Looking for little green men

On Saturday the weather was great so we went for a nice long walk around Glasgow, and enjoyed the festival atmosphere that the Commonwealth Games have brought to the city. James commented that everyone in Glasgow seems to have been given a "nice pill" with complete strangers chatting and being helpful to each other. Not that people in the city are usually horrible, it's just that the Games seem to have given everyone a wee boost.
I have downloaded an app with all the "Clydes" that are scattered around Glasgow; little statues of the personified thistle that is the mascot of the Commonwealth Games. Each one is differently decorated, and we enjoyed finding them and posing for a photo opportunity beside each one. Our meandering route took us from Central Station along the Clyde Walkway and across the Squinty Bridge to the Science Centre where we had lunch outside. We also watched the flotilla of 250 ships of all different shapes and sizes, festooned with flags, coming down the river and mooring at Pacific Quay. It was a magnificent sight; the sailors were all shouting to the crowd who cheered back. Then we recrossed the river and headed up to the West End to the Botanic Gardens, bagging "Clydes" on our way. By the end of the day we had notched up 10 out of the 25 *  It was a really pleasant day, especially as Jamie and Davie came with us (Ally was still on holiday) and we all chatted as we walked along. Davie was on a late shift at the Emirates Arena so he went there by train after lunch, then Jamie left to go to Rugby 7s later. So it was just James and me who had afternoon coffee at the Art Galleries before heading home for a curry.

Today Jackie and I took Finn and Noah to Glasgow Green where there were lots of children's activities based around the Commonwealth Games. It was great, like a sports day without the competition. One of the most popular activities was to try to beat Usain Bolt's time in the 100 metres, running along a track while being measured by a timer. Finn didn't quite manage it but I was impressed at how hard he tried and how convinced he was that he would beat Usain! It was a beautiful sunny afternoon.

* and we bagged 2 more on Sunday!

Clydesider Davie

I am very proud of Davie, who is on his third day of being a Clydesider - a volunteer at the Commonwealth Games. The first two days he had to be at the Emirates Stadium (where he is based) for 6 a.m. On Thursday he got up at about 4.30 a.m. and caught a bus. He was on duty at the badminton all day directing people to their seats and saw David Cameron, although he didn't recognise him until someone pointed him out! He wears a smart red and grey uniform with a man bag which contains his official towel, umbrella and water bottle. He also has a very large official pass on a lanyard. When he got home he was exhausted and fell asleep before tea, which was a delicious barbecue.
Perhaps inevitably Davie slept in on his second morning so I threw on my clothes at 6 a.m. and gave him a lift to the stadium. There was hardly any traffic and by following James' advice to go along London Road I was able to drop him right there, so he was only 20 minutes late and anyway he tells me that the volunteers don't actually start until nearly 7 so he didn't miss anything. He spent most of the day just outside the stadium directing people which door they should go in. He really enjoyed this and came home full of the joys, he loved helping people and told us that he chatted to them as well because he wanted to make their experience as enjoyable as possible. This made my heart just about burst with pride. He had also been getting to know the other volunteers during their breaks and has made a couple of friends. Apparently Sir Chris Hoy was stopped at the door because he didn't have a correct pass - but he was very good natured about it and the situation was sorted out quickly!
I'm so pleased that he is enjoying being part of it all so much.

The Height of Summer

This is it! It is proper hot weather and I am in my hammock in the garden, up beside Jack's wee grave which feels quite companionable. I have done some pottering around the house but have now decided to blog and then read my book for a while, because how often do you get the chance to read outside in Scotland? Despite feeling slightly uneasy at my lack of productive activity, I am loving this time. The washing is drying fast on the line, moving in a very gentle breeze. There are butterflies flitting about, and the pears are ripening on the branches above me. Over the last few days of hot weather I have been doing errands in the morning and then relaxing in the afternoons. I have been out for lunch with Davie. To my surprise and pleasure a few of my (unforgivably neglected by me) friends have popped in to see me, probably having seen my car in the drive, and we have chatted and drunk cool drinks in the garden. It was fun.
Inspired by this I have fired off a couple of texts to other friends. This is what I never find time to do in term time, not even at the weekends nowadays. I just work and then try to rest. No wonder I was so exhausted in February, I really need to get my work / life balance sorted out.

