Four concerts and a funeral

So here we are on the last day of May, which James pointed out to me this morning. We have been to another Covid postponed concert on Sunday, this time the Pet Shop Boys. This was our Christmas present from Marjory and Forrest two years ago and they came with us. I have been to three other postponed concerts this month; Ashley McBryde, Saucerful of Secrets, and Midland, now that restrictions have been lifted they are all coming along. What an excellent concert; Neil Tennant’s voice is still great and there were so many familiar songs - I had forgotten how many hits they had. West End Girls, Always on My Mind, It’s a Sin, Go West, Rent, What Have I Done to Deserve This, Suburbia, Left to my Own Devices, to name but a few. But my favourite then and now has always been Se a Vida E (That’s the Way Life Is). It was a great evening.

We went to John’s funeral on Monday, which was a fitting tribute to him, very traditional with lovely music. He was interred at Westburn Cemetery not far from the Andersons’ family plot, and the chief mourners were given the choice of whether to throw the tassel from their cord into the grave or to have it snipped off for them to keep. This reminded me of my Mum telling me about my grandfather’s funeral in 1946, when she was only fifteen. His four daughters were not allowed to attend the funeral but his six year old son, my Uncle Bill, was taken along to hold one of the cords. He came back and told his sisters what a shame it had been to have to throw such a beautiful golden tassel into the grave. So sad and so long ago.

Cutty Sark and Midland

As often happens when a return flight home is in the afternoon, we weren’t quite sure how to spend our last half day in London. We didn’t want to stray too far, especially as EasyJet had warned us that there could be significant delays at security because of staff shortages. James came up with a great idea. We went to visit the old tea clipper “Cutty Sark” at Greenwich. This was not too far to travel from Canning Town and neither of us have visited it before. She is a lovely old ship, once the faster tea clipper in the world. As can be surmised by being named after the prettiest witch in Tam O’Shanter, the Cutty Sark has Scottish connections; she was built in Dumbarton for the Willis shipping line whose founder hailed from Berwickshire. 

She is beautifully maintained by a team of dedicated volunteers, one of whom was was chatting to us about the rudder and the sails, and mentioned to us that he had just noticed for the first time that the telescope in the Captain’s cabin is dedicated the the cross-channel swimmer Captain Matthew Webb. 

After coffee and cake in the excellent tearoom downstairs under the ship’s keel, it was time to retrieve our luggage from the hotel and make our way to Gatwick Airport. I’m glad to say that there were no delays at security, although news reports have informed us that they can be very bad at busy times. However the plane was an hour late in taking off which was a bit frustrating. 

Home we flew, but our day was not over yet! On landing at Glasgow, we walked to the car and James dropped me off at the O2 in Eglinton Street so that I could get into the queue for the much delayed (by the birth of one of the band’s children but mainly by Covid) Midland concert. I secured great seats in the balcony and was soon joined by Gerry and Christine (Cat and Ally were unable to attend because after the four postponements, they are of course now living in London!) and James. It was a really joyful concert; I loved the music and the band seemed genuinely happy to be in Glasgow at last. We waved to Heather and Ewan who were downstairs also enjoying themselves mightily. It was a wonderful evening but oh boy what a long day! I was absolutely exhausted by the time we got home. 

Chelsea Flower Show

We weren’t sure whether to go to the Chelsea Flower Show today because it’s quite expensive, however the fact that we happened to be in London during the week it’s on, finally convinced us to buy tickets. Coincidentally today is our 37th wedding anniversary and it has been a delightful way to celebrate! 

We arrived bright and early to sunshine with only few clouds, and started making our way around the display gardens. It was pretty busy but we found that, with patience, we could get a turn at the front of each garden. It was very interesting; wildflowers and reclaimed materials are very much in vogue. The proud garden designers stood about chatting with and being congratulated by the crowd for their medals, and Gardeners’ World presenter Adam Frost was being filmed by a tv crew as he talked about the gardens. In the interest of complete disclosure, I didn’t have a clue who he was, so I asked a lady who was taking a photo of him. I then moved forward to take my own photo; Mr Frost noticed this and posed for me with a smile. I said “Thank you” and he benevolently replied “Bless you!” However we did not manage to spot Heather and Ewan’s favourite presenter, Monty Don, even though another lady told me that he had been seen earlier at the BBC Garden. 

