End of August

Just a quick post to mark the end of the month. Grandma has been stable over the summer but unfortunately has another UTI together with some heart irregularities which have resulted in a hospital stay for her. She really was quite unwell yesterday when she was taken up to Hairmyres by ambulance. She is on antibiotics and beta-blockers and is going to be monitored over the next few days.

We woke up this morning to heavy rain which quickly became torrential. However it cleared up and the afternoon has been rather lovely. Before visiting Grandma, James Ally and I went into town so that James could give Alasdair advice on choosing a new suit. Alasdair warned me to keep well away so that I wouldn’t annoy him, so I wandered around Marks and Spencer’s and then John Lewis on my own until they had chosen a very smart dark blue suit. We then had a celebratory lunch in the café. Ally had quite fancied buying the matching waistcoat but decided that it was too expensive, so I secretly bought it for him and he was very pleased. We also bought a new barbecue in the Marks and Spencer’s sale - it was £10.50 reduced from £40 which I thought was an excellent bargain.

In other news, Davie phoned to ask how Grandma is and said that he and Chanel have had a great time in Amsterdam; and Jamie also phoned to ask how Grandma is and told us that he is in Melbourne, Australia for a genetics conference. My travelling boys! 

Return to the Campsies

I ate too much peshwari nan bread dipped into chilli sauce on Sunday evening and the results were drastic. I was up at the toilet just about every hour during the night and slept very badly in between. As a result I was exhausted yesterday. Luckily the weather was very warm so I crept off to my hammock and read my book in the afternoon. Meanwhile James had walked down to Morrison’s to get some groceries for his Mum, and when he came home he sat out in the garden for a while “taps aff.” The sun was fiercer than he thought and as a result he has a rather burnt chest.
Today we were back at guess where? Meikle Bin! My second time in eight days and James’ third time! Out of his three expeditions James says that his best views were with Ewan on Sunday because today was more hazy. It was quite humid although there was a welcome breeze. We were in the congenial company of the hill-walking club’s “weekday walkers” an initiative started recently by Andy for us retired folk. They may be retired but they are a fit bunch and walked at what I considered to be a rather brisk pace. Still tired from my sleepless night on Sunday I chose not to go all the way to the top this time and had a very peaceful interlude on the hillside before the others rejoined me on their way back down. I was delighted that Christine and Gerry joined the outing; after our Skye weekend at Easter they already knew some of the other walkers. I knew that Gerry was a strong walker due to his exploits on Skye, but I was particularly impressed with Christine’s speed; she was striding out at the front of the group and is looking very fit. I need to get fitter! We popped into the Fintry Inn for drinks and a snack before heading home.

A lovely day in Edinburgh to see Thomas Keneally

Heather and I went to see Thomas Keneally today at the Edinburgh Book Festival. He is so lovely and started his talk by singing Waltzing Matilda, which he told us originated as a Scottish folk song. He was very funny and knowledgable and enjoyed telling rambling stories about his books but he always managed to find his way back to the point. We had excellent seats right in the middle near the front, and right in front of us was the shiny bald pate of Salman Rushdie, who was ushered in at the last minute. I was glad that no Iranian Islamic hardliners arrived to carry out the fatwa against him (which has never been lifted) because Heather and I would no doubt have felt obliged to save him.
We had taken the train through to Edinburgh earlier in the afternoon and had enjoyed a very pleasant and leisurely lunch at Brown’s before going into the Book Festival in Charlotte Square and browsing in the bookshop before our event. It is the last weekend of the Edinburgh Festival and there were lots of people relaxing in the sunshine as we strolled through Princes Street Gardens later on the way back to Waverley station. Heather expertly guided me to the correct platform and even knew which carriage would be least crowded, so we were able to secure seats (unlike many less organised passengers who had to stand) and have a nice chat as we sped through the countryside. James very kindly met us at Croy, after going for a walk in the Campsies with Ewan*, and dropped Heather back home before we had a curry with Cat and Ally, back happy although rather sunburned from their hill-walking weekend to the Nevis range.