Bring on the Commonwealth Games

I have seen the Red Arrows displays at many air shows over the years, but this evening was the first time that I have seen them fly past my house!
This was of course part of the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. It was great fun watching the finished product on television after seeing the rehearsal on Monday, and I thought it was very good. When we saw on the screen that the Red Arrows were approaching Glasgow, we hurried through to the front of the house just in time to see them fly past the lounge window on their way to Parkhead.
I enjoyed all of the entertainment; the opening song and dance number was a but cringe-making (I wasn't kidding yesterday about John Barrowman and the dancing Tunnocks Tea Cakes!) but it was also cheerful and tongue-in-cheek. Rod Stewart appeared to have almost completely lost his voice but I thought that Amy McDonald and Nicola Benedetti were particularly excellent. I thought it was sad but appropriate that the Malaysian flag was carried round at half mast, and that there was a minute's silence for the victims of flight MH17 last week.
The most hilarious but agonising moment was when the president of the Commonwealth Games committee struggled to open up the baton to retrieve the Queen's message which was stashed inside it. After a couple of minutes which probably seemed like hours to him, with Sir Chris Hoy trying to help and the Queen looking on, he managed to open it and looked very relieved.
By the way, I thought that the controversial Scottish team uniform looked great; it was meant to be bold and eye-catching and I think it worked.

Top Secret

Davie and I went to the dress rehearsal for the Commonwealth Games on this lovely sunny evening. We walked up to Parkhead from Dalmarnock Station along with thousands of other people; the atmosphere was tremendous. These were extra tickets that Davie was given for being a volunteer at the Games, aka a Clydesider. However we were asked by the organisers not to give away the secrets and surprises of the evening. So I had better make something up - how about John Barrowman being driven around in an open topped bus, singing about Scotland while dressed in bright purple tartan and accompanied by giant dancing Tunnocks Tea Cakes. Is that too unbelievable?

No welcome home

We all crammed into the car to set off on the journey home today. I felt really sad to be leaving Lochinver and would definitely like to book the cottage at the pottery again. David Grant (the owner) came to say goodbye; he was telling us about the celebrations that are taking place next week to celebrate 40 years of Highland Stoneware - the guest of honour will be Princess Anne. The weather was fine and sunny, with no sign of the storms that were forecast. After a couple of hours (I agree with Ewan that it is a long journey home from Lochinver!) we all stopped for lunch in Inverness and Ally and Cat then went off to catch a bus to Invergarry. They still have another week of their holiday ahead of them with Gerry and Christine who have rented a cottage in Glenelg. This created considerably more room in the car, not because the very slim Ally and Cat take up much room, but because they took their big rucksacks with them, which they had been carrying on their laps because the boot was full.
The remaining three of us still had three hours of travel ahead of us, and by Perth it was grey and raining, although no thunder and lightning I'm glad to say.
But when we got home there was no Jack to greet us. The cat flap in the door is still, his bowls and rugs lie neglected, the whole house feels lonely without him. He will never walk casually round the side of the house again as we arrive home and roll around on the slabs so that we can pat him, or come running down the stairs when we open the front door. How can such a small cat leave such a big empty space?

Breabag

What an amazing day we have had today. James wanted to bag a Corbett and chose Breabag near Inchnadamph. Meanwhile Alasdair was keen to climb two Munros; Conival and Ben More Assynt, and persuaded Davie to accompany him. This tied in nicely with our plans because the start and end points of both expeditions are near to each other. Cat came with James and me because she has had a sore knee since last week and she didn't want to overstrain it.
The route to Breabag goes past the Bone Caves of Inchnadamph, which we have visited in winter by trudging over snow and ice. The valley looked very different today in the height of summer; green and full of birdsong, with underground springs bubbling up into rock pools. I felt a bit hot and bothered so after about half an hour I asked James and Cat to go on without me because I didn't want to hold them up. But after a rest I felt that I had given up too soon and decided to continue my walk and I met up with them at the ridge. I found the ascent to be quite rough; first across boggy moorland and then up through heather and boulders. I decided to go on to the summit (James and Cat had already been there) and when I got there it was so windy that I was almost blown off my feet, but I was rewarded with panoramic views for miles around. On the slopes near the summit there were several groups of deer watching me, they were lovely but timid and cantered off as I approached.
The trouble started when I set off back down the hill. There was no path at all, and it took ages to pick my way down a steep quartzite boulder field. The rocks were in no way attached to the hill and it felt very precarious as I slipped and slid. There were large slabs of rock too which provided some relief but they were very steep. Even when I got low enough to walk on patches of heather I could feel the rocks scraping together underneath, like the edges of a broken bone grinding against each other (and yes I do know what that feels like!) I felt as if I would never get down! I still really enjoyed the walk though, and doing two Corbetts in two days is amazing for me. Today was another 700 metres of ascent and about 5 hours of walking.
I got back to the Inchnadamph Hotel only ten minutes after James and Cat, whose descent via another hill was equally arduous, and Ally and Davie arrived soon after, tired but happy. We had a drink as we compared our adventures.
I had an embarrassing incident where an insect crawled down my t shirt. I set off for the ladies toilets to shake it out but since the hotel was so quiet I just pulled off my top in the foyer. I don't know what possessed me because immediately two male guests walked in through the door. I dived behind the reception desk but this must have looked strange because they came straight over and looked over the desk where I was sitting wearing my bra and trying to put my top back on. Luckily I will never see them again.
Anyway after a quick shower we went for our last night dinner to the Riverside Bistro where we had a hearty dinner and talked about our holiday. It has been great.

