandma has now retired to bed - it's two hours later here than at home - and I am going too; the boys are watching a film on the big screen down at the pool but I'm ready for a nice sleep. Happy holidays! 

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

Well here we are in a very anonymous but clean hotel somewhere near Gatwick Airport. Our holiday has officially begun. Grandma is next door to us in a double room, and the three boys are on the other side of us also in a double bedroom which will be a bit cosy! Of course one of the boys could have shared a bed with Grandma but nobody volunteered. Grandma probably wouldn't have liked to share with one of them either!
On our way south I was struck by some incredibly beautiful clouds that we flew above as we circled round on our approach to the airport. The tops of the clouds were white and looked like fluffy cotton wool; in some places they would rise up in a tower above the rest- James said this was due to thermals underneath them. They were lit by the evening sunshine and looked glorious. Some looked like piles of candy floss, others like feathery angels wings. It struck me how so many beautiful sights like this in the world must go unobserved, like tops of clouds or plants deep in the jungle. I suppose beauty does not depend upon being seen. And how many beautiful sights have I seen that I have been too preoccupied or worried to properly look at? Life and beauty are so fleeting. This made me think of my favourite speech in one of my favourite films, Blade Runner, comes from the android Batty when he is dying and he talks about the memories that will vanish with him. It made such an impression on me that I may well have blogged about it before. He says, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain..."

A Family Evening

Jamie arrived home this morning and after a cup of tea and a chat the boys and I did lots of packing for our holiday. Marjory and the children popped round for a coffee in the afternoon, they were telling us about their holiday in Florida where they had a great time.
I planned a special family evening starting with a celebration dinner for the five of us all being together; lovely steaks with baked potatoes, peas and stuffed mushrooms. This went down very well with James and the boys. Then we all sat down to watch "Chariots of Fire", which the boys have never seen. I chose this film because it is topical with the Olympics coming up and I thought that we would all enjoy it. How wrong I was. By half an hour into the film Alasdair had disappeared to take a phone call that lasted for more than an hour. Jamie half watched the film while using his iPad and texting on his phone. James started poking David and Jack with a stick for some reason and then fell asleep. Only David watched the film properly with me. Sometimes my ideas just don't go according to plan! I did enjoy the film though! 

Jack and the Mystery of the Missing Passport

Ally came home from his holiday in Magaluf today, I was very glad that he was home safe. He told us that Magaluf was really wild - not in a good way! Lots of people drunk, high, or just passed out in the street. I'm glad to say that this was not to Ally's taste, although he did enjoy his holiday. He had burned his shoulders at a water park on the last day so I rubbed some aloe vera after sun gel on them for him. It's so nice to have him back!
Meanwhile I had a stressful day looking for David's passport, which was missing. He had taken it to Dundee a couple of weeks ago as identification to get some money out of the bank, but was adamant that he had handed it over to me as soon as he got home. I was very worried; I couldn't remember this but the detailed way that David described it (he allegedly gave it to me upstairs and instructed me to lock it up in the cash box!) made me begin to picture that he must have given it to me. I have done a lot of tidying and throwing things out over the last week so after I had hunted everywhere in the house I thought that I must have thrown the passport out by mistake. So I emptied the wheelie bin out and checked every bag in it. It was raining hard and the content of some of the bags was very yucky including mouldy strawberries! There was still no sign of the passport and I was going out in the evening so I left James still hunting for it. Also by this time James had phoned the passport office and they said there was no way that they could replace a lost passport in less than seven days - and our holiday is in three days! When I was on my way home I received the following text from David: "Jack found my passport for me!!! It was just under my bedside table sorry for blaming you for losing it" Aaargh! Apparently as a last resort David had carried Jack into his messy bedroom and said "Find my passport!" and Jack had walked straight over to where the passport was. What amazing powers that cat has! 