* James said that he had enjoyed his walk with Ewan very much, not only because of his pleasant company but also because (unlike me) Ewan did not sit down beside the path at any point and refuse to continue!

Outdoor swimming in the Trossachs

A few weeks ago I came across an article in The Times about wild swimming which mentioned the Scout Pool near Callander in the Trossachs. So this morning I suggested it to James, and after a pleasant drive we parked the car in the Bracklinn Falls car park. It’s about a 5 km round trip to the swimming hole, so when I saw a sign up to the Callander Crags on our way I suggested that we add this to our walk. I quickly regretted it because the day was warm and humid and the narrow track, which was both rocky and boggy, climbed steeply through the trees to the Jubilee Cairn, erected in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. However when we got to the top the views over Callander and beyond were fantastic. James pointed out all the hills that we could see as well as Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. As I rested at the top James was attacked by flies so we had to beat a hasty retreat. Insects love him! Back down at the path we continued north to a bridge over a waterfall then followed a little path down to the circular swimming pool. It was everything that I had hoped for; surrounded by rocks and ferns, with a beautiful waterfall splashing into it. I changed into my swimming costume and had a wonderful time swimming around, swimming as close to the waterfall as I could then allowing myself to be swept around the pool by the current. It wasn’t even all that cold, although it did cool me down nicely after the hot walk to get there. It was grand.

More Zumba and a hair cut

It was with some trepidation that I turned up for the second time to Zumba at the Sports Centre on Friday morning, but I actually enjoyed it much more than last week. The dance studio was cooler and I relaxed more into the dancing which made it all seem easier and more fun. I had been ready to jack it in but I shall try it for a bit longer.
Then in the afternoon I helped one of Grandma’s carers wash her hair ready for her haircut. The hairdresser, Liz, has been on holiday so it really needed a cut. Grandma was very happy and looks very smart. I found Liz a couple of years ago by asking Christine from next door if  she knew someone who specialises in cutting the hair of older people who can’t get to the hairdresser. She introduced me to Liz, who is really nice and the arrangement is perfect for Grandma.

A social week

Alasdair received his practising certificate from the Law Society on Monday so he is now a qualified solicitor, hooray! When he came home from work he opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate the occasion.
James and I have had a social time this week; we visited the fabulous new house of one of my cousins on Monday, and my uncle Stuart came round for coffee on Tuesday with his lovely wife Anne. It was genuinely great to see them and catch up with family news. I have quite a large family on my Mum’s side but over the years we have become fairly scattered around the UK. Now that I’m retired I hope to see them a bit more often.
Now that we are getting towards the end of summer I have started a couple of fitness classes at the sports centre. It’s years since I have been to Zumba and I was shocked at how strenuous I found it. I also found the dance studio to be very warm which didn’t help. On Wednesday I went along to a FitSteps class and it was much more up my street; I loved the music and it was a bit less terrifying than Zumba. These classes have also turned out to be unexpectedly social - I have been welcomed enthusiastically by several ex-colleagues (from various schools and agencies) who are also retired, as well as people I used to know at church and at the boys’ playgroups. I didn’t expect this but it’s rather pleasant.

It’s a hard rain gonna fall

The weather was mixed on Sunday but that didn’t stop James and me from setting off as planned to walk up our old favourite; Meikle Bin in the Campsies. On went our boots and waterproofs and we had a pleasant walk in to the hill from Todholes car park. We were fairly sheltered as we gradually ascended among the trees, but it was a different story when we emerged onto the open hillside for the last four hundred feet. It was blowing a hoolie and there was nowhere to hide from the driving rain. When we got to the top we were rewarded with a dry spell and were able to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee while surveying the view of the Carron Reservoir and beyond. Soon however a dark cloud swept towards us and we scurried down the hillside, buffeted by the wind and battered by some very hard rain. I realised that it was very hard because it was hail! Luckily we soon reached the tree line and the rain abated.
Back home I had a warming bath and read my book before dinner.