Ridge walking on Quinag

Heather and Ewan have now left Lochinver, and the rest of us set off to climb Quinag today, looking forward to a sunny day promised by the weather forecast. As we approached the hill however, we saw that it was wreathed in low clouds, and wondered if we would see any view at all. As we made our way up the large stone slabs on the slopes the cloud lifted above us and by the time we reached the first summit the day was fine and sunny, and we had stunning views all around us of the beautiful mountains and lochs of Assynt. My favourite part of the day was walking along the narrow ridges between the tops of the hills before Cat and I descended from the bealach and the boys went on to the other two main summits. I gave Cat (and myself) a fright by stumbling and falling on a narrow part of the ridge and for a moment I really thought that I was going to tumble for hundreds of feet! I landed on my bottom on a rock just below the ridge but then the momentum made me continue falling downwards onto the next rock! I think that Cat was quite alarmed and I had to take a minute to recover! It was a good four and a half hour walk with about 700 metres of ascent, which is a lot for me.
On returning to the car, Cat and I nipped off to the Kylescu Hotel where we sat outside and had a refreshing drink while watching huge bags of mussels being unloaded from a boat onto the jetty. It was really hot and sunny and we had a nice chat. Later we collected our sweaty boys and the five of us had a delicious tea back at the Kylescu Hotel.

Sandwood Bay, Sunshine and Seafood

We went to Sandwood Bay today with Heather and Ewan, while Ally, Cat and Davie walked to Achmelvich. It was a fine and breezy day; the hour and a half walk from Oldshoremore to the beach at Sandwood was very pleasant. As we arrived at the beach a huge rain cloud rolled over us and it looked as if we were about to get soaked. We found shelter behind a sand dune and James started brewing up some coffee, and by the time the kettle boiled the cloud had passed over us, the sky was blue and it remained sunny for the rest of the day! 

How lovely it was to be back at Sandwood Bay with Heather and Ewan; they were with us on our very first visit there eight years ago with all five children. There was a smart maroon coloured helicopter on the beach and we speculated as to the (sole) passenger's reason for being there - sight-seeing probably, but why by helicopter, and where else would he visit after the helicopter pilot whisked him off a short while later? Tempting though the thought was of being transported with such ease to the remote beach, I felt as if being "beamed in" like that would make it feel a bit less special - but maybe I am being too puritanical - arriving by helicopter would be very exciting! After some relaxing and a walk up and down the beach to re-visit our camping spot from two years ago, we set off back to the car; my legs were tired so it seemed a bit longer on the way back!

We called in at the Kylescu Hotel on our way back to Lochinver, which we stayed at two years ago and really liked. It was too late for afternoon tea so James had the inspired idea of having a drink followed by an early dinner! A quick phone call ensured that the "young ones" would arrange their own dinner (they went to the Caberfeidh). The food at the Kylescu was absolutely delicious and the main course that Heather and I chose was amazing; roasted cod with kale and ricotta cannelloni. The flavours worked so well together, and we both loved it. 

And then we headed back to the cottage where we chatted and Ally, Cat and Davie played a spirited game of Maltese dominoes. Another great day - and thanks to the surroundings and the company I felt so relaxed. 

