Summer Adventures

We went out for lunch to Red Onion today with Heather, Ewan, Andrew and David. It's years since I've been there and I really liked the choices on the menu. We were all chatting about our summer adventures. Andrew has been doing volunteer work in South Africa and it sounded fascinating; he also travelled in Namibia and had an amazing time. David was talking about his visit to Austin in Texas, which Andrew knows very well from when he lived there. And Heather and Ewan know our recent destination of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast very well - so we all had plenty to discuss. It was a very pleasant afternoon which ended with me reading in my hammock for an hour before tea. 

Local Hero revisited

To celebrate the 70th birthday of the film director Bill Forsyth, the GFT put on a special screening of his 1983 film, Local Hero, this afternoon. I was excited to go to this because Local Hero is one of my favourite films. James, David and Grandma came with me. 

It was so lovely to see the film on the big screen again; the cinema was full. The actors all looked so young, especially Peter Capaldi, and there were lots of well known Scottish actors playing small parts like Jonathan Watson and Rikki Fulton. It was quirky and funny and the music was great, but for me the scenery was the star of the show. I know that Local Hero was in fact filmed in several locations; the village itself was in Aberdeenshire and the beach scenes were filmed at Morar and Arisaig in the north west. 

I have blogged before about my love for the north west of Scotland; I have some sort of visceral longing for the area which makes me wonder if it is the land of my ancestors (although I have no evidence of  this!) and I like to visit it as often as possible. The beach scenes made me absolutely desperate to get back there; there was a scene with Peter Capaldi and Jenny Seagrove which featured rock pools and a clear, calm sea where you could clearly see the sand beneath, and the particular sound of the sea lapping against rocks, which remind me of childhood Scottish seaside holidays. Later I told James about how I felt and he pointed out that we are going to Strontian on the Ardnamurchan peninsula for the weekend in two weeks, which means that I can go to Sanna Bay! This delighted me. 

Lucky escape

Today was the sunniest since we got back from Italy. The sky was a beautiful blue with big white clouds. I met up with a friend for coffee in the morning, did some shopping and a wee bit of housework, and I spent a goodly portion of the afternoon in my beloved hammock reading a book. What better way to spend a couple of hours on a warm sunny day? Meanwhile the cats ate, slept and hunted innocent creatures as usual. At one point Ruby caught a sparrow and brought it into the house; David tackled her to the floor and she let go of it - but as it flew through the back room Tom leaped up and grabbed it out of the air! Luckily our hero David managed to overpower Tom as well, and the wee bird escaped out of the back door! 

James did not have such an idyllic day; he had got up at 5 a.m. to fly down to Birmingham on business, then unfortunately his flight was delayed by more than an hour on the way home, so he didn't arrive until after 7 p.m. However I made him an Aperol Spritz which he drank while sitting in the garden before dinner, so that cheered him up.

Quesadillas no more

David and I have a long-standing tradition of going to his favourite restaurant, TGI Fridays, for lunch together. So after running a few useful errands this morning we ended up in our usual venue in Buchanan Street. It was really stowed out, presumably because it's the holidays - I can't believe that it's that busy normally on a Thursday. David ordered a massive burger as usual (it was so big he struggled to get his mouth around it) but I scanned the menu in vain for my own usual dish of choice - chicken quesadillas. Imagine my consternation when I realised that this tasty meal has been a casualty of a new revised menu. I reckon that I have been exclusively eating chicken quesadillas in TGI Fridays for more than ten years - and now it's gone. I put a brave face on it (bearing in mind that this was a bit of a "first world" problem!) and ordered the cajun chicken tostada stack but I have to say that it was disappointing - not a patch on the quesadillas.

Gotta Catch 'Em All!

David and I had a busy day today, but by the nature of what we were doing (writing David's CV, applying for jobs etc) we were mostly in the house. This gave us the opportunity to observe the cats' activities. When I was having my breakfast (brought to me in bed by my dear husband before he left for work) Ruby was having a snooze beside me after a long night of hunting. Tom arrived on the bed and started licking her face. He loves doing this and it always seems a bit strange to me because Jack and Jill never groomed each other at all. Tom is very enthusiastic with this grooming and puts his front legs round Ruby's neck. Ruby usually puts up with it for a while but then gets fed up and walks off, leaving Tom looking  a bit bereft. Tom then had a long sleep on the bed while Ruby came downstairs to help David and me with our admin. She did this by watching the printer intently while it spewed forth paper. She eventually disappeared and I found her back on the bed upstairs with her front legs and one back leg draped around Tom, cuddling him. It was so sweet. 

