Symphonies and Barbecues

And so the great weather continues. Today I had lunch with Ally (friend not son) sitting outside Prêt in Sauchiehall Street. It was like being in Paris! It made me wonder how constant good weather might change the nature of Glasgow - and the people who live there. Everyone certainly seems very willing to get outside when they have the chance. How would we plan our lives differently with guaranteed sunshine?
We then went to “Symphony, Soup and a Sandwich” at the Royal Concert Hall, in the New Auditorium. This hour long lunch time concert was extremely well attended and very enjoyable. Today’s programme consisted of Peter Oundjian conducting the RSNO to play Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto (brilliant, I’m still humming it now!) and then Mozart’s lovely Sinfonia Concertante. If you worked nearby you could just about go to the concert in your lunch hour, which would be fun. It was very relaxing, letting my mind float freely with the beautiful music.
Later, after a wee bit of shopping, I sat outside again, this time at a table outside Ask Italian in Renfrew Street where I enjoyed a leisurely coffee, and then picked up James by car from outside his office. We had another barbecue when we got home. James tells me it was our third one of the year so far. Let’s hope that we get the chance to have a few more.

Brave

Amid all the usual madness and mayhem on the news, there was one particular story which stood out this week and made me feel happy about the human race. A Malian migrant in Paris amazingly climbed up four storeys of balconies to rescue a four year old boy who was clinging to a railing outside an upper floor of a block of flats. The little boy had been left home alone by his Dad (who is now in all sorts of trouble with the police) and had climbed over the balcony. One of the crowd of onlookers had filmed the whole thing and, even though I already knew from the headline that it ended well, my heart was in my mouth as I watched the brave young man climbing swiftly towards the child. When he reached him, he grabbed him by the arm and swung him to safety.
What is even more heartwarming is the stylish way that the French have handled the situation; the young man has now met the French president, been granted full citizenship AND has been offered a job with the fire service!
Meanwhile in Cambuslang the good weather continues. It was greyer today but still delightfully warm and I spent some time sitting outside in the garden (I feel that I should while I can before the weather breaks!) before having a very pleasant brunch and chat with Jackie.. Then I met Catherine to go to A Play, a Pie and a Pint at Oran Mor. This time the play was called Vampire Clinic and it was a touching story of two lonely people meeting. The dialogue was very sharp and both actors were excellent. By tea time James and I were sitting having pre dinner drinks in the garden. I love this warm weather!

Not a Buckfast Beach Party

We had a leisurely Sunday in the garden yesterday. The weather continued to be very hot and sunny, so I spent a lot of the day in my hammock. Ally and Cat had been hill-walking near Kinlochleven and arrived home late on Saturday evening, so they joined us in the garden, as did Tom and Flora. Ally ran round and round the garden trailing a piece of string, chased by Flora, until the poor wee cat got all hot and bothered and had to lie down in the shade. Then Ally climbed up one of the pear trees with both cats and they had a fine old time running around on the branches. No wonder they love Ally, he is much more fun than James and me!

Later Grandma came round and we had a barbecue and enjoyed the evening sunshine.

Today we decided that we wanted to go to the seaside and headed for Troon beach with Ally and Cat. Gerry and Christine joined us and we had a picnic. I changed into my swimming costume and bravely went into the sea. It was freezing! Properly bone chilling! It was actually painful to the skin. Ally came in with me and I was gratified to see that he also found it horrifyingly cold. And this was when we were only in up to our thighs. Ally said that in order to count it as a proper swim, I needed to swim along while he slowly counted to fifteen. And I managed it! According to James (safely back at the picnic rug) there were some people strolling along the beach who heard my scream as I plunged under the water, and were amazed at my courage.

