Back to the Fringe

Yesterday James and I went through to Edinburgh to see a few shows at the Fringe. We had a great time, not only at the shows but also sitting outside at various bars and restaurants in the sunshine; the atmosphere was fantastic.

Our first show was "Thrones the Musical" which was very much aimed at us fans of Game of Thrones. What the young cast may have lacked in polish they more than made up for in enthusiasm and it was very funny. Then we had excellent steak sandwiches at 56 North before going to see Rob Newman. I remember him well from his comedy partnership with David Baddiel in the 1980s; while Baddiel stayed in the public eye, Rob Newman turned more to political activism and writing. His show was an off the wall and passionate attack on brain theories in popular science - if you think that sounds a bit eccentric you would be right! Newman was extremely well informed and put his views across very amusingly with lots of asides and anecdotes; we both loved it. Our final show was Eurobeat which was an absolute joy. It was a scarily accurate tribute to the Eurovision Song Contest and was very, very funny. It was supposed to be taking place in Moldova and the hostess was the iconic Rula Lenska, whose dead-pan delivery in an Eastern European accent was wonderful; when her co-host told her that she was dressed to kill she replied "I haven't been dressed to kill since the KGB was disbanded." The singing and dancing were tremendous and disturbingly similar to real Eurovision entries. At the end we all got to vote - it was a great end to a great evening. 

Departures

I said goodbye to Jamie this morning before I went to work; he is about to go on holiday to Turkey and immediately afterwards set off to New Zealand for the next couple of years. I am so pleased and excited for him - but of course I will miss him. Our boys all love to travel and I'm used to them jetting off on extended holidays, so I'm not sure that it has quite sunk in for me yet how far he is going and for how long. We are lucky that we will be able to keep in touch via video links such as Skype and FaceTime. But New Zealand is still a long way away. 

Jamie and Aisling came through to spend this weekend with us and we had some nice chats. Grandma came for a farewell lunch on Sunday and she kept on bursting into tears - it's so unlike her usual stoical demeanour. As for me, I'm not sure how I feel right now. But I wish both Jamie and Aisling the very best as they start their fantastic adventure.

Limmy

What better way to celebrate my first full week at my new job than by going out for a lovely dinner in Edinburgh and a show at the Fringe? 

The dinner was booked by Jamie at Kyloe which is an amazing steak restaurant. Before we ordered, one of the waitresses brought us samples of all the different steaks on a wooden board, and explained about the best ways to cook them. I don't eat steak all that often and I have to say the sirloin I ordered was the best I have ever tasted. James had a rib-eye and Jamie and Aisling shared a chateaubriand which looked magnificent. 

We then went to see Limmy read from his "Daft Wee Stories." It was a fantastic show, absolutely hilarious - he is very funny and unconventional, going off on a tangent. We got our books signed afterwards (we were lucky to spot where the queue was forming so didn't have to wait too long), and James was chatting to him about one of the stories. It's really thanks to James that we have got back into going to the Edinburgh Festival over the last few years, after he started going to it with colleagues. I'm so glad that he did - thank you James! Credit where credit is due! 

Hammock, of course!

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that I have been enjoying this hot and sunny afternoon in my hammock. One if the great things about my new job is its proximity to home, so after work I was able to make the most of the lovely weather. I have now met nearly all of my new pupils and am very happy with my timetable so far. I don't want to jinx things but I think it's going to be a good place for me.

Jamie will be home in a while to bring some more of his rubbish (sorry, I meant to say "treasured possessions") to store here during the time that he will be in New Zealand. He will be able to join us for the delicious barbecue that we will be cooking up; I love summer!

Party time in Ardnamurchan

It has been a grand weekend in Ardnamurchan. The weather has been mixed - sunshine and rain alternating with bewildering frequency - but we had great fun. James and the rest of the group climbed various mountains while Hilary and I explored this beautiful peninsula by car and on foot. Among many other adventures we visited the annual Ardnamurchan agricultural show which was fascinating. It was very traditional with lots of categories of animals being judged, and stalls with burgers and home baking, and competitions in the main arena such as pony riding. The highlight had to be the terrier racing. A number of very yappy wee dogs raced after a fox's tail (fake I presume!) This was attached to a long rope which was reeled in to a drum as the dogs were let loose from the traps. It was hilarious; the winning terrier got hold of the fox's tail and would not let go, despite the judge and the owner trying to prise its jaws apart!