Play park with Jackie and her boys

I went over to see Jackie and her boys today and we went to a lovely play park at Kelvingrove - much improved since I used to take my boys there and with a really nice wee coffee house which has been converted fairly recently from the old public toilets! We had coffee and cake and chatted while the children played. Meanwhile James was in Birmingham today and while waiting for his plane home he popped into the Midland Air Museum and saw many planes including a Vulcan, one of his favourites. He was delighted because he was even allowed to sit in the cockpit! It was nice that he got to do something more interesting for a change instead of sitting waiting at an airport. He works very long hours when he goes to meetings in London and Warwick and has very early starts and late finishes; tonight he didn't get home until 8.30 p.m. Not that he ever complains, but I think it's very tiring for him. Tomorrow both Jamie and Ally will be arriving home so the five of us will be together, which makes me feel very excited. 

Feeding the ducks

I had a lovely day with David today; we went out for lunch together (TGI Fridays of course), watched TWO films and went for a walk at the Heritage Park. The films that we watched were very different from each other. The first one was "The Woman in Black". David wasn't that keen to see it and he was right; it was really disappointing compared to the stage play, which I went to see with Heather a couple of years ago. The stage play was truly suspenseful despite only having three actors, and I didn't think that the film managed to attain that atmosphere at all. Also the changed ending was rubbish. The book that it was based on was written by Susan Hill, who also writes the Simon Serrailler crime series that I quite like, in fact I have downloaded some more of the series about the moody detective for my holiday! The second film that we watched was "50:50" which is about a young man who has cancer and his relationships, particularly with his friend, who is played by Seth Rogen. We watched it because when we were looking through the list of films on our "On Demand" service we discovered that we were both interested in seeing it. It's totally not James' type of film, so I was gratified that David was interested in it too. It was a good film I thought, which dealt with the issues sensitively and also brought in a lot of humour, although it was never flippant about what the main character was going through. The ending was perhaps a little too neat but the acting was great, especially by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anjelica Huston who was tremendous as the Mum. Then later Davie and I went for a walk at the Heritage Park, it was an absolutely beautiful evening. There were lots of people out walking and running, and at one point we heard a wee voice behind us shouting "ding ding......ding ding" with increasing urgency. When we turned round a little boy shot past us on his bike and shouted, "Thank you! My bell isn't working!", which I thought was very funny. We fed the ducks and swans and had a good chat. 

Sunday Visitors

James cut the hedges at the back of the house in the morning and they look great, the whole garden looks much smarter. His job yesterday and today was much interrupted by neighbours stopping to say hello and exchange news. Not that James minded, we are lucky to have such a nice bunch of neighbours and it's just a shame that we hardly see them; due to our climate people tend to be more indoors than outdoors so it's only really in the summer that we tend to bump into them. Janet and Peter came for lunch today; it was great to see them and we had a pleasant afternoon chatting and catching up on news. I had decided to make chicken fajitas because that's what I had at Planet Hollywood last week and I really enjoyed it. I also thought that it would be a nice, relaxing Sunday lunch dish. However I found it all to be very footery and the chicken didn't turn out the way I wanted; the onions and peppers were over cooked. Then I thought that the cranachan I made for dessert tasted a bit dodgy, I was using a new recipe and it all ended up a bit too mixed in. However if our lovely guests noticed this they certainly didn't point it out and in fact were very complimentary about the food. Janet and Peter were telling us all about their recent holiday in England and about Anne's new flat. It was very interesting to hear how well Anne is getting on in London. I really admire how hard she has worked to get on the photo-journalism course that she wants and I have no doubt that she will continue to succeed at whatever she tries. It seems like yesterday since she was born, where does the time go?
James' Mum came round for dinner, which was totally leftovers (we didn't mention that to her) and we talked about our holiday which is now less than a week away! James and I are now about to watch Wallander but I need to do a quick clear up first - James says that the utility room looks like "an explosion in a Cranachan factory!" 

