Spring in Ullapool

I can hardly believe how this week in Ullapool has flown by. We have walked up Ullapool Hill a couple of times and enjoyed the views of the Summer Isles. I have been swimming in the pool twice; currently you have to book a space for lane swimming. It’s a very nice 25 metre pool, but the air indoors is far too warm for me - I’m used to getting changed outdoors at the poolside these days! The village is still quite quiet; the tourists have not yet arrived in significant numbers. We are here much earlier in the year than last year, when we were not allowed to be here until the beginning of July. The daffodils are still out and the path beside the river is lined with wood anemones. 

James has cut the grass and is tackling the remaining gorse at the front of the house again. He has removed so much - we were just looking at the “before” photos from last year and the gorse was about eight feet high and covered the whole of the front garden. 

We have walked around the village almost every day, and today we visited a “pop up” Rhidorroch gin shop, newly opened in a little wooden shed beside the Seafood Shack; the distiller is the sister of the Seafood Shack’s owner. James had a gin and tonic and was impressed enough to buy a bottle for his collection.

Return to Ullapool

We have certainly made the most of our newly permitted day trips around Scotland this past week! Troon on Wednesday, St Andrews and Dundee on Friday, Glencoe on Saturday and then Dunlop on Sunday.

Our visit to Dunlop was to celebrate Cat’s birthday again and as the weather continued to be warm and sunny, we were able to sit in Gerry and Christine’s beautiful garden for drinks and then a delicious dinner. 

And then on Monday we set off northwards to the cottage in Ullapool. When we left there on the 12th November we thought that the second lockdown would last for about three weeks - little did we know that the second lockdown would last until Christmas and be quickly succeeded by a third lockdown. It was in fact five months before we were allowed back. Monday 26th April was the first day that people were allowed to stay overnight outside our council areas, so at 9 a.m. we were in the car ready to go. The cats knew that something was up because they both sat at the corner of the house watching us pack the car. We stopped off in Nairn to have lunch with Alison and Hugh. It was great to see them again after all these months. 

When we arrived at the cottage we were so happy to be in our wee home from home, and we had a walk round the village later. It’s so lovely to be back here.

Glencoe

The good weather continues and we have had a brilliant couple of days almost completely outdoors in the sunshine. Yesterday James and I walked a section of the Fife coastal path between St Andrews and Leuchars. It was very near the main coastal road so not the most idyllic section, but we had nice views across ploughed and newly planted fields towards the sea. Leuchars is now an army base and we saw two Chinook helicopters flying overhead. St Andrews is such an attractive town, full of history and lots of students strolling about. The west beach was busy too, and restaurants were being spruced up; there is definitely an atmosphere of new beginnings as we move towards the next stage of lifting restrictions on Monday. We rounded off the day with pizza in Dundee with Davie, it was great to see him.

Today we were in Glencoe with Ally and Cat. They were keen to traverse the Aonach Eagach which is an extremely challenging ridge walk, and to tick off two new Munros. James walked 20 km to climb Fraochaidh, a Corbett. I parked in Glencoe village after dropping them off and intended to walk up Sgorr na Ciche, also known as the Pap of Glencoe. Despite being furnished with a map that James had printed and OS maps on my phone, I set off in the wrong direction into the forest and walked up a path to a pretty lochan. What I should have done next is to retrace my steps, but I thought that I could save time by climbing up through some trees to reach the open slopes of the hill. I struggled upwards with tree branches whipping at my face and the ground extremely uneven. Finally I emerged onto a forestry commission track and plowtered onwards up through an area of recently felled forest which was even worse going. Then I had to climb over a barbed wire fence, and found myself on open ground but with no path at all. I continued for a while but I was very hot so decided to abandon my ascent and to traverse the hill where I would surely find the elusive path. Not so. When I finally spotted the path it was far away on the other side of a gully. So I made my way across and downwards over very rough ground until I joined the path that I should have ascended in the first place, and headed down. The sun had been beating down on me unrelentingly all of this time, so when I got to the gate at the road I threw myself down in the shade of a large pine tree and lay down until I had cooled off. This self-inflicted ordeal did not put me off, because I actually really enjoyed myself. The views from the hill were absolutely tremendous. I could see so many beautiful mountains, and all down Glencoe and beautiful Loch Leven. 

