Between Christmas and New Year

Between Christmas and New Year is a funny old time. The year is almost over but not quite; it feels like a temporal no-man’s land. This has been exacerbated this year by the very dull and sometimes very rainy weather. However it has not been unpleasant; relaxation has been interspersed with some festive socialising. On Boxing Day we had lunch at Janie and Robert’s with Julie, Abigail and Graham. We had a good laugh and Ally seemed to enjoy himself despite being the youngest by a couple of decades! Then on the 27th we had dinner at Christine and Gerry’s and had a convivial evening with lots of good chat and also a fun quiz where we guessed the years in which well known events had taken place. 

The next day we travelled to Ullapool. The roads were flooded in places so we had to be particularly careful, and when we followed a diversion off the A9 to save a bit of time we found ourselves on rather snowy roads. They were also rather winding and bumpy so poor Flora vomited in the cat carrier and after clearing up I took her into the front of the car onto my knee. She had been a wee bit sick into Tom too, so it wasn’t very nice for him either. We were all relieved finally to arrive in Ullapool where we got the heating on and James lit a fire. 

Yesterday Davie and Chanel arrived to spend New Year with us and then Abigail and Graham came for dinner; they are staying in Inverness but had travelled to Ullapool to take photos of the Creel Tree and the Christmas lights. I made a gluten free meal which turned out very well if I say so myself! 

Today the weather is worse than ever! No snow yet, but rain and high winds. Despite this James and Davie went out for a big walk while Chanel worked on her maths and I read my book. In the evening Davie, Chanel and I played the Escape Room Game that Marjory and Forrest had given to Davie for Christmas. It was intricately designed and excellent fun; Davie and Chanel were extremely good at working it out even though it was very difficult, they are very clever.

Christmas!

Traditional, family, and fun sums up our Christmas of 2023. On Saturday (23rd) we met up with Heather and Ewan at Anchor Line at the unusual time of 4 p.m. This was because both Heather and Ewan had been working that morning. James and I had made sure that we would be hungry for our meal by having only a slice of toast each for an early lunch. The restaurant was really busy with festive diners, and the meal was lovely. At 6 p.m. we met our youngsters at Metropolitan where we had reserved a booth. We had an almost full turnout, apart from Jamie and Kerry of course; they are hosting the Appleton family in New Zealand over Christmas. Ally, Cat, Davie, Chanel, Andrew, Jennifer and Ryan were all chatting away with us, and it was a joyful occasion. Us old(er) folks set off home after a few hours leaving the young folk to party on!

On Christmas Eve some of our guests dispersed to their Christmas destinations; Davie and Chanel to Liverpool, Cat to Dunlop, leaving Ally at home with James and me. We watched a newish Christmas film (Eddie Murphy in Candy Cane Lane) which was quite good, and went to bed feeling festive.

On Christmas morning we found out that we were all on the Nice List because Santa had visited us all and left us thoughtful and fun gifts. Ally had quite a variety of Santa presents, of which his favourite was a Stanley knife! And the rest of Christmas Day followed our traditional format, which is the way I love it! 

James lit the fire in the lounge and we opened our main presents, then we went round to Marjory and Forrest’s where we had a delightful Christmas morning with them and their young folk. Jamie and Kerry phoned from New Zealand which was good timing because they were able to speak to all of us. The turkey went into the oven when we got home, and the three of us chatted by the fire. Ally received a lego type model of Ibrox to construct from Davie and Chanel, and he loved it and got stuck into it straight away! We switched on the television at 3 p.m. to watch the King’s Christmas Broadcast. I still can’t used to saying “King” instead of  “Queen.” The message was rather bland I thought, he seemed to be very careful not to offend. The Christmas meal went well, everything was well cooked and on time; smoked salmon with blinis and garlic dip, turkey with all the trimmings, and of course sherry trifle, made by James to Grandma’s recipe. Forrest had also made the same trifle for their Christmas dinner! We were so full after dinner, and spent the being relaxing and digesting! A lovely Christmas Day. 

It’s beginning to look a lot like …

The last week has whizzed by in a blur of Christmas preparations, but we are just about done now. Presents are purchased (although some are not wrapped), cards are written and posted or hand-delivered. James has marzipaned and iced the Christmas cake, the turkey and all the trimmings have been ordered, and we went to Aberfoyle last Sunday with Davie and Chanel to choose our Christmas trees. The David Marshall Lodge, where we had our traditional lunch after the trees were lashed to the roofs of our cars, has now been renamed “The Lodge.” I am offended for poor forgotten David Marshall. There used to be a Radio Clyde morning DJ called David Marshall, but it definitely wasn’t named after him because it pre-dated his tenure on Radio Clyde. *

I attended Claire’s 50th birthday party, a very pleasant occasion, and I have walked Vinnie a few times. He has been bitten at Doggie Daycare so has stitches in his side, poor wee soul. We had coffee with Alison and Hugh when they were visiting Glasgow, and Tommy and Carol too. I have been swimming at David Lloyd and also at Peebles Hydro, where we spent a couple of days, using vouchers gifted to us by Marjory and Forrest for my 60th. I’m quite worried about one of my three boys but shall not say more for reasons of confidentiality. As the saying goes, you are only as happy as your least happy child. Hopefully all will be well. 

So here we are, with only a week until Christmas; with the tree decorated and Christmas cards festooning the walls it does feel quite festive. 

* I did some investigation and the lodge was originally named after a David Marshall who was the 1950s chairman of the Carnegie UK Trust.

Two Magpies and the journey home

I heard an interesting exchange in the Two Magpies Café this morning, between a waitress and a customer, neither of whom spoke English as their first language.
“I would like toast please.”
“Would you like white or brown?”
“Not white but not too brown.”
“I mean the colour of the bread not the colour of the toast.”
“Ah I understand, brown please!”
What impressed me was that they could sort out their misunderstanding so quickly. I’m not sure if I could ever manage that in another language, except possibly French. 
Anyway James and I had a delightful brunch at the Two Magpies and then travelled to Tottenham Court Road where we did some successful shoe shopping for James. We then went back to the flat to relax because James’ bad cough has become even worse and is deep in his chest. It was sad to leave Ally and Cat’s flat in the afternoon, they have been such welcoming hosts and the flat is fantastic, with the ever changing colours of the Thames just outside the window. However it was just as well that we left quite early, because there were delays on the Elizabeth line. * It took us two and a half hours to get to Heathrow Airport and then we more or less walked straight on to the plane after queuing through security. It was good to get home and to see the cats, who gave us a big welcome by escorting us to their (already filled by Angela) food bowls. 

* the delays on the Elizabeth line got worse, there was apparently a train caught in the overhead wires so the whole line shut down and people were delayed for hours and had to walk along train tracks to get out. So all credit to James for suggesting that we leave early to avoid the crowds! 

Winter Wonderland

Gosia and Mitchell travelled from their home in Essex in to London this morning in order to meet up with us. What a laugh we had, we had a bite to eat at Canary Wharf and then drinks in the members bar at the Tate Modern, but the highlight of the day was our visit to Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland. Gosia suggested it and we thought, why not? And I’m so glad that we went there! It is a massive installation in Hyde Park, with fairground rides, winter themed pub tents, craft stalls, a Santa area for the children, an ice rink, and probably much more; we were there for a couple of hours and only saw a fraction of it. It was all beautifully decorated with thousands of fairy lights and there were bands playing in the tents and in open areas. It was a strange but appealing mixture of German and Scandinavian and London! It was also very cold, as might be expected on a clear evening in December. However after James and Gosia went on a very high ride where they were swung around in the night sky, they were particularly chilly so we took  refuge in Thor’s Tiki Bar which had real fires burning in raised fire pits in the (hopefully) flame retardant tent. We were lucky to get a bench right beside one of the fires and soon felt quite toasty. We ended the evening with a very good curry in our old favourite, Mala, back at Canary Wharf, and a final drink in a nearby pub before we said our goodbyes to Gosia and Mitchell. It was lovely to see them and we were touched that they had come into London to see us. Back at the flat Ally and Cat had just arrived home from their friends’ house and we had a wee cup of tea before bedtime. 

