Loud and clear

The holiday weekend was very pleasant. James and I had a lovely evening at Heather and Ewan's on Saturday and then went for a walk in the Pentland Hills on Sunday, checking out my routes for this week's Duke of Edinburgh expedition. It was very warm (a bit too warm for walking in my opinion!) but the views of the hills and reservoirs and fields were beautiful.

On Monday I chilled out at home with Davie and Chanel, and then in the afternoon I took Grandma to her hearing appointment at Stobhill hospital. This proved to be a resounding success (pun intended)!

There were no other patients in the Audiology department at all - I think this was because it was a bank holiday so I don't know why Grandma had been sent an appointment for that day. Anyway it meant that we got seen straight away which was excellent. The audiologist was a lovely young man; he told me that he did a B.Sc in Biomedical Science and then a post-grad in audiology. When he tested Grandma's hearing aids it turned out that one of them was completely broken and that both of the wee plastic tubes which connect the hearing aid to the earpiece were well out of date and had become hard instead of flexible, which means that they just don't work. No wonder Grandma couldn't hear properly; she should have been given appointments for regular check ups. I will make sure that this happens from now on. The audiologist gave her a completely new set of hearing aids and then programmed them to her prescription by connecting them to the computer. It was amazing. Grandma's hearing was much better and she could hear everything that we were saying, even when the audiologist stood behind her to ask a question. He then gave me information on how to clean and maintain the hearing aids, and how and where to book the regular check ups in case Grandma isn't sent reminders. We went for a celebratory cup of tea in the hospital coffee shop before heading home. Grandma was really happy, and I was very pleased for her. 

Shakespeare Fangirl

Today I was teaching Shakespeare to my 2nd years and we were discussing his life and work and the fact that the plays that he wrote more than four hundred years ago have the same themes as modern films. We had a really good discussion about why he wrote his plays. We also talked about his family and I was telling them that I visited Shakespeare's house in Stratford upon Avon. One of the pupils suddenly said to me "Mrs Anderson, you are a Shakespeare Fangirl!" This comment amused me mightily! 

Summer Duvet

We had a fantastic barbecue in the garden last night with Davie and Chanel. We kept it very simple - burgers in buns and chicken kebabs with baked potatoes, and we had Magnum ice creams afterwards. We were sitting outside chatting until about 9 p.m. 

It's still really hot this morning so I'm back outside in my hammock - while the weather lasts, because rain is forecast later! We (or in fairness I should say James), have finally swapped the winter for the summer duvet. We should probably have done this before now because the last few nights we have both been sleeping outside the duvet due to the heat! 

I have just FaceTimed Jamie in New Zealand and it was great to chat to him and talk about our summer plans. 

Police Presence

One of the things we noticed on our trip to Troon this afternoon was the unusually high number of police we saw in the streets and on the promenade. There were two pairs of police officers separately chatting to people near the beach, and a police van driving around the town. I thought at first that this might just be because of the crowds and hot weather, but Chanel pointed out that it is because of the terrorist attack in Manchester on Monday this week. Britain's alert level for international terrorism has now been raised to critical. This means that another attack is expected imminently, which is very serious, and police all over the country are having to work twelve hour shifts. 

The Manchester attack was sickening. A suicide bomber chose the foyer of an Ariana Grande concert, mainly attended by teenagers and young people, as the place to blow himself up, and he did it just as the crowds were exiting the concert to cause maximum death and injury. Twenty-two people were killed and many more have terrible shrapnel wounds due to the nuts and bolts with which he had packed his bomb. There was a one minute silence to remember the victims on Friday and I looked out the window at the sunshine and thought of those young lives cut short. 

Summer arrives

So it is now truly summer. The past few days have been hot rather than just warm, and I am blogging from my hammock in the garden. It has been an eventful week. On Tuesday I had a lovely curry with Jennifer G at the Nakodar Grill in Denniston, it was lovely to see her and to catch up with her news. On Wednesday Ally and Cat set off on holiday to New Zealand via a few days in Australia; I was so delighted for them because they have been looking forward to their freedom now that all of their exams are over. They have messaged us to say that they are now safely arrived in Sydney. Three quarters of an hour before Ally left for the airport with James, Davie and Chanel arrived home, so they had time for a quick meal with him! Davie had some good news on Tuesday; he has passed his driving test! I am so pleased that all three boys are finally through their tests! He owes a huge debt of gratitude to Chanel's Mum, Rukhsana, who took him out in a hired car for six hours of practice after his driving instructor dumped him the week before his test. 