It was soon time to pick up my fellow travellers, who had also had a great day. Ally and Cat had successfully conquered the Aonach Eagach and were very happy. Back home we had a celebratory curry, watched Spider-Man The Homecoming (which was very good) and then we showed each other our photos of the mountains. It has been an excellent day.

Cat’s 2nd Birthday in Lockdown

Today is Cat’s birthday, and like Ally did a month ago, she has spent her second birthday in lockdown. I keep assuming that only people with Spring birthdays will have two lockdown birthdays, and that by the Summer life will be back to normal due to the vaccination programme and the warmer weather, and I hope that I’m right. But India is having a big new wave of Covid right now and the virus is so unpredictable. Who really knows what will happen with it next? 

Cat opened her presents at lunchtime and was delighted that Ally had surprised her with an amazing multi-cooker. She is a great cook and is looking forward to trying it out. Both Cat and Ally were working today so the birthday celebrations didn’t get properly started until Gerry and Christine arrived at about five o’clock and we all sat in the garden chatting in the sunshine. James lit the fire pit which was warming and only a little bit smoky. We ordered a Chinese meal and had a convivial evening. Christine had made a delicious chocolate cake to a family recipe and we all sang Happy Birthday and Cat blew out the candles. It was a really good evening.

A bit dazed by the sun

James and I went on a day trip to Troon today. It’s now legal to travel in Scotland outside your own council area, so we packed a picnic and headed for the coast. As everyone who knows me knows, I do like to be beside the seaside!

We parked at the golf course as usual and then walked along the beaches then up onto the prom to the harbour. The Wee Hurrie (the takeaway part of McCallum’s restaurant) was doing a roaring trade in fish and chips, with a long queue at the window. It will be so good when the cafés and restaurants open again next week. 

Then we walked back to the golf course, pausing on the way for James to buy himself a newspaper. By the time we arrived back at the beach beside the golf course we had walked 10 km and I was a bit overheated. I was soon revived by our picnic lunch washed down by a flask of coffee prepared by James and I went for a refreshing paddle in the sea. We had a very relaxing afternoon on the beach reading and chatting. There was not a cloud in the deep blue sky.

When we got home we had a very important rendezvous with the television. We watched the very last episode of Engrenages (also known in the UK as Spiral). Over the last few months we have watched all eight series of this excellent crime drama. It has such high quality plots and acting and I’m very sad that we have finished it - although I was also very keen to find out what happened to all of the characters. The last episode was very exciting and was a fitting ending. I will miss Roban (who actually left at the end of series 7), Gilou, Tintin, Beckriche, Brémont, Edelman, Josephine Karlsson, the (handsome but deceased in Series 5) Pierre Clémont, and of course most of all the complex, brilliant and completely unmanageable Laure Berthaud.

A good forecast

Rather excitingly the BBC weather forecast has promised us a week of good weather. It was so sunny and warm at the swimming pool this morning that it felt almost Mediterranean. The pool was also nice and quiet now that the school holidays are over and I was enjoying myself so much that I went on to swim 64 lengths (a mile) instead of my usual 40 lengths (a kilometre.)

Forrest and Marjory came round for coffee in the afternoon and we lit the fire pit, which was pleasantly less smoky that usual because there was almost no wind. Tom and Flora both came outside to entertain our guests by chasing birds and chewing on the newly grown catmint and generally being very cute. 