Experimenting with Papaya

We happened to be doing an errand in Shawlands on Friday when we decided to message Heather and Ewan to ask them round for dinner on Saturday evening. We were delighted that they accepted and we popped into Stalks and Stems greengrocers in Pollokshaws Road to find inspiration for the menu. There were some very exotic fruits and vegetables on display, and from these we chose two papaya and a celeriac. I knew that I had a recipe for celeriac soup somewhere and with a bit of searching I found it in my Covent Garden Soup Book. James made it; it had a very subtle delicate flavour which I thought was lovely - James however found it a bit TOO subtle and thought that it could have benefited from something extra, like perhaps garlic croutons. He served it with his home made bread, always a winner.
The papaya proved to be more problematic. I found recipes online for papaya salad but not for a tagine or curry as I had hoped. Perhaps papaya is too soft a fruit to hold its own in with slow cooked meat. Instead I cooked a chicken tagine recipe that included olives and lemon and a heap of spices that made it very hot. It was however quite tasty and seemed to go down well with our guests, with whom we had a relaxed and pleasant evening.
What to do with our unused papaya? Well, I have frozen one of them (I cut it into chunks, air froze it on a baking tray, then divided it into small bags). And I made the second one into smoothies - there was enough for four large smoothies - using almond milk, turmeric and honey. James and I have consumed them over the last couple of days and have found them to be delicious and refreshing. However after each one I have had quite severe stomach cramps and wonder if there is a connection. Mind you it doesn’t take much to irritate my stomach lining; in that respect I am indeed my father’s daughter!

Glasgow Central Station Tour

On Thursday we were in town for the Central Station Tour. This recently introduced tour (the last couple of years I think) is immensely popular and it’s going to be expanded to include a wee museum. A voucher for the tour was one of James’s leaving presents from his colleagues, and we had to book it weeks ahead. No wonder it’s popular; resplendent in completely unnecessary hi-vis tabards and hard hats we set off with our group into the tunnels beneath Central Station. The tour did not take us very far physically; a couple of tunnels, a “haunted“ room, and an abandoned Victorian platform. But the stories that our guide told us about the history of the place and the part it has played in the history of Glasgow were fascinating. We heard about the Clearances resulting in unemployed Highlanders sheltering from the rain under the “Hielanman’s Umbrella” beneath the railway bridge. We heard about First World War troops leaving for and returning from Platform 1, and about the underground tunnel from the Post Office in George Square to the station, to load the mail onto the trains for London, including the ill-fated train that was held up in the Great Train Robbery in 1963.
When we emerged into the sunshine we found the shoppers of Buchanan Street being entertained by several bands who are in Glasgow for the World Pipe Band Championships, and we listened to them from a pleasant distance (I love the sound of bagpipes but not up close) while having a coffee sitting outside Costa in Royal Exchange Square.

And back to Edinburgh for more fun

We were back in Edinburgh on Tuesday which was another gloriously sunny day - although the temperature is distinctly cooler since the rain at the weekend. Our first stop was at the Book Festival in where we saw archaeologist Neil Oliver. What an excellent speaker he is! He is very enthusiastic about his subject and communicated it really well to the audience through stories about different places. For example he described the Storegga slide in such vivid detail that I could just picture the resulting tsunami sweeping across the sea from Norway towards the north-East coast of Scotland eight thousand years ago. Then the next minute he was quoting Pericles on war. I was extremely impressed. James enjoyed the talk very much too.
After a pleasant urban stroll we arrived at our next venue - George Heriots School to watch the BBC Front Row Edinburgh Fringe Special. Chaired ably by Kirsty Lang, there were five very different Fringe performers including the German comedian Henning Wehn. The beauty of this format is that it gives you a real variety and it was fascinating. We were joined by Janet and Peter for drinks beforehand in the attractive outdoor bar and after the show we had a very tasty tapas dinner. Anne joined us and the five of us chatted for ages before it was time for James and I to catch our train. It was festive festival day.

