Birthday fun

Well here it is, my birthday again, and I have been very well-treated by my family all day! I had a long lie and breakfast in bed, then Ally texted me from Arran and we had a chat on the phone. Jamie and Davie brought me cards and presents and James gave me an unexpected extra present of a Clarisonic face massager in which I expressed interest a few weeks ago! I'm going to look SO young once I start using it. Either that or all the skin will fall off my face!
Lunch was at Bread Meats Bread, a trendy burger joint which I have heard recommended. The burgers didn't disappoint and we had a lovely chat. Then after a couple of errands in town we had coffee at Carluccio's - all of this was my choice and I loved it.
A relaxing bath ensued and now we have all scattered for New Year; Ally is already in Arran, Jamie has gone to a nightclub in Dundee, and Davie is at a party in East Kilbride. James and I are about to set off to Alison and Hugh's to have dinner and welcome the New Year.
And so farewell to 2013, a very eventful year but a good one. 

Swimming and raining

Another rainy but pleasant day of leisure, with some exercise added in. James and I went for a swim in the morning and it was really great. I felt energised afterwards. James is a good swimmer but he finds it to be rather boring. However I enjoy gliding up and down the pool letting my thoughts drift and looking at the other swimmers. Some of them are extremely fit and use the fast swim lanes. Others are clearly not so fit and just go in and out of the sauna and steam room. Then there are families with wee children who remind me of my boys at that age. 

After lunch James and David went off to do some bank business which took them ages and I did some housework and then had a coffee with Jamie. I do enjoy his company; he's nearly twenty-four but he is the same good, kind, brave boy that I have loved for his whole life. Jack cat came in drenched by rain, he must have held on as long as he could but finally he was forced to venture outside. I'm glad that I don't have to go to the toilet in the garden! 

Windows in the weather

The holidays continue in a festive and social manner - yesterday I had a great time lunching in town at Zizzi's and catching up with friends, and then making dinner for Alison and Hugh in the evening. I used my tagine again to make a Moroccan stew and it seemed to go down rather well. Today we had lunch in Edinburgh at Janet and Peter's; Anne was there too looking beautiful, she is getting on very well and will be graduating next summer. All this socialising is very pleasant and has the benefit of not being weather dependent - because the weather is very wet and windy! Occasionally we get a couple of hours of good weather, at which point we seize the opportunity to go outside for a walk, as we did this morning, enjoying a brisk saunter around the neighbourhood before heading to Edinburgh.
The rain is back on now with a vengeance and we are warm and cosy in the back room watching Charlie Brooker's review of 2013. It's all very relaxing. 

What to do on a wet winter's day in Glasgow

Well actually there are lots of things to do, and we opted for shopping, ten-pin bowling and cinema.
In the morning James and I took Grandma to the sales at John Lewis. She was delighted with the outing and bought herself a really nice pale cream woollen coat which will be lovely for the Spring, and a very smart pale blue and grey jacket, with a blue blouse to match it. I also bought her another top which went nicely with the jacket so that she can mix and match it. Then I swapped the cashmere jacket which Grandma bought me for Christmas for a smaller size and we went for coffee in The Place to Eat. James showed remarkable restraint throughout the shopping experience.
When we got home it was still raining heavily so James, Jamie, Davie and I went ten-pin bowling at Springfield Quay - it's ages since we have done this and it was great fun. (Ally was away at a party at Dunlop.) I was just as rubbish as ever, the boys were quite good, and James was very good indeed - he scored nearly 200 and had five strikes in a row in our second game! He was characteristically modest but I could tell that he was pleased because he high-fived us all!
The we strolled along to the cinema to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second of the three Hobbit films. I enjoyed the whole thing, especially when Smaug opened his evil eye and then loped around in his cave of gold. However the boys were much more critical than me, and David in particular objected to the way the plot had been changed and spun out and said that it was "an insult to Tolkien!" The fun was not over yet because when we got home we decided to watch a DVD that James got for Christmas; Despicable Me, which we have never seen. I thought that it was mildly enjoyable and undemanding; for some reason James absolutely loved it, especially the Minions. The rain continues to batter down outside but we Andersons certainly know how to amuse ourselves and we have had a very pleasant day. 

So happy on Boxing Day

I am in a tremendously good mood. Jamie, Ally and Davie clubbed together and arranged a wonderful Christmas present for James; they have taken him into town for a Boxing Day lunch and then to a football match at Ibrox (Rangers v Stranraer). How thoughtful, James was delighted! Also they made it their Christmas present to each other as well which worked out very well. So Jack and I have had the house to ourselves all day and it has been great! What to do? Well I really hate the messy shoe racks under our bedroom windows, so I decided to get rid of them and rehome my shoes elsewhere in the bedroom. This was not a huge problem because I am no Imelda Marcos, however it led to further reorganising and tidying and I have to say the bedroom looks good. I moved on to the bathroom to tidy and to put away my gorgeous Christmas gifts - several Molton Brown products mmmm - which I am looking forward to using. This all put me in a very good mood, and I then popped out to Tesco to pick up some ingredients for a meal that I am cooking ahead for Saturday evening. And right now I am enjoying an Americano in Costa Coffee before heading home. Tea is all taken care of because we have lots of leftovers from yesterday, so a relaxing evening lies ahead. This is the life! 

Peaceful Christmas

We have had a happy, traditional Christmas Day at home with the family. The boys all came though to our room with their Christmas stockings to open and again Santa had provided a stocking for James and me too! The presents chosen for me by my lovely family were touching in their thoughtfulness, and of course the best bit was us all being together. Jack enjoyed walking around the middle of the bed amid all the wrapping paper and chatter, and he got a present too (a catnip toy). We put the turkey in the oven at 9 (it would take six hours to cook plus resting time), then we went round to Forrest and Marjory's. James and I collected Grandma by car and the boys walked along, as we drove past them on the way up the road I was so proud that these three young men are ours! Forrest, Marjory and the children made us very welcome and plied us with drinks, Christmas cake and presents. After a pleasantly festive morning we headed home and made Christmas dinner. It all went smoothly and we watched the Queen's speech at 3 p.m. before serving out. We had smoked salmon with blinis and sour cream to start and then we had Grandma's chestnut soup which was absolutely delicious. The Melba toast was not perfect but everyone seemed to like it anyway. The roast turkey turned out very well and was nice and moist after loads of basting. All of the vegetables and sauces made it onto the table at a decent temperature and we ate up enthusiastically, chatting and laughing. All very traditional and familiar, which as I get older I appreciate is a privilege. I hope that I am lucky enough to have more Christmases like this one. 

Stormy Christmas Eve

It's a stormy Christmas Eve but we are cosy indoors and I think that we are all ready for Christmas. The presents are wrapped, the turkey is stuffed, the vegetables are prepared and the fridge is groaning with food.
It has been a lovely few days. On Saturday evening we went over to Steven and Hilary's with Michael and Lil for dinner. It was a totally brilliant evening and they made us an amazing Japanese meal. First we had sushi, then vegetables in tempura batter, steamed dumplings with plum sauce and then teriyaki salmon with rice. I have never eaten home made Japanese food before and each course was absolutely delicious, I couldn't pick a favourite.
Sunday was also a lovely day. I went into town first to get my hair cut, an experience which I enjoy more now than I ever have thanks to my pleasant hairdresser. Then James arrived in by train and we met Heather and Ewan for our annual Christmas lunch, this year at Arisaig in Merchant Square. I had asked for a table outside in the courtyard area so it was quite pretty and festive with Christmas lights high up on the roof and people milling around the craft fair. We were gratified that not only was the food very nice but the prices were very reasonable! They even undercharged us but we were honest and owned up. Because that's the kind of people we are! After we had eaten our fill we moved across the square to Metropolitan for drinks. It was very relaxing and fun and has become a great Christmas tradition.
When we got home Jamie had arrived! It was wonderful to see him; we haven't seen him for about six weeks because of his exams and then his ski holiday. Not only was our boy home but he cooked the tea ready for Grandma coming round which was very helpful!
On Monday we all went to It's a Wonderful Life which we thoroughly enjoyed. How I love that film! This year we went to the Grosvenor in Ashton Lane and then we popped across the lane to Brel for dinner. The dinner was excellent and so was the setting, through the back in the conservatory with the trees outside lit up with colourful lights.
And then this morning I went to beautiful Noah's 5th birthday party. It hardly feels like five years since he was born! He was really happy surrounded by family and friends and it was a lovely occasion. Afterwards I drove into town and got my very favourite parking spot behind Marks and Spencer's in Renfrew Street. It was nice having a browse around and then some Lobster Thermidor was reduced to half price right in front of my very eyes! (from £25 to £12.50) I snapped it up along with some hot smoked salmon which was also reduced and we had a fancy fish feast for our Christmas Eve meal! 

Winter solstice

Today is the shortest day of the year and the winter solstice. In fact the actual moment of the winter solstice was four minutes ago; Wikipedia informs me that it takes place at the moment when the sun's elevation with respect to Earth reaches its lowest value (-25.5 degrees), which this year was 17.11 on 21st December. Of course our Neolithic ancestors had no way of predicting it as accurately as that but they understood that although the days would start getting longer again, the worst of the winter was still ahead. They held feasts and festivals around now because this was the time to slaughter most of the cattle so that they would not need to be fed during the winter, so there was fresh meat available for the first time in months. Also our forebears saw it as a time of rebirth and fresh beginnings - if they managed to survive the harsh winter ahead - so it seemed like a good time to appeal to their Gods' better nature by paying their respects with some feasting and sacrifice. 