Notes on a Royal Funeral

This afternoon Prince Philip’s funeral took place at Windsor. James, Ally, Cat and I watched it together. Because of the Covid restrictions there were only 30 attendees allowed, the same rules as for the rest of the population, and they were mainly his children and grandchildren, and of course the Queen. Socially distanced military bands played music in the courtyard of the castle until the coffin was carried out to the specially converted green Landrover which carried the Duke of Edinburgh on his short last journey to St George’s Chapel. Of course when he designed the changes to the Landrover, (yes, he designed his own hearse!) the Duke will have anticipated a longer journey, perhaps from London. But he and the Queen spent lockdown in Windsor and that’s where he died. Nine senior Royals walked behind the coffin, led by Prince Charles and Princess Anne. Prince Harry had arrived back from his new life in America and walked in the same row as Prince William, but with Peter Phillips walking between them; rumour has it that the two brothers have not been on good terms since Prince Harry left his royal duties for a new life abroad. The family sat separately in the chapel, wearing masks, singly or in small groups, just like we did at John Leslie’s funeral a few weeks ago. This meant that the Queen sat by herself, and she did look very alone. The service was traditional and straightforward, and, like the hearse, had been planned by the Duke, who didn’t want a eulogy or a sermon. There were quite a few references to his Naval career, such as the hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save” and the battle call for action stations being sounded. At the end of the service the Queen got into a car to go back to the castle, but when the rest of the Royals came out, Prince Charles waved the waiting cars away and the family all walked back in the sunshine. Harry and William were chatting together as they went, after Catherine appeared to break the ice by talking to Harry, which was encouraging to see. It was a good send off for Prince Philip. 

The weather was beautiful here too, and this evening we had our first barbecue of 2021 with Ally, Cat and their friend Iain. The cats were very interested in our outdoors dining and joined us on the patio. Flora climbed up one of the pear trees in pursuit of a magpie, who was screeching at her angrily. Ally joined her by climbing up the tree as well in a show of support! The barbecue went really well and Ally and Cat made bananas with chocolate flakes inside for dessert. It’s still early in barbecue season however, and as the sun got lower James and I retreated to the warmth of the house, leaving the young ones to continue their evening beside the fire pit. 

Linn Park

We went for a walk around Linn Park with Steven and Hilary on Wednesday. It was a revelation to us because I don’t think that we have ever been there before, which is quite shameful considering that we live near it. It is really lovely, with the River Cart running through it and it even has a waterfall. Before we crossed pretty Snuff Mill Bridge, we popped in to be shown round the beautiful garden of Steven and Hilary’s friends, who live right beside the bridge, they made us feel very welcome. 

Back at Steven and Hilary’s house we sat in the garden in the warm sunshine where we enjoyed a delicious lunch. It felt like proper springtime. The weather has continued to be gorgeous which has been nice when I have been swimming.

It was announced last week by the Scottish Government that from today we are allowed to travel throughout Scotland, ten days earlier than planned. James and I got very excited about this and planned to go to Ullapool this afternoon for a week. We packed our stuff and were all ready to go when we double checked the rules and realised that the permitted travel is only for day trips, and we will not be allowed to stay overnight in other council areas until the 26th April, a week on Monday. We were so disappointed! Never mind, we will hopefully be there soon, and in the meantime we will enjoy being with Ally, Cat and the kitties. 

Walk of Shame

I am still trying hard with my exercise and diet, in order to be fit for the summer. I have lost half a stone over the last couple of weeks although my current weight is still well over what I want it to be. I mean at least a stone over! 

I’m swimming my 1000 metres about five times a week, and I have my personal trainer sessions twice a week. This week I have been to a couple of classes, which are being held under the shelter of the driving range. It’s rather chilly there but the exercise is so terrifyingly vigorous that I don’t feel cold. Today’s class was called “Total body workout” and I didn’t really know what to expect; it turned out to be lifting weights and doing exercises while holding weights - very strenuous. The numbers in the classes are strictly limited and yesterday the instructor discovered at the start of the class that we were one over the allotted number. Nobody owned up to not having booked, so the instructor had to go and get the register. She did a roll call and it turned out that one of the attendees had brought her teenage daughter along without booking, and had just stood quietly when the instructor asked who had not booked, no doubt hoping that she would give up and just go ahead with the class. This did not work and the unfortunate teenager had to do a “walk of shame” out of the class while the rest of us looked on disapprovingly - by this time the class was fifteen minutes late in starting. 

I met Kathryn for a walk this afternoon at Pollok Park. They are currently experimenting with having no traffic at all allowed in the park, because it has been far too busy recently. So we met at St Andrew’s Drive and walked across the road to the entrance. We had a very nice walk and chat, and got a takeaway coffee from the café at the house. The daffodils were out in full force and looked splendid. 

Wild Garlic

Today James and I went for another walk at the Falls of Clyde; we walked our usual route up past Corra Linn to Bonington Linn but this time we extended the walk to 12 km by going down the opposite side of the river to Kirkfieldbank, where we crossed back over the Clyde on the pedestrian bridge and then made our way back up to the village of New Lanark. 

