Grandma

I’m very sad to say that Grandma died yesterday evening. Although her health has been declining, especially over the last two years since her big fall down the garden steps, it has been a shock to the whole family. She had been a bit tired over the past week or so and the doctor had visited but didn’t find anything particularly the matter. We were all very upset when she passed away, although for her it was very peaceful. The nursing home staff were so kind and insisted on making us a tray of tea and biscuits. I felt so sorry for James and Forrest as they sat there drinking their tea, trying to take in the sad news that we all knew would come some day.

Davie came along to the nursing home to say goodbye, and we had to phone Ally, who is in Luxembourg for the weekend, and Jamie in New Zealand. It felt awful telling the boys that their Grandma had died. We waited at the nursing home until the undertakers arrived and then went home feeling sad and empty. I had forgotten how bad grief feels and today it came crashing down. We can’t make any funeral arrangements until Monday so we have informed family and friends and spent time together chatting. Chanel arrived from Liverpool to take care of Davie and I’m glad that Ally and Cat are together in Luxembourg. I just wish that I was with Jamie to give him a big hug. 

The Wee Lochan

Since it is Thursday, James and I were back in the West End this afternoon for our French and Geology classes. We are both still really enjoying them and I find my classmates to be very pleasant. I had more preparation than usual for today; I had the usual homework to hand in, I needed to hand in my first Written Assessment early (because I will miss the class next week when I am visiting Jennifer) and also I had promised to write a list of some of my favourite French films for one of my classmates. I wrote synopses for half a dozen of the French films that I like the most and also lent him my copy of Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources as a starter. I did warn him that I’m no expert on French films and that it’s a very subjective list!
After the class I met James and we walked into town again through Kelvingrove Park. My Dad used to be adamant that in order to keep safe you should never take a shortcut along any lane in Glasgow, it was something that he felt very strongly about and that I have always obeyed, even in broad daylight. I have often quoted this to James when he has suggested nipping along a lane to save time, and today James mentioned it to me as we were strolling along. I thought that it was very sweet that my Dad’s words are still remembered! We went to Mandors in Renfrew Street so that James could choose fire retardant material to upholster a footstool. Yes you read that correctly! James will be going to a French Polishing and Upholstery course this weekend, and he’s looking forward to it very much. I can’t wait to see the results.
We then took the Underground back to Hillhead, jumped into the car and drove to The Wee Lochan restaurant in Crow Road, arriving just in time for our 6 p.m. booking. We have not been there before although we have heard it recommended; we were lucky to be using a voucher given to us by Marjory and Forrest. I liked this little restaurant very much. The starter in particular was outstanding (monkfish in tempura batter but that simple description doesn’t do the delicious complexities of the dish justice) and the atmosphere was friendly. It was very busy but not too noisy; I would definitely return. 

Timon of Athens

I’m not long back from seeing the RSC’s Timon of Athens broadcast live (well actually recorded live during the 2018 season) from the Swan Theatre in Stratford. I saw it with Caroline at Cineworld, and, as I have blogged before, I am very much converted to this way of watching a really excellent theatre performance. And really excellent it certainly was! I have neither read nor seen Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens before tonight, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cast were all brilliant but Kathryn Hunter stood out as Timon - she had such presence and was so full of energy.
So, no spoilers, but rich and generous Timon of Athens has lots of friends - until she runs out of money. Then everything goes wrong. Timon of Athens has apparently often been regarded as an unfinished play because some characters are not fully developed and some of the plot lines are a bit strange. I would agree with this and would also comment that Timon is kind of annoying - going from totally over-the-top generosity to huge bitterness! However the play was still really good with a mix of comedy and tragedy; as Caroline said “You can’t go wrong with a bit of Shakespeare!”
In the morning I visited Grandma and we were writing Christmas cards together. Grandma always likes everything to be organised in good time for Christmas and she has been keen to get started on her cards. I have updated her Christmas card list (from several address books and last year’s list!) and got cards and stamps. She was sitting in the living room having a cup of tea and was chatting but a bit tired. We were chatting to another lady who was very friendly. We only got eight cards written but have plenty of time to finish the rest before it’s time to post them. 

