Walk to Scoraig

On Sunday Hilary and I did our planned walk from Badrallach to Scoraig on Little Loch Broom. It’s about 14 km out and back, and I have done it before with James. Meanwhile James was cycling in from Black Bridge to climb Beinn a' Chaisteil.
We were joined by Steven and Heidi and had a lovely walk and chat. The footpath is easy to follow and undulates along the hill side, with a few steep sections as it goes round the promontory, and the bracken and trees were displaying their bright and warm autumnal colours. The weather was sunny and breezy but every hour or so a shower of rain would sweep over us. It was quite spectacular - you could see each shower travelling up the loch towards us. The first time it happened I put on my waterproof trousers, only for the shower to have passed by the time I got them on. So the next time I didn’t bother putting them on, and although my trousers got a bit wet they soon dried in the wind.
The village of Scoraig is an interesting wee place; it’s inaccessible by road so the people who live there have to either walk in on the footpath from Badrallach like we did, or travel by boat from the road on the other side of Loch Broom. I think that many of the population have boats because although it’s really beautiful, I think you could get very tired of walking that long and narrow path every time you needed to go anywhere. They seem to lead a fairly self-sufficient life with wind turbines, vegetable patches and even a wee school. There is also a fantastic “pay what you like” café in a conservatory attached to one of the houses, with delicious home baking which we enjoyed very much. It was an enjoyable walk with excellent company. 

Let’s Away to Stornoway

We woke up in Ullapool on Saturday morning to a beautiful view over Loch Broom. James seemed none the worse for his massive drive the previous evening, and after an excellent breakfast he set off with Justin to Creag Rainich.
Hilary and I intended to go for a walk to Scoraig, however on the spur of the moment we decided to see if there was a ferry about to set off to Stornoway. And there was! We jumped on the ferry with only ten minutes to spare, and stood out on the deck in the sunshine as we set off towards the Western Isles. Then after exploring the shop, cafeteria and lounges, we settled down with a coffee for the two and a half hour sail. As we got out into the open sea there was a slightly alarming swell, which was enough to make people stagger around in an amusing manner, and a few sick bags were used. However Hilary and I were made of sterner stuff and in fact I ate a whole bag of tablet with no ill effects. We had three hours to explore Stornoway so we strolled up through the park to the castle and museum, and were rewarded by pleasant views of the town and harbour. We had lunch on the way back on the boat, and managed to bag front row reclining seats in the observation lounge. The sea was lovely and calm this time and we both took the opportunity to have a little nap.
Later on we had a convivial evening in the Ceilidh Place. I really like Ullapool. 

The missing suitcase

After my adventures in Buckinghamshire, I had a quiet day on Thursday. Jamie dropped me at Kingsgate retail park on his way to meet up with Chris about wedding stuff. After a pleasant coffee in Marks and Spencers I walked home, by a circuitous route of about 6 km. I decided to use the right of way through the golf course but I took a wrong turn and ended up crossing various fairways while waving apologetically at the golfers that I met. There were quite a few of them and only one was irascible, waving me out of his way angrily as I scooted past him.
James, Jamie and I met up with Ewan, Heather and Andrew in the evening for a tasty curry at our old favourite, Dakhin. Alasdair joined us straight from work. To my surprise the young ones (with the exception of the very cosmopolitan Alasdair!) had never tasted dosas before. I’m glad to say that they demonstrated great enthusiasm for South Indian food! We had arranged the meal because Jamie was very keen to meet up with Heather and Ewan and family (unfortunately Jennifer was about to go on holiday so couldn’t be there) during his trip home, and it was a very pleasant occasion full of chat and laughter.
Today (Friday) James and I set off for our hill-walking club weekend in Ullapool. We arrived in the early afternoon after a four hour drive and went for a walk. It wasn’t until we went to check into our hotel at 4 p.m. that we discovered that we hadn’t put our suitcase into the car. Disaster! It contained everything that we needed for the weekend. After a brief discussion James decided that the only solution was for him to drive back to Glasgow to fetch it. He insisted on going by himself even though I was worried that he might fall asleep at the wheel; he felt that there was no point in both of us going and he was keen to get the trip over with so he set off at 4.30 p.m.
I met up with our fellow hill-walkers and went out for dinner with them. It was a good evening but I was worried about James. However he has just arrived back safely at half past midnight! It took him just under eight hours to do the round trip; luckily the traffic was light , especially on the way back up. The weekend can now start properly! 