And now it's the holiday weekend which is just great. David, Chanel and I went down to Troon today. I have never seen Troon Beach so crowded, and there were even lots of people in the sea. We had lunch in a wee café then walked along the front eating ice cream cones. But it's good to be back relaxing in the garden; when James arrives home from London we're going to have a barbecue. 

Tear up this town

On Saturday evening James, Alasdair and I decided to watch a film. After some deliberation, I chose A Monster Calls; I read the book with a 4th Year English class and thought it was excellent. As I blogged on 7th March this year, the original idea for the book was by Siobhan Dowd, who unfortunately died of breast cancer before she could write it. Patrick Ness (who wrote the Chaos Walking trilogy that David and I have both enjoyed) stepped in to write the story, and it has now come out as a film, starring Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Liam Neeson and a child actor Lewis MacDougall who was truly amazing.

The film was true to the book and I loved it. It was very moving and did not flinch from its difficult subject matter.

However James and Ally were not quite so impressed, perhaps because they didn't know what to expect, and words like "drear" and "depressing" were used! Never mind, I enjoyed it and perhaps they will come to view it more kindly when they reflect on it. By the way, at the end of the film during the credits there was a really good song by Keane called "Tear up this town" which I liked so much that I downloaded it later and played it lots on the way to Dundee on Sunday. 

Sol y Sombra

It was a nice day for my drive to Dundee to take Davie out for lunch. James and Ally were hill-walking near Moffat and unfortunately they were torrentially rained upon all day. However it was mild and pleasant weather in the east as Davie and I made our way to the Sol y Sombra tapas restaurant in the resort town of Broughty Ferry. There was a set menu so you didn't have to choose anything, although the waiter did ask if there was anything that we didn't like. This made for a very relaxing lunch while the waiter brought us a succession of cold, then hot, tapas dishes, each more delicious than the last. David texted Chanel to ask if she and her parents (who happened to be visiting her this weekend) would like to join us for a coffee. They arrived with her lovely nine year old brother Lincoln, and we had a good old chat. I met Chanel's Dad James last year but this was the first time I have met her Mum, who is very nice, and we got on straight away. She is very kindly taking David for a couple of driving lessons before his test on Tuesday (because his driving instructor has sacked him - don't ask!) I drove home later, happily listening to my music in the car, but due to roadworks I was held up and ended up so late for dinner with Grandma that James had to cook it! He was not best pleased, but I did manage to arrive just in time to eat it! 

Boyhood

Ally arrived back from his holiday to Spain, Gibraltar and Tangier on Tuesday. He showed us his photos and regaled us with stories of his adventures; he and Andrew seem to have had a great time. His account of being pursued by hordes of marauding monkeys on the Rock of Gibraltar was absolutely hilarious. So was the tale of his frantic dash back to the hostel in Malaga to find his passport just before his flight home. Not wanting to alarm Andrew as they waited for the airport bus, he said casually that he would pop back to the hostel to get it, then he strolled slowly round the corner before breaking into a headlong run that left him so sweaty that he had to wash his t-shirt in the washrooms at the airport! 

I'm so happy that it's Friday. I spent an hour in my hammock when I got home from school and it was really warm; to my surprise it rained quite heavily in the evening. James was out socialising this evening so I treated myself to a curry and watched a film that I have wanted to see since Jennifer recommended it a couple of years ago, "Boyhood", which was filmed over twelve years with the main character starting as a six year old and ending up driving off to college. It was really excellent and the young actors who played the boy and his sister (Ellar Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater) were very good, as were Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as their parents. It was quite moving at times as the mother realised how quickly the years had passed. 

Thursday already

Just a quick wee mid-week blog. In fact being Thursday we are really well past mid week and it has flown by. Book club this week was at Elaine's and we discussed "One Night in Winter" by Simon Sebag Montefiore. I enjoyed it but felt that the author had struggled a bit with the fiction genre (I think that he usually writes histories) so it felt a bit stilted. I'm much more excited about our choice for next month, "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne. This was recommended to me by Jennifer F and I am about two thirds through and loving it. Set in Ireland in the 1950s and 60s it is the story of an adopted boy. A lot of what happens in the story is tragic but some of the action and dialogue is very funny and it's a real page turner. It was a fun evening full of laughter.

The Primary 7s who will be coming to my school were visiting today and it was my turn to teach them. It went really well - helping pupils make a smooth transition to secondary is something I really enjoy - but it left me feeling a bit strange about retiring. When they arrive as 1st years in August I will be gone. Such is life. 

