Gadget

James bought a gadget for Ally and Davie today. It is a wifi range extender. This will, I am reliably informed, make the wifi signal better upstairs in the boys' bedrooms. I wasn't even aware that there was a problem with this, but when James produced it the boys shouted with excitement, and rushed to set it up.

In another boy bonding activity they then watched a documentary about the last flights of the Vulcan bomber (we saw one of these flights at East Fortune in the summer). It is quite heartwarming to watch all three boys enjoying time with their Dad.

Hirsute

The weather has been wet and windy all weekend, however it didn't stop us from enjoying ourselves. After a much needed haircut on Saturday morning I met up with James and Grandma for lunch at John  Lewis, and then Grandma and I went shopping for a couple of hours. It was a slow meander round the shop, helping Grandma to replenish her winter wardrobe, but quite pleasant on a wet afternoon with no pressure to hurry. In the evening we went over to Heather and Ewan's where we had a delicious meal and a convivial evening with them and their friends Graham and Nicky. Later on we were joined by a bearded Andrew; I have never seen him with facial hair and I have to say it really suited him - what a pleasant and handsome young man he is.

This morning we had a cosy breakfast in bed, listening to the rain lashing against the windows. We were joined by both kitties and Davie who is home because it is the end of his university term and also because he had been called for jury service next week. It was nice to hear his chat. After doing some housework James and I went over to Coatbridge where we went to the cinema for a decadent second time in three days! We had decided that if the weather was as bad as the forecast a daytime cinema trip would be just the ticket!  And indeed it was a great way to spend the afternoon - we watched the excellent Cold War drama Bridge of Spies. Both Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance were brilliant and we thoroughly enjoyed it. 

By tea time Jamie and Alasdair had both arrived home - they had been climbing together in Edinburgh today. It was a great evening with all five of us together - just lovely. And to my surprise Jamie was sporting a beard just like Andrew's - it's a long time since I have seen him so hirsute! It has been terrible weather but a very pleasant weekend.

Movie night

James and I went to see the final instalment of the Hunger Games films last night. We have enjoyed the rest of the films and I thought that this one was a fitting ending, although James found it slightly disappointing. The ending was quite good although very easy to guess what was going to happen. We saw the film at the Quay so beforehand we popped into Chiquito for a meal which was tasty - I much prefer Chiquito to other Mexican restaurants in the city. When we got home the kitties were waiting for us with tragic faces - we had run out of Whiskas pouches, which they much prefer to the plentiful dry food with which we supplement their diet. So I jumped back into the car and went to our nearest 24 hour supermarket to get some cat food, and I also picked up some croissants for Saturday morning breakfast in bed. Which were yummy. 

In the bath

Quick wee blog from the bath - it is definitely winter now, so my baths are useful to turn me into a human hot water bottle. This means that I retain enough heat to fall asleep all cosy. I met up with Jackie yesterday evening. It was so great to see her lovely boys and to have a laugh and a chat. And a delicious dinner too! In other news we are having the hall decorated. I just can't get excited about decorating the house - never have, never will. I feel that this is a fatal flaw in me. Hoping for a dreamless sleep tonight - I keep dreaming that my parents are still alive, and have gone to live elsewhere without telling me! If this is true then it is very thoughtless of them! In the dream I am trying to find them. 

David Foster Wallace

I have been reading some David Foster Wallace and I really admire his amazing writing - so painfully honest and sometimes very funny. His short story "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never do again" about his week on a cruise ship made me laugh a lot. My Dad would have said that he was born with a skin too few and he paid a high price for that. "You are the sickness yourself." He was a complex character, not easy to be around I would imagine, but what a writer. 

Cold Snap

We are spending the weekend in Roybridge with the hill-walking club, and winter has definitely arrived with a cold snap. It has been snowing lightly here and this morning the road up into Glen Roy was scarily icy when I dropped James, Ally and Cat off for their walk. The dusting of snow in the mountains was beautiful and highlighted the parallel lines around the sides of all the mountains, which are in fact the marks of ancient lake shores. Hilary and I did our own canal walk at Gairlochy and then had a really lovely lunch at the Crannog in Fort William - another old favourite haunt. It occurs to me that I have been going back to a few of my favourite places recently, like the Grosvenor Cinema, the GFT and Café Gandolfi. It was good to pay my respects to Fort William today - another place of which I have many fond memories.