Edinburgh Book Festival 2019

James and I went through to the Edinburgh Book Festival yesterday, gleefully exulting in the excellently priced train tickets that James had booked using our new “two together” railcard. The weather was absolutely beautiful; if anything a bit too humid, which accounted for what came later.
We didn’t get off to a good start. My Australian writer hero and affable surfer dude Tim Winton proved to be an interesting but quietly thoughtful speaker. This was all very well for those of us who were his superfans but James has only listened to part of one of his books on a car journey (and had described it as “drear”) and I could see that he was trying not to doze off. Our second author, acclaimed cooking celebrity and author Prue Leith, was much more lively and as well as being entertaining she gave us a few excellent cooking tips.
We then wandered a short distance along to Browns Bistro for dinner. The whole glass front of the restaurant was attractively opened up to the pavement with tables outside too, and the food was great; tasty and beautifully presented.
Our third and final writer of the day was Professor Robert Crawford, who has edited a collection of poems and short stories about Iona. He is also Cambuslang’s greatest living poet and in the words of Buddy in Elf when he thinks he sees the real Santa, “I know him!” Actually it’s James who knows him best; Robert tutored him in Latin when they were at school. We both enjoyed his talk and then introduced ourselves to him at the book signing afterwards. After we had explained who we were he became quite enthusiastic to meet us and the three of us went for a coffee and a chat. We were telling him that we have some of his early poetry books and had liked one of his poems which mentioned Cambuslang. He happened to have a copy of his latest book of poetry with him, which had another poem about Cambuslang! He insisted on inscribing it and giving it to us; we were thrilled.
By this time thunder and lightning had been followed by torrential rain, through which we had to run back to Waverley Station. We read Robert’s poem on the train home and I thought that it was very good; it was strange to read about his childhood memories of our own neighbourhood.

Cinema and power cuts

James and I haven’t been to the cinema for a while, not since the Apollo 11 documentary at the GFT in June I think. So when James noticed this afternoon that a wee film called “Yesterday” is still showing at the Fort we quickly booked tickets. I had quite fancied it when I saw it being touted by Danny Boyle on The One Show on BBC1 a few weeks ago but I thought that we must have missed it by now.
We had tea at Chiquitos beforehand, which was perfectly pleasant.
“Yesterday” is a feel-good film about a young unsuccessful songwriter who discovers that after some sort of global power outage (this turned out to be very topical *) various things have been wiped from history, including The Beatles. Only he can remember them due to being involved in a bicycle accident at the very moment that the electricity went off. (The plot does not bear too much scrutiny!) He starts playing Beatles songs to his friends and everyone loves them and he soon finds himself dealing with sudden (and largely undeserved) fame. It’s funny and has some good jokes about the music industry. The main actors, Himesh Patel and Lily James, were great, and Ed Sheeran was very good and self-deprecating in his supporting role. And of course the music is excellent. Apparently it has had mixed reviews but James and I both really enjoyed it.

* When we came out of the cinema we saw a message from Jennifer about two faulty generators causing power cuts across England early this evening, affecting about a million people. We watched the news about it when we got home. James of course is very knowledgeable about what has gone wrong. Jennifer kindly suggested that James retiring and the National Grid failing was no coincidence and that he must have been holding it all together!