The kitties didn't really liven up until  late afternoon when they had a meal and then capered about a bit, but they still dozed a bit during the evening, gathering their strength for their mysterious nocturnal pursuits. 

David went out after tea for some mysterious pursuits of his own; the ubiquitous new craze of Pokemon Go. I have absolutely no intention of downloading this app - I was thoroughly baffled by Jamie's Pokemon cards in the mid 1990s so I have no interest in the new version. What is different from the original card game is that you have to go out into the real world to look for Pokemon and Pokestops or whatever, using your phone to detect them; the creatures appear on your screen as if they are in the same place as you in the real world. There have been some controversies regarding Pokemon being detected in inappropriate places such as Auschwitz concentration camp, and regarding people trespassing or being targeted by criminals, but it is certainly a new departure and has very quickly become massively popular. David told me that this evening when he was seeking out Pokemon there were lots of other people walking around the streets holding their phones, obviously doing the same thing. There have been lots of references to the game on social media - I liked the (joke) tweet by Stirling Police: "Just to be clear, 'I was looking for a Pokestop' is not an acceptable reason for being on the roof of a shop with a crowbar at 2 am!" It will be interesting to see how the phenomenon evolves.

 

That Inside-Outside Feeling

I read a lot. During the school terms I only read about one book a week due to many other demands on my time, but during the holidays I get the chance to read a bit more - and if it's beside a pool in Italy or in my beloved hammock in the garden so much the better. 

Here is my July reading so far:

• Cheer Up Love by Susan Calman: an autobiography by a Scottish comedienne; a candid account of her struggles with depression and a good read. 

• Sweet Caress by William Boyd: I really like William Boyd and this pretend biography of a fictional 20th century female photographer was interesting up to a point - but I couldn't help thinking that I would prefer to read a real biography.

• Vinegar Girl (The Taming of the Shrew Retold) by Anne Tyler: well I love Anne Tyler and I was keen to read this because I was recently a wee bit disappointed by a production of Shrew at the Globe Theatre. Anne Tyler did not let me down! Her retelling set in modern day America was thoughtful but had a light touch and I loved the ending.
• Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes: I didn't know much about Shonda - turns out that she is a very well known television writer and producer in America. I downloaded the book because I had heard of it but I wasn't very sure of it at first - I thought it was a bit gimmicky. However I really warmed to it - she has had such a fascinating life and there was some genuinely good advice.
• Brodeck's Report by Philippe Claudel: Oh wow this was amazing! Set just after the 2nd World War in eastern Europe, Brodeck has recently returned to his village - we find out later where he has been - when something happens. It is not an easy read but very memorable - please read it Jennifer and Heather! 

• The Green Road by Anne Enright: An Irish family reflect on their childhood as the years pass. The mother was described in such a realistic (and uncomfortable) way that the author must have first hand experience of a family member who is like that. Like real life, nothing is really resolved but it sort of grew on me.

• Black Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin: a good old murder mystery. Not outstanding and a disappointing ending but it held my attention well enough.
• One of Us by Asne Seierstad: I have already blogged about this. An important and detailed record of events; I felt that I learned a lot.

• The Museum of You by Carys Bray: I have only just started this one, about the life of a father and daughter one summer in the north of England. So far so good. Today I came across a quote which sums up how I feel about the summer; the daughter is explaining to a friend why it is her favourite season.

"It's so warm - I love it when you don't need a coat or anything. You get that inside-outside feeling ...The feeling you get when you can go anywhere without thinking about it ... the days are longer and time gets all stretchy ..."

That's how I feel too!

A day with David

I had such a lovely day today with David. He was helping me to sort a few things out around the house, and we got loads done, chatting all the while. I'm so amazed by what good company all three of my boys are; in their different ways they all remind me of my Dad, and also of James. It was great sitting down for lunch just the two of us and hear all about David's recent holiday and his plans for next year in his new flat in Dundee. 

When James came home from his first day back at work we prepared an aperol spritz to welcome him home. Then after tea James nailed the wee ceramic sun that we bought in Sorrento onto the wall at the back of the house - hopefully it will bring us some more sunshine or at least remind us of it! 

Catnip afternoon

On our way home from the airport on Friday I phoned ahead to ask David to put the heating on because I was worried that we might feel chilly at home after becoming (mostly) acclimatised to the heat of the Neapolitan Riviera. I needn't have worried. Although the skies are grey, and it's raining, at least it is nice and warm. 