James cut the hedge today

In the morning David staggered through to our room to tell us a few more horror stories about Wales. One of his toenails has come loose, one of the other boys fell down some rocks and ripped a leg muscle - he still managed to finish the daily 20 km walk before he had to be taken to hospital; he claims that even the Welsh expedition leaders hated being there and were very grumpy. There seems to have been a camaraderie in adversity among his group and they kept themselves going by deciding what would constitute the ideal burger, or what they would say to people who didn't believe how bad it had been; "You weren't there man!" He told us that he had seen strange Welsh thistles with lots of shoots on them, and they had seen a Hawk plane flying over them twice. David did seem marginally more cheerful about his experience but is still saying that he won't go back!
James decided that he would cut the hedges today, a job that he cheerfully anticipated would take a couple of hours. Imagine his dismay when he found that the cable for the hedge cutters was severed in not one, not two, but three places! This crime was quickly traced back to Alasdair, who had been the last to use them. Luckily for him he is still in Magaluf so was spared James' wrath. After a lot of shouting and soldering James got on with his hedge cutting. I was doing a bit of pottering about and popped out to see how he was getting on, to which he said, "Fine. But I'm not enjoying it." He cheered up when we went for a nice lunch at Zizzi's. 

Welsh Midges

James and I had a lovely curry with Ewan and Heather tonight at their local curry house, Rasoi. Like last time, the meal was delicious and the restaurant was smart and comfortable, and I was left yet again wishing that we had such a good eatery near our house. It was the first time that I have seen Ewan since his Mum died; we had a pleasant and relaxing evening chatting and went home feeling replete and contented.
We found David, who returned this evening from his Duke of Edinburgh expedition in Wales, lying in bed exhausted and bitter. He was covered in insect bites and said that the Welsh midges are much worse than Scottish ones because they are deterred neither by wind nor rain! He went on to tell us that it rained "the whole time" that he was in Wales, and that the only time the sun had come out for ten minutes he had got burned. He said that when the clouds lifted they were replaced with clouds of midges, and that he didn't see anything of the countryside because of the clouds and mist. David has formed a poor impression of Wales I'm afraid, and was talking darkly of not going back to complete his Qualifying expedition in October. He spoke in a monotone and kept writing "I hate you" on his iPad. I do feel bad for him that he has had such a grim experience, it does sound awful. I don't believe that suffering should be a part of sport and have horrible memories of playing hockey in dreadful weather conditions. Perhaps he will feel differently about the experience and remember some good times when he has had a comfy night's sleep in his own bed. 

Skiable knees

I am worried that my knees will not be able to go skiing at New Year. And I certainly can't go skiing without them! The story began in 1980 when I was in a motorbike accident (well a moped actually!) when the top was broken off my tibia and needed pinned back on, as well as a lengthy time in plaster. When the plaster came off I was amazed by two things. The hair on my leg had grown to double length, as if fooled by the darkness beneath my plaster cast! And my leg wouldn't bend at all, which made going up and down stairs very challenging! Painful physiotherapy mainly corrected this - I dreaded the end of each session when the physiotherapist would bend my leg a little further each week, and it was excruciating. I made a good recovery, however my right knee has always creaked and groaned, especially on stairs. Fast forward to a couple of years ago when severe knee pain got me referred to the Victoria, and I was told that I have osteoarthritis in my right knee. The consultant talked darkly about a knee replacement, which sounded alarming, but is not needed yet - five or ten years was mentioned. So I put it to the back of my mind and ignored my creaky knees until now. The trouble is, both of my knees are misbehaving now, especially since James and I went on our lovely walking holiday to the north west last week. I didn't even do that much walking! And you would think that walking would be good for building up knee muscle. However maybe carrying a rucksack didn't help - or the extra Susan weight that I am carrying these days! But now I can hardly move my right knee in the morning and I have trouble going downstairs because both knees feel as if they have knives behind my kneecaps sticking in to me! Oh well, enough moaning, I will make a doctor's appointment and see if I can get some physio or medication. Because for my ski holiday in December I need skiable knees! 