Ally had brought his Ray Mears Survival Guide and spent a long time starting a fire using wood and string. It was a very hot afternoon, relieved by a welcome slight breeze, and we chatted and enjoyed the very pleasant company.
Later I saw on the Scottish News that two thousand drunken teenagers had congregated today on Troon’s main beach (we always go to the quieter beach near the golf course). It was some sort of gathering arranged on social media and apparently there was a large police presence with some arrests made. According to the Daily Record it was a “Buckfast Beach Party” Well, I much preferred our own beach party!

Warwick Castle

On Saturday, after a hearty breakfast at the Ardencote, we headed to Warwick Castle. Neither of us have been there before, however it has been highly recommended to us by various friends. Also, two tickets to Warwick Castle were included in the excellent deal we had found for the Ardencote, so the decision was easy. And how glad we were that we went there! It’s magnificent, with everything that you could desire in a castle - turrets, cross-shaped arrowslits, several round towers linked by battlements, gardens and a courtyard.
It was fairly busy, but not unpleasantly so; and there was a lively programme of events for visitors. We entered into the spirit of it and went to the falconry display (really good chat from the falconer about the different birds), and the firing of the trebuchet, which were very entertaining. The highlight for me was The Wars of the Roses event which involved plenty of swordplay and jousting but was also surprisingly informative about history. It ended with Henry Tudor asking Elizabeth of York to marry him. It was all great fun. As a bonus the sun came out so we saw the beautiful grounds including the peacock gardens at their finest.
We had time for a walk around the centre of Warwick before our flight home and I thought it was gorgeous - lots of quaint buildings and green spaces. 
Our journey home was straightforward and by 8.30 p.m. we were back at home, reunited with the cats, eating a splendid curry.

Trailing Spouse

As it’s a holiday weekend I jumped at the chance to accompany James on one of his Friday business trips to Warwick. We would then stay overnight at the Ardencote and spend Saturday together. He warned me sternly that I must be completely ready to leave the house at 5.30 a.m. and so I was. Glasgow airport was busy due to the holiday but security was very efficient and processed us through without any delay. There were lots of groups who were on their way to stag and hen weekends; they were recognisable by their matching t shirts - for example “Super Danny’s Berlin Stag 18” and the girls’ groups usually included a bride wearing a veil. It reminded me of Larkin’s “Whitsun Weddings”
We ran into Graeme who was on his way to India on business for six weeks. When we told him that I was tagging along on James’ business trip he explained that the ex-pat terminology for that is “trailing spouse.” I like that phrase!
When we arrived at Birmingham, we collected our hire car and James dropped me off at the Ardencote before going on to his meeting. I was delighted that our room was ready so I could get changed and go to the leisure centre straight away. And so I had a very pleasant and luxurious morning. The only slight disappointment was that it was raining (unlike back home in Scotland where it was still very warm and sunny) which meant that the outside pool was closed. I swam in the indoor pool, relaxed and read my book, and when James arrived in the afternoon we went to the huge and very hot outdoor jacuzzi.
And then to my delight the rain stopped and the outdoor pool was opened. I just love swimming outdoors and although the sky was grey it was still very warm. I had a great time.
Later we had a delicious dinner in the restaurant and finished off the evening with a drinks and chat with my dear husband in the Conservatory Bar.

A Walk in the Woods

On Monday the weather was still fine so we went for a very pleasant walk in the woods around Loch Garten. The dappled sunlight coming through the branches and leaves was delightful. I had a paddle in the loch; it was so cool and clear. There were quite a few birdwatchers in the woods; one group told us that they had seen crossbills and goldeneye ducks among others. We saw a coal tit, great tit and blue tit flitting about together, I hadn’t realised that the different varieties would mix like that. 

It was such a great weekend and I’m glad to say that the warm, sunny weather has continued all week. We have sat out in the garden every evening, with the cats lounging around keeping us company, and of course I have been enjoying relaxing and reading in my trusty hammock. 