A rainy day is a good opportunity to have a relaxing family lunch and that's exactly what we did today. Grandma came round, Jamie came through from Edinburgh, and Davie Is at home just now, so James cooked his famous gammon joint with cherries and we all declared it to be delicious. Grandma was on very good form and we had a most pleasant afternoon chatting and laughing. Even the cats seemed to enjoy the convivial atmosphere and were rolling around the floor, although they may have been a bit hyper because Davie had given then some catnip leaves to chew on! James has grown catnip for them in the garden and they love it. 

One of Us

Recently someone recommended to me "One of Us" by Asne Seierstad so I downloaded it to my Kindle to read on holiday. I knew that it was about the killings in Norway by Anders Breivik; we had seen the damage preserved at the bus shelter beside the government building when we were in Oslo two years ago. However I hadn't realised that I would happen to be reading the book five years to the day after the murders on 22nd July 2011. Seventy-seven people were killed that day; eight in Oslo by the bomb and sixty-nine on the island of Utøya by shooting. It was almost unbelievable how Breivik was able to drive the 25 miles from Oslo and then take the ferry across to the island, undetected by security forces who had of course been taken by surprise by events. Then, disguised as a policeman, he had been able to walk around Utøya for more than an hour, slaughtering people as he went. It was a very disturbing read, but a very well written account of the background, the massacre itself and the aftermath. The story of the young people who died and their families was movingly told. The killer's self-importance and self-justification has been well documented by his writings and in court and this was conveyed in detail as well, resulting in a comprehensive record of events which is all the more chilling by its lack of rhetoric.

Although this was a very uncomfortable book to read, I thought it was very important to read it out of respect for those killed. And then the news reports came through that on Friday a lone killer had gone on a shooting spree at a shopping centre in Munich, killing nine people and injuring many others. Apparently he was obsessed with mass shootings, had pictures if Breivik on his computer, and may well have chosen the anniversary of the Norway shootings deliberately for his attacks. The delusion and evil goes on. 

Farewell Vesuvius

We spent our last day in Sorrento down at our hotel's sea terrace, enjoying the sunshine and taking in our favourite view across the Bay of Naples. We noticed that the fires that we saw a couple of nights ago were still smoking away on the slopes of Vesuvius, and four fire-fighting planes were taking turns to dump water on them. James tells me that they are Bombardier CL-415s. As we swam in the sea we could see the far away white splashes really clearly, as the water landed on the fires. Gradually the smoke grew less and disappeared. However we found out later that there were more fires on the other side of the mountain, because on our way round the bay to the airport we saw the planes still working away, and also a helicopter heading upwards carrying a big bucket of water under it! The effects of six tons of water landing on the mountainside were even more impressive close up. 

Our trip to the airport was again by air-conditioned taxi which was a really nice touch, and we are now on our way home. We are sad to leave beautiful Sorrento and certainly hope to be back. However we are looking forward to seeing three family members this evening of whom we are very fond; Tom and Ruby of course, and also our David, who is arriving home from his own holiday in America tonight. 

Special Fish Market Evening

There are several themed dinners at our hotel during the week, such as "Candlelight Dinner" (accompanied by piano and violin) or "Sorrentinian Evening" (accompanied by guitar and mandolin) but "Special Fish Market Evening" is definitely the best. This is because it takes place out on the terrace where we eat a variety of quite scary-looking fish while watching small planes water-bombing a brush fire on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius across the bay, and later the sun setting behind the island of Procido. Meanwhile a small band plays Neapolitan music. It really is quite idyllic. 

Just when you think that the evening couldn't get any better out come the Tarantella dancers. Two girls in traditional dresses and two young men wearing shirts and tights that are .... well, eye-wateringly tight. This is the kind of display that would usually have me cringing, but the music is lovely and the dancing is very skilful; it all feels just right for the setting and the warm evening. 

The Amalfi Coast

For our final excursion of the holiday we decided to revisit two of our favourite haunts from 25 years ago - Positano and Amalfi. After some research we decided that the best way to do it would be to take a bus to Positano, then a ferry from there to Amalfi. This worked out tremendously well because the bus dropped us at right at the top of stunningly attractive Positano, whose houses are perched on a very steep slope. This meant that we could gently wend our way down through the narrow streets of the little town to the sea. It was such a beautiful walk; every vista was even prettier than the last. I bought a white summer dress for myself in a wee shop; the owner assured me that "one size fits all" and that due to the heat in Italy I would "lose a few pounds" anyway! She obviously hasn't seen the dessert menu at the Royal! 