David and I have both made Christmas cakes this year. I have made one for the second year in a row thanks to our fabulous Home Economics Department. And David has made one as part of his Int 2 Cake Production course. In my undoubtedly biased opinion, they are both great.
In East Kilbride today it was very bleak and cold but the shops had an abundance of tasty festive treats as I finished my food shopping for Christmas Day and stocked up for the holidays. Unlike my ancestors I have every confidence that I will still be able to feed myself and my family over the next few months, no matter what the weather brings, so I count myself lucky. 

Shower emergency

This evening James and I went to my school carol concert which was great, and I am feeling very festive. I think it cheered James up a little after a shower emergency which dampened his mood last night - in fact it dampened more than his mood, because when I arrived home from work I found him wearing his dressing gown because the shower control had come apart in his hands as he was cleaning it and water was spraying everywhere. For some reason he couldn't switch off the water supply and was frantically phoning emergency plumbers, none of whom were available. Anyway, he and Ally did get the water switched off at the mains eventually but that meant that we could only use the hot taps. Today however he bought a new shower (which looks very smart) and a pleasant plumber came out and installed it at tea time, so the problem is solved. Although that was £300 for a shower and £80 installation that we didn't expect to be spending this week!
Last night I was at Christmas Book Club at Rosemary's and it was such a lovely evening. We chatted and laughed and ate lovely food. We told happy stories and sad stories and I looked around at these fantastic women and felt very privileged that they are my friends.
I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of term. Today we had our Secret Santa and one of my colleagues cooked us a delicious curry for lunch; we all contributed £5 because he is raising money to run the London Marathon next summer. He cooked three different main dishes with a selection of accompaniments - very impressive. I gave all of the staff in the department gifts (wine) to say thank you for their support and I got some very kind cards from parents, staff and pupils. 

Twas the week before Christmas

Well it is the last week of school before Christmas and everyone is getting excited (which is not always a good thing where I work!)

Ally has exams for the next four days and I am impressed at how hard he is studying. One of the exams is the one that he carried forward from last year (when he was ill) so that means that he will have caught up completely. I am so pleased that Ally is happier and more settled in his course this session. Cat is a very good influence on him because she is a clever girl and a hard worker; they look so sweet when they are studying together. 

We have heard from Jamie who was skiing in Courchevel today. His wallet has still not turned up so it must have been stolen rather than mislaid. What a shame and how mean of someone to steal all of his holiday money. 

Davie and I have some great chats in the car on the way to work and David has taught me to listen to Grimmy on Radio 1 and to observe our favourite lollipop man on our route, who is always so busy patting dogs when we drive past him that our theory is that he has never helped a child to cross the road! We see some beautiful skies to the east as we drive up the hill in the morning which is a lovely way to start the day. 

James has just had a very pleasant evening because he has watched a programme about submarines called The Silent War and then a programme about Victorian ship safety. He is a happy boy. 

Feeling Festive

Jamie is currently on his ski holiday to France but unfortunately his wallet went missing during the journey (stolen or hopefully mislaid) so I transferred money to one of his friends because all of his cards and euros were gone. Luckily he is insured but we are still hoping that the wallet will turn up. Marjory, Forrest and the children came round for a Chinese meal on Saturday evening. It was lovely to see them and we had a festive evening sitting and chatting in the lounge beside the Christmas tree with the fire blazing away in the hearth. There was a big thunderstorm during the night; we could hear the thunder crashing quite close which made me very glad to be in my cosy bed. This morning after a decent long lie, James and I went out for a walk to deliver our local Christmas cards. We walked around for an hour or so; James had arranged the cards in an order which made for a pleasant circuit of the area. It stayed dry until the very end of our walk so we were glad that we went out in the morning. On our way home we went to Subway to pick up sandwiches for lunch for Ally, Cat and Davie who were all spending the morning studying very conscientiously.
The afternoon was rainy and blustery but we had a pleasant time doing some shopping and errands (I nipped over to Whole Foods BY MYSELF which was much more relaxing than my last visit!) and I also made some phone calls and arrangements. Grandma came round for dinner as usual and we watched the Strictly Come Dancing results show. It has been a pleasant and useful weekend. 

Oh Christmas Tree!

Yes today was our traditional Christmas trip to Aberfoyle to choose our Christmas tree! This year there were five of us (me, James, Cat, Ally & Davie - Jamie set off on his ski holiday today so was not with us.) The weather was not promising but the forecast told us that it would be better in the morning, so James organised us all to leave the house at 9.30 and off we went to the David Marshall Lodge, playing Christmas music on the way. There was not a huge selection this year but we chose a nice 8 footer and the boys lashed it to the roof of the car while Cat and I perused the shop and visitors' centre. We noticed that one of the "live webcams" had what looked like the carcass of a deer staked out on the ground while a magpie feasted on what was left of its innards. I asked one of the centre staff if it had been alive when it was staked out but he reassured me that it had already been deceased and that it was tied down so that wild animals wouldn't drag it off. I still had doubts about how the many visiting children would feel about "Rudolph" being displayed in such a fashion but maybe today's children are made of sterner stuff than I was! 

We went for our usual walk down to the waterfall and back, and although it was now raining steadily we were quite well sheltered by the trees. We went to the squirrel hide and watched the red squirrels and birds cavorting about in the trees, sometimes managing to climb right inside the feeder boxes. There was a new installation beside the stream which was quite attractive; you could divert the water in different directions through some large flat stones by using wooden gates. Then we had a pleasant lunch in the newly refurbished café before heading home.

And now our Christmas tree is all set up and lighted, tinselled and baubled ready for the festive season! 

Strange experience in the toilet

In all the excitement of Sunday's walk I forgot to blog about a strange and rather frightening experience I had early on Sunday morning. After my delicious curry on Saturday evening I got up to go to the bathroom at about 5 a.m. While I was there my vision started breaking up into brightly coloured pixels until I couldn't see at all. I also felt a bit nauseous. I waited for it to pass but it didn't and I shouted for help. Davie told me later that he heard me shouting, "I can't see!" and then "Mum!" which is a bit strange because my mum died more than three years ago! When no one came to help I decided that I had better make my way back to bed, and at that point my vision started to come back. I honestly thought that there was something wrong with me, but when I woke again at seven I felt brand new and off I went on our walk. How strange! 

Appalling weather

We knew that the weather would be rainy today for the annual hill walking club mince pies outing, but the driving rain which soaked us to the skin still took me by surprise. We were well equipped with waterproof boots and clothing, but the rain got in anyway, probably running down from our faces or soaking up from our bootlaces. It was truly appalling! Despite all this James, Ally, Cat, Davie and I enjoyed getting some exercise. Our walk was The Three Lochs Walk from Loch Lomond Shores to Helensburgh and I think that on a good day it would be a very pleasant walk. We also took a wrong turning and climbed too far up a hill; I suspected that we were going the wrong way when I ended up crawling up the muddy slope on hands and knees because it was so steep. However we eventually made our way back to the path. As we descended down the other side of the hill into Helensburgh we got the full force of the wind blowing in from the sea, which made the rain feel even worse. The group was scattered all up and down the hill by now but Andy phoned ahead and the bus picked us up at the foot of the hill and drove us along the front to a pleasant hostelry where mulled wine and mince pies awaited us. Thank goodness I had brought a complete change of clothing, and soon I was warming my hands on a hot cup of coffee and singing along to Christmas songs. Steven did a fine job as Santa; our reluctant "James Santa" was only too happy to hand the role back over! There were quite a few children present and some gorgeous babies including Abigail Lily who was born while we were at Lochinver at the September weekend, and her pretty curly-haired big sister Katie. I also met Miriam's beautiful 16 month old grand daughter Ruby - I love that name, and she is a bright little girl who was very interested in Santa although a little unsure of him! After some more festive fun we headed back to Cathcart on the bus and all had a nap on the way. I am now in a hot bath but I had better get out because Grandma is coming round for dinner any minute. 

Heather and a lovely curry

Last night Ewan and Heather treated us to a delicious curry at their local Indian restaurant, Rasoi. It was very kind of them and the meal was fantastic, I had a lamb dish with a rich and unusual sauce and the naan bread was so light and melt in the mouth. We then walked back to their house for more chat. 

I have to say that Heather looked absolutely fantastic. She has lost weight (not that I thought she needed to) and become even fitter over the past year. She has been my main inspiration for my own weight loss. Last night she was wearing a gorgeous skirt and top with smart boots and she looked so great. I have known Heather for at least thirty years and she does not look a day older than when I first met her. But she is not just beautiful on the outside, she is a lovely person too. She has shown me many kindnesses over the years and has always been there for me and James during difficult times as well as sharing lots of fun times. She also has a rather pleasant husband and very nice children! Enough said, I don't want to embarrass her! 

Shopping, vet and wrapping

We had rather a successful shopping trip this morning and I'm pleased to say that our Christmas shopping is complete! I have to admit that this is mainly thanks to James who nagged me into doing our online shopping last week and then hounded me into town this morning to buy the last few things. Although I did have some inspirational ideas so it was teamwork really. We celebrated with a lovely coffee at Carluccio's before heading home.
Our next task was to take Jack to the vet's for his blood tests to see how his wee kidneys are functioning. We were concerned to find out that he has lost more weight since the summer, so I hope the blood tests are ok. We will find out next week. Jack was taken downstairs again to get his bloods taken; this seems to happen now since the regrettable incident a few months ago when he lashed out violently at the vet, I wonder if there's a note on his file to say that he needs more than one vet to handle him. When he was brought back upstairs there was a bandage on his leg because he had been so lively that the needle had ripped his skin. Also they had only been able to examine one of his ears (investigating his deafness) because in the vet's words "he was raging" and wouldn't let them look in the other one! And he's such a good-natured boy at home, going to the vet must really stress him out.
When we got home we lit the fire in the lounge and listened to Christmas music while I wrote cards and James wrappers presents. Jack removed his bandage with his teeth and relaxed by the fire. 