A flying visit to Buckinghamshire

Jamie and I were up very early on Tuesday to catch the 7 a.m. flight to Luton to visit Jennifer and family. It was just as well that James had advised us to set off sharp because there was a big queue at security and by the time we walked out to gate 12 the flight was already boarding. We collected our hire car at Luton without any problem and drove to Jennifer’s lovely house, where we chatted with her and Josh (who has commenced his gap year.) Jennifer asked where we would like to go and I suggested Marlow, which I visited with her a couple of years ago, and which I remembered as being very pretty. And that’s what we did, and had lunch in The Hand and Flowers, a pub / restaurant recommended by Jennifer. I didn’t realise just how special the meal would be; the food really was fantastic. I had cauliflower soup followed by an omelette and they were amazing, cooked so perfectly. The surroundings were beautiful too. Jamie and I didn’t realise until we were leaving that it has two Michelin stars! No wonder the food was exceptional! We then walked all around Marlow and along the Thames.
It was just as well that we took a bit of exercise because Russell treated us all to dinner in the evening at The Black Horse in Thame, where I went with Jennifer and Ben in August. Luckily I was hungry (greedy!) enough to appreciate yet another delicious meal! The food was great but the company was the best thing, it was fantastic to see all four Smiths together and it was especially great for Jamie because he hasn’t seen them since he went to New Zealand. He has always been very close with his Auntie Jennifer and with Uncle Russell, and they were so good with him when he was a little boy. And he has always been very fond of Josh and Ben. So it was a great evening for him, the first time that he has spent time with Josh and Ben since they have evolved from boys into fine young men. It was such a convivial and heart warming evening.
Jamie and I had booked a Premier Inn nearby and I slept pretty well; however Jamie claimed that I snored and coughed throughout the night, leaving him short of sleep.
We spent Wednesday at the gorgeous Nirvana Spa with Jennifer and Josh, and it was a very relaxing and fun day in splendid surroundings. It was still warm enough to spend time in the outdoor pool and jacuzzis, even though we knew from the weather warnings that Scotland was being lashed by Storm Ali!
Our gruelling two hour drive back to Luton Airport on the M25 and M1 was not much fun because the traffic was constantly grinding to a halt and then speeding up again. And as it took much longer than we thought, we ended up cutting it really fine for our flight. However all was well; we made it, the flight left on time, and by the time we arrived back into Glasgow at about 8 p.m. the storm had moved on. James very kindly met us at the airport and we got fish suppers on the way home. Jamie was so exhausted that he staggered off to bed by about 9.30 and slept for more than ten hours! 

Jamie is home!

We are all thrilled at Casa Anderson that Jamie is home for a three week holiday. He is to be best man at Chris’s wedding on the 29th, and has also organised the stag do for this weekend. I cannot reveal the details because they are confidential but it sounds like great fun. When he arrived on Sunday he was expecting James to pick him up at the airport, but Ally, Davie and myself came too so we all greeted him at International Arrivals and the five of us were reunited. There was much manly hugging and womanly kissing.
Words cannot express how great it is to have him home. I keep looking across at him at the dinner table or on the couch and feeling amazed that he s right here.
Jamie came along to Grandma’s birthday meal on Sunday and enjoyed chatting to his cousins, however by the end of the meal he was exhausted because he was still on New Zealand time, so he disappeared off to bed at 8 p.m. This morning he was much refreshed and we had a nice breakfast together and a proper Mum and son chat. 