After a refreshing spremuta d'arancia in a café (which still didn't really cool me down in the powerful heat!) we jumped on a small ferry which soon brought us to lovely Amalfi.

We wandered through the quaint little lanes and had lunch in the Bar Francese which is right at the bottom of the cathedral steps beside St Andrew's fountain. Cleverly, we sat just inside the open door of the bar, thus benefitting from both the view and the fine air-conditioning! Our bus journey back to Sorrento was certainly interesting, not only for its views but also for the frequent stand-offs between our bus driver and the many other buses we had to squeeze past on the narrow roads.

The Great Italian Sewing Bee

So, finding myself a little short of underwear towards the end of our holiday, I decided to wash a couple of pairs of socks and some pants. In time honoured holiday tradition I washed them while I was in the shower then hung them out to dry on the balcony over the back of a chair last night. This morning James told me that he had brought in my socks, which had been blown off the chair by a breeze during the night. I immediately enquired about my pants to which James chillingly informed me that "There were no pants on the balcony!"

I was horrified. Clearly both pairs of my pants had blown away during the night. But where to? Our hotel room is right in the centre of the bedrooms on the first floor above the dining room - it's a fantastic room with beautiful views - so the pants must have ended up somewhere in the gardens below. Needless to say James found all of this very amusing, and even claimed that he had seen one of the gardeners wearing "some natty headgear!"

He went on to suggest that perhaps my pants would appear on a television programme entitled "The Great Italian Sewing Bee" * where they would be used in the "alteration challenge" when contestants would be challenged to use them to make a lightweight gents' suit and a child's outfit. This was James rudely implying that my pants are a lot larger than they are!

After nervously glancing out of the dining room window during breakfast in case the pants were festooning a shrub or tree outside, I scouted around the flower beds under our window to no avail. The mystery remains unsolved.

* James' reference is only meaningful to fans of "The Great British Sewing Bee!"

Evening in Sorrento

Sorrento is a bustling holiday town during the day, but it's in the evening that it really comes alive. The heat is not so fierce as during the day, however it's still pleasantly balmy. The narrow pedestrian streets are busy with tourists; shopping, sitting in the open air cafés, or just wandering along eating ice cream. Lemons are very much the theme here - lemon soaps, lemon scented candles, lemon designs on ceramics and fabrics, and of course the ubiquitous liqueur Limoncello. And this season the shops are full of lacy white shift dresses which are very pretty. The streets are also full of music - guitarists and singers performing traditional Italian songs such as O Sole Mio, Volare or Funiculi Funicula. The latter song was written in Naples in the 19th century to commemorate the opening of the funicular cable car on Mount Vesuvius. The funicular is long defunct due to an eruption in 1944, but the song remains hugely popular around here.

Anacapri

We couldn't resist another visit to beautiful Capri so caught an early ferry this morning. Up we went to Capri town in the funicular and then caught a bus onwards and upwards to Anacapri. The bus was very hot and crowded and lurched around a series of hairpin bends on the way - the lady beside me made the sign of the cross at one particularly scary moment! Anacapri is pretty, less crowded than Capri town, and there were lots of butterflies flitting about. We went into the Chiesa San Michele which has an amazing tiled floor depicting Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden; we loved all the animals especially a wee cat with a solemn face who reminded us of Ruby. After a refreshing drink in one of the many cafés we jumped onto the little chairlift which takes you right to the top of Monte Solaro. The views were absolutely spectacular! As well as the islands of Ischia and Procida, and the beautiful Gulf of Naples, we could see round the end of the Sorrentine Peninsula all the way to Amalfi. Back down in Capri town we explored the quaint narrow streets and did a wee bit of shopping. Our next plan was to take a boat tour to the famous Grotta Azzurra but for some reason, after we had bought our tickets, we were told that the tours were suspended. The sea was very calm so I wonder if it was just too busy. Never mind, we will just have to come back to this gorgeous island another time! So instead we went to a seafront restaurant where our table overlooked the beach and had a delicious lunch. I have fallen in love with Capri - l'isola del sole e dell' amore! 

Black lava salt

Today was dedicated to some serious relaxation. We read our books, went swimming in the pool and in the sea, had lunch on the terrace overlooking the harbour, and dinner later in the hotel. Er, that's it!