Seeking bluebells

Today the sunshine returned and James suggested that we should go on a walk through some bluebell filled woods. So we set off to the Trossachs and had a really lovely walk through the woods near Brig O'Turk. There were indeed bluebells galore and we took lots of photos of them in the dappled sunlight. We continued up to the dam at Glenfinglas Reservoir and then climbed up on to a high path which turned east and took us back along the hillside towards Loch Venachar. Our total distance was about 8 km and the weather was very warm and sunny. After yesterday's rain there was a humid feel to the air, especially in the woods. We had a picnic on the hillside, and James had brought a flask of coffee which I very much appreciated. The views of the loch and the hills beyond were stunning; the tree-covered slopes of the valley were bright shades of green with Ben Venue rising up behind them. What a beautiful day. 

Eurovision fun

Well what a tremendous Eurovision Song Contest we have enjoyed this evening. Well, when I say "we" I am exaggerating a bit because James fell asleep for about the last third of the songs and most of the voting. I had happened to see a bit of one of the semi-finals earlier this week (I usually just watch the final), and I totally fell in love with the Portuguese entry, a very simple quirky little song with a haunting tune, very different from the usual Eurovision fare. So I was rooting for them this evening. I did enjoy some of the other entries as well, particularly Moldova which had a catchy tune and a good dance routine. And who could resist the cheerful yodelling of the Romanians? In true Eurovision style, Italy's entry involved a lively dance routine by a man in a gorilla suit, and Azerbaijan inexplicably had a man up a ladder wearing a horse's head. Heather and I texted each other throughout the contest - she and Ewan were predicting success for Sweden who had an upbeat and much more traditionally Eurovision entry. At some points Ewan also joined in our comments and comparisons, it was very funny. While I was in the kitchen making a cup of tea I missed an amusing incident but luckily Ewan alerted me to it by text and I was able to rewind the programme to see it. During the voting time last year's winner performed a song, and while she was singing a member of the audience with an Australian flag draped over his shoulders climbed up onto the stage and pranced about while lowering his trousers and displaying his bare bottom to all of Europe. He was quickly wrestled off the stage and hustled away by security! Salvador Sobral of Portugal did me proud and swept to victory. I was really pleased. 

Blocked gutters

After three glorious weeks of sunny spring weather, the rain has arrived today with a vengeance. There were only light showers this morning while I was doing Grandma's grocery shopping, but now the rain is battering down. It doesn't bother me today; it was predicted so we had already planned an afternoon of batch cooking followed by a traditional evening of the Eurovision Song Contest! And it's still warm; we are still in the springtime. 

However, to his horror, James suddenly noticed that our gutters are blocked, so the rain was streaming down the French windows into the foundations of the house. 

"Blocked again so soon?" he cried in anguish and rushed outside armed with the stepladders, a coat hanger, a pair of pliers, and, perhaps most bizarrely, a pair of salad tongs. Job done, he has just come back inside soaked to the skin! 

Springtime continues

This week has flown by. The weather has continued to be warm and pleasant. Ally set off with Andrew on a holiday to Spain, Portugal and Morocco very early on Wednesday morning. I had volunteered to take them to the airport at 5 a.m., which I have to say was extremely kind of me! However, to my delight, I found out that James was flying to London on the same morning only fifteen minutes before Ally and Andrew's flight to Malaga and he took them instead. Therefore I got full credit for my generous offer without actually having to get up early! 

This evening James and I went into town to go to the cinema, to see "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" It was very amusing and I agree with my friend Karen who has also seen it and said that while the first film was better, this sequel was still good fun. We then had a delicious South Indian curry at Dhakin. We had a window seat and had a good view of Friday night revellers in the street below and the elderly audience leaving the City Halls across the road after a concert. A good start to the weekend. 

Making the most of the weather

What a treat I got first thing this morning! Due to a change in their timetable I was with 2nd Year in P.E. instead of Music, and the teacher decided to take them for a walk up into the park and around the ponds. I was thrilled; the weather was glorious and we had a lovely 45 minute walk. It was a splendid way to start the day. 

Ally was also making the most of the beautiful weather. He went hill-walking near Crianlarich with his friend Fraser, and they had a great time with amazing views. He tells me that he has now done 131 Munros, only ten short of half way. In the morning when he was about to leave I reminded him that he had planned to take some left over roast chicken as his packed lunch - so I shouted "Ally! Chicken legs!" James heard me and said "Well, that's not very fair to call him that!" which I thought was very funny.

I dived back into my hammock as soon as I got in from work, but was a bit concerned that there was no sign of Tom. Dinner time came and went, and still no Tom. However about half an hour ago I was rewarded by a familiar "meep" sound and there was my furry boy coming in through the cat flap as casual as you like. Tom loves his freedom to come and go as he pleases. 