After ambling round the periphery of the site and seeing most of the gardens, it was time for an early lunch, which I had booked at the Ranelagh Restaurant. It was great to get a proper sit down, because strolling very slowly is strangely tiring. Our lunch was brilliant; four courses served with more good nature than experience by the very young waiting staff. But the most notable thing about lunch was the sudden change in the weather. A bank of dark cloud rolled in swiftly while we were eating, and suddenly we were assailed by flashes of lightning followed immediately by extremely loud thunder which sounded as if it was directly overhead. This was accompanied by a torrential rain storm which drummed on the roof of the pavilion; we could hardly hear each other speak. Outside we could see people running for cover, and on the open air terrace of the next-door “oyster and champagne” bar the customers were huddling with jackets and umbrellas under the wholly inadequate parasols that were above their table. After about fifteen minutes the clouds moved onwards to be replaced by sunshine. We were just about to leave when we spotted giant dark cloud number two, which produced exactly the same violent weather as its predecessor! The thunder was rattling the pavilion and everyone was flinching. We ordered another coffee as we waited for it to pass. As we chatted to the pleasant elderly couple at the next table (he was an ex-pilot so he and James got on famously!) we told them that the EXACT same thing had happened to our friends Heather and Ewan a few years ago at the Hampton Palace Flower Show, when they too were happily ensconced inside a nice restaurant during a sudden and intense rainstorm! 

Yet again the clouds moved on and the sun came back out, this time to stay. However it had left some effects; the gardeners had to do a bit of tidying up and one of the paths was blocked by a giant puddle. A procession of valiant flower enthusiasts could be seen picking their way though a copse of trees to bypass it! 

We finished our day by exploring the giant marquee in the centre of the flower show site and making a few purchases of bulbs and seeds. Even an horticultural ignoramus such as myself could see that the flower displays were absolutely outstanding. James had a deep conversation with an iris expert about the best variety to grow in our garden, and we met up for a chat with Lesley and Chris (whose enthusiasm for the event had also influenced me to attend.) 

When our tired legs informed us that it was time to leave, James expertly navigated us to the river at Battersea Power Station where we caught a Thames clipper all the way into the city and on to Canary Wharf. It really was a very relaxing and happy boat ride with the buildings on the north side of the Thames all lit up by the late afternoon sun. 

Raphael at the National Gallery

Today we enjoyed the Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery and I’d like to find out more about him. I got the impression that this talented and ambitious artist clearly felt constrained by the art studio that he inherited at such a young age from his father and all the “Madonna and Child” paintings that were his bread and butter; he moved from Perugia to Florence and then Rome, worked for two Popes and branched out into many other forms of art including sculpture and architecture. He was very successful in his lifetime but knows what more he would have achieved if he had lived longer? 

We decided to join the National Gallery because the cost of getting in to two exhibitions would be about the same as a year’s membership and I’m quite keen to see the upcoming Lucien Freud exhibition in the autumn. 

We had started our day by travelling  to the impressive British Library - my first visit there - which was fascinating. I loved looking at all the literary exhibits such as Jane Austen’s little portable writing desk, Anne Boleyn’s Bible, correspondence about the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses and so much more. Then on our way to the National Gallery we stopped at my favourite Caffe Tropea in Russell Square for lunch. I am so fond of that café. 

By the time we got back to our Ibis at Canning Town we were ready for a rest before going to Ally and Cat’s flat for dinner. Cat cooked us a delicious pasta dish last night after our expedition to the theatre, so tonight we brought dinner in the form of two M&S meal deals, which Cat kindly heated up for us, and the four of us had a lovely evening together. 

Jerusalem

No, we’re not in Jerusalem, we’re still in London. However this afternoon James and I went to see the play Jerusalem at the Apollo Theatre. We hadn’t intended to go to a matinee; the show was moved from Tuesday evening to this afternoon after we had booked it, but luckily we were able to attend the new date. 

It’s an amazing play and Mark Rylance is outstanding as Rooster Byron. It takes place on St George’s Day in woodland outside Rooster’s dilapidated and illegally sited caravan, where he provides the local ne’er do-wells with tall tales and recreational drugs.  The set is perfect; the beautiful woodland contrasts with bit is not overwhelmed by the old caravan surrounded by rubbish. And the whole play is full of layers and contrasts; Rooster’s anti-social behaviour gives the council good reason to serve him with an eviction notice but it becomes clear that they have a less noble reason too. Rooster’s friends enjoy his hospitality but betray him in various ways. Rooster seems like a deluded, lying character almost without any redeeming features, but he shows an almost Christ-like self-sacrifice and dignity towards the end of the play. The play is very funny but also very sad. It’s set in modern times but Rooster’s stories are fantastical and he speaks nostalgically of a mythical “old England” where giants walk through the fields. Many of the characters are not quite what they seem. The play is as rambling as Rooster’s stories but it’s absolutely fascinating. 