Also hilarious were the post show celebrations, which started at the hotel where we were having dinner and continued in a marquee down the hill near the village centre. The food in the Strontian Hotel was excellent, and the place got busier and louder as the evening progressed. After dinner we were warmly invited by the revellers to join them at what they assured us would be " the best night of the year" but our hill walkers were tired and, politely declining the invitation, we headed back to the hostel instead. The hostel was ok but quite basic, and the bedroom doors didn't lock. So when a noisy and confused group of party-goers arrived at the hostel at 4 a.m. looking for their rooms they tried all the doors and in fact came bursting right into our room - twice! Then they seemed to run around upstairs for a while - which was particularly loud due to the wooden floors! Let's just say that it wasn't the best night's sleep that I've ever had! 

Start of term

Well that's my first two days at my new school done! I am exhausted! Not because I don't like it - everybody has been very welcoming - but because it's all so new to me, and that is tiring. I'm intending to walk to school most days, but yesterday and today I drove there because I had stuff to transport. The time of my journey was only three minutes! Anyway, so far so good; my timetable looks really interesting and I have a lovely classroom. The pupils will start on Monday and I'm looking forward to getting to know them. 

And now, after a very speedy turnaround at home to pick up our luggage and feed the cats, James and I are now on the way to Ardnamurchan for the weekend with the walking club. It's raining hard just now so I hope that the weather brightens up a bit tomorrow. 

Festival Time in Edinburgh

I do enjoy the atmosphere in Edinburgh during the Festival in August, especially when the weather is warm. Yesterday evening I went through to see Jamie and Aisling, and before dinner we sat outside and chatted in the Edinburgh Gin Garden in St Andrew's Square. There was a very good singer on the wee stage, accompanied by a guitarist, and it was great to be sitting outdoors in such pleasant surroundings.

We then moved on to El Cartel Mexican Restaurant. It was the best Mexican restaurant I have ever visited! It's very small and the food is absolutely excellent; there is a selection of tacos with really interesting fillings such as duck with chilli flavoured pecans, salsa and pumpkin seeds, and also a variety of side dishes including pork ribs, street corn and quesadillas. I had a lovely guava flavoured drink and the margaritas looked marvellous. I thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the company.

Sharpshooters

Hugh is an expert marksman and he and Alison have often taken James and me to go clay pigeon shooting at the Rothiemurchus Estate. We went there again this morning and it was brilliant. It's very well organised and Hugh quickly chose the shot cartridges that we needed, and we kitted ourselves out with protective glasses and ear defenders. The setting in the forest is lovely and Hugh and Alison took us to the various shooting bays. After a poor start I rather got into my stride and managed to shoot a few clays, making them explode in the air in a very satisfactory manner! James was on very good form and easily surpassed me. The real star of the show however is Hugh; it's a pleasure watching someone doing a sport that they love, and he is also very helpful and patient when giving us instruction. He successfully shot nearly every clay out of the air, even the challenging double shots, when you shoot at a clay in the air and then one bouncing along the ground in very quick succession. Today Hugh showed me how to load and empty the chamber of the rifle myself, which made me feel quite professional! It was great fun. 

Also in the morning we went on the "triangular" walk nearby, an easy hour and a half walk which is an old favourite, with fantastic views of the Cairngorms. James and Alison were able to point out the peaks that they scaled on Friday.

During both our walk and the clay pigeon shooting the weather was warm and mostly sunny, and a bit breezy - very summery and pleasant. So imagine our surprise as we drove south in the afternoon to encounter very high winds and bursts of heavy rain! When we got home the trees in the garden were being blown about mightily, because their branches were so heavy in the wind with all their summer leaves on them. It was so wild that James even drove along the road to collect Grandma for tea in case she was blown over during her walk to here! 

Lovely Spa Day

I am sitting beside the pool at the Golf View Hotel in Nairn enjoying a spa day with Alison. Yesterday Alison and James climbed Ben MacDui and then walked on to Derry Lodge in Glen Lui, a challenging seven hour walk. Hugh and I drove to Ballater where we had some rather delicious scones, then parked at the Linn of Dee car park and walked in to meet the intrepid twosome at Derry Lodge - which was an 11km round trip. The weather was kind to us and it was a great day which suited everyone.