Nairn and Findhorn

On Sunday we went to Nairn to visit Alison and Hugh’s new property which will be their new home from next year. It is amazing - so much land! They are going to build their own house and Hugh has designed it, the plans look great. Alison has a nifty arrangement to water the new trees and flowers; she uses a quad bike which has a water tank and a hose - that’s how big the garden is! The location is perfect, near both the town and the sea. As well as all the land there are stables and other outbuildings, and the views over the countryside are beautiful. The current house is to be demolished soon, but although it is empty it still has a working toilet, which needless to say I made use of. However the door became stuck and I couldn’t get back out!  Luckily the others heard my cries for help and Hugh heroically burst open the door.

We then had a walk around the attractive town of Nairn, of which I have always been very fond, and had a lovely lunch in “The Classroom” restaurant before visiting the nearby village of Findhorn. I have never been there before and it was very pretty, with a large enclosed natural harbour leading to the sea. There were sand dunes and beach huts and it all looked gorgeous, especially on such a sunny day.

Later we had dinner at the fantastic Anderson’s restaurant in Boat of Garten. The food there is always very good, but on Sunday they had somehow surpassed themselves and it was one of the best meals I have ever had. The star of the menu had to be the dessert - light, fluffy churros with chocolate in the middle and a salted caramel sauce, served with home made vanilla ice cream. 

Cat in the Manger

This morning I gave Tom a wee saucer of milk while I was having my breakfast. He looked at it rather disdainfully because he much prefers double cream. However two minutes later Flora came in to the kitchen through the cat flap. Tom’s eyes widened when he saw her and he immediately started lapping at the milk so that she couldn’t get any! This reminded me of our wee West Highland Terriers in the 1970s, Mandy and Judy, who were only interested in eating bread when my parents put some out on the grass for the birds to eat.

Despite his initial doubts about her, Tom seems to have totally accepted Flora. She is so affectionate and her adoration of him has won him over. They play together both indoors and out, and for some reason Tom enjoys licking Flora’s face. 

Yesterday Tom brought in a live mouse in the evening, and then gave it to Flora. I tried to rescue it but she was too fast for me and ran away with the unfortunate rodent clamped in her jaws. She returned with it later, now sadly deceased, and continued to demonstrate all her killing moves - it’s incredible how she knows what to do - throwing it in the air and then slamming it down. When I eventually managed to take it away from her, she kept looking for it. She’s so cute and yet so bloodthirsty.

A Windsor Wedding

We set off nice and early on Saturday morning for our weekend at Boat of Garten. James and Alison were planning to climb Braeriach, which is the third highest mountain in Scotland. Their route would take them about eight hours, hence the early start. It was a beautiful sunny morning when we started our journey at 7 a.m. and it felt great to be on our way when the roads were so quiet. We made good speed and met Alison and Hugh at the Sugarbowl Car Park on the Cairngorm road at quarter to ten. Our intrepid hill-walkers set off towards the Laraigh Gru and Hugh and I headed to Boat of Garten for morning coffee.

Saturday was also the day of the Royal Wedding and I was keen to watch it, so Hugh switched on the television in the lounge and I enjoyed watching all the royals and celebrities arriving all dressed up. Hugh very companionably watched it with me, and I told him all about the celebrities and he told me all about the wedding cars! It was a lovely service and the American minister was really refreshing and enthusiastic, although I’m sure that I saw a few of the royals stifling their giggles at his unexpectedly informal style. The weather was gorgeous in Windsor too and after the service Meghan and Harry got into an open topped carriage and were driven around the streets to cheering crowds. 

After the wedding I felt the need for some sunshine so I went for a walk into Boat and had a drink outside the Boat Hotel. And then Hugh and I sat in the garden until it was time to collect Alison and James from Rothiemurchus Lodge. 

A delicious meal and convivial evening ensued. What an excellent day.