I can’t imagine anyone except Mark Rylance playing Rooster Byron. I think that he’s the best stage actor of our generation. He does the playwright Jez Butterworth proud. The way he tells Rooster’s ridiculous stories is hilarious, but he poignantly portrays a marginalised outsider at other times. He’s also very energetic and physical, for example when he dips his head into a barrel of water when he wakes up hungover he does it by doing a handstand, and he is the compelling centre of every scene. Mackenzie Crook is excellent as his main foil, questioning his actions and stories, and the rest of the cast are great too.

So what’s wrong with the play? Well, not much in my opinion! It’s messy and doesn’t tidy up various loose ends, but I like that. It’s a revival; the play is about fourteen years old (Rylance and Crook were in its first incarnation too) so some of the references are a little dated but that doesn’t really matter. I realise that many people see it as a sign of England decaying but I didn’t really get that from it because it’s only one aspect of English life. It’s not quite up there with the best plays I’ve ever seen; that distinction is reserved for The Accidental Death of an Anarchist (many years ago at the Citz starring Craig Ferguson) and Vanishing Point’s modern update of the Beggar’s Opera at the Tramway in 2009. But it is very good and I’m extremely glad that we went to see it.

I should perhaps add, for balance, that at the end of the play James turned to me with a bemused look and said “What was that all about?”

London in May

London in May is lush and beautiful and not as unbearably (for me) hot as it can get in July or August. So we were very happy to go for an afternoon riverside walk with Cat all the way from Goodluck Hope to the Tower of London. We took our time and passed though the former docklands to the modern restaurants of Canary Wharf where we stopped for refreshing cocktails. Then onwards through Limehouse and Wapping which have their own characters; red brick houses and converted warehouses, lots of little parks and canals and basins full of boats and barges. On this sunny Saturday there it was nice to see the Londoners walking in the parks and having drinks sitting outside cafés. It really is a very attractive area. As we approached St Katharine’s Docks it got busier, as you would expect so near to the city. We chose a restaurant there for dinner and had a lovely meal and a chat. By the time we got back to Canning Town by the DLR it was about 9 p.m. Us oldies were exhausted and went back to the hotel for an early night! Well, we had been up early for our flight! 

Airport greenery

We stayed on in Ullapool an extra day so that James could rest up some more after his ordeal; his version of resting up was to work really hard in the garden! This meant that we arrived back in Cambuslang yesterday afternoon and repacked straight away for our London trip. We did have time to reunite with the cats and spend a convivial curry evening with Ally. (Ally seems to have many work commitments in Edinburgh over the next few weeks.)

And here I am blogging on the plane, while waiting to depart at 9.55 a.m. We parked at a new (to us) long stay car park which was only five minutes walk from the airport, and at this time of year it was a very pleasant walk, on a path lined with much foliage; trees and bushes. You could almost forget that you were on a busy airport campus. We were in plenty of time for our flight, and are sitting in the front row so that we have extra leg room. The last time we did this we were assailed with icy blasts of air coming in the door as the other passengers boarded; luckily this time it is only a refreshing springtime breeze.

Au revoir Smiths and so long Seville

Jenn and Russ left on the 10.30 a.m. ferry for the next part of their holiday on the Western Isles, where they will be renting a campervan. We walked down to the village to see them drive onto the ferry, and then waved goodbye from the cottage, although I think that we were too far away to be seen! 

We had a relaxing day around the cottage and James did a bit of gardening, but the evening was always going to be about Rangers playing in the Europa Cup Final. We sat down to watch it at 8 p.m. Meanwhile Ally was watching it with friends in a pub in Glasgow. Davie was watching it in Manchester. Even Jamie, who is not a big football fan, was keeping tabs on the match from New Zealand. Several family members and friends had travelled to Seville, with or without tickets for the match. One of these was our nephew Neil, who was holidaying in Albafueira and then getting a bus to Seville. Seville was full of Rangers fans, many of whom were wearing blue sombreros. When Rangers scored we rejoiced. When Frankfurt equalised we lamented. It went to extra time and then penalties, and sadly Rangers lost. It was hard to take because they had done so well to get this far and it was so very close.