The weather was lovely; cool but sunny. However there has not been much rain recently so the falls were much less spectacular than the last time we were there a month ago. There were wee wildflowers starting to appear along the side of the river, and blossom on some of the trees. We heard a woodpecker and passed under a very noisy rookery. Most memorable however was the delightful scent of wild garlic which lined the path. There was a farmers’ market in New Lanark, where James bought a venison pie for him and Alasdair to have for dinner. As we arrived back in the car park above the village it started snowing! It didn’t last long though. 

Later on Ally and James enjoyed their pie and Cat and I made vegetarian tacos with tempeh, cauliflower rice, onion, avocado and cheese. They were tasty although the cauliflower rice was a bit rank, which is disappointing because I was hoping that I would enjoy it as a low calorie alternative to basmati rice. I will give it another chance with my curry tomorrow. And then it was time for our Saturday evening entertainment- another Marvel Universe film of course! Dr Strange this time, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. A pleasant end to a good day. 

Law Society and Prince Philip

This morning Alasdair had his Admissions Ceremony to the Law Society of Scotland. It should have taken place at the Signet Library in Edinburgh but of course all graduations and ceremonies are currently cancelled. So instead the ceremony took place by Zoom - how very modern! The organisers had done their best to make it a proper occasion and it was nice to see all of the young lawyers’ faces on the computer screen. Ally made us all sit on the bed in the red room so that we would not be seen on screen, and James brought a bottle of Prosecco upstairs, with which to toast Ally’s success. 

The host congratulated every lawyer in turn, and also commented on their curtains or wallpaper or other elements of the background of their video call, which was very amusing. Then there was a speaker and then another member of the Law Society summed up the proceedings. We all enjoyed it, it was good that the young lawyers’ achievement was celebrated.

Just after the end of the ceremony we found out that the death of Prince Philip had just been announced. He was 99 years old, just two months short of his 100th birthday. I felt sad for his family and because the last of the 2nd World War veterans are now disappearing fast; Prince Philip was born just eleven months before my Dad. He was a great character and a loyal consort to the Queen. 

A flurry of snow

It has been a pleasant Easter weekend at Casa Anderson. James, Ally and Cat went on a walk near Biggar on Saturday, now that we are allowed to roam freely in our own council area. I did lots of swimming, setting off fairly early to avoid the children’s Easter holiday hours at the swimming pool of 10 until 2, because I thought that it might be crowded. But in fact the few children who were there were well supervised and there was still plenty of space for everyone.

Today James and I went for a sunny but cold walk with Heather and Ewan and then came back for lunch to our garden, warmed by our smoky fire pit. We had a lovely time chatting and Ally very kindly set up several wind breaks for us to create a fairly cosy nook on the patio. We didn’t realise how cosy it was until we emerged into the chilly wind when Heather and Ewan were leaving. James and I braved the smoke to stay outside for another hour reading our books and drinking tea. Not long after we came inside it started snowing outside! It was a very light snow shower that hardly lay on the ground and soon disappeared, but what was amazing was that it came out of an almost cloudless sky. 

Menus and Personal Trainer

Like many busy mums I have always planned the menus for each week, which helps me with my shopping and cooking. Years ago, James carefully painted a weekly menu planner onto a chalkboard for me. It is on the wall of the utility room and I use it all the time. Cat mentioned it to her colleagues this week and took a photo of this weeks menus to send to her team. Several of them commented that they like the menus, although a couple expressed doubt about the “lettuce fajitas with tofu” which we had on Wednesday because of both the lettuce and the tofu! I thought that the comments were hilarious, especially the colleague who asked, “Does Ally’s mum do Deliveroo?”

Today we woke to the most beautiful blue skies although there was frost on the ground, the first frost we have had for ages. I headed over to David Lloyd for a session with Rebecca, my personal trainer. I know, what am I like. But I really, really need to get fitter so I have signed up for twice weekly sessions. My first one was on Tuesday and wasn’t too difficult but today was noticeably more gruelling. I’m planning to keep swimming 1000 metres three times a week and keep walking too. We shall see if I manage to keep this up. At the moment I’m drying off by the poolside after my swim and it is so sunny and peaceful that I feel as if I’m away on holiday!