Since we are in Italy the food is of course excellent. Sorrento seems to specialise in sea food which is plentiful and varied, and of course there is lots of pasta and pizza on offer. Portions are huge and the desserts are traditional and full of cream. Every evening, before our huge meal, we are presented with a little wooden board with a few tasty appetisers such as ricotta with basil, or mini potato croquettes, or a  tiny bowl of chilled pea soup with bacon. These are accompanied some delicious warm brown bread, chopped tomatoes, oregano and a strange looking little pile of black flakes. Our waiter (who looks very much like Mark Rylance playing the role of an Italian waiter) informed me that this is black lava salt which is, allegedly, good for the digestion. Well I never! Always willing to try something new, I have been enjoying sprinkling it on my bread. Buon appetito!

Ischia

I have been keen to visit Ischia during this holiday, partly because I have been reading about it recently in the mysterious Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series. In the second book she vividly describes a long hot summer at a beach in Ischia at the beginning of the 1960s, which is a turning point for several of the characters. But my interest in Ischia also goes back much further than that. There is an old film starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet Mills called Avanti, made in about 1970, and set in Ischia. The film is very dated and downright immoral (among many dubious issues Juliet Mills is constantly referred to as overweight - she isn't although that's not the point - and the main characters embark on an affair moments after assuring Jack Lemmon's blameless wife that they will not do so!), but the music and the scenery are beautiful. 

Anyway, I was delighted to visit this gorgeous island today. We jumped on a very crowded bus to travel to the famous La Mortella Gardens, designed lovingly in the 1950s by the composer William Walton and his wife Susana. However we overshot our bus stop and ended up in the centre of the resort of Foria. This turned out to be a very pretty little holiday resort and we had a pleasant coffee in the town square before resuming our plans.

La Mortella Gardens are indeed lovely, an oasis of plants and fountains set on a steep hillside overlooking Foria. We meandered around the little paths, enjoying all the hidden corners. There were lots of lily ponds, which I loved, and one of them was full of very vocal frogs which was amusing. We had bruschetta for lunch in the delightful garden café.

Back down in Foria the beach was very busy with Neapolitan families besporting themselves in the sunshine.

To make the most of our last couple of hours on the island we took a taxi tour. We thought it was a bit too expensive when we first enquired and decided to catch a bus instead, but the driver followed us along the street and negotiated a price which was acceptable to all of us. It was a great wee tour - the driver took us up to the top of the island from where we could see all around the bay to Capri, Naples, Sorrento and Vesuvius. He was very informative about the geology and development of Ischia, and was telling me about all the celebrities he has seen on the island this week during the annual film festival, including Ridley Scott, Gerard Butler and Jeremy Irons. He told us that the hotel in the film Avanti is called the Regina Isabella - future holiday destination? We sat outside on the hydrofoil back to Sorrento and as the wind swept my hair back James said that I looked like a dog with its head sticking out of a car window!

The world outside

Although I am having a very happy time here in Italy, feeling mostly very detached from reality, I am aware that there is much going on in the world.

For a start we have a new prime minister since we left the UK; Theresa May has taken over from David Cameron a couple of months earlier than expected because her last remaining opponent, Andrea Leadsom, withdrew from the contest. So the Camerons have left No. 10 already and Theresa May has been sworn in by the Queen. The resulting cabinet reshuffle has caused much comment, especially Boris Johnson's unexpected comeback to be appointed Foreign Minister.

Then yesterday there was a horrific attack on innocent people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice - a man drove a lorry along the pavement and killed 84 people, with many others injured. Whether or not this was a terrorist act (which I believe is still unclear), I can't imagine how that man could have had the heart to do this terrible thing. 

And right now - in the last couple of hours - there has been a coup going on in Turkey by a section of the army. Both sides are saying that they will prevail and that it will all be democratic and peaceful - but shots have been fired in Istanbul and Ankara, and Istanbul's Ataturk Airport is closed. I hope that it is as peaceful as they think and that more people don't get hurt.

Sant'Agata

Today for the first time this holiday we woke to a cloudy sky. We decided that this would be the ideal opportunity to walk up to Sant'Agata, a small hill town about 350 metres above Sorrento, because the chances of me managing it in blazing sunshine were zero! We took our waterproofs as a precaution and it was just as well that we did because it started raining on and off as we ascended, and by the time we arrived at Sant'Agata it was torrential! The first part of the walk was very steep; zigzag steps up past the fourteen stations of the cross to the chapel of Santa Maria Dolorata. Then we continued climbing steadily for about two hours up paths through the verdant countryside until we arrived at Sant'Agata's town square. I have to admit that I felt very proud of myself and I think that James would agree that I whinged much less than yesterday. We took shelter from the downpour, which was accompanied by prolonged rumbles of thunder, in Café Orlando. We had lovely coffee and cake, and noticed an unusual statue in the garden - it was a cat smoking a cigarette! 