A Play, a Pie and a Pint again

I went to see one of the new season of A Play, a Pie and a Pint at Oran Mor on Monday. I love the whole concept, although after seeing the pies last time, Jackie and I bought some delicious bagels as we wandered up Byres Road in the sunshine, which we consumed instead. The event was completely sold out, which I know because I overheard a girl who had turned up on spec being told that there were no tickets left for the whole week. It was very busy inside but Jackie expertly found us a couple of seats while I got the drinks in.
The play was about the late Glaswegian comedian, Chic Murray, and was told in autobiographical form by Chic and his wife, looking back on their lives. The small cast was led by veteran actor and comedian Dave Anderson. He was very good, playing the piano and chatting, and the audience were laughing at all the jokes. Chic Murray had a quirky, rambling style which Dave Anderson reproduced very well.
Now, what fascinated me about this casting was that I remember Chic Murray playing the eccentric Head Teacher in the film Gregory’s Girl, where he played the piano and told the pupils to go away. Dave Anderson was also in that film, playing the driving instructor father of Gregory. So I presume that the two actors take must have known each other. And now Dave Anderson is paying tribute to Chic in a play more than thirty years after his death. It was an affectionate tribute, and Jackie and I both enjoyed it.
My favourite joke in the play was Chic saying to the doctor, when about to be examined,
“Do I have to take ALL of my clothes off?”
Doctor: “Yes, put them on the chair on top of mine!”

Blossom time

What a beautiful day it was in Edinburgh on Wednesday! The blossom has come quite late to the trees this year, but they are now in full bloom. As I walked along Princes Street a light wind was blowing the blossom off the branches of the cherry trees and the air was full of petals. These were gathering in huge drifts across Princes Street Gardens so that the grass was completely covered with a soft layer of pink. It looked stunning.

The weather has continued to be sunny and warm, with the occasional shower. On Saturday James went hill-walking at Braemar with Cornel and Kenny, and I took Grandma over to the House for an Art Lover for lunch. We sat outside basking in the sunshine and had a delicious and very reasonably priced lunch. Grandma was keen to go for a short walk so we headed into the walled garden where the tulips and primroses were looking gorgeous. She sat on a bench and talked about all the flowers, we agreed that this is our favourite time of year.

Today I spent the afternoon in my hammock in the garden, reading my book (one of the far-fetched but strangely compulsive Fred Vargas series) while James did some gardening. It was lovely; the apple tree displayed sprays of delicate pink blossom against the cloudless blue sky, and the branches of the pear trees were heavy with fresh green leaves and white blossom. And the creamy magnolia blossoms were spectacular. 

Flourishing Fife

On Sunday we went for a holiday weekend walk with Heather and Ewan. We had decided to go wherever the weather was best, and since the forecast was brighter to the east, we ended up doing exactly the same route that we did a fortnight ago. Well, why not? - it’s a beautiful part of the Fife Coast and we were happy to end up in Crail for coffee again. The weather turned out to be absolutely beautiful; blue skies over a hazy blue sea. However I was surprised to find that there were some real differences since our walk only two weeks ago. In the field where we had passed a farmer sowing seeds from his tractor, there was already a bright covering of green shoots. We noticed bluebells and primroses in the wood at Boarhills that had not been blooming a couple of weeks ago. The gorse bushes are now in full bloom with their heady scent of coconut drifting across the path, and we saw big clumps of white sea thrift. The season has rolled on from early spring to lush late spring, and all of nature was greener, stronger, and more vibrant. Having Heather and Ewan there with us was great fun too, we have notched up a good few walks with them over the years and we always enjoy their company and enthusiasm.

One less welcome addition on Sunday was the screeching of the car tyres at the nearby Crail Thrash that assailed our ears on and off. I’m glad to say that we didn’t hear it the whole time but I fail to see the attraction of such a noisy and polluting event, which apparently is held twice monthly. 