No boys in the house

This was a very strange day for me; with James working in Warwick, Jamie in Dundee, Ally in Magaluf and Davie in Wales, I found myself alone in the house. Of course I had my furry boy Jack to keep me company so I wasn't lonely, but it was certainly very quiet! So I decided to spend my day on a mix of leisure and usefulness. The useful bit was some cleaning and tidying, and the leisure bit was watching a film. I chose one that I have wanted to see but that I was fairly sure that no one else in the family would enjoy, called "Happy-go-lucky" starring Sally Hawkins. She is a great and very natural actress and she plays the part of a teacher who remains eternally optimistic despite various tribulations. It's a quirky wee film and I loved it. More cinematic entertainment was to come. After James came home we watched another film, "The Artist", which did so well at this year's Oscars. I thought it was tremendous, James not so much! No wonder it was so successful, it's lovely. It has been a good day but too quiet without my boys! 

The Caledonian Sleeper

I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the reclining seats that we had been looking forward to on the Caledonian Sleeper! They were quite spacious but just not enough reclined! I had envisaged lying back almost horizontal, however the seats were not inclined enough to stop your head from falling to the side or forwards if you dozed off! So it was not the most comfortable night's sleep for any of us although I think I managed to get a couple of hours sleep. The train ground to a halt not far north of London; the guard told us that it was engine failure and we were stuck there for almost two hours. Luckily I think there is quite a lot of leeway built into the timings of sleeper trains and we arrived in Central by 8 in the morning which was only about half an hour late. We jumped into a taxi to Cambuslang, then I drove the pupils to their homes, I felt that this was a nice gesture so that their parents didn't have to get up very early two days in a row! I was home by nine, just in nice time to drive Alasdair to the airport for his Magaluf holiday. It was good to get the chance to see him before he left, he is so looking forward to it. I was telling him about my visit to Westminster and found him to be remarkably well informed about it - I wonder if Ally will work in the heart of government one day? When I got home Jack and I retired to bed for a few hours - it was so good to be lying horizontal! 

Today in Parliament

A totally amazing day! After an early start (the 07.37 from Glasgow to London Euston!) three Duncanrig pupils and I arrived at Portcullis House on the embankment. We were there for the annual Schools Radio Awards. We met up with Chris who had just arrived from his family holiday in Tenerife! We were then met by Gordon Paterson, Parliamentary Assistant to Michael McCann. He took us on a fantastic tour of the Houses of Parliament starting with Westminster Hall. Built by William Rufus son of William the Conqueror in about 1097, it was where the trials of many people took place, for example William Wallace and Thomas More. Many VIPs lay in state there, most recently the Queen Mother in 2002, and just a few weeks ago the Jubilee lunch was there, attended by the Queen. A suffragette hid in St Margaret's chapel under Westminster Hall on the night before the 1911 census so that she could claim it as her place of residence even though she was not allowed to vote. I loved all this History!
We saw the central lobby - where the expression "to lobby your MP" comes from. Gordon told us an apocryphal tale about the locations of the four stained glass windows of the patron saints of Great Britain:- allegedly the English one is above the entrance to the House of Lords (toffs), the Welsh is above the entrance to the Commons (troublemakers), the Irish is above the exit (they want out of GB) and the Scottish one - leads to the bar! Ha ha! The House of Commons is characterised by its green seats and we saw Jeffrey Archer showing some people around. It wasn't as big as it looks on television. On the door we saw damage on the wood caused by Black Rod's staff when he comes to summon the MPs to hear the Queen's speech. The monarch isn't allowed into the House of Commons after an incident when Charles I barged in looking for some MPs who had offended him. It wasn't long until he was tried and beheaded. So that's why there is the ceremony of the door to the Commons being slammed and Black Rod banging on it. Really fascinating. We only had a peek into the Lords because the afternoon session was about to begin; the sniffer dog was checking the place over. In St Stephens Chapel Lord Falkland's statue has a spur broken on its foot from when a suffragette chained herself to it!
Gordon explained that today was a busy day in parliament; the Lords Reform Bill was being voted on. It was quite exciting to be right there while it was all going on and one of the pupils' parents phoned him to say that we had been visible in the central lobby during the lunch time news! After our tour we walked across Westminster Bridge, along the river and then back across the river to Trafalgar Square.
At 4 o'clock we were back at Westminster for the Schools Radio Awards ceremony. The location was fantastic; on Westminster terrace right beside the water, we could walk outside to see views of Westminster Bridge and the river. The reception was attended by veteran DJ Paul Gambaccini who made a good speech, and elderly but dapper Nicholas Parsons, both of whom we met. There were lots of really nice sandwiches and cakes, as well as drinks. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, presented the awards (we got a respectable "finalist" award but not the main prize). He was very friendly and I had a pleasant chat with him, he said he has to be very firm with the MPs when he is standing in for the Speaker. To round off our day of celebrity we saw Ken Livingstone on the tube later! He chatted to Chris when he spotted our radio award. Later on we had dinner in Planet Hollywood (good music) and at the pupils' request we visited the inexplicably popular four storey M&Ms shop. The pupils' behaviour was excellent all day. After a walk around a rather quiet after hours Covent Garden taking photos of highly decorated phone boxes it was time to say goodbye to Chris who was heading back to Tenerife, and head for Euston Station and the "Caledonian Sleeper" home, complete with (slightly) reclining seats. 