Upon enquiry, we found out that the cat was called Jolly and the current owner's grandfather used to put on a show every week at the restaurant, during which the cat did indeed smoke a cigarette. However the owner reassured me that the cat didn't inhale! *

We are now back at the poolside in Sorrento and I'm glad to say that the clouds have rolled away and normal service has been resumed! 

* As a cat lover I of course do not approve of such goings on and if I ever caught Tom and Ruby smoking a fag I would give them a very stern talking to! 

More Capri

Having consulted the guidebook, James suggested an alternative longer route back to Capri town along the coast, which has spectacular views of the Faraglione islands. I was however rather concerned when we immediately descended hundreds of steps downwards towards the sea - because my experience of walking is that any height lost must often have to be painfully regained! How right I was; the walk was truly beautiful but there were many steps upwards as we approached the town. I had to rest a few times because it was very hot; James managed mostly to conceal his impatience! The promised view was worth it though - the Faraglione islands are three limestone pinnacles rising straight up from the sea and they look stunning. 

As we arrived back into Capri town, James treated me to an orange spremute which we bought from a little stall where the lady was singing Italian Opera to a wee sparrow which was hopping around her. The sparrow seemed very happy, perhaps because she was feeding it breadcrumbs from a little jar! 

We had lunch at the Hotel Quisisana which looked absolutely amazing with white curved sofas and excellent, spacious toilets. We had a leisurely lunch on the cool terrace which captured a tiny and pleasant breeze. What did I have for lunch? A Caprese Salad of course! It was simple, fresh and delicious. 

We decided to stroll down to the harbour instead of taking the funicular but somehow managed to miss the tourist route and ended up walking down a busy road with no pavements! However we were soon safely back at the harbour and on our ferry back to Sorrento.

Capri

Today we decided that it was high time to visit the Isle of Capri, and also to go on one of the walks in our fine guidebook. So we set off bright and early on the nine o'clock ferry which whisked us over to Capri in about twenty minutes. Oh Capri is beautiful! There are lots of trees and white villas on the hillside with the deep blue sea below. 

After much consulting of the guidebook James decided that we would walk to the Arco Naturale (yes, it's a natural arch!) through which spectacular views can be seen of the sea below. Up we went in the funicular to Capri town - very pretty - then we ascended gently along quiet, narrow roads. Like many tourist destinations, you don't have to go far to escape the crowds and soon it was just us and "Il Postino Pat" who was using a wee electric buggy to deliver Amazon packages! I tried to keep cool by following James' instructions: breathe through your nose, don't start panicking, and enjoy the walk rather than worry about how you will manage it. 

When we got to the Arco Naturale (only about 25 minutes easy walk) we found that it was completely covered in scaffolding! There is a big project going on to preserve it, which I can understand because it's a beautiful and famous attraction, but as James pointed out, it was caused by erosion in the first place so it feels a bit false to try to freeze it in time forever rather than let nature take its course. A few minutes before arriving at the viewpoint we had passed a wee restaurant called Le Grotelle, so we went back there and I had a lemon spremute which was very refreshing. The views over the sea were delightful and the restaurant was extremely cute, nestled against the cliff edge, it was one of the prettiest places I have ever been. 

Mediterranean Blue

Time seems to have slowed down for me here in Sorrento. I'm used to working on a list of goals, even on holiday (for example during our brilliant road trip holiday in the USA last year we had plans for every day, and ski holidays are active by their very nature) so it has taken me some time to get used to this less structured relaxation. The hotel and its grounds are picture postcard beautiful. I am lying on a sun-bed now (in the shade of course!) and it's so peaceful; the turquoise blue pool is surrounded by tall palm trees, and beyond it I can see the Bay of Naples, criss-crossed with the wakes of little boats and a few ferries, with Vesuvius resplendent in the background. And the sky! Azure blue with not a cloud in sight! It really is splendid here! It is also 37 degrees! 

Readers of this blog will know that I get a big thrill out of swimming outside so naturally I have been in the pool every day and also the sea. And the sea is almost as warm as the pool! There is a lift that takes us down from the upper gardens where the pool is, right down to the sea terrace below. There are more sun loungers there and a wee jetty from which you can climb down into the sea. I cannot describe the pleasure that it gives me to swim and float in the gentle waves in such an amazing setting. 

Yesterday afternoon I fell asleep on a sun lounger on the sea terrace. I must have started snoring because I woke myself up with a tremendous snort which was so loud that it even woke James who was dozing beside me! How unladylike! 