Grandma’s Birthday Weekend

Grandma’s 89th birthday was on Friday and I took her to John Lewis where I had booked a personal shopper to help her choose some new clothes. She was delighted because she has been wanting to update her wardrobe; she has always been very stylish and likes to look smart. I took her wheelchair in the boot of the car so that she wouldn’t get too tired; she doesn’t like her friends to see her use it but she was happy to use it in John Lewis because she wouldn’t see anyone she knew. The personal shopper, Sarah, installed us in a comfy little private room and brought us coffee while she chatted to Grandma about her taste in colours and fabric. Then we relaxed and chatted while Sarah brought in armfuls of tops and trousers and skirts for Grandma to try on. I was really impressed at how she chose exactly the kind of clothes to suit Grandma, and she absolutely loved them, and bought about half a dozen very smart items. I chose a gorgeous silk scarf which matched her new pink trousers and grey top perfectly, and purchased it as her birthday present from us.
We celebrated our successful shopping trip with lunch at the “Place to Eat” and Grandma was having such fun that she requested to continue shopping a little bit! Later on James and Forrest went round to her house to celebrate with cake and prosecco.
The birthday festivities continued today with a family dinner at Ciao Bella in Burnside. Grandma loved having the grandchildren around her, including Jamie who had just arrived back from New Zealand at lunch time. The service could have been quicker but the food was lovely and after the meal the waiter brought out her birthday cake with the candles lit and the whole restaurant joined in singing Happy Birthday. It was great to see her looking so happy. 

Aji Amarillo and other cooking adventures

I have recently been revisiting some of my recipe books to improve the variety and quality of my cooking. I have more time to cook now and James and Alasdair love a healthy, home-cooked meal, all ready for them when they come in from work. So I have been making large quantities of different kinds of stews and casseroles, and freezing the extra. The freezer in the garage is filling up satisfyingly with tasty meals.
This week I have been using my Avoca cookbook, which I purchased on my first visit years ago to that amazing café for proper foodies in Dublin. It has some really hearty stew recipes including peppered beef (which has a distinctly sweet and sour taste) and beef in orange sauce (rather on the sweet side, but tasty). However James and Alasdair’s favourite is the more traditional beef in Guinness which has very dark, rich gravy. Also this week Alasdair mentioned a meal which he ate a lot when he was in Peru, so I decided to make it for him. It’s called Lomo Saltado and is a stir fried dish containing (among many other things) aji amarillo, which is yellow Peruvian pepper. The recipe sternly states that if you can’t get aji amarillo then there is no point in substituting it with anything else, so I immediately set out on a quest to find it which took me all around the west end of Glasgow. I proudly served the Lomo Saltado on Thursday evening and anxiously asked Ally whether it measured up. “Probably, I can’t remember exactly what it tasted like” he replied insouciantly.
It’s not all about beef by the way - I have also frozen a quantity of marinated chicken kebabs and our favourite Jamie Oliver fish pie. I am finally becoming a domestic goddess! 

Scottish Cyrano de Bergerac

The Citizens’ Theatre is currently closed for three years for rebuilding, however they are still putting on some productions at the Tramway Theatre, and that is where I found myself with Karen D on Wednesday evening. The play was Edwin Morgan’s Scots translation of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac. I must admit that I didn’t know that this existed until very recently and I wondered what the Scots language could possibly bring to the play. I needn’t have worried: the vivid and expressive Scots tongue suited the braggart but insecure Cyrano and his Gascon soldier friends very well. Brian Ferguson was excellent in the title role and had an awful lot to do, the whole production depended on his heartfelt monologues. I thought that the fights were very well choreographed, and as Karen and I were in the very front row at the side we were alarmingly close to the action! Jessica Hardwick was delightful as Roxane; it was easy to see how she inspired love and devotion, and her intellect matched that of Cyrano, unlike nice (and handsome) but dim Christian. The play was funny but underneath it was so sad. I was really glad that I went to see it. 