Stormy weather and Nelson Mandela

I know it's winter because it's so dark now when I wake up in the morning. Today was the first storm of the winter. Last night the weather forecast was ominously full of warnings of high wind and sure enough we were woken early by howling winds and rain battering against the window. The storm was indeed very lively and was followed by a bit of snow - but by lunchtime it had turned into a sunny but very cold day. So a bit of an anti climax but in my current role bad weather is not my friend because it gives me a lot of hassle if I have to close up early.

After dinner I drove into town to collect Ally from Queen Street Station. He spent yesterday evening with Cat meeting up with friends in Edinburgh but awoke this morning to find that the trains weren't running because of the bad weather. The trains from Edinburgh to Glasgow are now running but Glasgow Central has been closed because the roof was damaged. So I picked Ally up from a very festive looking George Square and we had a nice chat on the way home.

We arrived home to the news that Nelson Mandela has died; I remember all the celebrations when he was released in 1990, just a few days before Jamie was born. It was a time of great hope, the Berlin Wall had come down a couple of months before. Hard to believe that was nearly twenty-four years ago. 

100 years

I feel the need to mention my brother in law Russell's Nan, whose 100th birthday is today. Amazing! Although no blood relation to me (unfortunately - I could do with those genes!), she is the only person that I know who has reached the age of 100. I have met her a few times over the years and she is a lovely lady.
I have now put the marzipan on my Christmas cake. I couldn't help but notice that my cake is noticeably darker than those baked by my colleagues. I did put in a generous amount of treacle but I hope that it is not burned. It smells nice, perhaps due to the fact that I have been feeding it with Grand Marnier! I found it easier than last year to put on the marzipan because I remembered how. I love the way that the Home Economics teachers hover around and lend a hand where necessary without even being asked.
Apart from that I have done nothing but work, but I'm not complaining because it has been a very productive week so far. What annoys me is when I work hard but run into all sorts of dead ends and I don't get things finished. This is often an inevitable part of my job due to its people centred nature, but I do like the feeling of getting things done! 

A tribute to Kenny and Neil

On Saturday evening I found myself at a Neil Diamond tribute night at a nearby hotel with my colleagues for our festive night out. After dinner and a bit of disco we were surprised when instead of "Neil Diamond", the stage was taken by "Kenny Rogers" complete with luxuriant white hair, moustache and beard. Nothing daunted we were all soon dancing and singing along to all the old favourites like Islands in the Stream and You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille. After "Kenny" had warmed up the crowd there was a break for more disco dancing before on came "Neil Diamond". Neil bore a suspicious resemblance to Kenny, but had dark hair and no beard. By this time the crowd was very jolly and there was some extremely lively dancing and singing. Great fun. The whole crowd sang along to Sweet Caroline, it was excellent! Having intended to leave early, I enjoyed myself so much that I stayed right to the end.
This meant that I was pretty tired this morning, but after a leisurely start to the day James and I set off into town for some Christmas shopping and then lunch at Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery. It is many, many years since I have been at the Buttery and I was very impressed. The atmosphere was friendly and the food was really lovely, I particularly enjoyed my Cajun spiced salmon with a mango salsa. It has been such a busy week and it was great to relax with James and have a chat. 

Salty blueberries

I had such a lovely long lie in bed this morning, which felt even sweeter because of my reduced amount of sleep during the residential trip the night before. My colleagues and I sat up until 11.30 until all was quiet from our pupils, and I read my book in my room until 1.30 a.m. while listening for noises from the corridor, occasionally popping out to check that all was well. At about a quarter past one I heard stealthy footsteps outside my door, so I leaped into the corridor only to find that it was the lovely course leader who was doing a final night time patrol! However when I did get to sleep I slept very well, probably due to the sea air! Although they had had a longer sleep than me, my colleagues looked a bit tired, as did some of the pupils! The kitchen staff at the centre very kindly made me some porridge for breakfast and I sprinkled it liberally with the blueberries I had brought with me (this is what I have for breakfast every morning). However I didn't realise until it was too late that the porridge was made with salt, and the salt and blueberries made a strange and unpleasant taste combination! I ate it anyway.
I did feel a bit tired as I drove back to school in the morning; my sat nav directed me on a very countrified way on B roads past farms and through small villages so it was quite a pleasant drive.
In the evening I was hosting book club. There were five of us and we discussed "The Marrying of Chani Kaufman" which we had all thoroughly enjoyed. It led on to a wider discussion about Jewish traditions and the Glasgow Jewish community, it was a really interesting evening. And as usual I got lots of great recommendations from my friends about films and plays to see as well as books to read. How I do enjoy book club.
This morning the news was full of the tragic news about the helicopter crash last night at the Clutha Vaults, at time of writing eight people have died; the three in the helicopter and five in the pub. The helicopter crashed right onto the roof, part of which then collapsed. James was on a night out in Glasgow at the time fairly nearby but he heard no emergency vehicles and didn't find out about it until he got home. Very sad news.
HMS Discovery had an open day today at King George V dock so David, James and I went along. It was a fascinating tour and the crew were very friendly, letting me handle their machine guns and dress up in army clothes. With hindsight this may have been more intended for the children who were visiting but I had a great time! 

A room with a view

I am having a great (although rather lively) time at Inverclyde on a residential trip. It's always so well organised and enjoyable for all concerned. I always find it strange to be in Largs midweek because I associate it with weekend trips. Of course we are up the hill so not actually in the town, but we drove along the front on our way here.  I am delighted that from the window of my bedroom I can see the sea! I'm sure that I'm in the same room that I was in on my first trip here five years ago, because all of the other years I have been treated instead to views of the dustbins! 

Lots to do

An excellent day during which I felt I got a lot done and I was pleased with the way I tackled something tricky. I have to say that this week is very busy both socially and at work. I have a residential trip, I'm hosting book club, a Christmas night out and tonight a concert with James (Bare Naked Ladies.) Now I dare say that I shall enjoy each and every one of these events, but four nights in a row is a bit much for me these days. Oh and I forgot that last night we went swimming and the night before I was at Fit Steps so it's almost like six nights in a row. Oh well, I will just have to relax and go with the flow! 

Early to bed

I'm very excited that I am in bed by 10 p.m. I am very tired because I slept very badly last night after my curry. (Why oh why do I persist in eating curries? Probably the delicious smell and taste I suppose.) I had a dreadful nightmare about being on a cruise ship where I had to sleep in a dormitory that was like 3rd class in the Titanic, it was even open to the air and my bed was covered in snow. I woke with a headache that stayed all morning until Davie and I went for a walk to Rutherglen to Tesco where we had bacon rolls for lunch. I then reorganised all of my clothes drawers, an activity that gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Later James, Ally and Cat arrived home from their hill-walking weekend tired and happy and we all had dinner with Grandma. So here I am in bed - I need to get better sleep habits so this is a start. 

Curry and Doctor

Replete with curry I am relaxing after watching Dr Who - it was the 50th Anniversary today so there was a special episode called The Day of the Doctor. I have been looking forward to it for weeks and it did not disappoint. The plot was ambitious but somehow held together, and John Hurt worked well with Matt Smith and David Tennant. The cameo by Tom Baker was quite moving. Davie loved it too but James, Ally and Cat will have to watch it tomorrow evening because they are on a hill walking weekend and are spending tonight in a bothy in Laggan. 

Weather, chest pains and Bridget

The weather was really wild and windy last night. I quite like hearing the rain battering on the roof of the conservatory because it makes me feel cosy. Jack however was not so impressed as he slunk out of the cat flap to go to the toilet after no doubt putting it off as long as possible! 

This morning I woke with severe chest pains and could hardly get out of bed. James paid scant attention to my groaning because he has faith in my robust good health. I was a bit worried, however I managed through the day and since I have survived until this evening I presume that I must have pulled a muscle by sleeping at some strange angle. One of my grandfathers died in his sleep of a heart attack when he was forty-six (and my Mum was just fifteen) so when I was that age I got a bit paranoid about the possibility for a while. 

Just a short post tonight because I am engrossed in the third Bridget Jones book - arrant nonsense of course (like the first two) but very readable and addictive (like the first two.)

Concert, Castle, Captain and Company

Once we arrived in Edinburgh on Friday evening we had dinner in a Filipino Restaurant near the Queens Hall. This was a first for all of us and the food was tasty, although not all that different from other Asian food that we have eaten - I had spring rolls followed by a sizzling chicken dish. Then it was time for the concert. They Might Be Giants are certainly a lively band! I started listening to them when Jamie was a baby in 1990 and it was great to hear them perform live. My favourite song was of course Birdhouse in your Soul, and I also loved New York City and The Guitar. When we got back to Glasgow it was after midnight and Jamie had arrived home from his epic Great Glen Walk from Fort William to Inverness, tired but happy. Despite the late hour we all had a cup of tea and a chat.
We all had a lie in on Saturday morning and I felt very lethargic, but James dragged me out for a walk from Blantyre to Bothwell Castle and back which perked me up no end. It was a fine autumn day and the riverside walk was very pretty as our footsteps rustled over a carpet of bright fallen leaves.
In the evening we went to the cinema to see Captain Phillips which turned out to be excellent. It's about the captain of a cargo ship which is boarded by Somalian pirates, and is based on true events. Tom Hanks was excellent as the lead character and the film was gripping from start to finish.
Today we had lunch with Heather and Ewan in Zizzi's and we invited Jamie along too since he had expressed a desire to see them. We had a pleasant lunch and chat, then after coffee we reluctantly set off to Ikea where we had some items to buy and to Braehead shopping centre which was busy on a dreich Sunday afternoon but luckily not quite as horrendously busy as we had feared.
Our Sunday night dinner with Grandma rounded off the weekend; with Cat and Jamie there too there were seven of us and we had a convivial meal followed by the Strictly Come Dancing dance off. And so ends a weekend that has been both fun and relaxing. Deep breath for the week ahead! 