Hot at Herculaneum

As I had predicted, I found our trip to Herculaneum to be hot. Very hot. It was an easy ten minute walk from Ercolano train station down to the archeological site. We joined an English speaking guided tour led by a determined and knowledgable guide. Our group, thrust together for one hour in the middle of our lives, never to meet again, were all very enthusiastic and asked lots of questions. There was an Italian / American family who included two cute little girls, aged about three and five. At the start of the tour the younger one asked "What happened to the town?" and her big sister replied "It was destroyed by the volcano" The wee one then said "Oh NO!" in a shocked tone which I thought was very sweet. Their Gran noticed that I was suffering in the heat (I wasn't whining but I was hanging back in the shade whenever possible) and informed me that it's much hotter and less sheltered at Pompeii - every time she noticed me loitering in the shadows she said "Pompeii is worse!" out of the corner of her mouth. 

After our tour we went into a restaurant for a light lunch and a cool drink. By this time I was in total melt-down and, as well as slaking my thirst with a bottle of mineral water, I discreetly poured a little water on my head and splashed some on my face. I didn't realise that anyone had noticed until the waitress came over with a mop to dry the floor beside me. I think she was annoyed because she mopped my feet too. James was mortified and told me that I had splashed some water on the people at the next table. However as we left the restaurant the head waiter gave me a new bottle of mineral water for free, which I thought was very kind of him.

Scorchio!

The breakfast here at the hotel is really peculiar. It includes the standard fare as expected: fresh fruit, yoghurt, cereals, a cooked breakfast and a variety of breads and jams. The peculiar part is the pastry table. It's not just your normal choice of croissants and pains au chocolat. No, this pastry table is covered with a sort of delightful confections that you would expect in a patisserie in Paris for afternoon tea! It all looks delicious but hardly breakfast fare! This didn't stop me from partaking enthusiastically, although when I mentioned to James how much I had enjoyed it, he pointed out grimly that most of what I had consumed was pure sugar! 

I had a bit of a shock yesterday afternoon when we went out for a walk to the harbour. Thus far our walks have consisted of a meander around the verdant hotel gardens or a stroll in the evening around the town. This had given me the false impression that I am coping well with the heat. However yesterday afternoon's walk, although picturesque, was a little bit more strenuous and I was soon exhausted and lashing with sweat. And when we got back to the hotel I just kept getting hotter as if a nuclear reactor had been activated inside me. I have noticed this before when I get over-heated - once in Tuscany years ago I went out into a field near our villa to take photographs of sunflowers with my SLR camera. This was in the days when you had to get the film developed, so I took about forty photographs in order to get one or two good ones - mind you it was worth it because one was absolutely perfect. When I got back to the villa I was in melt-down - I was so hot that even the pool was not cold enough to cool me down, and I had to run myself a bath of cold water in the villa to stay alive.

So this morning we are on our way to Herculaneum by train. I feel quite excited but my blood runs cold at the thought of the heat ahead. Or should I say my blood runs hot! 

Stubby wee legs

We had a relaxing first day at the pool to acclimatise ourselves to the 32' heat here. 

So after breakfast we prepared ourselves in our swimming garb and armed ourselves with books and sunglasses. James was not slow to point out that a particularly unflattering sun dress worn with crocs shoes made my legs look very short and stubby (or should I say even shorter and stubbier; they are not my best features to begin with!) When I checked this out in our room's full length mirror I had to admit that he was right, but I cared not a jot. I paid £9.50 in the M&S sale for this sun dress so wear it I shall.

Despite applying sun cream with an almost religious fervour, James managed to burn an area the size of a 50 pence coin right in the middle of his chest. Interestingly (but a bit disgustingly) some of his sweat had pooled there while he was lying on a sun lounger, and had washed off a small patch of sun cream.

After dinner we went for a wander in the town. I was taken aback by the maze of tiny cobbled shopping streets and also by the fact that the shops were all still open at 10 pm! The town was buzzing with people shopping, eating, drinking - it had a great atmosphere.

Prosecco for breakfast

And so our Sorrento adventure has begun! We had a good start at the airport - after retrieving our luggage we approached the Thomson rep to find out which bus we would be travelling on to the resort, only to be told that we were booked on a taxi! Sure enough, there was a taxi driver standing nearby with a sign saying "Anderson" - I tried to be casual about this unexpected luxury but was very excited! We were soon being whisked around the Bay of Naples to our lovely hotel; the sun was just setting like a giant egg yolk into a hazy sea and it all looked beautiful.