National Gallery and Harold Pinter Theatre

Today we had planned a museums day, very suitable for the somewhat dreich weather, starting with a return visit to the National Gallery, which we had only visited briefly yesterday. We started off by visiting the Frans Hals exhibition; I enjoyed his many paintings of cheery aristocrats and cheery peasants many of whom were giving a cheeky sideways glance at the artist. As James said, “If you have a winning formula why not stick to it!”
Then we had a really interesting time looking at more Northern Renaissance paintings such as the Arnolfini Wedding Portait. It was amazing to see some of the paintings up close that we have studied in our history of art course. We walked from there to the Tate Britain and had lunch in the members’ room which is very attractive; the tables surround a carved stone stairwell with an impressive high ceiling. We didn’t really have a plan for this visit so just had a wander around. There was some modern art; we saw an art exhibit made entirely out of mounds of rice, with neon light strips along it. Hmmm. It was kind of striking I suppose, and the rice, I think, had been poured carefully into position rather than glued together. There were also lots of Gainsborough paintings; dull and brown landscapes, not my favourite artist. We didn’t get any further, for example to my beloved New Romantics, because it was time to head to Andalusia, the little Spanish tapas restaurant beside the Harold Pinter Theatre. We had a tasty meal with Ally and Cat, and the service was nice and quick so we felt very relaxed. We met Andrew, who was joining us, outside the theatre, and were soon ensconced in our seats ready for the play; Lyonesse, starring two top luvvies, Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James. They were very good and so were the rest of the actors, however the play was not the best. It did raise some very interesting issues about how women are treated by men (and other women) at home and in the workplace, and the blurring of truth and falsehood, but it rather laboured its points and could have dealt with the subject better. The fact that it was still somewhat enjoyable was mainly down the valiant efforts of the talented actors. We headed back to the flat for a cup of tea, en route showing Andrew where we had walked yesterday with Sir Ian McKellen striding in front of us. Ally very amusingly played the part of Sir Ian, rushing along the pavement while giving frightened looks over his shoulder, which I must emphasise is not what happened yesterday! 

We did not follow Sir Ian McKellen home

In fact it was Sir Ian who followed us home this evening, all the way from Wyndham’s Theatre to Limehouse!

To start at the beginning, we took a flight from Glasgow to Heathrow this morning. All went fairly smoothly, but I was irritated that there was no room for my carry-on case in the luggage rack, and that the plane was too warm. We took the Elizabeth Line and then the DLR to Ally and Cat’s flat, where Cat was working from home and made us a coffee. The flat is now almost completely finished and looks beautiful, with the kitchen complete and the dining room table and chairs and the couch in place. The couch deserves special mention; it is perfect for the room, it’s a large and comfortable corner couch in an oatmeal colour, but not too large, just exactly right for the space. After a rest James and I headed to Trafalgar Square and went to the National Gallery for a quick look around. We were chatting to a really helpful and knowledgeable guide who showed us the best angle to look at the skull in the painting “The Ambassadors” by Hans Holbein the Younger, which we were learning about a few weeks ago in our Northern Renaissance Art class. He also showed us how one of the ambassadors’ shoes points in a different direction as you pass the painting, and the handle of the lute too. 

We met up with Gordon, Sheena and Peter at Brown’s in Covent Garden for a pre-theatre dinner, and Ally and Cat joined us a bit later straight from work. The meal was very pleasant and we were very close to Wyndham’s Theatre where we went to see Kenneth Branagh playing King Lear. 

It was great; it’s the first time that I have seen King Lear and I thought that it was an excellent production. Kenneth Branagh was very good as the deteriorating main character, although I couldn’t help feeling that King Lear was very much the author of his own misfortune. The supporting cast were strong and although ultimately tragic, it was a riveting watch. After we said our goodbyes to the Dykes's, the Anderson contingent went round the corner to the stage door to see if Kenneth Branagh was going to come out. No doubt he did eventually, but it was a chilly wait so after about 15 minutes we gave up and decided to head home. Just as we did so two elderly men exited the stage door * and eagle eyed Cat noticed that one of them was Sir Ian McKellen, wearing a hoodie under his jacket. Well we already knew that Sir Ian lives very near Ally and Cat, so we weren’t too surprised when he also headed to Tottenham Court Road Underground Station. He and his friend were ahead of us but we overtook them, and then we all stopped at an amazing art installation just outside the station. As well as art projected onto the walls, the ceiling appeared to open up and as you watched you felt as if you were shooting up through the clouds and stars. It was splendid. Down we went into the underground station and Sir Ian turned the other way, but lo and behold he appeared on the platform just along from us. We realised that he must have taken the lift, which is fair enough since he is eighty-four. We then changed into the DLR at Bank and the same thing happened again, just as we boarded the train the hooded figure of Sir Ian appeared at the other end of the platform. By this time it all felt slightly comic. As we got off the train at Limehouse Sir Ian came walking towards us and from his stare he had definitely clocked by this time that he had seen the same four people throughout his journey. Especially because we had all accidentally made eye contact with him once or twice during the journey, so he knew that we knew who he was. He finally peeled off to head east along Narrow Street while we headed west. I do hope that he didn’t think that we were stalking him. It did add a frisson of excitement to our journey though! 

* a visit by his luvvie chum Sir Ian is probably what delayed Kenneth Branagh from leaving the theatre. I should really say Sir Kenneth since he is also a knight! 

Curry and Mince Pies

We woke to a snowy landscape on Saturday morning which looked very pretty, however I didn’t appreciate it as I should have because I had a really bad headache and spent the morning in bed. Luckily it cleared up and I was able to accompany James to Heather and Ewan’s in the evening, where they treated us to a tasty takeaway curry from Rasoi and a convivial evening of chat.

On Sunday morning we were up bright and early to go to the Claymore Hotel in Arrochar to meet the rest of the hill-walking club including Davie and Chanel. This was our annual Mince Pies outing, which for us signals the start of the festive season. As usual it was a lovely and friendly occasion, organised by Steven and Hilary, who had put a lot of work into organising it. My contribution was a quiz for the adults and a matchbox treasure hunt for the children. I had changed up the treasure hunt from last year, with new items to hunt for. The six children, who were grandchildren of hill-walking club members, were absolutely delightful young people; polite and enthusiastic. At the end of the walk I marked their excellent efforts and prizes were handed out to all. Steven and Hilary also held a popular chocolate tasting challenge. Soon Santa (who bore a suspicious resemblance to Steven!) arrived amid jingle bells and singing, and it turned out that we had all been good this year because we all got presents. It was a joyful afternoon. 

Good old Jools

We went to see Jools Holland at the Armadillo this evening, he comes to Glasgow every year in December with his band and various guests, and we have seen him lots of times. This year his concert coincided with Madness playing at the Hydro just across the way. We had already booked Jules before Madness announced their tour, but if both concerts had been announced at the same time I think that we would have found it quite hard to choose between these two favourites! 

Out train was crowded with both sets of fans; some of the Madness fans were wearing Fez’s but apart from that it was impossible to tell them apart because they seemed to be of exactly the same mix of demographics. The age group was predominantly (late) middle aged, with a few younger and older outliers. When we all emerged from the tunnel overpass from Exhibition Centre station we either turned left to the Hydro or straight on to the Armadillo. 

Jools was on good form, with his band performing all the old favourites and a few new ones. He soon had the crowd up singing and dancing and it was good fun. When we arrived back at Exhibition Centre station later there was a train just arrived in the station so we were able to hop straight on to get home in time for a cup of tea and a slice of Battenberg cake. 

Well done to Davie

Yesterday afternoon we got some fantastic news from Davie. He had an interview for a Research Technician post at Glasgow University Centre for Virus Research last week, and yesterday he found out that he got it! I am such a proud mama! He has been working so hard to get a research post in science even though it must have been discouraging for him because jobs have been few and far between over the last year. He did get a couple of short term lab jobs when he was in Manchester but now he has not only been offered a research job, it’s at the same fabulous centre of excellence where he did his Master’s. It’s exactly where he wants to be!

So today James and I went to Stirling to take Davie out for brunch in order to celebrate. We went to a very pleasant café (how does Stirling have so many lovely cafés?) and chatted, Davie told us about his interview and I could tell from what he said that he absolutely aced it. He is so happy. After our meal we went for a wander around the streets of Stirling and I got advent calendars for him and Chanel. We walked back to his flat via the winding path up around the city walls. Stirling is so historic and attractive.

Troon Beach and a Cosy Fire

Today we went to Troon for a walk on the beach. It was a grey day; silky grey sea, grey sky, grey rain clouds approaching slowly from the west. We couldn’t even see Arran because of the low cloud. We walked about 7 km, from the golf course up and down the beach, then along to the Venice Cafe and back. We had a tasty brunch in the café. It had started to rain, a thin, fine rain, by the time we got back to the car. 