Shattered

I am so tired but also happy as James drives us to Edinburgh to go to They Might Be Giants at the Queens Hall. It has been an exhausting and eventful week at school but I have made progress in some good ways. I had a hilarious moment on my way back from a meeting in another part of town yesterday when I was driving along and spotted a pupil who was patching school! I pulled over in surprise and the look on his face when he saw me looking out of the car window was priceless! 

James set off to a meeting yesterday in Warwick, leaving the house at 5 a.m. to fly to Birmingham. He then got stuck in a traffic jam on the M40 for more than three hours before finally giving up and going back to the airport! What a waste of his day.

I have now finished making my Christmas cake and I baked it at school last night while I was working late - that's what I call multi-tasking! 

On trend, proverb and cake

Three very pleasant things happened today. 

Firstly I went into work wearing a new teal fluffy jumper and a new patterned skirt that I bought yesterday in New Look. I also wore some gorgeous (and warm) black angora tights and my black ankle boots. My colleague Jennifer told me that my skirt is "Aztec pattern" and that I looked "on trend!" I was thrilled, this is probably the first time that I have been on trend in my life! I was in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Secondly, at school we heard Gabriel from Luwero talking about his work, he was a very impressive speaker - and singer. I loved his song "Make yourself known to me" and the bible verse that he quoted, "He who refreshes others shall himself be refreshed" (Proverbs 11:25) which really spoke to me. 

And thirdly, it's Christmas Cake time again in the Home Economics Department! Today after school we lined our cake tins, weighed out our ingredients and soaked our fruit in brandy. The company was congenial and it was a pleasant occasion. 

Rouken Glen

Jamie and I went for a lovely walk in Rouken Glen Park today. James and David had gone to climb Tinto Hill, but Jamie is still shaking off a chest infection and I had some errands that I wanted to do in town, so we went for a stroll in the park instead. It was an absolutely beautiful day with a bold blue autumn sky and ice underfoot in the shade. We walked from the garden centre up to the boating pond and back. We both have so many memories of being at Rouken Glen together and I was telling Jamie about sitting with him on a picnic rug at the top of the grassy slope overlooking the pond, just him and me when he was about 15 months old. I have such a clear memory of that day, he was wearing little denim dungarees and a checked shirt. On another occasion he went boating with his Grandpa Russell there and begged him not to eat the ducks for his tea (my Dad shouldn't really have told a three year old that he was going to do that!). My Dad further alarmed him by saying that he was going to jump into the waterfall at the far end of the pond! 
This mischievous streak was no doubt inherited from my Dad's own Dad, Jamie's great-grandfather William Russell, whose idea of fun was to throw toffees to our dogs and then laugh uproariously as they tried to remove them from their teeth with their hind paws!
We have also visited the park with my Mum, and with Grandma and Grandpa, and of course many times with his wee brothers. So today it was nice to walk with my twenty-three year old son along the paths where he used to "skoosh" through the autumn leaves wearing his welly boots, and past the play park where he used to perform daring feats by climbing right to the top of the climbing frame. It was good to see lots of young families out enjoying this very pleasant south side park. 

Positive thinking can only take you so far

With hindsight, it was a mistake to take James to Whole Foods. It seemed like a nice idea after collecting Davie's kilt, waistcoat, jacket and sporran (his very generous 18th birthday present from Grandma), and then having a coffee at Rouken Glen Garden centre. Since it was raining, why not pop into Whole Foods in the way home? What could go wrong?
Well I suppose I should have thought back to James' previous deplorable behaviour in Waitrose. As we arrived at Whole Foods he already had an angry and disapproving expression. He didn't even pretend to be interested as I pointed out the unusual varieties of fruit and vegetables that are on display, and seemed bent on walking round as quickly as possible, without even looking at the products. The ONLY thing that I bought was some seeded bread, because Whole Foods are renowned for their nice bread, and I told James that I was buying it especially for the toasted cheese which he was planning for his lunch.
Off we went to Morrison's where Grandma wanted to get some shopping. This did not help James' bad mood and he muttered to himself as we slowly went round the shelves. At one point I noticed him putting some potato scones into his basket, but I thought nothing of it. When we arrived home he started slicing up some cheese and I said pleasantly that he would enjoy the seeded bread. Oh no, he said, I will be toasting my cheese on these potato scones because it will be much tastier. This seems to me to be very thrawn, deliberately annoying behaviour and we are now on frosty terms. It reminds me of a story of my Dad's; he went round to my Aunt Margaret and Uncle David's house and noticed a tension in the atmosphere. When he asked why, Margaret replied "He has been defying me all day!" which my Dad thought was very funny because my Uncle David was the most mild-mannered and pleasant man in the world! But now I think I see what my Aunt Margaret meant. 

The power of positive thinking

I heard some really sad news about a friend today which made me reflect on how I need to stop being so stressed. I need to concentrate on the positive things in my life. I have been feeling quite relaxed since our lovely Spa day on Sunday and I want to hold onto that feeling. I can't have a two hour massage every day so I need to achieve the feeling of well being it gave me by other methods. One of these has to be exercise, and my friend Heather is a very good example of someone who exercises regularly. Not only does she look great, she tells me that it makes her feel great too. I am already eating sensibly and I am certainly feeling better for carrying less weight (I dropped below nine stones today for the first time in a decade!).
I need to go to bed earlier (not a good start tonight as I am blogging not long before before midnight.) This will take some determination because late evenings are about the only time I get to myself so I tend to footer around reading or organising things. Above all I need to think positively and not worry so much, because I think it has become a bit of a habit! 

Jack's least favourite night of the year

Jack is not a happy cat. He is so deaf these days that we thought he might not hear the fireworks but it became apparent at tea time that he can definitely still both hear and see them. He is now hunched miserably in the upstairs hall, flinching whenever a particularly loud bang goes off nearby. Ally has gone with friends to the fireworks display at Glasgow Green and Davie went round to Kyle's fireworks party. James is in town meeting up with his walking friends. However I feel a bit chilled; I was cold all day at work today. So I have turned down invitations to all three events in order to have a warming bath and read my latest book; a thriller called The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy, and I am as happy as larry. I'm enjoying the book even though the plot went veering off in a direction that I neither expected nor welcomed. However I am finding it fascinating. 

Four go on a relaxing adventure

Yesterday we gave Heather her birthday present from James and me - a Spa day at the One Spa in Edinburgh. When I booked it about three months ago it seemed very far off, but the time has flown by. Around the time of booking it, Ewan had expressed interest in getting a Swedish massage, and James was up for it too, so all four of us went along.
I really enjoy a Spa day and I wanted us to try somewhere that none of us had been before, so the spa at the Sheraton in Edinburgh sounded good especially as I know a few people who have enjoyed it. It was a lovely day and we all enjoyed exploring the facilities. It has a rather complicated layout or so it seemed on a first visit; we started by having a coffee while we registered at reception and then we headed to the gym for the first hour. James and I took it easy (he hasn't been to the gym since he was ill and I haven't been for ages) and we were both impressed by Heather and Ewan's vigorous use of the equipment, they are a fit pair. Then we made our way to the swimming pool - a decent size - and the outdoor jacuzzi which was on the roof. I do love an outdoor jacuzzi and I found it very pleasant but (and I am being a bit demanding here!) I had expected an amazing view over the rooftops of Edinburgh and instead there was a view of the neighbouring office blocks! I did like being in the warm jacuzzi pool while the chilly wind nipped my face, that's part of the fun for me. I remember loving being in the outdoor hot tub at Gleneagles in the rain. We also visited the "thermal suite" which consisted of a selection of spa rooms of different temperatures reminiscent of the spa at Center Parcs but smaller. Luckily it was not crowded and we could wander at will from room to room.
Soon it was time for lunch, which we had pre-ordered in the café earlier. Heather and I followed Ewan's suggestion to dry off our swimsuits before lunch by using the mini drier in the changing room, but we couldn't find it at first so we briefly tried to insert our cossies into a heater which was very funny. Luckily someone directed us the the drier! We had all ordered boxes of "superfoods". These were subdivided into small compartments each with a mini portion of various healthy treats e.g. Salmon with oatmeal, quinoa salad, crowdie and beetroot, granola with fruit and yoghurt, chocolate and beetroot cake. It was all rather self-conscious designer food and I felt as if it was "the emperor's new clothes!" type of lunch! However I did actually find it quite novel and tasty and we all entered into the spirit of the day and ate it up.
Back upstairs to the thermal suite we went until it was time for our treatments at three o'clock. We sat in a waiting area until a little procession of therapists trooped in and spirited us away to our separate treatment rooms. James and Ewan both got their Swedish massages. Heather had chosen a body wrap and a hot stone treatment, and I chose a massage and a facial. The treatment took nearly two hours and I felt so relaxed that I'm sure I nodded off from time to time, what with the warmth and the relaxing music. The first time I ever got a massage many years ago I remember feeling very self conscious, but now I really enjoy it. When I met up with the others in the "relaxation" area afterwards they all seemed to have enjoyed their experiences. And so we headed home after a day of serious chilling out and good company. I felt very relaxed and twenty four hours later I still do! 