This morning at breakfast I noticed a bottle in a bucket of ice on the buffet table - upon investigation I discovered that it was a bottle of prosecco! Tomorrow I am going to spike James' orange juice! 

Another Edinburgh

I spent a lovely Wednesday at the One Spa in Edinburgh with Aisling. We started off with hot stone massages, then had lunch in the spa café before heading to the pool and spa for the afternoon. I LOVE a spa day and Aisling's company is delightful, so I was a happy bunny.

Jamie and Aisling have just had some very exciting news. They have been offered jobs together in a hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. This is just what they have been hoping for. When Jamie came home from work the three of us went for a tasty dinner at the Scran & Scallie near their flat and talked about their plans. They have lots to arrange, and will be leaving for New Zealand at the beginning of September. Maybe the sheer distance that they are going hasn't properly sunk in for me yet, but I am just so excited for them and of course already planning to visit. I wonder how I'll feel as their departure date approaches. But I genuinely applaud what they are doing; how fantastic to go on such an adventure.

By the way, the name "Dunedin" means Edinburgh, so it will be a home from home for Jamie and Aisling! 

On the way to Sorrento

Last night was a strange night - I was woken up in the early hours by absolutely torrential rain, and shortly afterwards the cats arrived on the bed, both of them soaking wet. This made me quite wakeful, but I didn't mind for three reasons: firstly I really like the sound of heavy rain (when I'm cosy indoors), secondly I like the cats curling up on the bed beside us* and thirdly I was excited because today we are setting off on our holiday to Sorrento. 

For some reason James and I had both assumed that our flight was in the morning, so we were surprised, on digging out the tickets a couple of days ago, to find that it was at 3 p.m! This gave us a pleasant leisurely morning; I took Ally along to Tesco where he chose food to sustain him during our absence, James did a bit of gardening, and we had lunch with Ally before setting off. I was already wearing some brightly patterned holiday trousers; Alasdair sarcastically asked me if I was wearing pyjamas. 

And here I am on the plane, which is currently descending towards Naples. 

* there is something very comforting about the light but solid weight of a cat snuggled up against your side above the duvet. Although Tom has a bad habit of pushing my legs apart while I'm sleeping and settling down between them for maximum warmth - this results in me waking up in a starfish position.

Independence Day

Last year on the 4th July we had just arrived in Denver, Colorado and watched the fireworks from outside our hotel. Our great Colorado / South Dakota / Yellowstone road trip had just begun. This year's holiday to Italy starts on Friday and I am beginning to feel quite excited. I have even started a little light packing.

I have been having a very pleasant and social time over the last few days - Heather and Ewan came for dinner on Saturday, and today I had lunch with Carolyn at the Hyndland Fox and then spent the evening with Barbara. How nice to catch up with good friends; I find it really refreshing to hear their news and ideas, it takes me out of myself.

Boost

To my great satisfaction, our shower was repaired on Thursday. It has been broken since about January but I haven't had time to sort it out. Until now that is. And in future I intend to sort out home things as a priority instead of leaving it so long.

The heat control has been stuck in one position which means that the shower was horribly cold in the winter, but as the mains water heated up over the months it gradually became warmer, and is now almost unbearably scalding hot!

The shower repair man was really helpful and enthusiastic. He quickly replaced the control panel of the shower but then noticed something strange. The air boost button was not connected properly. This means that for the last three years we have been unaware of the joys it could bring us. Electric showers are not as powerful as showers that come from the hot water tank; there's nothing to be done about that. However the air boost thingy pumps air through as well as water to sort of increase the volume a bit. The shower repair man fixed the hose so that it worked and told me to put my arm in to the shower to feel the difference - and it was really noticeable. So not only is the shower fixed, it is even better than before. Happy days! 

Plane spotting

As a break from my current contented domesticity I allowed Ally to persuade me to accompany him to Rosyth today. This was to see some planes doing a fly past the two newly built aircraft carriers on which they are going to be based. They are F35B Lightning II fifth generation strike fighters. (I only know the names because James just told me). 

So off we went, and found a suitable vantage point near the new Queensferry crossing bridge (which is still under construction - the towers are all built but the bits in between have not been joined up yet). And right on time, the two F35Bs flew overhead towards the dockyard, accompanied by an RAF Hawk. Ally was very excited. Five minutes later they flew back in the other direction and that was that. We had a nice coffee together in South Queensferry before heading home. How nice to be able to go on an outing with my boy just for fun.