A day with Alasdair

Alasdair and I went on a few errands today, mainly to do with Ally's upcoming holiday with his school friends to Magaluf. This celebration of the end of his school days sounds horribly like the film "The Inbetweeners" which amused us last year, except that Ally will be in the company of a nice group of girls as well as boys, including lovely Cat, who will hopefully keep him on the straight and narrow. Ally is looking forward to it and felt the need to purchase some new clothes at TKMaxx. We got on very well during our trip; I didn't try to accompany him to the changing rooms and he was very pleasant. It was really nice to spend some time with him; what with my trip to Holland and then his D of E expedition to the Summer Isles and Mull we haven't had a proper chat for a couple of weeks. He was telling me all about his expedition and when we got home he showed me the photos. He had a great time sea kayaking and camping on uninhabited islands; one of them was in the mouth of Tobermory harbour so they had fantastic views of the village. They saw lots of seals and also porpoises, and one day a huge sea eagle took off over their heads. The weather was warm with a bit of rain in the middle of the week, some of his photos have gorgeous rainbows in them. His group all got on very well and they passed the expedition section of the Award. Ally has not only become very good at kayaking, he has seen some fantastic sights and had a proper adventure. I'm very  proud of him. I like to think that James and I have helped to instil in him a love of his native land which has been developed by these expeditions; he certainly knows his way around the north west of Scotland from many family holidays and has now paddled around a good deal of it! 