A Jolly Pollaidh Day

Today was my second ascent of Stac Pollaidh and I felt much fitter than during my first ascent last September. I was still the last of our group, but that was ok because they are a very fit bunch and I wasn't far behind. Ewan spotted the novelist Ian McEwan walking with friends; he recognised him and also heard his friends talking to him about being a novelist. He even asked James for advice about going up to the scrambly summit of the hill! Heather took a surreptitious photo but we didn't tell him that we were fans. Very exciting! The weather was grey but dry and the walk was very enjoyable. 

We then had coffee and scones at the Summer Isles Hotel Bar before a scenic drive back to Lochinver with a stop at the Achins bookshop on the way.

Later we walked down to the Peet Restaurant at the harbour in beautiful sunshine for a lovely dinner. However the weather turned and we had to walk back up the hill in pouring rain! A convivial evening ensued; we all chatted and took turns playing our favourite music to each other. A really good day.

Lochinver - Saturday and Sunday

James, Davie and I arrived in Lochinver on Saturday after an early start and a long journey by ferry and car, to find that our cottage for this week is really lovely; beautifully decorated and spacious with views over Lochinver to Suilven. It's right beside Highland Stoneware at the top end of the village, and in fact belongs to the owner of the pottery.

On Sunday we were pleased to welcome Ally, Cat, Heather and Ewan to join us on our holiday. We went on an excellent 10.7 km undulating walk on sunny Sunday afternoon from Lochinver to the beach at Achmelvich and back. It had beautiful views and was mostly off road; I felt we had truly earned our hearty dinner at the Riverside Café later before relaxing and watching the World Cup final back at the cottage. Although sunset on Suilven did keep distracting us from the game!  

Goodbye Jack

Jack died peacefully in his sleep last night. His brave wee heart failed and despite the best efforts of lovely Gail, he didn't make it. Hugh and Ross buried him in our garden this afternoon, between his two pear trees. Ross phoned me to tell me that they chose a spot "that a cat would like." No wonder my Mum was always so fond of Ross when he was a wee boy; he has grown into a fine young man. 

I feel so sad, but have no regrets over his life. Few humans have such a happy life as Jack the cat, and I truly believe that he was contented, which is a great gift. He loved his Dad best of all, he also loved his brothers, Jill, and me. The house was his castle and the garden was his jungle. He fought other cats, killed mice, climbed trees and observed James as he gardened. He was friendly and companionable and would come out of the house to greet us on the path when we arrived home from work. He kept an eye on everything that happened in and around the house, and had lots of favourite places and routines. He was a handsome fellow and kept himself lovely and clean; it amazed me that his fur smelled so nice as if it had been washed with shampoo rather than cat spit! He basked in sunshine and always found a cosy corner when it was raining. 

He was such a good cat and we will miss him very much. 

St Kilda in the sunshine

The weather was marvellous for our long dreamed of trip to St Kilda today. We left at 8 a.m. from Leverburgh. It's so remote - nearly three hours each way on the boat. But the crew were informative and pleasant, and the journey flew by. It was so exciting when we landed on Hirta, the largest island, which was inhabited for a thousand years until the last inhabitants left in 1930. Being Andersons, we immediately headed for the highest point on the island (in total we ascended 362 metres and had a circular walk of about 8 km) and we were rewarded all the way with fantastic views of Village Bay, Soay, Boreray, and sea stacks. We saw the strange wild little St Kilda sheep and lots of birds including arctic terns and very aggressive bonxies (skuas) who dive bombed us, and a bird watcher told us that a strange sound we kept hearing was a drumming snipe! I could hardly believe that I was on St Kilda! We descended to the village via The Gap, and passed lots of "cleats" which were low stone structures where the villagers used to dry out their food. Then we walked along the one long street past all the deserted houses and then the restored ones. Interestingly, there was no "St Kilda"; the Vikings called the islands "skildas" which means "shields" (because of their shape) but a medieval cartographer wrongly transcribed it as S.Kilda which was thenceforth assumed to refer to a saint. We had a good five hours on the island.

Back on the boat we circumnavigated the amazing sea stacks of Boreray (the highest in the UK) and thousands of gannets rose into the air above us. Davie was "shat on from a great height" but our skipper assured him that this was very lucky. We also saw puffins, guillemots and more bonxies, who were chasing the gannets to try to make them vomit up their food! 

When we got back to South Harris my phone lit up with messages. Our furry boy Jack, who we had left at his usual cattery in Newarthill where he is treated like a prince, is gravely ill and is at the vet's on oxygen. We had a long conversation with lovely vet Gail about different options and what will be best for him. The next twenty four hours will be crucial. 