It was a grand walk, and very warm for me. I was very thirsty and quaffed huge quantities of water which necessitated frequent dashes behind bushes and rocks to relieve myself - luckily there was plenty of cover! We rested to take in the beautiful views from time to time and eventually reached the café in Crail for a welcome cool drink, before sitting overlooking the picturesque harbour in the sunshine. We passed through Anstruther and Elie on the way home but both were very busy with people revelling in the fantastic weather, so we had a tasty dinner at the attractive Boathouse in Kilsyth instead - it was a very pleasant way to end the day.
So, was it worth repeating the same walk so soon? Definitely yes - because it provided the double advantages of being both happily familiar and pleasingly different.

Quick week

This week has absolutely flown by and I can hardly believe that tomorrow is Friday already. The weather has continued very mixed; an almost completely blue sky can be followed by torrential rain ten minutes later. During a sunny interlude on Wednesday I was walking home from the post office past the nursing home when one of the ground floor windows suddenly opened. An ancient man leaned out and asked me, “Is this Wednesday?” I confirmed that it was, we had a brief chat, and we bade each other a cheery farewell before I continued on my way.
James and I have been watching the latest series of Billions over the past few weeks. To be honest I have long since lost track of the twists and turns of the plot, but the acting is enjoyable and everything centres round the two charismatic enemies Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades, and their struggle to gain the upper hand. Tonight’s episode was particularly good, with a pleasing twist at the end.
I have also been discovering the joys of trying out my new Sonos sound system; James pointed out that since I already have Amazon Prime I have access to about two million free tunes. This indeed proved to be the case and this evening I successfully linked it to my Sonos which was very exciting. Twenty years ago I couldn’t have imagined the sort of technology that we have now. It’s great but almost bewildering in the amount of choices we have for things to watch and listen to. I wonder what my Dad would have made of it - he would have been ninety-six years old today but he was always interested in new things.

Bohemia(n) Rhapsody

I was so exhausted after our jam-packed day on Sunday (and my caffeine crazed lack of sleep the night before) that I fell unconscious as soon as my head hit the pillow. James informed me that the party people of Prague sang and shouted nearby until the wee small hours, but I was completely oblivious and woke refreshed on Monday morning and raring to go.
It was another very warm, sunny day. We went back to Obecní Dūm again for breakfast because we liked it so much yesterday, and then we crossed the river again and this time took the funicular railway up to the top of Petrin Park. We strolled round the side of the hill along a tree lined path with blossom drifting through the air, and down a lovely cobbled street to the square in front of the castle. However the length of the queue was rather daunting and we decided that we will just have to come back to Prague another time to visit it. We did see the changing of the guard, complete with a tiny marching band who wore smart red jackets with shiny brass buttons.So on we sauntered, down the hill into Malá Strana, in search of a restaurant which had been recommended to us by Heather and Ewan. We invariably enjoy their recommendations! We were armed with a description of its location but no name, so we had to make our best guess at which of the several riverside restaurants it might be. The one we plumped for, which was called Kampa Park, certainly didn’t disappoint! Right on the side of the river, close to the Charles Bridge, we just sat there amazed and drinking in the view. The wide majestic river, the pleasure boats, the Old Town across the river, the horse chestnut trees, the statues and people on the Charles Bridge, I can see it all still in my mind’s eye. The air was so thick with pollen that it clung to our watches and cutlery. The food was absolutely delicious although James won the day with a very light and flavoursome pea soup - I was quite jealous of his choice even though my own food was excellent. As we relaxed and chatted James spotted a boat named “Bohemia Rhapsody” - he had been wondering when we might come across a reference to that well known song and was delighted even though it lacked an “n”. Eventually we had to move on with our day but it was a magical interlude. After seeing his Art Nouveau designs at Obecní Dūm, I was keen to see the Mucha exhibition at the Municipal Gallery in the Old Town Square so that was our next stop. It was mercifully cool in the museum and I really liked his artworks. My favourite is the one with the girl whose arms are full of fruit (appropriately entitled “Fruit”!) which is used as the cover of the menu at Obecní Dūm.We then strolled in the direction of Wenceslas Square where we paid our respects to the statue of the man himself, who was sitting resplendent astride a horse rather than treading boldly through deep snow. I must say that I was not bowled over by Wenceslas Square; it was more like a wide road than a Square and was lined with chain stores- it just didn’t have the charming atmosphere of the Old Town to which we soon returned.By this time it was late afternoon and time for cool drinks in one of the many wee cafés in the fairytale alleyways of the Old Town. I wasn’t ready to leave Prague, but after one last wander around the market it was time to head back to the airport. Goodbye Prague, I hope to come back again!