Back at home James lit the fire in the lounge and made a Madeira cake which smelled gorgeous. We relaxed in front of the fire all afternoon. James started a new jigsaw and Tom amusingly stood on his hind legs at the coffee table and pulled a few jigsaw pieces on to the carpet. Perhaps he was trying to help James with the jigsaw? After dinner both cats joined us in the living room where we watched another couple of episodes of the watchable but not outstanding “Manifest” a series about a plane that disappears and then reappears to find that five years have passed, much to the consternation of the passengers and their families, who thought that they were dead. We are now on the fourth and final series and have committed so many of our evenings to it that we feel that we must finish it! 

Two walks

On Friday I went for two walks. The first, in the morning, was with Lil, who has recently had a hip replacement, a couple of weeks ago. We walked twice around the block from her house, and I was impressed by her speed and steady gait. She’s still using forearm crutches outdoors, and I think her hip is still uncomfortable sometimes, but she’s getting on really well. 
My second walk, in the afternoon, was with the irrepressible Vinnie. We had a fine old time bounding around Cambuslang Park (him), playing with other dogs (him) and chatting to their owners (me). I’m glad to say that Ferne is home from the hospital after her six weeks of chemo, so I’m not sure whether any more dog walking will be required. She has more treatment to come, but will be based at home, which is so much better for her family. I saw her when I took Vinnie home, just awake after a nap, and she looked so cute. 
James and I then took the train in to town to meet Abigail and Graham at Chaophraya, a Thai restaurant which we haven’t been to before. We had a delicious (and surprisingly spicy) meal and a convivial evening. 

Embarrassing fall

I had lunch with Gran Jan today. At the age of eighty-nine she doesn’t even need to use a walking stick; she’s amazing and looks much younger than her age. All the same I’m always a little concerned in case she falls when we are walking along the pavement, I would hate for her to hurt herself. However as we walked along to Bothwell Church to the café it was in fact I who tripped and fell, grazing both knees lightly and bruising my left elbow rather painfully. Despite my embarrassment the irony of the situation was not lost on me; I should have been watching my step since Gran Jan is clearly steadier on her feet than me! Once she was sure that I was (mostly) unhurt we continued to the church and had an extremely pleasant lunch, chatting about family and friends and life. 

Art History and Book Club

Today was the last of our ten Art History classes on Northern Renaissance Art. It ended with Hans Holbein the Younger’s many secular portraits of the wealthy in the first half of the 16th century. I have enjoyed the course very much but it was very fast-paced so I will need to do lots of reading and looking at paintings. I would quite like to repeat the class so that I could take more in! We went to the delightful but very expensive Eusebi Deli before the class because it was the last day. 
This evening I went to EK book club at Fiona’s house. It was a rainy and windy evening so I didn’t feel very enthusiastic about going out, but I was very glad that I went. The book discussion on “How to Kill your Best Friend” was very interesting, and we had a good laugh about all sorts of subjects. What a nice bunch of girls they are. 

My first Sourdough Loaf

Jamie and Davie both make excellent sourdough bread, which I have tasted with admiration in New Zealand and in Manchester, so I thought that it was about time for me to have a go as well. Armed only with the online BBC Good Food recipe, I bought some strong bread flour and got started. The starter seemed rather thick to me, but Davie assured me that it can be like that, so I have pressed on, obeying the instructions to “feed” it every day. The instructions that the sourdough starter would start bubbling after 3 to 4 days, but mine became quite lively on the second day. Phone consultations with both Jamie and Davie encouraged me that the starter was progressing suitably. However I was not confident that the temperature of the utility room is right or that my quantities were accurate enough, so Jamie told me that he has decided to send me an early Christmas present - the same bread-making book that he uses. 
After seven days the time came to make my bread, and it was very successful to my surprise! It didn’t look very pretty and I think that the dough was just a bit too wet, but the taste was great. James bought a couple of avocados and we mashed them up and spread them on the sourdough bread for lunch, and it was delicious. 
The bread-making book has arrived and, while I continue to feed my starter, I have started reading it. There is much more information than in the BBC recipe and I’m looking forward to improving my method in my next attempt. 

Greta van Fleet

Our train journey from Manchester to Glasgow on Sunday started out on a very busy train due to an earlier cancellation; we had to struggle through the crowds to reach our reserved seats. Everyone was a bit grumpy and the guard kept making announcements over the tannoy about moving up and making space for people. Chanel was doing some word puzzles and people in nearby seats were joining in. At one point Chanel asked for help with the clue “What’s another name for a railway official?” and a voice shouted “wanker!” which I must admit was very funny given the circumstances! Everyone around us was laughing so it lightened the mood. Our train from Carlisle to Glasgow was cancelled and we had to wait an hour for the next one. That’s two significant delays in two days. When we got to Motherwell James met us and we gave Chanel a lift home to Stirling. 
On Monday James went to see the rock group Greta van Fleet at the Hydro; recommended to us by Kevin Appleton. I had offered my ticket to Ewan because I knew that the concert would not really be my cup of tea, and he kindly agreed to take my place. This turned out to be an excellent decision for all concerned; James and Ewan both enjoyed it very much and went for a lovely Italian meal in Joia beforehand. 
This morning we were on the train to Edinburgh to meet Janet and Peter for lunch, and we got chatting to a very pleasant American couple from Nantucket who were on holiday in Scotland with their teenage children. They mentioned that they had visited Glasgow in order to go to a concert of their daughter’s favourite rock band, which had been sold out when they had tried to get tickets in Boston - yes they had also been at Greta van Fleet! They had even been in the same section as James and Ewan! 

Hamilton and Bubble Tea

I booked tickets for a second visit to Hamilton the musical for me and my fellow Hamilton Superfan Chanel. At the time of our first visit it was only on in London, but it has now branched out to Edinburgh and Manchester too. I booked tickets for Manchester because that’s where Davie and Chanel were living at the time, but they have now moved to Stirling, so Chanel and I took the train to Manchester and had a night in a Premier Inn. The first train was fine and uncrowded but the second one terminated at Preston due to signal problems and we had to get on a very crowded train for the last leg of our journey. We checked in to our Premier Inn and then went wandering around the Christmas markets which was extremely pleasant. We had doughnuts in Tim Hortons and got some brown sugar bubble tea with tapioca pearls in the Arndale Centre. This is Chanel’s favourite flavour and it was very nice - it was my first ever bubble tea! We found a lovely wee Italian restaurant near the Palace Theatre, but we were getting a bit short of time and weren’t even all that hungry, so we booked supper there for after the show instead. 

Hamilton was fantastic. Chanel thought that it was even better than when we saw it in London and I agree with her. The actors were all brilliant and, seeing it for the second time, I felt that I understood the nuances of the plot better. As a result I was in tears as we left the theatre; Hamilton’s early demise, and that of his son, were just so sad. I cheered up over a delicious supper and discussed the musical before strolling back to the hotel. 

A parcel for New Zealand

Yesterday I wrapped the Christmas presents so that we could post them to New Zealand in plenty of time. It took ages, but I’m pleased with the gifts and I hope that they are enjoyed. James found a suitably sized box and we packed in the presents neatly with some bubble wrap to fill in any spaces, and then he sealed the box thoroughly with a great deal of parcel tape. Then came the paperwork (James did that too; after all I had done all of the wrapping and labelling!) The forms were footery and there was much groaning and complaining from James, who was so exhausted by the time that they were printed out and affixed to the parcel that he had to pour himself a restorative glass of whisky. 
There was a question about Jasmine’s present that I needed to ask Jamie, and a few minutes later he phoned us from New Zealand, where it was morning. He was at home and in the middle of making sourdough bread. He very usefully gave us a demonstration of how to fold it for its second proving (it was a video call) and the three of us had a nice chat. He’s very excited about his new Tesla car, which should arrive in December. 
This morning I took the parcel to a local newsagent which the website had assured us was a pick up point for FedEx. It turned out, after I had humphed the parcel across the road to it, that this information was false, so I decided that I would just drive up to Bellshill to the FedEx depot there. I handed in the parcel and then headed to David Lloyd for my swim. Let’s hope it gets through NZ customs and arrives unscathed at its destination in good time for Christmas. 