Proust on the train

I'm on the train from Wolverhampton to Glasgow and I've just finished the second volume of Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu. It's called "In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower". Our narrator is now a young adult and his feelings for various girls are explored, including his first love Gilberte, and Albertine and her little gang during the longest summer holiday I have ever heard of at Balbec! I am still enjoying Proust's flowery and detailed style, and I feel that his story is an amazingly detailed social history of a certain time and class. However I am a bit fed up of all the dreadful shallowness and snobbery exhibited by many of the characters, including the narrator. Also their incredible idleness. For example, the Baron de Charlus is not satisfied with asking one of the hotel's servants to go on a midnight errand for him; he demands that the hotel manager be woken because he prefers the top man to be the one to do his bidding. I think that Proust is being critical of these people by highlighting their behaviour, and he can be very humourous in describing it, but I find the whole book so suffused with descriptions of snobbery that I am a bit sickened with it. Our narrator is horribly fickle towards both his male friends and the girls that he meets; he longs to get close to them but once he has their attention (or even knows that he is about to get their attention!) they become swiftly devalued in his eyes and he will avoid them. And the digressions! Proust just can't stay on topic! A visit by the narrator to an artist's studio had me groaning because as soon as the narrator saw the paintings I just knew he would go into incredible detail about each one, and it was almost impossible to remember where the narrative was supposed to be going! Now I know I sound very critical of Proust, but in fact I am still enjoying reading his work! It is fascinating in its minute attention to detail. I am however going to have a good break from it now before I take on Volume 3 - maybe even until next year!
By the way the reason that I'm on the train is that I accompanied Davie on the first two parts of his journey to Aberystwyth, near where he will be doing his Practice Gold D of E expedition this week. I'm so proud of him to be willing to go on an Open Gold Expedition by himself (This is because Duncanrig will not be running Gold expeditions until next year.) I was glad that I accompanied him because one of the trains was late and we missed a connection. So we had a nice chat in the station café at Wolverhampton while David waited for the next train. The Wimbledon Men's final was on the television there and we watched the first set before we parted ways; Davie to Wales and me back towards Glasgow. 

Breakfast at Kylescu

This morning we had breakfast with a view - a fantastic view from the hotel right down the loch surrounded by mountains. And what a breakfast! Perhaps the best I have ever had - freshly made raspberry pancakes with maple syrup. Words cannot describe the pleasure they gave me. I will definitely be back to the Kylescu Hotel. Its location is handy for all my favourite places like Scourie, Lochinver, and Achmelvich, its standards, location, setting and atmosphere are all excellent, and its food is absolutely delicious. Now we are on the road home; when we got to Inverness it started raining - the first rain we have seen for a week! We have been very lucky with the weather in the far north-west this week; it has been the only sunny place in the whole of the UK. 

Update - in the evening we went to Shona and Alan’s wedding reception. There were lots of pleasant colleagues there and Shona was a beautiful bride.

On Scourie Beach

After breakfast we went from Inchnadamph to Lochinver to get petrol and also to visit Highland Stoneware. We got "seascape" patterned mugs there years ago and they have never chipped or broken, despite constant use, so we decided to get some more. After much selecting, because they are hand painted so the colours can vary quite a bit, we chose six mugs, a milk jug, sugar bowl and a wee plate. I am pleased with them, however I was surprised at how much in the shop I didn't like. And I don't think that the patterns have changed, it's my taste that has evolved; how strange! A lot of it seems not skilled enough or finely enough painted to me any more; it's hard to explain. Anyway I am pleased with my mugs, and we then drove to Kylescu where we had booked a boat trip on Loch Glencoul. This was excellent, made even more enjoyable by the amazing weather. We saw seals basking on rocks, gannets diving for fish, and thousands of jellyfish, transparent except for four purple circles in the middle of them. The skipper of the ship said that they don't sting and she has swum through a crowd of them before. The surrounding hills and mountains were beautiful and beyond the end of the loch we could see the Eas a Chual Aulinn - the waterfall that I didn't make it to on foot yesterday! We then had yummy home made fish cakes for lunch in the Kylescu Hotel bar and then checked in. I'm very impressed by the standard of the hotel; no offence to our previous hostelries this week but in both decor, atmosphere and food, the Kylescu Hotel is definitely our sort of place! We spent the last couple of hours of the afternoon sitting in the sunshine on Scourie beach (another favourite place of ours, where we used to go camping with the boys). Back to the hotel to get ready for dinner while watching the last two sets of the Murray / Tsonga Wimbledon semi-final. It was quite a battle and very exciting. Dinner in the restaurant was a foodie's seafood delight. Simple but delicious fish cooked perfectly with delicate sauces and fresh vegetables. We walked off our full tummies by following a path up to and across the bridge, which a plaque informed us was opened by the Queen in 1984. Before that you had to catch the ferry or face a 100 mile detour via Lairg! 