Copper coins

James and I popped over to the New Victoria Hospital this morning for an appointment to get one of Grandma’s hearing aids replaced after it had accidentally been through the washing machine! I was really impressed at how quickly I was seen, and the lady who sorted it out was extremely pleasant. I have found out how to get the attention of hospital reception staff very quickly - when I arrived at the hearing aid clinic reception, I couldn’t help overhearing a lively discussion that the receptionist was having with a customer over the phone, where she kept repeating “No, you can’t get here from Hamilton * in seven minutes!” and I could hear the customer’s angry protestations (clearly the customer was going to have their appointment cancelled because they were late). And indeed the receptionist was correct, there’s no way that they could have made it in that time. So I was standing listening interestedly, nay, avidly, to the back and forth conversation, when suddenly the receptionist from the other desk noticed my nosy demeanour and came rushing over to escort me from the area and immediately found the hearing aid technician for me. So my top tip to get attention at a hospital is to look as if you are enjoying yourself too much while waiting!
This left us with more than an hour before our next errand in nearby Sinclair Street; James wanted to get his guitar re-strung and the guitar shop didn’t open until 11 a.m. So we went for a walk around the perimeter of Queens Park and enjoyed the fine and frosty morning. The oak trees were shedding the last of their leaves, making a whispering noise as we stood beneath them. We tried to take photos of the leaves fluttering down in the sunshine, but couldn’t do them justice. We saw some beautiful silver birches whose fallen leaves were scattered on the grass below them and James compared them to copper pennies - that’s just what they looked like! We also nipped up to the flagpole at the top of the park at James’ request (Anderson’s always like to ascend to the highest point) and could see lovely views across Glasgow to the University and beyond to snow capped Ben Lomond.
When we arrived at the guitar shop we still had time for coffee in a wee shop called Blether across the road; it was just as well that we weren’t in a hurry because it didn’t open until at least twenty past eleven!
Having dropped off the guitar it was time to set off to the west end to see Play, Pie and a Pint. This week it was Cranhill Carmen, which was quite good - a modern and somewhat more feminist take on the Carmen story.

* Place name changed for reasons of discretion. 

Family Sunday

We had a lovely family day today. James and I walked along to Burnside to visit Grandma in the morning; the weather was crisp and chilly with blue skies - absolutely beautiful. We bought her some flowers in Tesco on the way. She was quite tired today and was spending the morning in bed. After a chat we returned home and had lunch with Ally and Davie. We had James’ hearty homemade minestrone soup with homemade bread and it was all delicious. We were entertained by the sight of Flora climbing up one of the pear trees in hot pursuit of a magpie. She really had a good try at catching it; she boldly ran up the branches towards where it was perching several times! Needless to say it flew away each time, but it must have been annoyed because it kept returning to the tree and squawking angrily at her. She is so funny; she looked like a wee koala sitting upright on a branch and holding onto the trunk of the tree. Tom appeared downstairs at this point and took advantage of Flora’s absence to request and devour a fresh bowl of cat food without her.
We then spent the next couple of hours playing The Game of Life which was great fun. James is not particularly enthusiastic about board games and had to be persuaded to join in. His reluctance was very amusing, and several times he lamented about how long the game was taking, but actually he was a good sport about it. I liked all the wee activities and digressions caused by the “action” cards and they had us laughing. Alasdair won (of course) with James a close second. We moved to the front room where we chatted some more over a cup of tea, and ended up eating dinner while watching David Attenborough on the television. 