In the park with Vinnie

I love walking Vinnie, he is such a good-natured dog. At three years old he is in his prime and oh boy can he run fast! He’s so strong and wiry. Mainly he runs after his ball, and sometimes to greet another dog. He is so enthusiastic and friendly that it doesn’t cross his mind that the other dog might not be just as excited to see him. And for the most part they are pleased to see him, especially larger dogs of his own size, and much dancing and chasing and roly poly ensues! Especially with his friend Hudson, a golden Labrador. We usually walk through Holmhills Park, visit the ponds to have a look at the ducks, and then cross the road into Canbuslang Park for more fun and frolics. Vinnie loves a dog treat and I have to ration these out during our walk or he would eat them all at once. He is shameless about begging other dog owners for treats, but if I give a treat to another dog (with the owner’s permission of course) Vinnie tries to grab it! Our walk takes between an hour and an hour and a half, and when we get back to his house he is so good about holding up each paw in turn so that I can clean the mud off them. He even has his own teddy which he takes to his dog bed with them. Vinnie is such a sweet boy. 

James plays the guitar

I really admire how conscientiously James does his guitar practice every day. He goes into his study every afternoon and soon music can be heard wafting out. He never misses a practice. I gave him five music lessons for his birthday earlier this year and what with our various holidays he has only recently finished them (he has a lesson every two or three weeks) I’m glad to say that he has decided to continue with another five lessons to see how he progresses. This morning I was having a wee coffee with Libby in Eaglesham and we were chatting so much that I totally lost track of the time and was late home. I let James know that I was on my way and understandably he wasn’t best pleased because he had to take a taxi in order to arrive at his lesson in time (the hazards of having only one car.) I felt very guilty so when I went over to collect him I took him to Hugh’s in Burnside for afternoon tea. This cheered him up and I was forgiven. 

Ladies’ Charity Lunch

Today I went to a charity lunch to raise money for the Beatson and  the Pancreatic cancer charity, invited by Brewin Dolphin. These charities are close to my heart because of Jackie and my Dad. I was asked if I would like to bring a friend and I invited Heather. Not only did I enjoy her company, it was great that Heather has been to many charity dances so could show me the ropes, as this was my first ladies’ charity lunch. We met at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the Armadillo and were soon called through for lunch. We didn’t know anybody at our table apart from our host Lynn, but she and the other ladies were friendly and we chatted a bit in between the entertainment, not that we could hear each other very much due to the fairly loud music in the background. The event was hosted by Suzy McGuire, a DJ from Nation Radio, and she did a great job of presenting everything. We had brought money to put into the raffle, and although we didn’t win any of the major prizes, we each won a smaller prize. Mine was an interesting book about Glasgow buildings, but Heather did even better by winning 12 handmade cupcakes from the very expensive Newlands Bakery, to be ordered at a time of her choosing. There was a fashion show which was fun, the meal was nice, champagne (and soft drinks) flowed, and after the raffle and auction there was dancing to Motown music. By about 4 Heather and I felt ready to leave and I gave her a lift home which gave us the chance to have a proper chat. It has been fun but so loud! Would I go to another one? Definitely yes. 

Lovely Visit to Nairn

We have had a lovely time visiting Alison and Hugh for the past few days in Nairn. On Thursday afternoon, we all walked along nearby Nairn beach which was absolutely beautiful in the low, late autumn sunlight. Our four shadows stretched long and thin across the sand. The next day, James and Alison climbed Ben Rinnes, while Hugh and I explored nearby Dufftown in order to find a suitable café for lunch. We also visited Glenfiddich Distillery, which is situated in a very picturesque group of old buildings just on the edge of town, and has a nice shop where I purchased a jigger for Kevin and Jenny‘s Christmas. For those who don’t know, a jigger is a measure for whisky; the one I bought is decorated with a stag’s head and measures 50 ml, which is two shots. The hill didn’t take our intrepid hillwalkers very long, and in due course we picked them up from the Ben Rinnes car park and headed to the Keith and Dufftown Heritage Railway for lunch.  It has a disused railway carriage which has been set up as a wee restaurant for soup, sandwiches and cake. it was a lovely lunch. After a bit of a rest back at the house, we went out for dinner to the delightful Ozzy’s, which we have visited before. The meal was splendid. On Saturday we decided to head into the Black Isle, an area which James and I don’t know very well. We were pleasantly surprised as we went along the coast through some beautiful villages. The village of Avoch for example, which Alison, explained to me is pronounced Och. The prettiest of them all is called Rosemarkie. We went for a walk up the Fairy Glen there, which looked absolutely gorgeous with its paths all covered in autumn leaves of gold, brown and red, and it had several very pretty waterfalls. We then walked to the beach from where we could see Fort George across the water. We could see that the locals were preparing for their annual bonfire. The little beach café was closed, but we walked along to the Crofters café which was really lovely and we had a very nice late lunch. When looking at the cake counter I foolishly left my bag on the floor, which meant a 45 minute drive to retrieve it later, but that didn’t spoil the day. By the time I got back to the house to join the others, it was time for pre-dinner drinks and another lovely meal made by Alison. We set off home at about 10 and made good time arriving just after 1 a.m. The advantage of driving home in the evening was that there was almost no traffic until Perth. The disadvantage was it was distinctly frosty and perhaps even icy in places on the small roads south of Nairn, however, all went well and we arrived home to be greeted by two very surprised cats. 

Nae Expectations

I wish that there were more excellent plays like this performed in Glasgow. I think that we really suffer from the allegedly temporary closure of the Citizens’ Theatre, where I saw so many great plays over the years. It must have been closed for at least five years now. Anyway, this evening we went to the Tron Theatre to see Nae Expectations, a Scottish take on Dickens’ Great Expectations. It was really brilliant, as were each and every member of its small cast. The best known actor was Karen Dunbar, who played a truly disturbing Miss Haversham, veering between playful and evil. The rest of the cast were Simon Donaldson, Jamie Marie Leary, Gerry Mulgrew, Grant Smeaton and Gavin Jon Wright, and I mention them all because they were all so outstanding. They have all done some television and film work but according to the programme they are mainly theatre actors. The play itself was very well adapted from the novel although in order to stage it with a small cast and keep it to a reasonable length it was simplified quite a bit. This meant that some of the characters were less nuanced, and some were missed out altogether. Some of the events, for example the ending, were different too. All the same it was a pleasure to watch this quirky and very Scottish version of Dickens’ classic novel. 

The Game of Life

Heavy rain arrived as expected this morning but we were not downhearted and went to the Kylescu Hotel for lunch. Despite the dreich weather we enjoyed the autumnal colours of the mountains on our way north. The loch at Kylescu was choppy and a churned up turquoise colour that was quite spectacular. The lunch was very tasty, and we benefited from the slightly lower prices resulting from their bad publicity on social media earlier this year! It was still pricey, but an excellent meal. On the way back to Ullapool we saw quite a few deer on the lower slopes of the hills and then suddenly came across a stag and a doe grazing right beside the road. They were beautiful and since there was no other traffic on the road we stopped the car to take a few photos. The stag lifted his head, four points on each antler, and looked at us calmly while munching away, his jaw going from side to side. We relaxed beside the fire before enjoying a pleasant evening including playing the Game of Life Board Game with much hilarity. For the record, Ewan won the Game of Life! 

Asparagus Risotto

The weather remained dry today so we headed to Corrieshalloch Gorge in the morning to try out the new path to the falls from the visitor centre. It is better than the old one, a bit longer and through pleasant woodland with the river descending over a series of small falls towards the main event. The Gorge surprises me every time with how deep it is; from one side of the bridge the drop is fairly dramatic, but from the other side you can see the water plummeting to rocks hundreds of feet below. We spurned the outdoor café at the visitor centre (why did they not plan an indoor café which would have been more appropriate for the majority of the Scottish year?) and returned to Ullapool where we walked along the front, did a bit of shopping and had a pleasant lunch in the Cult Café. 

Later James made his delicious asparagus risotto and we all watched Strictly Come Dancing, of which Heather and Ewan have always been fans, as have I. I used to love watching it with Grandma but since she died I haven’t seen it much because James isn’t keen on it. In fact I haven’t seen any episodes this year. So I was thrilled to get the chance to watch the show and thoroughly enjoyed it. A very pleasant evening in front of the fire. 