Sunset at Ardvreck Castle

Later on Thursday 5th July
James enjoyed his walk but had found it quite strenuous in the heat and felt that it would have been too much for me. The Inchnadamph Hotel (which I jokingly call the Cold and Damp!) is fine with friendly people and we had a decent enough meal before heading a short way along the road to Ardvreck Castle to watch the sunset and to take some photos. The last time I was there I seem to remember it was very windy, so it was lovely to walk around in the warm evening sunshine that gave the castle a warm glow and lit up the surrounding hills. And now we are sitting in the hotel bar, which is frequented by some young folk from the nearby field centre who are playing pool, some fishermen and a dog. The fishermen are disappointed in the hot weather because there is not enough water in the rivers for the salmon to swim upstream; they need lots of rain! 

Time to take in the view

I am lying on a beautiful hillside in the shade of a large rock on this sunny summer's day in Assynt. Below me is a small loch and behind that is gorgeous Quinag. How I love this area. It is completely peaceful; all I can hear is birdsong and the occasional buzz of a fly, which retreats obediently when I wave a climbing sock at it. I have taken off my boots and socks and am wriggling my toes in the long grass. I am completely alone because James has decided to walk to Inchnadamph by himself. He was very disappointed with me - to put it mildly - when I said that I wasn't going any further after walking only 2km (out of the eight km that he had planned) and quite rightly pointed out, "You say that you want to get fitter, but how are you going to get fitter if you won't push yourself?" I do see what he means but it is such a warm day, the walk was hillier than I thought, and I just felt very hot and bothered - it's a scorcher! I know that James had planned this lovely walk to a waterfall at the head of Loch Glencoul so that we could see many views unfolding, however I decided that since I felt so hot I would opt for the shade and this particular beautiful view. If I was fitter I would have gone on with him, and I do feel guilty because I know that he wanted us to walk together, but I hope that he enjoys his walk and I certainly feel very contented right here. June was a very busy month at work including a D of E expedition and although Holland was good it was tiring and non-stop. Sometimes I just want to stop and take in the view!
And what a view! 

Gorgeous Lochinver

We woke to another hot and sunny day at Sandwood Bay. After breakfast of burnt porridge lovingly prepared by James we packed up and walked back out to Oldshoremore. I was very hot while carrying my backpack and tripped over a stone on the path, adding to my bruise collection. It took us about two hours to walk back to the car and I was so happy to take my boots off and cool down in the car. We drove up to Durness for lunch in the Loch Croispol bookshop & restaurant. I had macaroni cheese and it was delicious. We also belatedly bought sun spray lotion and a large bottle of after sun gel which we applied immediately. Then we headed for Lochinver, one of our favourite villages in the north west. Today it was at its most beautiful, basking in the sunshine. We went for a walk from our (very nice) guest house through the village. When we crossed the river we could see salmon jumping out of the water to catch flies! We had great views of Suilven; its distinctive shape protruding above the hills behind the village. We had a tasty dinner (scallops for me) in the Riverside Bistro then walked right along to the harbour which had stunning views across the water to where the white painted cottages were lit up by the evening sunshine. We also saw a wee boy who was fishing and feeding a seal with raw fish. The seal was bobbing around in the water eagerly staring at him! On the way back to the guest house we stopped for a drink in the friendly Caberfeigh pub (it means deer's antlers). And now we are in our comfy bedroom which has a toilet, running water and a proper bed - I so appreciate these comforts after our back to basics wild camping trip! 