Golfing and hill-walking

Yesterday was not quite so sunny as the weekend but it was still warm and dry. Russ and Josh played golf in the morning while Jennifer and I visited the lighthouse and then went for an early lunch at the Elphin Café, where we had some rather tasty nettle soup. There were baby lambs and baby goats playing around with their mummies outside the windows, they were very sweet. We have a long-standing joke that the Elphin Café is never open when we pass, so we were very gratified to have managed to visit. However Jennifer told me that as we left the café she saw a sign which said that it would be closed from Wednesday to Saturday, so we had better not count on finding it open too often!

James arrived in the afternoon, tired after his awful day on Sunday. We all went for a delicious dinner at the Ceilidh Place, where the menu is much improved on the austere menu used between lockdowns over the last couple of years. 

This morning we all walked up Ullapool Hill, which gave Josh a good view of the area as this is his first visit. There was a cruise ship in the loch, another sign that things are beginning to get back to normal after Covid. I think it’s only the second cruise ship this year, after none at all for the previous two years. I was feeling a bit tired and struggled up the hill, much encouraged by Jennifer. But when we arrived at the top it was James who suddenly felt very unwell. His head was thumping and he felt nauseous. Back at the cottage he took himself off to bed for the afternoon; I think that this could well have been a reaction to the shock of Sunday’s tragedy, even though he coped so well with it at the time. 

He felt a bit better in the evening and came downstairs for a couple of hours. However some drama was about to unfold. First of all there was what sounded like an explosion coming from the direction of the play park. It was probably just a firework but it was loud enough that lots of birds flew out of the trees. We all went outside to see what had happened, and although there was nothing to explain the noise, we noticed that the cruise ship (which had left Ullapool a couple of hours earlier) had returned and was slowly moving back towards the village. A tender appeared and headed to the pier, and then the coastguard helicopter landed on the golf course, where presumably the casualty had been taken by the local ambulance after being met at the pier. The helicopter then set off towards Inverness. The Ullapool Facebook page was buzzing with speculation about both the loud bang (which remained a mystery) and the cruise ship’s return, and someone “in the know” confirmed that a cruise passenger had suffered a heart attack. I hope that they will be ok. 

Gairloch and sad news

Today Russell drove us to Gairloch where he a Josh played golf and Jennifer and I went to the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day and we all had a lovely time. Jennifer and I went for a swim in the sea, which was pretty cold, but we soon warmed up in the sunshine afterwards. We then had tea and scones at the excellent Gale centre café and that’s where I was when James phoned with very bad news. He was leading the hill-walking club day walk on the Fife Coastal path today, and towards the end of the walk one of his friends collapsed and died. This is the first time that there has been a death on any of their club walking trips in 30+ years. James had to deal with the ambulance, police, and looked after the other half dozen walkers. The paramedics worked on the man who collapsed for an hour but James thinks that he had died as soon as he fell down. Instead of driving to Ullapool as planned, James sent the others home, waited at the hospital for his friend’s wife, and after the police broke the news to her he drove her back to her home on the Ayrshire coast. 

In the midst of the shock and sadness there were acts of true kindness and compassion. A passing nurse started CPR while they waited for the ambulance, which arrived very quickly. When their friend was pronounced dead the lead paramedic advised the walkers that they should now look after each other. The owners of the nearby farm shop garden then invited them inside their home for tea and biscuits while they waited for the police. It’s amazing how an emergency can bring out the best in people. 

Smith family visit and Eurovision

Jenn, Russ and Josh too, arrived to visit yesterday. I made a quick trip to Tesco in the morning to get some more groceries, using my wheelie case to transport them back to the cottage. There was fine weather in the afternoon so Russ and Josh went to play a round of golf at Ullapool golf club. This is Josh’s first visit to Ullapool and the furthest north that he has been in Scotland (he has climbed Ben Nevis to raise money for charity, which was his previous furthest north). He is a lovely guest and seems to like the scenery and the cottage very much. While the men were out Jennifer and I had a very pleasant stroll to the village via the campsite and had a cup of tea and a chat while sitting outside Tea by the Sea. The tourists are definitely on the increase, although it’s still not as busy as it will be in July and August. The sea was sparkling and we retraced our steps back to the cottage so as to remain at sea level. 