A sunny walk in Fife

So here we are at the very end of the summer. It has been grand, but the inexorable signs of autumn are becoming clear. There is a sort of crispness in the air and the leaves are just beginning to fall from the trees. The weather is increasingly changeable; Grandma and I stared amazed out of her front window on Thursday afternoon at a brief but violent burst of hailstones bouncing on the road, and there have been a few sudden downpours of rain. The warm weather has gradually cooled although we still don’t need to switch on the heating and when it’s sunny we can still comfortably sit outside in the garden. 
Yesterday James and I went though to Fife to walk another section of the Fife Coastal path and it was a glorious day, perhaps a last hurrah for the summer. Having got up early to drop Ally at Glasgow airport at 6.30 a.m. * we arrived at St Andrews two hours later and travelled to Kingsbarns by bus. Blue skies and sunshine stayed with us all day as we walked along the grassy paths and sandy beaches of the beautiful Fife coast. Later we drove back to the beach at Kingsbarns where we bought ourselves a couple of rather gourmet toasties (mine was Camembert and red onion) from the Cheese Toastie Shack and we sat on our picnic rug on the beach to consume them. It really felt like the middle of summer again.

* Ally was in his way to London for a very special event - Cat was taking part today in the Woburn Abbey Triathlon, for which she has trained hard for many months. This is an amazing achievement which comprises a 1500 metre swim, a 40 kilometre cycle, and a 10 kilometre run. I am delighted to say that she completed it in less than four hours, and raised a great deal of money for several charities. Everyone at Casa Anderson is very proud of her. 

I love Cloudstreet

I read quite a lot of books - about one per week. This is probably more than some people read but I dare say less than plenty of others. I have always loved reading. I keep a list of books that I have read but I don’t usually blog about them unless they really stand out for me. Recently someone recommended Tim Winton’s “Cloudstreet” to me and so I read it last week. I absolutely loved it. 
It is an Australian novel, written in 1991 but set from the 1940s to the early 1960s, and it tells the story of two families who live in poverty in a big ramshackle house in Perth, Western Australia. Although they are very different their lives become entwined over the years. World events go on in the background, but the book is mainly a chronicle and celebration of the two families and of community and of Perth itself as it changes and grows.
“Dogs get howling all down the way. Somewhere a bicycle bell rings. Somewhere else there's a war on. Somewhere else people turn to shadows and powder in an instant and the streets turn to funnels and light in the sky with their burning. Somewhere a war is over.”  
There is also a strong element of magical realism; there are ghosts in the house, an Aboriginal mystic appears and reappears, there is even a pig that speaks in tongues. The central figure of Fish lives half in reality and half on a spiritual plane, (one of my favourite and chilling lines near the beginning of the book is “Not all of Fish had come back”), while the other characters change and evolve. 
It is an amazing book. 

Aperol Spritz Cake

We had a very good evening at Heather and Ewan’s on Saturday. Andrew was at home for a few days before he moved into his new flat, and it was extremely nice to have a chat with him. Ewan cooked us melt-in-the-mouth lamb steaks, with really unusual and delicious mashed potatoes with chopped olives. However the pièce de resistance had to be Heather’s Aperol Spritz cake; it was moist, tasty and very appropriate for our shared interest in this cocktail, which involves sending each other pictures of Aperol Spritzes being quaffed around the world on various holidays!
On Sunday Alasdair, James and I went to the Ayr Air Show. This time James had reserved us seating at the front of the promenade, which meant that not only did we not have to carry deckchairs, but we also had our own portaloo! Well, when I say our “own”, I mean that it was shared only by the other people in the reserved seating area, but it was still good to have it so handy. The weather stayed dry - just! At one point there was more than a suspicion of a drizzle but it cleared up again and we were treated to various aerobatic displays culminating in the brilliant Red Arrows.