Dark skies

David, James and I were watching a programme about Northumberland presented by Robson Green, where he visited the Kielder Observatory. The astronomer mentioned that 85% of people in the UK never see a truly dark sky because of light pollution. We were discussing that we have been lucky enough to see many dark skies in the north of Scotland and in Orkney and Shetland. Davie then mentioned that when he as in the Lake District doing his Duke of Edinburgh Gold expedition he left his tent one night to go for a pee. Afterwards he happened to glance up at the sky and was amazed by the fantastic display of stars - he said that even though it was cold he stood there gazing heavenwards for at least ten minutes. I love that story. 

Oh Philomena

Last night we went to see a film with Grandma called Philomena. She had read about it in the newspaper this week and fancied going to see it, so I booked us tickets at the Grosvenor and I met James, Davie and Grandma in Ashton Lane after my shopping trip. It was a grim and rainy evening and I was pretty sure the film would be a bit grim too so I wasn't particularly looking forward to it. I knew that it was about an elderly lady (Philomena) who searches for her long lost son with the help of the journalist Martin Sixsmith. The two main characters are played by Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. I have read about babies being taken away from their mothers by Catholic nuns, and the young mothers being treated very badly and made to work as servants in the nunneries, and of course I sympathise - but not much fun to watch on a Saturday evening I thought.
Well you may guess what I am leading up to - the film was absolutely brilliant. It told the story SO well. Steve Coogan was excellent as the jaded journalist whose career was on the rocks, and Judi Dench was fantastic as Philomena, just fantastic. I think that they both deserve Oscars. It was so sad and yet the lovely personality of Philomena shone through - she never lost her faith. Near the end there was a revelation so shocking that I gasped aloud and so did the rest of the audience. I will not say any more about the story because I would like anyone who reads this to see the film for themselves. 

A new month

So here we are in November and Autumn is in full swing. Dreich but still fairly mild weather contrasting with the bright yellow leaves covering the ground. I am very excited about our Spa day tomorrow and today's plans are very pleasant too - hairdresser, lunch with friends, shopping, cinema with Grandma. Who would have ever thought that I would enjoy going to the hairdresser? But I like the Rainbow Room and I trust Fiona, and I am feeling very relaxed. On the way in to town I was looking at all the people on the train and so many of them look really worn down and damaged. Life is hard but I suppose you have to keep going, I'm lucky compared to many. I bought a nice poppy badge at a stall in Argyle Street, one of the volunteers was our school bus driver! The pavements were shiny with rain and I quite liked that - a good day for being in town. 

Jury duty

It has been a long week and I'm so glad to be home and that it's the weekend. My week was further complicated by the fact that I had potential jury service from Wednesday onwards. On Wednesday we were sent away immediately, and on Thursday I didn't have to go in at all (you phone the night before to find out). So by Thursday evening I had kind of got it into my mind that I wouldn't be required. James and I went over to Hillington to collect my new car after work, it took ages to complete all the paperwork so we were starving and picked up a curry on the way home. I like my little silver car with its black roof, particularly the voice controls for music and phone etc. which I kept practising on the way home, such fun! James asked me to stop though; he said that he would prefer if I concentrated on driving! When we got in I phoned the jury hotline almost as an afterthought and found that I had to go in this morning! So of course I then had to text and email to change several arrangements I had blithely made for today. I totally over indulged on curry and as a result I had dreadful indigestion. 
This morning I turned up at the High Court and as soon as I got the chance I spoke to the clerk of court and explained that the timing was really bad for me. She was very nice and understanding, however I still had to wait until nearly lunchtime before I was allowed to leave. However the good news is that I don't need to phone on Monday; my duty is done. 

Good things

It has been such a busy week so far, I'm really tired and this is my first evening at home after two working evenings. This has not been very conducive to blogging. However some good things have happened - Jack cat, recently spiked by another cat, has finished his latest course of antibiotics and his shaven face has again gone back to normal proportions. He should know better than to get into fights at the grand old age of sixteen! Jamie will be coming home for a visit in about a week and it will be great to see him. We bought a wee car for me, an Audi A1, at the weekend to replace the Peugeot. I enjoyed my latest book, Mark Haddon's "The Red House". I was really worried about having to take time off work to do jury duty but luckily I haven't been selected so far. Last night I had a lovely bath. I am looking forward to a Spa day on Sunday. And, looking towards the festive season, I have booked tickets for It's A Wonderful Life a few days before Christmas. All good things! 

A wet Scottish Sunday

What did we do on a wet Sunday in Glasgow? First of all we had a pleasant long lie, and had breakfast in bed and a good chat about what we have going on over the next couple of weeks. A few household chores followed. Then after a leftovers lunch (we had a pleasant and copious Chinese meal with Marjory, Forrest and family last night while hearing about their West Highland Way adventures) we gathered together the young people who are in the household this weekend (Ally, Cat and Davie) and we all headed over to the Art Galleries to see the Jack Vettriano exhibition. Before we went in to the exhibition we ordered ourselves tea and scones at the café and listened to the Sunday afternoon organ recital. It was great to listen to it with Ally and Cat able to tell us what all the music was and who composed it, and it was lovely to see the weekly event so well attended by all ages of Glaswegians. The Vettriano exhibition was very good; we all enjoyed it with the exception of Davie who thought that it was absolute rubbish. There were film clips of Vettriano speaking about his work and he comes across as a very interesting and genuine character. Having said that, I found some paintings to be excellent but others distinctly less so - his style is instantly recognisable but some paintings have a more amateur look than others, and very unfairly the words "self taught" would pop into my head. In fact I think that there is nothing wrong with being self taught and that he is a very good artist whose work will outlast his snobbish art world critics. My favourites were probably "The Weight" and the very stylish "Portrait in Black and Pearl".
We then walked to the Grosvenor Cinema in Ashton Lane to watch "Sunshine on Leith", the film based on songs by The Proclaimers. I wondered if the plot would be a bit contrived around the songs and of course it was a bit, but I loved it! The acting and singing were first class, it was a lovely feel-good film about family and being Scottish and Cat and I were both crying at the end! In fact Cat cried throughout!
It was a good way to end a very pleasant weekend. There is a severe storm on the way in from the Atlantic to England and Wales tonight but (allegedly) it should mostly miss Scotland. However I am rather worried about Jennifer and the boys who are on holiday in Wales in the path of the storm! 

The Hydro

We have just been to see Peter Gabriel at The Hydro, our first visit to Glasgow's newest concert venue. The circular building has large illuminated panels around the outside which look like giant inflated plastic cushions from the inside. I wonder how it will be maintained. Like the O2 arena in London (where we also saw Peter Gabriel) the performance and seating area, which is also circular, is in the centre with all the bars and food outlets surrounding it in a big corridor. It is all very smart and new, with a functional interior decor of mainly polished grey concrete. It has seating for 12000 so is clearly designed for volume rather than luxury.

The concert was excellent, Peter Gabriel's voice is still good and we all enjoyed it. Our seats were great, on the front row of the raised area so a very clear view. The lighting was interesting - big lighting and camera rigs were pushed around the stage to film the band from all angles. Sledgehammer was probably my favourite song that he sang tonight and I was a wee bit disappointed that he didn't sing my very favourite - The Book of Love. Ally and Davie spotted a celebrity sitting in the row behind us - the actor who plays the bar tender in Still Game. Yes he is a celebrity! To us anyway. 

We have just got on to the (very crowded) last train home. 

Flu jag

James went back to work today, feeling better but still very weak and tired. There was no chance of persuading him to stay at home until he feels properly better because he had made his mind up. I had a doctor's appointment after work and inspired by James' recent illness I then went to the drop in flu jag clinic. I had been invited to go along by the receptionist when I made my appointment because she said that I am entitled to a free jag. When I arrived it turned out that this was because I am still listed as a carer for my Mum (who died three years ago). I confessed that I am no longer a carer but they gave me the jag anyway. I didn't feel too guilty because I could have got it via work anyway, and I am glad to have had it sooner rather than later.
I have had the flu jag before but I never know whether to bother because there are always so many rumours about it - some people say that it actually gives you the flu. Having no scientific knowledge I can only hope that it has been worthwhile and that I will be somewhat protected for the winter ahead. 

James is fed up

James is very fed up. He says that he is tired of being ill and he dreads each cough because his throat is so raw that it is now bleeding. This must be proper flu and it has knocked him for six. I am getting my flu jag on Tuesday - I just hope it will take effect quickly because I don't want to go through what James is going through. I have got him some tasty treats such as Galaxy Caramel but he is hardly eating. I got him some Lucozade as well, which my Mum used to give me if I was feeling poorly.   

I went for a ninety minute walk this afternoon just to get some fresh air; it was remarkably mild but then it started raining quite hard, luckily I had taken my waterproof jacket. But a van splashed me by driving through a puddle, and since it was on a wide bit of road I suspect it was on purpose which is a bit mean. When I got home I was soaked as well as sweaty but a nice shower soon cheered me up. Davie met up with Stuart at a pool hall and since they have both turned eighteen in the past week they had a pint together! In the evening James came downstairs for a wee while and we watched an episode of Hornblower which was quite good - it was very like the Sharpe series - sort of "Sharpe goes to sea"! It's a good ten years old (we could tell by the youthful appearance of the many familiar actors) but we haven't seen it before. And now James is back in bed exhausted - his cough sounds so painful. Some nice news - Marjory, Forrest and the children have now finished the West Highland Way - well done to them! 