Small Steps

We are enjoying our time in Ullapool with Heather and Ewan this weekend. The weather is rather blustery but we set off up Stac Pollaidh this morning because the forecast was for dry weather. The other three are more than a little bit fitter than me, in fact they are in a different league! So when I got tired I decided to head back down the hill, which would mean that they didn’t have to keep waiting for me in the chilly wind on their way to the summit. I was a bit disappointed with myself but not very; better to go half way up than not attempt it. 
Similarly I only went half way up James last Donald, Croft Head, last Saturday 21st. That time I was with James, Ally, Cat, Davie and Chanel; the young ones had turned up to celebrate with James which was very sweet. Kenny, Cornel and Bob had also come along. I could easily have made my excuses and stayed at home, but I’m pleased that I went on the walk even though I turned back. On the way home we stopped in Moffat for coffee and scones at the Rumbling Tum café, and we went to the famous Moffat Toffee Shop where not only did we purchase many tins of toffee but also some Moffat Toffee Ale. James tells me that it’s sickly sweet which isn’t surprising!
That evening we went to see Lindisfarne with Gordon and Morag, and Davie and Chanel came too, which was very good natured of them considering that they hadn’t heard of them until we played them some of their music last weekend! It was an excellent concert, Lindisfarne always put on a great show; and soon we were all singing along. Interestingly we had never been to the venue before; the Mackintosh Church in Garscube Road in Maryhill. Designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, it has all of the features that you would expect in the shapes of the windows and the stonework, and is very attractive. 

Gaza and Israel

I suppose I should say something about the current situation in Israel and Palestine. It’s terribly sad and has proved to be a very divisive subject in the UK and no doubt all around the world. Most people blame one or the other “side” but as far as I can see the people who are suffering are innocent people, men, women and children, on both sides. I do feel that the recent attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians have made a bad situation even worse. I know that there is a long and complex history in this conflict but surely there was just no point in suddenly attacking Israel like that. What on earth did Hamas think was going to happen next? And now more and more people are being murdered on both sides by bombs and rockets, and no sign of an end to it. This evening communications have gone down in Gaza and it looks like a large land invasion may be about to begin. It must be terrifying for the people in Gaza. My heart goes out to them and to the people of Israel too. 

Culloden Battlefield

James headed to Ullapool with the cats on Tuesday but I stayed behind in Cambuslang because I had a few things on. On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I took Vinnie for a walk in the morning, he’s such a lovely boy; on Wednesday Suzy and Harris came too. 

On Wednesday afternoon I went to our course on Northern Renaissance Art, which I’m still enjoying very much. Our enthusiastic lecturer goes at a heck of a pace, and I have not done the reading that I have intended in between lectures in order to go into more detail about the paintings, but it doesn’t matter. It’s a pure joy to learn about the art and how it is linked to society and history. I have always wanted to understand the paintings in art galleries better, and I’m looking forward to visiting some of the Art Galleries that house them. They are scattered all over Europe but there are quite a lot in the National Gallery in London, (of which I am currently a member) and I’d love to visit St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent to see Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece. In the evening I went to my EK book club. What a nice bunch of girls and what a laugh we had!

Heather and Ewan kindly gave me a lift to Inverness this morning where we met James at Culloden Battlefield, the venue suggested by Heather. The visitor centre has a very good café and an interesting exhibition about the battle, and we even went on a battlefield tour which was useful to understand where the troops had marched from and had clashed together. I have done a tour before, with my Mum and the boys, in about 2003, when the guide was dressed as a highland soldier complete with sword and shield. Ally got to hold the shield and was thrilled. This time the guide was informative but not quite so entertaining. 

I transferred into James’ car for the last part of the journey and when we were settled in at the cottage we had James’ sweet potato and peanut curry; it was delicious. 

Meikle Bin in Autumn

This morning James and I went to walk up Meikle Bin. It was a gorgeous day; sunny and cloudy, with a temperature inversion over Glasgow as we drove up into the Campsies. We wanted to take advantage of the good weather because Storm Babet was predicted for later in the week. We set off in decent time and walked in towards the hill, where we saw spiders’ webs glistening on the long grass beside the path. The sun was shining through the tall pine trees. By the time we reached the picnic bench at the bottom of what I jokingly call the death zone, I was ready for coffee and a snickers bar. We then pressed on for the last steep, but mercifully short, pull up to the top of the hill. The cloud was still circling around, which meant that the view appeared, and disappeared after another coffee and the obligatory summit photos, we decided to set off downhill by the longer and more circuitous route. I had some misgivings about this because I remembered reading through mud and climbing over fallen trees the last time I went there. James assured me that the route is now much clearer than it used to be. Well, how wrong he was! The path started well but soon we were sliding through mud and climbing over a burn and through trees. Admittedly we probably took a slightly wrong turning. After what seemed like ages we emerged from the wilderness and onto a forestry commission track and thence back to the car. Despite the muddy diversion it was still a great wee walk. 

Friends and family

I met up with a few old friends last week. Old in length of friendship rather than in age I hasten to say. I had a very pleasant coffee with Jennifer G in Starbucks at Kingsgate on Wednesday and we had a good chat and caught up on lots of news. Then on Thursday I met up with my lovely school friends in Zizzi’s as usual. Now that we are all in our sixties some of the chat is about engagements and marriages of our children, and even grandchildren - Wendy has a grandchild and another on the way, and Libby has a grandchild on the way. How our lives move on. 

On Friday I had lunch with Philippa at the Dandelion Café. It was great to see her and she was telling me all about Mhairi’s wedding. It sounded like a wonderful day for Mhairi, I had already seen a lot of the photos online and she was a beautiful bride. 

And then on Sunday it was family time; Davie and Chanel came for lunch. James decided to make roast beef with all the trimmings and he made a lovely job of it; he even made his own Yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce. The horseradish sauce was so hot that it nearly took the top of our heads off! It was a happy and convivial afternoon. 

Northern Renaissance Art Course

Back in Scotland the first thing we noticed was that the temperature was about 12 degrees cooler. However the heavy rain and flooding that we had accidentally avoided by going to London for the weekend was gone, replaced by pale blue skies and sunshine. On Wednesday we went to our art class; Northern Renaissance Art. I love it but am finding it rather hard to get my head around. Every time I think that I have a grasp of it, the keen young lecturer throws in a fact that contradicts my impressions. I suppose that it’s more complex than I thought! Our first class was in the Boyd Orr building but we have now been moved to the St Andrews Building, which I like because it has many happy teaching course memories for me. I’m not kidding, I met some lovely people there. There are some lovely wee cafés around there, the best known of which is the Eusebi Deli. I used to go there with Jackie, so I felt a bit sad at first when we went in there for an early lunch on Wednesday. She loved it there; Jackie really enjoyed finding new places to eat but she will never have the leisure of retirement to explore more. Lunch was delicious and so handy to nip across the road for our art course. We’re beginning to get to know the faces; some people are very knowledgeable already and have visited most if not of all the art galleries and churches in Europe containing Northern Renaissance Art. My favourite classmate is Bruce, a very clever elderly man who asks lots of questions but in such a mumble (could be for medical reasons) that our poor lecturer struggles to understand him. The look on his face is priceless as he tries to pick out words from Bruce’s lengthy questions. Then he says “Good point, yes we’re going to cover that shortly!” 

Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms

We were due at the Tate Modern at 12.45 today, so we decided that we had plenty of time to walk the 7 km from Westferry. I was finding it a bit hot for walking so I suggested that we cross to the south side of the river, which is more shady in the morning. My timing was good because we were just approaching Wapping Underground Station, so we took the tube under the river to Rotherhithe. What a beautiful (and pleasingly shady) walk we had along the river to Southwark. There were some pretty little pubs and historic places, such as the poignant statues of “Dr Salter’s Daydream” which featured a realistic cat. I have never walked along that stretch of the river before. Eventually we arrived into familiar and busy territory at the Golden Hind and Clink Street, and continued past the Globe to the Tate Modern. We were just in nice time for our time slot to see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms. No spoilers for anyone going to see them, but if you like mirrors and lights you will love this exhibition! And I did like it, although I was somewhat bemused by it too. Our tickets included lunch in the Bar & Kitchen on the 6th floor and, since I hadn’t really cooled down yet from my walk, I was absolutely delighted that the restaurant was air-conditioned. It also had splendid views across the river to St Paul’s Cathedral. We relaxed over a delicious lunch and I gradually cooled down until I felt completely comfortable. 
And then it was time to start on our journey home. We took a river ferry all the way back to Canary Wharf; the journey was really lovely in the sunshine. We only had a short journey to City Airport which was nice and quiet, as was the plane. We arrived home to a very rainy Glasgow, however it was great to see the kitties. Flora seems very well after being looked after by Davie, Chanel and Angela. 