A walk through Glasgow

James took me on an interesting walk on Thursday; a scenic route from University Avenue down through Kelvingrove Park, over the footbridge at Charing Cross and along Renfrew Street. We had been to our French (me) and Geology (James) classes in the afternoon, which we are still both mightily enjoying. Having arrived in the west end by train, we decided to head into town on foot, since we were going to a concert at the City Halls in the evening. We cut through one of the University’s quadrangles and emerged at the top of the park from where we saw a stunning view over the city. The sun was low in the sky, lighting up the buildings laid out below us. Then we strolled down into the park where we joined other walkers and quite a few cyclists, all wrapped up against the November chill. We continued over the Charing Cross footbridge; the traffic below us was already backed up towards the motorway and we were glad that we weren’t in the queue of cars. As we walked along Renfrew Street we passed the renovation work being done on the burnt out Art School. That is going to take a long time to complete I should imagine, because the building was almost completely destroyed by the fire. We had to divert round the block behind it because of course it was fenced off. And then we arrived into the busy city centre.
Along Sauchiehall Street we strode, then down the hill to St Vincent Street, where we stopped for a drink in old favourite All Bar One, and found that we were definitely in the target age group although most other people were in groups and wearing office clothes. And then the last leg of our journey took us to the Merchant City where we had a delicious curry in Koolba. It even passed James’ stringent standards!
The concert was Richard Strauss’s Don Quixote, preceded by Prokoviev’s “Chout” suite, and Marbé’s Eine Kleine Sonnenmusic (a tribute to Mozart and very heavy on the percussion). It was all very enjoyable and yet none of it particularly stood out for me. We got the train home in time for a cup of tea with the boys. 

Back at One Spa

I was back at the One Spa in Edinburgh’s Sheraton Hotel today. I do love a spa! This time I was there with Marjory and we had a good afternoon of chat and swimming and trying out all of the spa rooms. Our favourite was the dry salt spa room, where the walls really do taste of salt (don’t ask me how I know that!) and also there is a salt spray that goes off every few minutes. Of course I also loved the outside jacuzzi pool. If it was a couple of storeys higher there would probably be a better view of the skyline of Edinburgh rather than just the neighbouring buildings but there’s not much can be done about that and it’s very pleasant. Another highlight was the “experience showers” which we found to be absolutely hilarious - you could choose from several experiences but my favourite was the “tropical storm” which included the sound of birds shrieking and even little flashes of pretend lightning as I was sprayed with warm water from all angles. Our lunchtime bento boxes of healthy food were surprisingly filling but we still managed a few more lengths in the pool before heading back to Glasgow. 

Remembrance

I watched the annual Remembrance Day service on television this morning. It was a chilly but sunny day, and Ally and Cat were attending the service in London again. They had chosen an excellent spot from where they had a great view of the Queen and the other royals in the balconies above, as well as the ceremony and parade itself. As usual, I found it moving and an appropriate way to remember all of the armed forces who gave their lives for our country. I appreciate tradition all the more as I get older; it is often a sign of respect and comfort.
I felt that way about Heather’s Dad’s funeral yesterday. It was a very traditional Scottish funeral; both personal and dignified. Her brother spoke touchingly about his Dad, the minister spoke about his life, there were hymns and prayers. And then family and friends gathered at his local golf club for traditional rolls and sausage, very welcome on a chilly day. It was a good send off arranged by Heather and her family for a much loved man who had lived his life well. 

Winter is coming

Heather's Dad died yesterday, of Motor Neurone Disease. I have just read Ewan’s blog about his death and found it very moving. It is a sad time for Heather and the whole family, and at Casa Anderson we are all thinking of them. There is something very special about the love between fathers and daughters, and that love never ends. I know this.
Everything else seems very trivial just now. Electioneering is revving up and I’m sure we will all be very tired of it soon. When I set off at 5.15 this evening to meet some friends for a meal it was already completely dark; we really are getting towards winter. 