James still not well

I got a text from Marjory this morning to say that she and the family were at the King's House Hotel with two days of walking to go, it sounds like great fun and they have been very lucky with the weather up north. James is still not well at all; generally ill and nauseous and his throat is still very sore. Davie and I went into town this morning to buy Davie a new jumper and we got James some tyrozets because strepsils weren't doing the trick. We also had a pleasant coffee with Heather in John Lewis, went to the Apple shop (boring and annoying technical matter), and had lunch in TGIF before heading home. James was still in bed and stayed there all day, he doesn't seem any better and I wonder if he will need to see the doctor again. Needless to say he just wants to wait until he's better but if he doesn't improve soon I will make an appointment for Monday because I'm quite worried about him. In the afternoon David went round to Grandma's to do some baking; he came back with some beautiful empire biscuits. He loves his Grandma - all three boys do, which is very sweet.
I tried a new recipe for tea - pasta with spicy sausage and wild mushrooms, and it turned out very nicely. It's a Jamie Oliver recipe and was neither tomato nor cream based which I thought was a bit strange, but it was tasty.
We then watched another episode of Luther which stretched our credulity as he fraternised with one killer and played Russian roulette with another. Idris Alba is extremely charismatic. 

Davie is 18 years old

I can hardly believe that Davie is eighteen - and that means that all of my children are now technically adults. We could all go clubbing together! Admittedly this is unlikely. About 17 years ago a wee old lady came over to me when I was sitting with my three gorgeous boys, aged about six, two and one, in Inverewe Gardens coffee shop. She told me that they were lovely and wished me "Health to see them up." I thought at the time and I still think now that I couldn't wish for anything better than to see my children grow up. I'm a lucky girl.
James has been at home today feeling very ill; he has been unwell all week and was not getting any better - very sore throat, sore head, chesty cough, freezing cold, sore lump in his neck. I called the doctor and he said that it is a virus. James has to rest and take paracetamol. The fact that he really is resting is testament to the fact that he must be feeling very ill indeed. As a result it has been a quiet day. David loved the microscope that we got him for his birthday and spent most of the day setting it up, and he had another driving lesson in the afternoon. Davie also kept watch over James while I drove Ally over to university as a treat and we had a very quick lunch in Charlie Rocks, then I went to Waitrose and drove him home again after his one lecture of the day!
Davie requested fish suppers for tea (we were going to go out but James wasn't up to it) and then we had birthday cake and watched an episode of "Luther" which is one of one dramas where the policeman seems to be more troubled than the criminals! 

Hot Stone Therapy

I have had a fantastic day. For my 50th birthday, Marjory and Forrest got me a voucher for Pure Spa at Silverburn, and I do enjoy a spa experience so it was a very thoughtful gift. Well I don't know where the past ten months have gone, but I decided that it was high time to use my voucher and the October holiday seemed like an ideal opportunity. I decided to have a hot stone treatment because I have never had one before so I thought it would be fun. I arrived at Silverburn in plenty of time and booked in at the spa. The treatment was excellent! The therapist was friendly and explained everything; it was a massage using hot stones and aromatic oil which smelt very lemony and fresh. She asked if I had any sore muscles and I said no, but when she was massaging me she homed in on my right shoulder a lot, which has indeed been a little stiff over the past week, I noticed it at Fit Steps on Monday. She said that I was very tense and my shoulder muscles had hard knots in them, and she asked if I was stressed. Well it has been a very challenging couple of months at school! After the treatment I was shown into the relaxation room where I drank some apple juice. I felt great afterwards - energised AND relaxed at the same time. I texted Marjory to say thanks and she texted back to say that they were en route to Tyndrum on their West Highland Way holiday.
David had his third driving lesson today - a mere four hours today, after his two six hour days! He says that it is going well and that he has been doing three point turns, except that they are not called that any more, they are now called "road turns". He has been going round roundabouts too and reversing. No word from Aleks yet on when he should sit his test. I found out yesterday that David's driving instructor is Albanian, which was interesting because I have never met an Albanian person before. He has a lovely accent. He moved here in the 1990s when his brother Rudy was playing for Celtic. When they arrived back at the house they saw a car leaving. "I know that man. He is delivery driver. You are going to have takeaway." Aleks was right! 

Driving is nothing like Go-Karting!

Our walk yesterday was very enjoyable. It was a circular walk through the Changue Forest near Barr, which is about fifteen miles south west of Ayr. Bob brought Heidi, Andy and Gwen in his car, and James and I brought Ally and Cat. The path was very pretty and we walked through woods of mainly spruce and larch trees; there were also some oak, ash and birch. But there was much more to look at and enjoy than on many more enclosed forest walks, because this one has a very attractive open aspect. As we continued up the gentle slope towards the Howe of Laggan, we had fantastic views of the Polmaddie hills including the splendidly named Haggis Hill, with impressively steep valleys in between, with burns rushing and winding down through them. There was a lot of tree felling going on in the forest; we saw one of the felling machines as it speedily cut down trees, stripped them of their branches and cut up the trunks into lengths. For me, one of the highlights was the dappled light as the sun shone through a grove of tall birch trees, it was breathtaking. As we neared the end of our walk, we came across "Kirstie's Cairn", a rather sad little memorial which was raised by the friends of a young shepherd boy called Christopher McTaggart (Kirstie to his friends and family) who tragically froze to death after he set out in a raging blizzard in January 1913 to care for his sheep.
The walk was so pleasant that it was hard to believe that we had walked for eight miles; we then all repaired to the picturesque King's Arms Hotel in Barr for some much deserved refreshments before heading home.
Today David had his first driving lesson! It was a six hour lesson (because he is doing an intensive driving course this week) and he staggered in exhausted at the end of it! His instructor looked pretty worn out too. David said disappointedly that "Driving is nothing like go-karting" and seemed to have found changing gears to be a challenge. And junctions. He accused me of driving differently than the driving instructor, thus giving him wrong impression of what to do. And he muttered angrily that his whole holiday week is taken up with driving lessons - something that he had seen as a good thing up until now! Oh well, things can only get better! 

A bit of cooking

We are on our way to the Galloway hills with Ally and Cat to go walking with the hill walking club. The October holiday has got off to a tremendous start. I was so happy and relieved on Friday afternoon that my first two months as DHT have gone so well (although it has been very hard work!)

On Friday evening we went to Christine and Gerry's for a curry and to see the rest of Ally and Cat's holiday photos. The curry was delicious and then we all sat down in the warm and comfortable lounge to watch more than a thousand photos .... the result was perhaps inevitable. Despite my genuine interest in seeing the photos I found myself struggling to stay awake and at some points during the session we all fell asleep with the exception of Gerry. I felt very guilty but am keen to see the rest of the photos soon. 

Yesterday James spent the whole day working in the garden to tidy it up for winter, and I made a trip to Sainsburys and then spent the afternoon cooking dinner. It's been a while since I have felt relaxed enough to really get into cooking and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Our autumnal menu consisted of butternut squash soup, lamb and pear tagine with pistachio and coriander couscous, and banana loaf with toffee ice cream. James made the banana loaf, one of his signature dishes. Despite my doubts about some of the dishes they all turned out fine and our guests Heather and Ewan enjoyed them. In fact Ewan gave me the ultimate cooking compliment about the tagine; "You can make that again!" We had a pleasant and convivial evening, and after our guests left Ally and Cat helped me to prepare the vegetables for the pot roast that we are having this evening. 

This morning I browned the beef joint, put a mustard and herb paste on it, put it on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker, and poured over a mixture of stock and red wine. We shall see how it turns out! 

Feeling fitter

I had a great time at Fit Steps tonight. I am definitely feeling fitter - I managed the whole hour without feeling as if I was about to expire. I think I'm getting the hang of most of the steps too.
When I came home Ally and I decided to show James the "What does the fox say?" by Ylvis which he enjoyed as much as we did. It's so weird. We then browsed around for some of our favourite comedy sketches - here are some of my very favourites in no particular order:
Two Soups by Julie Walters - my Mum and Dad thought this was hilarious and so do I.
Banter with the Big Man by Burniston - this may only have been shown in Scotland - Jennifer you will love this if you haven't seen it. 
It's not Brain Surgery by Mitchell and Webb - you can see the punch line a mile off but that just makes it funnier.
The Garnier Laboratoire by Mitchell and Webb - this will date quickly but it's very funny now.
Guide Cats for the Blind by Hale and Pace - so good.
English Couple in Sweden by Hale and Pace - I love the line about the Volvo. 
Constable Savage by Not the Nine O'Clock News - excellent.
Breakfast by Morecambe and Wise - of course.
Incontinence Trousers by Billy Connolly - classic.

Wire brush and dettol by Billy Connolly - possibly my favourite.
There must be loads more. I do love a good laugh, it always makes me feel better. 

Davie is a Clyde-sider

I am so proud of Davie! Today he got an email to say that he has been accepted as a Commonwealth Games 2014 volunteer - they will be known as Clyde-siders. He must have done well at his interview (which was in fact his first ever interview). He has been offered a role in the Spectator Services Team at the Velodrome. In March he will go to a training event and then he will be told what shifts he will be working. I am so pleased and excited for him.
Nothing else as exciting as that to report - I had a pleasant day of walking at Guay on Sunday. The weather was lovely and as I walked along a beautiful springy, grassy path between Rotmell Farm and Guay it suddenly occurred to me - I LOVE it there. As I have said before, it has so many happy memories for me and I have grown extremely fond of the area. It was a strange moment - it was as if this emotion had crept up on me.
This week has been fine but busy (as usual) so far, although I am getting some truly dreadful stomach cramps because of all the fruit that I have been eating! Who would have thought that I would ever be addicted to fruit! 