Chanel and Abba

We arrived bright and early at the V&A just after 9 a.m. this morning. A bit too early in fact, because the museum didn’t open until 10 a.m! Nothing daunted, we had coffee and pastries at a nice wee café just along the road. At 10 we joined the short queue and on admission we went straight to the Chanel exhibition. I had cleverly booked this months ago, and this was confirmed by overhearing a lady asking a museum official about it and being told that the exhibition is fully booked until the end of its run. We both enjoyed the exhibition, and due to watching many seasons of The Great British Sewing Bee we appreciated the skill of the design and the precision of the sewing. 
We met up with Gordon, Sheena and Peter at Figo, an Italian restaurant in Stratford shopping centre and had a very nice meal and chat. Then it was on to the show, Abba Voyage. I had heard good things about this concert, with the members of Abba represented by avatars. It surpassed all of my expectations. At first I wasn’t sure if the figures on the stage were avatars, because they looked so realistic. It was surreal! The technology is absolutely amazing. Only in close up on the big screens did I notice, and only a little bit, that the expressions on the faces were maybe a little too smooth and perfect. But it was at least 99% realistic. The audience, who were very much of our own demographic, were extremely enthusiastic, and the concert was sold out. In fact Sheena said that she heard it is sold out until at least Christmas. The whole experience was fantastic and I think that all five of us felt the same; at the end we were discussing it in amazement. What a great evening. As a bonus we had a very short journey back to the Premier Inn at Westferry. 

A London walk and curry

I woke this morning with a headache at about 6.30 a.m. but luckily that was early enough to take some painkillers and then get another hour’s sleep, after which I felt much better. We had a late breakfast with Ally and Cat at the Two Magpies, then walked along Regent’s Canal towpath, north from Limehouse Basin to Victoria Park. James and I have never been to Victoria Park before and I thought that it was really lovely; it has a little lake at its centre with lots of paths, trees and grass. I had a goodly rest in the shade because I was very hot, while the much fitter James, Ally and Cat circuited round the park and bought my favourite pasteis de nata from a food market. We then walked on to Stratford Stadium where we could hear the roar of the crowd as West Ham were playing Newcastle. I had genuinely enjoyed the canal path walk and the pleasant company, but my old issue with heat was back with a vengeance, so I said farewell to the intrepid walkers and took the DLR from Stratford to Poplar. The only problem was that it was very very busy with football fans who were now streaming from the stadium in all directions, so I had to wait in a big queue.
We met Ally, Cat and Andrew for dinner at Mala in Canary Wharf; the meal was absolutely excellent and we had such a happy, fun evening. After dinner we headed for drinks to the biergarten at the Munich Cricket Club, which I think is James’ new favourite pub in London! 

Still summer in London

James flew down to London on Friday as planned but I booked a new flight for this morning so that I could keep an eye on Floof for a bit longer until our heroes Davie and Chanel arrived to look after her for the weekend. The weather in Scotland and around Glasgow has been getting increasingly rainy to the point that there are now yellow weather warnings for much of the area. As I set off by taxi to the airport this morning there were huge puddles across the roads, and from what I have seen on news and social media website this continued to become more severe until roads were blocked by floods and there were overflowing rivers and landslips. So it felt particularly strange to arrive in a warm (24 degrees) and sunny London, it was as if I had travelled back in time to summer. Luckily I had checked the weather forecast and I have packed summer dresses! I met up with James, Ally and Cat at the Munich Cricket Club, a German pub and restaurant in Canary Wharf and we had lunch sitting outside. Then we went back to Ally and Cat’s flat where I saw their completed kitchen and living room floor - what a difference! The flat is so very nearly finished and it looks fantastic. We also sat out on their balcony overlooking the river; such amazing views. Later, after a lovely tapas dinner in the little Andalusia Restaurant, we went to the Harold Pinter Theatre to see Mark Rylance in Dr Semmelweis. It was very intense and moving. I really enjoyed it and so did Ally and Cat. James was not so convinced. It happened to be the very last performance of the run and the cast were quite emotional and Mark Rylance made a wee speech thanking everyone. After we left the theatre we walked to Bank Underground Station in the warm evening that was just like summer, I think that it’s unseasonably warm even for London.

Wee Floof

We have had a frightening cat incident here. Flora got up from a nap yesterday at about tea time and screamed and hissed and then her front legs sort of collapsed and she fell down. She lay on the floor frightened for a couple of minutes then got up and tried to head behind the couch, but her legs collapsed again. 
We scooped her up (James had the presence of mind to grab the cat carrier on our way out) and rushed her up to Taylor Vet at Cathkin and they were great; we were taken straight in and they immediately did tests. The worst case is a neurological issue which would be very bad. Her bloods were fine and her x ray showed no skeletal damage but she was very constipated. So the vet, Elena, gave her painkillers and some sort of laxatives. By the time we got to the car Flora had already done a big poo (in the cat carrier!) I’m really hoping that the pain of severe constipation is what caused her to collapse, because that would rule out more serious issues. When we got home Flora was very agitated and kept chewing and biting at the bandage covering her catheter; she also ran about the house with no collapsing. We set up a litter tray in the kitchen because she was to stay indoors, which did not please her.
Back at the vet’s this morning Flora seemed fine, with no symptoms at all. It’s a mystery. The vet thought that the collapse could have been the pain of severe constipation or possibly she sniffed a toxin e.g. weedkiller which could explain the transient nature of her symptoms.
I was not happy about leaving her unsupervised so Davie and Chanel have very kindly travelled here to cat sit over the weekend so that we could head to London (almost) as planned - I delayed my flight until Saturday. Oh my wee Floof. I hope that she’s ok. 

By-election

I only occasionally touch on politics in my blog, however this week we have had a by-election in our own constituency. This happened because way back in 2020 our MP, Margaret Ferrier, was found out to have travelled by train from London to Glasgow in the almost certain knowledge that she was suffering from Covid. She was chucked out of the SNP for this, but rather brazenly refused to resign as an MP, which meant that she kept on being paid for the next two years. Eventually there was a vote by the constituents to oust her, which duly happened, resulting in this by-election. Many people, so I have heard, employed tactical voting to ensure that a Scottish National replacement candidate would not be elected. The Tories had no chance, so that meant voting for the Labour candidate, Michael Shanks* He and his team did not take this for granted and campaigned tirelessly for months. And so it came to pass that Shanks won the by-election for Labour by a landslide. We sat up late to watch the results, in the early hours of this morning. I could not possibly comment on whether I took part in this tactical voting.
*Michael Shanks knows Ally well, because Ally used to volunteer for the disabled Scouts troop that he runs. Ally says that he is a good guy. 

Visiting

We visited Chris and Stacey last week in their beautiful home near Ochiltree in Ayrshire. As well as seeing this lovely young couple we were keen to meet their two wee boys, Rory and Jamie. Rory is three now and was at our house last summer when Jamie and Kerry were in Scotland, but we were out and missed seeing him. So now that Jamie has been born (he’s three months old) we decided that it was high time to meet them both. And what a beautiful family they are. It reminded me a bit of ourselves with little boys and our lives in front of us. They made us very welcome and we had a good chat. 

Jennifer came to visit us on Wednesday for a few days and we had such a lovely time. She arrived on the day that I was hosting my EK Book Club and she helped me with the teas and coffees and joined in with all the chat. It was a convivial evening and the book club girls loved Jennifer. I felt very proud of her! 

We visited Janet McDougall, the first time that Jennifer has met her. We had lunch at the Chapterhouse café and Janet told us lots of stories about the family. We walked Vinnie the dog twice and I found it very reassuring to have an experienced dog person with me. It built my confidence let him off the lead a bit more in the park. Despite a poor weather forecast we had lovely weather both times although our feet got muddy in the field which was quite waterlogged. We also had the opportunity for some good chat while we were walking. We went over to David Lloyd for a swim and a spa too.
Then on the Friday a group of Jennifer’s friends came round for supper, and what a nice group they were! I knew Alison and Elspeth already and I enjoyed getting to know Julie. It was another lovely evening, the culmination of a great visit. 

We love Lucy!