The Wild Mountain Thyme

3rd July 2012 (also to be posted on my return to civilisation)
I am lying in our tent exhausted after a day of stravaiging around the hills and moors north of Sandwood Bay. We were not disturbed by any spooky happenings during the night and woke bright and early to stunning sea views from our tent. Our objective today was to walk from Sandwood Bay to Cape Wrath and back, a return journey of about 30 km. Fairly soon it became apparent that this was not feasible (for me that is; James would not have found it a problem!) I was quite tired - perhaps the night in the tent was not as comfortable as I thought. The weather was absolutely wonderful - not what the forecast had predicted - and as a result I was rather hot and bothered as we crossed the tussocky grass and boggy bits on this totally untracked route. I was really annoyed at myself for my slow pace, I feel such an unfit failure. James was very pleasant about it and revised our plans to a circular route of about 10 km - it also had about 1000 feet of ascent. This was quite enough for me and made the day more relaxed; I went skinny dipping in Loch Keisgaig in the safe knowledge that there was no one else for miles around - the whole day we had the hills completely to ourselves. At least I hope so - James tells me that the area is used as a training area by the armed forces so for all I know the hills could have been full of SAS men in camouflage! We did find a strange garment - part of a jacket that was covered with masking tape that had little pouches in it where some sort of explosive had been - there were little wires sticking out of the (empty) pouches! A bit like what a suicide bomber might wear! Perhaps a remnant from one of the training exercises. The area was so beautiful! Gentle hills and moorland, with lots of mountain thyme that scented our path, and beautiful tiny flowers in purple, blue and yellow among the grass. James pointed out bog orchids and also sundew, which look a bit like very small Venus fly traps. On top of the hills there was sandstone studded with pebbles from streams millennia ago. There were skylarks twittering in the sky and James spotted a golden plover. Out in the blue sea we could see a couple of fishing boats. The day got hotter and hotter, and we had no sun cream. This was foolish but we honestly thought that grey weather would be the most we could hope for and didn't expect this glorious sunshine. Soon I was burned on my arms, face and midriff. I also ripped the skin on my legs on a barbed wire fence and fell when crossing a river on stepping stones, bruising my knees very unattractively! For the last part of the walk we crossed the Chailleach Burn and dropped down to the beach. We could see gannets diving into the sea for fish. By the time we got back to our wee tent I was roasting and sought out some shade over at the sand dunes until I cooled down. Later James and I had a bath in a deep part of the burn leading out from Sandwood Loch, so we felt nice and fresh for our freeze dried tea (chicken tikka this time!) This really is an idyllic setting, and I'm enjoying the time with James. At sunset we walked along the beach accompanied by little grey and white ringed plovers who hopped along watching us and whistling. 

Return to Sandwood Bay

2nd July 2012 (to be posted on my return to civilisation!)
I am in our cosy tent at Sandwood Bay. What a day it has been! We set off from Glasgow at 9 and it took us seven hours to reach Oldshoremore including a stop for lunch at the Ceilidh Place in Ullapool. I may have mentioned before that the Ceilidh Place is one of my favourite places to eat in the world, not just for its good home cooking but its spacious and bright bar and restaurant, its relaxed atmosphere, and its attached bookshop. I associate it with holidays and have had many good times there over the years. We have now walked 6 km from Oldshoremore to beautiful Sandwood Bay which is reputed to be haunted by sailors and mermaids! It is said that when you camp here, you will wake up during the night with an "indefinable feeling of dread"! I will report on this tomorrow. I have been here once before with James, Heather, Ewan, and all of our children, on a day walk about six years ago but as it was a day time walk the ghosties didn't come out to play. James is now going to cook us some freeze dried spag bol for tea. This gives me an indefinable feeling of dread! 

The comforts of home

There is something rather lovely about coming home from a holiday to the comforts of home. My own bed, shower and bath. My own family. Everything in its place. Last night, or more correctly early this morning - we didn't arrive back to EK until ten past two a.m. - Jack the cat was very pleased to greet me. He knew I had been away for longer than my usual working day because he kept looking at me intently and thoughtfully. I was pleased to see him too. Then this morning I had such a lovely long lie, and James brought me breakfast in bed. It is therefore a little ironic that I will be leaving the pleasures and comforts of home tomorrow for another week, as James and I head up north for a walking holiday.