So today James and Hugh are somewhere nearby exploring the local area while Alison and I are at our spa.

I'm very fond of Nairn, with which I have a connection going back to babyhood holidays, and in fact even before my birth my Mum and Dad enjoyed holidays here as a young married couple. They used to tell me hilarious tales of a holiday in about 1962 when they made friends with a convivial group of like minded people who were also staying in their hotel. The weather was excellent and much drink was taken. One evening they heard that a "honeymoon couple" would be spending the first night of their marriage there. So, fortified by many refreshments from the bar, the group all went upstairs and serenaded the newlyweds. The next morning as they all straggled down to breakfast somewhat hungover, they were horrified to see a very prim and four looking young couple - a Church of Scotland minister complete with dog collar, and his new wife, who had hair in old fashioned (even for those days) coils around her head. My parents said that it was most amusing to see the looks of horror on everyone's faces as they came into the dining room and realised who they had been serenading!

More Nairn holidays ensued, and more recently my Mum and I took the three boys for a holiday here when they were wee, and had a fantastic time on the beach and also visiting Cawdor Castle and Culloden Battlefield which the boys loved.

The Golf View Hotel has a small but very nice spa overlooking lawns leading down to the sandy beach and we are having a very relaxing time. The swimming pool has big floor to ceiling glass windows which are open to the gardens, and there is even an outside jacuzzi. We are about to go for lunch in the conservatory - this is the life!

Hidden Garden

Jackie and her lovely boys took me to the café and garden behind the Tramway Theatre today. It was gorgeous; a real wee sun trap, with great coffee and cakes. There was a wishing tree and at the bottom of the garden you could hear beautiful singing from the Sikh temple next door. It was so warm sitting outside drinking our coffee while the boys played about. 

Time

Recently I have been able to get round to things I have wanted to do but haven't had time for. It's not much of a life when you are too busy to do anything fun. Or worse, to do nice things but not be able to enjoy them because you are thinking about work constantly.

My Dad always said that time is one of the most important things in life - as well as health and family and friends of course. He said that the point of working hard and earning money is to buy yourself time to do what you really want to do. The things that I have been doing are trivial but have brought me a lot of pleasure. For example I have been making nice home-cooked dinners. The house is tidy and I have been sorting out DVDs, cookery books, clearing out my bathroom - so satisfying. I have been doing lots of reading and catching up with a few friends for coffees and lunches, and spent time with Grandma. I have been endlessly amused by the cats' antics. I have booked a couple of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and some trips to the theatre for the Autumn. I hope I don't sound smug or self-satisfied - I don't mean to make it sound as if all in my life is perfection! I still need to take more exercise and get fitter - my wrists, knees and ankles are very stiff and sore - and I still worry about things and feel grumpy sometimes. However whatever contentment I feel just now is due to the luxury of having time - and although I will be going back to work soon I want to keep a better balance of work and home time.

Sandwich Artist

I took Grandma shopping today and she bought a smart jacket and trousers and then we had a nice wee cup of tea in Costas. While we were there we got a phone call from Davie - he has been successful at his Subway interview and is now a "sandwich artist" - that is his job title! I am very proud of him and he is delighted with this source of income. The shop couldn't be handier - it is in the Spar just across the road from his flat. 

Drive to Dundee

And here I am in my hammock again on a beautiful summer's evening! James is in the other hammock (the scary, unstable one which I think belongs to Alasdair) which he carefully tied to two trees, then amusingly attempted to get into it with a drink and a magazine in his hands. It was not a graceful sight.

I took Davie up to Dundee this morning to move into his new flat; the keys were available from 1 p.m. The car was absolutely crammed with his possessions. David obtained the room that he wanted - he had wisely not gone after one of the two big rooms that the others were squabbling over; his is still a good size and is nice and bright. It's really handy for the University too. We had an impromptu early lunch beforehand with Chanel, her Dad and her cousin Jenna; it was very nice to meet them but if I had known that I would be seeing anyone over the age of 20 I would have dressed a little smarter - I was wearing the trousers that Ally thinks are pyjamas, and a baggy old t-shirt. 

I felt sad driving home later; I will miss David, I have loved his company for the past week.