Lucy Worsley had the whole audience eating out of her hand during her talk on Agatha Christie at the Pavilion. We have a joke that James has a crush on her, in fact it’s not just a joke; he really does have a big crush on her! So I got tickets for the event ages ago and we had excellent tickets in the front row! Lucy came out onto the stage wearing a gorgeous long green tulle dress with flowers embroidered onto it, and proceed to hold us spellbound for the next couple of hours. Her talk was technically a PowerPoint presentation because she illustrated her speech with lots of photos but her skill as a speaker elevated it to another level. She was funny and witty and very knowledgeable. In the second half (now wearing a lovely golden dress) she took questions and again it was a pleasure to hear her talking about her career and her interests in history. She kept hinting that she would like to act as Miss Marple in a film! And when an audience member asked her which era of history she would like to live in, she said “I will tell you about a time I was told I should live in” and told us that she had been using a parasol to protect her fair skin on the way to buy her lunch one day, when a passing van halted and the driver wound down his window to shout “Oi you from the telly! Why don’t you f*** off back to 1905?” Lucy said that far from being offended, she was amazed and impressed that he had correctly identified the age of her Edwardian parasol! She finished the talk by complimenting us all on being historians, which made our hearts swell with pride and with love for Lucy! 

Shania

I have loved Shania Twain since I first heard of her, around the time that her third album came out in the 1990s. So did a lot of my pupils in Coatbridge. During a hilarious end of class chat one boy said “She’s beautiful, she’s a great singer, and she’s minted!” I saw his point; what’s not to like? However last night at the Hydro it was the first time that I have ever seen her live, and she certainly didn’t disappoint! What a fantastic voice she has! And an amazing stage presence, and she is still very beautiful. It was a very joyful experience. I was at the concert on my own because I had gone ahead and booked my ticket under the impression that James didn’t want to go. It turned out that although he had said that he wasn’t keen, he would have been willing to come with me, but by that time it was too late and any remaining available seats would have been miles away from me, which defeated the purpose. Heather and Ewan were at the concert and I paid them a brief visit at their seats before the concert began. 
I had noticed that the exit behind me was right beside the bridge to Exhibition Centre Station, so I left sharp and successfully beat the majority  of the crowds heading for the station, and got on to the first train that arrived. An excellent evening. 

Wild weather

I’m tucked up in bed in Ullapool listening to the rain and wind buffeting the cottage. It’s rather cosy, especially with Flora snuggling in at my side (on top of the duvet, she refuses to go under it) and Tom curled up at my ankles. However the reason that the wild weather is noteworthy is that James and I spent the whole afternoon outdoors in the garden, accompanied by our feline chums. The sun was shining and although there were clouds it was quite warm; certainly warm enough for me to sit on the bench with Flora and do some admin and emails. James was working hard in the garden, assisted by Tom keeping an eye on him, preparing the ground for the next batch of heathers that he will be planting soon. We went indoors at about 5 p.m. and I was about to start making tea while James had a shower, when I noticed that I couldn’t see across the loch because of the sheets of rain and that the wind was whipping the branches of the trees so hard that twigs and leaves were breaking off them. And thus it has continued all evening. In fact when we were watching yet another episode of Black Mirror we had to turn up the sound on the television because the wind was howling down the chimney so loudly! 

Update just before midnight: I saw on Facebook that one of the lampposts just up the lane from us blew right down into a neighbour’s garden this evening due to the high winds! 

Rainy day

I woke at 5 a.m. with my tooth sore, and took ibuprofen which meant that when I woke again a couple of hours later it felt ok. My tooth is definitely getting better, however I really have been taken by surprise at the pain that follows root canal treatment. The other thing that I noticed at 5 a.m. was rain battering against the window, and it was still raining when we got up. It was a wet day, with the cloud hanging low over the loch. 
However we had some nice plans that were unaffected by the rain; brunch in Inverness with Alison and Hugh. We met in a lovely wee café in the town centre and had a very pleasant chat and catch up over coffee and French toast. It had even temporarily stopped raining by the time we left the café. We stopped at Tesco in the way back to Ullapool and James bought the ingredients for his special sweet potato curry. 
Then Anne popped round for a coffee in the afternoon and we caught up on news beside the fire over coffee and biscuits. And later James made his curry which was absolutely delicious and we watched another episode of Black Mirror. As rainy days go, it was a rather good one. Although I’m not sure that the cats would agree, they spent quite a lot of time mooching about in the porch looking sadly out at the rain. 

A bit of Mahler

Yesterday was quite a rubbish day. My tooth continued to be really sore. James gave me some cocodamol but it didn’t really help so I went back to ibuprofen which gives at least temporary relief. It’s amazing how one tooth being sore has taken over my whole existence, and it made me wonder how people cope with more serious or chronic pain.
I spent most of the afternoon in bed reading and sleeping, and my lovely Flora stayed right beside me most of the time. I know that she had a break while I was asleep because James was outside working in the garden, and he told me that she ventured outside for a little while and sat at the top of the steps, then returned indoors to take care of me. She is such a wee honey. Tom however is a man’s cat and he roamed around his territory, checking on James’ gardening progress from time to time. 
I got up for the evening, James made a delicious asparagus risotto which I ate with the right hand side of my mouth. We watched another episode of Black Mirror. When I was tucked up in bed I noticed that it had just turned midnight so I did my Wordle, which I do every day. I had just been reading an online article about the Righteous Brothers and the word “music” came to me. And amazingly, for the first time ever, I got the word on my first attempt! I was delighted! 
It’s weird that two lovely things have happened (Wordle on first attempt and picture published on BBC Scotland website) just when I’m suffering with this tooth. Life is strange. 
Today my tooth was a bit better, apart from once when I gnashed it together with my upper teeth by accident and it was very sore! We went to Strathpeffer in the afternoon to see a Mahler Players concert; Mahler Symphony no. 6 to be precise. It’s the first time that we’ve been to an event at Strathpeffer Pavilion and it was a nice venue. There was a good turnout and I enjoyed the concert - up to a point; I am not very familiar with Mahler and it kind of sounded like a film score to me. I think I would need to hear more to get more of an idea of it. We had a coffee afterwards in a wee coffee shop that was like an old fashioned American diner complete with a juke box. 
Back in Ullapool we had a relaxing evening and were much amused by Flora who watched a nature programme about birds very intently and then climbed up beside the television to try to catch the birds! 

Ullapool journey with sore tooth

Sadly my tooth has not yet improved and I have had a day of pain, ameliorated partly but not completely by painkillers every four hours. Our plan of packing the car yesterday so that the cats wouldn’t be alarmed when they saw us packing up this morning went well. We set off at about 9.45 a.m. after Flora and then Tom came in from their morning constitutionals. I drove for the first two hours and as the painkillers wore off I started to feel very sore and strangely sleepy. I had to sit up very straight and bite my lip to stay awake. We had a short stop half way around at Ralia and got coffees and then pressed on with James driving, with one more very quick stop at Aviemore where James visited the Cairngorm Brewery for supplies. 
When we got to Ullapool we quickly unloaded the car, the cats went out for some exercise, and I dived into bed for a nap, it was blissful. My caring little cat Flora came upstairs and sat on top of me on the bed, staring into my face. I’m sure that she knew that I wasn’t feeling great. 
In some nice news, I have finally had one of my photographs published in the BBC News website “Your pictures of Scotland” section. I have never been successful before despite several years of trying so I was delighted.
I got up for dinner and watched an episode of “Black Mirror” with James (we have watched a few in the past but decided to watch them all in order. But I was glad to get back to bed. The endodontist told me that my tooth would be sore for about 48 hours so I’m more than half way through that. 

Root Canal

I had a funny old morning. I was absolutely dreading my root canal treatment this afternoon so I busied myself around the house and got a heck of a lot done! Silver linings! 
However inevitably the time soon came for my treatment and the procedure took two whole hours, which to be fair I had been warned. It wasn’t painful because my mouth was well injected with local anaesthetic, but afterwards I felt a little bit confused and faint. Luckily James had insisted on driving me over to the west end where the clinic is, and had passed the time walking in to the centre of town for some shopping. When I emerged into the daylight I phoned James and he was only five minutes away. The pain began when the anaesthetic wore off about an hour later. My whole tooth and the gum under it became very sore, and painkillers barely took the edge off it. The dentist had warned me about this too, that all the root canal treatment would have temporarily irritated and inflamed all of the tissues. I hope that it gets better soon because at the moment it is murder polis! 