Excellent Cellist

James, Ally and I went to the City Halls this evening to hear the SSO playing Elgar's Enigma Variations. I arrived to meet them for dinner at Café Gandolfi - late, wet, and in a bad mood after a challenging day at work. Challenging is a nice way of putting it. I thought that they would be grumpy at me for being late but in fact they were both happy to see me and had even ordered me a "very berry" mocktail and a feta and spinach pie, which were both delicious. And then we went to the concert, and it was great, and I didn't cough (this was important and a bit stressful because the concert was being broadcast live on Radio 3) and the solo cellist was excellent. We had a lovely evening and I am now feeling much happier.

The Bataclan and the Stade de France

The dreadful killing of 90 people at the Bataclan in Paris on Friday 13th, and 40 more in coordinated attacks around Paris, has of course been in the news over the last week. Many others were injured too. One person was killed by a suicide bomber outside the Stade de France; thanks to the security guards the bomber was not able to get into the stadium. 

James and I were at the Stade de France to see Roger Waters' The Wall on 21st September 2013. I remember being annoyed at the time about how long it took to get through security. 

How wrong I was - if security at the Stade de France wasn't so rigorous then even more innocent people would have been killed last Friday.

Weekend Activities

James and I had a whole day together on Saturday which was not only unusual but very pleasant. After setting the world to rights while having breakfast in bed (and unfortunately after the horrific events at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris on Friday evening this was beyond our abilities!) we went into town to order wallpaper for the hall and do a few other errands. We had lunch in the Rogano Cafe, an old favourite of ours. It's so old-fashioned, I love it. 

Later on we went to The Stand and had a really good evening. It was very crowded but we managed to get seats and the acts were all very funny. The only problem was the last act - the comedian was very good at first but seemed to lose his way a wee bit and then he got heckled by a woman for being sexist. It was quite mild but it really seemed to get to him and instead of making a joke of it or getting her on side, he started arguing with her. The audience were getting restless and booing the woman and calling her names and it all got a bit out of hand. He ended up telling a not very funny joke which ended up by calling her an unpleasant name and that was the end of his act. When the compère came back out on stage he looked absolutely mortified and said "Well, that was awkward!" which defused the atmosphere and made everyone laugh. 

Today we went through to Dundee to visit Davie and to buy him some winter clothes. We met his new girlfriend, Chanel, who is pretty and friendly. This is a very new romance; when I was on the phone to Davie last week I suddenly had a feeling that he was not alone and I asked him "Is there somebody there with you?" He confirmed that there was a girl with him - it was Chanel! A mother's instinct is never wrong!

Bittersweet

Last night was the celebration of the safe completion of our Uganda trip, organised by the pupils and their parents. George's wife was unwell and unable to attend, so I let James off the hook (he would have come with me but would have known hardly anyone) and offered George a lift. James set off happily to fetch himself a fish supper and to settle down to an evening of watching Children in Need on television. 

Not having been involved in the organisation, I had no idea what to expect. However it turned out to be a most excellent evening.

It was held in the club house of a local rugby club and family and friends had been invited so there must have been upwards of a hundred people there. The pupils had planned an Oscars type ceremony called "The Luweros." It was very funny and they had done it properly with nominations, envelopes with the winner's name inside etc. David and Holly had dressed up as the hosts and made a great job of it. Needless to say everyone from the trip got an award - for best dancer, most photogenic etc. Mine was for "best medic" and a picture of me went up in the screen with a speech bubble saying  "Have you took your malaria tablet?"

But then came one more award for George and me, which was so amazing that I was actually in tears - the parents had ordered a framed picture for each of us with stick figure drawings of all sixteen of us, with our names underneath and decorated with buttons and sequins. At the bottom of the picture is the bible quotation of the Luwero Community "He who refreshes others shall himself be refreshed." It is absolutely beautiful and I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

Then we had a buffet and the dancing started. George and I had planned to slip away at this point but we found ourselves persuaded onto the dance floor to jig about with the crowd. Soon we were singing along to Don't Stop Believing - one of our signature Luwero songs which we performed on the stage there. And then all sixteen of us danced and sang our Uganda songs - Wagula Wagula and Lift Him Higher - and as I looked round the circle at the familiar faces I felt happy to have been part of something so special - but it was bittersweet because tonight's celebration marked the end of it too.  