Camping in Perthshire

Here I am at Invermill campsite on the outskirts of Dunkeld after what was our first - and last because it's the end of the expedition season - night of actual camping in 2013. I have been in lodges or the Baronial Hall at Bonaly for the other expeditions. The last time that we went camping was at Sandwood Bay in July 2012 so it has been a while. I was a bit worried about October being cold but actually it was perfectly warm in our little tent, and James did all the pitching and setting up so it has been very relaxing. We are right beside the river which is a very pretty setting and I loved listening to the water flowing over the rocks as I was falling asleep. I have had a delicious breakfast of slightly burnt porridge with blueberries and raspberries and plenty of hot coffee. The pupils are all very positive. The weather is a pleasant mix of clouds and blue sky, I feel well rested and ready for the day of walking ahead. 

Dundee in the rain

James, David and I went to Dundee on Wednesday evening to have dinner with Jamie and Aisling. Jamie booked a great restaurant called Byzantium. As its name suggests it has an Eastern feel, although the menu is varied. We all had meze for starters and they were delicious. For my main course I had butternut squash ravioli with tomato sauce which was delicious. Our journey home was in heavy rain, but this did give me the opportunity to find out that the windscreen wipers on James' new car adjust their speed according to how heavy the rain is. What will they think of next?

Since then I have been working working working and when I'm not working I have been thinking about work. Now it is the weekend hooray! However there is still a work connection because I am going on the last Duke of Edinburgh expedition of the season tomorrow and Sunday! 

Tickets and wheels

The holiday weekend really recharged my batteries and I feel very energetic this week. 

We have been allocated all of the 2014 Commonwealth Games tickets that we applied for; four each for two events; the men's Athletics finals and the Closing Ceremony. Alasdair and David are thrilled. I think that we have been very lucky - most people at our workplaces seem to have only got some of what they applied for and some got none at all. Of course it is costing a fortune but I think that there will be a great atmosphere and it will be lovely to be part of it. 

In other news, James collected his new blue Audi A4 last night and he loves it. When he and Alasdair arrived at the garage to collect it he found that it was covered with a large piece of cloth so that there was a sort of unveiling ceremony! He was then given a guided tour of all the controls which took ages. He is very happy with his car and all its fun gadgets! 

Back to Achmelvich

After a splendid night's sleep and a really good breakfast we decided that we would go to one of our favourite beaches at Achmelvich to enjoy the sunshine. It was quite breezy and lots of yellow leaves had fallen overnight on the balcony outside our room; it was as if autumn has arrived all at once. 

We had a brilliant walk on the beach and over to the neighbouring smaller beach. The sea was dark blue further out, then became a beautiful green colour as it became shallower, and then almost as pale as the white sand beach as the small waves lapped on the shore. 

We drove to Ullapool to another of our favourite places - the Ceilidh Place, where we had lunch before heading home.

It has been a very good weekend; I love the North West of Scotland particularly the part from Ullapool northwards, and I feel that it nourishes my soul. 

Stac Pollaidh

In a burst of enthusiasm this morning I announced to James that I would have a go at climbing the small but steep Stac Pollaidh on our way to Lochinver. First we said our goodbyes to our friends who would be remaining in Torridon, most of whom were planning to climb Ben Alligan. Steven and Hilary however had just received a phone call to tell them that their daughter had gone into labour with their second grandchild, so they were setting off home a day early.*

We arrived at Stac Pollaidh and it looked much bigger than I remembered. I was soon regretting my earlier optimism about the walk; I'm fitter than I used to be but steep hills always make me overheat. It was a lovely sunny and warm day so I overheated extra quickly and half way up I announced to James that I could go no further. However after some coffee and a Picnic Bar I gave it another try and soon we were on the saddle of the hill. The views were absolutely amazing - turquoise blue lochs, Suilven and lots of other mountains. I scrambled the last few feet to the east top and had a lie down in the sunshine. Walking down was steep but not a problem. 

We continued on to Lochinver and checked into the Albannach Hotel. Our room was gorgeous and after a jacuzzi bath I got ready for dinner, which was a delicious six course tasting menu; we enjoyed identifying all the combinations of flavours. Although each course was appropriately small it all added up to a very substantial meal, and we felt very full as we relaxed with coffee and petit fours in the lounge.

* Abigail Lily was indeed born later in the day! 

Diabeg to Craig

It has been a brilliant weekend so far. After a jolly evening at the pub I slept well in my girls' dormitory. I had just one roomie; a lovely girl called Lynsey who is also on a hill-walking weekend with a different walking club. On Saturday morning there was much discussion about routes; Steven, Hilary and I decided to go on an 8 km coastal walk from picturesque Diabeg to the bothy at Craig and back. Steven kindly drove us over the Goat's Pass to Diabeg - the views of mountains and sea were stunning. We set off in grey weather which gradually brightened to a warm and sunny afternoon. Steven and Hilary are such pleasant company; we chatted merrily as we walked along and had a good laugh. When we arrived at Craig we explored the bothy, which has clearly seen better days. I enjoyed swinging on a buoy which was suspended from a tree outside it, although I couldn't get Hilary onto it despite both of our best efforts and much hilarity. We had a few rests on our way back, basking in the sunshine. 

Everyone else had enjoyed a great afternoon too and after our showers it was time for the traditional communal meal. 

This was a veritable feast! The starter was James' pea and mint soup - the ingredients are from our garden. Then we had Hilary's home made lasagne with garlic bread, which was both delicious and plentiful. Then arrived Bob's apple and bramble pie, followed by Kenny's cheese board. A pleasant and convivial evening.  

Separate Rooms

We are driving north up the A9 towards Inverness and then on to Torridon. We have been having a nice chat in the car about the amazing summer we have had, both the excellent weather and the fascinating places we have visited. Let's hope that as a result we are full of energy and Vitamin D ready to face the winter ahead of us! 

Just James and I are heading north, because Ally and Davie are on their way to Dundee where Jamie is having a party tonight. Then Davie is going to the University of Dundee open day tomorrow, and they are all planning to go hill-walking in Glenshee on Sunday. I spent most of this morning buying them rail cards, train tickets and food.

So it's just the two of us going to Torridon, which could have been quite romantic except that James was too late to book one of the twin rooms in the hostel so we will be sleeping in separate boys' and girls' dormitories! 

The Last Wall comes down in Paris

Paris is full of music! Last night we went to our concert and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. We took the train to the Stade de France and walked round to our designated entrance. Going through security took AGES and we were worried that we would miss the start of the concert - so were the rest of the people in the queue, who whistled and shouted angrily as we all moved through very slowly. Eventually we got in to the stadium and we squeezed through the crowd to a prime position with an excellent view of the stage. I was not looking forward to standing for ages; I booked the tickets as James' Christmas present but chose the standing area because the seats were unfeasibly expensive. I did find that my back got sore by the end of the concert but there was so much to look at as well as to listen to, that I didn't really mind standing. On the stage there was a partially built wall which was added to throughout the concert until it went right across the stage. Roger Waters and his group sang their hearts out and I enjoyed the music and all of the amazing images projected onto the wall. Needless to say James loved it and sang along with every song. It was quite a spectacle; at the beginning a plane crashed into the stage and towards the end a giant pig floated above the crowd! Some of it was quite moving as tributes were paid to all the people who have died in wars or because of terrorism. It was the last "The Wall" of the long 2010 to 2013 tour and perhaps the last ever - Roger Waters could be seen wiping a little tear from his cheek as he left the stage, At the end of the concert we turned the wrong way out of the stadium (my fault!) and had to retrace our steps for quite a long way, but eventually we arrived back in St Germain where we had a drink sitting outside at one of the many pavement cafés. It was a lovely evening, in fact rather romantic.

And today the music continued as we walked around Paris. It was a warm and sunny morning so after a leisurely breakfast we decided to walk to Montmartre via Notre Dame and Beaubourg. A jazz band were playing at the corner of our street, an accordionist was playing La Vie en Rose on the bridge to Ile de la Cité, an old man was playing the fiddle at the Place du Tertre. The whole of Paris seemed to be full of music. It was also full of smoke - the Parisians love to share their cigarette smoke with unsuspecting passers by. I know that smokers do this in Glasgow too but the French seem to take it to a new level! However this did not spoil our lovely day; we had lunch sitting outside in Montmartre and later on we had a coffee at Les Deux Magots before making our way to the airport. A brilliant weekend. 

It's still summer in Paris!

James and I flew to Paris this morning and found it to be a good twelve degrees warmer than Glasgow! It's sunny and more like summer than autumn so after divesting ourselves of our jackets and fleeces at the hotel we went straight back out for an afternoon walk. We headed to the Luxembourg gardens which were busy with families engaging in wholesome activities such as tennis, cycling or sailing boats on the pond. Lots of people were sitting around on benches and chairs reading in the sunshine. We had drinks in a nearby café and watched the world go by - including a protest march about Syria. The marchers were shouting "Non à la guerre, oui à la paix" I have no idea which side they were on. We got chatting to a pleasant American couple who are on a tour of Europe, and I have noticed that Paris seems to be particularly full of Americans this weekend. We are now back at the hotel for a brief rest before going to our concert this evening; tickets for Roger Waters' The Wall at the Stade de France were my Christmas present to James, and that's why we are in Paris this weekend. 