Harris on Wednesday

Today we went on a relaxing 8 km peninsular walk at Rodel in fantastic weather with stunning views. We also re-visited the beautiful St Clements Church at Rodel - the carvings on the tomb of Alasdair Crotach MacLeod are amazing and quite moving, especially his ship.We had a delightful afternoon sitting outside our cottage in the sunshine reading our books. And then in the evening we enjoyed a beach walk with the sea and hills lit up by the moonlight all around us, after a delicious meal at the Anchorage in Leverburgh.

 

Harris on Tuesday

We had another big walk today; a 10.5 km walk with 500 m ascent, up Ceapabhal, South Harris. It was a great walk over the hill and along the peninsula in marvellous weather with just enough of a breeze to make it pleasant. There were amazing views all around us including Skye to the south east and St Kilda to the west. We picked up a lamb that had fallen over and was unable to get up. One of its back legs looked shaky as it ran away and it fell again but this time got up by itself. I hope it's ok.

Later we had dinner for three at the remote but very popular Rodel Hotel - scallops mmmm! 

Harris on Monday

Going on holiday with Anderson men means walking and today I was pleased that I managed to walk up Beinn Losgaintir and Beinn Dhubh with Jamie and Davie; an ascent of 560 metres and distance of about 7 km. We had amazing views of the turquoise waters and pale yellow sands of Luskentyre Beach below us.

We had a lovely dinner and evening - David was reading us passages from his Sherlock Holmes novel back in our cosy cottage at Scaristavore.

Lewis and Harris

James, Davie and I are on holiday in the Western Isles, in a traditional black house in Scaristavore on the Isle of Harris. It's such a beautiful place and is situated on the same farm where we had a holiday in 1999 with the boys when they were tiny.
James and I travelled to Ullapool on Friday and had a walk beside the river in the evening sunshine. Then we had dinner at the Ceilidh Place; I had delicious smoked hake with spinach mash. There was a band called Bluebelly who were playing the blues in the bar area. 

When we arrived on a ridiculously early ferry (the later ones were full by the time I booked it) James and I were the first visitors to Calanais on Saturday morning. It was absolutely amazing to have the stones all to ourselves before treating ourselves to coffee and scones at the visitor centre. It was a beautiful day; warm and sunny, and later we went for a walk on the white sands of Beirigh Beach. After a long day and all of that fresh air we certainly slept well in our little cottage.

We had a bright and breezy walk at Arnol on Sunday with Davie, after collecting him from Stornoway Airport. He likes the cottage and is pleased with his alcove bed in the living room. James and I have a small double bedroom. The walls of the black house are so thick that it is cool indoors whatever the weather, and it has a comfortable but cosy feel.

From Holland to Holyroodhouse

What a busy time I have had over the last couple of weeks! First of all I am glad to say that my work situation has finally been sorted out, and I am very happy with it. Without naming any names, due to confidentiality, I am back to job-sharing Depute Head one day a week and the rest of the week I have been confirmed as Principal Teacher. And the best thing of all is that all of this is finally permanent! Being Depute Head as an acting post has been almost impossible without the support of another manager in the department, however I have got through due to putting in a huge amount of work. I'm proud of what I have accomplished. The new Depute Head has been transferred to us due to issues at another school, which of course I can't mention, so this new set up will hopefully suit both of us. We had a meeting before the end of term and I have a good feeling about it. So the end of a very hard school year consisted of congratulations and celebrations.

I then immediately set off on a school trip to Holland and Germany with the usual group of staff and about 70 lively pupils. We had a great time and it was lovely to be back in the pretty town of Valkenburg. Carolyn was my roomie this time, and we had some really good laughs. As is usual, a few pupils presented us with some issues to keep us busy, but nothing too bad and it was mainly a well-behaved group. By the time I got home I was sleep deprived but happy.

We travelled to Edinburgh on 3rd July for Alasdair's Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Ceremony. We were cutting it fine because the traffic in Edinburgh was very busy, but we made it in time, and joined our allocated group in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Prince Philip duly appeared from inside the palace and walked from group to group, spending about ten minutes with each. It was strange to see him so close up after seeing him on television over the years. I was so proud of Ally; what a great achievement. Afterwards we went for lunch with Ally, Davie, Cat and her parents Gerry and Christine and had a very pleasant afternoon.