Decisions, decisions

There's a storm up north tonight called Abigail which is causing high waves and winds. Here we are just catching the edge of it; heavy rain and gusts of wind. However I think it's affecting my mood because I feel very restless. It has been a strange week of highs and lows. I went to the cinema with a group of pupils on Tuesday and had a great evening - we went to see Ferris Bueller's Day Off which I have never, ever seen even though it was made in 1986! I somehow thought that it would be rubbish but it was a lovely film and I thought that it had a strong message about making the most of life. Work has been overwhelmingly busy, but today I got some feedback which was incredibly, almost embarrassingly positive. And it made me wonder if the decision that I'm edging towards is the right one. Then this afternoon I was at the funeral of the father of a dear friend and as I listened to the tribute to his life I found it sad - but a good life well lived. Funerals always make me feel thoughtful, and then at the restaurant afterwards we were talking to an elderly couple who were full of life and told us that they have been married for 61 years, and were full of really interesting stories about their lives. I don't know what I'm trying to say - just that I feel a bit confused and not sure which way to go. I blame the weather for this turbulent mood! 

The Martian

Jamie and I disagree about which of us recommended The Martian to the other but we both agree that we thoroughly enjoyed the book, as did James. When I read it I felt that it was crying out to be made into a film, and so it has been.

Last night James, Ally and I went to see it at Coatbridge Showcase Cinema, one of our old haunts when the boys were wee. In those days it was quite novel, one of the first of the new, out-of-town cinema complexes, of which there are now many. It's a while since we have been there and I was gratified to see that it is still smart and well maintained, with a coffee bar where I got an excellent Americano to sustain me through the film. Despite having read the book, I was on the edge of my seat during the action scenes, which were well done. Matt Damon is not my favourite actor, but he is very good in this film and did justice to the part.

Season of Mists and Dinosaurs

When I drove home from work yesterday it was so misty that I could hardly see the road in front of me! Needless to say there were lots of fireworks all evening - the kitties were intrigued but didn't seem too bothered. This evening we watched the new Jurassic World (recommended by a pupil) and it brought back fond memories of watching its earlier incarnations when the boys were younger. It had all the ingredients of dinosaurs and a fast-paced plot that they loved, and the dialogue was always quite witty - Jeff Goldblum got all the best lines as I recall - I remember in the second movie when Richard Attenborough said that he wouldn't make the same mistakes again, JG said "No, you're making all new ones." And when the new theme park was described to him he said "oh yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running - and screaming."

Then in 2000 we did our Florida trip and when we were in Universal Studios we went on the Jurassic Park ride. The boys were beside themselves with excitement and when the ride started big gates opened up and the familiar (and excellent in my opinion) Jurassic Park music started and we were all so happy! Good memories. 

An entertaining weekend

We had a dinner party last night; Heather, Ewan and Michael and Lil. They already know each other from a previous evening at ours so there was an nice, relaxed atmosphere, and they all loyally and good-naturedly watched my Luwero slideshow! It is so long since I have done any proper cooking and I have to say that all three courses were distinctly over cooked! Well, the soup was ok (there was not much damage I could do there) but the chicken in the tagine was falling apart and the apples in the crumble were more like apple purée! Not that our polite guests commented, but I really need to practise my culinary skills. 

This morning James, Ally and Cat went hill-walking and I went to Westwood Evangelical Church for a service where Gabriel (who has now arrived in Scotland for the next couple of months) was preaching. 12 out of the 14 pupils were able to be there, as well as George and me. It was such a mild morning on this 1st day of November that I didn't even need a jacket, but Gabriel turned up saying how cold he was wearing two thick duffle coats! It was a lovely service, with lots of children and families - I met a few people that I know from school. They were so welcoming to us and needless to say we were invited up to do some singing. The pupils spoke about their experiences and I was so proud of them. George gave a great speech and Gabriel talked about the Luwero project before singing a song that moved most of us to tears. He has such a wonderful voice and the words were beautiful. At the end we didn't say goodbye but "See you later!" because he will be in school next week.