Raspberries

I'm not long back from FitStep and I felt as if I was fitter this week - but for some reason less coordinated! I enjoyed it and I like the music. I also followed Deborah's advice to eat a couple of slices of toast and jam for tea to give me energy, which worked. I have been thinking of Mum on her birthday today. Now I'm eating raspberries and drinking camomile tea while watching Lara Croft Tomb Raider with James, Ally and Davie. Nice evening. 

Shopping and Lunching

The rest of the weekend continued to be very pleasant. The weather on Sunday was intermittently rainy so, having had our sunny walk the day before, we spent Sunday in town shopping and lunching. I would like to be able to say that we had planned it this way according to the forecast, but in fact we had made our arrangements weeks ago, so we were just lucky!

James and I are not big shoppers but this turned out to be a useful and pleasant trip. The secret of a good shopping trip for us lies in planning, decisiveness, and speed. We both had items to exchange in different shops, then we met up and chose a pretty blouse and matching scarf in John Lewis for Grandma's birthday.

By the time we had achieved this mission it was time to go for lunch with Heather and Ewan; a very nice way to end our shopping trip. We all met up in Prezzo and had a good chat and a delicious lunch. I chose the chicken, bacon and avocado salad and it was gorgeous - but more calorific than I expected! 630 calories to be precise! I cannot regret it because I enjoyed it mightily.

As a result I awarded myself only a very small portion of the Chinese meal that we ordered in later to celebrate Grandma's 84th birthday. Grandma seemed to enjoy herself and we of course had birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday. It was a nice occasion. After tea we all looked at some of Ally's holiday photos. He and Cat have organised them into sections which is useful because they have more than 4000 in total. We looked at the first two sections; Dubai and Bangkok. Two very different cities but both looked fascinating. 

A juicy pear

We had a lovely walk in Dumfriesshire today of about 12 km in the countryside around Drumlanrig Castle. We were in the area to checkpoint a D of E Gold Group and we planned our own walk so that we could meet them during the day and then later at the camp site. 

First we went to Thornhill to buy some meths (for the camp stoves), and we noticed that there was a film crew in the main street and I wondered if there might be some film stars about! However I was disappointed to learn (when we asked a lady in the hardware shop) that it was just an advertisement for Spar that was being filmed! It was very amusing though; the shop had displays of gorgeous shiny fruit outside it, the likes of which I have never seen either inside or outside our local Spar. Also standing outside the shop were an enthusiastic crowd of extras who were much younger, more attractive and more multi-cultural than the real residents of any Scottish town! 

We parked the car at Drumlanrig and noticed that there were lots of people there including police, various yellow-jacketed officials and some classy and healthy food stalls (for example home made soup, steak baguettes, hog roasts etc). We found out that the Tour of Britain cycle race will be coming through there tomorrow and that today there was an amateur cycling event.

We had a very pleasant walk through woods and rolling countryside. There were LOTS of pheasants running around in the fields; they ran away when they saw us but foolishly ran in the same direction as us instead of veering away! This meant that they got more and more agitated until they would launch themselves upwards, noisily and awkwardly with a great fluttering. We also saw lots of sheep, some donkeys and some Belted Galloway cows. The weather was beautiful and after our walk James and I had an idyllic coffee sitting on the grass outside Drumlanrig Castle looking at the views across the parkland with its ancient sycamore trees to the Lowther Hills beyond. I also ate a delicious and very juicy pear which I purchased from one of the healthy food stalls. The pupils did really well; it was a long walk for them of about 24 km but they were very good natured about it. We left them with their tents all set up at their campsite in Penpont and headed back to Glasgow for a curry. 

Fitness class

I have taken a fair amount of exercise over the summer although much less since I started back to work at the beginning of August. We have had brilliant weather this summer so most of this exercise has involved walking outdoors, which has been great. However I have been planning to go to some fitness classes this autumn as the nights "draw in" and when my lovely fitness instructor neighbour Christine told me yesterday about the new class she is teaching, I decided that the time was right.
This class is called FitStep and it's a bit like Zumba but with traditional dance steps such as the waltz, cha cha, paso doble, and the charleston among others. Apparently it was started by some dancers who have been on Strictly Come Dancing until recently. I found it to be great fun, I really enjoyed the dance steps and felt that I got the hang of it quite quickly. I was soon sweating buckets but I loved it and I will be back!
I am enjoying my weight loss and have now reached 9 stone 10 oz. James thinks I have lost enough weight (that's two and a half stones now because I was 12 stone 5 oz at the beginning of May!) I would like to lose just a little more but mainly tone up and get fitter. 

Reunions

Jamie and Ally are back from their travels!
The first to arrive was Jamie on Sunday afternoon. It was so great to see him all handsome and happy! He is such a positive person to be around. We had a steak dinner to celebrate his homecoming and Grandma was there too. He was telling us all about his adventures in Peru and showed us some of his photos, although we will have to see the rest at a later date because he headed back to Dundee in the evening to get ready for university which was to start on Monday. He gave us lovely presents from Peru - a brightly coloured scarf for me, gorgeous alpaca wool jumpers for Ally and Davie, and chocolates for James which he had made himself with strange ingredients, one of which is a herb nicknamed "The Chilean viagra!"
And Alasdair and Cat arrived back from South East Asia this evening. They flew in from Dubai where Cat's cousins had treated them to an amazing last night of their holiday at a boutique hotel. They looked really well, tanned and happy after their three and a half months of travel. Christine and Gerry were of course there too and instead of going straight home we all had an extended coffee at the airport while we all chatted and Ally and Cat told us more of their travels. Ally and Cat had also got us some great presents - a pair of slippers for me from Laos with elephants embroidered on them, and rice wine and a Vietnam t-shirt for James. For Davie they had got a pressed penny from the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, a pack of United Emirates playing cards, a pen from the Marina Bay Sands hotel, and best of all a collection of rocks from volcanoes they visited including Krakatoa! David was thrilled. They had also got a very interesting and bizarre present for Jamie; coffee beans that had been pooped by a civet! 

Relaxing at the Rainbow Room

Well we had a lovely time at the airshow! It stayed dry the whole day which was great although there was a chilly breeze in the afternoon. Jackie, her Dad, Finn, Noah and I waited for ages to get a tour of a big grey military plane but it was worth it and very interesting; it was a 10 squadron Voyager A330 aircraft which has only made 42 landings so far, it was very smart and new. It can refuel other planes mid air and is based at Brize Norton. I gave Jackie and the boys a lift back to Dundee late afternoon then collected James and David from Leuchars station because they had stayed to see the sunset ceremony at the very end. It was kind of sad driving away from Leuchars for the last time but such is life, and I'm sure we will find an airshow to go to next year - perhaps back to Fairford for the first time since our pre-children 1980s! 

Today I am at the hairdressers and then I will be collecting Jamie from the airport after his eight weeks in Peru so I'm very excited! After a coffee and a shiatsu head massage I feel nice and relaxed. I have always disliked going to the hairdressers but the Rainbow Room where I have been going for the last couple of years is very pleasant! 

The Last Leuchars air show

Well here we are at the last ever Leuchars air show. Despite a very mixed weather forecast, the sun is shining just now. It's the last air show here because RAF Leuchars will be closing next year and will become an army base. I feel surprisingly sentimental about this; despite being the least interested in planes in our family, I have many happy memories of coming to Leuchars with James and my tiny boys, who are now big tall boys. It has been a family tradition that we have all enjoyed. To me it has always been a pleasant and relaxing day out, especially as the toilet facilities have become more plentiful and civilised over the years. As well as the flying display there is a large static display and lots of stalls selling flying paraphernalia and also sunglasses, crafts and food. So after setting up camp beside the flight line we go for walks up and down the display. The boys of course take the plane aspect very seriously and pay attention to all the flying and technical details!! This year Jackie, her Dad, Finn and Noah, have joined us for the third time - I'm so glad that they enjoy it too! Last night we stayed over in Dundee and despite our late arrival (due to James' flight from London being delayed) Jackie and I were able to nip out to a nearby pub for a quick drink while David kindly babysat Finn and Noah.

Well I hope the final Leuchars air show is a good one - the flying display is about to start! 

Jack has a big face

James arrived home from his holiday in Austria very late on Sunday evening, and has had lots to tell us about his hill-walking. He keeps telling me how much I would enjoy going with him on a similar holiday, but then he mentions that he did 6000 metres of ascent over the week, which does not sound inviting to me! He has really enjoyed his holiday.
Although Jack has been fine in himself since his fight last week, we noticed over the last couple of days that the right hand side of his face has swollen up and under his fur there is a large lump. So I made an appointment at the vet's and I was glad that I had because by the time I got home from work the lump was so big that his right eye was half closed! James had arrived home just before me so he came with me to the vet's while David made the dinner.
Jack was not a happy cat when we got there and even less so when the vet stuck a large needle into the lump to try to draw out any liquid. This was unsuccessful so Jack had to get an anti-inflammatory injection and an antibiotic injection. During the second injection he went uncharacteristically berserk and lashed out with claws and teeth at the vet and at James, who was holding him. He scratched the back of James' hand really badly! He also yowled and lashed out when the vet put some ear drops in his ears - I suspect that he is getting a bit deaf so she was seeing if he has earwax. This was all too much for Jack, what a racket he made! James said fondly to him, "You were looking forward to a nice quiet evening weren't you?", however the vet thought that James was talking to her and said, "Yes I was!" which I thought was very funny. Jack gave the vet an absolutely filthy look.
When we got home we skyped Ally and Cat who are in Laos. Today they went tubing down a river; in the dry season it takes about four hours but in the rainy season (now) it only takes one hour. They stopped off at riverside bars on their way down river. Tomorrow they will go to Ventiane which is the capital of Laos. They are having such a wonderful holiday.