The FA Cup final was on television and Russ and Josh were back at the cottage in time to watch the last half hour of the match and then half an hour of extra time (because it was a draw.) Jenn and I started watching it too and then it went to penalties which was genuinely very exciting. No sooner had the match finished (Liverpool won) than Eurovision started! So much excitement!

Eurovision was very good and it was fun to watch it with Jennifer. Russ and Josh went off to the pub but returned during the scoring. There were a few too many ballads for my taste, but there were some entertaining acts such as Norway who were dressed as bright yellow wolves and sang about giving the wolf a banana to prevent it from eating Grandma. At least I think that’s what it was about! I noticed that the UK’s entry was unusually tuneful, but like most people I was surprised when we quickly climbed to the top of the leader board during the jury votes. As Graham Norton said “What is happening?” However Ukraine overwhelmingly won the public vote, and while it was clearly due to sympathy and support for their current plight, nobody grudged them their win, least of all Sam Ryder, the good-natured British singer. 

Back at the cottage

Well here I am at the cottage, feeling very happy with my journey and arrival. The bus from Inverness dropped us off at the pier, and I set off with my wheels case. My plan had been to unpack at the cottage and then go out to get groceries, but I decided just to get my groceries on the way so that I wouldn’t have to go out again. This turned out to be a good call, because by the time I arrived at the cottage it had started raining, and this continued throughout the evening. I used the “waking up the cottage” instructions (a laminated sheet kindly left for us by the previous owners) and soon the cottage was warm and cosy. I made my dinner and decided to watch a film.

I chose “Phantom of the Open,” a comedy about golf starring Mark Rylance, and started watching it. Or so I thought. After about fifteen minutes I realised that it wasn’t a comedy and there was no sign of Mr Rylance. It was definitely about golf though, so I thought that maybe the actors in it were younger versions of the main characters and that it would jump ahead in time, something like that. How wrong I was. It turned out that with a slip of the finger I had accidentally selected a similarly titled film “The Open,” starring Jack Eve about a young golfer whose caddy has died tragically and who meets a girl who encourages him to look to the future and try again to qualify for the Open. It was quite a sweet film, rather melancholy in places and very much a love song to the game of golf. I kept watching it until the end. 

I’m now tucked up in bed, all alone in the cottage with no James and no cats - it’s very quiet!

On the way to Ullapool

I’m on the bus from Inverness to Ullapool, the last leg of my journey today. I got the 10.10 a.m. train from Glasgow Queen Street to Inverness this morning. James (who is organising a club hill walk on Sunday so will be joining me after that) very kindly gave me a lift into town and everything went smoothly, I purchased a coffee from a stall before I boarded the train. I have to say that although the renovated Queen Street looks very smart, it has very few facilities compared to Central Station. The train journey was great; the train was quite busy but I had my wee reserved seat at a table beside the window so I was quite happy. I read my book, looked at the scenery, and chatted to a lovely lady from Ardrossan called Annette. 

When I arrived at Inverness I took my time getting off the train because I had loads of time before my onwards journey by bus, and then I looked for the bus station. I asked a lady for directions and she insisted on accompanying me to show me the way; it wasn’t until we were walking along that she told me that she was carrying a bag with two half bottles of wine, which she explained was intended to cut down on her drinking. She told me some things about her life and it was so sad, my heart went out to her. Life can be very difficult. 

At the bus station I had plenty of time for lunch in the café before catching the 3 p.m. bus. We are now barrelling along towards Ullapool, hooray! 

En Route to Normal

We got tickets to see Bill Bailey for Marjory and Forrest’s joint Christmas present - in 2020! Needless to say the event was postponed at least twice due to Covid restrictions, but last night the event finally arrived. I have always enjoyed Bill Bailey’s eccentric mix of music and comedy but I had forgotten just how good he is. It’s really hard to describe; he tells really rambling stories - the one about snails in Indonesia springs to mind - and then segues into one of a huge variety of musical genres. For example a Kraftwerk-style German version of The Wheels on the Bus, which by verse 3 reflects on the futility of life. Or a song by a Cockney Sherpa. Or a flight of fancy about a classist Victorian version of Love Island where most of the contestants die of diseases such as typhoid or cholera. He played rock and classical music, using keyboard, guitars, bells, horns and even the spooky sounding theremin. There’s no point in looking for a theme to all this because it’s more like a musical stream of consciousness, but it was highly entertaining. Anyway, we all enjoyed it, even more so thanks to the excellent seats that James had booked for us very near the front of the stalls.