Kyrgyzstan connections - a great film and a brilliant book

Firstly, the film. When James, Davie and I were having dinner on Friday evening (Ally having set off to visit Cat in London) we had a look at what films we might want to watch during the evening. If we don’t have a clear idea of a film that we want to see, we often get a bit stuck; finding a film that pleases all of us can lead to a mediocre compromise. But this time we struck lucky. We quickly came across a film that none of us had seen but which appealed to all three. It was a documentary called “The Dawn Wall” which followed two climbers, Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, as they attempted a new and incredibly difficult route up El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. If that sounds familiar, it’s because about a year ago we went to the GFT to see a film called “Free Solo” which was also about a climb up El Capitan, by Alex Honnold. And it turns out that the two films were released only about ten days apart. However “Free Solo” seems to be the better known of the two documentaries, perhaps because it went on to win an Oscar.
The difference between the two types of climbing is that the term “free solo” refers to climbing alone, without any ropes or harnesses, therefore any mistake at all can easily be fatal. “The Dawn Wall” on the other hand features “free climbing” which is just as difficult, climbing using your own physical strength with no support such as hooking onto the rock, but using equipment such as belays solely for safety.
“The Dawn Wall” was excellent. Like “Free Solo” it featured the climbers’ lives and backgrounds as well as the climb itself. As a very young man, Tommy Caldwell and a group of friends had been kidnapped while climbing in Kyrgyzstan. In order to escape Tommy pushed one of his captors off a cliff. This naturally had a huge impact on his life and his first marriage. Both men are amazing climbers and their journey was fascinating.
Secondly, the book. When visiting a new country, Alasdair likes to read a book by a local author. I thoroughly approve of this and often do the same thing myself, and sometimes I also watch a film about the area. When he went to Kyrgyzstan in the summer he read a book called “The Day Lasts more than a Hundred Years” by Chinghiz Aitmatov (actually set just over the border in Kazakhstan), and then recommended it to me. I have read it over  the last week, for some reason expecting it to be a bit grim, but in fact I have loved it! I would go as far as to say that it’s the best book that I have ever read. It is fantastic. Published in 1980, it’s set in the 1970s with lots of flashbacks to the 2nd world war and the 1950s. The story is about Yedigei, who is making his way by camel across the Sarozek steppe to the Ana-Beitt cemetery to bury his recently deceased old friend Kazangap. On the way he recollects his past life as well as various Sarozek legends. The characters in the book live a hard life working at the Boranly-Burannyi railway junction, “where the trains go from west to east and east to west ...” Yedegei has a legendary and wild camel called Karanar, and animals are an important part of the book. He is loyal to his family and friends, and has had his share of troubles in life during the Stalinist regime. The parts that moved me most involved his relationship with another family in his tiny village whose father has been taken away for interrogation. The little boy Ermek very much reminded me of Alasdair and I have to admit that I cried several times while reading the book. But it isn’t all sad; there are funny parts and surreal parts, there are evil monsters and “mankurt” zombies, and even a weird subplot about the Soviet space programme that involved aliens! It really is the book that has everything and I loved every minute of reading it. 

A drizzly weekend

It has been a pleasant weekend. We were meeting Linda and Alistair for dinner in Glasgow on Saturday evening so, since it was a rainy afternoon, we decided to go to the cinema first. The only film and venue which tied in perfectly with our dinner time was the latest Terminator film (called Terminator: Dark Fate) at Cineworld. We decided that this suited us well enough, so turned up at the cinema at 4.30 p.m. We watched the first Terminator film in 1984 so that’s thirty-five years ago! We have only seen one other of the six films in the franchise but the plot of the latest one wasn’t hard to follow. In fact apart from a few small changes it seemed to be almost identical to the original film. I couldn’t help noticing that Arnold Schwarzenegger looked pretty old (because he is!) which is a bit surprising since you would think that a robot wouldn’t age. But Davie later explained to us that the getting older thing was explained in one of the other films. How convenient for the aging star. Despite being arrant nonsense, the film was quite watchable because it was full of action; those terminators are extremely difficult to kill. There were lots of in-jokes and references to the previous films, for example Arnie saying sadly at one point, “I won’t be back!” Ho hum.
Today I was at a book club house-warming party at Jenny’s. Her new flat is gorgeous and very spacious. Again it was a rainy day, so how nice it was to sit around chatting with these funny, clever, gorgeous women. When I was walking home later from the station I was reflecting on the afternoon and I felt very happy.