A boy and a cat

Suzy and Harris came round this morning for coffee. That boy Harris is extremely intelligent and quite a live wire! He kept asking me about when I had been angry! “When were you mad with your husband?” “When were you mad with your cat?” and then rather searchingly; “When were you mad with yourself?” He went on the swings in the garden, played with Tom cat, drew pictures and sorted stones. Tom was really nice with him, staying close by letting Harris pat him. There was no sign of Floof but I knew where she was; I got her a wee fleecy blanket yesterday for the upstairs bathroom, where she likes to spend time for some reason, and she has hardly been off it since! She was so happy when I sat her on it! 
Tom however was a sad boy later when I took him to the vet about his baldy patches. He didn’t suspect a thing until James brought the cat carrier into the back room where he had been resting on the couch. He ran for the cat flap but I had already locked it, and he was soon on his way to the vet, crying all the way in his tiny cracked voice. It turned out that he has allergies (like Flora) which were sorted, I hope, by a rather expensive injection. Tom was very glad to get home, and I noticed him staring at me from time to time during the afternoon as if to say “What was that all about?”
He was distracted when James built and lit a large fire in the garden, to get rid of some twigs and branches. Tom and Flora watched in fascination from the safety of the back room. James used the fire pit that we bought during lockdown, but despite being kept covered it has rusted so much that the bottom literally fell out of it, so it will need to go off to the dump. At least it ended its life in one last blaze of glory! 

A dog, two cats and a squirrel

James came with me on my Vinnie walk this afternoon; we followed the usual route through Holmhills and Cambuslang Parks, and all three of us had a fine time. Vinnie was impressed that James  can throw his ball much further than I can, and he was running about chasing the ball for ages. It was another beautiful sunny day, and we had a nice chat on our walk, and Vinnie met a few other doggies, he’s such a friendly dog. 

There was drama in the garden when we got home. Tom was full of beans after his dinner and chased Flora up the pear tree beside the fence, then he dashed up the other pear tree. There happened to be a squirrel already in that tree above Tom and it was absolutely furious; it was chattering at him loudly in its gruff voice. I think that it must have been angry because it felt trapped by him blocking its usual exit down the tree and across the grass to the other pear tree and the many trees in the Reids’ garden. So it climbed high up the tree and then gave an almighty leap to the other pear tree. This was no mean feat even for a squirrel, because it had to grab on to the very thin twigs high up, and we could see them bending way down like a springboard before it leaped again onto safer branches. But oh dear, our bushy tailed friend had not realised that Flora was already in that tree, and it did a huge double take when it realised that it was running towards her! Flora could hardly believe what was happening, it was so funny! The squirrel turned just in time and disappeared into the Reids’ conifers, what great entertainment, it was like a nature programme! 

Car trouble and coffee

Well it was cooler today after the rain yesterday, but I’m glad to say that it still felt warm and summery - there may be a few leaves on the ground but we’re not quite into autumn yet. I spent quite a lot of the morning arranging a car repair because one of the wheel bearings seems to be faulty again. Also an annoying rattle beneath the passenger door and a glitch with the display screen. I tried to hasten the repair over to Land-rover south side to throw myself on their mercy but they were unmoved and sent me home to follow the correct procedure by phoning Land-rover assistance, who have to diagnose the car before it can be booked in for repair. This duly took place and the repair will not take place until October. Words fail me.

James had a guitar lesson after lunch, which he said that he enjoyed. I picked him up and on the way home we stopped for coffee and strawberry tarts at Hugo’s in Burnside. It was doing a roaring trade, the staff were really friendly and helpful. I’m aware that it is nearly the end of hammock season so when we got home I headed outside. It was so pretty in the garden; so green and lush, with a welcome little breeze after the hot, still weather of the last few days. 

In other news, Ally and Cat are safe home from Morocco, thank goodness. It’s now being reported that three thousand people died during the earthquake, many in remote mountain villages which were completely destroyed. It’s so sad. 

Flu jab

I went down for my flu jab at 8.30 a.m. this morning. It still felt quite warm and muggy despite last night’s rain. I reckon that the health services are trying to get all of us oldies jabbed as quickly as possible, because who knows what dreadful flu and Covid variants await us this winter. I won’t be getting a Covid jab though, because those are being given only to those over 65 (unless you have an underlying health condition.) I rewarded myself for my bravery with a good cup of coffee and pain aux raisins at Costa on the Main Street. 
Back home I dedicated a chunk of my day to some quite serious sorting and clearing out. I think that my ex colleagues would probably agree that one of my good points was being super efficient and organised and tidy. Well it’s a different story at home, and that’s a shame because home is of course the most important. In the past the house was full of boy stuff and I was always fighting a semi successful battle to keep the house in good order. But now I need to do that for myself, and somehow that seems more difficult, maybe because I don’t really have deadlines, or uniform to get ready or homework to check. It’s not that the house is in a terrible state; however there are little piles of messiness here and there, and I tend to shove things into my beloved study to get them out of the way. And that is also a shame because it’s the first time that I have had my own room since 1985, and I feel that the disorder makes me value it less. 
Anyway I worked very hard for about three hours, mainly in my study, and I think that I can really see a difference. I became extremely sweaty during this time, partly because of running up and down the stairs to fetch things or put them away, and partly because the muggy morning had turned into an extremely hot and humid afternoon. So I used my trusty method (first used on a hot day in Tuscany) of running myself a completely cold bath and immersing myself in it, in order to bring down my temperature. This worked beautifully and I felt very refreshed.
Meanwhile the clouds rolled in and it actually got very dark at about 3.30 p.m. Suddenly there was an almighty downpour, followed by the predicted thunder. However Jennifer told me on the phone that they had thunder and lightning this morning in Buckinghamshire and now it’s back to being very hot! But that’s the south of England for you; the weather forecast predicts that it will stay cooler here. And indeed it did feel cooler after several more bursts of heavy rain. 
James arrived home from his very sunny hill-walking weekend to Galloway with some hilarious tales to tell me, and we had dinner and a pleasant evening together with Tom and Flora. 

Earthquake in Marrakesh

I was reading my book in bed late last night when a message came through on the family chat from Ally; he was letting us know that there has been an earthquake in Marrakesh (where he and Cat are on holiday.) He wanted us to know before we saw it on the news so that we wouldn’t worry too much, which was very thoughtful. He and Cat are fine but their hotel has large cracks on its walls, so they were going to sleep under the stars on a double sun lounger. They sheltered in a doorway when they felt the earthquake, which was 7.2 magnitude, then went outside with the other hotel guests. When I looked on the news websites it said that there were no casualties, however when I checked again in the morning there were sadly 600 casualties, which rose during the day to more than 2000 deaths. How terrible.
Ally and Cat FaceTimed me in the morning which was reassuring; their hotel is just outside  Marrakesh and is still operating, so they are going to stay put and follow instructions from their airline; they are due to fly home on Monday.
Meanwhile at Casa Anderson today was meant to be the peak of the heatwave, and it was very hot. Hot and muggy; the washing was hung out for hours but still felt a little bit damp when I brought it in. Even the interior of the house, with its thick sandstone walls, has heated up significantly. The cats were mostly just lounging around the back room and the garden, as was I. But there was a unique occurrence just after lunch, when I was spending some time in my hammock. Flora approached me and spoke loudly to me, and I patted my knee to encourage her to jump up - which she never does, because she hates the unstable feeling of the hammock moving. But this time she did! And after a bit of shifting about she settled down on my legs, relaxed but not sleeping as she listened to the sounds of birds and various rustling and creaking noises in the trees. At one point we both watched in fascination as a squirrel descended from one of the trees and scurrying up another. The only problem was that Flora’s weight on my knee joints eventually made them feel as if they were bent backwards; I didn’t move because it was so nice to have here there, but when she eventually jumped down to the ground I couldn’t bend my knees at all for a painful few minutes! 
After dinner I heard the pattering noise of rain on the window which quickly turned into a heavy but brief downpour. I was surprised because rain was not forecast until tomorrow afternoon. I heard the cat flap clicking and in came Flora, with her fur absolutely soaked! She was miaowing very loudly, I think that she had been very much caught by surprise! I gave her a rub down, for which she was not at all grateful. I went outside later to check on the weather and the darkening sky was clear, but it did feel a little fresher, so I’m hoping for a cooler night’s sleep.