Silverburn

Yesterday we had a few errands to run in the West End and then we were going to go to the cinema in Silverburn Shopping Centre. The West End bit went well and we went for a rather lovely springtime walk around Kelvingrove Park. But things took a downturn when we got to Silverburn, once memorably described by Andrew B in his childhood as “the most boring place on earth.” We had to pop into three or four shops and James, who thinks nothing of climbing five mountains in a day, quickly became despairing and exhausted. He’s actually a very lucky man that this is a rare occasion for him, because I’m not a keen shopper myself and usually go shopping by myself for speed and efficiency. By the time we got to the cinema he collapsed into a chair while I was buying our coffees in Costa, muttering about the horrifying slow pace of walking in a shopping centre. 

The film cheered him up. We had booked “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” which is a bizarre but fairly funny film starting Nicholas Cage as Nicholas Cage. He is offered a million dollars to attend a super-fan’s birthday party in Mallorca, and of course when he gets there all sorts of complications ensue. It’s no classic but it had us and the rest of the audience laughing out loud. I enjoy making connections between celebrities and I noticed that Cage’s daughter is played by Lily Sheen, daughter of Michael Sheen and Kate Beckinsale, and granddaughter of Richard Beckinsale who died so young and so long ago. We then went back downstairs for a quick meal in Zizzi’s where the service was good but the garlic bread was disappointing. 

A Saucerful of Secrets

We have just had a very enjoyable evening in Edinburgh with Gordon. We started off with a tasty dinner in Topolabamba and then strolled the few steps to the Usher Hall, to see Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, playing the very early music of Pink Floyd. Eagle-eyed blog readers might recall that James and I have seen this band before, in September 2018. I’m just joking, I barely recalled it myself and had to look up the date just now! 

Our seats were very high up in the theatre, steeply banked for a great view. Again the band included ex Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp, long term collaborator Guy Pratt (who mentioned that he is Richard Wright’s ex son-in-law) and of course Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason himself, looking on good form for seventy-eight years old. I enjoyed the music and recognised most of it from James playing his Pink Floyd albums over the years. Pink Floyd fan-boys James and Gordon of course knew it intimately. 

I certainly recognised the lyrics of the last encore “Bike” because James sings them around the house:

“I know a mouse and he hasn’t got a house, I don’t know why I call him Gerald. He’s getting rather old, but he’s a good mouse.”

3rd May 1922

One hundred years ago today, my dad Jim Russell was born. Naturally, I phoned Jennifer this morning and we had a nice chat reminiscing about our father. We were very lucky to know him. He was a remarkable man, and a loving father. It’s twenty-five years since he died, and although I should be grateful that he lived into his seventies I do feel very short-changed, because he was a fit and healthy man who should have lived much longer if his life hadn’t been shortened by cancer. I would have liked to spend more time with him, and for him to have seen his grandsons grow up. He was one of those people who’s always interested in others, and Jennifer and I benefited from his wisdom, his humour and above all his love. 

But a hundred years ago he was a brand new baby. He had a Mum and Dad who loved him and a two-year-old big sister called Margaret. He was born at home in a tenement in Coatbridge which his Mum kept as clean and neat as a new pin. His extended family, who mainly worked in the coal mines of Lanarkshire, lived nearby. His life was all ahead of him.

Happy birthday Dad. 

Girl Goin’ Nowhere

Ashley McBryde had the audience eating out of her hand last night at the O2 in Glasgow. When she sang “And where they said I’d never be is exactly where I am” the crowd went wild as they sang along. And rightly so. She is a great singer and a wonderful performer, and she made us all feel that she was so happy to be touring the UK again after the postponement due to Covid. It was one of those special evenings when you feel as if you are part of a crowd that is in the right place at the right time.

Heather and Ewan had kindly asked me to join them for dinner at Amarone before the concert, and insisted on treating me, before we walked the remarkably short journey across town to Eglinton Street. When we arrived we were told that we had different types of tickets; Heather and Ewan were downstairs and I was sent upstairs to the balcony. I did ask the security lady if I could accompany them but was rather strictly told no! So upstairs I went and managed to get a seat with a rather excellent view. I missed being with my friends but every cloud etc and I was glad that I had a seat. I have spent plenty of time standing at concerts, and indeed dancing, but I do like to have a seat if possible so that I can sit down if I get tired, or between acts. We were plenty early so as I waited first for the support act (Austin Jenkes, who was very good) and then after he finished, another half hour until Ashley McBryde came on, I enjoyed doing some online shopping for summer dresses!