Goulash with dumplings

I shouldn’t have had a double espresso on Saturday night after our concert. Especially since it was actually 12.30 a.m. on Sunday morning. It had been such a lovely evening that we stopped at a café in the old town and sat outside chatting in the warm darkness. We didn’t realise how late it was. However the late night coffee meant that I was absolutely hyper when we got back to the apartment. James fell asleep straight away but I was wide awake for another two hours or so. I read my book and prowled around the room. It was also party time in Prague and a number of revellers sounded as if they were just underneath our bedroom window. But to be fair that wasn’t what kept me awake, it was my self-inflicted caffeine hit that did that.
So I was a bit tired when James woke me, but I did want to get out and see the city so I forced myself into the shower and that revived me a bit. At the recommendation of James’ colleague Gerry, we had breakfast at Obecní Dūm, five minutes walk from our apartment. It’s a splendid grand old café decorated in Art Nouveau style. We sat outside and watched the world go by while I ate my muesli with yoghurt and fruit followed by bread rolls with honey. Meanwhile James got stuck into a Czech breakfast which consisted of sausages with horseradish sauce, followed by apple strudel!
And now our explorations really began. We looked at the amazing buildings in the picturesque Old Town square before heading into the Jewish Quarter. We visited the Pinkas Synagogue which has the names of the 80,000 Czech victims of the Holocaust painted on its walls. It was very moving, and so was the exhibition of drawings made by the children confined in Terezin, most of whom died. I noticed that most had birth dates in the early 1930s (like my Mum) but they had died between 1941 and 1944. The drawings were so innocent, of everyday things - it was very sad. We emerged blinking into the sunshine in the Old Jewish Cemetery which was very peaceful with hundreds of gravestones all leaning against each other. Here is buried Rabbi Loewe, who made a stone golem to protect the people in the Jewish ghetto. Until one day it ran amok and he had to shut it in the attic of the Old-New Cemetery!
We then crossed Charles Bridge - oh my goodness it was very busy! We found a pleasant restaurant called La Patrona for a restoring lunch, before heading up a steep flight of stone steps to the Castle. It was so warm and sunny that we decided to stay outdoors to enjoy the sunshine, so we continued up the hill a bit and crossed into the upper part of Petrin Park which is beautiful and overlooks the red roofs of the city. There were lots of lilac trees in the park and their scent filled the air.
Andersons always ascend to the highest point possible, so how could we resist climbing the 297 steps to the top of the Petrin Viewing Tower? It was hot and I was well out of breath by the time I got to the top, but oh boy the views of the river and city were stunning.
We zigzagged down through park, all the while being treated to views of beautiful Prague laid out before us. By the time we crossed the Legii Bridge and walked for about fifteen minutes back to our apartment in the Old Town I was hot and bothered. I tried really hard not to snap at James, who was doing a grand job of navigating us through the streets, but I’m afraid that I didn’t fully succeed. It was so great to fling open all the windows and lie down on the cool bed for a rest.
We decided that we wanted to eat at a traditional Czech restaurant so after consulting our trusty guide book we chose Staromestská which was right on the Old Town Square. It turned out to be an excellent choice, and my goulash with dumplings was mouth-wateringly good. After a long and lingering dinner we wandered round the square and the narrow streets of the Old Town, enjoying the atmosphere of this amazing city.