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 David 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. David 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. David and I went into town this morning to buy David 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. 

My baby is 18 years old

I can hardly believe that David 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. David 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.
There must be loads more. I do love a good laugh, it always makes me feel better. 

David is a Clyde-sider

I am so proud of David! 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 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. We haven't seen Aisling since before her trip to Ghana so it was great to catch up and we all chatted about holidays and hill-walking. 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!