Stones

It’s still very warm in between occasional downpours. I was at my Cambuslang book club last night and we had a lively evening; the book was Emilie Pine’s “Notes to Self” which generated a lot of discussion.
Earlier yesterday I had invited Susan T and her children round for lunch and crafts because we had all enjoyed our craft day in July. I decided against repeating our paper marbling activity and instead decided that we would paint designs on stones with acrylic paint and then make them permanent with sealant. I had obtained the paint and the sealant but about an hour before my guests were due to arrive I realised that I had not collected any stones! And to think that I could easily have got some at Prestwick last week.
A quick look around the garden revealed only rough, jaggy stones instead of the smooth type suitable for painting. Oh dear. So I looked over the fence and saw numerous excellent, round smooth stones in our lovely next-door neighbours’ garden. Armed with a plastic bag I nipped round and rang their doorbell, and unfortunately woke their teenage daughter (who is our fabulous cat sitter when we’re away for a weekend). She sleepily but good-naturedly gave me the go ahead and I hurriedly gathered some large pebbles from their front garden.
Susan and her beautiful children arrived shortly afterwards and we were eating lunch when the doorbell rang. It was Christine from next door with a bag of perfect large stones from her back garden, much better than the pebbles I had gathered. She had arrived home from a class to hear my tale of woe from Tina. She is such a great neighbour!
We invited her in for a coffee and had a chat before we got down to paining our stones. Susan and her children are all extremely artistic and produced some amazing designs. I painted a wee penguin and a ladybird, of which I was inordinately proud. It was quite rainy on and off but the children were able to have a few runs around the garden and a go on the swings between showers. It was a really fun afternoon.

Get It On

Our boy Ally is back from Kyrgyzstan and it’s very nice to have him home again. When we were having dinner with him this evening we were all listening to one of James’ favourite radio programmes; “Get It On” which has a daily theme for which listeners phone or message with suggestions. Tonight the theme was Radio, and listeners suggested songs such as “Radio Ga Ga” by Queen, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles, “The Spirit of Radio” by Rush and many more. I thought of a song that I enjoyed in the early 1980s called “Pilot of the Airwaves” sung by Charlie Dore. It was much played by Dave Marshall on a Radio Clyde’s breakfast show, which I listened to every week day for many years.
I requested the song and to my delight it was played, with my name mentioned, second from the end!

A brief storm

It has been very close and humid for the last couple of days. We have been walking in the morning when it’s cooler and then spending the afternoons in the garden. The storm arrived as predicted last night at about tea time. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed and there was a very heavy downpour. However it lasted only about half an hour and by the time we walked up to Marjory and Forrest’s for dinner it was completely dry again. 
And today it’s only slightly cooler - we are still besporting ourselves in our shorts and t shirts and bare feet in the garden this afternoon.
James’ wounds are healing slowly. He has to get his dressings changed by the district nurses every couple of days, and in order to keep his bandages dry in the shower I bought him a waterproof cover for them, for which I think I deserve some sort of “good wife” award. It’s really just a thick plastic sleeve which can be drawn in by elastic at either end but it does the job, and James can enjoy his morning showers.
Tom and Flora continue to enjoy having us at home more, or so I tell myself. When I woke up yesterday Tom was lying at the foot of the bed and when he saw me stirring he stretched out one of his front paws; I know that’s just what he does when he’s about to sit up, but it looked for all the world as if he was raising a hand in greeting! And wee Flora is so funny; she took me downstairs to feed her this morning and when we arrived in the utility room she plumped herself down and looked expectantly up at the cupboard where the cat food is kept. There are a lot of insects and butterflies in the garden just now and they flit in and out of the French windows in the back room; this is very entertaining to Tom and Flora who spent part of this morning intently watching a gorgeous peacock butterfly fluttering around the room until James caught it in our useful bug catcher and set it free.

A trip to Troon

On Thursday afternoon we headed to Prestwick, where I was planning to meet Jenn G for a walk. The weather was balmy so James came with me and went for his own walk from Prestwick to Troon. Meanwhile Jennifer and I met up with Caroline for drinks in Buckley’s which is a lovely café. It was particularly suitable for me because it was pleasantly airy, which allowed me to cool down after becoming rather over-heated as we strolled along the prom. I have so many good memories of working with Jennifer and Caroline, and we have been though many happy, sad, funny and challenging experiences together that not many people outside our workplace could understand. It’s always great to meet up with them.
After our chat I drove along to meet James at Troon Beach; he felt that his sore leg had benefited from the exercise. Since it was by now after 5 p.m. we decided to wait until any commuter traffic quietened down. So we sat on the beach together for a very pleasant hour, chatting and enjoying the view. It was very relaxing.