Hammock day

On Saturday evening we watched a strange wee film called Face of an Angel very loosely based on the Amanda Knox trial and it was rubbish! Hardly any of the film was about the trial; instead it centred on a dour, self-obsessed reporter who spent a lot of the film snorting cocaine. Quoting a John Lydon comment on The Word many years ago, James remarked that you would need to be on drugs to watch the film! He then went to bed half way through because he said that he didn't want to waste any more of his life on it! 

Today my hero James found the frame for my hammock in the shed and put it together for me so here I am on yet another beautiful day, swinging gently in my happy place! One of my lovely new colleagues lives diagonally behind our house on the next street, and this morning I sent her a picture of the view from my hammock. She then sent me a picture of the view from her decking and through the foliage there I was in my hammock, which I thought was very funny! James has worked hard in the garden most of the day and is now reading his book, and so is Ally. Tom has been everywhere; in and out of the house, up the trees, rolling around in the warm slabs - he loves it when we're in the garden. 

Blossom

So here I am blogging in the garden on a beautiful sunny afternoon. There is not a cloud in the sky and it's really warm, with a pleasant light breeze that has dried three loads of washing for me really quickly. I love the fresh smell of washing that has been blown dry by the wind outside. Our neighbours have an apple tree whose branches overhang the fence into our garden; the sprays of pink blossom and fresh green leaves against the blue sky look absolutely stunning, like a painting, except better because they are so alive.

James and Ally are hill-walking in Glencoe; I have spent a very pleasant day around the house doing useful things as well as relaxing. I do love to potter about and I love being at home. Tom cat has checked in with me from time to time to see what I am up to and to make sure that I have filled his bowl with chunks. As I lie here on a blanket on the grass (I can't find the frame for my beloved hammock!) he has just come by and sat beside me companionably for a few minutes before moving off to investigate something at the top of the garden. I have finished one book (Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris - it was mostly ok) and I have just started another (One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore) which seems good so far. In a while I will make the dinner for my hungry hill-walkers. What a good day! 

Decision

There have been beautiful sunsets the last two days, with the most amazing blazing red sun lighting up the sky with stripes of pink and blue. I have been feeling very excited, because I have finally gone public at work with the decision I made over the Easter holidays - I am retiring at the end of June! 

The main reason is that I feel that I am done. I started work at seventeen years old and have never stopped - so that's thirty-seven years. Not for me those long University holidays; I worked all summer, every summer. Twenty-seven of these years have been in teaching and it has been a great and interesting career; it has been a privilege to have a career teaching and helping people. I have been a teacher, a Principal teacher and a Depute Head (Head of a Communication Support Base). I have travelled with pupils to Europe and Africa, and led many Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. I have seen and done and taught and learned so much. I am truly grateful to James for supporting me in this decision and I look forward to the next chapter of my life. 

Superhospital

This evening (and also last Monday evening) James and I have watched a couple of episodes of a documentary series called "Scotland's Superhospital" about the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. This is Glasgow's newest hospital (it opened two years ago), the result of the merger of several other hospitals and built on the site of the old Southern General. Each episode looks at the experiences of several patients in different areas of this huge hospital. Despite its size and all the brand new equipment like the automated guided vehicles to transport supplies, the staff seem to have maintained the personal relationships with their patients. I have found both programmes to be very moving and I think that the staff there are doing a wonderful job. That includes my friend Heather. I won't go into any details about her job, however l am so impressed by the amazing and life-changing work that she does. 

Coastal Walk

On Saturday I was back out walking! I wasn't sure about going on a coastal walk in Fife with the walking club after two days of walking on the Duke of Edinburgh expedition. I thought that perhaps I would spend the morning in bed instead! However James persuaded me that a walk would "loosen off my legs." I felt that the full 15 km walk that the others were doing from Crail to Elie would be a bit too much for me, so I compromised by asking Andy and Gwen to drop me off in Anstruther to do a shorter walk of about 8 km. It was perfect! As soon as I arrived in Anstruther I headed for the excellent Waterfront Café where I had a lovely coffee at a window table overlooking the harbour. The weather was mild and really pleasant for walking, and after spending two days with twenty-six pupils I was very happy to be walking by myself! The views of the pretty villages of Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans and finally Elie were beautiful in the sunshine. The coastal path was lined with gorse bushes and was gentle and easy to walk. There were many benches on which I paused for a rest whenever I felt like it. The Fife Coastal path lacks the wild remoteness of my beloved north-west of Scotland, however it is very attractive - perhaps I could be converted? There were certainly many gorgeous houses with the sea views that I love. 

The others caught up with me in the outskirts of Elie and we all had a pleasant drink sitting outside the Ship Inn.